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.
Megan Thee Stallion "Realer"
Megan dropped her first album last week to great acclaim — she's out there breaking down the barriers for women in rap that are so ridiculous that they shouldn't even exist anymore in 2019 BUT they certainly fucking do. If that's not reason enough to love her, just take a listen. She's on that hard Houston tip and...so real.
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BANKS "Gimme"
BANKS has been undergoing a metamorphosis since her debut album. Where some confidence and pop undertones were missing before, she seems to be embracing them this time around. It's as interesting to watch as it is to listen to, with a light scheme inspired by Tron and an aesthetic that's very Danyeres when she was still liberating people in the East, with just a hit of bringing back vocoders.
Adeline "Top Down"
If you're taking a road trip over Memorial Day weekend and need another good song for your playlist, add this one. It's legit just one of those bops that will mark your soul with the funk, and it's exactly that funkiness that will bring you back to hit play again and again and again...
Holly Henderson "Pride Can Wait"
This one is especially for fans of Mazzy Star, not only because Henderon's voice is the logical successor to Hope Sandavol, but because the slow-roll up to the explosion of the song takes the template of that band and makes it all the more dynamic. The tension grows and grows in Henderson's voice until you're waiting for her to absolutely blow apart. Not many people are making this kind of song today — and that makes it really stand out.
Sorcha Richardson "Don't Talk About It"
Denial is more than a river in Egypt, and Ricardson is claiming her riverfront property with this bop. Richardson describes it as a song about avoiding conflict to keep the peace, and it resonates because I've been doing that a lot lately in all kinds of relationships in my life. We're talking about it, dammit. Let's start by talking about how Richardson made this song so catchy: It's all in the beat.