Music

9 songs that ruled our playlist this week

by Chris Budd

Check out our “Trending” Playlist for this week. Put on the player and read a bit about each song below.

1. “Don’t Wanna Fight” by Alabama Shakes

I absolutely love how singer-guitarist Brittany Howard of Alabama Shakes squeals into this track. This groovy, soulful tune ”Don’t Wanna Fight” is the first single off the group’s new album Sound & Color (out April 21st via ATO) and features Howard performing what Rolling Stone calls a “dizzying vocal performance that splits the difference between James Brown and Barry Gibb.”

2. “Emoticons” by The Wombats

The way Liverpool band The Wombats keep releasing new songs off their upcoming album “Glitterbug,” I’ll have a track in every other weeks’ playlist until I run out of songs. Back in January I featured “Greek Tragedy”, now I’m leaning towards their song about those little images we use “try to make it better, but they only make it worse.” I’m expecting big things for this band in 2015, check out “Emoticons.”

3. “Pray To God (ft. HAIM)” by Calvin Harris

In the world of short attention spans, it’s really important for bands to figure out a way to stay on our radars in-between record releases. The HAIM sisters have had a busy February, announcing that they’re joining Taylor Swift’s 1989 World Tour, a “Jungle Love” jam session with Morris Day and the Time on Jimmy Kimmel, and now a collaboration with 2014’s highest paid DJ Calvin Harris. “Pray To God” comes from his upcoming release Motion and arrived this week via a video featuing wolves, snowy mountain vistas, bears, falcons, lions, and the Haim sisters on horseback.

4. “Huarache Lights” by Hot Chip

This one is a grower for sure. In my first listens to “Huarache Lights”, the new single from Hot Chip off their upcoming album Why Make Sense?, I wasn’t too impressed by the track. It felt slightly on the side of dull and repetitive. Then I caught myself repeating in my head “Replace us with the things that do the job better….” Turns out, I just needed a little more with the song. Not a dancefloor banger, but it’ll get your head bobbing.

5. “Intergalactic” by Young Wonder

I seem to feature a lot of Irish bands these days. Perhaps sometime soon I’ll be ready to call them the new Australia? (I’ve been arguing for a while now that the best new music these days is coming from down under. Before that was Montreal. Before that New York.) Electro-pop duo Young Wonder (comprised of Ian Ring and Rachel Koeman) have got a great tune in “Intergalactic” here. I love songs that just drop out, then build to finish.

6. “Never Gets Old” by Penguin Prison

Just like the name of this next song, new music from Penguin Prison never gets old with me. “Never Gets Old” is a collaboration with Amanda Warner and Peter Wade of electronic duo MNDR and is the latest single off Penguin Prison’s sophomore LP Lost In New York. Five straight listens in now and it’s still not getting old.

7. “It’s Alright” by MAJIK

Not only will this track be a discovery for you today, it was for me as well this morning when it came on accidentally. Checking the top 50 on Hype Machine, I had been streaming the new track for Florence + The Machine, which finished and cued the next track in the list. “It’s Alright” by London duo MAJIK’s just kind of washed over me, drawing me into those deep muffled beats and atmospheric accompaniment.

8. “What Kind Of Man” by Florence + The Machine

Another huge premiere this week was another new track from Florence + The Machine with “What Kind Of Man,” arriving off the upcoming How Big How Blue How Beautiful album in June. Once the song really gets going past it’s lengthy intro and vocal lead in (head to 2:40 in the video), the song explodes with Florence Welch’s soaring vocals. Not sure if this song will eclipse my all time favourite “Dog Days Are Over,” but I’ll give it a chance.

9. “Streets Of Paris” by Will Joseph Cook

It’s so hard to believe that UK newcomer Will Joseph Cook is only 17 years old. Incredible. Here’s “Streets Of Paris,” your soundtrack to your next walking tour of la Ville Lumière. Who says it always has to sound romantic?