Summer Jam Week 3: Coldplay Assaults LIVE!!

As Memorial Day reaches a close we're officially in the thick of summer now, people. Our eternal Jam contenders are codifying and it's looking like a really thrilling summer. Well, it sure is a summer, alright. That perennial #1 jam seems to be elusive so far, as we've had three dominators in three weeks. Still, let's crank up the volume and yank off the knob!

Hot Jam of the Week: "Good Morning" by Grouplove

This flies in the face of most of what the Hot Jam of the Week is all about - this song dropped six months ago, but I have a soft spot for Grouplove and they have a new album that just dropped and they're amping this song up as a lead single. It's not particularly great nor as earworm-y as something like "Tongue Tied" but I heard it for the first time this week and that's good enough for me.

The Last Knight? "Heavy" by Linkin Park ft. Kiiara

I really thought this was like, a Fast and Furious song, but I think that's because it kind of sounds like the hook to "See You Again" but I guess it's just a straight up Linkin Park pop song, which is all kinds of terrible to what terrible fans they may have had left. Listen, I actually own Hybrid Theory, and yeah, it's pretty bad listening to it seventeen years later (holy shit, Hybrid Theory came out in 2000), but at least it's something. It's not like a crappy twenty-one pilots / Imagine Dragons modern pseudo pop-rock rip off. I really just want to hear what they have in store for Transformers: The Last Knight (2017). No? It's amazing that the modern films seem to have switched to Imagine Dragons. The context of that sentence's existence is insane. Perhaps it's less weird now that Linkin Park has shifted their sound. Getting back to this jam, it's possible it has some legs, we'll have to see. Or hear.

High by the Beach: "High" by Sir Sly

Sir Sly returns with this jam that hasn't quite established itself (I had to record it on my phone and look it up later because I liked it...for the second week in a row). It's a cool jam, though, and feels thoroughly modern, even if it's likely coasting off a Foster the People / Portugal. The Man kind of mid-2010s rhythm. That's another insane sentence. This is still decent, though, and it's got a slick tone. I'm not sure how long it'll last but cool.

That Country Life: "Body Like a Back Road" by Sam Hunt

It's so rare that I actually like a country song, much less slap one on here, but Sam Hunt did it this week. This joins the ranks of "Low Places", that Florida Georgia Line / Nelly song, and that one that Miranda Lambert did a while ago as country jams I actually like. Anyway, crossover appeal can be a powerful thing for country jams, even if they're purportedly popular in all those weird non-New York City parts of the country, wherever that is.

Talkin it Out: "Issues" by Julia Michaels

I always need to kind of hear this song again for a little bit for it to register with me what it is, but that just seems like all of modern pop music, right? As soon as I remember what this is, I really like it, and I feel like it'll hang around for a while just sort of being there and existing without ever really breaking into that hot #1 spot. Good enough. The world needs music!

Shit, Do I Like Harry Styles? "Sign of the Times" by Harry Styles

I kept hearing this jam over and over this week and had no idea who sung it until I looked it up to write this post. Harry Styles isn't really on my radar since I'm a heterosexual thirty-year old man, and I'm not aware of any One Direction drama or gossip or anything, but he always kind of looked like a chode so I didn't care. This is a great song, though! Shit! Harry Styles is legit. This is obviously on the Dunkirk (2017) soundtrack, right? I have no idea what he sings in falsetto but I love it. Great litmus test. I think this could do some damage this summer and put Styles on the map in a way classier way than Justin Bieber or his other wuss contemporaries.

Pants on Fire: "Bad Liar" by Selena Gomez

This jam is also gaining traction and is set up pretty well this summer. I'd be excited to see a really good video drop that can push it ahead in June. The timing is excellent and I'm at a stage where I just want to listen to this more and more instead of it cresting and being terrible. Good on you, Selena, even if Kiiara continues to steal your look, voice, and career.

It's All Yellow: "Something Just Like This" by The Chainsmokers & Coldplay

Listen, I resisted this for a long time, but it was everywhere this week. I would change radio stations and keep finding it. Unescapable! This song is terrible, and I didn't even know it was a Chainsmoker joint - in my head I knew it as "That Shitty Coldplay EDM" song. Neither style really fits the other here and everything seems like a weird clash. It is hella old, so maybe it won't have too much gas left. Still, you got to think it'll make an impact this summer. We can all pray that the Chainsmokers' terrible music will cease being cool eventually. Right?

Next week...

Katy Perry has gotten all this weird backlash this week, which I don't really buy into. Still, I didn't get much of either "Swish Swish" or "Bone Appetit" this week. They're certainly not finished. I mentioned Sir Sly above, but Portugal. The Man's "Feel It Still" is still definitely a contender as well. Finally, "iSpy" is also still a think, but I snubbed them this week in favor of some fresher jams. They'll be back. I was even tempted by GaGa's "The Cure" again this week! Stay tuned, loyal listeners!