Beyonce

December 1, 2017

It’s a major week. We’re finally starting the last month of this hell-fire of a year, the holiday season is officially in full swing. I am having ginger and peppermint chocolate flavored anything I can get my hands on, and I’m even somewhat excited at the idea of wrapping gifts and drinking a modestly filled  glass of wine by the crackle of the TV simulated log fire.

Now, let’s tune in to five hand selected pristine tracks by rising artists to get you through this week.

Please reach out to me via the handy dandy contact page on the cmd+f website, or on Twitter with your thoughts about any of the tracks I’ve selected this week. As you already know, I love chatting about music. Let me in on your new favorite band; they’re looking for new fans, too!

As always, you know the drill: if you like what you hear, spread the cheer. Tell your friends about the songs you liked in this letter, but most importantly, let the artists know. There’s a good chance they’ll see your comments. Let them know how good their tunes are, and they’ll crank out even more magic.

P.S. If you would like to have this letter sent to your email every Friday, please head over to this link right here to subscribe to never miss a weekly roundup!

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“Disappear” - Silk Cinema | Going to dip into this week’s letter with the wavy “Disappear” by London duo Silk Cinema. They describe their sound as “Sade in space” which, this is 1000% what the world has been needing for the past 15 years. The harmonies on the hook are as radiant as the kirakira+ app, gently cradled over the suave layers of wavering instrumentals. I caught myself snapping my fingers and doing some fancy footwork while flipping quesadillas on the stove this week. Truly a bop. Listen here

“You’re Somebody Else” -  flora cash | The only explanation for my affection toward this song is the copious amounts of Sufjan Stevens my ears have been ingesting over the past two months. “You’re Somebody Else” opens as a simple, acoustic guitar sad song, but rapidly evolves into an inorganic, artificially assembled guitar chop instrumental beat that builds and builds and builds, eventually swallowing down that facade and fading out as naked at the start. Listen here

“Paranoia” - Liza Anne | Are you also a basketcase? Have I got the song for you! Liza Anne’s “Paranoia” builds on the nagging anxieties and insecurities you face, like, 24/7.The Nashville-based singer’s got a twinge of that country-pop twang in her vocal delivery, served frantically over a pop-driven melody chorused by a an ocean of fizzling guitars. This song is a blessing. Listen here

“Why Can’t We Be Friends?” -  The Academic | Irish rock outfit The Academic are already causing quite the buzz in their home country (allegedly and rightfully). With their debut album dropping in the new year, I’ve got a funny little feeling it’s going to be stacked with hits and ping a lot of hungry music lover’s radars. “Why Can’t We Be Friends?” is a punchy, insatiable earworm. Backed on a steady drumbeat and flourished with airy guitars, the melody is pure heat. Listen here

“Acid Rain” - Lxury | “Acid Rain” is composed by Lxury, a producer I’m 90% sure you’ve heard at one point in your life in the last five years (he’s got credits for Years & Years’ sultry 2014 single “Real”). He’s back to producing his own beats, and this one? A total facemelter. Listen here

BONUS

  • ‘Tis the season of good tidings and a time to give generously to charity organizations. Here’s Beyonce hopping on a duet of Ed Sheeran’s “Perfect:” Listen here

  • Jokes aside, Graham Coxon, aka my personal favorite member of Blur, has released a charity single titled “Falling.” Proceeds go to CALM, Campaign Against Living Miserably, a UK-based suicide prevention organization. The song was written by Coxon’s friend Luke Daniel who died by suicide last year. A swanky vinyl pressing for “Falling” is dropping December 15 via Rough Trade, but you can listen to it right now

  • Flume has been promoting the hell out of his upcoming live shows in Japan, and he’s linked up with some talented creatives to throw down delicious visuals to accompany what I can only image as teasers for a new music project he’s been working on. The tunes are on another plane, dense with vibrant layers of sound. Check out “Road To: Tokyo” here

  • Louis Tomlinson has a new song called “Miss You” and can genuinely admit I enjoyed taking the time to listen to it Listen here

  • The new Halsey and G-Eazy song will hands down be a hot topic on the next episode of the Who? Weekly podcast Listen here

  • Godfather of trap Juicy J has linked up Queen Cardi B to drop the 21st century “You Can Do It” we deserve. Aptly titled “Kamasutra,” J and Cardi dip into raunchy af details between the infectious hook: “you better fuck me all night.” Best bit? The faint homage to Three-6 classic “Slob on My Knob” that closes out the track Listen here

  • Miguel has an album out Listen here

  • Ending the bonus section with another round of holiday singles released today, courtesy of the Spotify Singles Holiday Edition: George Ezra, my bellowing cherub, has covered “White Christmas,” Wolf Alice covered “Santa Baby,” Rostam’s covered “Fairytale of New York,” and DMX has covered “Rudolph the Rednose Reindeer.” Check out the full list here.

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New month, new playlist! If you’re interested in hearing what else I’ve been rinsing this month (aside from the tracks listed above), peep my personal December 2017 playlist. There I will be dumping in new (and occasionally throw back) tracks as the month carries on. You can dive into the cmd+f archive to hear what I’ve been listening to in previous months this year.

A(lmost a)ll of the tracks I’ve shared this week and past cmd+f newsletters are archived into a single playlist on Spotify for you to follow here. You’re welcome.

See you next week!

November 24, 2017

While a handful of you reading this are likely nursing a hangover from a few too many glasses of wine and slices of pie over Thanksgiving last night, I’m here, prying my eyes open after living in front of an oven door for the past two days, trying to feast my ears on as much New Music Friday content as possible. It’s a daunting task as I wade through the faint chimes of sweet carol bells looming in the background, beckoning me to usher in the Christmas season. So far the tempting Black Friday sales have benefited nobody but the company wallets I’m filling, my personal wardrobe and skincare routine.

This week I’ve got SIX crazy good tracks, and a grip of bonus content because it’s Black Friday and some artists are doing the abso-fucking-lute MOST.

Please reach out to me via the handy dandy contact page on the cmd+f website, or on Twitter with your thoughts about any of the tracks I’ve selected this week. As you already know, I love chatting about music. Let me in on your new favorite band; they’re looking for new fans, too!

As always, you know the drill: if you like what you hear, spread the cheer. Tell your friends about the songs you liked in this letter, but most importantly, let the artists know. There’s a good chance they’ll see your comments. Let them know how good their tunes are, and they’ll crank out even more magic.

P.S. If you would like to have this letter sent to your email every Friday, please head over to this link right here to subscribe to never miss a weekly roundup!

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“Bom Bom” - Tkay Maidza x Danny L. Harle | I’m already kicking my own ass for even bringing this up, but I know this thought is lingering in the back of many people’s minds: you ever think about what we could have had in music if Azealia Banks had her shit together??? Tkay has her own flow and sound, but this was my first thought when I heard the opening notes on this FIRE collab. Azealia fucked with this head-spinning, heavy 90s house vibe. Throw in  PC Music producer Danny L. Harle to wonk things up a bit and you got a monster track. “Bom Bom” sounds like that threat of nausea and the rush of adrenaline after a rollercoaster ride on a full stomach. Big, big tune this one Listen here

“Feel the Same” -  Bully | Sounding straight up like a long-lost Hole track, “Feel the Same” is a jittery, frantic ode to lethargy – or rather the anxieties of struggling to maintain relationships with people, fearing those friendships are crumbling, all the while dealing with the fact you feel nothing and everything all at once. And it fucking slaps. Go figure. I’ve declared it the depressives club anthem. Listen here

“Stonewall Frank” - Nelson Can | Nelson Can have adopted the “no guitars but still gonna belt out a chooooon” approach to their music, a la The White Stripes’ claim to fame. Armed with nothing but a drum kit, a juicy bassline, and killer vocals, “Stonewall Frank” is a bop, banger, AND a jam all at once. What an honor, to be honest. I wouldn’t use such strong qualifiers if it wasn’t true Listen here

“Get These Things Out of My Head” -  Pale Honey | Swedish duo Pale Honey dropped their sophomore album Devotion last month. Diving into the 10-track album completely submerged me into a liminal space, hovering over this sense of unease in the lyrics mixed with an unexplainable tension of nostalgia. “Get These Things Out of My Head” sounds exactly like a song I’ve heard a million times before I heard it for the first time last week. It felt I had listened to it many a times walking through a ghostly supermarket at midnight Listen here

“Big Girls Cry” -  Mimoza | I had to slip this monster tune in this week because I couldn’t have you wait another week for it. Mimoza is another case of a hit making songwriter testing the waters as a solo artist. While the instrumentals echo some Kygo-esque vibes, the vocals punch through a Sia-grade pre-chorus. Quality pop tune. Listen here

“Collect” -  Matthew Young | Huge thanks to my pal Ana who provided me with a couple rising artists in her homeland of New Zealand. The world currently only knows New Zealand for three things: kiwis, Lord of the Rings, and Lorde. The rest of the world has slept on the fact that the Oceanic plate, particularly New Zealand, is a hotbed of fresh talent. The entire region is churning out perhaps (actually clearly) the best left-of-center pop music in the world right now. While that may be a bold ass statement, I’d advise you to sit down and have a moment with this week’s pick Matthew Young. RnB pop may be oversaturated with male solo artists, but Matthew’s got the gravely yet velvety smooth vocals and wicked clever lyrics to set him apart. “Collect” is an earworm. Listen here

BONUS

  • Top album to dive into this weekend is Sufjan Stevens’ The Greatest Gift—Outtakes, Remixes, & Demos from Carrie & Lowell. Stacked with unreleased tracks, remixes, and raw demos for tracks on 2015’s Carrie & Lowell, I must admit Sufjan has bestowed the greatest gift of the week upon us Listen here

  • Sleigh bells ring, deck the halls, fa-la-la-la-la, et cetera, et cetera, it’s Black Friday, bitches, AKA the first official day of The Holiday Season. Every kind of person has dropped a damn Christmas album/EP/song today. We have your garden variety artists, Gwen Stefani and People’s “”“Sexiest Man of the Year””” Blake Shelton, who’ve have unleashed their joint Christmas music revue, from Why Don’t We’s classic Christmas boyband ballads, to yet another fucking Glee-tastic cover of “Last Christmas” by Stanaj that nobody asked for, in contrast with Phoebe Bridgers’ tender cover of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” we don’t deserve, to DRAM throwing down a bit of holiday cheer with the help of BigBabyMom. Between this and the cobwebs collecting in my wallet, it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

  • Beyonce got the best Christmas-themed merch I ever seen. This holiday season, she’s got Beyonce ornaments, onesies, and WRAPPING PAPER. SHOP HERE

  • Meanwhile Frank Ocean’s out here selling ugly ass hoodies to throw approximately five hundred Hypebeast’s off their game as they queue up to cop the new Nike Air Max 97s on Black Friday

  • Rihanna, Queen of Selling Me Anything and I Will Actually Buy It Because Yes Of Course, has developed a UNIVERSAL red liquid lipstick that allegedly matches with any skin tone for Fenty Beauty, and while that sounds fake, if you do end up copping one, let me know how it works out for you

  • Little Mix have re-released a platinum edition of their latest album Glory Days which includes (I believe) four unreleased new tracks and a few acoustic versions of original tracks. The greatest crime of this album is allowing the “feat. Kid Ink” version of “Touch” on there Listen here

  • Bjork has a new album out today, and I’m shocked as hell. Fans of her work are familiar with the extremely long hours and attention to detail she pours into her craft, so frankly I’m stunned she has managed to crank out an entire new album two years after her last. During those two years since her last album, she’s managed to tour VR experiences/art installations across the globe in support of the previous album on top of recording Utopia Listen here

  • It’s a surprisingly quiet day for new music releases, so please enjoy yourself to a helping of this mid-80s soaked Initial Talk remix of Dua Lipa’s “New Rules” Listen here

  • Can’t forget to tell you Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds have a new album too Listen here

  • My personal fav pop acts of the year, Rae Morris, has dropped “Atletico,” yet another incredible, frantic, fresh pop tune I am going to be spinning for months and months on end Listen here

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If you’re interested in hearing what else I’ve been rinsing this month (aside from the tracks listed above), peep my personal November 2017 playlist. There I will be dumping in new (and occasionally throw back) tracks as the month carries on. You can dive into the cmd+f archive to hear what I’ve been listening to in previous months this year.

A(lmost a)ll of the tracks I’ve shared this week and past cmd+f newsletters are archived into a single playlist on Spotify for you to follow here. You’re welcome.

See you next week!

September 29, 2017

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Going to keep the opening notes very short and sweet this week, as so much has happened (personally, globally, etc) - but before anything else, I reckon if you haven’t already, though you most likely have (if you haven’t, you must be just logging onto the internet for the first time today, I suppose), but J Balvin has released a remix of his global smash (in Latin countries. Trust me, the song is massive as f*ck, and you’re going to have to believe me if you’re not from a Latin country) hit “Mi Gente” with none other than MFing BEYONCE. J Balvin’s impact - he’s got Bey signing in Spanish, too! Naturally, the internet lost its mind over it.

100% of proceeds made from the release of this remix will go toward helping victims from the recent natural disasters in Puerto Rico, Mexico, and the Caribbean. Get on streaming the tune here, and maybe consider purchasing the track off iTunes/your preferred digital music retailer if you dig. It's for a good cause 'n all that.

Now, onto five fantastic tracks I want to share with y’all this week.

Please reach out to me via the handy dandy contact page on the cmd+f website, or on Twitter with your thoughts about any of the tracks I’ve selected this week. As you already know, I love chatting about music. Let me in on your new favorite band; they’re looking for new fans, too!

As always, you know the drill: if you like what you hear, spread the cheer. Tell your friends about the songs you liked in this letter, but most importantly, let the artists know. There’s a good chance they’ll see your comments. Let them know how good their tunes are, and they’ll crank out even more magic.

P.S. If you would like to have this letter sent to your email every Friday, please head over to this link right here to subscribe to never miss a weekly roundup!

________________________________________

“Tommy” - Tommy Genesis | Those who follow the underground rap scene likely are already familiar with Vancouver emcee Tommy Genesis. Hailed as the “most rebellious underground rap queen,” her new joint “Tommy” is a sinister, biting track. The beat is dope, definitely borderline unnerving in an-axe-murderer-is-lurking-behind-your-shower-curtain kind of way. Warning: highly addictive. Listen here

“Big One” -  Madeline Kenney | Music to listen to when you’re freaking the hell out because every single element of your life has lead up to this moment of time and everything feels more wholesome and real and worthwhile than it ever did leading up to that moment in time. “Big One” is a lyrically grand tune, each cry out a beam of excitement about figuring out your life and discovering you’ve found the one person you want to share the rest of your life with. Madeline’s entire album Night Night at the First Landing also has this cozy, dreamworld vibe if you’re looking to channel this mood over the weekend. Listen here

“Angel Fire” -  Hollie Cook | I know most of us are prepared to launch into super-goth mode and burrow under nine layers of blankets then sink into the mattress over a cup of steaming hot cocoa listening to Transatlantacism on repeat, right? Well, for those who AREN’T seeking that our/live in the SOUTHERN hemisphere (yeah, guys - they’re about to plow through Springtime down there), I present to you the groovy, island vibey “Angel Fire.” Hollie’s voice is as smooth as whipped buttercream. Listen here

“Needing U” -  Desta French | That Tribe “Electric Relaxation” sample is fine as hell. Desta French’s got the chops with this old school mid-90s R&B pop job, I can’t wait to hear more from Desta. Listen here

“Why Didn’t You Say That?” -  The Lemon Twigs |  The Lemon Twigs are truly from another time. Their entire vibe is plucked straight out of that kooky, 60s Baroque rock. It’s hokey, but it works, and it sonically sounds like a day kissed by the California sun. Listen here

BONUS

  • Harry Styles, covering a song about a girl wanting to be a girlfriend of a boy they have a crush on so they can be close to the boy. [cue rainbow flag] Listen to Harry Styles cover “Girl Crush” here

  • Legends stacked on legends stacked on legends! Listen to what we go at stake: Little Dragon feat. Faith Evans “Peace Of Mind” produced by Raphael Saadiq. Raphael Saadiq!! Listen here

  • For my shoegaze babes, go listen to Wolf Alice’s new album Vision of a Life. Personal favorite is the CAN-inspired minimal bass “Formidable Cool.” Listen here

  • New Four Tet album New Energy Listen here AND new Miley Cyrus album Younger Now Listen here

  • Former cmd+f mentionable BETSY has finally released her self-titled debut album! Hurray! Listen here

  • If you’re doing for a bit of a laugh, please check out Lizzo’s new track and video for “Truth Hurts” Watch here

  • So, Spotify thinks they can guestimate what music you listened to during formative teenage years based off their nifty algorithm. Granted my list neglected to include music from my later high school years, it was on the nose with its selections for tunes I listened to primarily from my days of middle school and early high school. Selections included primarily early pop punk and emo tunes, with a big of gangster rap peppered in between all of those bits. Click here if you’d like to peep my own Time Capsule playlist. Discover your own Time Capsule here

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If you’re interested in hearing what else I’ve been rinsing this month (aside from the tracks listed above), peep my personal September 2017 playlist. There I will be dumping in new (and occasionally throw back) tracks as the month carries on. You can dive into the cmd+f archive to hear what I’ve been listening to in previous months this year.

A(lmost a)ll of the tracks I’ve shared this week and past cmd+f newsletters are archived into a single playlist on Spotify for you to follow here. You’re welcome.

See you next week!