Megan's Recs: Songs I'm Listening to a Lot Lately That You Should Be, Too

By: Megan Fair, General Manager

1. "Water Fountain" - tUnE-yArDs

This politically-charged track from tUnE-yArDs' new record is undeniably catchy and the bridge is perfect parts dissonant and bizarre and palatable and jam-worthy. "Water Fountain" makes me want to light big businesses and the government on fire and perform a wild abstract dance around my fiery work. 

2. "Dance Yrself Clean" - LCD Soundsystem 

Maybe it's just nostalgia from early ACRN shindigs, but "Dance Yrself Clean" is a song that is guaranteed to put a huge smile on my face. James Murphy is a musical genius, and I'm honestly considering dropping whatever outrageous amount of money to purchase the Record Store Day release of The Long Goodbye, five LPs of the live audio recordings of LCD Soundsystem's final show at Madison Square Garden. 

3. "Forgiven/Forgotten" - Angel Olsen

Angel Olsen is an artist to watch in general, but this track has currently snatched my heart and refuses to let go. Her haunting and unforgettable voice paired with distorted guitars and rich bass is too good not to listen to several (hundred) times a day.

4. "Play" - iamamiwhoami

This isn't just music--it's an audiovisual project. This ethereal and danceable electronic track is sonically immense, and I recommend listening to all of iamamiwhoami's tracks with over the ear headphones for the full experience. This is an oldie, but it's still one of my favorites. I try to sing this song in the shower, but to be honest, I don't know the words and I can't sing that high. Still an absurd tune. 

5. "Nakamarra" - Hiatus Kaiyote

Hiatus Kaiyote was up for a Grammy for its live performance of this track for good reason. The bluesy number is perfect for a walk through College Green and the rest of Athens while daydreaming of your bae.

6. "Rattlesnake" - St. Vincent

I'm seeing St.Vincent very soon, and I am SO excited that it actually hurts. Just watch this live video and try not to fall in love. 

7. "I" - Perfect Pussy

I have dreams of seeing this incredible track live and thrashing around with my heart swelling as I feel myself full of light and joy and peace, so much so my heart almost bursts. I think letting go to this song may actually be the most alive I could ever feel. 

8. "Work" - Iggy Azalea 

Hey, Iggy! I too have been up all night (at Chipotle) tryna get that rich, so I identify with this song. It's my guilty pleasure, so I put it last.

While you're at it, check out the Clueless-inspired video for "Fancy."

Julia's Recs: Top 5 (Somewhat Forgotten) Early 2000s Party Jams

By: Julia Leiby, Music Director

1. "Where The Party At" - Jagged Edge feat. Nelly 

I really hope y’all have heard this song before. The combination of Jagged Edge, a now-mostly inactive R&B group with four members (two of whom are twin brothers), and Nelly is so sweet and extremely easy to bob your head to while drinking. The repeating guitar loop is catchy and fiery--it will be stuck in your head for days. If you watch the music video, it’s ridiculous and excessive and all a rap video should be. Within the first 20 seconds, a member of Jagged Edge parachutes down onto a beach to talk to some hot girls, of which the video has an abundance. Then a guy parachutes into a pool, which is also (surprise) full of more girls. It also has a surprisingly relevant repeated line in the chorus: “If the party’s where you’re at, just let me know.” And honestly, who doesn’t want to be at the party with the person they like.

2. "Me & U" - Cassie 

You might have heard this song at a dance when you were in middle school. Cassie was 20 when this song came out, but the vibe of the song is much younger and almost more innocent in a way. The cold and deceptively simple beat in the background kind of transports you back to being in those sweaty gyms (or wherever you had dances) but in a good, eerie way. I can’t imagine anyone being nostalgic for that time but when you hear Cassie singing, “I know them other guys, they been talking bout the way I do what I do / They heard I was good, they wanna see if it's true.” One can think about being confident and trying to talk to boys for the first time.

3. "Leave (Get Out)" - JoJo

This is honestly the first breakup song I ever heard. I was 10 and found it through AOL music. JoJo was only 13 when this song came out, which is pretty incredible because she sings like a mature woman tired of getting her heart broken and literally yelling (belting) at a guy to get out of her life. The buildup to the chorus and the slightly '90s guitars make what would otherwise be a throwaway pop song more intriguing. The music video is pretty essential, too, with JoJo wearing her "boys stink" tank top and faux-crying in the girls bathroom and by her locker while alternately dancing with her friends. Put this song on at a party and see how many people are into it--those are the ones you should hang around with because they understand adolescent heartbreak.

4. "Dilemma" - Nelly feat. Kelly Rowland 

This is about Nelly wooing Kelly Rowland, who has a son and a kid, and of course she wants him. It’s honestly kind of tender love song, with Kelly saying over and over, “You don’t know you mean to me,” and she “thinks about him even when she’s with her boo” and the “ohs” in the background and the twinkly-sounding beat make it danceable, too. The music video is sweet and definitely for people who want to see Nelly when he was in the phase of wearing a Band-Aid on his face for fashion, Nelly and Kelly dancing in the street and the unforgettable shot of Kelly getting mad when someone texts her using Microsoft Excel. It’s a sweet song and overall kind of makes you feel like 2002 was not a bad time to be a young rapper in the summer with someone he cared about.

5. "The Jump Off" - Lil Kim feat. Mr. Cheeks

This is probably the smoothest jam of 2003, and I believe it still deserves to be heard in 2014. Before Nicki Minaj, there was Lil Kim, one of the first influential and successful female rappers in the public eye. She has bravado and a strong attitude in this song (as always), and mainly raps about cars and partying and calls herself “the black Barbie” and “the wicked bitch of the East." This song is full of lines like that, and you can really get a sense of Lil Kim’s aggression and assertiveness. A downside of this song as something to play at a party is that (unfortunately) some people may not remember it, but the trumpets and Lil Kim’s rapid-fire lines will draw them in.