Ever since my first job at MTV working as a music programmer, I can't stop trying to match 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. Get everything I've recommended this year on Spotify, follow me on Twitter or Facebook, and leave a comment below telling me what you're listening to this week.
HoodCelebrityy "Bum Pon It"
Looking for one last summer fling as Virgo season kicks in? Let this great Jamaican dancehall track from HoodCelebrityy soundtrack your life before you go back to school, renew your fall focus on work, or give your life an overhaul. This song just screams summertime, evoking a sense of hot summer days, followed by nights on the dance floor. Or...you know, other things all night. You've got one last weekend before you have to get serious. Bum pon it.
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Daniela Andrade "Wet Dreams"
This track from Honduran producer and artist Daniela Andrade had me all shook up after just 30 seconds. It takes that "put your (vinyl) records on" vibe and runs it through a Sade-esque filter, but with the added complexity of some modern production tricks to make an incredibly appealing sound. You're really doing something if you can make a track sound old and new, all at once.
Pom Pom Squad "Cherry Blossom"
For those of you out there wondering where the Liz Phairs of this generation are — less on the indie rock about sex , and more on the lo-fi music with lyrics that hit at the heart of what kind of sucks for women in the world — here you are. "Lately I wake up feeling fucking freaked" is a hell of a line, and what follows it is heartbreaking. If you're going to rip the pages out of your journal and make them into songs, please do it like this.
Dana Williams "Do No Harm"
If you're more in the mood for something bombastic and soulful, try this Dana Williams on for size. Alex da Kid and Cobaine Ivory provide an upbeat backline to a song that is the opposite of her old soul voice — but the two work in harmony nicely. The drums propel this track forward, while Williams, whose voice could easily become melancholy, strikes an upbeat note thanks to her accompaniment.