Before we get into songs, you know you need to be listening to the Black Panther soundtrack this week, right? I already told you about the stellar Kendrick Lamar & SZA track "All the Stars," but every song on it is a gem. Give it the weekend, and it will be your everything. And, since it came up, watch the video for "All the Stars" (above) to get yourself started in a joyful place.
Paramore "Rose-Colored Boy"
It's hard to beat Paramore when it comes to music videos. Their latest, a look back at the late '80s through the eyes of the hosts of a faux morning TV show, is another exceptional effort. Too many video treatments take the song in a different direction because the artist, who clearly wrote it about their personal life (singer Hayley Williams went through a divorce last year), doesn't want to relive their trauma. Which is totally fair. Williams avoids that trap by turning the treatment around to have a young Hayley ask, "What are you doing? This isn't you." Reporter, singer, or doing her best Bill O'Reilly "fuck it, we'll do it live" impression, it's rare that a video makes you feel like you know the artist so intimately. Especially when, in reality, you still don't know jack. Now plaster that smile back on.
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Sasha Sloan "Normal"
A way too relatable sentiment: just play that pop song we know but don't like. Kiss the guy who is fine, but a one night stand. Let me dance and avoid the bad stuff for one night. This little ditty is chock full of familiar sentiments from blue days and black nights. It's weird to hear someone wallow like you wallow, but also comforting.
DΔWN "Waves"
Did you take a moment to remind yourself that you are the shit today? If not, press play on this track and do your due diligence. Wave your money if you feel like it. This grandiose, '90s inspired track will make you feel that same empowered vibe that En Vogue gave you with "My Love (You're Never Gonna Get It)" by way of Mya's "Movin' On," all spiffed up and made new. DΔWN brings a little hint of New Orleans to the mix that helps to make it her own.
Django Django feat. Self Esteem "Surface to Air"
And I leave you this week with a spin around a happier dance floor. I am obsessed with how fierce Self Esteem (a.k.a. Rebecca Taylor of Slow Club) looks jamming her way through this track. Aside from the deep Marilyn Monroe vibes I'm getting from her hair, there is something so lovely about a Jamaican dancehall filtered through Northern Soul/British aesthetics. It is truly a "dance like no one is watching" moment, which is true of all moments when British people dance (and I mean that in the best way).
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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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