Fine “I Could”
The component sounds in “I Could” are very familiar after decades of alternative rock – a bass line halfway between Peter Hook and Kim Deal, a high breathy female vocal, miscellaneous layers of off-kilter and/or abrasive guitar – but the feel is kinda strange. This could easily be a lot more plodding and flat, but there’s some swing to it, and some touches of delicacy and sophistication cast in stark relief with elements that are entry-level simplistic. It’s a song that’s somehow both thudding and sensuous.
Buy it from Bandcamp.
Maren Morris “People Still Show Up”
A lot of people think they have a handle on Jack Antonoff’s sound, but for the most part, they’re really just thinking of what he does with Taylor Swift, or clients who likely show up saying “hey, can you give me The Taylor Swift?” Dig a little deeper, and he’s a very odd and versatile artist. He’s a guy who composed Lana Del Rey’s masterpiece “A&W,” figured out how to merge ABBA and Dolly Parton on Sabrina Carpenter’s “Please Please Please,” and has transitioned into a strong hip-hop producer on Kendrick Lamar’s GNX. At this point I wouldn’t rule out anything for the guy, particularly as he’s chasing vibes more than following mainstream pop templates.
“People Still Show Up,” one of a handful of tracks he produced for Maren Morris’ first post-country record, has a peculiar feel to it. It’s aiming for a loose, bluesy energy, but in an intentionally odd and inorganic way. You get it right away – a stiff drum machine, keyboard tones bending wildly, sounding like neon blobs smearing across the stereo image. It’s a really cool sound, and going in this direction with the song is so much more interesting than playing this song very straight with an expected traditional arrangement. It makes sense in the context of Morris’ lyrical POV too, as it’s very much about her getting nudged out of the country space and taking stock of where she’s at. And here she is, in some odd simulacrum of an “authentic” sound, and while she sounds a little befuddled and bemused, she sounds very much at home.
Buy it from Amazon.