I need to pause these little Quick Hits posts and look at some more predictions for ACL. Hard to believe I've written 300 of these things, in addition to loads of longer posts about ACL bands. Lots of words for my furious two fingers to have written! But, instead of whole albums, I'll clean out a bunch of the singles I've added into the queue.
Denzel Curry - The Game. Ominous beat, especially when the scary synth note starts playing. Lyrically, the chorus sounds cool but I don't hear any great lines in here.
Courtney Barnett - I'll Be Your Mirror. Classic Velvet Underground tune, and Barnett makes it her own. The disaffected meander of the VU matches up really well for Barnett's style, so this works really well. Sounds like her last album, where it could have just been a demo she did in her closet before having breakfast.
Eddie Vedder - Long Way. Every time I hear this one, it makes me think of Tom Petty. Totally sounds like it could have been on Into The Great Wide Open of She's The One. Especially in the chorus, when he sings "freeeeeeway" and you think of "Free Fallin'" where Tom sang about the "freeway runnin' through the yard." Good tune, makes me look forward to the whole album that just dropped.
Guns n' Roses - Hard Skool. Beyond that unfortunate spelling thing, its actually a pretty good tune. Slash freaking rules, man. This very much sounds like they took a song from Use Your Illusion and repurposed the track with new lyrics. "You Could Be Mine" lite. Despite myself, I'm digging it.
Momma - Medicine. This song is so good. 90's alt rock vibes to 11 and a great groove. Had to ask Siri to identify it for me in the car the other day because I feel for it immediately. They sound so disaffected by the whole thing, but cut a chill rock track anyway. Classic Breeders energy here.
Coldplay and BTS - My Universe. I'm not a BTS-knower, but if this is their schtick, I kinda dig it. Snappy little tune, where I can't understand part of the lyrics, but then when he sings in English it sounds great. Lyrically dumb as hell, but I've grown to expect that from Coldplay now.
A$AP Ferg - Green Juice (feat. Pharrell). Totally sounds like a Neptunes beat! Those bouncy 808s and a slower pace than seems possible. I love me some Ferg, but this one isn't special.
Jambinai - Time of Extinction. This track is some heavy duty rockin' but with traditional Korean folk instruments also involved. The first part is deeply cool as hell, I got literal goosebumps down my arms during my first listen. But by the end its unlistenable as grating and hellish.
Spoon - The Hardest Cut. Great tune, with a swaggering little riff at the start and all-out riffage for the chorus that will be very fun to sing along to at their next show. I'm so glad these guys are from Austin.
Kasey Musgraves - Fix You. Speaking of Coldplay, this is an excellent cover of a great song. Just beautiful. I like the small tweaks she does here to make it interesting to hear again.
Freddie Gibbs with Jadakiss - Black Illuminati. I freaking love the way Gibbs flows. Just sounds tough and pissed, but also relaxed. Like he won't even worry about shooting you in the face. I don't know Jadakiss at all, he hit back in the day in a blind spot for me. But his voice is somehow even more gravelly than Gibbs.
Paul Cauthen - Country as Fuck. Funny on multiple levels. First, because I saw this guy play ACL a few years ago and he was a very serious singer-songwriter country type, but now this one is just chock full of jokes. I grin each time I hear him sing "real cowboys don't rock to Kenny Chesney."
Kanye West and Andre 3000 - Life of the Party. I miss Andre3k. This verse is very endearing, with a dive into some of his childhood stuff and asking Kanye's recently deceased mother to go chat with his relatives in the afterlife, and sounds nice over the top of this soul sample track. Kanye's verse is uninteresting. Not as bad as some other raps on his last album, but just nothing particularly special. The track ends with a weird thing, it sounds like DMX making his daughter do something scary and being proud of her for surviving? Not sure. Just makes me miss Outkast more than anything else.
Khruangbin and Leon Bridges - B-Side. Another funky masterpiece from these two. Something about the ethereal funk of Khruangbin elevates the smooth delivery of Leon in a way I don't feel on his own songs. This is beautiful while still being funky as hell.
Tame Impala - No Choice. I love me some Tame Impala, so this one is good. Not great, you can tell why it didn't make the last album, but still good and groove-laden and a little trippy. I really wish they would tour again, I think middle kid would love to go to that show.
Band of Horses - In Need of Repair. Nice little ditty. Starts out very quiet and chilled, ratchets that up for the chorus, and then slides right back into the relaxation zone.
Band of Horses - Crutch. A little more high-spirited and jangly. Dig this one, although I thought he was saying "crush" the whole time until I actually looked at the name of the song. Have no clue what the lyrics are on about - "bailing toilet water in lake full of moccasins" is a weird one. And just the chorus too - "i got a crutch on you" never makes much sense, and its followed by a different line each time? Whatever, sounds fun!
EARTHGANG - American Horror Story. I've really liked some of their tunes, but this one doesn't leave much of an impression.
Best Coast - Leading. Love them. This crunchy, poppy alt rock stuff is always welcome in my earholes.
Waxahatchee - Tomorrow. Pretty. Has an optimistic feel to it that feels different than her last album. Feels like someone should be pushing a kid in a shopping cart in front of a sunrise to it.
Father John Misty - Funny Girl. Misty is such a weird dude. His voice is lovely here and the spare arrangement is nice, but it's more like a showtune than a rock song.
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Black Summer. Keidis sounds like he's doing some sort of weird accent here. Irish? Welsh? Middle Earth? And his lyrics are another random patchwork of well-worn phrases. But the song itself jams. I'm glad to have Frusciante back in the fold, although I wish they increased Flea's volume just a little. On the solo, he comes through, but on the verse portions he gets stashed away. Not their best song of all time, but it's a tasty little morsel.
$NOT, A$AP Rocky - Doja. This sounds like a freaking killer live show banger. Absolutely sounds like something Brockhampton or AG Club would play when they take the stage to be able to yell FUCK THAT, FUCK YOU with the crowd. Rocky's verse is kind of weak, but the beat is right and the chorus is very ready for a crowd.
Lucy Dacus - Kissing Lessons. When you are crushing the songwriting game, you can leave a gem like this off of your badass album. Great pop rock gem here, along with awesome lyrics that tell a super specific story. Love this. Dacus is killing it right now.
Denzel Curry - Walkin. I liked the track well enough, and then about half way through, the beat shifts into a bouncing beat that sounds like it was stolen from Big Boi, and then I reallllly like the flow. Just lay back your seat and get to swervin' already.
Pusha T - Diet Coke. When King Push starts talking about the dope trade, I'm in. Love the intro clip of "YESTERDAY'S PRICE ... IS NOT TODAY'S PRICE!" And then the classic Kanye beat. Very glad that Ye doesn't hop on this and smear his lyrical feces all over it. Cool track, hope it means more Pusha is on the way.
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