When I think of ribs and music, my mind goes on a number of insane little journeys. The first is a meandering stroll towards a jingle that captured the hearts and appetites of America with the help of a little group you've probably never heard of.
Further down the paths of musical association I'm drawn to a memory from a Disney movie that we all know and love. You laughed at Pumba's antics, you cried when Mufasa died (spoilers), and you hummed along when this little ditty got stuck in your head courtesy of a captive hornbill trapped within a ribcage.
It's worth noting that these songs have nothing to do with this week's free single, "Ribs" by Lorde aside from my mindless word association. If you haven't heard of Lorde, then you're living under a musical rock. As I write this, her hit single "Royals" is the number one song on iTunes and the Billboard Hot 100. Her managers must be worried that that won't prove to be enough press to promote her new album, so they've cushioned that exposure with a free single.
Despite her number one single, Lorde is still relatively unknown as a person and artist. Her real name is Ella Yelich-O'Connor, and she's a 16-year-old from New Zealand making it big early in her musical career. Her EP, The Love Club, was met with critical acclaim, and she later ushered her hit single "Royals" onto the world music scene. All of this has spiraled into a whirlwind of press and attention over the course of about five months and is culminating now in her first full album, Pure Heroine. It's electric-infused alt-pop with a musical maturity not expected out of someone her age. Compound this sound with her smooth, mezzo voice and her poetic lyrics and you've got an artist that deserves all the attention she's getting. But don't take my word for it - let's listen to this week's example.
