My brain is starting to feel like mush over all the Weezer I listened to this week. These songs were my solace. Not that one needs solace from the Blue Album. Oh you know what I mean!
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S98Q11zhS-g]
Banks — “Goddess”
The promising new face of sensual yet sad R&B-pop, i.e. Banks, releases the title track from her forthcoming debut LP, out this September. The beat flexes and tweaks, the lyrics bite back, the production gets warped — all proving that Banks is not just a pretty voice, she can stand alongside some of the genre’s more experimental players.
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Three Man Cannon — “Patiently”
Philly punks Three Man Cannon have returned followed the dissolution of some of the members’ other band, Tigers Jaw, with a refreshed sound. They’ve expanded and leaned more on ’90s lo-fi indie, à la Built to Spill, while the insecure neurosis of emo from that era is present in the song’s lyrics. Overall, “Patiently” is a sign of good things to come from Three Man Cannon’s new album, Pretty Many People, out 5/27.
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Braid — “Bang”
I’m apparently having my very own #emorevival this week, and with great timing: influential ’90s emo/post-hardcore band Braid just released its first new song in 16 years. A cathartic tug-of-war that hits hard and stops when it knows you need it. You can listen over at NPR’s site.
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Michael Jackson — “Loving You”
Goddamnit I knew I was going to end up liking something off this posthumous MJ album I fundamentally disagree with. I barely resisted the Justin Timberlake track, but this Bad outtake — done up with modern production via Timbaland and J Rocc that’s so fresh, it actually bubbles and snaps — brings Motown into this century.
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Perfect Pussy — “Candy’s Room” (Bruce Springsteen cover)
I know this is technically two weeks old, but I can’t stop listening to it. For Rookie, Syracuse punks Perfect Pussy turned Springsteen’s Darkness on the Edge of Town track from a triumphant, skittering ode to a sad girl into an airy, cryptic hardcore jam. The hi-hat endures, amazingly, through the transformation.
Bonus Cover: The Arctic Monkeys took on Tame Impala’s “Feels Like We Only Go Backwards” for Triple J. Covering a modern Australian band seems like a nice gesture while performing on Australian radio, no? It’s sweet and simple, stripping away the psychedelic production of the original. Turner’s voice has never sounded prettier.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RZDFQ3oYbg]