This year just got started as March rolled out some of the most unforgettable music from 2014. Here are my five favorite songs released this month that got me excited for what is to come.
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“Melba’s Call” by Bok Bok (ft. Kelela)
For his new single from Night Slugs, “Melba’s Call,” Bok Bok once again invites Kelela to sing on his slithering, sleek production. The two meshes even stronger on the new single: Bok Bok hands a demanding banger that sounds like a video game maze, and Kelela bounces back with an edgy performance as she sings about deep loneliness. It’s the futuristic body music found in “Cut 4 Me,” and then some.
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“Hot Boys (Intro)” by Gucci Mane & Young Thug
Gucci Mane is currently incarcerated (again), but like that ever stopped his reign. He recently announced two mixtapes for April, and one of them is a collaborative mixtape with Young Thug called “Young Thugga Man LaFlare.” (I’m not kidding, that’s the name.) Guwop slays the synth-trap beat with his marble-mouthed flow, then Young Thug goes berserk in his high-pitched yelp. If this is the intro, imagine the rest of the tape.
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[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7iLERCEznI]
“Love Me Like I’m Not Made of Stone” by Lykke Li
Lykke Li’s second album “Wounded Rhymes” remains my personal best album of 2011, and its most arresting track “I Know Places” is still my number-one song of that year. Her new song “Love Me Like I’m Not Made of Stone” finds Lykke Li more vulnerable than the great “I Know Places.” As the guitar quietly strums, she sounds like she’s ready to break down at any moment. The accompanying video, which puts you face to face with Lykke Li, makes the song hit even harder.
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[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5Ae-LhMIG0]
“Seasons (Waiting on You)” by Future Islands
OK, fine. This song by Future Islands didn’t come out in March. But, to my credit, the band’s new album “Singles” came out this month, and it’s pure happiness and passionate joy. In lead single “Seasons (Waiting on You),” Future Islands takes on romantic synth-pop with muscle. Truth be told, I’ve been playing this all week and shows no sign of burnout. For the full experience, watch the band’s performance on “Late Show with David Letterman,” and watch Herring’s unforgettable moves.
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[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56EZgZomML8]
“Drown with the Monster” by White Lung
As if it was possible, White Lung outdoes its 2012 debut, “Sorry,” with “Drown with the Monster.” The punk band raises the heat and hammers it faster, slicker and blacker in the new single. Meanwhile, frontwoman Mish Way spits melodic venom and controls the chaos with charisma. Somehow, the song is White Lung’s most uncompromising and most accessible song to date. Even better, White Lung announced a new record, “Deep Fantasy,” out on June 16.
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As a bonus, here’s a list of albums I liked from March: “Electric Balloon” by Ava Luna; “Glitches in the Break” EP by Black Milk; “The Drop Beneath” by Eternal Summers; “Waterfall” EP by Evian Christ; “Pinata” by Freddie Gibbs & Madlib; “Singles” by Future Islands; “Say Yes to Love” by Perfect Pussy; “Atlas” by Real Estate; “Comma Sutra” EP by Slava; “Tweens” by Tweens; “Lost in the Dream” by The War on Drugs; “My Krazy Life” by YG
