Five Songs We Can't Stop Listening to is a collection of our newest favorite songs. Every week we ask an artist that we love to tell us about the music they love. This week we talked to The Social Experiment and Absofacto.
Listen to the whole segment and all the songs below.
1. The Social Experiment picks “Give Me a Try” by Sizzla
For the first song of every week, we always ask one artist that we love to tell us about a song that they love.
Today, our guest is Nico Segal (aka Donnie Trumpet) of The Social Experiment, the backing band and producers for Chance the Rapper. Nico is also doing production for “Elated” by Grace Weber.
Justin Barney: Nico, what is one song that you can’t stop listening to.
Nico Segal: Man, I have been listening to the Young Thug album, but there’s a specific song that reminded a friend of mine of a different song that he put me onto by an artist named Sizzla. S-I-Z-Z-L-A
Justin Barney: Not SZA. Sizzla.
Nico Segal: Sizzla. The song is called “Give Me a Try” and it is extremely hot. I encourage the world to indulge themselves.
Justin Barney: What about it is hot? What makes it hot?
Nico Segal: The simplicity. His vocal is really unique and interesting. The melodies are all really interesting. The beat itself sounds really good. Like I said, this beautiful simplicity, showing a lot of people where music today was at one point, where it’s been influenced from. It’s not super super old, but it definitely shows you this combining of genres and this combining of feels that’s happening now.
Justin Barney: It’s a footstep from where we were to right now.
Nico Segal: Indeed. He’s mostly a reggae artist, but this song in particular is very ambiguous and very hot.
Justin Barney: Alright. Let’s do it.
- “Give Me a Try” was released in 2003 on Sizzla’s album, “Give Me a Try.”
- Listen if you like: Young Thug, rap/reggae, hot tracks
2. Parquet Courts - “Almost Had to Start a Fight/In and Out of Patience”
Song two this week is “Almost Had to Start a Fight/In and Out of Patience” by Parquet Courts. It is two songs in one, and the whole thing comes in in less than three minutes and 30 seconds. In my opinion, the second song is better than the first, so it is worth the wait.
Parquet Courts are from Brooklyn and are releasing this song on their fifth studio album “Wide Awake!”
I think that Parquet Courts sounds like something you would hear at CBGB. They embody the spirit of rock ‘n roll. Adam Savage- on vocals- is heady and wordy. He delivers in a speech-talky form, which is something that I love.
- Listen if you like: classic New York bands, something you could hear at CBGB, rock ‘n’ roll
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3. Absofacto picks “I Feel Like I’m Drowning” by Two Feet
Our guest today is Absofacto. Recently, he released his EP entitled, “Thousand Peaces,” which includes “Dissolve,” as heard on 88Nine.
Justin Barney: Absofacto, what is one song that you can’t stop listening to.
Absofacto: I am completely addicted to Two Feet – “I Feel Like I’m Drowning.” It’s this really simmering, moody, dark vibey track that’s really… heavy bass and sexy blues guitar; just really dark, dripping with dark sexiness. My friend Two Feet showed it to me a while ago and he actually asked me to direct the music video for it, so I’ve listened to it a million times. For the rest of my life I will have that song stuck in my head.
- “I Feel Like I’m Drowning” was released as a single in 2017.
- Listen if you like: SOHN, Chet Faker, Jack Garret
Cody Gaisser - “Wish There Was A Way”
Every year, we have this event called Sound Bites at the Iron Horse Hotel. Restaurants all around town are paired up with DJs from here at 88.9. They pair a dish with a song. There is also an auction, which Bridget Flynn won and is our guest today for our 5 Songs We Can’t Stop Listening To segment.
Justin Barney: Bridget, what is one song that you can’t stop listening to?
Bridget Flynn: I had to find something that, 1, I didn’t think you would know, 2 would…
Justin Barney: Not a prerequisite, but okay.
Bridget Flynn: I wanted it to be sort of a sad song, so my pick is Cody Gaisser, “Wish There Was A Way.”
Justin Barney: Okay, so I don’t know it. Good. We’re on the right track. Tell me more about it.
Bridget Flynn: So I met Cody probably 15 years ago, and he’s a singer/songwriter out of Florence, Alabama. It’s fun, but it’s a little sad.
Justin Barney: Do you remember hearing it for the first time?
Bridget Flynn: I do. He used to come in and do open-mic nights at the place I worked. The first time I met him, he was just this little 16 year-old guy. He pulled out a guitar and no one really thought anything of it, and he opened his mouth and I was like “Oh my God! My life is changed.” He’s got this crazy voice that I just love.
- “Wish There Was A Way” was released in 2002 on Gaisser’s “Good As Velvet” EP.
- Listen if you like: Kyle Craft, Van Morrison, gritty vocals and guitar
- Get tickets to Sound Bites here.
4. Janelle Monae – “Django Jane”
Justin Barney: From the music desk at 88Nine Radio Milwaukee, I’m Justin Barney.
Dori Zori: And I’m Dori Zori.
Justin Barney: This is Five Songs We Can’t Stop Listening To.
I am here with your morning ray of sunshine, Dori Zori. Hi Dori.
Dori Zori: Hi Justin, I’m so glad that you picked me for this week because there is a brand new song out that has been on repeat. I listen to it at least a dozen times per day, no lie.
You know that feeling, like, the Kool-Aid man bursting through the wall. He’s like “Oh yeah.” That’s kind of how I feel everytime I listen to that new Janelle Monae track, “Djanjo Jane.”
It makes me feel like I can do anything. I’m not a woman of color, but I’m a woman, so I feel like I can relate to a lot in this song. It’s just so powerful, and I might even start crying if you make me talk about it more, so I think we should just listen to it really loud.
- Janelle Monae’s new album, “Dirty Computer” will be released on April 27.
- Listen if you like: Kendrick Lamar, SZA, Black girl magic
5. Sex Park – “Dignity”
Despite the bands unfortunate band name, Sex Park makes some pretty good music. The genre, surely up for debate, I’m gonna say is post-punk. Punctuated by dark synthesizers, a pedal heavy guitar that never really stops, and a vocal that sounds like it was recorded from the other side of the room that fits just under everything in the mix. Post-punk, kind of started by bands like Wire and perfected by Joy Division, continues here in 2018 with multitudes of subgenres that each give the genre something different.
“Dignity’s” synths are thick, and the drums are propulsive. Like the best in it’s genre, it gets your head to turn off everything that’s around you and live in the song.
- Sex Park’s new album, “Atrium” is available now on bandcamp.
- Listen if you like: Joy Division, shoegaze, post-punk
5. Yuno – “Not Going Back”
The final song this week this week is “No Going Back” by Yuno. Yuno encompasses everything and does everything. He is of British and Jamaican decent and grew up listening to Tony Hawk Pro Skater soundtracks. He taught himself guitar by watching Youtube videos of metal bands play guitar. He was inspired to do his own solo performance by watching MC Lars. He does all the production, all his own art direction, and directs and shoots his own music videos. He also does his own press photos.
He does, is, and is inspired by everything. Even though he puts all this hard work in, this song is surprisingly laid back. You can hear influences from all of those things. You can also hear influences of MGMT and Tame Impala. It’s got a feel.
- Listen if you like: MGMT, Tame Impala, Unknown Mortal Orchestra
