Welcome to Music Monday! My Instagram (@margaritaluvsmusic) has a trend called Music Mondays, where every Monday, I list out five songs I’ve been listening to and explain why I like them. If you like this read, make sure to go give the page a glance. This week’s tracks are songs that have been stuck in my head and constantly streaming in my headphones, so I hope you enjoy.
“Let It Ride” – Robert Glasper, Norah Jones
This is one of the best songs I’ve heard in a long time. The goal of any drummer is to be “in the pocket,” or playing perfectly in time and groove with the other musicians, and I think the drummer here might have invented the pocket – Mark Colenburg’s brilliance epitomizes the glory of this song. The depth of Norah Jones’ voice is perfect for the percussive complexity, with the synthesized piano line combined with the acoustic piano tying a bridge between her timbre and the percussion. The seven minutes of this song are jazz-adjacent musical gold, and I highly encourage anyone who remotely tolerates jazz to check this out.
“Paris, Tokyo” – Lupe Fiasco
Lupe Fiasco’s vocal layering here establishes a serene base for his intense lyrical imagery about traveling the world. The beauty he gathers through sightseeing parallels his romantic adoration, as he discusses his desire to show his love interest the world’s beauty with the lyric “wherever I go, she goes.” The calm piano in the instrumental complements the softness in Fiasco’s voice, a rarity in his discography.
“5 Dollar Pony Rides” – Mac Miller
From his newest album, Balloonerism, this track embodies the perfect combination of Mac Miller’s talk-rapping and breathy singing that led him to topping alternative hip-hop charts. Thundercat’s production is overwhelmingly evident with the staple bassline and upbeat piano line. Miller’s impromptu in-time talking rang reminiscent of his Tiny Desk concert, making this track a personal favorite off the new album.
“You Know What” – N.E.R.D.
Pharrell’s iconic four-beat opening starts off this addictive amalgamation of complimentary electric guitar and drumlines. N.E.R.D. made this track off of Seeing Sounds an instantly danceable hit. An acronym for No one Ever Really Dies, this group created an instrumentally complex groove about the addictive dangers of a friends-with-benefits relationship. The song’s addictive listening potential parallels the lyrical content, making it all the more fun.
“A Roller Skating Jam Named ‘Saturdays’” – De La Soul, Q-Tip, Vinia Mojica
Sampling eight different songs on this four-minute track, including “Saturday in the Park” by Chicago and “Good Times” by Chic, De La Soul created an unforgettable emcee track. With alternating verses, the trio makes numerous cultural references to Anita Baker and marijuana, interlacing them with production clips that would make any old head proud. The energy of this song is quite literally indescribable, and it’s a must-listen for anyone with a strong affinity for older hip-hop.
