Linkin Park

October 13, 2017

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Phew! Today is quite the day, eh? It’s the most frightening day of the decade - Friday the 13th, in the blessed patron month of all things creepy, October.

On this special day, Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross have gifted us with a re-working of John Carpenter’s iconic Halloween theme, more houses in my neighborhood are starting to slap up their decorations, and I have approximately 40 pounds of candy corn I somehow need to import into England by Monday. In the coming weeks, I’ll be putting together a proper Halloween-themed playlist in hopes to make the rest of your month spooktacular. To tide you over, here’s a link to a list I made in 2012 titled oooOooOOOOoo – it’s still rather good.

In the meantime, hang tight and make sure you have everything you need for your costume (because everyone should always dress up).

Pals in London reading this: cmd+f is coming to London! I would be grateful for any leads about exciting gigs happening in London between 16-28 October. If your band is playing, I’d love to come see/hear you and shoot your show, too. Give me a tweet, and maybe we can “have a cheeky one” (did I do that right?)

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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“Body” - LÉON | Hands down one of my favorite artists to watch right now. I would have said this before Monday night, but it was definitely solidified by Tuesday morning. On Monday night, I witnessed this song with my own ears at the El Rey Theatre, and it was far bouncier and groovier compared to most of LÉON’s discography. While the Swedish singer knows how to lay it down thick and made you sniffle up buckets of snot with her gut wrenching ballads about regret and heartbreak, “Body” is a lighter introduction. Also: the pseudo-distorted harpsichord in the pre-chorus is top notch – gives it the barest Fleetwood Mac vibe. Listen here

“Are You Down” -  Oddnesse | The levels of this song are charming as heck: lyrically, it’s a straightforward song about asking someone if they’re down with hookin’ up with you, possibly more. What’s delicious are the instrumentals, as they literally drag along cautiously in bits, all the while sounding like a seductive candle flickering in the moonlight. The tone gets a bit bashful in the chorus as Rebeca Arango sings “Do you want go slow? / Are you feeling heavy? / Would you ever get high? / Would you ever make out?” and ultimately, “Do you think it’s possible? / Are you down?” The closer swirls out on a confident, hypnotic flare, and by the end of it I too am drunk at the thought of being down for anything. What a fucking brilliant, intoxicating track. I’m OBSESSED. Listen here

“I’ll Be There” -  King Henry feat. Sasha Sloan | This song immediately got dumped into my Halsey Imposters playlist, then proceeded to get stuck in my head all week. Spotify is really pushing this King Henry bop as I’ve heard the song crop up in at least three separate Pop playlists I skimmed through at work this week. As for King Henry’s credentials, he’s worked under Diplo for the past few years, making tracks for artists like Beyonce, Justin Bieber, and most notably Major Lazer’s “Cold Water.” Meanwhile Sasha Sloan, aka our buttered down Halsey-lite vocalist, is a rising songwriter who helped write Louis Tomlinson’s debut solo single “Just Hold On” with Steve Aoki. “I’ll Be There” is an earworm buffed with the smoothest production. Love the subtle UK Garage energy flowing through the track. Listen here

“Boomerang” -  Why Don’t We | Now that all members of 1D have released their own solo efforts and we approach nearly two years since 1D’s last performance together, new boy bands are starting to crop up. With the rise of popularity in K-Pop outside of East Asia, purely pop-driven Western boy bands are giving it a shot. Luckily for them, TRL is back on MTV (without Carson Daly, so, like???? The point, y’all??). Anyway, I’d heard there are about four boy new American boy bands on the market, and it appears Why Don’t We are the first to pique my interest. To be blunt, the reason I enjoy “Boomerang” so much is it high key sounds like a Majid Jordan track, although I feel Majid Jordan would flourish it a bit more and chop up the song to not be as repetitive. It falls just under 3 minutes, meaning I had it on repeat for seven hours straight this week to really get a feel for it. I sent some of their tracks to some friends this week, and while some enjoyed it and others found it a bit too “Early Bieber,” I think I hear the beginnings of a group who could push some boundaries. Listen here

“I’ll Never Want a BF” -  Bec Sandridge | Werq @ artists smashing heteronormativity one song at a time! This one goes out to all my single ladies and gents who are okay with being single – and of course, a shout out to lesbians who definitely will not want a boyfriend. OUT magazine notes it as a “relatable anthem rejecting social pressures to be in relationships altogether,” which, finally??? That aside, Australia is currently having a massive public vote to decide if the country should acknowledge same sex marriages (Bec's an Australian artist!). The video for “I’ll Never Want a BF” features two women shamelessly kissing each other despite being surveillanced. The tune has a very campy 80s vibe - Bec could easily be described as a silver-haired Siouxsie Sioux. Listen here

BONUS

  • Ready to get extra funky with Beck’s new album Colors this weekend Listen here

  • About damn time: King Krule’s dropped his latest album The OOZ Listen here

  • The family of the late Chester Bennington, lead singer of Linkin Park who died by suicide this summer, have gifted us with an episode of Apple Music’s “Carpool Karaoke” that was recorded 6 days before his death. I made it through about 1/3rd of the episode before I couldn’t stop sobbing… proceed with caution and a box of Kleenex Watch here

  • What a time to be alive: one week after Liam Gallagher dropped his debut solo album, Noel’s gone and dropped a new song. The brothers are back to publicly feuding each other, and like that, suddenly we’re reminded who really was the sound and soul of Oasis. Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds’ “Holy Mountain” is a jam Listen here

  • Louis Tomlinson keeps releasing solo music. This time he reminds the listener he is human; lyrical content v. fitting for an audience of Alternative Press readers circa 2010. Listen here

  • A teaser clip from the upcoming film Call Me By Your Name dropped this week featuring Armie Hammer dancing to The Psychedelic Furs. Within minutes of the clip dropping, a Twitter account was set up and began to upload clips of Armie dancing to virtually every song. Personal favorites are “What’s Up?” - 4 Non Blondes, “Gasolina” - Daddy Yankee, then for ultra-pain factor/[SPOILER]Marissa dying on The OC levels of dramatic, “Futile Devices” - Sufjan Stevens. For more, follow @armiedancingto on Twitter.

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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 October 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!

July 21, 2017

I was really looking forward to talking to y’all about how I'm not going to FYF Fest this weekend and Raf Simons’ new collection he showed this week, but there I feel there is nothing else I could open this week’s letter with other than the news that Chester Bennington of Linkin Park is dead. Reports state he died by suicide in his Los Angeles home this week.

A friend sent me a text asking if I had heard about Chester, and my first thought was he had been in an accident or diagnosed with a disease - but nothing could have prepared me for this. It’s all still fresh and doesn’t feel real.

So, I took a few breaths before I started to silently grieve at my desk. The loss of Prince and Bowie felt much different - they were legends of another space and time. Chester’s impact hit me so much harder as he was a huge presence in my life during my tween years.

Linkin Park’s debut album Hybrid Theory came out when I was just 10 years old. When my best friend in 6th grade introduced me to “In the End,” as corny as it sounds, I felt I had listened to music that ‘spoke’ to me for the first time ever. Being 11 years old in middle school with vicious bullies who verbally abused you wasn’t easy, but like most angsty teens who turn to music to find meaning for their existence, I found a way to cope by obsessively listening to Hybrid Theory and scribbling down a lot of poetry in my locked diaries from Claire’s.

As I matured through middle school, my love for Linkin Park never waned. My identity became synonymous with Linkin Park - I talked about them all the time, purchased all of their CDs and DVD sets, ordered my first book online through Barnes & Noble for their coffee table book. I tuned into every damn interview or Making the Video they had scheduled on MTV or FUSE. These dudes shaped my worldview at such an impressionable age: Linkin Park, particularly Chester and Mike Shinoda (who are inarguably the mouthpieces of the band), introduced me to loads of new music, and showed compassion through their extensive charity work.

Young, anxious teen me cared so much about Linkin Park because Linkin Park’s music became a reflection of myself. Their sound reflected my feelings, their lyrical content resonated with my own dark thoughts - Linkin Park truly were a revolutionary and game-changing sound for music at the turn of the millennium. I know it’s become a mockery in retrospect within the last few years - that entire “nu metal” genre of gritty rap rock with overproduced bionic beats. Laugh all you want: Linkin Park were a cornerstone for a major shift in the sound of mainstream rock.

I’m so grateful to have grown up with Linkin Park. I’m so grateful to have admired Chester for being open about his own depression and personal traumas.

Rest easy, man.

If you or someone close to you are experiencing suicidal thoughts and feel like there is nobody you can turn to, please reach out to the Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255. Lines are open 24/7.

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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. 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!

________________________________________

 

“Virtue” - Kllo | What a breath of fresh air. “Virtue” is Kllo’s first single off their forthcoming debut album, and it’s a blissful, euphoric UK garage bop. Sounds very much like candy floss, and that feeling you get when you’re sipping a ginormous margarita whilst floating down a lazy river. Listen here

“That’s The Way It Is (Survival of the Sickest)” -  Rude GRL | BRAT POP CONTINUES TO THRIVE! Rude GRL are Ben Langmaid (formerly????) of La Roux and the very talented MC Jenna Dickens. They’re absolutely killing it on their DEBUT single with this Run-D.M.C. sample on a hyperloop smeared in Vaseline. That lo-fi charm sounds a bit like a long lost J.J. Fad demo tape unearthed from a dusty attic in Wales. It’s the first release off RAT BOY’s new label SCUM RECS. What a damn bar to set. Listen here

“Real Thing” (Jim-E Stack Remix) -  Lower Dens | Imagine: Ra Ra Riot singing a sad-ballad with a Prince twist. Lower Dens typically sound much more like a dreamy-pop The Walkmen, but this Jim-E Stack remix has “Real Thing” emerge as a strong contender for a Drive sequel soundtrack. Listen here

“Frontier” -  Queue | Love me some dreamy, 90s indie rock inspired tunes with a female lead vocalists. “Frontier” is a brash, frenetic whirlwind of a song. Best bit: when the subtle  tambourine jumps in the chorus. While rattled with layers upon layers of noise, it’s a tightly crafted instrumental with no second wasted between each wavering guitar string. It’s a good amount of busy, like a beaded Alexander McQueen gown. Quality tunage, y’all. Listen here

TTYN” - vivienxo | Sometimes I wish Carly Rae Jepsen could just spit it out and casually slip a grandiose “fuck you” into one of her seemingly endless catalogue of bops. Instead, Jepsus remains the Queen of Keeping Things PG, but I can’t complain since she never misses the mark on crafting a pop hit. Since Jespsus has yet to deliver it so blatantly, cue vivienxo dishing up one fantastic anti-fuckboi anthem we were WAITING to hear on the EMOTION B-sides album. Listen here

BONUS

  • DECLAN MCKENNA’S DEBUT ALBUM WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE CAR? IS OUT AND YOU SHOULD REALLY PRIORITIZE LISTENING TO IT Listen here

  • Lana Del Rey’s Lust for Life album is out now. She has two songs with A$AP Rocky and one song with Stevie Nicks. Twitter is buzzing about this, so if you wanna but up on The Culture... Listen here

  • Louis Tomlinson (of One Direction, because I have a moral obligation to always report their wearabouts in solo careers [Speaking of; Harry Styles’ acting debut opens this weekend in Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk, and appaz Hazza does surprisingly well in his role, and you should see it on IMAX but definitely take a Xanax beforehand - this is all hearsay]) has a new solo single with Bebe Rexha called “Back To You.” Was really hyped because the promo aesthetic and the instrumentals are DOPE. Ultimate verdict: it’s a country folk ballad dressed in Ventements Listen here

  • Tyler, The Creator’s album Flower Boy dropped today. Standout track is “I Ain’t Got Time!” feat. A+ sampling of “Groove is in the Heart”  Listen here

  • GO ANALOGUE, BABY!!! Sabrina Carpenter continues to follow in Selena Gomez’s Disney-star-to-pop-star footsteps with her newest banger “Why” (which I’m high key in love with). She shared the music video for it on Wednesday starring her and Casey Cott (aka, Kevin Keller from the hit TV show ~Riverdalé~), and my favorite bit in the video is them eating Chinese in candlelight. Watch 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 July 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!

April 14, 2017

This is an archived post originally sent out via the cmd+f weekly newsletter

I know it’s going to be really hard to focus on anything else today between the release of DAMN. and mentally preparing oneself for Harry Styles’ first live performance as a solo artist ever broadcasted live coast to coast on Saturday Night Live tomorrow. From the bottom of my heart: thank you for taking time out of your day to pause Kendrick Lamar’s new album to have a gander at my little letter.

This week  I scaled back on my compulsive podcast marathoning while at work and decided to focus more on music. Like. Way more. Like, I spent over 8 hours a day listening and finding a shit ton of cool playlists to dig into whilst sat at my desk. With all that audible heavy lifting, my eardrums are flexed and I ended up “””””finding””””” 16 songs! An Easter/Passover miracle!

Unfortunately for you, I only have five of those sixteen songs in the letter today. Those included this week were the first five I found, and I still feel very passionate to share them with y’all. Don’t fret: the others are stacked in my arsenal for a future week. You’ll hear them soon enough!

Got any questions? Tips? Please reach out to me via Twitter at @hellogoodbritt (or any other way you may know how to contact me) with your thoughts about any of the tracks I’ve selected this week. I love chatting about music. Let me know what you’re listening to that everyone else should be listening to, 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. It’s only good manners!

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“Kryptonite” - George Maple | if you enjoy club music, odds are you’ve heard George Maple a time or two. Dear George made her grande entrance as a vocalist for a song on Flume’s debut album a few years back, and has since gone on to lend vocals for Goldroom and DJ Snake. My girl (yes, George is officially one of my girls) is rightfully making strides to set a name for her damn self, and her latest single “Kryptonite” is a smoldering, silky R&B-fused bop. Fans of Jessie Ware and Kelela are definitely going to love “Kryptonite.” Listen here

“Physical” - The Aces | Well, well, well, it was only just yesterday the HAIM sisters decided to come out of hiding from the last four years. And the day before yesterday, I settled in on including this The Aces track. Now, to connect these two sentences, The Aces share a lot of elements of HAIM-esque pop-driven guitars in their music.  These girls are stirring up a lot of buzz, and 2017 is definitely their launching pad – and they know it. Head over to their website, and they introduce themselves as “FOUR GIRLS ABOUT TO RULE THE WORLD.” Hell yeah. Well, prepare to have “Physical” on repeat all week. If you live in LA, catch them at the upcoming School Night! at the Bardot in Hollywood (and maaaaybe you’ll run into me there, too….)  Listen here

“I’m Easy” -  Merk | Shout out to Coup de Main Magazine for keeping me posted with what’s coming out of the Kiwi music scene. “I’m Easy” dropped at the start of a sizzling summertime in the Other Hemisphere, and only recently dropped an official music video for the track that caught my attention. Merk’s not only got sunny-side-up egg glasses, but he’s got some really groovy tunes. “I’m Easy” passed my “windows down and driving 80mph in the fast lane at night” test. His debut album Swordfish is going to be rinsed heavily these coming summer months. Listen here

“Rodeo” - Pssy Pwr | WOOOOOOO!!!! Scream hallelujah! Pssy Pwr come through with a fucking BOP. I had to do some digging to figure out who the hell crafted this MASTERPIECE, and it turns out Pssy Pwr are a duo formed by none other than songwriting genius’ Anjulie and Oren Yoel, who both have an impressive roster of hits under their belts (Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus, Icona Pop?! And so many more?!). Good on them, as “Rodeo” has been stuck in my head ALL week. I washed my dishes humming the hook, yodeled “hallelujah” in my dog’s face when scratching his ears, had the song on repeat as I pecked out documents all day at work, and even couldn’t help but dance to it in the middle of my room a few times. Give it a spin - do note the song is best enjoyed at a high volume. Listen here

“To Swim” -  Petrie | Embarrassment be damned; Petrie is the Level of Cool I drag my ass through the tumultuous desert of discovering damn good music every week in search of. “To Swim” initially dropped last November, but Petrie did include it on his new Slurs EP that came out a few weeks ago. It’s still a stand out track dripping in absolute quality, sexy alt-pop. Listen here

BONUS

  • Little Dragon’s new album Season High is out and you should definitely listen to it sometime ASAP. Listen here

  • Michelle Branch is back with a FULL ALBUM and you should DEFINITELY pencil in an hour of listening time for this comeback. Listen here

  • I never thought I’d be typing this… but Linkin Park, Pusha T, and STORMZY dropped a single. Listen to it to believe it actually happened, tbh. For those who are fans of Grime: do you think Stormzy is going to break into the US mainstream before Skepta?

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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 April 2017 playlist. 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!