Francis and the Lights, "Friends" feat. Bon Iver & Kanye West

Normally Balk puts something really obscure and ethereal in this space, but today it’s me and I don’t know anything obscure so I’m going to put the song we’ve all been listening to for the last five days here because I’m a bit behind so I’m still just catching up on completing my loops. I was out of the country for a week and I have no clue what Pokemon Go is besides a Vox headline generator; I refuse to find out more, and you can’t make me. I’m going to stay here on this side of the line with all the bad news, dancing presidents, and heat waves. Isn’t it amazing how desperate we are to be distracted by moving pixels?

I like this song because it’s a perfect length, just a few seconds north of three minutes. It has Justin Vernon, whose other stage name I don’t like to pronounce out loud, and a wistful Kanye West, who I can’t quite tell whether or not his actual vocals are on the track or if his person just appears in the music video. The video is calmly strange and sort of soothing in its own way. At one point Francis and Justin Vernon do some light choreography without breaking a sweat, and what’s better than grown men moving in sync with each other with little to no affect? The camera pans out as the men pose and we see Kanye doing exactly what you think he’d do on the set of a music video, just standing under a light box in the corner, thumbing his nose.

Francis and Justin/Bon (along with many others) will perform at the Eaux Claires music festival in August.