Video & Audio: Last summer tonight

I'm gonna tell Chuck D on you

Brother Ali, Ant: “Two Dudes”

Slightly uncharacteristic track from the veteran rapper (with veteran Atmosphere beatmaker) describing his celebrity encounters: one in Jackson Hole, WY so mortifying that he trots out the albino excuse, the other a reunion with the hip-hop hero who inspired him as a kid, who responds with the gratitude and warmth you’d expect from an elder… oh wait it’s KRS-One, never mind.

Kate Nash: “GERM”

Her utter contempt for the TERF position—especially for those who’d emphasize the “R”—isn’t optimal for converting anyone, but who gives a shit; spiritually, it’s a relief.

Tokischa: “Sol”

I appreciate Jonathan Bogart for making my singles blogging not look unusually tardy. This was the highlight of my sampling from his 2024 roundup: a daybreaking, leisurely optimistic reggaeton track by Dominican controversialist Tokischa, and if Duolingo doesn’t teach you how to translate “quiero singarme to’ lo’ culo’ que veo” then use your imagination. (The video adds a whole lot of NARRATIVE if you like that kind of thing.)

Chuu: “Kiss a Kitty”

Musically this EP cut from a former Loona member is an above-average variant of the SaySpresso family (not using actual Splice loops I think, K-pop isn’t lazy.) Lyrically: “I wanna kiss a kitty, k-kitty/And tell her she’s so pretty, pr-pretty.” The verse has some barely plausible deniability stuff about paws, but come on.

Dapper Dan Midas: “The Ballad of Luna & Sherri”

One song, two case studies of tragic trailblazing women in pro wrestling (the broader tragedy is there are many others to choose from.) The verse dedicated to Luna Vachon is particularly moving—it gets at how inspirational it was for her to present herself unconventionally and challenge gender norms, not least for a gay then-wannabe battle rapper. Luna’s own words close out the song; the only more fitting ending would be Vince McMahon going to prison.

WeTalkSound, Fimi, SGaWD: “Hei God”

As identified by Other Dave, this brings some of the energy and borderline silliness of cruise music to a reliably donky Afropiano base. Inspirational rhyming feat by I think Fimi: “B–ches be hot when they got a lot of trauma/Gotta a lotta of money in the bank and commas”.

Lorde: “What Was That”

Never an artist I liked as consistently as nationalism would prefer, I’ll settle for a great lead single from her every few years (and this is a hell of a lot better than “Solar Power”, which even nationalism couldn’t get to New Zealand number one.) The chorus shuffles through emotions hastily before settling on bewilderment, which she’s more than capable of expressing.

RXKNephew: “John Fetterman”

If you’re detecting a larger-than-usual dose of “man, fuck that guy” this week, you’re not not wrong. My only kvetch is that it would’ve been much richer conceptually if Chapo had commissioned RXK to go after his fellow conspiracist JFKNephew instead.

Rob49: “WTHELLY”

Neologism of the summer, unless “da da daaaaaa” counts. The song’s a balanced diet of menacing and goofy: freestyled, it quickly turns into WTF-ness—“What the Helly Berry? What the Helly Burton?”. Appropriate for the Pacers’ 2025 playoff run; fingers crossed for tonight.

Russ Anixter’s Hippie Big Band: “Free Man in Paris>Freedom Jazz Dance”

This connects J. Mitchell to the Eddie Harris standard (best known in its Miles Smiles iteration) in a pretty clever eleven-piece arrangement that uses French horn and vibes solos as glue. You should read Marshall Gu’s thorough and extremely correct discographical dive on Joni: she wouldn’t look out of place with a Nobel, you should stretch her artistically imperial phase through Hejira, and you absolutely don’t have to be worshipful of anything she did after that.

Nailah Blackman: “Pressure”

Bogart’s 2024 number one is by a Trinidadian pop-soca singer with an easy-going vocal style: solid enough to withstand pressure in the low end, clear in the high end, teasing in the middle. I could easily imagine it becoming a long-term radio hit if a remix featured a credible Afrobeats artist like Selena Gomez or Ed Sheeran.

Fiona Apple: “Pretrial (Let Her Go Home)”

Okay this column is turning into a John Oliver episode, but… cash bail, as implemented in most of the United States, is bad and racist! Maybe continue to sideeye the ACLU of Southern California for joining with the bail bond industry to retain it!

Nana Benz de Togo: “Fovi”

From the Togolese capital Lomé comes this five-piece (three singers, a drummer, a PVC pipe guy) gospel-voodoo group. There are highly globalized keyboards in addition to that, but that’s mostly fine given that one of Lady Apoc, Paris Kekeli, and Queen Aroufo sings the shit out of the verses and adds some vertebrae-shaking whoops in the final minute.

Messa: “Fire on the Roof”

Italian doom rock band who’ve hit upon the novel idea of having a good singer (in both the expressiveness sense and the “can sustain a note at the correct pitch” sense.) The heaviness does kick in periodically, and the lyrics, in which said singer Sara Bianchin reminds us that self-crucifixion isn’t an entirely gendered concern, aren’t too bad, though skip the spoken word at the end of the video.

Big Wett: “Top of the Class”

I can’t believe we’re into a second week of arguing about the Sabrina cover.