Still hungover after drowning your football-induced sorrows? Kick back and enjoy one last week of not having to deal with your crazy family with our homemade, fresh-out-the-oven playlist. Don’t even think about all those deadlines coming up.
KA — You Know It’s About — as described by will toaspern
Only thing grittier than Ka’s flow is this churning, industrial beat. Fuck a drop, you can’t even nod your head along to this song. It sounds to me like he’s daring you to like it, daring you to keep eye contact while he goes. He feels no need to yap at you. In fact, he doesn’t speed up or change his pitch until the smooth but burrowing hook — “That BUTTA.” That doesn’t mean he’s not skilled. “Dumb, smelly, in the underbelly trying to break through” is the kind of internal rhyme and tight imagery Earl Sweatshirt dreams about. Listen close for the basketball position theme in the second verse. This is grown man rap. This is a deep look back at a bleak life with no vacation in sight. Extra props to Ka for the self-directed visuals.
NICO — Genghis Khan — as described by eric eich
These days, with Thanksgiving in full view, October 31 feels like it was galaxies away; all our Instagram shots from Halloween ‘13 may have already eclipsed our actual memories of it, but as temperatures fall with the leaves (yes, even in California), I don’t think it’s too late to get a little witchy. And if anybody knows witchy, it’s everybody’s favorite femme fatale, Nico. Check out the ghostly blowing curtains, flickering candles, and eery lighting in this expressive and enchanting 1978 performance of “Genghis Khan.” OoOoOoO. Enjoy.
SAM SMITH – Latch (Acoustic version) — as described by katie straub
The fact that this Youtube video only has 1.2 million views is frankly insulting. This is perhaps one of the most delicious displays of raw vocal male talent I have heard in some time. For those of you who know Sam Smith only from 1) his appearance on the original Disclosure track heard on every dance floor between here and London this past summer, or 2) his vocals on that Naughty Boy song with that funky-cryptic-ass-Pan’s-Labryinth-slash-Wizard-of-Oz-esque video, by all means, check out his acoustic shit ‘cause you’re missing out on an exceptional voice here. With the techno trimmings of “Latch” removed, the listener delights in a voice that marries two of my most beloved sounds: a transcendent soulfulness à-la James Blake delivered in a poppy, bell-like tone akin to Justin Timberlake (and Smith sings, arguably, more skillfully in his high register). I’m currently fanning myself. I may just skyrocket the Youtube hit count on this to 9 digits all on my own. Can’t stop, won’t stop.
CLARK — Future Daniel — as described by carly lave
Like electronic music? Than you gotta check out Clark. I’ve been obsessed with this guy’s music since high school (favorite album being Totems Flare) and still find myself totally entranced by his beats. The song “Future Daniel” is currently playing in my ears, as it usually does once a day. One cannot NOT move when you listen to this music — but, obviously, that’s EDM for you. Clark ranges from eargasmic rave-inducing drum mixes to borderline melancholic acoustical journeys. Even as a longtime lover, I can’t put my finger on one definitive adjective for Clark. So I’ll just keep listening.
KASKADE feat. DEADMAU5 — I Remember — as described by sarika reddy
Whenever I listen to any Deadmau5/Kaskade collab, I’m immediately transported to a state of highway hypnosis filled with the streamlined lights of Audis, razor sharp leather blazers, sublime astronomical spaceships, universes colliding, and brisk night air. The trance synths of “I Remember” immediately take me to an Inez and Vinoodh photo shoot for Vogue or the haute couture runways of Milan. The airy vocals and enticing harmonizing envelops in a healing, calming oasis. Visuals of Sean O’Pry’s cheekbones and Alexander Wang suits flood my mind, epitomizing elegance, beauty, high fashion, and serenity. “I Remember” is nostalgic and progressive and seductive and … ten minutes long. But no fear, those ten minutes won’t ever be enough. (And there’s a four minute version).
RANDY NEWMAN – Sail Away — as described by max walker-silverman
If you’ve watched a Pixar film in the last 20 years, you’re probably familiar with Randy Newman, the creator of such great tunes as “You’ve Got a Friend in Me.” Who you might not be acquainted with is the Randy Newman of “Sail Away,” the Randy Newman who is one of the finest social satirists of his generation. The lyrics might, at the start, sound like they are being read from a bumper sticker on a truck with a gun rack, but don’t let the graceful melody fool you. It’s written as a pitch from a slaver to a group of Africans – an enticement to come aboard. This song is one of the finest examples both of Newman’s biting commentary and his tremendous gift for songwriting. It is at once beautiful and deeply sad.
RIHANNA — Stay (remix) — as described by brittany newell
YouTube can be a death-trap of niche interests and grainy confessionals, but damn if it doesn’t curate some national treasures. The latest YouTube bandwagon I’m riding is the 800% slowed-down song trend (this is one ricketyass bandwagon, kids). There comes a point, when slowing down a singer’s voice via easy-to-find software, that it ceases to sound gendered or even human. Dubstep becomes dirge-like, sopranos drop octaves like rappers drop f-bombs (which, slowed down, lose all their obscenity), and even the shrillest pop-monsters sound like crooners when digitally retarded. Hearing Justin Bieber’s voice warped to Gregorian Monk-esque tones is pretty trippy; his squeaky intake of breath lasts three minutes and sounds like nothing so much as a celestial invocation. The best find within this genre is Rihanna’s “Stay” (though the free Branchez remix is great too). Slowed down to an even more soulful, gospel-echoey, male pitch, it brings to mind a beat-down bluesman nursing his broken heart in a Midwestern gas-station (YOU’LL SEE). 162 views be damned, I’ve made it my mission to show everyone I know this heart-wrenching (and BEST) remix of ‘Stay’.
DISCOVERY — I Want You Back — as described by clara galperin
Are you the kind of person who frowns on designer drugs like MDMA because they’re a cop-out and likes to preach about achieving natural highs by playing frisbee and laughing with friends? Well, okay man, forget frisbee ‘cause listening to this song is a whole lot easier. And of course, if you indulge in that kind of stuff, you can very, very easily combine the two. And If you’re still indifferent, it’s a remix of the legendary song by The Jackson 5, so you know it’s good.
LILY ALLEN — Hard Out Here — as described by makshya tolbert
I learned about this song last week at an event about black feminism and social media. Someone mentioned Lily Allen in conversation with Miley Cyrus and Robin Thicke, and I’m thinking, I didn’t even know Lily was still making music. Then, I watched the music video, and I was like, Yes, she is in fact still making music. As told by Lily Allen, the song is supposed to be a satire of the way that Miley Cyrus, Robin Thicke, and (many) like-minded artists use particular female bodies as props in their music. Lily uses her video as an opportunity to gesture that she doesn’t need to use props to sell her music. So I watched the video, and my first thought was this: I don’t need Lily to make satire out of what so many artists have done. I’m enjoying how catchy this song is, and I don’t have the energy to discuss with her how to appropriately parody Miley Cyrus and Robin Thicke (not that I even would know what to say). I only have the energy to dance to this song, and for now, I am okay with that. I’ve listened to this song ten times this weekend. Next week, maybe I’ll confront what isn’t quite working in her video. Maybe I won’t.
Until then, I’m enjoying this song, almost entirely because it’s catchy.
BASTILLE — We Can’t Stop — as described by chase porter
Dan Smith, the lead singer of Bastille , gives a new, sultry, sensitive meaning to Miley’s “home-girls with the big butts.” This song is a perfect Arizona-bound road trip between some of our favorites. It’s Miley with stubble and a hint of cigarette breath. It’s Billy Ray minus the mullet. It’s Eminem [Ed. Bastille got the memo about genre crossing “Lose Yourself” covers this week.] plus the mullet. It’s an oversized teddy bear in a leather jacket eating crumpets with Abe Lincoln. It’s the little British man in the dusty corner of the twerkfest.
Bastille, no one wants you to stop. Don’t.
GOAT RODEO SESSIONS — Attaboy (Live) — as described by connor kelley
I’m afraid to write about this song because I don’t think I can ever do it justice, but here we go. The supergroup Goat Rodeo is made up of Stuart Duncan (violin/guitar), Edgar Meyer (bass), Chris Thile (mandolin/vocals/of Nickel Creek and Punch Brothers fame), and the ever impressive Yo-Yo Ma (cello). With a line-up like that, there really isn’t anything more to ask for. This experiment started in the late 90s and early 2000s when Yo-Yo teamed up with Meyer and Mark O’Connor to make Appalachia Waltz and Appalachian Journey, two albums that applied Western classical, jazz, and improvisation technique to Americana roots and bluegrass (lolwut?). Goat Rodeo is the latest iteration, and by golly, it’ll make you weep tears of happiness and completion. While I am thoroughly in love with every song on the album, “Attaboy” is one that really sticks out to me (plus they just have so much fun in the video. Who doesn’t want it?). From Thile’s delicious pickings, to Meyer’s understated yet beautifully melancholic plucking, to Duncan and Yo-Yo’s always conversational bowing, Goat Rodeo never disappoints. So eat up. It’s just so damn good.
ARCTIC MONKEYS — Do I Wanna Know — as described by eugenia puglisi
I read somewhere that Alex Turner is on the verge of making passionate, confusion-wrought love to you for the entirety of this song. And I must say, I do not disagree one bit. Desire is the driving force of this almost-love song. The words make you want to make an inebriated call to that someone that’s always on your mind. It manages to capture the uncertainty of wanting someone so irreversibly that you have to admit it to yourself, perhaps under the influence of a few glasses of bourbon. Similar to bourbon, the lines hit you about an hour later: (“We both know: the nights are mainly made for saying things that we can’t say tomorrow day,” how terribly true it rings). The crowning jewel of AM, I only heard it as the first song of their live set in Oakland. This was followed by the almost equally seductive “Knee Socks.” The crowd was entranced by the lyrics and deep guitar, and of course Turner, dripping with attitude and sex. My hall mates (still strangers to me, mind you) have definitely started hating me for my obnoxiously loud speakers with this sultry song on replay. I will pass on the torch to you all.
DAUGHTER — Smother — as described by jazzmin williams
Daughter is an indie rock trio from London that has been blessing the world with their music for about 3 years now. It’s hard for me to imagine what life was like before I listened to “Youth” for the first time. Elena Tonra’s haunting voice and poignant lyrics coupled with her and Igor Haefeli on guitars and Remi Aguiella on drums creates a very atmospheric sound that makes for the perfect soundtrack for the every day struggles of life: from mourning over midterm scores to getting over a bad break up or that cutie in your discussion section who won’t give you the time of day. It’s even great for study sessions. Other great tunes: “Landfill” “Winter” and “The Woods”.
ACTION BRONSON — Blue Chips 2 (yeah, the whole mixtape) — as described by chuck allen
You need this. Bronsolino is on another level: there’s a reason no one in the game fucks with him. He’s straight from Queens, but it’s so much bigger than that. The 250-plus pound Albanian doesn’t spit in bars, but scenes – a montage of white leather gourmet crack Queens shit that I can listen to for hours at a time. And if any producer can keep up with Bronson, it’s Party Supplies, a Brooklyn music aficionado who encapsulates Bronson’s random energy in a falling-apart style of sample-filled boom-bap. Blue Chips 2 sees the former chef spitting over any and everything - from huge 80’s pop hits to a twisted up version of The Pharcyde’s “Passin’ Me By.”
JONI MITCHELL — All I Want — as described by editor in chief lawrence neil
I may be a hip-hop head, but I discovered something unexpected this summer: Joni Mitchell will change the way you think about music. Something will click, or perhaps unclick, and your relationship to music will be changed. Her voice is an instrument, a versatile vehicle for folksy poetics about lost love and love found. She lives on black keys, in complex harmonies and at the end of tempestuous slides into eyes closed, eyebrows lifted, goose bump raising pinpointed notes and vibratos that subtly take the little-used backdoor into your heart. Take a listen to the first track, ‘All I Want’, on her universally acclaimed album Blue. By the time she proposes to ‘take a chance at finding some sweet romance’ in a jazzy vocal coup, you’ll be wondering why you hadn’t taken the chance earlier. Go wreck your stockings in some jukebox dive.
CHARLES MINGUS — Haitian Fight Song — as described by managing editor alec arceneaux
Saturday night, a few of my housemates and I were in my room, trying to deal with pesky emotions and shit after watching the USC game. I put on this song (cuz I’m a wonderful DJ; nothing goes better with partying than jazz) and said “This is the angriest song ever written.” One of the freshmen laughed and said, “You mean…angriest jazz song maybe?” I don’t think I need to qualify my statement. Jazz is already the angriest music possible. This song is a shout from beginning to end. After listening to the songs on this list (which are all great of course and thank you for reading this, Like us on Facebook), nothing really got to me the same way jazz does. No words, no computers, no bullshit. A few guys being angry. That’s all it takes sometimes. Excuse me while I scream into a pillow and sneak ricin into the Oregon practice facility.
this week’s images from picturebgd via lensblr
(‘14, American Studies) is a contributing writer from Denver, CO. He will talk to you about music for longer than you’d prefer.
(‘16, Community & Events Manager) is an overripe Georgia peach with an Internet addiction. See more at http://www.ericeich.com.
(‘14, English) hails from the suburbs of Chicago, where she learned, among other things, how to attend public school and enjoy white bread. When she is not organizing or promoting student art on campus, she’s probably performing in a play or singing in the shower.
(‘15, American Studies / Dance Minor) is still pursuing the role of struggling artist. In her spare time she enjoys choreographing, hiking, yoga, and occasionally attempting to sit still.
(’17, hopelessly undeclared) seriously has too many personalities to encompass in a few sentences. It is important to note, however, that in her nonexistent spare time she quite enjoys baltering to Beyonce, reading online articles, and obsessing over aesthetic. She sports anything from cartoon t-shirts with printed pants to Victorian blazers.
(‘15, History / Theater and Performance Studies, Literature Editor) is from Telluride, Colorado. His writing varies in genre, as it does in quality.
(‘16, Culture and Commentary Editor) (also known as Ratty St. John) is in your walls. Her chewing sounds lull you to sleep. Keep abreast of the bastard at rattysaintjohn.tumblr.com.
(‘17) is an Art History major from Buenos Aires, Argentina.
(‘15, American Studies) likes food, music, exercise and poetry.
(‘17, Undeclared) likes chocolate and Lorde. And soccer.
(‘15, Art History) joins you from the rain-drenched foothills of Duvall, Washington, where there are 3 stoplights and the smell of cow feces wafts through the summer air. He began his foray into the performing arts at age 8, and now studies architectural history and theory (primarily). He also loves avocados.
(‘16) hails from the far land of upper Mayfield Avenue. She enjoys traveling internationally, writing nonfiction, and getting her friends wine drunk at family dinners. As of now, her schedule remains a perplexing potpourri of comparative literature, creative writing, and organic chemistry.
(‘17, human biology) is from the lovely Stockton, California. she enjoys exploring cool places in the bay area, going to concerts, and playing guitar, piano, and trumpet (albeit, terribly).
(‘16) is from Kansas City, KS and likes listening to, writing about, and (soon) making music. He runs a blog at waylesseffort.com.
(‘14, History/Creative Writing, Editor-at-Large) is from Cleveland, Ohio and writes fiction.
(‘16, Undeclared, Literature Editor) hails originally from Lafayette, Louisiana. When not gator wrestlin’ or crawfish boilin’, Alec spends his time playing and listening to music, reading, writing, and dominating at fantasy football. He writes for the Stanford Review and is a member of the local jazz ensemble Skeleton Crew.