Here are our top 5 songs to stream this week — and remember to subscribe to our Spotify playlist for all of our weekly picks.
Radiohead — How Can You Be Sure?
After publicly bashing Spotify numerous times over the years, a few Radiohead B-sides inexplicably made their way onto the service last week, highlighting the band’s mid-90s days as writers of easy-listening alternative rock. In many ways, How Can You Be Sure? is a perfect example of the band’s music during this pre-exploratory era. It’s a simple song from the time when record labels were signing every band under the sun, and soft British lullabies were capturing the world’s hearts.
Father John Misty — Real Love Baby
Snarky indie musician Father John Misty (J. Tillman) may spend more time poking fun at Ryan Adams and Taylor Swift than crafting quality new music these days, but that doesn’t mean he can’t still pen an excellent single. And such is the case with his latest release, Real Love Baby. Acoustic guitar and drums melt Tillman’s hard edged vocals into butter, spreading classic vibes over a shimmering chorus of background vocals. That’s the thing about Tillman: You may think he’s a jerk, but that doesn’t make him any worse with a pen and six strings.
Jamila Woods — Heavn
The silky smooth voice of Chicago’s Jamila Woods has probably played through your speakers before, but you may not have known it. A frequent Chance The Rapper collaborator (Woods lent her vocal chords to Chance’s popular hits Sunday Candy and the more recent cut Blessings) the singer pairs her sultry sound with a clean beat break on this new cut.
Big Thief — Paul
https://soundcloud.com/saddlecreek/big-thief-paul
Up-and-coming Brooklynites Big Thief may not be able to write a bad song. Or at least — given the magnificent live and studio-recorded material we have heard from the band of late — they have an excellent filter. On Paul, singer/songwriter Adrianne Lenker pieces together fragmented memories, painting an eerie portrait of herself and another. It’s a complex kind of break up song, one in which Lenker’s thoughts are made clear, but where her decision to cut the cord remains questionable.
Psychic Ills — Baby
If Baby were an article of clothing, it would be a worn leather jacket that fits just right. The latest track from New York duo Psychic Ills, the love song uses layered guitars and simple beats to give it a broken-in quality, with casually-sung vocals that focus one’s eyes on the beauty in front of them. Find someone you love and an old country road, then put this on the stereo; This is what good music should make you feel like.
That’s it for now, but check back every week for more new tunes to stream!
