Welcome back to another edition of The Weekly List, a place to discover some of our favorite music of the week. This week on the List, we have a selection of light hearted, energetic tunes to help you remember that summer is almost here as we brace for yet another DC snow storm this week.
The first track on this week’s list is the first single from The War on Drugs’ third studio album, Lost in the Dream, released on March 18. The song, “Red Eyes,” is a playful summer jam featuring washed out vocals from frontman Adam Granduciel and a simple, yet commanding guitar riff that carries the songs enthusiastic pace. Check out the song and quirky music video below:
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Next up on the list is the first release in two years from the iconic New York post-punk group, Swans. “A Little God in My Hands” is the lead single on Swans album, To Be Kind, set to be released on May 13. It features a slow, thumping drum line and dissonant, spoken pace vocals. This seven-minute track is a great peek at what’s to come from Swans this spring, so stay tuned and enjoy the single below:
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The latest in a long line of impressive projects from American-Chilean electronic musician, Nicolas Jaar. Released under the moniker Just Friends, this collaboration between Jaar and Sasha Spielberg has just released the song, “Don’t Tell Me.” It flawlessly blends Jaar’s characteristic soft-edged electronic soundscape with Spielberg’s airy, floating vocals creating a dark, dancy introspective track.
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The Tourist has released a soulful electro-dance track this past week on music curation site, The Sound You Need. The song, “I Can’t Keep Up” features emotionally-charged vocals by Will Heard and fluctuates as sections of synth heavy instrumental breakbeats fad out to leave Heard’s minimally accompanied vocals carry the track.
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Finally, Chance the Rapper decided to revisit his collaboration with British post-dub producer, James Blake. The newly released track, “Save Yourself First,” is a mellower take of “Life Round Here (Remix)” that Chance did with Blake last year. The most recent version highlights Chance’s vocals by pairing them with softer more melodic accompaniment than the percussive synth of the first. This low key jam perfectly sets the tone for sun filled day dreams: a beacon of hope to even the darkest depths of Lauinger Library.
