King Krule - Borderline
What's not to love about that opening riff? King Krule (named after a Donkey Kong character) is Archy Marshall hailing from London. With it's amalgamation of R&B, Jazz & Hip-Hop, "Border Line" is a heartbroken, love song growled with melodic determination. Lines like, "The soul is broken down, borderlines // To cause the tide, to enforce the tide", you really get a view into the emotionally state this breakup has caused.
Memory Tapes - Yes I know
The thing I love about Davye Hawke's music is his ability to build strange and beautiful atmospheres with his vocal and musical arrangements. "Yes I Know" is an ambiguous song, that to me is a lament to loss & regret. The lines, "You hear them far way, you call to stay //
But they're already gone to leading us away" make me imagine that this is about a friend who committed suicide. Who knows. But, that's the great thing about Memory Tapes; the songs are just open-ended enough to project your own narrative onto.
The Flaming Lips - Be Free, A Way
I got into The Flaming Lips around the time I got into the Pixies and Sonic Youth (sometime in the mid-90's). Where the latter two have generally stuck to their established sounds and perfected them, The Flaming Lips experimented with various musical stylings. Which for me had a hit-and-miss effect that wax and waned my interest over the years. "Be Free, A Way" is such a beautiful & touching song. It's like being submerged in technicolor bliss and one of the best tracks from 2013, once again re-establishing my love of the band.
Buffalo Springfield - Expecting to Fly
"Expecting to Fly" is my favorite track from Buffalo Springfield. It's the first band Neil Young was in and their formation is the stuff of music legend. If you haven't heard it, it's totally worth looking into. Young has a voice that is so counterintuitive to the norm in music that coupled with his lyrical choices creates an almost alien-like experience. "Expecting to Fly" is such a gorgeous piece and a poetic way to say goodbye to a fleeting love.
The XX - Angels
Centered around the vocals and guitar work of band member Romy Croft, "Angels" is a minimalistic approach to the love song. Her harmonies are captivating and the reverb-heavy guitar perfectly conveys the seemingly painful longing in the lyrics. This track is their most well known song and easily my favorite off of 'Coexist'. The XX is a superb band and they deserve all the praise given to them.
