Pharrell Williams x Camila Cabello "Sangria Wine"
Pharrell and Camila started a thing when they worked on "Havana" together (he contributed backing vocals to the song and helped her pace that staccato delivery). Now they're continuing it with the trippy "Sangria Wine." There's a little reggae, a little Cuban flavour, and a lot of tipsy on this jam. Issa bop. Nice to see someone kicking off this season's competition for Song of the Summer.
Jessie Reyez "Body Count"
It wasn't so long ago that men burned us at the stake just for being women, and Jessie Reyez doesn't want you to forget. While this video takes the lyric "I dodge dick on the daily" to the next level, it's also a stark reminder of how seriously she wouldn't have been allowed to say anything of the sort in that not terribly different past. Her face remains petulant and unrepentant as she sings about keeping her freedom in a shift as the pyres burn under her feet. Never forget: music is a form of protest.
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Diana Gordon "Kool Aid"
Diana Gordon is fascinating as an artist. She's had a track used by Mary J. Blige, but "Kool Aid" is aesthetically more like an R&B take on freak folk; it's lo-fi but catchy as hell. The slightly off-key chorus and the backing singers singing a half step off paired with the acoustic guitar makes it feel homegrown, but those samples are inspired by fancy studio beats. She's obviously an interesting artist with inspirations coming from all over. I can't wait to hear more.
Christine and The Queens "Girlfriend"
Oh, did you say you need a sexy, sweaty, summer disco jam? I found it for you. Christine and the Queens have dropped a proper Giorgio Moroder/Donna Summer worthy club jam (though the track's producer Letissier says she's paying homage to G-funk with the track, and in fairness, there are some strong Parliment instrumentation vibes coming through). There's a celebration of female sexuality happening on this track, and I like it.
MOURN "Fun At The Geysers"
Look, I took my own trip to Iceland last year, and it was the goddam best. You should take one as well. MOURN may have had an experience that wasn't so nice. The story goes: They went on a trip to Iceland to play a festival with some people from their record label. The day after arriving, they woke up to find they were alone and penniless. The label folks had gone on a day trip to see the country's famous geysers, using the money they were being paid by the festival to fund it. So they wrote a song about it, went back again, and shot a music video. The punk sound looks discordant with the Icelandic landscape but, let me assure you, people in Iceland love music when it's hardcore.
After my first job at MTV working as a music programmer, I can't stop trying to matchmake people with music they might like. So, I wrote a book called Record Collecting for Girls and started interviewing musicians. The Music Concierge is a column where I share music I'm listening to that you might enjoy, with a little context. Follow me on Twitter or Facebook, or leave me a comment below and tell me what you're listening to this week.
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