Rabbit Rabbit! We hope that your November is swell. Helping us ring in the new month with some essential weekend tracks are some major players (Spoon, Weezer, Santigold) and fresh faces (DIIV, Khrungabin, Quilt).
Check them all out below.
Spoon, “Was It You?” (home demo)
In celebration of the ten-year anniversary of Gimme Fiction’s release, Spoon has announced and detailed a special deluxe reissue of the album, which includes a remastered version of the original music, dozens of bonus tracks and unreleased demos, and a book containing an oral history of the project. The first song release from this behemoth box set is a home demo version of “Was It You?,” which features the same driving guitars and psychedelic breakdown as the original.
Weezer, “Do You Wanna Get High”
After the massive success of last year’s surprise hit LP Everything Will Be Alright in the End, Weezer has come back from the dead in the eyes of many a music fan. Last week, the band tried to double down on that with the stand-alone single “Thank God for Girls,” but that raptastic number didn’t really have any of that signature Rivers Cuomo charm. On Tuesday, Cuomo and co. revealed yet another single, “Do You Wanna Get High,” but instead of leaving listeners alienated, it pulled all Weezer fans back in. The track hits all of the standard Weezer themes—lovesickness, getting high, listening to old records—and showcases the playful lyrics through fuzzy guitar riffs and a head-bopping beat. “Cue the feedback,” indeed.
New York dream pop outfit DIIV announced their awkwardly titled sophomore LP earlier this year. Now, the band has shared a gauzy, guitar-laden new track called “Bent (Roi’s Song)” from Oshin follow up Is The Is Are. Zachary Cole Smith’s wispy vocals float above the lead single’s surf guitar riffs, and permeate through the fog of fuzz creating a dreamlike listening experience. “Bent (Roi’s Song)” walks the fine line of becoming too saccharine, but Smith’s edge keeps it from tipping over.
Santigold, “I Can’t Get Enough of Myself”
Earlier this week, Santigold gave everyone a free sample of 99¢ below, in the form of lead single “I Can’t Get Enough of Myself,” which seems to both celebrate and critique the culture of personal stylization. Interlacing synth lines, a sunny disposition, an essential clap breakdown, and one hypnotic bass line make this track the perfect Friday afternoon jam.
Khruangbin, “Two Fish and an Elephant”
Three ordinary Texans making instrumental guitar rock that’s as influenced by East Asia as it is Explosions in the Sky. Khruangbin’s Laura Lee, Mark Speer, and Donald Johnson made their debut record in a barn somewhere in the East Texas plains, and on their drives out from the city, they’d blast Thai cassettes picked up from the blog Monrakplengthai (a kind of Thai answer to Awesome Tapes From Africa), along with comps of southeast Asian rock and funk. Somewhere out in the great expanse, those sounds melded with American jazz and Texas blues and formed a solid sound of their own.
Quilt, “Eliot St.”
Quilt’s third album, Plaza, isn’t coming out for four more months, but the Boston quartet has already released one hell of a single in anticipation of its release. “Eliot St.” is a delicate, whimsical, and poignant take on the baroque and psych rock genres. Angelic his-and-her harmonies feel right at home in between the strings and light clink of the piano. By the time you actually hear the heartbreaking lyrics, you’ve already decided to play the track at least two more times. Good, because “Eliot St.” needs that extra time to seep into your skin.
