Songs of the Week: Unicorn Kid, Bob Dylan, LOL Boys, and the Latest Return of Mariah Carey

Mariah Carey featuring Rick Ross and Meek Mill, “Triumphant”

Mariah Carey’s officially on American Idol now, which means her latest career comeback is in full swing, which means it’s time for that first big career comeback single. By the look of that cover art and the presence of Ricky and Meek, it looks like Carey is channeling her “Honey” prime, just swapping out a Bad Boy remix for a Maybach Music one. I am very, very onboard with this decision.

Dizzee Rascal featuring Pepper, “Scream”

“Scream” is one of the official songs of the London Olympics, so just in case you’re wondering how it is that one dude with that one song is getting that kind of shine, allow us to explain — while stateside, the great Dizzee Rascal was more or less a blip on our radar during that one summer where grime was like really a thing, back in his native U.K., dude’s a star. Anyway, this rousingly inspirational “I’m gonna give it my all”–type jam sure is a long ways away for a guy who once had a single named “Pussyhole.”

Grizzly Bear, “Yet Again”

While I was Googling to find this new Grizzly Bear song I also found this crazy news story from beautiful British Columbia: “Banff’s most famous grizzly bear and her three yearling cubs were tossed meat by tourists from a commercial tour van in a dangerous and misguided bid to lure the animals closer for a photo … Officials say it appears the bear family did not actually feast on the meat, and say they do not expect to lay charges at this point because the group of tourists has left the country.” Rebel tourists! Chucking meat! On the run! I gotta holler at their travel agent.

LOL Boys, “Changes” (Shlomo Remix) (Chopped & Slowed)

First Shlomo remixed LOL Boys’ “Changes,” then this dude Beeareayedee chopped it up some more, and the result is hypnotic and sort of terrifying. I once read a Roald Dahl short story about a guy who invents a machine that can hear the noises trees make when they get cut down, like when they groan in pain, and I think maybe those trees sounded like the beginning bit of this song.

Miguel, “Use Me”

As Pitchfork reminds us, the strange sounds of Frank Ocean and The Weeknd have gotten people excited about the possibilities of the R&B genre for the first time in forever. Cue Miguel, who is maybe the next one up, even though he doesn’t sound much like those other two guys: “He swings his sound far and wide, emphasizing just how much room there still is to move around in the genre.” Also, my friend who nominated this track for Songs of the Week made me promise I’d point out that sometimes Miguel dresses like this.

Vacationer, “Trip”

Surf cinematographer Dave Homcy explains his vision: “The LomoKino cameras that we used to film this played a huge role in this video. Its character played a major role in the final cut. The visual effect of modern footage captured by analog means complement the essence of our musical production.” Son, you made a Lana Del Rey Instagram video. Be easy. Cool song though.

Destiny’s Child, “Say My Name” (Cyril Hahn Remix)

Hahn’s awesome upheaval of the Destiny’s Child classic has been floating around for a bit, but comes to my attention this week courtesy The xx’s Facebook page. Oh you didn’t know The xx had a Facebook page? Go ahead. Poke them.

Bob Dylan, “Early Roman Kings”

Some people might think it’s weird that Bob Dylan is premiering new music via the promo for a Cinemax show about British intelligence agents chasing down Pakistani terrorists; I think he should have been doing it this way since the ’60s.

A$AP Rocky, “Pumped Up Kicks”

Rocky didn’t actually know the words to this song, but, earlier this week, he tried to cover it on British radio anyway. As you’ll soon hear for yourself, it was a fantastic decision.

Unicorn Kid, “Need U”

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!! Whhhhaaaattt the heeelllllll is going on heeeeer????!!!!! Also have a nice weekend!!!!!!!!!!

Filed Under: A$Ap Rocky, Beyonce, Mariah Carey, Miguel, Rick Ross, Songs of the Week

Amos Barshad has written for New York Magazine, Spin, GQ, XXL, and the Arkansas Times. He is a staff writer for Grantland.

Archive @ AmosBarshad

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