If you’re a basketball fan, you know that this week is one of the best weeks of the year. March Madness starts on Thursday, the dream of everyone who loves basketball or just wants to not work for two days at the end of the week. I know I will be parked in front of the television on Thursday and Friday, soaking in all the basketball I possibly can. There is a downside to March Madness though: most of the announcers are not great. I have a solution to this problem for you. Turn the sound on mute, and put on some music instead. Need suggestions? You’re in the right place.
Belle Mare – Liars
I interviewed Belle Mare back in 2016 around the time their debut album Heaven Forget came out, and Amelia Bushell and Thomas Servidone are delightful people on top of being gifted musicians. That’s why I’m so thrilled that they’re putting out music again. It also doesn’t hurt that “Liars” shows they’re in fine musical form. The transition from Bushell’s voice taking the lead to the explosion of dense, rich electronic waves is captivating.
Vince Staples – Get The Fuck Off My Dick
I talked about this song on Friday, so let me take this section to talk about how much I love everything around it. Vince Staples is the realest human being on the planet, which is great. He made an entire GoFundMe to tell his detractors to fuck off or pay him, which is also great. It’s only at $2,000, so he gets to keep making music. The song is called “Get The Fuck Off My Dick.” The single art is a condom. So much thought and effort went into everything about this, and I dearly love all of it.
Typhoid Rosie – Belong To Somebody
My musical tastes and moods vary wildly, and last week I found myself in a real punk music mood. Thankfully for me, I found Brooklyn band Typhoid Rosie. If you want some punk that’s the real deal, “Belong To Somebody” is for you as well. I love the grimy sound to the guitars, the subtle key changes throughout the song, and frontwoman Rosie Rebel’s no frills vocal delivery. Typhoid Rosie have an album coming out later this month, and based on “Belong To Somebody” it will definitely be on my radar now.
Punch Drunk Tagalongs – Nervous Breakdown
There are a million different things that can catch your ear in a song that make you love it. It might be as obvious as the melodic chorus or the guitar solo, or as subtle as a certain note played in an intro or hook. What I love about Punch Drunk Tagalongs’ “Nervous Breakdown” is the structure of the whole song. It starts fast-paced and heavy, a huge burst of kinetic energy. As the track reaches its zenith, the tempo slows down and the instrumental opens up into a lovely bloom. Combined with Alisha Stahnke’s on the mark lyricism, “Nervous Breakdown” perfectly captures the struggle of anxiety.
R.LUM.R – Frustrated – altered
If you’re not familiar with Nashville’s R&B king, R.LUM.R, you should fix that ASAP. Here, I’ll give you a minute to listen to his single “Frustrated.” Pretty great, right? “Frustrated” appeared on R.LUM.R’s 2017 EP AFTERIMAGE. Last week R.LUM.R released ALTERIMAGE, an acoustic version of the EP. While I love the wave of the original version, there’s something to be said for letting R.LUM.R’s stunning voice take center stage on “Frustrated – altered.” That man can sing, and I will gladly listen all day.
Subscribe to our ‘Take 5’ playlist on Spotify!
