Jamie xx – I Know There’s Gonna Be (Good Times)
I Know There’s Gonna Be (Good Times) sounds like the song of summer in waiting. Guest appearances by Atlanta rapper Young Thug and reggae artist Popcaan serve to strengthen Jamie xx’s excellent production. On an album full of nostalgia for club music, I Know There’s Gonna Be (Good Times) sounds more like where the scene is going — It’s hip hop influenced, sample-laced, and utterly danceable all the way through.
Sun Kil Moon – With A Sort Of Grace I Walked To The Bathroom To Cry
Sun Kil Moon has more or less become a solo venture for Mark Kozelek, and he’s made the most of the freedom by becoming extraordinarily introspective in recent years. On Universal Themes, the latest album attributed to the moniker, his filterless approach is at its most raw. It doesn’t get more real than the unflinching With A Sort Of Grace I Walked To The Bathroom To Cry, a slice of garage rock that can’t hide the serious subject matter — and doesn’t really try to.
Willie Nelson – It’s All Goin’ To Pot
In recent years, Willie Nelson has become a sort of token representative for marijuana use. He’s basically the Snoop Dogg of country music. His history is too often overlooked, but he qualifies as one of the best and most successful songwriters of our time. But, with his old friend Merle Haggard by his side, Nelson happily embraces his weed-friendly image on It’s All Goin’ To Pot. It’s a classic sounding country jam with an apocalyptic subject matter, but the two old friends find a reason to share a puff or two.
The Internet – Special Affair
If your friend asks you what you’re listening to and you reply, “the Internet,” they’ll probably think you’re being a smartass. But when you hear Special Affair, the latest single from the neo-soul group, you’ll want to tell everyone to go plug into the Internet. Lead singer Syd the Kyd gets sultry and sensual, as she coos her way through the track. Her heavier vocals are right at home over a persistent bass line and beat that invokes R&B vibes.
Indigo Girls – Elizabeth
It’s been five years since Emily Saliers and Amy Ray last came together and gave us the 2011 album Beauty Queen Sister. Back together for One Lost Day, the duo’s latest album out this week, the two put their contrary but complimentary vocal skills to work in tandem once again. It shows beautifully on the opening number Elizabeth, which places Saliers’ clarity and Ray’s raspiness side by side, as they sing about a lost friendship — one that is valued, but eventually determined to be better left lost.
