Friday Five: Brandy Clark meets Brandi Carlile, Kylie Minogue knows magic, and more
Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic; Isabel Infantes/PA Images via Getty Images; Danielle Del Valle/Getty Images; Brad Barket/Getty Images; Scott Dudelson/WireImage
Every Friday, EW's music team runs down the five best songs of the week. In today's edition, Brandy (Clark) teams with Brandi (Carlile), Sad13 is just floating along, Kylie Minogue brings the magic, YG is out on bail, and Oneohtrix Point Never keeps us guessing.
"Same Devil" — Brandy Clark feat. Bradi Carlile
A summit of titans can instill fear: Will it live up to expectations? Fans have long fantasized about a collaboration between these like-named singer-songwriters, two of the best of their generation. Produced by Carlile, who offers shiver-inducing back-up vocals and harmonies, this haunting, acoustic ballad that conjures both dark alleys and spectral hollers as it addresses the sins and salvations that unite us, more than honors the promise of the great Brandi/y summit of 2020. —Sarah Rodman
"Ruby Wand" — Sad13
Sadie Dupuis's "Ruby Wand" (off new album Haunted Painting) is a bright and bold piece of synth-rock. But there's something darker lurking under all those peppy chords — death, an OCD diagnosis, self-harm: "It’s the first time someone I slept with passed/half a decade since we spoke last I can’t stop searching for his name, as if I wouldn’t do things the same." By the end, the gloom rears its head as a thrashing guitar solo. "Just afloat, but treading all along," she sings, landing right back where she started. —Alex Suskind
"Magic" — Kylie Minogue
On "Magic," Kylie Minogue kicks off witchy season by conjuring up a neon-coated disco heaven. The second single off her upcoming 15th studio album serves as a tempting potion of horns, funky strings, celebratory hand claps, and staccato keys brewing under Minogue’s light-as-a-feather vocals. It’s an unabashedly vintage homage to the groovy glitz and dreamy glamour of 1970s dance floors — and a welcome departure from the brutal reality of 2020. But the cheery tune also offers a tangible message of hope: It’s easy to believe in a brighter future ahead — and feel magic in the air — when you surrender to Queen Kylie’s sonic spell. —Joey Nolfi
"Auto & Allo" – Oneohtrix Point Never
Hiccuping electric strings kick off the latest track from Daniel Lopatin, aka Oneohtrix Point Never. Part of a three-song release called Drive Time Suite, "Auto & Allo" takes a number of pleasantly unexpected turns, layering talk-box effects, electric harpsichords, and glistening synths that sound like someone digging through a pile of crystals, before exploding into a beautiful baroque arrangement. —AS
"Out on Bail" — YG
YG sounds defiant and downtrodden on his latest single, a minimalist cut off his forthcoming album MY LIFE 4HUNNID. True to its title, "Out on Bail" nods at the robbery charges the rapper faced ahead of the Grammys last January. "I'm out on bail, them motherf---s tryna get me.... I'm innocent as f---, but they tryna prove I'm guilty," he raps over filtered strings and a swampy kick drum. –AS
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