This is a track of the day. Be sure to subscribe to The Best Songs of 2018 (So Far)for regular updates.What It IsA meeting of the minds. On one side, afrofuturist chanteuse turned technicolor neu-glam enthusiast Janelle Monáe; on the other, Montreal retro-futurist, electro-wallflower-turned-pop-music-debutante Grimes. This is the second time they’ve collaborated (the first was on Grimes’ single “Venus Fly”), and is the second single from Monáe’s upcoming Dirty Computer album, which we’re hoping will evolve into an extended mash-up of Prince’s Dirty and Radiohead’s OK Computer.What It Sounds LikeLike the best bop from the radically queer future we’re all hoping for. Or maybe an anthropomorphic lullaby from our eventual alien masters, who’ve derived their knowledge of the human race by watching old David Bowie and Erykah Badu videos. Or maybe, more directly, like the maximalist experimental pop of Grimes’ last album Arts Angels crossed with the pan-sexual, slightly roboticized R&B that Monáe has been mining for most of her career.Playlists PlacementA “coming out” playlist for family or friends, perhaps. A road mix for space travel, maybe. The best tracks of 2018…definitely.
