What's New(s)?

Arcade Fire cover "Roll Over Beethoven"

Continuing the cover trend that's become a fixture of their Reflektor Tour, Arcade Fire dove into a rock classic on Sunday night in St. Louis when the sextet took on Chuck Berry's "Roll Over Beethoven". Berry was born in St. Louis and continues to perform at the city's Blueberry Hill each month, so the move doesn't come as an Earth-shaking revelation. In fact the previous night in Kansas City, Arcade Fire performed a rendition of Kansas' "Dust in the Wind". That rendition though was "rudely" interrupted by lead-singer Win Butler, who reminded the group: "that’s a Kansas song and we’re in f***in’ Missouri. You f***ed up," he said. "That’s gonna kill when we play Lawrence, though."

While the covers may come as no surprise, the band's escalation of their "deadmau5 beef" raises a few eyebrows. The "feud" began during Arcade Fire's set when Win Butler flippantly praised "All the bands still playing actual instruments," which led to deadmau5 proclaiming "Arcade Fire needs to settle down." As though that weren't enough, deadmau5 barbarously declared "If I wanna watch real artists perform, I'd pick the opera before wasting a f***ing minute of my life with Arcade Fire." In St. Louis, Arcade Fire struck back by flashing deadmau5's trademark mask on-screen during "Normal Person". And if that weren't enough former Missouri Congressman Todd Akin made an appearance, a person you generally won't want to be associated with circa 2014. 

Rather than dive into any "beef" further, just enjoy the clip of Arcade Fire's playing some good "rock and roll music."

 

The Roots release new track "Tomorrow"

 

An idea that's been floating around about The Roots' upcoming 11th LP And Then You Shoot Your Cousin is that it's a violent record. Not necessarily that it commits violent acts, but the world it inhabits is one of extreme violence. "When the People Cheer", the first sampling of the album, proved this with an unflinching portrayal of rapper Black Thought permanently stuck in the trap and knowing there's nowhere to go.

 

New single "Tomorrow" heads in an entirely different direction. Bolstered by a ringing piano, the Raheem DeVaughan feature is "thankful to be alive." In a soft-croon, DeVaughan stops to "smell the flowers" and appreciate the small things. "9-5 jobs" no longer sound like hellish nightmares, but welcome escapes. "It's free to be yourself," DeVaughan testifies. However "violent" And Then You Shoot Your Cousin ultimately is, "Tomorrow" will offer a brief moment of tranquility. 

 

And Then You Shoot Your Cousin is out May 13 through Def Jam and you can hear "Tomorrow" now on 1200 Squad.

 

 

 

 

Stream tUnE-yArDs' Nikki Nack now

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

tUnE-yArDs' third studio-album, Nikki Nack, doesn't drop until May 6 in the U.S. but that doesn't mean you can't hear Merrill Garbus' latest effort now. Courtesy of The Guardian, Nikki Nack is currently streaming ahead of its release date and my initial impression of the LP is that its every bit as strong and infectious as Garbus' previous two albums.

tUnE-yArDs are currently touring the U.S. with the aforementioned Arcade Fire, but will also be logging stage-time with the National and Sylvan Esso before the summer is over. You can find the dates below along with the Pee-wee's Playhouse inspired video for the clamorous first-single "Water Fountain".

 

Tour Dates:
4/29 Columbus, OH - Schottenstein Center (w. Arcade Fire)
5/1 Nashville, TN - Bridgestone Arena (w. Arcade Fire)
5/2 Atlanta, GA - Aarons Amphitheatre at Lakewood (w. Arcade Fire)
5/5 Los Angeles, CA - Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever
5/7 Brooklyn, NY - Rough Trade
5/12 London, England - Village Underground (w. Sylvan Esso)
5/14 Berlin, Germany - Berghain (w. Sylvan Esso)
5/15 Hamburg, Germany - Nochtspeicher (w. Sylvan Esso)
5/16 Brussels, Belgium - Les Nuits-Cirque Royal
5/18 Amsterdam, Netherlands - Bitterzoet (w. Sylvan Esso)
5/19 Paris, France - Cafe de La Danse (w. Sylvan Esso)
5/23 Bend, OR - Les Schwab Ampitheater (w. The National)
5/25 George, WA - Sasquatch Festival
5/26 Boise, ID - Knitting Factory Concert House (w. Sylvan Esso)
5/27 Salt Lake City, UT - Urban Lounge (w. Sylvan Esso)
5/30 Dallas, TX - Granada Theater (w. Sylvan Esso)
6/1 Houston, TX - Free Press Summerfest
6/3 Phoenix, AZ - The Crescent Ballroom (w. Sylvan Esso)
6/5 Los Angeles, CA - The Fonda Theatre (w. Sylvan Esso)
6/6 San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore (w. Sylvan Esso)
6/13 Washington, DC - 9:30 Club (w. Sylvan Esso)
6/15 Philadelphia, PA - Union Transfer (w. Sylvan Esso)
6/16 Boston, MA - Royale Boston (w. Sylvan Esso)
6/18 Montreal, Quebec - La Tulipe (w. Sylvan Esso)
6/19 Toronto, Ontario - NXNE, Massey Hall (w. Sylvan Esso)
6/21 Dover, DE - Firefly Festival
6/22 New York, NY - Webster Hall (w. Sylvan Esso)
6/23 New York, NY - Webster Hall (w. Sylvan Esso)
6/26 Brighton, England - Concorde 2
6/30 Manchester, England - Gorilla
7/1 Leeds, England - Cockpit
7/2 Bristol, England - Trinity
7/17 Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue
7/19 Chicago, IL - Pitchfork Music Festival
7/20 Louisville, KY - Forecastle Festival
9/3 London, England - Brixton Electric 

 

 

Check back tomorrow for more of the newest in new(s) and follow AllFreshSounds on Twitter for updates throughout the day.

"Water Fountain"- tUne-yArDs

Even now, I can't be the only one that still has problems typing Merrill Garbus' tUnE-yArDs project the right way. I know there's a certain rhythm to it that makes easier to write, but I haven't hit it. In typing that opening sentence, I had to backspace at least three times to make sure I had the proper capitalization. It's not so much a tiring exercise, as it is a frustrating one. And when I'm done, all I have is a band name to show for my endeavor.

Granted, if Garbus continues to make tracks like Nikki Nack first single "Water Fountain", I will gladly accept any frustration that will come with a write-up. Right away stuttering hand claps and clanging drums catch you up in an infectious pop rally. The sort where people gather together and march simply because it's a nice day outside. The chant of "nothing much to do when you're going nowhere, WOOHA WOOHA," that constitutes the chorus is equally indelible, splitting the difference between the Dixie Cups' "Iko Iko" and Busta Rhymes most well-known effort. Early on, Garbus counteracts the sunny communal vibe with the pessimistic realization "nothing feels like dying like the drying of my skin." Along with that withering, comes a loss of feeling. A growing numbness that acts as a shield of armor in a world looking to inflict pain. Soon enough though she sheds the dead skin to disperse the pennies she's saved up and splits a two-pound chicken with friends. Who cares if the well's run dry? That concern can wait for another day.

Nikki Nack is out 5/6 via 4AD and Garbus will go on a North American tour for the LP starting April 23 in Denver.

Tour Dates:

4/23 Denver, CO- Pepsi Center
4/26 Kansas City, MO- Starlight Theatre

4/27 St. Louis, MO- Chaifetz Arena
4/29 Columbus, OH-Schottenstein Center
5/1 Nashville, TN- Bridgestone Arena
5/2 Atlanta, GA- Aarons Amphiteatre at Lakewood
5/5 Los Angeles, CA- Mason Lodge at Hollywood Forever
5/7 Brooklyn, NY- Rough Trade
5/23 Bend, OR- Les Schwab Amphitheater
5/25 George, WA- Sasquatch Festival
5/26 Boise, ID- Knitting Factory Concert House
5/27 Salt Lake City, UT- Urban Lounge
5/30 Dallas, TX- Granada Theater
6/1 Houston, TX- Free Press Summer Fest
6/3 Phoenix, AZ- Crescent Ballroom
6/5 Los Angeles, CA- The Fonda Theatre
6/6 San Francisco, CA- The Fillmore
6/13 Washington, DC- 9:30 Club
6/15 Philadelphia, PA- Union Transfer
6/16 Boston, MA- Royale Boston
6/18 Montreal, QC- La Tulipe
6/19 Toronto, ON- Massey Hall
6/21 Dover, DE- Firefly Music Festival
6/22-23 New York, NY- Webster Hall
7/17 Minneapolis, MN- First Avenue
7/19 Chicago, IL- Pitchfork Music Festival
7/20 Louisville, KY- Forecastle Festival

What's New(s)?

tUne-yArDs debuts "Wait for a Minute"

Last month Merrill Garbus, better known to the music world as tUnE-yArDs, released the infectious stutterer "Water Fountain" as the first taste of her third LP Nikki Nack. Today she's followed up that sunny crowd-chant with the far-more subdued "Wait for a Minute". Garbus rides muted drum-machine beats and curving synthesizers with a soft coo for most of the tracks runtime, only once breaking into her battering-ram shout. When she mentions a "haze" you understand exactly what she's talking about.

Nikki Nack is out May 6 in the U.S. through 4AD.

 

Queens of the Stone Age stay up late in "Smooth Sailing" video

What if Bill Murray just drank his nights away and hung-out in malls while he was in Japan during Lost in Translation and never met Scarlett Johansson? That's roughly what you get in Queens of the Stone Age's video for the molten-hot "Smooth Sailing", albeit with more cocaine and public beatings. Throughout the clip, QOTSA-frontman Josh Homme wanders through dark locales with business-people and aggressively drinks with them at every turn. Like Lost in Translation there's also plenty of karaoke to be found, though it's surrounded by ties on heads and bottle-smashing. Everyone seems to lose their mind by the time the clip is up, looking at ease as a body is being buried. They're all "in flagrante."

Queens of the Stone Age have added a series of U.S. shows that you can find below along with "Smooth Sailing".

Tour Dates:

4/12 Indio, CA - Coachella
4/15 Portland, OR - Keller Auditorium
4/19 Indio, CA - Coachella Valley
5/6 St. Paul, MN - Roy Wilkins Auditorium
5/7 Milwaukee, WI - The Riverside Theater
5/9 Chicago, IL - Aragon Ballroom
5/13 Kansas City, MO - Starlight Theatre
5/14 Tulsa, OK - Brady Theater
5/16 Gulf Shores, AL - Hangout Music Festival
5/17 Gulf Shores, AL - Hangout Music Festival
5/18 Gulf Shores, AL - Hangout Music Festival

Bikini Kill unearth "Girl Soldier"

As previously mentioned on the blog, riot grrrl pioneers Bikini Kill are in the midst of a reissue series that started last winter with the re-release of the group's self-titled debut EP. Next week the series continues with Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah, a 12" that was originally split with British riot grrrl group Huggy Bear. For the upcoming reissue, Bikini Kill has taken their half of split and added 7 previously unheard tracks to the equation. Today they shared one of those unreleased tunes, "Child Soldier". A stagnant calamity the group played early in its career, the track moves at a snail's pace with feedback and Kathleen Hanna's lacerating screams blocking it in at every turn.

You can read an interview with Bikini Kill bassist Kathi Wilcox through Rookie and find "Child Soldier". 

Check back tomorrow for more of the newest in new(s) and follow AllFreshSounds on Twitter for updates throughout the day.

What's New(s)?

"Sheezus" season approaching

As lazily named as Lily Allen's new album Sheezus might be, the title-track and accompanying video are anything but. The track itself feeds on crisp drum claps and soft "ah ah ahs", while the clip is overstuffed with blacklights, squiggling white lines, and psychedelic swirls. At one point Allen appears to be freely floating in a star-cluster and she becomes a spot-on Avatar character while crooning "Periods. We all get periods." And if all of that weren't enough, she big ups other colossal female musicians like Beyonce, Lorde, Rihanna, and Lady Gaga who she refers to as a "martyr." 

Sheezus is out May 5 through Regal Recordings.

Joey Bada$$ pays tribute to the UFC with "Mr. Wonderful"

 






















Given 19-year old Brooklyn native Joey Bada$$'s penchant for laid-back boom-bap, you wouldn't expect him to be the type to pay homage to a UFC fighter. But that's exactly what he's done with "Mr. Wonderful", which tips a cap to light-heavyweight brawler Phil Davis. "Mr. Wonderful" doesn't just mention Davis in passing, it revolves entirely around the "number one contender" and how he'll "hit you with the flying kick." While it's fascinating enough to hear Bada$$ stick to one narrative for an entire song, it's much more interesting to hear Kirk Knight's beat which jabs in a way Bada$$ efforts generally don't.

Davis will fight Anthony Johnson at UFC 172 on April 26 and will be using "Mr. Wonderful" as his entrance music for the bout.




tUne-yArDs pays tribute to Pee-Wee's Playhouse in new video

Merrill Garbus' work as tUnE-yArDs has consistently towed the line between in control and chaotic for two albums now, so what better way to capture that near-chaos than to pay tribute to one of the masters of the art-form, Peewee Herman? In the video for the clattering "Water Fountain", the lead single off of third LP Nikki Nack, Garbus recreates the cult-classic TV series Pee-Wee's Playhouse. 

In Garbus' take multi-armed puppets, dog-man chefs, one-eyed monsters, robots, fanged couches, and mad scientists are freely roam around without much interference. Sadly there's no pterodactyls, genies, or mail-carriers to be found, but the video is just as joyous as any trip to the Playhouse would be. So pull yourself up a chair and enjoy.

Check back tomorrow for more of the newest in new(s) and follow AllFreshSounds on Twitter for updates throughout the day.

Top 50 Songs of 2014 (10-1)

Like I said in Part 1, "no one list, no matter how massive, could do the year justice." While that may be true, I'd like to think this countdown has done a service to the year that was. 2014 in music was an unwieldy year and this has been an unwieldy list. Joyous Britpop, devastating dance, apocalyptic post rock, emo and serene ambient music have all made appearances and there's still room left. This list factored in commercial success, critical reception, replayability and listener resonance, and you see that in the final 10 songs. But before we get to the best 2014 had to offer, let's seen where we've been so far.


50. "Picture Me Gone"- Ariel Pink (pom pom)
49. "Blank Space"- Taylor Swift (1989)
48. "I'm Coming Home"- Lil Boosie (Life After Deathrow)
47. "Say You Love Me"- Jessie Ware (Tough Love)
46. "Man of the Year"- ScHoolboy Q (Oxymoron)
45. "New York Kiss"- Spoon (They Want My Soul)
44. "I Love You All"- The Soronprfbs (Frank soundtrack)
43. "Interference Fits"- Perfect Pussy (Say Yes to Love)
42. "Webbie Flow (U Like)"- Isaiah Rashad (Cilvia Demo)
41. "And I Am Nervous"- Shy Boys (Shy Boys)
40. "Never Catch Me" ft. Kendrick Lamar- Flying Lotus (You're Dead!)
39. "Tearing Down Posters"- Jawbreaker Reunion (Lutheran Sisterhood Gun Club)
38. "Try Me"- DeJ Loaf (single)
37. "Queen"- Perfume Genius (Too Bright)
36. "No More"- Jeremih & Shlohmo (No More EP)
35. "Jackson"- Cymbals Eat Guitars (LOSE)
34. "Fancy" ft. Charli XCX- Iggy Azalea (The New Classic)
33. "Holding on for Life"- Broken Bells (After the Disco)
32. "Who Do You Love?" ft. Drake- YG (My Krazy Life)
31. "Have a Party"- MBE (DJ Moondawg's: We Invented the Bop 2)
30. "Call Across Rooms"- Grouper (Ruins)
29. "A Little God in My Hands"- Swans (To Be Kind)
28. "One Time For"- Rome Fortune (Prod. Four Tet) (Small VVorld)
27. "Magic"- Coldplay (Ghost Stories)
26. "Benz Friendz (Whatchutola)" ft. André 3000- Future (Honest)
25. "Silver Line"- Lykke Li (I Never Learn)
24. "Attachment"- Hannah Diamond (single)
23. "i"- Kendrick Lamar (single)
22. "Unf***theworld"- Angel Olsen (Burn Your Fire for No Witness)
21. "Digital Witness"- St. Vincent (St. Vincent) 
20. "Lookin' Ass N****"- Nicki Minaj (Young Money: Rise of an Empire)
19. "Kitchen Song"- Oscar (single)
18. "Can't Do Without You"- Caribou (Our Love)
17. "0-100/The Catch Up"- Drake (single)
16. "Words I Don't Remember"- How to Dress Well (What Is This Heart?)
15. "Talking Backwards"- Real Estate (Atlas)
14. "Close Your Eyes (And Count to F***)"- Run the Jewels (Run the Jewels 2)
13. "Water Fountain"- tUnE-yArDs (Nikki Nack)
12. "Eyes to the Wind"- The War on Drugs (Lost in the Dream)
11. "Aisatsana"- Aphex Twin (Syro)



10. "Move That Dope" ft. Pusha T, Pharrell & Casino- Future (Honest)

Cue the longest, loudest, most obnoxious Ric Flair "WOOOOOOO" imaginable. Plain and simple "Move That Dope" from Future's Honest is inspirational. Sitting through 6 minutes of Mike Will Made It's futuristic burbles, you're bound to chortle or nod your head to the track at least once.

More important than the hypnotic beat is the effort of Future's collaborators, who're all hell-bent on offering up better dope-game advice than the dude who just wrapped up. A surprisingly lucid (read: no Auto-tune) Future bounces from "beating that China like Kunta Kinte" to splashing scales with "baking soda water." Pusha T, never one to shy away from dope dealings, is stuck in a helpless dealer dichotomy "young enough to still sell dope, old enough to know better." As he admits near the end of his snarled verse, the only thing growing at the same rate as his age is his ego.

Ferocious as he is, King Push is mere table-setting for the final two. Pharrell comes alive with the sort of rapping he's rarely delivered since In My Mind: Mixtape. He fields questions about his Grammy outfit and squeezes in a session of naked yoga. 2014 ended up being a plentiful year for Pharrell and "Move That Dope" was the start of the harvest.

What the grizzled Casino reaps is the closest any of the rappers come to being "honest." Future's cousin is unrelenting in his approach, he bulldozes through "purp and zan" with Spartan intensity. And while "keep a 45 in my coat while I'm serving dope" scans as boilerplate gun-talk, when it comes in a weathered yowl it crosses from idle threat to guarantee. It's the one reality in a room full of vibrant fictions.

9. "West Coast"- Lana Del Rey (Ultraviolence)

There's no better way to describe Lana Del Rey's first single from sophomore LP Ultraviolence than "sensual." That said its sensuality is a better fit for the midnight hour. Black Keys-guitarist Dan Auerbach's hypnotic island groove to open "West Coast" turns a shade darker as Del Rey launches into her graveyard whisper. "Down on the West Coast, they got a sayin, if you're not drinkin', then you're not playin," she eerily philosophizes.

"Live fast and die young" has been an ideology of Del Rey's music since the beginning, but with the exception of the elegiac "Carmen" the dark-end of the tunnel has never seemed so close. Del Rey steps out onto balconies of rippling guitars and stuttering drum fills in the hook of "West Coast", but instead of stopping to enjoy the scenery she wildly proclaims "I'm in love." She's far too preoccupied with Golden-Age Cinema and "Rock N Roll groupies" to notice the flames climbing higher by the minute. By the time the vague chopped-and-screwed outro enters with a gloomy synth in hand, her fate is sealed. Living for the moment is fine until the future becomes the present.

8. "Do It Again"- Robyn & Röyksopp (Do It Again EP)

Not since Daft Punk's iconic "One More Time" has the desire to keep losing control been so perfectly captured within a pop framework. I want more of "Do It Again" before the dancefloor burner can wrap up. Hit me again with Röyksopp's pliable bass. Let those synthesizers forever wobble back and forth like a house on a cliff. Don't lose sight of the thudding metronomes. Never stop the beat that pulsates like a nervous heart. Whatever Robyn coolly hits you with, have her say it again. Whenever one massive buildup collapses, wait around for the next one. If it feels like an eternity, have patience. If you stay around, we'll just do it again and again and again.

7. "Micheline"- Sun Kil Moon (Benji)

Mark Kozelek's sixth studio album as Sun Kil Moon, Benji, is a towering and exhausting record. For much of the record's 62 minute run time death is the topic of conversation. We hear about the deaths of cousins and uncles from trashcan fire explosions. In "Pray for Newtown" Kozelek meditates on mass shootings in Newtown, Aurora, San Ysidro, Portland, and Oslo. Serial killer Richard Ramirez is the subject of an entire song. A husband is lead to mercy kill his wife and spends the rest of his life in prison. When you listen through Benji it's nearly impossible not to get teary-eyed because there's so much death. Loss of life is rarely easy to accept.

The album's most affecting story though has nothing to do with death. Tenderly picking a nylon-stringed guitar Kozelek tells us all about his childhood admirer "Micheline" who "wore thick-rimmed glasses" and had a brain that "worked a little slower than the others." When she felt particularly brave, Micheline would knock on Kozelek's door and ask his father "Can I take a bath with Mark?" He would politely respond that his son wasn't home and shut the door to send Micheline on her way. There's no judgment in the way Kozelek tells the story, just an unlimited reserve of empathy. "She wanted love like anyone else," he warbles. He doesn’t stop at a simplistic reduction of someone who is mentally challenged being “different,” he dares to include her by singing "she had dreams like anyone else."

While Kozelek goes on to tell of a friend who suffered an aneurysm during band practice and a cancer-stricken grandmother, it's that first tale of the sparse number that hits the hardest. In that same story Kozelek fast-forwards to the time a neighborhood thug moved in with Micheline to took her welfare payments and life savings. You can hear him inhale when he recounts that journalistically specific detail and in that quietude a breakdown inevitably comes. We're trained to believe that the most "defenseless" among us will be protected, but "Micheline"'s story says otherwise. Those who have no real voice are taken advantage of. When that happens we need to do what Kozelek does and give them a voice. Ensure that their dreams matter as much as anyone else's.

6. "I'm Not Part of Me"- Cloud Nothings (Here and Nowhere Else)

The memories we make are as a part of us as anything else. That's the central tension of "I'm Not Part of Me," 2014's greatest "RAWKER" by a mile. Lead-singer Dylan Baldi's gnarled plan to "leave all the memories of what we did when we were young," is doomed to fail because we are our recollections. We can't forget painful events at our convenience, try as we might. Our best chance to survive is to move towards new experiences, barreling forward with the power of Jayson Gerycz's drums. To rip out those troublesome parts we need nails as sharp as Baldi's shouted choruses: "I'm not, I'm not you, you're a part of," "I'm not telling you all I'm going through, I feel fine." We can move on from the way we were before, we just need to forget the past and focus on what we can control. More than an expertly made rock song, "I'm Not Part of Me" is a therapy session with expert hooks.

  

5. "Sanctified" ft. Betty Wright, Big Sean  Kanye West- Rick Ross (Mastermind)

We could all be forgiven for thinking 2014 was going to be another year of musical dominance for Kanye West. He'd been a major part of a record release every year since the decade started, so when the gorgeous "gospel rap" track "Sanctified" appeared in early February there was every reason to believe it was business as usual. That wasn't the case. In reality "Sanctified" was the shimmering oasis in a desertous year. Our one morsel while we wait for "another Yeezus."

It doesn't really matter though because "Sanctified" is such a towering, opulent single. Big Sean raps about wanting "$100 million" in the infectious hook and it sounds like that amount went into the West/DJ Mustard/Mike Dean production. Rather than sample Betty Wright, the trio brought the R&B singer in to soulfully howl about being "sanctified" as a church organ cleanly pipes away. Underneath her you can hear every drum kick and bass thunk; the saved holding hands with the sinners.

So it is with the verses, particularly 'Ye's where he's "wildin' out" and washing his sins "in the blood of Jesus." He outright jacks the "Migos flow" at one point and it's impossible to complain because he sounds so good going into double-time atop a plinking grand piano. "I don't sweat it, wipe my forehead with a handkerchief" he raps on the other side, intentionally butchering the word "handkerchief" to the point of being unrecognizable. Rick Ross can have his "grilled cheese" as much as he wants; this is all about Mr. West. He's continually inventing his own language and I can't wait to hear what he says next.

4. "Seasons (Waiting On You)"- Future Islands (Singles)

 

As memeable and GIF-worthy as vocalist Samuel T. Herring of Future Islands dancing around The Late Show was, the success of "Seasons (Waiting On You)" doesn't happen if it isn't a flat-out incredible song. The strutting is an oddity story for a day or two, the song is one of those undefinable, indescribable works that people perpetually return to to figure out. Are we dealing with dance music? Does Gerrit Welmers' restrained, yet wonky, keyboard playing make this synthpop? William Cashion's chugging bass brings to mind vintage-Strokes, so maybe garage rock's the comparison?

Fine then, we've figured the music out? What about Herring's singing? There are the guttural hollers of Tom Waits in his voice, but also the operatic clarion of Antony Hegarty as he wails "As it breaks the summer will wake, but the winter will wash what is left of the taste." What he's saying is abundantly clear, we'll have to wait indefinitely for some people because humans don't naturally change their minds or hearts the way seasons turn over. Holding a torch for someone for too long can burn. How Herring is saying all of that though is the real mystery and it won't be solved anytime soon, so we'll keep hanging on.

3. "Do You"- Spoon (They Want My Soul)

 

One of the best measures of greatness for a band is their ability to make the difficult look easy, to have listeners vacillating between "I could do that" and "how did they do that?" Using that standard, Spoon are America's greatest rock band. Just listen to the "do do do's" that open up They Want My Soul's catchy anchor "Do You." That's a simple little "gimmick" that's been in popular music since the beginning, but the way Spoon does it defies reproduction. Each one bounces and echoes around every corner of the speaker, buried under gobs of reverb and delay effects. Jim Eno plays maybe one drum fill the entire song and it still stands feels like a commanding performance because of the way he hammers at his kit. The brief little electric guitar solo that Britt Daniel's performs would take forever to tab because of the way it interlocks with the shuffling acoustics. The way they play is a perfect fit for a song that centers around romantic understanding. Spoon know who they are and what they're doing. 

2. "Two Weeks"- FKA twigs (LP1)

 

Darkly sexual or sexually dark. Take your pick with FKA twigs' druggy trip-hop/R&B hybrid "Two Weeks" because either is accurate. Even before twigs delivers the year's most overt come-on with "my thighs are apart for when you're ready to breathe in," it's never clear if you should be terrified or turned on. The hairs that stand up on the back of your neck could be from the line or the decaying electronics that undergird it. It could be a vibrant dream or a bleak nightmare. The way twigs' material can go either way is impressive, but not as much as her ability to take control while being so utterly calm. It recalls no less than Aaliyah, but R&B's "baby girl" never sounded this liberated or skin crawling. Twigs is in another lane altogether, she owns it and she owns you. So get you're mouth open.

 

 

1. "Tuesday" ft. Drake- iLoveMakonnen (I Love Makonnen)

 



















"Put the world on a sound," that's precisely what Drake the tastemaker did when he hopped on iLoveMakonnen's "Club Goin' Up on a Tuesday" in August. It's impossible to overstate how important Drizzy hopping on this joint was. The original was already catchy, those constantly rewinding synths and inebriated synths are hard not to sway to, but the initial song was one of those cult pieces that only music nerds are talking about five years later. Drake's cosign let everyone know it was okay to like this something inherently weird and helped launch it into the stratosphere. He turned us on to an Atlanta eccentric who counts Adele and Lil B as inspirations. We were given a guy who croons like the Smiths' Morrissey if he got his start 20 years later and listened to 808s & Heartbreak nonstop. Here was someone so committed to having a good time that he was going to celebrate on the most ho-hum day of the week. His infectious attitude was something everyone within reach was going to catch. Sure his eyes were bloodshot from graveyard shifts and slinging molly, but that wasn't going to stop him. When we look back on 2014 we're going to think how unstoppable "Tuesday" was.

(Regular features on the blog return tomorrow. If you love the songs included, say so in the comments. If you hate them and have nothing but righteous indignation for the countdown, express that to.)