Hi <<First Name>> <<Last Name>>! For the best viewing experience, view this email in your browser. |  | | Week Ending May 2ndYesterday evening, 5x Grammy winners The Judds were inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. Sadly, Naomi Judd, one half of the mother-daughter duo, passed away on Saturday at the age of 76. One of the most successful acts in country, The Judds had fourteen No. 1 hits, including Grandpa, Why Not Me, and Have Mercy. Click here for a Spotify playlist with the songs mentioned in this email. | | | BIGGEST Songs of the Week 📈 |  | Justin Bieber just had his Lift Yourself moment. Kanye West’s 2018 single Lift Yourself not only marked the rapper’s highly-anticipated return, but it also trolled both fans and Drake in the process. The track was so baffling that listening to it for the first time was one of those moments you never forget. The song’s beat was originally meant for Drake, but amidst his publicized feud with Kanye, Kanye chose to release the song with a ridiculously long intro and his infamous “poopity scoop” verse instead, essentially wasting the beat. The final product was so bad, it was hilarious. Justin attempted to troll his fans in a similar fashion with his new song I Feel Funny, which is the singer’s first single as a lead artist since last year’s Peaches. But unlike Lift Yourself, I Feel Funny is ironically not very funny. Towards the end of the song, Justin sings, “Laugh it up, chuckles,” as if telling his listeners to laugh will make it better. Before you accuse us of taking this too seriously, we understand that this is obviously a joke song, but it’s not a very good one. Perhaps Justin should leave the comedic stylings to artists like Weird Al, Frank Zappa, or Bo Burnham. However, in Justin’s defense, his 2020 country remix of Yummy was actually pretty funny, through it probably wasn’t meant to be. Kanye’s Lift Yourself served as a promotional tactic for his 8th studio album ye. Similarly, I Feel Funny was released to generate hype for Justin’s real song, Honest. The single features rapper Don Toliver who previously linked with Justin on Skrillex’s 2021 song Don’t Go. Unfortunately, the pain we endured on I Feel Funny wasn’t worth the reward we got on Honest. The lackluster single features an uninspired performance from Justin with chopped up lyrics like “Honest / You’re modest / I like it.” On the bright side, Honest is not the typical pop sound we usually hear from the Biebs — this seems to be a step in the right direction, maybe. 1. Justin Bieber, Don Toliver, Honest (Trap) 😑 2. Future, Kanye West, KEEP IT BURNIN (Trap) 👍👍 3. Future, Drake, Tems, WAIT FOR U (Alternative R&B) 😑 4. Sam Smith, Love Me More (Pop Soul) 😑 5. Khalid, Skyline (Disco Funk) 👍👍 6. Ava Max, Maybe You’re The Problem (Synthpop) 👍 7. Lil Baby, Frozen (Trap) 😑 8. Giveon, Lie Again (Contemporary R&B) 👍 9. Kehlani, everything (Contemporary R&B) 👍 10. Lil Tjay, Goin Up (Trap) 😑 | | Noteworthy 📰 |  | Old school K-pop meets new school K-pop on PSY’s That That, produced and co-written by BTS’ Suga. The track arrives nearly a decade after PSY’s Gangnam Style, which paved the way for K-pop’s global popularity.
Less than 10 days after being sentenced to five years in prison on federal firearm charges, Memphis rapper Pooh Shiesty dropped the deluxe edition of his latest LP, Shiesty Season. The expanded version comes with 10 new songs, including the Gunna-assisted track Certified.
English electronic rock band The Big Pink, best known for their 2009 single Dominos, shared No Angels, their first new material in over a decade. The song samples Bad Cop’s Light On.
Suzanne Vega and DNA’s 1990 hit Tom’s Diner has been sampled by a slew of artists, including 2Pac, Doja Cat, Fall Out Boy, Drake, Aaliyah, Destiny’s Child, and The Black Eyed Peas. House duo SOFI TUKKER has added their name to the list with their new track Summer In New York. TikTok users may recognize Tom’s Diner from this viral cover.
| | BEST Songs of the Week 🔥 |  | Following last month’s release of The Lightning I, II, Arcade Fire’s latest single Unconditional I (Lookout Kid) gives us another reason to believe that the indie rock cult favorites will return to form on their sixth studio album WE, out Friday. This would surely be a welcome sight (or is it ‘welcome listen’?) to the legion of fans who were disappointed by the band’s last album, Everything Now, a synth-disco record which strayed far from Arcade Fire’s roots. It’s worth noting that Lookout Kid was produced by Nigel Godirch, the same man who produced The Smile’s Free in the Knowledge, which was our pick for last week’s ‘Best Song’ — Nigel is on a roll. Arcade Fire previewed Lookout Kid earlier this month during week one of Coachella. After beginning the song, frontman Win Butler was overcome with emotion and had to restart. In a conversation with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe, Butler explained that Lookout Kid was written for his son. He hopes that one day his son will be counseled by lyrics like, “A lifetime of skinned knees / And heartbreak comes so easy / But a life without pain would be boring.” Before their Coachella performance, Arcade Fire teased a snipped of Lookout Kid on social media. To be honest, we were a tad worried. The lyrics sounded a bit cheesy and the song featured a post-chorus reminiscent of Baby Shark — Butler sings “do-do” 45 times during the song. However, given that the song was written for his nine-year old son, a little bit of saccharine is okay. Butler’s earnest vocals, coupled with lush instrumentation, a terrific melody, and a gorgeous outro, more than quelle our initial skepticism. 1. Arcade Fire, Unconditional I (Lookout Kid) (Folk Rock) 👍👍👍 2. IDK, Denzel Curry, Dog Food (Jazz Rap) 👍👍👍 3. Angel Olsen, Big Time (Americana) 👍👍👍 4. Teen Suicide, coyote (2015-2021) (Slowcore) 👍👍👍 5. Quelle Chris, Pink Siifu, Moruf, The Sky Is Blue b/c The Sunset Is Red (Jazz Rap) 👍👍👍 6. Faye Webster, Suite: Jonny (Chamber Pop) 👍👍👍 7. Francis of Delirium, Mirrors (Midwest Emo) 👍👍 8. Iceage, All The Junk On The Outskirts (Art Rock) 👍👍 9. Kelly Lee Owens, One (Ambient Pop) 👍👍 10. Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs, Crosswalk (Electropop) 👍👍 | | Albums Spotlight 💿 |  | Rosa Walton and Jenny Hollingworth, the two halves of electropop group Let’s Eat Grandma, became best friends at the age of four. If you’re familiar with the duo’s work, you know that their intense bond has always been a major part of their music. Their 2016 debut I, Gemini was fittingly named after the zodiac constellation referred to as “the twins.” On their 2018 follow up I’m All Ears, Walton and Hollingworth presented themselves as a singular unit, merging their faces on the album’s cover. When we watch footage of their live performances, we often find Walton and Hollingworth indistinguishable with their matching Rapunzel-length hair. I, Gemini was so inventive that we usually forget the pair were just 16-years old when the record was released. Like all other teenagers, Walton and Hollingworth still had a lot of self-discovery and growing up to do. While touring for I’m All Ears, their childhood bond began to fray. The fractures were accelerated by the deaths of singer Billy Clayton, Hollingworth’s boyfriend, and I’m All Ears collaborator SOPHIE. In the aftermath of their deaths, Hollingworth stopped writing music, and the pair’s tour was naturally cancelled. If that wasn’t enough, Walton ended a long-term relationship, fell in love for the first time, discovered her bisexuality, and left Hollingworth to live in London. Add a global pandemic to the mix, and it’s understandable why their friendship was irreparably changed. Two Ribbons sees Walton and Hollingworth as one again, albeit with individual songwriting credits. The record tells the story of how the duo drifted apart and then eventually back together. Forged from difficult moments, Two Ribbons is their most emotionally charged project to date. Hollingworth mourns the loss of Clayton on Watching You Go, while Walton sings about the new facets of her sexuality on Hall of Mirrors. Given the subject matter, the album surprisingly features a fair number of upbeat tracks, including the opener Happy New Year. On the song, Walton and Hollingworth sum up the current state of their friendship when they sing, “Nothing that was broken can touch how much I care for you / Because you know you’ll always be my best friend and look at what we made it through.” Let’s Eat Grandma, Two Ribbons (Electropop) 👍👍 Tomberlin, i don’t know who needs to hear this… (Indie Folk) 👍👍 Miranda Lambert, Palomino (Country) 👍👍 Melody’s Echo Chamber, Emotional Eternal (French Neo-Psychedelia) 👍👍 Future, I NEVER LIKED YOU (Trap) 😑 Other Notable Projects: Action Bronson Cocodrillo Turbo, Bloc Party Alpha Games, Dälek Precipice, Girlpool Forgiveness, Kehlani blue water road, Kelly Lee Owens LP.8, Rammstein Zeit, Röyksopp Profound Mysteries, Toro y Moi MAHAL, Willie Nelson A Beautiful Time | | Vinyl Giveaway 🎁 |  | This month, you can win an exclusive copy of Denzel Curry’s LP Melt My Eyez See Your Future. On his fifth studio album, the 27-year old rapper revamps his non-genre conforming sound, giving up his characteristic hardcore sonics in favor of something more mellow. As Denzel trades his mosh-pit classics for jazzier beats, listeners are transported to the boom bap, golden age of hip hop. With bepop, punk, dancehall and soul beats, Denzel extends his creative palette and is as experimental as ever. How it works: When you refer a friend using this sign-up link, you get entered into a raffle to win. The more you share, the better chance you have. Make sure to include your own email in the referral field. Winners will be notified at the end of the month. | | WORST Song of the Week 🗑️Justin Bieber, I Feel Funny (Comedy Rap) | | Next week: Jack Harlow releases his sophomore LP Come Home The Kids Miss You. Were you forwarded this email? Subscribe here. Have any comments or suggestions? Contact us here. | | To stop receiving these emails, unsubscribe here. | |
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