North Texas Daily

Nicholas Friedman // Staff Writer

Chromeo – Come Alive (ft. Toro y Moi)

Chromeo, the Canadian electro-funk duo consisting of Dave 1 (David Macklovitch) and P-Thugg (Patrick Gemayel) returns with a supporting single for its upcoming album “White Women.” The song features a vocal track by chill-wave artist Toro y Moi (Chaz Bundick). The track cracks wide open in the first few seconds with pounding drums and wastes no time channeling a wave of disco influence. These sounds carry the first verse of the song into a groovy chorus, backed by alternating piano inserts, breaths and backup vocals. Toro y Moi chimes in after the first chorus and brings his vibrant, youthful voice to the track, which provides a seamless transition to the second chorus and couples nicely with a soothing guitar solo.

Rate: 4.5/5

Listen if you like: Daft Punk, Classixx, Toro y Moi.

Vampire Weekend – Step “remix” (ft. Danny Brown, Heems, & Despot)

After multiple award nominations and media year-end lists naming its third studio album “Modern Vampires of the City” the best album of the year, Vampire Weekend recently released an official remix of the song “Step.” The remix features rap artists Danny Brown, Heems (of Das Racist) and Despot. The track kicks off like the album version, but Danny Brown eventually knocks listeners back with his unusual rapping style. Though seeming in your face, Brown’s follow-up on his rhymes provides cohesive story elements and set-up for the remainder of the song. The tone shifts as Heems begins his signature talk-style of rapping, spitting a flashback verse about a girl he met in college. Despot ties the track together, and while his rhymes don’t compare to Brown’s and Heems’s, his appearance serves as a perfect lead into the final few bars of the track.

Rate: 3.5/5

Listen if you like: Das Racist, Childish Gambino, Chance the Rapper

Broken Bells – Holding On For Life

The dynamic duo of The Shins’ lead singer (James Mercer) and renowned producer Danger Mouse (Brian Burton) is back with Broken Bells’ upcoming sophomore album, “Alter the Disco.” The lead single “Holding On For Life” carries a sci-fi tone throughout, beginning with eerie metallic noises complimenting the crooning of Mercer, who seems to have channeled his inner The Bee Gees fanatic, shining in the chorus. Mesmerizing synthesizer sounds fill the void following the chorus and lead into another calm verse, which is where the heart of the song lies. The track glides gracefully into the final section – a riff-filled ecstasy neatly tied up by a concluding chorus. With a series of short films planned for the album as part of a special rollout, Broken Bells seem to be doing everything it can to one-up its critically praised self-titled first album.

Rate: 4/5

Listen if you like: The Shins, The Bee Gees, Discovery

Feature photo: Graphic by Nicole Arnold / Visuals Editor