The Playlist: January 18, 2013
5 Songs You Need To Know About Right Now
Page: 1
RCA Records
"A$AP Rocky is all about the sound of now, and this collaboration with Skrillex hits all the right dubstep buttons."Every Friday, we highlight the best (and, sometimes, worst) new music of the week in The Playlist. This week in music: Justin Timberlake returns, A$AP Rocky's No. 1 and Ab-Soul lives to tell.
DOWNLOAD THIS
"Suit & Tie" by Justin Timberlake, feat. Jay-ZWe were just as curious as the rest of the world upon hearing last week’s news that JT would return to the world of pop. As the track is No. 1 on iTunes' chart right now, it seems plenty of folks are paying good money to feed their nostalgia for the age of "SexyBack." “Suit & Tie” is perhaps a little too laid back (and dare I say corporate?) -- a tad too close to R. Kelly’s retro string of sweet slow jams, and not close enough to the harder, weirder edge that made FutureSex/LoveSounds such a joy.
Download HERE
"Wild For The Night" by A$AP Rocky, feat. Skrillex & Birdy Nam Nam
High on the critical and commercial success of his great Long. Live. A$AP album (another record that went straight to No.1), A$AP Rocky is all about the sound of now, and this collaboration with Skrillex hits all the right dubstep buttons (while at the same time keeping it real with some sweet OutKast references). His performance on Letterman switches out the track’s featured hairdo stepper with A-Trak and the astounding MPC wizard AraabMUZIK.
Download HERE
"ILLuminate" by Ab-Soul, feat. Kendrick Lamar
Less concerned with whipping audiences into a bass-drop frenzy, Ab-Soul intrigues with this slightly postapocalyptic video for “ILLuminate,” which features a VHS cameo from associate Kendrick Lamar, as well as a mysterious green flame. Also: Yes, those are synth-y bits from Madonna’s “Live to Tell.” Embrace the strange.
Download HERE
"The Waves" by Villagers
With {Awayland}, Villagers has made a sophomore record that delivers on all the promise of its predecessor, Becoming a Jackal, while at the same time developing in surprisingly strong new directions. Now, this embedded acoustic version might not sound like a mighty monster, but on record this already strong track is enhanced immeasurably with a Morse code pulse and other electronic flourishes that bring Conor O’Brien’s lyrics to dark and vivid violent life.
"Borrowed Time" by Parquet Courts
Fans of jangly guitar should really look no further than the new album by Parquet Courts, Light Up Gold, of which “Borrowed Time” is a fun and fake-out-filled highlight. In true post-punk fashion, this video was shot only last week and released a few days later. Kudos to director Elizabeth Skadden for capturing the Parquets’ tiny but infectious Brooklyn show so well.
Download HERE
