Here are our top 5 songs to stream this week.
Run the Jewels – Rubble Kings Theme
Adult Swim is best known for its off-the-wall, late night programming that has given the world gems like Rick and Morty and Space Ghost Coast to Coast — but it does more than just TV. Adult Swim has been dabbling in the music business, too. The Adult Swim Singles series has tapped some of the best underground acts around to release new tracks, and you can’t do much better than the latest to grace the series.
Run the Jewels is a runaway freight train disguised as a rap group. Every track Killer Mike and El-P put out has a momentum that forces you to get on board or get run over. Rubble Kings Theme is no exception, as the duo tear the beat provided by collaborator and producer Little Shalimar with their quick-hitting, teeth-gritting style. The song will serve as the title track to the upcoming documentary Rubble Kings about Bronx gangs in the ’70s and loops in themes that will appear in the film.
Courtney Barnett – Shivers
Courtney Barnett is already having a good year. Her album Sometimes I Sit And Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit has been one of 2015’s best, and the Australian singer has honed her clever lyrical style to near perfection. But on Shivers, she chooses to sing someone else’s words. The song is a cover of a 1979 track by the Boys Next Door/the Birthday Party, but Barnett makes it her own. It’s a sign of good things to come, as she starts working with Jack White and Third Man Records.
John Grant – Global Warming
John Grant doesn’t seem particularly confrontational or aggressive, especially as he’s crooning over a gentle guitar. But don’t be too fooled by the soothing sounds — he’s ready to fight. That’s made clear on Global Warming, a lampooning of just about every complaint Grant can levy against modern culture. He wonders if the damaged environment is to blame for “slack-jawed troglodytes to leave their homes with guns and knives/In search of quality refreshments and some homicide.”
Protomartyr – Why Does it Shake?
After a strong showing on their sophomore album, Protomartyr are back again just a year later with another record in the form of the Agent Intellect. The lead single of the post-punk collective’s latest is Why Does it Shake?, a challenging track that deals with frontman Joe Casey’s mom and the difficult disease that she’s been faced with. The track has a frenetic energy with some cutting lyrics before it suddenly deteriorates and ends.
Bloc Party – The Love Within
Bloc Party has been undergoing some changes in recent years. Now with a steady lineup, the group is ending its indefinite hiatus and is back to making music. With early 2016 in mind for the release of a new record, Bloc Party released a teaser in the form of The Love Within. The rougher edges have been smoothed out of the group’s sound, but the siren sound buzzes in the background and the beat thumps — You’ll want to make sure there’s room to jump around when you hear this song.
That’s it for now, but check back every week for more new tunes to stream!
