Snack Trax: Finally, that song Pharrell was freaking out about has been released

Hi. Welcome to Snack Trax, an occasional series offering bite-size descriptions of a few songs worth hearing.

Among the topics this time around: video-game influenced raps from Atlanta, the magic of Lex Luger sample kits, and that track Pharrell Williams was freaking out about.

Maggie Rogers – Alaska

If you saw that video of Williams going absolutely wild (if not, watch it, it’s amazing) over an NYU music student’s song and wondered when it would come out, here you go.

Maggie Rogers grew up as a banjo player in rural Maryland, then slowly got into dance music. That background is a little unusual, but if it produces music like this, then I’m all in. 

I don’t deny that this song gives me “Royals” vibes, but that’s probably just because of the catchy hook. “Alaska” has the lilting vocal inflections of a country song, the depth of a poem and a bunch of quirky little touches that don’t really make sense until you turn it up all the way in your headphones and listen a few times.

So go ahead and do that.

Father - Heartthrob

(Note: Be forewarned, as this track contains vulgarities)

Atlanta’s Father, who most of the world was introduced to via the bizarre office-chair party video for “Look at Wrist,” is truly special. The casual Dem Franchize Boyz interpolation in the first bar demands multiple rewinds, and Father’s ability to flit from talking about Dragon Ball Z to blithe mentions of criminal activity, all while avoiding the actual topic of the song, is kind of astonishing.

This brings us to Meltycanon’s (formerly known as Doujinshi) production – it’s a little hard to describe his style as anything but “cute.” The video game and anime influence is always audible in his work, even though he doesn’t sample much. And when he does a rare remix or cover, like this brilliantly understated rework of Usher's “U Don’t Have to Call,” he manages to make it sound adorable.

Also, don’t miss this unfinished remix of “Heartthrob.” 

Paulie - Wander (with Strngr)

One of the great (or terrible, depending on whom you ask) things about the new generation of bedroom producers is the ease and openness with which musicians can talk about the process of music-making.

Example: One of the hashtags for this track is “luger brass haha ya,” which is a reference to a pack of samples purportedly used by hip-hop producer Lex Luger. Downloading those isn’t going to make you a hit producer, but if you want to copy Luger’s sound, it’s a step in the right direction. Another hashtag “carmack me up,” a nod to Mr. Carmack, a producer certainly worth looking up to.

Strngr’s track wears both influences on its sleeve. Deep horn stabs that are just this side of too deep, a simple chord pattern and a droning drum track. Simple, effective, addictive.

Follow me @dexdigi for more on the intersection of culture and the Internet.