Genres

The first American Football album presents an image on its cover that has long remained in my mind. This image, a photo of the side of a Midwest house on a cloudy night, is conjured up from my unconscious and displayed on the projection screen of my mind’s eye every time I hear Mike Kinsella’s voice. American Football sounds like that photo looks: inviting, mysterious, and decidedly more complex than the surface would lead one to believe. The past few years have seen a renaissance in American Football’s emo/math rock aesthetic, with numerous young indie bands taking up the torches of sincerity and despair, displaying their emotions cleanly and clearly on distortion-tinged canvasses that recall the side of that house from the American Football album cover. And yet as the emo revival seems robust and healthy, I recently saw online that the house—which resides in Urbana-Champaign, Illinois—is for sale. Some things come full circle, it seems, especially with the release of a long-awaited second American Football album. But many things do change: people move away, houses fall apart, neighborhoods fall into dilapidation. Perhaps if the house is to be a metaphor for the resurgence of emo, it must be taken both as a memory and a state of disrepair that tasks the present with its rebuilding.

Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusses classic composition was originally recorded by Cy Grant in 1964, and, a year later, was covered by Nina Simone, whose version became one of the iconic tracks of that decade. Since then, its been covered, sampled and remixed dozens of times, including recently by Lauryn Hill.

Whether working on her own recordings or with friends like Peaches, Chilly Gonzales, or Broken Social Scene, Leslie Feist has always been more of a serial collaborator than a solo artist who likes to keep it solo. That’s one reason why the stripped-down sound of her fifth album, Pleasure—the Canadian chanteuse’s first in six years—is so striking.Recorded in rooms in Paris, California, and upstate New York, her performances are as raw and unadorned as any she’s recorded, with her usual crew of helpers pruned down to producer Renaud Letang and longtime musical foil Mocky. That said, some friends did stop by to add a few touches, like the sprinkling of keys from Gonzales and horns from Arcade Fire collaborator Colin Stetson. She also enlisted Jarvis Cocker to deliver a cameo at the close of “Century”—reminiscent of Vincent Price’s voice-over in “Thriller”—one of the most unbridled songs on the new album, after the libidinous, PJ Harvey-channeling title track.So maybe Pleasure isn’t such a lonesome experience after all, though its starkness still marks a bold shift from the chic sheen of 2007’s The Reminder and the stormy swells of 2011’s Metals. More intimate recordings from her early days, both with and without pals, point the way to Pleasure, as do other pieces by singers she loves and by equally gifted peers who’ve left their traces on her work.And lest Pleasure seem like “one of those endless dark nights of the soul,” as Cocker quips in “Century,” the new album still contains many cheeky gestures, including her occasional dives into Pulp-worthy theatrics and her use of a Mastodon sample at the end of “A Man Is Not His Song” (after the release of Metals, she formed a mutual admiration with the Atlanta band and covered their “Black Tongue” on a split single for Record Store Day). Thanks to Feist’s ability to seamlessly integrate these many elements while maintaining a spare aesthetic, the pleasures of Pleasure are nothing if not the sophisticated kind we’ve come to expect.Click here to follow this playlist on Spotify.

Rising Sydney, Australia-based singer CXLOE only has a couple singles out to date, but is making some pretty big waves in the pop world nonetheless. Her latest offering “Show You” (produced by Max Farrar and Sam Farrar of Maroon 5)- is part one of a two-part release series following up her previous hits, “Monster” and “Tough Love,” which right out of the gate garnered her millions of streams and radio play. And if youre based in AU, you might already recognize her face from Spotifys New Music Friday cover. Not bad for a newcomer! We asked CXLOE to throw together a playlist for us as shes about to embark on tour with Marian Hill in Australia, and shes celebrating other new/ up-and-coming female singers like H.E.R. and heroes like Charli XCX with her mix.Says CXLOE about her playlist, its "An all female vocaled playlist filled with pop bangers and lyrical content that every male and female can get down/cry to." Enjoy above or go here. And maybe keep some tissues close by?

Anna Nordeen and Reni Lane make up the spunky Brooklyn indie-pop duo Fever High, whose recently released full-length debut, FHNY, not only includes production by Fountains of Wayne mastermind Adam Schlesinger, but also a vocal cameo from Jeff Goldblum. (Yes, that Jeff Goldblum.) Here, they take a thematic cue from their album’s lead single, “Spy,” and curate a Dowsers playlist of songs that make a virtue of voyeurism. “Our new song Spy explores the age-old topic of surveillance through the perspective of a paranoid lover. There are so many incredible takes on this theme—whether its on-the-nose like Secret Agent Man or more tangential like Suzanne Vegas Toms Diner—so we gathered together our favorites just for you. Given current world events, we believe this is a theme that will continue to give inspiration for new songs about the James Bond in all of us. Were just happy to be part of the lineage!”—Reni Lane

What You Get: A peppy, poppy potpourri of feverish classic funk from James Brown and Sly & The Family Stone and a whole lot of squelchy 80s synths that range from delectable cheese (The Pointer Sisters) to silky, saucy confessions (Grace Jones) to the inimitable Purple One. Theres also a good deal of warm vintage soul (Otis Redding) and singer-songwriter sorrow (Randy Newman). It all may seem a bit random—if you werent familiar with Field Musics own synth-funk-baroque-pop amalgam, that is.Guiltiest Pleasure: British 80s sister act Mel & Kims dizzying dance-pop single "Respectable," an anthem for all shoulder-padded independent women.Sweetest Surprise: Deerhoofs shuffling, Spanish-sung electro-pop deep cut "Desaparecere."Can It Inspire Hope in a Post-Brexit U.K.? If bringing together English legends like Led Zeppelin, Roxy Music, George Michael, and Kate Bush cant offer hope, nothing can.

Subscribe to the Spotify playlist right here.Let it never be forgotten that some of the greatest rock ‘n’ roll records in history were made on the most modest equipment, from Elvis Presley’s Sun sessions to The Beatles’ early albums. In the ‘90s, a new generation of rockers emerged who took that lesson to heart. For some, the lo-fi approach to indie rock may have been born of necessity and for others it might have been a more aesthetic choice, but whatever the impetus, bands like Pavement, Sebadoh, and Guided by Voices applied a sort of cinéma vérité sensibility to recording. Half-mumbled (or half-shouted) vocals, fuzzed-out guitar riffs, shambolic drums, spacious productions, and a seeming disinclination towards excessive rehearsal gave their records a raw, visceral quality that’s been at the heart of great rock records from the beginning.

"I just wanna feel everything," Fiona Apple softly quivers on "Every Single Night." She repeats this line with just the slightest bit of hesitation, as if it were her biggest confession yet. And it is—those simple words boil down her entire existence: In moments when many of us would rather escape our skin, Fiona wants to soak up every granular sensation within it, even when, in her most brilliant poetry, "the pain comes in, like a second skeleton."There are few artists that can express such visceral emotion with such vivid eloquence—and even fewer who can deliver it all with a voice that carries the weight of every word as if it were the world. Because of this, we can forgive Fiona for only releasing four albums in the past 20 years. Still, that too-small catalog is overflowing with some of musics boldest, bloodiest imagery and rawest, most ruthless lyrics. Here, we highlight 10 of her fiercest lines—lines that could come from no one other than Fiona, a woman who knows the infinite beauty in feeling everything.1. "This mind, this body, and this voice cannot be stifled by your deviant ways / So dont forget what I told you / Dont come around / I got my own hell to raise"—"Sleep to Dream"The precocious teenagers introduction to the world is the best kiss-off ever.2. You fondle my trigger, then you blame my gun"—"Limp"In which she follows with another killer jab: "It wont be long til youll be lying limp in your own hands."3. "Nothing wrong when a song ends in a minor key"—"Werewolf"Perhaps the most important lesson, in music and in life.4. "Youll never see the courage I know / Its colors richness wont appear within your view."—"Never is a Promise"For every man who insists he understands.5. "How many times do I have to say / To get away / Get gone / Flip your shit past another lass humble dwelling"—"Get Gone"The second best kiss-off ever.6. "I think he let me down when he didnt disappoint me / He didnt always guess right, but he usually got my gist"—"Get Him Back"Every girl can perfectly understand this one…7. "All that loving mustve been lacking something / If I got bored trying to figure you out"—"Periphery"…and this one.8. "Do you just deal it out, or can you deal with all that I lay down?"—"To Your Love"The ultimate comeback.9. "My feel for you, boy / Is decaying in front of me / Like the carrion of a murdered prey"—"Carrion"Being dead to Fiona is worse than being actually dead.10. "My pretty mouth will frame the phrases that will disprove your faith in man"—"Fast As You Can"Dont ever underestimate the power of a woman and her words.

Whats This Playlist All About?: The Söderberg sisters, whove been charming us with their angelic harmonies for a decade now, have returned with their fourth album, Ruins, a gloomy collection of vintage-hued break-up laments. Aside from devastating heartache (experienced by younger sister Klara), this is the music that inspired it.What You Get: A delicately crafted blend of poignant baroque pop from cult heroes Neutral Milk Hotel, vintage country pomp from eccentric mavericks Tanya Tucker and Lee Hazlewood, and sweeping indie folk from quiet warriors like Big Thief. But you also get a taste of artists who appear on the album itself, including R.E.M.s Peter Buck (on guitar), Midlakes McKenzie Smith (on percussion), and Wilcos Glenn Kotche (ditto).The Track That Defines It All: The most gorgeous nihilistic breakup song of all time: Skeeter Davis softly sweeping "The End of the World."Biggest and Best Surprise: More bad-ass sister synergy with Hearts powerhouse rocker "Crazy on You."Will This Leave You an Emotional Mess? Definitely, especially by playlists end with Songs: Ohias raw, rusty epic "Farewell Transmission," featuring the late Jason Molina.

“We got London on the track” is the famous drop, spoken by Skooly of the Atlanta rap group Rich Kidz, that helped turn producer London Holmes into a brand name. But it was one of the group’s contemporaries, Young Thug, that brought London On Da Track’s beats to the Hot 100 with a series of hit collaborations with Rich Gang, Tyga, T.I. and others. And over the course of Thug’s solo releases, particularly the Slime Season series, London On Da Track has emerged as the rapper’s most indispensable producer. His rich piano chords, swirling synth lines, and crisp, swinging percussion provide the musical heft for Young Thug’s best songs, allowing the iconoclastic rapper to experiment with his elastic voice over a solid foundation.