JUKEBOX VOL. 8
[+] BLACK PUNK – “PUNK ROCK TUPAC”
[+] HOPE SANDOVAL & THE WARM INVENTIONS FEATURING KURT VILE – “LET ME GET THERE”
[+] JEFF ROSENSTOCK – “FESTIVAL SONG “
Indie musician Jeff Rosenstock’s latest track, titled “Festival Song,” starts off with the kind of “whoa’s” that you’d expect from a party anthem, cheesy and catchy and, at first, plain. After a few seconds of that happy-go-lucky intro, though, the edge kicks in, and the result has the acidic pop punk sound of Bowling for Soup, albeit nicely off-kilter. Rosenstock’s vocals dip and break as he calls out the “good old establishment,” and the polished, pre-recorded tone of the beginning of the track clashes with the authenticity of his voice- the strain brings him closer to his words, and, ultimately to his audience. The chorus is also pleasantly surprising in its offbeat, feverish way; a testament the the patchwork that is “Festival Song,” and the guy that keeps it all together with natural finesse.
[+] FLORENCE + THE MACHINE – “STAND BY ME”
– E.R.
[+] MICK JENKINS – “SPREAD LOVE”
With this one I’m cheating a little bit because I’m choosing to review it based on the release date of the album “The Healing Component” (Sept. 23rd). It’s just that good. Mick Jenkins’ latest, “Spread Love,” isn’t any of the cliché things that come to mind when you put those two words together. What it is however is a song that defines “vibe.” I try to make sure you get bars with any of my picks, and “Spread Love”‘ maybe has more than we can keep up with. It was no more than 10 seconds into the lyrics when I decided that you needed to hear it. Pretty much because I’m sure you’ll be telling someone else the same thing.
– HENRY
[+] THE RADIO DEPT. – “SWEDISH GUNS”
The newest single from The Radio Dept. is everything fans of the Swedish band ever wanted after waiting six years since their 2010 release, Clinging to a Scheme. Masters at crafting their “dream within a dream” sound, The Radio Dept. never fails to take you back to hazy summer nights where tomorrow never mattered.
– VANESSA
[+] ROWA FEATURING HALEY SHEFFIELD – “LOW”
Persian-Spanish electronic project Rowa put themselves on the map with a debut that wouldn’t feel out of place on a Galimatias album. Framed by strings before a warbled drop, and guided by Haley Sheffield’s floaty vocals, this track exudes sex and surrealism.
– E.R.
[+] FENECHE SOLER – “KALEIDESCOPE “
The title track of “Kaleidescope,” the new EP from British synth-pop group Feneche Soler is an upbeat trek through romantic conscience, gradually picking up speed and releasing it with electric hotspots of energy throughout the song. The instrumentals have an astounding amount of variety for a piece that’s barely three minutes long. The variations in vocals also do a lot for the general effect of the track, corresponding to the value of the words- we feel the emotional climax and subtleties as if they were our own. The video for the song represents the central element of confusion, stripping it down to it’s bare essentials and doing it all so nonchalantly that we can indulge first, analyze later. It’s the kind of electro-pop song that you hum along with for a good amount of time before wondering about the lyrics, but once you do, it becomes something else entirely.
