Big Thief: Not

Lead by vocalist Adrianne Lenker’s desperate calls, Big Thief’s “Not” fuses folk-influence and scorching guitar solos to form a track that’s both cohesive and beautifully chaotic. At the halfway mark, Lenker’s grasping for air and a massive instrumental track haunts the background—then a three-minute-long guitar solo bursts in. It continues until the track’s end, when it all but whimpers away. The band’s second album of …

The Nicholas: Call Me Back

Relaxed but purposeful, “Call Me Back” by The Nicholas (aka Amsterdam/LA-based Rutger van Woudenberg) is dreamy but tactile. “Your heart’s like a star / I saw you from afar / Maybe it’s time for you / to call me back,” he rings out on the track, which is from Woudenberg’s Lighthead EP. It’s altogether sonically pleasing and reminiscent of bygone eras, though influenced by psych-stars …

Listen Up

Classic hip-hop, experimental soundscapes, sample-heavy tunes and more in our musical round-up

Rapsody: Ibtihaj Named for Ibtihaj Muhammad (the first American to wear a hijab when competing for the USA in the Olympics), new single “Ibtihaj,” from North Carolina rapper Rapsody, heavily samples GZA’s “Liquid Swords” and also features the Wu Tang member. Unlike the 1995 track, this release includes the immediately recognizable vocals of D’Angelo. The infectious groove will appear on Rapsody’s upcoming album EVE, which …