Songs Of The Week | The Jesus and Mary Chain, Katy Perry, Dirty Projectors
In a new feature here at HeadStuff, we round up some of the best and high-profile tracks that you may have missed. This week saw the return Vince Staples, indie giants The Jesus and Mary Chain, as well as pop behemoth Katy Perry.
Dirty Projectors – ‘Cool your Heart’ (feat. DAWN)
While we wait for the follow-up to 2012’s excellent Swing Lo Magellan, Dirty Projectors drop their fourth and surprisingly danceable single from their forthcoming self-titled LP. Singles prior, like ‘Up In Hudson’, had us believing Dave Longstreth was pulling a 22, a million or an Age Of Adz with our Indie darling shedding his roots in favour of a more glitchy, frenetic soundscape. A Solange co-write, ‘Cool your heart’ is an altogether more chirpy, tropical affair with some shimmering vocal work shared between Longsteth and featured artist DAWN. I do like this one.
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Vince Staples – ‘BagBak’
The ferociously clever and socially aware Vince Staples returns with his first single since last year’s very solid Prima Donna EP. A timely sub 3 minute assault aimed at the powers that be, Vince not-so-subtly makes sure to inform “the government to suck a dick because we own you ”. It’s a desperately crude way to remind the White House just who is accountable to whom, but these are desperately crude times.
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Charly Bliss – ‘Glitter’
Bubble-grunge is the kind of pseudo genre of a term that no band should be describe as or afflicted with, but it really does suit the cheery, lo-fi and hyper-active sound of Brooklyn’s Charly Bliss. The four piece will be releasing their debut album Guppy on April 21 and ‘Glitter’ will feature on the record. A fiery, deceptively saccharine single, its lyrics offer a biting account of both the self and the kind of outward loathing that relationships can bring out in the best of us.
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Soulé – ‘Good life’
Soulé has filled the hook laden, female-led R’n’B hole that Dublin did know it had until she filled it. ‘Good Life’ is not just a feel good gem of a throwback track, but it also has an impossible to hate video of the artist and friends just mucking about. I never thought I’d see the day where Century City Arcades on Parnell street would be used in an R’n’B promo, but I’m truly glad it’s come.
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Cold Beat – ‘62 Moons’
Cold Beat is the synth pop project of San Francisco native Hannah Lew. ’62 Moons’ is the lead single for her forthcoming release Chaos By Invitation. The sumptuous and airy song starts off floating, but then glides into a cheery crescendo of bleeps and bloops.
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Amber Arcades – ‘It Changes’
Finally, somebody decided to marry the ambient guitar lines of Real Estate with the eccentric pop ambitions of Annie. Truth be told, Annellote De Graaf of Amber Arcades has actually being doing exactly that for a couple years now, but ‘It Changes’ might be the best thing the Dutch maestro has put out so far. It’s a blistering pop number with 90’s alt rock in its veins.
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Rick Ross – ‘Summer 17’
After all that weight loss, Rick Ross may not be the big man he once was, be can still make big songs. Case in point: ‘Summer 17’, a bombastic blow out complimented brilliantly by the rappers snarl.
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Katy Perry – ‘Chained To the Rhythm’
KP is back with the lead single for her long-awaited fourth album. ‘Chained to the Rhythm’ is her attempt at the thought-provoking bop. It’s a nice enough Caribbean tinged production, but the hook is less insightful than the attempted social commentary.
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Paul White – ‘Accelerator’ [Ft.[Ft. Danny Brown]
Who’s Paul White you ask? well he’s just the guy who produced some the of the best tracks (‘Ain’t it funny’, ‘When it Rain’) on Danny Brown’s already maniacally magnificent Atrocity Exhibition, one of 2016’s finest releases. The two have re-joined forces for White’s new EP, Accelerator, and the title track is frantic hoedown of exhilaration that the Detroit rapper can once again impose himself on confidently with that enchanting cracked voice delivery of his. Nobody does controlled chaos quite like these two.
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The Jesus and Mary Chain – ‘Always Sad’
This is more like it. The iconic band who gave us shoegaze years before the term was even coined have made their case for existing again. Their first single ‘Amputation’, was a pretty standard rollicking rock outing, but the Scottish group have rolled back the years with the melodic white noise of ‘Always Sad’.
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