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5 songs you need to stream this week: Bon Iver, Hamilton Leithauser and more

By Parker Hall September 18, 2016

best songs to stream 9 16 hamiton leithauser and rostam — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Every week, there are hundreds of thousands of new songs hitting the airwaves. It’s too much for just your two ears to handle: With all those options, you can’t be wasting your time on tracks worthy of a thumbs-down click.

But don’t worry, we’re going to save you the hassle. We listen to some of the most-hyped and interesting songs each week and tell you which are worthy of your precious listening time.

Here are our top 5 songs to stream this week. Also, don’t forget to subscribe to our Spotify page for a playlist of our weekly picks, which can also be found at the bottom of this post.

Bon Iver — 8 (circle) (Live on Jimmy Fallon)

Bon Iver frontman Justin Vernon brought a massive live band with him to debut his latest single on Jimmy Fallon’s bandstand this past Thursday. The track of choice is a steadily-growing number which culminates in a massive, church-like chorus. It’s an astounding, heavily-layered piece of music which channels the songwriter’s softer side. It’s got plenty of touches from Vernon’s past, but its musical feet are clearly planted in the present.

Hamilton Leithauser + Rostam — A 1000 Times (Live on Colbert)

Hamilton Leithauser + Rostam perform "A 1000 Times"

Ex-Vampire Weekend member Rostam showed off his new collaboration with rocker Hamilton Leithauser (The Walkmen) this week on Colbert, delivering a pure-bred rock and roll single with all the requisite passion. Rostam demonstrates his varied musical talents in the video, changing instruments multiple times before eventually roaring forth with a heavily-distorted guitar solo.

Wavves — You Gave Your Love To Me Softly (Weezer Cover)

A pitch-perfect cover of Weezer's You Gave Your Love To Me Softly is the latest recording from present-day shredders Wavves. The first track from their half of a split seven-inch LP which they will put out with the ’90s alt-rock gods later this year, we can’t imagine a more perfect homage than this.

Tobias Jesso Jr. — Don’t (demo)

tobias jesso jr - don't (demo)

Tobias Jesso Jr. has made a name for himself with sultry singles for years, and a recently-released demo for an old song called Don’t fits that bill so well, we wonder why it never saw the light of day until now. Here, Jesso Jr.’s voice serenades listeners over a gentle Fender Rhodes backing track. If you weren’t already a convert to his soothing sounds, this single is the one that will do it.

La Sera — Queens

Female-fronted indie rockers La Sera have been quite prolific of late. After releasing a Ryan Adams-produced album in March, they’re already back with a new single. The title track of an upcoming EP called Queens, the song is an upbeat jingle guitarist Todd Wisenbaker penned about a leisurely stroll through East Hollywood he took one night. If you need to brighten your day, this is the one.

That’s it for now, but tune in next week for more tunes and check out our playlist loaded with our recent selections below:

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Former Digital Trends Contributor

Parker Hall is a writer and musician from Portland, OR. He is a graduate of the Oberlin Conservatory of Music in Oberlin…

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