New Bon Iver! The Weeknd teams with Daft Punk! New Sylvan Esso! This is like Oscar season at the theatres for me. So much to listen to these days. Squeeee.
10 - "All the Way Down", Kelela
While "Rewind" is still getting an awful lot of play around here, this other Kelela release has snuck into the rotation a little bit. I feel like if Aaliyah had never hooked up with Timbaland, she'd of sounded a bit like this.
9 - "Elodie", Ten Fe
I have very little info about Ten Fe other than they're from London and that this song has much more production value than I'd expect from one of somebody's first kicks at the can. Although the producer, Ewan Pearson, has a lot of experience under his belt (M83, The Rapture, Jagwar Ma). Perfect dinner music.
8 - "33 "GOD" ", Bon Iver
2 million views already? 22 million is just around the corner, I suppose. This album is a bit all over the place and I'm still digesting it. This is one of the most Boniest Iverest tracks "22, A Million" has to offer and so it is the first to get some shine here. Plus, mad points for the Paolo Nutini sample.
7 - "Don't Hurt Yourself (feat. Jack White)", Beyoncé
Apologies for the video selection. Queen Bey leaves me no choice:( Unlike the Bon Iver album, I've had time to chew Lemonade over. Yet still different tracks are grabbing my attention all these months after the album's release. What is Jack White up to these days...? Wikipedia reports that he is in the midst of an extended hiatus from performing live.
6 - "Somebody Else", The 1975
I'm not too sure where these guys came from. Their debut album was released in 2013 but I don't really remember being aware of it. They must have done something right as their second album, released earlier this year, topped the UK and US album charts. They've apparently been big in the UK for a while but only played their first show in the States in 2014. "Somebody" is the fourth of five releases from the album. The third release, "The Sound", enjoyed a few spins on mainstream radio late this summer.
5 - "Sun", The Hotelier
Massachusetts band The Hotelier have already recorded three albums. This song is from their most recent, 2015's Goodness. In case you're wondering about the blurred album cover art in the youtube clip, the actual photo can be found on the album's wiki page.
4 - "In Common", Alicia Keys
Huh? This is Alicia Keys? A very different sound from her - a little tropical club action. My wife has sucked me into watching a few episodes of The Voice, something I have actively avoided before. I've decided that, unless Alicia Keys is very good at presenting a fake persona on TV, she's actually a really cool person. Call me anytime.
3 - "Lite Spots", Kaytranada
Yes, yes. You're all sick of Kaytranada. TOO BAD. My kids love this video and I love CRANKING this song. On repeat.
2 - "St. James", DYAN
DYAN is not Dyan. Or even Diane. It is trio Alexis Marsh, Sam Jones, and Dan Dorff Jr. of Los Angeles, CA. St. James is the band's first release and started circulating just before summer. I love the sound - just the right amount of Florence with that sweet instrumental break in the middle.
1 - "Heart Don't Stand a Chance", Anderson.Paak
It turns out A.P has also done an NPR Tiny Desk concert - check it out here and take a few of his tracks in. Even "Suede". As the note in the comments of the NPR video says, good luck pigeonholing this guy in any genre. Up until I'd heard this song, he'd popped up mostly dropping guest verses on other people's tracks. Well, now I know he can drum. Cool.
Happy Thanksgiving!
