Staff Pix 4/15
The Milk Crate staff’s favorite recent releases, presented with blurbs worthy of a promotional sticker on a jewel case. Tune in Fridays from 1-2 EST to the Staff Pix radio show.
Sara O’Connell
I Choose Me by 3rd Secret
From the ashes of three of the most popular 90s grunge/rock band members, 3rd Secret is a brand spanking new project from former Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic with Kim Thayli from Soundgarden and Matt Cameron from Pearl Jam. This track is where the grunge legends come out to do their thing. With brooding heavy guitar riffs, 3rd Secret reinvents the wheel with their modern twist on a timeless classic.
Sophie Severs
Can I See U Again by Friko
Ever said goodbye to someone without knowing it would be your last goodbye? Well, Friko has too. The Chicago-based band expresses wistful longing to see that special someone again in their song, “Can I See U Again” off of their newest EP, Whenever Forever. The track starts out on a somber note, with melancholy tinkling of a piano that soon evolves into a groovy, beachy jam that anyone could vibe with. The band somberly sings, “I have lost a friend, though we've always been/Drifting apart.” Even with the unfortunate end of this friendship, there are no malicious farewell wishes or attempts at vengeance, as they exclaim, “If you're lost at sea, hope you find your peace/Where you are.” This groovy track provides an example of peaceful closure, even if all the band wants in reality is to see that special person just one more time.
Karenna Umscheid
That’s Where I Am by Maggie Rogers
Maggie Rogers’s new track is so exquisite, it feels impossible not to keep it on repeat. The song is a glorious comfort in its lyricism, repeatedly saying “It all works out in the end,” reminding me of a more upbeat “I know it’s for the better” from Phoebe Bridgers’s “Waiting Room.” Her imagery follows her message, when she says “Even boulders turn into sand,” she tells us that time heals all, and no feeling lasts forever. Julia Norkus, in her review of the single, says “no matter how cliché it may be, everything will always work out how it is meant to.” It has been the perfect track to keep me going for the last few weeks of the school year.
Nia Tucker
Camille’s Daughter by keiyaA
In her first new track since her experimental R&B 2020 album, Forever, Ya Girl, keiyaA returns with her signature arpeggiated, vocal-layered sound. Her music is an exciting addition to the Black, experiential canon alongside fellow musicians Blood Orange and L’Rain who all have a natural knack for storytelling over subtly intricate, electronic and bass heavy songs.
Adri Pray
Tell Me The Truth by Two Feet
Everything Two Feet does is exceptional, and their latest release does not disappoint. “Tell Me The Truth” is main character energy at its finest, as Two Feet leans into a loud guitar line in order to build up the suspense that breaks at the chorus. Most of Two Feet’s songs are slower, but even with the half-time feel, the drums march the melody along. If you like dark, sultry songs, this track will be on repeat.
Julia Norkus
Hills of Fire by Sarah Kinsley
Sarah “The King” Kinsley has released her latest track to be a sister song to the popular single she released last June. In contrast to “The King,” “Hills of Fire” is a reckoning with fantasies of love and magic. It’s a realization of the reality and the messiness of such love, with lines like, “The city is a-calling, the water is a-rushing/Again to a burning door,” signifying the want for this beautiful thing that feels fated and wonderful, but knowing the reality of the disaster that awaits. Kinsley references her previous single in this one, tying the two together in storyline, by using the lyric, “You know I can’t stay the king forever,” which also acknowledges the idea that not everything is going to be perfect and beautiful always. Both songs are alike in musicality as well, both starting softly and building to something more, showing parallels that allow their stories to flow together, but eventually displaying the contrast in what type of message each is trying to convey. Honestly, it’s a heart-wrenching banger that will never get old.
Lily Hartenstein
MAGIC WITH MUSTARD by Vince Staples
Vince Staples’ discography is exceptional. Few artists can experiment and pivot as he has done without, at least once, missing the mark. First I thought Big Fish Theory (2017) was the best it could get, and then I spent all last summer listening to his 2021 self-titled release, and now, we’ve all been rewarded with Ramona Park Broke My Heart. Staples’ work is layered, his projects getting better with every listen, so jury’s still out on where exactly this new album lies in the spectrum, but one thing is for certain: Staples’ only competition is himself. The whole album is a love letter to west coast rap, but “MAGIC WITH MUSTARD”, highlighting Mustard’s signature bounce style, stands out to me. It’s both infectiously nostalgic, using the same sample from the ‘70s Ice Cube used in the ‘90s, and refreshingly current. I can already see it in the queue as my friends sit on MUNI swapping earbuds.
Adora Brown
The Kitchen by Briston Maroney
Briston Maroney’s newest single is a precursor to an album that will hopefully live up to its expectations. “The Kitchen” has his classic wailing guitar coupled with hard-hitting lyrics. Maroney sings, “Why is my mother scared that I don’t miss her? / And why ain’t I doin’ more to prove her wrong?” He harmonizes beautifully in the final two renditions of the chorus as the bass builds in the background. The song is an existential crisis personified – the inner thoughts of a young man questioning, well, everything.
Harry Bates
About Damn Time by Lizzo
She is back, and I’m so happy to hear new music from the Queen of Flutes. Disco and Lizzo is a combination that I didn't know I needed, but now that it’s here, I couldn’t be happier. “About Damn Time” is the first song released from Lizzo’s upcoming album Special, which is set for release on July 15 on Atlantic Records. Good vibes all around with this one — will definitely be blasting this all weekend.
Maura Cowan
Lola by Maude Latour
I could not go too long without casting a well-deserved spotlight onto rising indie pop artist (and, in just a month or so, Columbia graduate) Maude Latour. Everything she touches is gold to me, a perfectly balanced pop confection, and “Lola” is my favorite output of hers in months. Though the song is something of a tribute to Latour’s friend and roommate and their intense connection, it carries an underlying message to all powerful women– the survivors, the healers, and the still healing. Over a sparse beat, she chants the bridge like a mantra, “Keep my girls protected, I’m turned on when I’m respected/ For my planet, for my daughters/ Make my music, drink my water.” Minimalistic instrumentals burst to life in the kind of lush chorus that Latour does best, while she pulls back her lyrics to a simple but powerful message of love for Lola.
Will Ingman
PUPTHEBAND Inc. Is Filing for Bankruptcy by PUP
On The Unraveling of PUPTHEBAND, the Toronto-based punk four-piece reflect on the twelve years they’ve spent together, sleeping on the floors of venues, stretching $5 into a full day’s meal, and touring for whole years at a time. But like any good punk band, complaints of “selling out” began to emerge as the group gained a popular foothold. This record confronts those detractors through the conceit of a corporate authority, who, by the time of this track (the album’s closer), have failed to sway the band in their relentless commitment to creativity and a newer, inventive sound — seriously, a saxophone? On a punk record? — and have, well, declared bankruptcy. This track smashes the few unbroken windows left in what was once PUPTHEBAND Inc. headquarters, knocking the walls down with a pummeling bass-drums combo and tearing up the carpets with shrieking, aggressive guitar lines, both clear hints of the sound found on 2013’s PUP and 2016’s The Dream is Over, but with obvious creative progression and a healthy spoonful of spite.
Sarah Fournell
Kiss Me (I Loved You) by Father John Misty
The release of Father John Misty’s (aka Josh Tillman) Chloe and the Next 20th Century welcomed a in new era characterized by the old Hollywood glamour aesthetic. With it came a sonically different era, consisting of weepy violins, traces of Bossa Nova, and delightful jazzy tracks. However, my favorite on the album “Kiss Me (I Loved You)” has its roots in the rest of Tillman’s discography. The timid piano intro mirrors the piano in “I Love You, Honeybear” and Tillman’s pleas for affection remind me of “When You’re Smiling and Astride Me” both off of I Love You, Honeybear. The song creates a dreamscape of a couple on the verge of destruction; a bittersweet melody sending off a couple as they dance on a sinking ship or sway silently in the middle of a burning dance floor.