It’s impossible to cover every bit of new music that comes out during the week, so every Friday, we’ll be doing an end of the week music roundup. It’s called Final Track, and we’ll count off a few songs released during the week that are worth giving a listen to.
Today we’ve got: Metric, Pusha T, No Joy, the Afghan Whigs, and more.
(Pic via)
“Speed the Collapse” by Metric
OK, this up-tempo song is awesome and all – I especially like that it doesn’t sound like the glammed-up first single, “Youth Without Youth,” from their soon-to-be-released album, Synthetica (June 12), and how it has a much stronger vocal hook from singer Emily Haines, who always sounds like she has a secret that she’s not telling the listener – but considering its title, I really want Metric to write an entire album based on David Mamet’s “Speed-the-Plow.” Track one: “All That Glitters Isn’t Gould.”
“My Type of Party” by Dom Kennedy
Read more about this “helluva weekend” song here.
“Junior” by No Joy
Nine out of every ten shoegaze bands are terrible. You have to be something special to master the genre’s combination of burying your songs in reverb and looking like you’re not giving a sh*t, when in fact all you’re giving is sh*ts, as opposed to when you just sound like sh*t. You follow? No? OK, then. But know this: No Joy, who Best Coast’s Bethany called “the best band ever,” is the one-in-ten shoegazers who are worth listening to. “Junior” is the first single from their upcoming EP, Negaverse (a sequel to “The Negron Complex”?), and while Jasamine White-Gluz and Laura Lloyd’s vocals hover serenely in the mix, their distorted guitars absolutely pulverize you. But in a good way. A really, really good way.
“Crime Scene Part One” by the Afghan Whigs
Recently reunited soul rockers the Afghan Whigs, who put out two of the 1990s’ most underrated albums in Up In It and Gentlemen, played their first show in 13 years this week at New York’s Bowery Ballroom. Reviews were stellar, and even in a shaky YouTube video, it’s easy to see why: the Cleveland-based band haven’t lost their ability to play skuzzy R&B. They even covered Frank Ocean’s “Love Crimes,” which is just awesome.
“Exodus 23:1” by Pusha T
A very good track – WITH A GREAT SCANDAL. In “Exodus 23:1,” Pusha T takes a cheap shot at/hilariously makes fun of, depending on who you talk to, Drake and his recording contract with Lil Wayne’s Young Money Cash Money Brothers. He rhymes, “Contract all f*cked/Explain up I guess that means you all f*cked up/You signed to one n*ggas that signed to another n*ggas that’s signed to three n*ggas/Now that’s bad luck.” Lil Wayne then responded on Twitter with, “F*ck pusha t and anybody that love em.”
I love ya, Weezy, but I can’t hate on this song. /f*cked
“Elaine” by Sun Kil Moon
I believe “pretty” is the word you’re looking for. “Majestic” and “heartbreaking” work, too.
“Fuck City” by Dude York
Not only does this pop punk (in a good way) song make me want to throw my computer out the window and jump out of said ground-floor window and run screaming through my town (in a good way), while ripping off my clothes (in a bad way), because the song’s so much goddamn fun, it also reminds me of Arrested Development.
“Check your lease, man. Because you’re living in F*ck City.”
