Each month, Arts & Entertainment staff members compile a list of their current favorite tracks, hoping to help readers find their new go-to jams. Look out for occasional themed playlists and solid tracks from a wide range of genres.
1. “Calm Down” by G-Eazy
“Calm Down” is laidback, yet it brings a boatload of energy and swagger — the track proves to be one of G-Eazy's top songs off his most recent album, "When It's Dark Out." The song provides a musical blend between the artist’s smoother verses and the bigger, more energetic chorus to keep listeners tuned in throughout.
- Karim Saoud
2. “Garbage Pail Princess” by Babeo Baggins
Babeo Baggins is the ringleader of Barf Troop, a Tumblr-born rap collective pushing the boundaries of the genre. In "Garbage Pail Princess," Baggins sways between a dark playfulness and sexual bravado. Her mixtapes have introduced the world to her transgressive and futuristic sound. It will be exciting to see where this up-and-comer goes as she rises to fame.
- Virginia Blount
3. “Ready” by Chaz French ft. GoldLink
Though Chaz French is the main contributor to this smooth jam, GoldLink’s signature voice shines as the unmistakable star of the track. The crisp beats and infectious hook instantly catch the listener’s attention. GoldLink steals the show in this tune, which intimates an increase in his fame in 2016. Catch GoldLink’s fresh tunes at the Jefferson March 20.
- Rose Montgomery
4. “Kno One” by Kevin Gates
Kevin Gates is king of whatever sub-genre he fits into. Sing-songy gangsta rap is probably the best way to describe his unique sound. This song off his most recent album, “Islah,” has a hook listeners won’t soon forget.
- Carson Newman
5. “Deep Fried Frenz” by MF Doom
This song shows the most layered beats from the artist’s 2004 album, "Mm.. Food." Doom, with his signature off-kilter flow, raps about his experiences navigating the various kinds of friendships that accompany relative fame. The excellent wordplay and generous sampling heard here are staples to any signature Doom track.
- Adam Beddawi
6. “West Coast” by The Neighbourhood
The Neighbourhood have managed to stray from their typical alternative rock sound to something slower, jazzier and more rhythmic than many of their typical singles with this track. “West Coast” combines slow-paced rap with a mellow chorus to make any east coaster a traitorous slave to the west coast — similar to The Neighbourhood’s Jesse Rutherford.
- Julia Stembridge
7. “The Sound” by The 1975
This is the third single released from their upcoming album, "I Like It When You Sleep, For You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware Of It." It's one of the most pop-style records the band has made to date, and it's most certainly one of the most fun. This song is definitely an exciting preview of what's to come on the UK band's forthcoming album.
- Vondrae McCoy
8. “Using” by Sorority Noise
Irrepressibly optimistic despite its intensely personal subject matter, "Using" addresses mental illness, addiction and relapse through a victorious yet unsentimental lens. Its opening soft vocals and pulsing bass line will draw listeners in, and its explosive, defiant chorus will keep them coming back.
- Elizabeth McCauley
9. “Traveling Song” by Ryn Weaver
The best track off of "The Fool," an album overflowing with fun and upbeat pop production, proves to be its most restrained cut. Ryn Weaver engages the audience with nothing but an acoustic guitar and her gorgeous voice and finds herself capable of writing an astonishing indie-folk song. The closing moments make "Traveling Song" so special, as the music cedes to an a cappella section peppered with clever phrasing and Weaver's signaturely subtle vibrato. This is one of the most moving tributes to a passed loved one in recent memory.
- Michael Crawford
10. “A Good Man is Hard to Find” by Sufjan Stevens
Coming from his most overtly Christian, non-Christmas themed album, “Seven Swans,” this classic adapts Flannery O’Connor’s famous story, “A Good Man is Hard to Find.” Singing from the perspective of the murderous “Misfit,” Sufjan Stevens makes a statement about the universality of human sin — a theme he later alludes to in the similarly disturbing “John Wayne Gacy, Jr.” While it may not have much competition, this track is a strong contender for the best musical adaptation of a Flannery O’Connor story and lands in the top two Sufjan Stevens songs about serial killers.
- Christian Hecht
11. “First Class” by Rainbow Kitten Surprise
Rainbow Kitten Surprise reels listeners in with a familiar, can’t-quite-place-it intro, almost immediately establishing “First Class” as another of their unique, signature songs. Slightly haunting at times, “First Class” might seem like a subdued, slow song, but it carries a strong, resounding beat and interesting variation in tone, making listeners’ bodies unconsciously move to the surprisingly quick rhythm and beautiful sound.
- Anna Morgan
12. “My Baby Don’t Understand Me” by Natalie Prass
Prass's unique vocal sound is combined with upbeat indie-rock instrumentals to offset the depressing nature of the lyrics, like "Our love is like a long goodbye / We keep waiting for the train to cry," on the first track of her self-titled debut album. Richmond native Prass is adept at composing musically interesting songs despite their very simple lyrics or ideas, and this song is no exception.
- Ali Jawetz
13. “Continental Shelf” by Viet Cong
Viet Cong’s “Continental Shelf” begins explosively with glistening guitar riffs and a pounding rhythm, which never fails to move listeners’ bodies. The lyrics evoke some powerful imagery, and the sound of the chorus really lifts fans up, despite the somewhat cynical tone.
- John Mattingly
Listen to the full playlist below or on the Arts & Entertainment section’s Spotify page at CavalierDailyAE. Tune in next week for our special Valentine’s Day installment.
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