Pages

30 May 2016

Summer Jam Week 3: The Odd Memorial Day Mix

For better or worse I've found that I've totally devolved into weird hip-hop and funky folk band music. It's an odd combination at best, and the Memorial Weekend soundtrack it's provided is pretty unusual. Still we have no regurts. Perk up your earballs, America:

Hot Jam of the Week: "No Problem" by Chance the Rapper ft. 2 Chainz & Lil Wayne



There seemed to be a lot of new rap jams dropping this week, but none were as fun as this track. It's my hope this is 2016's "Trap Queen" - it's at least equally unintelligible, but that matters less than its flow which is pretty addictive. Chance the Rapper needs a bit legitimizing hit. He doesn't have to convince anyone who listens to hip-hop that he's incredible, but the rest of the world ought to listen up.

Red Hot Funky Peppers: "Dark Necessities" by Red Hot Chili Peppers

This is quite a bit funkier than any Chili Peppers song I can remember, and even though I'd argue that the band has never gone away for too long, this is a nice jam to reassert their relevance. Is it actually relevant, though? There are way hotter jams out there right now and this feels like a relic without invoking Weezer-like nostalgia. I'm down, though. This is chill enough to beat the hotness this past weekend!

Keep That Funk Rolling: "Ain't No Man" by The Avett Brothers

Just as "Dark Necessities" is as funky as the Peppers are going to get, this is totally the Avett Brothers version of funk. I don't really care for most of their pop-folk jams, but this is a tits song. The video actually comes across mad awkward, and I don't know what the actual audience for this thing is - can you picture a drunken frat party belting this out? A Brooklyn block party? A West Virginian family reunion? Who knows and for that reason it'll vanish pretty quick, but for now it's a nice slice of summer.

Laid Off: "Work From Home" by Fifth Harmony

I get a lot of mixed feelings from this video. Just when I start to get a boner it's intercut with all these sweaty dudes. They slam beautiful people everywhere to confuse my poor sensibilities. This is still a pretty hot jam, though and even though the lyrics are kind of insipid and make no sense, I can get behind it for the next few weeks fo sho.

You Only Dance Once: "One Dance" by Drake ft. Wizkid & Kyla

This is another jam that's really growing on me, and even though there seems to be a few Drake jams going on at once right now (aren't there always?) the subtle sensuality of this track is starting to get its hooks in me. It's one fault might be that it's actually a remarkable short song. It tends to give me slow jam blue balls.

But It Feels Like a Lifetime: "7 Years" by Lukas Graham

I think I've officially gotten sick of this song. I can't get over how Lukas Graham looks like a little white kid who escaped from an Inglewood fat camp, but I am over how interesting this song initially was. It's probably not going anywhere for a few weeks, which is unfortunately for my poor ears.

Bamboo Boogie: "Panda" by Desiigner

Fine, I'm on board with this. After doubting this song's actual potential last week, this track's charm has won me over. I suddenly don't think it's going anywhere. The "panda" repeat is actually really infectious and Desiigner's rap style, basically an emulation of Fetty Wap, is pretty in vogue right now.

You're Breaking My Heart: "Ophelia" by The Lumineers

I heard this track a ton this week, and it's probably at its peak. This feels like a big step for The Lumineers, who side with The Avett Brothers in that pop-folk category that seems irrelevant if not for their niche sound. This has also crossed over to more pop stations in addition to its rock pedigree, which helped boost its obliquity this week. Is this really deserving of the Memorial Day crown? It doesn't feel like it, but there were plenty of close call this week.

Next week...

I dissed JT for the second week in a row, which may be to my detriment, but I'll stand by the jams I picked. I was also considering Flo Rida's new track, "Hello Friday" because you really can't have summer without Flo Rida. He doesn't actually make any real music, just sexy summer jams. I also can't figure out which single Rihanna is backing from Anti, because now "Needed Me" seems like a thing. Same with Beyoncé's "Sorry." Of course next week, we're most looking forward to is Connor4real...

No comments:

Post a Comment