Five+ Song Friday 5/26/17
Francis and the Lights & Chance the Rapper- May I Have This Dance (May 2017).
By now you all have probably already heard this little gem from Francis and the Lights (but let’s be honest it’s Chance that brought you here). Putting Chance the Rapper on your song has got to be the best move right now. He’s on top of the game with very little negative reviews or really anything but positive opinions, like ever. Although he doesn’t really rap too much on this you can feel his fingerprints all over this. It’s got a great Phil Collins vibe, like Chance just collabed with the whole Tarzan soundtrack. I also have to mention how great the dancing is in the video, love to see Chance breaking it down Napoleon Dynamite style.
Song: 9/10
Timeflies- Lay me down
Perennially underrated, Timeflies puts out quality music but rarely gets the airplay they should. They do have a unique sound, a combination of rap, EDM, and indie-ish rock, that I could see alienating people if they don’t happen to like one of those genres. This songs seems like the summation of all these influences, with rap verses, an indie hook and chorus, with some EDM drops. I happen to like all these genres so I happen to like this song. Check it out and give these guys some views...seriously.
Song: 7.5/10
Jonas Blue feat William Singe- Hey Mama (May 2017)
Jonas Blue is by far one of my favorite producer in the tropical house genre, consistently surprising you with great tunes (check out his Tracey Chapman, Fast Car remix). This song is a great addition to his portfolio, sticking to his previous sounds and still pushing his style forward. Working with the YouTube sensation that is William Singe is great to see too. I like how he and Alex Aiono have moved from just doing covers and making dope mash-ups to now teaming up with legit producers and talent. Solid song, a little cliche but whatever, life’s one big cliche, right? Or is that cliche? Eh...
Song: 8/10
Paris Blohm feat. LINNEY- When the Lights Go Out (May 2017)
I’ve had this on the gym playlist for the last couple of days if that gives you any heads up on what to expect. With just the right amount of... uh... how do I say this... hardness? That sounds weird right? Ok, well what would you say? This isn’t exactly a breeze trying to describe these songs for approximately no one to read. Sorry I can’t be better. Sorry I can’t limit the “that’s what she said” opportunities.
Song: 8/10
Clean Bandit & Zara Larsson (R3hab Remix)- Symphony (May 2017)
Well, what did you expect? An already great song remixed by one of the best in the game. R3hab turns up the energy on this one tenfold, speeding up the lyrics and throwing some sick breakdowns that elevate the original. It’s cool seeing that he maintain Zara’s prominence, she is the next big star for sure (she's only 19 or something!). Any time you can highlight that kind of talent you can’t cover it up with over production, and R3hab is a master at that. Making a truly original remix is definitely a challenge but R3hab always delivers.
Song: 8.5/10
Mattias Santucho feat. Christian Kriz- Cuando Me Ves (Jan 2017)
Wow! Honestly one of the best songs I’ve heard in a long time. Never did I think that spanish music and EDM would find such an amazing middle ground. Usually it’s a weird combination of artists fighting for either reggaeton to shine or EDM to play center stage. That’s not the case here. It’s still got that latin beat to it but has a great musicality more familiar to what we'd expect from an EDM song. I really do love this one and I really hope you do too.
Song:10/10
Future feat Kendrick Lamar- Mask Off (remix) (May 2017)
One of the biggest songs the last five or so months somehow gains even more popularity with the addition of Kendrick. Fresh off his critically and commercially successful album DAMN. he lends his star power to making Mask Off even more relevant if that was even possible. Sometimes Kendrick can sound out of place on songs but his style works great here and although he changes the feel of the song, he keeps it within reason. Hopping on a mainstream song with a mainstream verse should be worrying for his competition as he mentions early on in his verse. We're going to be hearing Mask Off for awhile whether you like it or not.
Song: 8/10