By: Rachel Cobbett, Jenna Beetstra, and Neil MacAlister
“Crybaby” – Paloma Faith
Rachel Cobbett: Such a relaxing song. It also points out how the phrase “man up” kinda sucks, and I love that.
Jenna Beetstra: I quite enjoyed this song. Right off the bat the tune had me bobbing my head and imagining driving on a sunny day.
Neil MacAlister: This is neat. It’s fairly conventional, but the singer has a kind of old-timey timbre to her voice that’s pretty cool.
“What Lovers Do” – Maroon 5, SZA
RC: While Maroon 5 is usually at least mildly enjoyable to listen to, this song isn’t particularly special. I’d probably switch the radio station if they played this more than once.
JB: Honestly, every time I find out a song is by Maroon 5 I just picture myself in grade six fangirling at their concert and I cringe a little. Other than that, I probably still wouldn’t choose to listen to this song.
NM: Why are all of these hip hop/R&B artists hopping on Maroon 5 songs? I never got the whole appeal of Adam Levine. SZA deserves better placements, she’s the only part of this song worth listening to.
“If I’m Lucky” – Jason Derulo
RC: This is a little slower than I expected from Jason Derulo, and I’m unashamed to say that I’m disappointed, but the chorus is still . . . kinda fun?
JB: This one is a double thumbs down for me. I’m just not feeling it at all.
NM: JAASSOONN DEERRRUUULLOOOO. This man was a staple of every party in high school, but this song sounds like a more watered-down version of his already watered-down R&B.
“Provider” – Frank Ocean
RC: I’m the wrong audience for this song — I think it’s kind of weird. Not bad for quiet meditation or yoga music . . . maybe.
JB: It’s a little slow, but a good chill song. I also like the sound of his voice.
NM: This is my favourite song right now. I’ve listened to it a dozen times a day since it came out. The writing is fantastic, it’s beautifully delivered, and the way it builds up as it goes on is just heavenly. Frank Ocean is the best artist going right now, don’t @ me.
“Ready To Go” – Hurts
RC: Perhaps I’m too old to want to hear about 17-year-olds, but it’s a fun song. Not in my top 10 songs of this summer, but it could easily go on a road trip playlist.
JB: I feel like I’m being very picky with these songs so far, but I really do not like this one either. Definitely not my style of music whatsoever. I had trouble even finishing this one.
NM: I like this guy’s voice, he reminds me of Ryan Guldemond, but there’s half a dozen songs on the radio that sound exactly like this. Pop really needs some variation.
“Abbadu” – Beatsteaks, Farin Urlaub
RC: This is both pretty and cool. I’m not a fan of much rock music, but this isn’t any kind of boring, and I like it a lot.
JB: No idea what the song is about, but I still thought this one was kind of cool. I like the drums.
NM: I’m digging the bassline on this. Over the past few years, non-English-speaking countries have put out the most sonically interesting rock music.
“Broken Machine” – Nothing But Thieves
RC: “Broken Machine” is a cool song, and exceeds my expectations. Plus the vocals are great.
JB: Maybe it’s because it’s a sunny Friday where I’m off work but this song just isn’t getting me pumped for the long weekend. I need some dancing tunes.
NM: This is cool. For a band that conforms to that whole mid-2000s British alt-rock sound, they actually sound pretty fresh.
“Look What You Made Me Do” – Taylor Swift
RC: It’s hard for me to separate the video from the song, and if I was allowed to talk about the music video I would say that I liked the different sets and think the ending is clever. As for the actual song . . . I just really don’t like the bits of talking for the chorus.
JB: I can’t lie, when her Instagram started showing signs of new music coming I got pretty excited, but was very disappointed with this one. Is she even singing?
NM: Look, I know it’s kind of in vogue to hate on Taylor Swift right now, but this edgy rebrand is so pathetic. She’s sounding like the worst parts of Katy Perry. If you’re going to diss Kanye on anything, why would you choose his phenomenal stage design?
“The Sky Is A Neighborhood” – Foo Fighters
RC: Pretty sure I’ve only ever liked a couple Foo Fighters songs — this isn’t going to be one. It’s not terrible, but you have to like the Foo Fighters to enjoy it a lot.
JB: This was definitely not what I expected from the Foo Fighters. Not my style, again, but not awful.
NM: Foo Fighters just epitomize dad rock now. I’m happy to see Dave Grohl’s still at it, but Foo Fighters haven’t brought anything interesting to the table in years.
“People Say” – Wu-Tang Clan, Redman
RC: This was too boring for me to appreciate. I’m a terrible person, I know, I know.
JB: Thumbs up from me. I’ll be adding this to my gym playlist.
NM: I love the soulful production on this, RZA killed it. I’m always surprised that the whole Clan is still together after all these years, and still putting out incredible music. They have a new album dropping in October and I’m stoked.
“Da Ya Think I’m Sexy” – Rod Stewart, DNCE
RC: I’ve been a Bee Gees fan since I was a kid, so I enjoy that this is pretty much a disco song. I don’t love Rod Stewart’s voice, and while it’s kind of fun for a few seconds, I wouldn’t listen to this on repeat.
JB: I enjoy the sound of disco-type songs. I think they’re super fun. Not going into my library, but I wouldn’t change the station if it came on.
NM: I don’t like a single thing about this. It’s actually upsettingly bad.
“Domesticated Animals” – Queens of the Stone Age
RC: I couldn’t help listening to this song like it was a story. An eerie, weirdly-narrated story with creepy, intense background music.
JB: I found this song super boring. I’ve definitely heart better songs from them. Not impressed with this one.
NM: I have friends who swear Queens of the Stone Age are the best band on earth and I’ll never understand it, but they’re at least putting out interesting music. Josh Homme has a great voice, and the riffs are pretty cool here, but this gets really, really repetitive after a while.
