THUNDERCAT
Friend Zone ★★★★
Brainfeeder
On this track from his new album Drunk, Kendrick Lamar acolyte Stephen Bruner takes a big dump on the concept of platonic friendship between men and women. ("Don't call me, don't text me, after 2am," he barks. "Unless you plan on giving me some / Cause I've got enough friends…") Dissecting the lyrics here a little further, it seems the chief impediment to his potentially having a relationship with this woman is the fact that he is a 32-year-old man who plays videogames all day. Dude, you're lucky you're even in the 'Facebook friend' zone.
FATHER JOHN MISTY
Ballad of a Dying Man ★★★★
Sub Pop
The fourth track released from Josh Tillman's forthcoming Pure Comedy is about a dying man's fears, not for his own mortality, but at the loss the world faced in being deprived of his sarky social media commentary. This is song about a person who thinks he knows everything. Apparently, some of those exist on the internet. (I know, I was shocked too…) Fortunately, there's a happy ending to the story. Not for the song's protagonist, sadly, but for the listener. "It occurs to him a little late in the game," Tillman croons. "We leave as clueless as we came."
WARSAW RADIO
After Eve ★★★
Recently featured on BBC Introducing for unsigned artists, Warsaw Radio are an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink rock group (think Arcade Fire meets The Waterboys) from Brighton, whose lead singer and songwriter Brían McNamara is originally from Limerick. They're about to embark upon a four-date Irish tour, beginning in Whelan's, Dublin, on March 22nd.
JAFARIS
Love Dies ★★★
Every critic with a heart loved John Carney's Sing Street last year. I hated it. But one of that film's young stars, Percy Chamburuka, has earned deserved praise for this new music video. The YouTube comments are calling him Ireland's Kendrick Lamar. Decide for yourself…
