“Boyfriend,” - Best Coast: One of my favorite songs off a truly amazing surf pop album, Crazy For You, which came out in 2010, the reverb-drenched guitar riffs and hopelessly romantic vocals from multitalented band leader, Bethany Cosentino. It falls under not only the surf pop genre, but under the indie rock one as well. When this album turns 15 years old next year, I’m going to review it. It’s a relatable song, as all of us can relate to being stuck in the friend zone.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uqphb_WM1rM
“Low Life,” - Future featuring The Weeknd: While I’m not the biggest fan of Future, his sound inspired a lot of current rappers in the scene right now, and I love the dark and haunting production from Metro Boomin. Easily the best part of this song is The Weeknd’s verse as well as the main chorus. He’s got this hedonistic vibe in a lot of his songs, and he does it especially well here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_9tX4eHztY
“Christ Conscious,” - Joey Bada$$: Another album that I plan on doing a retro review on, as it turns 10 years old next year. I love Joey’s wordplay and effortless flow over the old school style beat, produced by Basquiat. He sounds hungry and clearly wants to reach a status like Eminem, but instead of being a god, he wants to be on the same level as Jesus Christ. The beat is phenomenal and I like the inclusion of the trumpet loop in it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRfQGXFRr30
“Flight of Garuda,” - Daikaiju: An amazing instrumental surf punk track, from Alabama band Daikaju, the fast and heavily reverbed guitars make for a truly remarkable experience.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkkbYGSajxI
“Partyman,” - Prince: One of my favorite Prince songs, from the classic 1989 Batman film with Michael Keaton and Jack Nicholson. This song plays when Nicholson’s Joker is in the art gallery and it’s the perfect song for the character of the Joker, as it’s upbeat and gleeful in a darkly comedic way. Prince did a phenomenal job with the soundtrack album, as he recorded an entire record just for the soundtrack, as he chose to do that instead of having his existing hits used for the film.