Baauer drops a new banger and The Streets are collaborating
with Tame Impala. No ‘worst’ tracks this week.
‘Moonlight Feel’ - Sgmaniak
With its spiralling guitar melodies but punchy drums, this
new track from Brooklyn artist Sgmaniak (pronounced S.G. Maniak) sounds like a
more upbeat version of Radiohead’s ‘Weird Fishes’. I’ve pretty much ripped that
description straight from the press email I received, but I’m struggling to
find a better description. The soothing vocals harmonies and springy staccato synths
are a nice touch too. It’s difficult to put a genre label on it.
‘Strongboi’ – Strongboi
This track is over a month old (which is ancient in music blogging
terms). You can tell because no-one is socially distancing in the video. Still,
despite being relatively ‘un-new’, I just had to feature this incredible find. South
African artist Alice Phoebe Lou (at least I think that’s her) sings and raps
over some strange yet hypnotically funky synths, accompanied by a VHS-quality video
sporting awkward public dancing and wacky shades (all the key ingredients of a viral
indie video). It’s a bop - I already have ‘Strong! Boi! Strong! Boi!’ stuck in
my head.
‘Dispose’ – Ill Will
Bristol band Ill Will combine grungy riffs with an awesome
combo of female lead vocals and male backing vocals. They remind me a lot of
False Advertising but with a touch of smoky atmosphere. The slow-building outro
that starts at 2:35 is particularly satisfying.
‘Planet’s Mad’ – Baauer
Trap pioneer Baauer – the producer behind The Harlem Shake –
is back with another certified EDM banger. While the rat-tatatat-tatatat rhythm
does sound familiar, the kicks hit like gunshots and the addition of the
guitars is very unique. The beat change at the end is also pretty cool, plus the
video feels like something I might stumble across on the weird side of YouTube.
‘Aries’ – Gorillaz ft. Peter Hook & Georgia
‘Aries’ is the latest track from Gorillaz’ Song Machine
project – a series of music videos that is being released in episodes (does it
qualify as a new album?). It’s a melancholy new wave track of sorts with a
driving beat and some odd machine gun bursts interspersed throughout. Peter Hook
stars as a guest and I can definitely hear the Joy Division/New Order influence,
both in the instrumentation and Damon Albarn’s voice. I don’t know who Georgia
is or what she contributes to this track, but props to her too.
‘Call My Phone Thinking I’m Doing Nothing Better’ – The Streets
ft. Tame Impala
This unexpected collaboration sees UK rap act The Streets
teaming up with Aussie psych rock singer Kevin Parker (AKA Tame Impala). The
lyrics apply pretty well to life in isolation and the line ‘you know I’d
give you my kidney, just don’t ever take my charger’ is a good observation on
society in general. The juxtaposition of the two singers is pretty unusual, but
it works. A new album from The Streets is set to drop this summer.