THE PLAYLIST
Bodyslam/ Krai Kue Rao
National hero/all-around top bloke Artiwara “Toon” Khongmalai has locked away his trainers and put on a (proverbial) rocker hat ahead of the release of Bodyslam’s forthcoming seventh album, Wicha Tua Bao. Lead single Krai Kue Rao [Who are we] begins with a choir chanting “It’s who we are from the stars” coupled with melodic synths. Toon, once again, explores themes of life, destiny and free will (“Who we are/ Choose what we wanna be/ Who we are/ Choose what we’ve chosen/ Bravely write your own destiny… Follow your heart”).
Céline Dion/ Ashes
Well, who would have thought that the My Heart Will Go On singer would one day lend her pipes to the sequel of perhaps the goofiest superhero blockbuster out there. Ashes, lifted from Deadpool 2, sees the Canadian chanteuse traipsing her usual route, giving a soaring vocal performance over the good ol’ piano ballad. “Let beauty come out of ashes/ Let beauty come out of ashes/ And when I pray to God all I ask is/ Can beauty come out of ashes?” goes the plaintive chorus. To be honest, there’s nothing to write home about, although we urge you to check out the accompanying music video, which has already (and rightly) proven meme-worthy.
Now, Now/ MJ
Made up of Brad Hale and KC Dalager, Minnesota electro-pop duo Now, Now have blessed our (and hopefully your) weekend with MJ, their brand new song reportedly written “from the perspective of [Dalager] speaking to Michael Jackson about a deteriorating relationship”. Set to driving, grooving basslines, the track lurches forward with a confident indie-pop strut. “I know I’m not the only one who listens to ya/ Billie Jean, baby, please, he’s a criminal/,” goes the infectious hook. “Maybe if I was young and unpredictable/ He’s got a heart, and I want it all.”
Childish Gambino/ This Is America
Donald Glover has returned as his rapper alter ego Childish Gambino on This Is America, a potent, bipolar of a song that oscillates wildly between cheery and chilling. Set to jaunty-slash-trap melodies, the track offers up an unflinching commentary on American black culture and all of its political undertones. “We just wanna party/ Party just for you/ We just want the money/ Money just for you,” he sings, alluding to black people’s carefree persona before suddenly flipping the script onto gun violence. “Look at how I’m living now/ Police be trippin’ now/ Guns in my area/ I got the strap/ I gotta carry ‘em.” This is essential listening.
Leon Bridges/ Forgive You
After going full retro soul on his 2015 debut LP, Texan singer-songwriter Leon Bridges seems to be dialling things back a little on his studio follow-up Good Thing. Its latest cut, Forgive You, arrives without any of the overt vintage trappings and puts him more or less into the present. “But I forgive you though my friends tell me not to/ I forgive you even when it’s so hard to,” he sings on the mid-tempo R&B production, his voice soulful and warm. “Maybe we can get together someday But I want you to know we’re okay, we’re okay.”