An estimated 98% of us experience earworms. Despite the annoying times that we can’t get a chorus or a hook of an overplayed pop song out of our heads, getting a really good earworm stuck can be one of the best things ever.
We here at Nerdist are dead-set on bringing you those types of songs, if only for the weekend. We’ll be scouring the internet for the best earworms we can shove into your meaty brains!
After last week’s article where I used the nuclear option of annoying songs that hit the trifecta of annoying traits (from the ’90s, performed by a child, and incredibly gimmicky) I figured I owe you the reader – but especially my dearest editor – a break from that sort of music. This week it’s just some decent music and earwormy goodness of the truest kind and hey, one of the songs is even from this year! Before we get to it, I should probably mention that aspects of these videos are sort of NSFW. Nothing too bad but think late-night FXX or Adult Swim.
Tame Impala – The Less I Know The Better
Tame Impala‘s latest album Currents was released earlier this year and it’s one of those albums that you’ll never regret purchasing. The video for this track came out at the end of November and has been kind of haunting me ever since. Showing up on friends’ social feeds, being sent the link to the song out of the blue by friends I don’t normally keep up with, and even in an Uber where I began to think I was in some sort of earworm version of The Truman Show.
The video for “The Less I Know The Better” is – to say the least – a bit strange but still remains oddly relatable. Basically a story of dealing with one’s ex moving on but told with a surreal world in which the “other guy” is embodied by a King Kong-esque gorilla named “Trevor.” For those of us lucky enough to have loved and lost, the “Trevor” in those situations can seem like a beast whose appeal is completely lost on you. If you can’t relate to the visuals in a weird way, the line “I was doing fine without ya, ’til I saw your eyes turn away from mine” will likely hit home for anyone who’s been in that sort of situation. Beyond the weird and beautiful video, the song itself displays the repetition one often hears in an earworm. It’s the kind of song you could listen to on an endless loop but if it doesn’t grab you right away, check out the mellow “Cause I’m a Man” off the same album.
While we’re on the subject of strange videos…
alt-J – Breezeblocks
Unorthodox vocals, unexpected tempo changes, and what sounds like a kid’s xylophone – alt-J‘s “Breezeblocks” isn’t exactly a song you can necessarily sing along to, but it’s definitely a tune you’re bound to repeat a few times if at least for the incredibly well shot – albeit dark as hell – music video. Their first official video from 2012 plays out in reverse where we see a murder has occurred and the violent events that lead to it. Strange and brutal videos seem to be alt-J’s milieu and I kind of love them for it but “Breezeblocks” is rather dark and leaves you unsure how to feel about either character by the end of it. The video – as they’re often meant to – punctuates the feeling of the song perfectly and is downright interesting despite being gruesome.
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There you have it, two great songs that are without gimmicks and as near as I can tell couldn’t annoy a soul or – more specifically -a certain editor.
What are you favorite tracks by these two bands? Do these remind you of other artists? Let me know in the comments below!
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Image: Tame Impala
Blake Rodgers writes for Nerdist from Chicago IL where he lives happily with his Guinness World Record for High Fives. You can be his pal by following him on Twitter (@TheBlakeRodgers)
