Hey Folks, we're nearly halfway through Summer now, which is horrifying and unbelievable, but as June gives way to July we have a whole host of new tasty Jams to sink our ears into. I like doing this every once in a while - we need a totally bonkers shake-up to dust the cobwebs off. After all, we here at Norwegian Morning Wood are only interested in the most cutting edge hot jams there are. Or something. So check out these fresh new tracks:
Hot Jam of the Week: "One Man Can Change the World" by Big Sean ft. Kanye West & John Legend
So, in our week of super-hot jams, this is the hottest. It's not a totally flashy song, but a landmark song for Big Sean, who usually just croons about asses or other trivial shit. This is a fairly introspective track, though, more in vein of what Drake has been trying to do as well - turn from rap novelty into something more substantial. It echoes in simultaneous melancholy and hope, even if that weird Jim Carrey anecdote about 2:20 in doesn't quite land. I dig this, though.
Lana Del Ray by Way of Selena Gomez: "Good For You" by Selena Gomez ft. A$AP Rocky
I previewed this track last week, and even though we don't have a video yet, this was worth it enough to mention today. This is a surprisingly mature jam for Selena Gomez, who I've always thought kind of sucked. She still looks like she's twelve-years old and is apparently from the Ariana Grande school of looking way too young to be sexy. This is totally a dark, blase track that sounds totes like Lana Del Ray, though, which isn't really a terrible thing. A$AP Rocky is also proving himself more and more to be one of our more talented up and coming rappers, and he adds just as much as he needs to here. So the first two songs this week were decided downers, let's keep this Summer Rolling!
The Cruel Irony of Dichotomy: "Grass is Always Greener" by Ludacris
Luda has attempted to make a splash with a few singles off his latest album, Ludaversal, and I'd say he's had more misses than hits from it, but this presents an interesting inner conflict. TWO SIDES! Luda's sort of moved away from his Area Code and Ho-loving past into some more sophisticated music, starting with Release Therapy, although that was actually like ten years ago. He's arguably even more famous now for being in Fast and Furious movies, and he makes a nice acknowledgment of that here, even his mysterious six-pack in Fast and Furious 6 (2013). I'm not sure what'll happen with this song, it's not quite catchy enough to really take off, but it's a groovy listen.
Use Your Cheer Voice! "Cheerleader" by OMI
Alright, this track is a little old, but it's been surging just lately. It's a lovely faux-reggae song in the spirit of last year's "Rude" by MAGIC! It's a pretty chilled out tune that I don't think has quite the same instant hook that "Rude" had, but it's definitely on an upswing. There seems to be so many funky trumpets in pop nowadays, and "Cheerleader" also totally works that angle hard. It could bump up pretty nicely. Stay tuned!
Praise Jeebus: "Hallelujah" by Panic! At the Disco
I really can't stand Panic! At the Disco, actually. They're probably the epitome of terrible aughts emo bands that just grate my soul each time they put out another horrible overplayed affront against God and man that they call albums. This ain't so bad, though. It's got a nice epic ascension to it, although it is totally trivializing prayer in a weird way, just because the song isn't actually religious at all despite just repeated calls of Hallelujah. I dunno. Trumpets! Summer! This could catch on.
French Bonnaroo: "Hey Mama" by David Guetta, Nicki Minaj, and some other assholes
This jam continued its somewhat not so surprising run and could be Nicki's lasting contribution to the Summer Scene. She really has actually been a consistent presence for like the last five years, but has never quite had the surge necessarily to earn that #1 crown. I don't think "Hey Mama" will do it for her, although this is totally a fun, ripping song that earns its stripes completely on her flow, which just gets tighter and more mature with each new song. It's exciting to watch. It's also really weird to see Nicki have such a detached presence in the video while having such a domineering presence on the track itself. David Guetta sucks.
Show My Moon: "Shut Up and Dance" by Walk the Moon
I may be reaching my peak with this jam. It's been ranked so damn high each week because it's still crazy fun and fairly popular, but even listening to it now I think I might finally be over its refreshing glib cuteness. Then again, it's tough to replace. Big Sean? A$AP Rocky? Nicki? Now's the time. Until we really get someone else significant, this is still going to be the song to beat this summer.
Mother Chucker: "Bad Blood" by Taylor Swift ft. Kendrick Lamar
Yep. I finally gave it up to "Bad Blood." The track is still on its way to reach maximum life saturation and I'm still in a mood of liking this more and more each time I see it, which is a rad feeling. The timing, attitude, and even every subtle facial expression is just perfect, even if this video doesn't really go anywhere. The plot is a super-vague excuse to have fun with all Tay Sway's celebrity friends, which is fine, really, because it IS super fun! Summer! Hoorah!
Next Week...
I promise I'll have some R&B jam for you next week. Probably. Other than that, we'll see how all these newbies do in the time being, and maybe try to steer back to what's actually popular rather than just the eight songs I liked most from the week. Nah, fuck that, you know why you're here. Stay tuned to see who gets that Fabled Crown, folks!
Hot Jam of the Week: "One Man Can Change the World" by Big Sean ft. Kanye West & John Legend
So, in our week of super-hot jams, this is the hottest. It's not a totally flashy song, but a landmark song for Big Sean, who usually just croons about asses or other trivial shit. This is a fairly introspective track, though, more in vein of what Drake has been trying to do as well - turn from rap novelty into something more substantial. It echoes in simultaneous melancholy and hope, even if that weird Jim Carrey anecdote about 2:20 in doesn't quite land. I dig this, though.
Lana Del Ray by Way of Selena Gomez: "Good For You" by Selena Gomez ft. A$AP Rocky
I previewed this track last week, and even though we don't have a video yet, this was worth it enough to mention today. This is a surprisingly mature jam for Selena Gomez, who I've always thought kind of sucked. She still looks like she's twelve-years old and is apparently from the Ariana Grande school of looking way too young to be sexy. This is totally a dark, blase track that sounds totes like Lana Del Ray, though, which isn't really a terrible thing. A$AP Rocky is also proving himself more and more to be one of our more talented up and coming rappers, and he adds just as much as he needs to here. So the first two songs this week were decided downers, let's keep this Summer Rolling!
The Cruel Irony of Dichotomy: "Grass is Always Greener" by Ludacris
Luda has attempted to make a splash with a few singles off his latest album, Ludaversal, and I'd say he's had more misses than hits from it, but this presents an interesting inner conflict. TWO SIDES! Luda's sort of moved away from his Area Code and Ho-loving past into some more sophisticated music, starting with Release Therapy, although that was actually like ten years ago. He's arguably even more famous now for being in Fast and Furious movies, and he makes a nice acknowledgment of that here, even his mysterious six-pack in Fast and Furious 6 (2013). I'm not sure what'll happen with this song, it's not quite catchy enough to really take off, but it's a groovy listen.
Use Your Cheer Voice! "Cheerleader" by OMI
Alright, this track is a little old, but it's been surging just lately. It's a lovely faux-reggae song in the spirit of last year's "Rude" by MAGIC! It's a pretty chilled out tune that I don't think has quite the same instant hook that "Rude" had, but it's definitely on an upswing. There seems to be so many funky trumpets in pop nowadays, and "Cheerleader" also totally works that angle hard. It could bump up pretty nicely. Stay tuned!
Praise Jeebus: "Hallelujah" by Panic! At the Disco
I really can't stand Panic! At the Disco, actually. They're probably the epitome of terrible aughts emo bands that just grate my soul each time they put out another horrible overplayed affront against God and man that they call albums. This ain't so bad, though. It's got a nice epic ascension to it, although it is totally trivializing prayer in a weird way, just because the song isn't actually religious at all despite just repeated calls of Hallelujah. I dunno. Trumpets! Summer! This could catch on.
French Bonnaroo: "Hey Mama" by David Guetta, Nicki Minaj, and some other assholes
This jam continued its somewhat not so surprising run and could be Nicki's lasting contribution to the Summer Scene. She really has actually been a consistent presence for like the last five years, but has never quite had the surge necessarily to earn that #1 crown. I don't think "Hey Mama" will do it for her, although this is totally a fun, ripping song that earns its stripes completely on her flow, which just gets tighter and more mature with each new song. It's exciting to watch. It's also really weird to see Nicki have such a detached presence in the video while having such a domineering presence on the track itself. David Guetta sucks.
Show My Moon: "Shut Up and Dance" by Walk the Moon
I may be reaching my peak with this jam. It's been ranked so damn high each week because it's still crazy fun and fairly popular, but even listening to it now I think I might finally be over its refreshing glib cuteness. Then again, it's tough to replace. Big Sean? A$AP Rocky? Nicki? Now's the time. Until we really get someone else significant, this is still going to be the song to beat this summer.
Mother Chucker: "Bad Blood" by Taylor Swift ft. Kendrick Lamar
Yep. I finally gave it up to "Bad Blood." The track is still on its way to reach maximum life saturation and I'm still in a mood of liking this more and more each time I see it, which is a rad feeling. The timing, attitude, and even every subtle facial expression is just perfect, even if this video doesn't really go anywhere. The plot is a super-vague excuse to have fun with all Tay Sway's celebrity friends, which is fine, really, because it IS super fun! Summer! Hoorah!
Next Week...
I promise I'll have some R&B jam for you next week. Probably. Other than that, we'll see how all these newbies do in the time being, and maybe try to steer back to what's actually popular rather than just the eight songs I liked most from the week. Nah, fuck that, you know why you're here. Stay tuned to see who gets that Fabled Crown, folks!
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