Spring Songs
Action Bronson - “A Light in the Addict”
Queens, New York rapper Action Bronson recently released his third studio album Mr. Wonderful, to generally decent reviews. For the most part, the album was good, and worth a listen. It was unfortunately overshadowed by some other hip-hop releases that came out around the same time which may have been more widely anticipated or a little higher quality (namely, Kendrick Lamar and Earl Sweatshirt).
However, it is unfortunate that this album did not receive more attention, because it contains what may well be the best song in Bronson’s discography to date, “A Light in the Addict”. The song features a stellar instrumental produced by Party Supplies, Bronson’s frequent partner in crime, and in the lyrics we see a weakness and an honesty that are rare from a rapper who is so often light-hearted in his rhymes. The beat and the lyrics combine to make an overall fantastic song that more people should be talking about and listening to.
Stanley Jordan - “Eleanor Rigby”
Jazz fusion guitarist Stanley Jordan’s arrangement of the Beatles’ classic “Eleanor Rigby” for solo guitar is an incredibly lively and unique take on the original song, which was much darker than what we usually hear from Jordan. Not only is the piece incredibly technical (watch a Youtube video of him performing the piece live and have your mind blown away), but it’s also just a great piece to listen to, with its catchy, intricate melodies and its moments of tension that build up to theatrical climaxes.
Sylvan Esso - “Come Down”
Sylvan Esso is an indie pop duo from North Carolina, consisting of singer Amelia Meath and producer Nick Sanborn. The group formed in 2013 and released their self-titled debut album in 2014 to decent commercial success and critical acclaim, but the album had some notable standout tracks that helped to put the band on the map.
One of these standout songs is the final track on the album, “Come Down”, a stripped-down electronic ballad where the vocal harmonies are backed only by a synthesizer playing a single chord. The song is beautiful in its simplicity, and probably the most emotional song that Sylvan Esso has made to date.
Sufjan Stevens - “No Shade in the Shadow of The Cross”
Singer-songwriter Sufjan Stevens recently released his seventh studio album Carrie and Lowell. The album was rife with the beautifully bleak indie-folk style that fans have come to expect of Stevens, and has been met with high critical acclaim, some saying that it may be among Stevens’ best albums. “No Shade in the Shadow of the Cross” is one of the highlights from the album, with poetic lyrics and an evocative vocal performance that so well characterize Sufjan Stevens and the album as a whole.
Fleet Foxes - “Helplessness Blues”
Fleet Foxes never fails to impress, with its lively, acoustic style and perfectly curated vocal harmonies. The first part of “Helplessness Blues” is more fast-paced, starting out softly and building in intensity until coming to the second part, which is slower-paced but still serves as a sort of climax for the song, with drums and electric guitars joining the instrumentation.
The song contains some of my personal favorite lyrics from Fleet Foxes’ discography, including, from the first part of the song, my favorite line: “If I know only one thing, it’s that everything that I see / of the world outside is so inconceivable, often I barely can speak.”