Our Favorite Songs Right Now: Prophets of Rage, Jamila Woods and More
Our latest playlist of current Rolling Stone favorites includes both vital newcomers and welcome returns from familiar faces, fresh material and compelling twists on classic tracks. Scroll down to hear Arcade Fire's Win Butler pay touching tribute to Suicide's Alan Vega, Chuck D revisit a Public Enemy anthem with current supergroup Prophets of Rage, the latest offerings from Justice and Wilco, and more.
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Wilco, “If I Ever Was a Child”
This gentle, folky tune from Wilco's new LP (due in September) is so laid-back and pretty, you almost don't notice its haunted lyrics. But Wilco have always specialized in turning ambivalence into beauty.
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Francis and the Lights feat. Kanye West and Bon Iver, “Friends”
Arty pop crew Francis and the Lights reunite the dream team from Ye's Dark Twisted Fantasy for some synth-y falsetto bliss.
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Justice, “Safe and Sound”
The French EDM duo are back after a long hiatus, and this sticky house-throbber is a reminder of what the global dance floor's been missing.
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Martha, “Ice Cream and Sunscreen”
"I know you wish for fireworks to light your July sky/I was the dampest box of matches you could ever hope to find," these adorable U.K. indie rockers sing as they go from strummy dejection to punk-rock fury. The result is a blazingly great anti-summer jam.
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Win Butler, “K33p Ur Dr34ms”
The Arcade Fire frontman honored the passing of Suicide's Alan Vega with a lovingly creepy remix of his mutant ballad "Dream Baby Dream." It's a beautiful farewell to a punk icon.
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Jamila Woods feat. Chance The Rapper, “LSD”
A highlight from Woods' excellent new LP, HEAVN, that makes Chicago's Lake Shore Drive seem like a trippy R&B utopia.
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Prophets of Rage, “Prophets of Rage”
Rap-rock supergroup covers a Public Enemy classic with explosive agitprop force.