5 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.
Listen to the whole segment and all the songs below.
1. Little Simz picks "Do Not Disturb" by Drake
Little Simz is from London, England. She just released her third album, "GREY Area," and it's blowing up. She just came to the U.S. on a headlining tour, and we have been playing her stuff on 88Nine After Nine.
Justin Barney: Little Simz, do you have your phone with you?
Little Simz: I do.
Justin Barney: What song do you have on pause on your phone right now?
Little Simz: Let's have a look. "Do Not Disturb" by Drake.
Justin Barney: Why did you press play on this song?
Little Simz: We were driving from Chicago to here, and it was very scenic and very beautiful. I think it's one of my favorite Drake verses, and it just kind of suited the vibe, the mood- everything. Just that drive.
Justin Barney: What about the verse and the scene made sense to you?
Little Simz: Have you heard the song?
Justin Barney: No
Little Simz: Well, I think it's the last song on his project and it's that song where you reflect and you look back on things. You've gone through this journey, and this is the conclusion. For me, this felt like I've just touched down in the States, and this is the start of a new journey, but I've had to leave behind something. It was fitting.
Justin Barney: That's perfect. That's a true moment, moment. I love it when a song can give you that moment.
2. Justin Barney picks "Giannis" by Freddie Gibbs
I love that this song is about Giannis: The MVP of the NBA, Milwaukee's own Giannis Antetokounmpo.
But what I like is that it's not even about Giannis.
It's not about Giannis, it's just titled "Giannis." Freddie Gibbs, one of the greatest rappers in the world, who has one of my favorite flows in the world, is pairing up with Mad-Lib, universally recognized as possibly the greatest beat maker of all time, and Anderson. Paak, the hottest name in music right now, titled this song "Giannis" not because this song is about Giannis, not because they wanted to talk about Giannis, but because they, the three biggest artists in the world, wanted to use Giannis as clout in their song. They wanted to use the hype that surrounds Giannis to make the song sound important -- to use him to elevate them -- and that is what I love about this song.
They use Giannis to take themselves to the next level because that is the level that Giannis is at. That's something that I am proud of.
3. Rose of the West picks "I'm A Very Rude Person" by Thom Yorke
Cedric LeMoyne started his music career as a teenager when he and his friends started the group Remy Zero. He has played bass with and tours with Alanis Morisette and Gnarls Barkley. Cedric currently plays with Milwaukee band Rose of the West whose songs " Hunter's Will" and " Roads" are played on 88Nine. Rose of the West is playing Summerfest this Friday at 7 p.m. at the Miller Lite Oasis.
Justin Barney: Cedrick, what is one song you can't stop listening to?
Cedric LeMoyne: The one song that's been on repeat for the last little while is "I'm A Very Rude Person" by Thom Yorke on the new ANIMA release. It's an amazing song.
Justin Barney: Yes, what do you like about the song?
Cedric LeMoyne: Like a lot of his lyrics, he is heavy on conversation with the subject of the song, but it's a conversation that he is having in his head with the subject. It could be something as big as a relationship or something that has gone horribly, horribly wrong or it could be as benign as being stuck in a dinner conversation with someone that is insufferable. But you know, it works on all those levels and it's just him talking himself through how he is going to get out from under the cloud of whoever that thing is -- it could be politics. He started playing about a year and a half ago live, and from the first time I've heard it, a few times, seeing him play live, it just sticks with me, the lyrics, and resonates with something that I have gone through recently with a close, formerly close, relationship. So yeah, an amazing song. And also, no sound, no lyricist, melodist, writer, production team no one cares as much about the details and the sound -- it's just a sonic garden.
Justin Barney: Do you think that he is a very rude person?
Cedric LeMoyne: He is not a very rude person. He is actually a very, very cool person. But you know, I suppose he can turn it on when he needs to, as he does in the song.
Justin Barney: Have you met Tom?
Cedric LeMoyne: Oh yeah, he is an old friend.
Justin Barney: How did you meet him?
Cedric LeMoyne: The band that I started with, Remy Zero, we were on the same label in the early '90s. And before "Pablo Honey" came out we were listening to the things that were coming soon on the label and we found that record and thought, wow this band is amazing. And they liked us too, and I think we met them and their managers with our A&R people at Yamshira Sushi like in 1993 or '92, a long time ago. And we just became friends. And as they sort of grew and became the Radiohead that we all know and love today, they all remained friendly and cool to us -- they took us out to a few shows on the Bends tour and they and their management have always been good friends.
4. Salam Fatayer picks "Jimmi Jimmi Jimmi Aaja" by Parvati Khan
I'm here with our new Community Stories producer. Salam, you were an intern and now you've made it to the big time!
Salam Fatayer: I made it! I made it! We're here.
Justin Barney: Two former interns. What is one song you can't stop listening to?
Salam Fatayer: Well, you're in for a treat. Before I tell you what the song is, let me give you a little backstory. It's a Bollywood song, and I don't really listen to a lot of Bollywood songs, but I like to use context clues to figure out what the song says without looking at the lyrics.
Justin Barney: That's great.
Salam Fatayer: It's called "Jimmi Jimmi Jimmi Aaja," and I think it means... there's a guy named Jimmi and he goes abroad to India, and he meets a girl, and they just instantly click and fall in love. But then the girl that's singing, she's telling her parents, and her parents say "No! Don't date Jimmy." So she says, "Mom and Dad, you don't know what this is. This is love. You can't get in between that." So then they start dating, but then Jimmi goes back home from his study abroad trip.
Justin Barney: Jimmi! How could you?
Salam Fatayer: So she's singing "Jimmi, Jimmi come back." Because "aaja" means "come."
Justin Barney: This is great!
Salam Fatayer: But, I'm wrong. So, it's basically a disco Bollywood song, which I didn't really think was a thing, but it's really cool. She's just telling this guy, I think at a club or something, "Why are you so alone? Come dance. Why are you in the corner?"
Justin Barney: I like your story better. Let's go with our context clues.
Salam Fatayer: Yes. The song is "Jimmy Jimmy Jimmy Aaja" by Parvati Khan.
Justin Barney: Choose your own adventure.
5. Justin Barney picks "If You Want To" by beabadoobee
Sometimes you hear a song and it's like haven't I heard this before? Hasn't this song been a part of my life for years? Don't I already love this? And this song has that quality. Listening to it for the first time feels like you are listening to it for the hundredth because you've already loved it.