May was a strange month in many ways, some good moments and some not so good moments, but we’re now into the days of summer – so that’s to be celebrated, right?
There’s been some very good songs out this month at least, some new, some rediscovered but all worth listening to in their own ways:
LCD Soundsystem – “Call the Police”
LCD made their long, long, long awaited return at the start of May with two tracks, “Call the Police” and “American Dream”. To be frightfully honest, I’m not too struck on them yet. This is the better of the two I think, having a little more of a rock influence and being a part of their rich history of homages to old prog-rock, but in a dancey way.
It’ll grow on me I’m sure, and it’s definitely a good song – but just not quite the overwhelming feeling I had when “Christmas Will Break Your Heart” dropped back on Christmas Eve of 2015.
Paramore – “Told You So”
“After Laughter” might be one of my favourite albums I’ve heard in a couple of years, and this second single is another Paramore cracker. It’s got more of a natural Paramore flavour to it, but with the “strangeness” factor of mid-80s music still having it’s influence too it keeps with the new style of their tunes. It’s maybe a little less inventive or eccentric than “Hard Times”, but would definitely be a standout on almost any other album.
Vanic x K.Flay – “Make Me Fade”
This is a bit of a dark dance song, the likes of which not many other artists pull off very well. I’m a big fan of the atmosphere built here, which is self-reflective (not in a positive way), but has a hint of yearning behind it too. Put all together with some nice background vocals, and a swirling drop – this is a song that’s pretty emotional at its core and powerful because of it.
Cheat Codes – “No Promises” (feat. Demi Lovato)
This is one of these pop dance crossovers that gets it very right. Demi Lovato’s high pitched vocals carry the verses and make them pretty recognisable, then the breakdown is very catchy followed by a drop that’s simple but catchy too. Maybe it’s not a song that’s going to be too memorable in months, years from now – but it’s a song I’m not getting tired of listening to.
Ariana Grande – “Break Free” (feat. Zedd)
After the tragedies of last month’s terrorist attacks in Manchester, it felt fitting to put this song here. It’s a great dance song in it’s own right, and shows off Ariana’s voice pretty spectacularly too. But all in all it’s a song about not letting things tie you down and getting through adversary, which makes it all the more poignant given what she and thousands of fans experienced. Her performance last night at the One Love Manchester concert was a pretty symbolic gesture of not giving up, and only adds to the appeal of this song – so it’ll probably get plenty of play this month too.