My downstairs neighbor likes to play the guitar. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t dislike guitar playing in general — some of my best friends are guitar players! — but there is something deliciously universal about the frustration of overhearing too much of some guy’s aimless noodling. Perhaps you too have a neighbor who needs drowning out. If so, here are three tunes to get you through the next 10 minutes or so.
Empress Of: “Love for Me”
I love Empress Of to death, and I’ve listened to her sophomore album Us four or five times since downloading it upon its Friday morning release. It’s full of the bright, lucid dance pop we’ve come to expect from Lorely Rodriguez, and while it’s difficult to choose one of the album tracks to share here, I’ve decided on “Love for Me.” Co-produced with DJDS, whose handful of songs with Lorely include a Lana Del Rey cover, “Love for Me” is a bouncy plea for honesty. Its melody flows like a ribbon, propelled by a subtle synth brass accents. Without ever getting out of hand, it’s a song that commands you to dance.
Mariah Carey (feat. Skrillex and Ty Dolla $ign): “The Distance”
At the risk of pitting Mariah Carey against the young kid who made a career out of sounding like her, “The Distance” is a fantastic Mariah song that could easily have been an Ariana song. This is the third single Mariah has released in advance of her upcoming album Caution, following two ballads “GTFO” and “With You.” It was co-written/produced by Jason “Poo Bear” Boyd (he’s co-written most Justin Bieber songs since 2013) and Skrillex, who has somehow become one of the biggest names in pop production. It’s a banger, complete with one of the better post-Go! Team schoolyard chants I’ve heard since “Avocado, Baby.”
Farao: “Marry Me”
Since beginning to write this column, one of my new listening habits is to open up the “new releases” section of my music streaming app (which shall remain nameless) on a lazy Saturday morning and listen to new albums and singles from acts I don’t recognize. I came across something special this week. My friends, I’ve determined this much about the artist behind my favorite album from last week: Whoever Farao is, she needs to get a better publicist. Pure-O is Berlin-based Norwegian Kari Jahnsen’s sophomore full-length release, and its celestial pop recalls something between Laurel Halo and Weyes Blood. Pure-O contains multitudes, often in the guise of seemingly-straightforward songwriting filled with twists. I am truly fired up about this out of left field pop album.
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