Weekly Track Roundup 11/14/22: Songs without Letters
In this edition of the 87 101 101 107 108 121 32 84 114 97 99 107 32 82 111 117 110 100 117 112, none of the songs have letters in the title (sans anything in parentheses). 010001010110111001101010011011110111100100100001
Kero Kero Bonito - “21/04/20”
This is such a vibe of a song. Perfectly encapsulates that melancholy of mid 2020 lockdown without feeling too sad or depressing.
-Elijah Davis
A fantastic and whimsical song! It tells a story in the form of dreamy webcore (?) pop. The whole thing is incredibly catchy and will get stuck in your head, despite there being no chorus to speak of. Kero Kero Bonito are probably best known for their 2014 and 2018 albums, but this track off of Civilization (2021) is a really fun one.
-Beatrix Briggs
JID - “29 (Freestyle)”
JID is currently on a victory lap with the release of his latest album, so it’s a little surprising that he’s release something that’d fly completely under the radar. “29” is a freestyle that truly encapsulates JID’s lyrical ability. Many fans were turned off by the tracks weird, almost “tempo-less” instrumental, but I find that it makes his flows and rhymes a lot more unique than his peers. JID just never misses.
-Emmett Favreau
Westside Gunn & Joey Bada$$ - “327” (feat. Tyler, the Creator & Billie Essco)
Westside Gunn’s adlibs sounds as phenomenal as ever on this silky and pleasant beat. Whenever this song comes on, i never want it to end. The features from Joey Bada$$, Tyler, The Creator, and Billie Essco fit perfectly and create a fantastic ambience.
-Lukas Shvetsov
Jai Paul - “100000 (Unfinished)”
banger. jagged textured electronic indie pop perfection just like every other track on this album. still sounds like the future even though it's from 2013. come back jai paul we need you
-Nathan Hausspiegel
Earl Sweatshirt - “2010”
After listening to literally every song in my library without letters (~50) this one stuck out to me as my favorite. The way the sample is used as the melody for the beat is incredible, Black Noi$e totally killed this track. On top of that Earl lays down his classic smooth flow and lyricism. One of Earl’s best tracks for sure.
-Lily Lazar
Bleachers - “45”
This was a hard one for me -- I didn't realize how many 50n6 n4m35 w17h0u7 l3773r5 I loved. But if I am one thing, I'm a Jack Antonoff fan (judge me as you will), so I had to go "45" (which I prefer to "91," despite the production of "91" being probably better, or at least more interesting).
-Maisie Wrubel
Young Fathers - “27”
a song that takes the 27 Club myth and twists it into a song about the death of creative spirit. i've started listening to Young Fathers again after hearing about their upcoming album; i still find it nuts how they put so many ideas into each of their songs, and make them work basically every time. so infectious. one of my favorite groups working today
-Max Levin
Vulfpeck - “1612” (feat. Antwaun Stanley)
I think this song is a perfect choice because not only is it a song with just numbers in the title, the whole song is just a mnemonic for the number 1612 (according to the lyrics). This number - whose meaning Antwuan Stanley never does reveal - is accompanied by mentions of seemingly quite unrelated things (ie. Frank Sinatra, Ford Focus, etc) and I think that’s just swell.
-Terry Brannigan
Cacola - “…”
while this 20 minute monster of an ambient techno track does not manage to be the longest work on Cacola’s 2019 opus The Angel, The Demon, paling in comparison to the 55 minute behemoth of a closer that is “The Angel,” it is undoubtedly the record’s centerpiece and greatest achievement, managing to mythologize itself purely on its own terms. the lead melody morphs and contorts over the course of the first 15 minutes of the track’s runtime, dropping out and returning once more as the track moves through a number of mellow passages, before the final five minutes deconstruct everything, building a swan song for the track out of the rubble through the use of various midi synthesizers that sound like they were pulled straight from an old school video game. “…” occupies the space between words, between knowing, a feeling of uncertainty and sickening finality tainted with regret and solace in the present moment.
-Cassandra Weigle
