Here are our top 5 songs to stream this week.
The Weeknd – The Hills
No artist in mainstream music right now gets slapped with the accusation of “selling out” more often than the Weeknd. The Canadian singer and producer has a defining voice and sound when it comes to pop music. It has become a frustrating revelation for the fans who found his mixtapes long before he was sharing the stage with Taylor Swift.
Those early adopters of the supremely talented track maker’s music should find some satisfaction in the Weeknd’s rise, though. He’s brought a new sound out of the basements and into the mainstream without sacrificing the emotion that he’s always shared. Never is it more clear than in The Hills, a cut off his newest album Beauty Behind the Madness, in which he explores the darker side of fame and success, while maintaining his hypnotic production.
Jay Rock and Kendrick Lamar – Easy Bake
Jay Rock and Kendrick Lamar run with the same clique, the Black Hippy collective, but it’s been a minute since the two traded verses on the same song. Despite the down time between collaborations, the flame is immediately rekindled on Easy Bake, a song title that lends credence to the idea that it’s just that easy for these two to make good music. The fiery track belongs primarily to Rock’s unique flow, before he hands over the mic to Lamar for a laid back appearance. The song never misses a beat in the handoff.
Destroyer – Dream Lover
Dan Bejar has built up a following, thanks to his key roles in groups like the New Pornographers, but when he’s on his own, he prefers to go by Destroyer. The name is somewhat ironic, as his music rarely sounds destructive, though he does subtly tear down indie rock cliches with his own take on the sound. Dream Lover is a fine example. It’s a track driven by saxophone — an instrument that rarely gets used outside of 1980s pop rock — and it works inexplicably as a modern jam.
Eagles of Death Metal – Complexity
Do not be intimidated by the name Eagles of Death Metal. The group isn’t here to melt your face or growl you into the underworld. Instead, the alt-rock duo with ties to Queens of the Stone Age and Them Crooked Vultures is doing some self-serious mocking. The title is in the same vein. Complexity in no way reflects the sound of the track. It’s a simple, big blast of a rock song that serves itself up as a perfect top-down-on-the-highway soundtrack.
Prince – This Could B Us
Here’s a sentence that only makes sense in 2015: Prince’s new song, exclusively released on Tidal, is named after a meme. There’s surely a crowd that finds this oddity too much, as if Prince is belittling his body of work by embracing a piece of odd Internet culture. But take a listen to the song, and you’ll hear nothing but Prince at his very best. He unrolls a late night jam that could have been pulled from an earlier section of his discography.
That’s it for now, but check back every week for more new tunes to stream!
