song reviews
James Blake
"Voyeur"
Blake wants to make you feel good, but only if he doesn't have to move too fast. "Voyeur," the British DJ-songwriter's latest, slinks into focus while processed words slither out of his mouth; by the time the disco cowbell starts, along with the dance party, does it even matter? Probably not. | More »
Earl Sweatshirt feat. Tyler, the Creator
"Whoa"
On his new single, the most exciting rapper in the Odd Future crew sticks to a familiar MO: a hard, unadorned beat topped with rhymes delivered in tongue-twisting configurations. Earl's pose – mildly sociopathic rebel nerd – isn't new, but the lyrics enliven the cliché. Best Anglicism-cum- Rick Ross-shout-out: "The misadventures of a shit-talker/Pissed as Rick Ross' fifth sip of his sixth lager." Prize for pure poetry: "Get 'em higher than the pitch of m... | More »
Vampire Weekend
"Diane Young"
This preview of Vampire Weekend's forthcoming third album, Modern Vampires of the City (due May 7th), roars and clatters like a souped-up jalopy, with a cyber-sock-hop groove, surf-guitar outbursts, hand claps and Ezra Koenig's giddily hiccuping vocals, which pitch-shift from Elvis to Michael Jackson to EDM chipmunk. If you were the bookish type, you just might read it as a meta-critique of pop stardom and its dark underbelly; at one point, Koenig creepily suggests, "You got th... | More »
Brittany Howard and Ruby Amanfu
"I Wonder"
Howard, the Alabama Shakes frontwoman, steps into Jack White's Third Man Records lab to take on "I Wonder," a Vietnam-era tune by Seventies sugar-man Rodriguez. Backed by one of White's touring bands, she and soul singer Ruby Amanfu turn in a sisterly workout with a reggae breakdown – what Bonnie Raitt might sound like if she went through a down-home garage-rock phase. Click to listen to Brittany Howard & Ruby Amanfu's 'I Wonder' | More »
Frank Ocean
"Eyes Like Sky"
This elliptical ballad (an unauthorized leak, presumably of a Channel Orange outtake) quietly reaffirms the songwriter's bona fides. Over some strummed acoustic guitar and loose kick-drum grooves, Ocean sings achingly of a blind boy who "sees" in colors. And when Ocean slyly croons, "I wish you could see the ocean," it's enough to break your heart in two ways. | More »
Parquet Courts
"Smart Aleck Kid"
One sweet minute of primal, radioactive blurt from this year's hot new old-timey post-punk wunderkinds. The caffeine-jabber lyrics fly by as if Parquet Courts are trying to cram a life's worth of annoyance into the time it takes to order breakfast at their corner deli. | More »
M.I.A.
"Matangi Mix"
This eight-minute-plus minimix – made to soundtrack a Paris fashion show – is as buoyant as anything M.I.A.'s done in a while. It shifts from South Asia-steeped stomp to a gonzo-electro track that's like Q*bert dancing on a hot plate, as M.I.A. rocks some excellent jump-rope vocalese and asks, "Do you like my perfume?/Made it at home with some gasoline and shrooms." Smells like victory. | More »
Lady Antebellum
"Downtown"
Hillary Scott seethes at home, eager to stroll sidewalks, fed up that her guy's always too tired to hit the city, where country rarely treads. The phrasing and jangle are pure late-Nineties Everclear – as is the feeling of life passing by. Listen to "Downtown": | More »
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Sacrilege
Throbbing back to life after several years off, the YYY's pack "Sacrilege" with a mess of classic moves: While guitar buzz and synth beeps make out in the corner, the rock/dance baby rides an almost-disco groove, and Karen O alternates between yelling (through the phone, it seems) and a full-on seduction-mumble. The new trick is the outta-nowhere gospel-style choir at the end, tearing the proverbial roof off. As Homer Simpson might say: "Sacrilicious!" | More »
Justin Timberlake
"Mirrors"
Last year Frank Ocean released a 10-minute song about a stripper. So why shouldn't Justin Timberlake be allowed to get his prog on with an eight-minute song about a girl who's just like his mirror? Produced by Timbaland, this non-single from The 20/20 Experience is certainly the artiest song Timberlake's ever wrapped his pipes around – from the emo power-ballad guitar strobes to the stark hand-clapping bridge to the orchestral flares to the electro blips, chipmunk synth c... | More »
Music Reviews
-
star ratingRandom Access Memories -
star ratingModern Vampires of the City -
star ratingTrouble Will Find Me
-
star ratingExcuse My French -
star ratingDemi -
star ratingSports (30th Anniversary Edition)
Photos & Videos
Random Notes: Hottest Rock Pictures
We may use your e-mail address to send you the newsletter and offers that may interest you, on behalf of Rolling Stone and its partners. For more information please read our Privacy Policy.
