Songs to get through the summer
+ Radiohead covers, Taylor Swift, and a celebration of Southern rap
Follow the Hear Hear playlist to stream the songs + artists featured in this issue.
In spite of, well, everything, 2020 has still been a great year for new music. But summer playlists and Songs of the Summer™ feel a little different without BBQs, festivals, crowded bars and rooftop parties. Here are a few tunes that have been keeping me going — and true to this strange year, they’re just as ready-made for solo headphone listening as they are for blasting from a soundsystem.
“Maker,” Anjimile. Anjimile’s artist bio cites influences ranging from Sufjan to Madonna to Ladysmith Black Mambazo and The Lion King — and they're all apparent in this captivating single.
“Surrender,” Will Butler. An infectious call-and-response sing-along from Arcade Fire’s wildest performer, brother of lead singer Win Butler. Kinda sounds like the joyous final minute of “Wake Up” got extended into its own song.
“Sunrise,” MICHELLE. Silky-smooth summer soul from this collective of six NYC 21-year-olds. Insanely warm, inviting, and vibrant, like a gentle breeze on a summer morning. (The vocalist reminds me of Jamila Woods.)
“Why,” Dominic Fike. All six songs on Fike’s 2018 EP were among my favorites that year, pairing ruminative R&B with shades of Weezer and Red Hot Chili Peppers. His new album continues the streak of effortlessly catchy songs. This one has been my favorite, with a hook that’ll be in my head all summer — and moody synths that’ll keep it playing through fall.
“Lights Up,” Harry Styles. I missed the Harry Styles hype last summer and never listened to his album in full, but this song popped up on a R29 running playlist I’ve been using and damn, it’s good. The production is so lush — it sounds really nice turned up loud on headphones.
“Weird Fishes,” Lianne La Havas’ top-notch Radiohead cover. Not your average cover, this reimagining of an In Rainbows classic has garnered a ton of praise for its boldness and beauty. Jamieson Cox wrote a nice piece about it in his excellent One Good Song newsletter.
Inspired by La Havas, Hanif Abdurraqib listed his favorite takes on Radiohead’s music, including a version of “Airbag” from a 2006 all-reggae, full-album cover of OK Computer called…wait for it…Radiodread. The title may be a groaner, but it does have some impressive renditions. “Let Down” ft. Toots & The Maytals is a particular standout.
Speaking of covers, indie rock heroes Whitney have an album of ‘em coming on Friday. They’ve released four so far, all great — in particular, their take on The Roches’ “Hammond Song” is stunning, as is their groovy version of David Byrne and Brian Eno’s “Strange Overtones.” They also took on “Take Me Home Country Road,” with lovely vocals from Waxahatchee.
And while we’re still on the subject, writer Corbin Reiff put together a playlist of his favorite covers of Bob Dylan tunes.
Explore the most impactful songs, albums and mixtapes by Southern rappers. Briana Younger compiled this remarkable feature for NPR, assembling an all-star roster of writers to contribute. The list is not meant “as an authoritative canon but as an enthusiastic celebration that recenters the South's role as a creative center of hip-hop and presents the region for all that it has been and given to us.”
A few bullets on Taylor Swift and folklore-adjacent content
I like the Taylor Swift album! So far, an early standout is “mirrorball,” which I saw one writer compare to Beach House — it also made me think of dream-pop duo Pure Bathing Culture.
Swift’s collaborator Bon Iver released a new track with Bruce Springsteen singing backup vocals. (That is such a funny sentence.)
Aaron Dessner, who produced 11 of folklore’s 16 tracks, has another project coming September 4: an album from indie-pop artist Hannah Georgas. Georgas has dropped a few lovely singles already, and “That Emotion” is the standout, its melancholy drums-and-keys evoking Dessner’s signature sound with The National.
Mel Magazine wrote a fun article about Jack Antonoff, who has worked on Swift’s last four albums and with many more iconic artists of the last decade, including Lana Del Rey, Lorde, and Carly Rae. (His old band Steel Train was an early favorite of mine in high school — I dropped a couple favorites in the Hear Hear playlist.)
Arcade Fire’s The Suburbs came out 10 years ago? I’m old. While their influence has waned in recent years, Arcade Fire has remained one of my favorite bands and live acts. It was fun to see them briefly return to the cultural conversation last week (in the super-niche world of Music Twitter) as writers celebrated The Suburbs’ 10th birthday. Sharing two particularly good reads below…
Finally, here’s a great playlist from Michelle Obama! So many amazing artists featured here: Tierra Whack, Sampa the Great, Teyana Taylor, Ravyn Lenae, Steve Lacy, Jamila Woods, the list goes on. I’ve been particularly smitten with track one: Mereba’s “Black Truck,” which served as the intro for Obama’s debut podcast episode.