A light week on the big bangerz front, so let’s focus on some quality under-the-radar jams to check out this weekend. Fun fact: three of these songs feature clicking/popping noises that draw you in and push you away simultaneously.
J Mascis — “Wide Awake” feat. Cat Power
It’s still a wonder, to me at least, to hear the dude from Dinosaur Jr. making such delicately beautiful tunes. This nimbly finger-picked ditty, featuring Chan Marshall, adds a slight bite to all the introspection with a subtly distorted guitar solo. Sweet with a little sour.
—
Sophie — “Lemonade”
At first I thought Pop-Up Video was playing in a pop-up ad. Nope, that’s just elusive British producer Sophie’s new song spewing freaky joy all over everything. He/she/it (little is known about Sophie) takes the most extreme elements of bubblegum pop and crushes them all together into something so sweet it’s extreme, like fruit loops and sprinkles on top of ice cream on top of birthday cake.
—
Lil Silva — “Don’t You Love” feat. Banks
UK producer and singer Lil Silva slinks along just fine for a minute or two without Banks, but there’s a certain magnetism the electro-R&B rising stars bring out in each other on “Don’t You Love.” The song glides, clicks, and twists until simmering into a midtempo groove that hovers around the oft-sampled “My Boo” by Ghost Town DJ’s.
—
Anthony D’Amato — “Good and Ready”
Anthony D’Amato’s “Good and Ready” is the most charming song about death you’ve never heard. The folk-rock newcomer amusingly contemplates his own mortality here, tempering the realism with exuberant ’60s piano soul-pop and can’t-live-without-you declarations.
—
William Arcane — “Stay a While”
Getting major Thom Yorke/The Eraser vibes from UK newcomer William Arcane and this recent single. There are a number of aggressive noises jostling for attention here, but Arcane’s plain, innocent vocals give the illusion of simplicity and chaos staying compartmentalized.