8 Songs You Need To Hear Right Now

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By jessicat31 14 Apr 2017, 11:58am

Kamasi Washington - Truth

Jazz maestro Kamasi Washington returns with "Truth" a thirteen minute long epic. Yet, while it only consists of a few chords, it never gets boring. The saxophone squeals and choral harmonies are warm, intimate and communal. It's an ambitious, yet accessible work of art.

Kevin Morby - Aboard My Train

The former Woods member dropped another track from his upcoming fourth album. "Aboard My Train" is as endearing as anything he's ever released. The folksy song finds the freewheeling troubadour recounting his travels with jammy abandon. The sizzling guitar solo straight-up rocks.

Big Thief - Mythological Beauty

Big Thief follow up last year's Masterpiece with more aptly titled material. "Mythological Beauty" is just that. Adrianne Lenker writers and sings with reflective grace about trying to connect with her inner child in the battle for self-acceptance. The guitars shimmer and chime as wistfully as her words.

Land of Talk - Loving (featuring Sharon Van Etten)

With their first album in over seven years on the way, "Loving" is a welcome return for Land of Talk. The Saddle Creek band's latest song is a shiny piece of indie pop with plenty of anxiety bubbling underneath. Given the band's health issues and industry scrap-ups in recent years, they have a lot of be disillusioned about, but rarely does it sound this good. Sharon Van Etten also lends her voice for some extra lovely back-up harmonies.

Girlpool - It Gets More Blue

The Folk-punk duo of Harmony Tividad and Cleo Tucke show off their brilliant harmonies with "It Gets More Blue." Their wistful voices cohere the ramshackle melody and raw production. It's an endearing and auspicious look at their highly anticipated sophomore effort.

Kendrick Lamar - BLOOD.

Remember that time Fox News foolishly criticized Kendrick Lamar's highly politicized performance at the BET Awards? Well now the joke's on them. Lamar skillfully samples those reporters on "BLOOD," the lead track off his new album. By recontextualizing their critiques within his artful hip-hop sounds, they are revealed to be more foolhardy than ever. As the album's lead off track, it's a worthy way to kick off an hour of amazing rhymes that follow.

Chris Stapleton - Broken Halos

Chris Stapleton's 2015 album Traveller turned the Nashville songwriter into a bonafide country star. This year he plans to return with not one, but two records that are sure to satisfy fans of his soulful brand of Americana. "Broken Halos" is the first taste of From A Room: Volume One and it's a twangy ballad that's sure to win over listeners, new and old alike.

Frank Ocean - Biking (Featuring Jay Z and Tyler the Creator)

The suddenly prolific Frank Ocean released his third track of 2017 and it find him pontificating about bicycles. In typical Frank Ocean fashion though, it's about a lot more than that. It's about the way life cycles by, and the freedom and balance bikes often represent. It' a nifty bit of song craft in that something so conventional becomes something inspiring. And it's made all the more stronger by cameos from Jay Z and Tyler the Creator.