The Top 5 Tracks to Hear This Weekend

The top 5 tracks to hear this weekend include five tracks from Stephen Heard, regular contributor to Concrete Playground and flamboyant front man to Clap Clap Riot. As he heads to the States to film the video for their upcoming single (and pending album release), we asked him to list off five tracks that he is digging right now.

The tracks include the first new music from an iconic NZ act in over a decade, a classic French song re-imagined by some Aussies, and one of the newest tune from the most powerful man in hip-hop, Jay-Z, and more. Enjoy your weekend.

1. Jay-Z

Jay-Z performed his song 'Picasso Baby' for six-hours straight in a New York art gallery earlier last week. Going off my calculations that's a whopping 88.6 times he had to spit lines like "I never stuck my cock in a fox's box". Apparently the footage will be compiled for a music video to accompany the single which comes off his latest album Magna Carta Holy Grail. The song is carried by a classic funk bass line, which harks back to an 80s cop show theme song. Contrary, the lyrical content is straight up bragging about his love of fine art.

2. Deep Sea Arcade

The word 'beautiful' isn't the first thing that comes to mind when you think of a French song being interpreted by a bunch of Australians. But, you've got to hand it to Sydney-siders Deep Sea Arcade and Megan Washington, who have re-worked Serge Gainsbourg's 1968 classic Bonnie and Clyde into an upbeat yet ethereal and psychedelic wonder. The song was recorded for a new initiative called Melodie Francaise - a compilation of classic and contemporary French songs interpreted by our neighbours across the ditch.

3. Beck

I've been waiting to wrap my eardrums around some new material from Beck ever since he decided to release his latest album as sheet music only. Aside from the single 'Defriended' released in June, 'I Won't Be Long' is the first new music from Beck in what seems like a lifetime. The song, held together by two chords and a thumping beat, eventually settles into a reverb-soaked chorus that you'll have swirling around in your head for days. The single is due to be released on 12? vinyl, alongside an extended 14 minute version as the b-side.

4. Franz Ferdinand

'Right Action' is a hook-laden party sing-a-long, and it's no wonder seeing the band enlisted Joe Goddard and Alexis Taylor of Hot Chip to overlook production duties. The song is the lead single from the band's upcoming album Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action - their first release in four years.

5. The Chills

NZ band The Chills who epitomize the 'Dunedin Sound' label have released one of their first new songs in a decade. 'Molten Gold' is best described by leading songwriter Martin Phillipps as "the culmination of a lot of work by many people who have helped digitize and sort many of the hundreds of song ideas I have started". The song was released on Phillipps' birthday and followed an announcement that the band have penned a deal with UK label Fire Records.