THE PLAYLIST
YERM/ Rest In Paradise
On Karn Jak Pai Kong Ratchasee (Rest In Paradise), rising Thai alt-rockers YERM pay a tribute to Prachathip Musikapon, better known as “Singha”, the late guitarist of pop-rock outfit Sqweez Animal. The song follows the signature loud/quiet style of ‘90s alt-rock sound, plus some rousing hand clap (well, why not?) to boot. “The lion’s left his final words/A reminder for the deer to venture out and hunt/For a better tomorrow,” sings vocalist Nattee “Toon” Akaraponthanaruk, using the name ‘Singha’, which means lion, as a metaphor for life. “One day it’ll be grand/This loss won’t go wasted.”
Superorganism/ Everybody Wants To Be Famous
We’ll admit that we were a bit apprehensive when we learned that up-and-coming, much-hyped UK pop collective Superorganism featured a 17-year-old Japanese frontwoman. Not that we have anything against Japanese frontwomen per se, but at this point, it seems more like a gimmick rather than a conscious artistic decision. That said, the eight-member band doesn’t pretend to be anything else but a purveyor of sugar-coated bleepbloop pop, which is exactly what their latest offering, Everybody Wants To Be Famous, is. Justin Timberlake/ Filthy
“Haters gonna say it’s fake,” Timberlake yaps during the refrain of Filthy, the lead cut from his latest studio effort, Man of the Woods. Marking the first taste of his new music since 2014’s The 20/20 Experience (minus last year’s Trolls soundtrack Can’t Stop the Feeling!), the song lives up to its title with slick Prince-esque funk coupled with down-and-dirty bassline and ribald lyrics (“I said, put your filthy hands all over me … And what you gonna do with all that meat? Cookin’ up a mean serving, huh”). The whole vibe here is actually very FutureSex/LoveSounds 2.0 – not quite what we expected to hear from the album with such a Thoreauvian title.
Major Lazer/ Go Dung
EDM-dancehall infuser Major Lazer has just dropped Go Dung, a collaboration with Kes, a soca outfit hailing from Trinidad and Tobago. A fun, ever-familiar Major Lazer number, the track arrives after last year’s six-track Know No Better EP and sees Diplo and Co merging their electronic roots with soca (short for “Soul of Calypso”), a musical style which is an uplifting culmination of calypso, reggae and pop. Let’s see if it appears on the band’s forthcoming fourth album, Music Is the Weapon, due out this year.
Charlie Puth (feat Boyz II Men)/ If You Leave Me Now Singer-songwriter Charlie Puth may be known for his slick hybrid of pop and R&B, but he’s stepping up his game with a new single, If You Leave Me Now. Teaming up with ‘90s R&B icons Boyz II Men, Puth serves up a soulful ballad that shares the sentiment of Phil Collins’ Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now). No disrespect to massively talented Puth, but a cappella greats Boyz II Men totally steal his spotlight with their gorgeous, time-tested vocal harmony.