Singles you should be listening to, Courtesy of Vic Records
“Take Your Picture with Me While You Still Can” —We Are The City
Off their recent LP, Above Club, the Vancouver-based indie band tells the story of a liminal time. Their production—unique, theatrical, and unafraid—hides nothing, shows nothing, and only asks you to be vulnerable enough to join. Recalling the early days of The Antlers, the delicate, war-torn vocals are an honest confession, sung on the shoulders of all who have ever lost themselves. It brings me where fate is felt, not seen, and ultimately, to the place where we change. The camera pulls further and further back into a wide-shot of objective self-reflection, and then I remember I’m listening to a song and writing a review.
-Aaron Rambhajan
“Make It Work” —Majid Jordan
This is a group I find particularly fascinating because they care more about the space in between than the space itself. Majid Jordan understand sound as physical and tangible, not something that we just hear. They manifest experience here—not just controlling how the sound enters your ear, but its time with you and how it leaves. This, to me, is everything that makes an infectious dance record. “Make It Work” does exactly this, fronted by Al Maskati and Ullman in one of their best performances yet.
-Aaron Rambhajan
“Famous” —Kanye West
Misogynist? Homophobic? Perhaps, but a musical success nevertheless. West’s controversial song, “Famous,” divides itself in four incredibly distinctive parts, each with its own vocabulary. Rihanna begins the song with a characteristically emotional rendition of Nina Simone’s “Do What You Gotta Do,” coupled with the abrupt juxtaposition of West’s rapping. The dialogue goes back-and-forth between these two for some time, before resolving itself with a remix of Sister Nancy’s “Bam-Bam”—another contrast to his normal style.
-Charlène Hanania
“Sticky Drama” —Oneohtrix Point Never
In a musical climate now drowning in synthetic sound, “Sticky Drama” by Oneohtrix Point Never attempts to accelerate the process of digitization tenfold, straight to its doomsday. In place of a traditional vocalist, OPN opts for a vocal line sung from what sounds like a sentient, malfunctioning Gameboy that has been set atop buzz saw bass drones. OPN’s combined efforts on “Sticky Drama” come the closest he ever has to making a club track; however, in place of allowing listeners to dance, he forces them to bear witness to its violent implosion. He even has the courtesy to make it catchy.
-Sean Kudryk
“New Math” —Drive Like Jehu
In the opening 30 seconds of “New Math,” Drive Like Jehu could easily fool you into thinking that they were amateurs. Though this wasn’t exactly uncommon in ‘90s hardcore, Drive Like Jehu were amongst the best performers of their scene. “New Math” demonstrates exactly why Drive Like Jehu are such a phenomenal band: guitars bend in and out of tune, frantically dragged forward by a rhythm section that refuses to cooperate. As the song progresses, the dissonance builds and suddenly settles, leaving moments of complete harmony. It is here that Drive Like Jehu demonstrate just how in control they really are, resulting in one of the most impressive songs produced in ‘90s rock music.
-Sean Kudryk
