Every week, members of the Vulture staff will highlight their favorite new songs. They might be loud, quiet, long, short, dance-y, rawkin’, hip, square, rap, punk, jazz, some sort of jazz-punk-rap fusion — whatever works for the given person in that given week. Read our picks below and please tell us yours in the comments. (Also, read music critic Lindsay Zoladz’s The Pinkprint.)
Anna of the North, “Osloâ€
Writing an ode to your hometown is nothing new, but still this song by Norway’s Anna of the North feels just so warm and enchanting, like a winter holed up in a Scandinavian cabin, that I had to share it. Extra points for being a subtle Christmas song —Marcus Jones (@MJinMD)
Charli XCX, “Need Ur Loveâ€
Charli wrote “Need Ur Love†with Vampire Weekend’s Rostam Batmanglij, and the song’s layered Motown vocals and catchy bass line is much lighter fare than the rest of Sucker, which is a solid collection of tracks that lean halfway toward the Runaways territory (“Break the Rules,†“London Queenâ€) and halfway back to Charli’s last album, the utterly perfect pop record True Romance. —Lindsey Weber (@LindseyWeber)
ILOVEMAKONNEN, Swerve
Worth noting: ILOVEMAKONNEN, this year’s Grammy-nominated rap breakthrough who was “discovered†earlier this year by Drake, appears on Fader’s 116 Best Tracks of 2014 a whopping five times. He barely even has five songs! And his latest, “Swerve,†continues his track record of killing it, taking naughty topics and pairing them with a nice flute. Unsurprisingly, Mike WiLL Made It. (Isn’t it fun that the producer’s name is also a complete sentence?) —LW
Male Bonding, “A Kick to the Faceâ€Â
Yup, that is what this song sounds like. Good song titling, chaps.—Jesse David Fox (@JesseDavidFox)
Modest Mouse, “Lampshades on Fireâ€
Last night, many of team Vulture did karaoke. I sang “Float On†by Modest Mouse, because earlier in the day Modest Mouse released the first single off what will be their first full-length release since 2007 and I was reminded of how necessary it is to have Modest Mouse around at most, if not all, times. Welcome back, guys. —JDF
Ne-Yo, “Religiousâ€
Hallelujah, because Ne-Yo’s whiny EDM phase seems to be over. Here he’s back to “Sexy Love†Ne-Yo, who can free inhibitions and make fedoras look almost acceptable. —MJ
OB O’Brien featuring Drake and P Reign, “Schemin’ Upâ€
Drake has successfully proven that a feature from him can put you on the map as an artist — just look at what he did for ILoveMakonnen. This time he keeps it within the OVO family, hijacking a song by protégé OB O’Brien that showcases his thirst rather than his emotions, but it’s classic Drake all the same. —MJ
Panda Bear, “Boys Latinâ€
“Boy Latin†is in many ways an annoying song. It starts with a digital loop that seems a bit off, like it’s taking a few seconds to find the right time signature. Then there are the vocals that trade off, almost giving them the feeling of the twins from The Simpsons tag teaming their insults. Yet, despite this, and because of this, on repeat listens, when you get used to it, the song becomes irresistible. —JDF
Tink featuring Charlamange Tha God, “Around the Clockâ€
No one right now has more deserved hype than Tink. Follow Tink wherever she goes. —LW