Staff Pixx 12/3
Looking for new tunes? The Music Staff submits their favorite songs of each week for the Staff Pixx radio show. If you can’t tune in Tuesdays at 6pm, check in to the Milk Crate home page for a full playlist, along with notes from each of our writers!
Mateo Rispoli
If You Could Touch Her At All by Bill Calahan
After this year’s pensive and sprawling psych-folk Shepherd in a Sheepskin Vest, Bill Callahan returns to more traditional country textures on “If You Could Touch Her At All.” Bill waltzes across his memories of a lover and how she reduces him to “flesh and bone.” His signature baritone is less confidently deadpan and more submissive and humble. The B-side, “So Long, Marriane” is further proof that Callahan, an iconoclast of country, can still inhabit its purer forms with ease.
Lily Hartenstein
Hallelujah by HAIM
Let’s be honest, it’s seasonal depression time and we’re all feeling the effects of the fact that it’s dark by 4:30 pretty heavy. HAIM has delivered this soft, simultaneously sad and warm ballad for all our sadboi moments this season, and I thank them for it. The group of sisters strays from their recently poppy repertoire to show off their stripped-down skill in this gentle acoustic ballad. Hallelujah is one of those songs you can easily listen to while staring out at the snow through a foggy window on the Green Line, but it’s also reminiscent of sleepy summer nights in the country.
Simon Tranfaglia
Brain Soup by Nasty Cherry
Nasty Cherrys’ rise to fame was not a traditional one. Being the dolls in Charlie XCXs’ barbie dreamhouse, she creates the ultimate girl band. Nasty Cherrys' blend of pop and punk is irresistible. “Brain Soup” standouts on the EP with its cheeky sound along with lead singer Gabriette Bechtel occasional screams that break through the electronic synths. Their first EP Season 1 was released alongside their Netflix special “Nasty Cherry: I’m With The Band.” Having already proclaimed themselves the “best band in the world” this won’t be the last we hear of Nasty Cherry.
Erin Christie
Surprise by Kevin Krauter
The first single off Kevin Krauter’s sophomore record, Full Hand, is certainly a pleasant “Surprise.” “Sometimes I feel like a guilty pleasure / Sometimes I don’t feel any pleasure at all,” Krauter admits as the track opens and it feels like a stab in the gut. The disparity between the light, jovial instrumentation and the existentially melancholic lyrics somehow fits perfectly, making it easier to swallow if we, the listeners, relate to Krauter’s inner struggles. As the track continues, though, we see Krauter not only pushing back his demons, but letting them go. Sometimes, it’s easier to come to terms with whatever dark thoughts we might be fostering if backed with a catchy tune that we can bob our heads along to.
Owen Murray
Toyota Man by Neon Indian
“Toyota Man” is a zaniest pro-immigrant anthem, that could only come from the mind of Alan Palomo, AKA Neon Indian. The song is his first to be sung in Spanish and follows his journey to American citizenship and the politicization of his existence in the age of Trump. Neon Indian just finished up his North American tour. “Toyota Man” his first new single since his album VEGA INTL. Night School in 2015.
J. Faith Malicdem
Time Alone With You by Jacob Collier feat. Daniel Caesar
Grammy award winner and nominee Jacob Collier lays down groovy tracks layered with voice manipulation and heavy basslines in “Time Alone With You,” where Daniel Caesar takes the lead with his soulful vocals. The song kicks off Collier’s third volume of Djesse, a four-part musical universe that will “traverse every musical world and genre under the sun,” according to Collier himself. Collier will be embarking on a world tour next spring, showcasing the entirety of the Djesse collection.
Kenneth Cox
Perfect Crime by Tinashe
After breaking from RCA Records, Tinashe’s new, fully independent project Songs for You showcases the creativity that her past label restricted in her work. “Perfect Crime,” a mid-album highlight, is a smooth, slinking R&B track infused with a disco beat that lets Tinashe’s vocals glide over the track. The track is filled with the confidence and excitement of an artist finally making music on her own terms.