Editor’s note: We’re publishing this special Thursday edition of Tunesday in honor of today’s fashion editorial. Enjoy!
Whether it’s an artist-specific Pandora station or a specially tailored compilation of tracks, there’s a soundtrack out there to go along with every activity you ever do. Raining outside? Beach House. Cooking Indian food in the kitchen? Southern rap. Having sex? “Dirty Decibels.” You get the point. So, as you find yourself perusing the fun fashion editorial we have in store for you folks in the paper today, check out this selection of equally fun tracks! I’d say one song per photograph is a pretty reasonable way to do it, no?
Holy Ghost! – Dumb Disco Ideas
Complete with James Brown riffs and a funkadelic groove fit for the disco, “Dumb Disco Ideas” is a delightful way to spend the next eight minutes of your day. The James Murphy-blessed duo released this track as the first single off their highly anticipated album, Dynamics, which comes out on September 10 and has some pretty rad cover artwork. You can catch the band at Los Angeles’ upcoming FYF Fest in August and San Francisco’s Treasure Island Music Festival in October.
Azealia Banks – #ATMJAM feat. Pharrell
As Mindy Kaling once tweeted, “(feat. Pharrell) is the best parenthetical around these days.” No doubt, Pharrell has the midas touch when it comes to producing hit tracks. Although my worship of Azealia Banks has dwindled down to mere appreciation of her latest and craziest onstage ensembles, “#ATMJAM” is jammer for its rambunctious use of repetition and quick rhymes. We still don’t know when her debut album, Broke With Expensive Taste, is due out, but I’m sure we’ll hear about it on her Twitter.
Willow Smith – Summer Fling
Having moved past “Whip My Hair” and “Fireball” into more mellow, sun-kissed grounds, Willow Smith tackles a favorite seasonal theme — the summer fling. Awkward British accent aside, this song is enjoyable and kinda cute. That is, until you remember that Willow is only twelve-years-old… And you don’t really want to know what she means when she sings, “It’s just a couple months, but we do it anyway,” because it’s probably not legal.
Soko: Monster Love on Nowness.com
Soko & Ariel Pink – Monster Love
This one is about a summer fling that’s a hundred times more adorable. The track, which doubles as a short film, is the project of French singer/actress Soko and L.A. favorite, Ariel Pink. Watch it, fall in love and look out for her debut LP, I Thought I Was an Alien.
Janelle Monae – Dance Apocalyptic
The newest track from her second album, The Electric Lady (out September 10), has Janelle Monae letting her hair down and rocking something other than her signature tux. The dancehall vibes are a great time and her playful spin on “Bandz A Make Her Dance” is quirky and catchy as hell. While I’m not sure if this fresh look is something that’s gonna stick, Monáe is sounding better than ever and this new record should have us movin’ and groovin’ in no time.
2 Chainz – Feds Watching feat. Pharrell
Here comes another song from our favorite Tity Boi (yes, 2 Chainz was an improvement on the name front). Drugs, money, hoes, the lavish life – there’s nothing new here. There are, however, enough designer threads in this video to style an editorial. The women are beautiful, the outfits are tasteful (even Pharrell in those floral pants), and the song secures a comfortable spot at the top of the summer hits playlist.
Don’t forget to check out the fashion spread in Thursday’s paper. As always, comments and feedback are welcomed. If you have suggestions for next week’s theme, tweet them my way!
Contact Ashley Chen at [email protected].