Music

Top 5 Pop Releases: June Edition

by Aaron Zorgel

Each month, tons of new music from many taste-spanning genres is released into a fast-consuming, unforgiving audience; it can be tough to get a handle on what’s new before it’s on to the next. In an attempt to highlight the standout releases, at the end of each month, AUX staff re-cap the month in Punk, Metal, Indie/Pop/Rock, Hip Hop, Pop, and Electronica/Dance with the top five releases in each. Consider it your cheat sheet for year-end lists.

Top 5 Pop Tracks: June Edition

 

Drake – “Marvin’s Room”

For the past month or so, Drizzy has been dropping tracks all over the interwebz, via his blog, October’s Very Own. He’s stated that none of them will be radio singles, but it’s a sneak peak at the minimal production, smooth bedroom vocals, and introspective lyrical content that will dominate Take Care, which is slated for release on October 24th, 2011. “Marvin’s Room” is the best of the bunch thus far, and seems to draw heavy influence from that newfangled PBR&B genre (file under: The Weeknd, Frank Ocean). Produced by his lifemate Noah “40” Shebib, “Marvin’s Room” has Drake lamenting a life of excess over a dreamy/synthy soundscape. If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to get drunk-dialed by Drake, this is a track for you.

Rihanna – “Man Down”

Rihanna’s West Indian accent is front and center on this massively overlooked bouncy reggae/dancehall track. Produced by Haitian-American producer Shama “Sham” Joseph, this is a highlight from LOUD (2011) thanks largely to Rihanna’s confident and hypnotic use of Bajan patois. Lyrically, the song tells a story of violence from the remorseful perspective of a gunman, which is a nice juxtaposition to the floating reggae groove laid down by Sham. The song peaked at just #61 on the Billboard Hot 100, but Rihanna received much critical acclaim for her return to Caribbean rhythms after a string of Eurotrance inspired singles.  Legit.

The-Dream – “Body Work & Fuck My Brains Out”

For the uninitiated, I’m just going to list a bunch of singles that songwriter/producer/artist Terius Youngdell Nash, a.k.a. The-Dream, has worked on in the past few years: “Umbrella” (Rihanna), “Single Ladies” (Beyoncé), “Baby” (Justin Bieber), and he’s credited with writing and producing much of Memoirs of An Imperfect Angel (“Obsessed”) for Mariah Carey. Even your parents are impressed.  Judging by this promotional double single, The-Dream’s fourth solo studio album The Love, IV (Diary of a Mad Man) is going to be every-bit-as-good as the writing and production credits he’s racked up in the past few years.  “Body Work” showcases Nash’s Prince-perfect falsetto, while “Fuck My Brains Out” turns it up a notch with a mean four-on-the-floor and a chorus that your parents definitely won’t approve of.

LMFAO – “Party Rock Anthem”

I know what you’re saying. “These bozos?” etc. etc.  It’s a good song, straight up. But I mostly just wanted to share an LMFAO revelation that I had recently while caught up in a Wikipedia whirlwind. I always knew that LMFAO had some kind of familial connection to a major record label executive, but let me shed some light for anyone else who is in the dark, like I was not long ago. Redfoo is the 35 year old son of Motown record founder Berry Gordy.  SkyBlu is the 24 year old GRANDSON of Berry Gordy. That makes SkyBlue the nephew of Redfoo, who is 11 years his senior. HOLY SHIT. What a weird dynamic. Imagine you had a party rap band with your UNCLE? Weirdness aside, I give credit where credit is due. Redfoo produced this track with LMFAO collaborator GoonRock, and it’s an infectious, shuffle inducing dancefloor destroyer. I know, LMFAO is uncontrollably lame. But with “Party Rock Anthem, they’ve hit another homerun that rivals the 2009 party staple “Shots.” Seriously, it’s really fun to scream at your friends while on the dancefloor.

Beyoncé – Party feat. Andre 3000 & Kanye West

On paper, this should be one of the best songs of the Summer. Beyoncé. Produced by, and featuring ‘ye. Featuring the return of ‘Dre3K. Oh yeah, and it’s called “Party.” It’s a great song, but don’t get hyped for a fast tempo feel-good Summer party banger. This is a lazy, groovy track with layers upon layers of Beyoncé, a trusty 808, and some tasty stabby retro-sounding synth bass. Andre 3000 sounds in fine form on his feature, and we now have a new Kanye-ism to laugh about (“You got the swag, so she’s drippin’ swag-goo”). This song was allegedly leaked by 2DopeBoyz, so I don’t even think it was meant to be a radio single.  But kick back with a beverage on a balcony, blast it on a Saturday afternoon, and think about how great life is.

Surprises, disappointments and tracks/albums to watch for next month

Surprise of the month: The fact that LMFAO are a duo comprised of UNCLE & NEPHEW.

Disappointments: Record delays. Lil Wayne’s The Carter 4 has been pushed back to August 22nd, when it was originally slated for a May 21st release. Take Care by Drake has been pushed to October 24th. I only have a few more years left where I can enjoy Young Money releases without feeling like an old weirdo. My message to Drizzy & Weezy: Hurry, pleazy.

Out in July: Expect the hit parade to continue from Beyoncé, since her record was just released on June 28th. The first official radio single from Take Care should be dropping in July as well. It’s going to be a good Summer.