Whatever. Hi, everyone. Anthony Fantano here, the internet's busiest, most golden music nerd here. It's time for a weekly track roundup. My thoughts on a bunch of tracks, whether I loved them or hated them or felt somewhere in between that dropped over the past week or so, giving you my thoughts, my feelings, my opinions.

That's pretty much the deal. That's the story. That's what happens in these videos.

So without any further ado, let's go ahead and do that.

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Let's head into the worst tracks of the week.

A new one from Benny X and sampling Super Heaven. It's like this weird rage, psych trap alt rock sampled song. It's a weird mix of vibes, and I don't really feel like it's quite working. But hey, if it goes well for them, it goes well.

And also not really digging the new SOPHIE single featuring Bibi Borelli, unfortunately. Obviously, this upcoming posthumous album is going to feature a wide array of different tracks, especially considering SOPHIE has done super experimental cuts, straightforward dance cuts, mainstream pop cuts, has worked with a pretty wide range of artists or did over the course of her career. So it seems like we're going to be getting a bit of a taste of everything on this upcoming album. And while I have liked the previous singles to the record, this one, "Exhilarate", not quite so much, not really my tempo, not really my, I guess, style of pop. Seems a little conventional for something SOPHIE-related. However, again, SOPHIE has provided production for a lot of different artists over the years. Some experimental, some not so. Which this seems like to be on the latter side of that spectrum. And again, not quite my vibe, and I'll leave it there.

The tracks I was meh on...

We have a new one from Victoria Monet, a big, huge, mainstream, RnB Duet with Usher, "Sex on Site", is the name of the track. And yeah, again, lots of star power, interesting crossover, but as a song... By the normal standards of this style, of this genre, of this lane, I just feel like it's okay. You know, nothing too crazy, but for sure, the vocal chemistry is there. At the very least, we can say that.

All right, we also have one from Tommy Richmond, who is really playing the consistency card with these new tracks, with these new singles. I Thought You Were the One", is the name of this new one. And yeah, it pretty much features the same vocals, same perks, same kinds of keys. It's just a different tune, different lyrics. But hey, if you really liked "Million Dollar Baby", you might enjoy this as well.

All right.

Also, Toki Monster has a new, very smooth one out that also features Anderson .Paak as well as Ray Khalil. "On Sum" is the title. It's okay. It's soft, it's sweet, it's cool while it's on, but it's not necessarily driving me back to it or anything like that anytime soon.

We have one from Stevie Wonder, really coming through with some DNC pop on this one. "Can We Fix Our Nation's Broken Heart?" is the name of the track. And yeah, it's a ballad with big hopes for a brighter future. I get it. I can get behind some positivity. Is it a little corny? Yeah, most definitely it is. But with Stevie, it always comes from a very loving, authentic place. He means it deep down, and it's endearing in that sense, even if it's not one of his greatest songs ever. Also, killer harmonica solo. Stevie's whipping out the harmonica on this one, too, so shout out for that.

We have one from MICHELLE, the third single from their forthcoming album, Songs About You Specifically. The tracks have really covered a a range of styles. This one, I feel like they didn't quite put as interesting a spin on, but still it is a very capable and decent '70s glammy little electric keys type ballad. It's cute. It's sweet. It's a decent listen. It's titled "Cathy".

We also have one from Kim Gordon, who is teaming up with model home on this one. "razzamatazz" is the name of the track. It doesn't really stand up to any of the cuts off of Kim's recent solo LP, but if you're looking for more music from her that goes in like an experimental spoken word, hip hop, abstract hip hop type direction, most definitely give this one a shot. Give it a spin.

We have also one from Data Girl as well as death's dynamic shroud. Some very digital, super idyllic, terminally online, electronic pop on this one. The vocals weren't really too much for me. And the production for death's dynamic shroud's usual standards is pretty conventional. But hey, it's listenable for sure. It'll probably catch the ears of some people who aren't usually into DDS's more experimental stuff. I'll say that.

Okay, the best tracks of the week.

We have quite a few of those. Let's make our way through. They are as follows.

Swedish House Mafia comes through with a really great, strong, glitzy, but quality house single featuring some great vocals from Alicia Keys. It's bold, it's fun, it's straightforward. It's very cut and dry, but still catchy and exhilarating to listen to all the same.

We also have a new couple of tracks from The Smile from their forthcoming record, Cutouts. So presumably this is like, I don't know, extra songs from the sessions that the last album came out of, songs that wouldn't have made sense on the last album. I don't really know what the full, I guess, rationale is behind this album, but the Smile are still coming through with two albums this year all the same. "Foreign Spies" is the spacier and more abstract and ambient of the two tracks, but "Zero Sum", the track I would like to specifically point to here, is actually quite the rocker, very groovy, very percussive, and some wild licks and riffs on that one, too. I'm liking it a lot. I could see why it wouldn't have made the last album because it would have handily been the most aggressive song on the record. But man, it's funky, it's rocking. I'm liking that one a lot.

Moving on from there. SHEBAD, which is this up and coming group that has a new single out titled "Black Walnut". I'm really liking this one. It's got elements of funk and soul, the violin licks and the horns are great. The bass line is killer. The vocals are impressive, too. It's just a whole vibe. It's a whole groove. It's everything getting mashed together. It's very melodic. It's very fun. It's very, again, groovy, groovy, groovy, eight ways til Sunday, and I'm really liking what this group is doing on this single. I'm going to have to look into more of what they do as they continue forward. So again, SHEBAD.

Also, A$AP Rocky has seen fit to officially drop the music video and single for his long-linked Taylor Swift or "Tailor Swif" single. So cool that that's out and about. Maybe it is just a tad bit more entertaining with the music video attached, but it's still a fun little banger all the same. So it's cool that it's seeing an official release. I will say that.

Okay, we also have The Last Dinner Party, who are coming through with a cover out of the blue off of a revamped version of their new record that has some versions of songs off the album. But this track over here is actually a cover of the Sparks song, "This Town Ain't Big Enough for the Both of Us". Actually, I'm surprised it didn't really dawn on me previously that Sparks could potentially be a big influence on the band. But given how zany and theatric and over the top a lot of their stuff tends to be, it makes absolute and just complete sense. And it's an excellent cover. I mean, they really lean into the dramatics of it and do the song way more justice than I think most artists would. Sparks are not an easy to cover group because I feel like a lot of the magic behind Sparks music comes down to like attitude, and comes down to a lot of camp, too. There's camp in there. And if the Last Dinner Party does anything well, it's that. Really really cool to hear them really, really nail it on this cover.

We also have LL Cool Jay, who has an upcoming album titled The Force, which seems to have some sick production on it from Q-Tip, including on this track that has Eminem on it, "Murdergram Deux". And man, these two guys are rapping their asses off on this track, and the beat is killer. Absolutely great. I didn't know LL was still rapping like this. Again, he's rapping his ass off. It's sick. It's great. It's fantastic. I'm liking this one a lot. Really looking forward to hearing the rest of this record, especially since I've tried a few tracks from it, and it seems like a very tasteful throwback. And again, that Q-Tip production is doing its thing. So LL Cool Jay, "Murdergram Deux". Really liking this one.

All right, we have an indie rock legend, Kim Deal, who has a new record on the way, a few singles out from it, including "Crystal Breath", which is a very funky, groovy, gruff, rough around the edges, post-punky rocker, where her vocals are just going off, liking everything about it. And the other single is a lot more low-key, ballad-like, has some trumpets in the mix there. It seems like she's really going to be covering a range of styles on this next album, which I'm looking forward to. But yeah, Kim Deal, still doing her thing. Hell, yeah.

A couple more.

Jamie XX has an ambitious crossover of sorts with this new single featuring Kelsey Lu, John Glacier, and Panda Bear. "Dafodil" is the name of the track. It's also got a very bold vocal sample on it, which the guest vocals tie into. They bounce off of, maybe you can call it a call and response thing, however you want to say it. There's a lot of layers to this track. It's a very unconventional dance song, too, with an interesting progression. Quite experimental, but still very sweet and very enjoyable. Again, "Dafodil" is the name of the track and really liking the creativity on this one for sure.

All right, we have Godspeed You! Black Emperor, post-rock legends, have a new album on the way. Of course, the title is very clearly in reference to the ongoing genocide in Palestine, specifically in Gaza. And yes, we have the closing track to that album, teased out as a single right now, "Gray Rubble - Green Shoots". And it's a very mournful, heavy, string-kissed waltz. Instrumental, very cinematic, very huge, very epic. Loving the progression, quite dark as well, and fitting, giving the harrowing inspiration that it is pulling from.

Okay, we have Gut Health, who has come through with a new song titled "Stiletto", which is magnitudes longer than their two previous singles up until this point. Seven minutes plus. And it's like this very linear, groovy, art punk, I guess you could say, meditation of sorts with a lot of layers, some great groovy bass, some intense vocals, too. Really liking the progression, liking the energy. Gut Health continues to be one of the most exciting up and coming bands in Australia at the moment, just based off of a handful of tracks.

All right, we have Gojira. Shout out to them. They have done an official release for the kickass track that they played during the French Olympic opening, which was quite entertaining. "Mea Culpa" is the title of that if you needed a refresher.

We also have FLO, this upcoming UK RnB trio have just been four for four on all of these singles to this forthcoming album they have on the way. In fact, I've just been consistently impressed with all their releases that I've heard, all their stuff that I've heard up until this point, because it's just such a well-done version of a classic RnB sound with great vocals, great songwriting, fantastic production, which is also the case for this latest one over here, "Bending My Rules". And while it's not the snappiest track I think they've come out with, I think it's vocally the flashiest and most technical that they have put out. And there's some great synced up tie-ins with some horn lines in the song as well that are really impressive. But FLO is absolutely killing it again with one track after the next - "Caught Up", which was also fantastic. But yeah, check this one out, too.

All right, we have Cordae, who's come through with a track featuring Anderson .Paak. Anderson has two features out this week. That's crazy. That's crazy. "Summer Drop" is the name of it. Like the title, it's got some groovy summery vibes. And given that it is Anderson and Cordae, of course, they're wrapping their asses off a little bit. It's a great vibe, and they've got some good quality chemistry. A lot of creative overlap, for sure.

All right, last one. Caribou, Daniel Snath, electronic music producer extraordinaire. "Come Find Me". Brand new single, new album on the way. And this track is groovin'. You can really get lost in it. And it's really just classic Caribou all the way if you enjoy some left field dance music. So give this one a listen as well.

That's going to be it for the weekly track, Roundup. Hopefully, you got some good recommendations out of this video. You guys are the best. I will see you in the next one. Anthony Fantano, Weekly Tracks, Forever.