Ever since my first job at MTV working as a music programmer, I can't stop trying to match people with music they might like. So, I wrote a book called Record Collecting for Girls and started interviewing musicians. The Music Concierge is a column where I share music I'm listening to that you might enjoy, with a little context. Get everything I've recommended this year on Spotify, follow me on Twitter or Facebook, and leave a comment below telling me what you're listening to this week.
Little Simz feat. Cleo Sol "Selfish"
British rapper Little Simz and Cleo Sol team up to take things old school, creating a track with soulful sounds and a chorus that harkens back to the early '90s golden-era style. Little Simz raps in a cadence that is never rushed, but always immediate. She's not fast and angry, she's not slow and sad; she comes across as just honest.
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novelties "pillow talk"
This dreamy song from sister act novelties (both sing, one produces) is deeply my aesthetic. I like the pairing in the production of sharp finger snaps and beeping video-game inspired samples with a soft melody and the breathy vocals. Makes me want to stay in bed working on my night cheese.
INNA "Sin Ti"
"Sin ti" (without you) is about longing and INNA does an amazing job on this track creating a sense of space and longing with sparsity. The song is heavy on the bass and delightfully interrupted in the chorus by traditional Spanish guitar. But the intentionality in her delivery on the chorus is what makes the song sing: She's peppering her love with questions that demand an answer.
LOVA "My Name Isn't"
A great new entry in Swedish pop drops today with LOVA's new single. If you're looking for some strong lyrics about rejecting dick pics, "boys will be boys," and people who call you "baby," look no further. With LOVA's matter-of-fact delivery, this one feels like an anthem telling disrespectful dudes everywhere that she is not his.
Molly Tuttle "Take the Journey"
Come for Molly Tuttle's impressive acoustic guitar skills and stay for her traveler's anthem. You've heard plenty of men tell and retell (and attempt) a Ulysses-style journey; Tuttle knew it was time to reinterpret the idea with a woman's voice.