Pigeons & Planes' Best Songs of the Week

Another week of great music.

With so much good music steadily coming through, it's easy to miss some of the best. To help prevent this, we've rounded up the best songs from the past week. Here are the songs you can't afford to skip, in no particular order.

Tyler, the Creator ft. Frank Ocean - "Where This Flower Blooms"

Tyler the Creator Converse

With each of his studio albums, Tyler, the Creator entirely reshapes his sound. His fourth album Flower Boy, released last night, finds him occupying sunnier soundscapes than ever before, combining elements of soul, classic '90s hip-hop, and funk in unexpected ways. The album displays him in top form, his rapping the most deft it's ever been and his lyricism the most emotionally potent.

One of the album's standout tracks is "Where This Flower Blooms," a reflective look back on Tyler's rise to fame set to scintillating strings and his signature fuzzy synthesizers. Frank Ocean pops in to deliver an anthemic hook, adding to the triumphant feel of the song. Tyler is flourishing, and he wants his listeners to flourish too.—Charlotte Freitag

​Read more about 'Flower Boy' here.

Lana Del Rey - "Cherry"

Lana Del Rey is a chameleon. From ambitious orchestral arrangements to spare, simple production, from nostalgic ballads to songs with ASAP Rocky and Playboi Carti, the singer inhabits different sounds and characters at will. It's part of what makes her such an intriguing artist (and also why some people claim she lacks authenticity). Her new album Lust For Life is out today—hopefully you didn't listen to the leak—and there's so much going on that new favorites will surely emerge over time.

For the moment, "Cherry" stands out. It starts slow, all haunting guitar and reverb-laden drums, but eventually cracks open for the chorus, another lovestruck anthem. Listen to the whole album here.—Alex Gardner

Aminé ft. Offset - "Wedding Crashers"

amine banana fridge

Since breaking through with “Caroline” last summer, Aminé has been careful choosing which songs would follow his massive hit. Stringing together diverse cuts like "Baba," "REDMERCEDES," and “Turf" over the last year, he was able to show his range and was patient enough not to cash in on his big single with a cheap follow-up. 

Now that his debut album is only a week away, Offset finally represents the first big name rapper to join Aminé on one of his singles (outside of a “REDMERCEDS” remix) and “Wedding Crashers” feels like a hit. This has the same kind of upbeat energy, melodic raps, and addictive melodies that made “Caroline” such a success—but with Offset adlibs. So, basically, it sounds like a smash.—Eric Skelton

w.soundcloud.com

Obongjayar - "Endless"

Obongjayar press photo 2

Obongjayar is one of the most exciting new artists out. The London-based singer/rapper/all-round creative debuted last year with the multi-faceted Home EP and since then he's been working with XL Recordings' Richard Russell, appearing on his Close But Not Quite EP earlier this year.

This week Obongjayar returned with a Moses Boyd-produced song that he says "explores the celebration of life in death. How we never really die but live through our work and our effects on the people around us and our environment.” It's a raw, rolling track accompanied by a beautiful video, cementing Obongjayar's status as a must-watch artist.—Alex Gardner

Read our interview with Obongjayar here.

Jim-E Stack - "Moments Noticed"

Jim E Stack

L.A.-based producer Jim-E Stack knows how to pack a punch into his tracks, carrying considerable emotional heft in each release with very little in the way of vocals. "Moments Noticed" is one of the best examples of this so far, featuring chopped vocals from Charli XCX scattered across the hopeful but forlorn instrumental. His signature sound is quite malleable, but he's at his absolute best when he's crafting bittersweet and melancholic songs like "Moments Noticed."—Joe Price

Lou The Human - "Lou's Dead"

lou the human macklemore video

Lou The Human might actually be crazy. At first it seemed like an act, but I don't know anymore. Who raps about humanity being an alien cartoon in the same song as a Mary Magdalene​ blowjob reference? Who raps this many goddamn bars in a row without a hook in 2017? In his own words, the man is obviously psychotic. And the music's flames. He's four for four.—Eric Skelton

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Joji - "Rain On Me"

This is a photo of Joji.

Joji always gets the vibe right—he's proven to be a master of mellow, melting trip-hop on tracks like "I Don't Wanna Waste My Time." The muffled piano and patient melodies are in full force on "Rain On Me," a one-off that Joji described as a "free quick thing I made." Regardless of context, the song is beautiful—this "serious music" thing is really working out.—Graham Corrigan

Yemi - "Inferno"

Yemi

Swedish rapper Yemi doesn't have a lot of English material to his name just yet, but he's already showing immense promise. With a bunch of very inventive Swedish music of his already out, tracks like "Inferno" show that he's looking to gain an audience outside of Sweden, too. Judging from the result, it seems that he has a very good chance of gaining traction. The very summer-friendly "Inferno" is one of Yemi's catchiest songs, and it has us excited to see what he's got planned next.—Joe Price

Little Simz ft. Bibi Bourelly - "Customz"

Little Simz Press Photo

Having the privilege to travel often is a blessing, there's no denying that. However, before getting to these various destinations, the reality of traveling often comes with hours of delays, so-called "random" searches through customs, and plenty of time to just sit and think. It feels appropriate that this raw, unmastered track that Little Simz felt like dropping with Bibi Bourelly would flow into this theme.

For their new collaboration "Customz," Simz and Bourelly skim through these pros and cons of jet setting across the globe. Seeing new places allows you the chance to experience different cultures and see new sights, while simultaneously witnessing the passive aggressions of others who may not feel you "belong" in that first class seat. Though, "Customz" is packaged as a raw freebie, that doesn't mean that there isn't still some depth to it. Everything Little Simz does is well thought out, and this is just another piece to that growing puzzle.—Adrienne Black

Rozwell Fitzroy - "Block Game"

Rozwell Fitzroy

Virginia's Rozwell Fitzroy does it all. He sings, raps, produces, collaborates with other artists, and blends styles from all over the spectrum. His new single "Block Game" showcases that eclecticism effortlessly in a breezy new jam that clocks in at under three minutes and has been on repeat all week. Without being weird just for the sake of being weird, the song is a left-of-center gem that sounds entirely fresh. Can't wait to hear more from this guy.—Jacob Moore

​Read more about Rozwell Fitzroy here.​

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Dizzee Rascal - "Slow Your Roll"

dizzee rascal

Dizzee Rascal wants to rap on his new album Raskit. Pushed to the side for the moment are the pop songs and festival anthems, replaced by punishing beats and furious bars. Production comes from American and English producers, with hip-hop and trap production more prevalent than grime beats, as Dizzee surveys his whole career, from the early days MCing on pirate radio to the issues he sees in London today. On "Slow Your Roll," Dizzee is in especially reflective mood over a mournful beat, taking on gentrification, violence, and much more in nearly four powerful minutes of music.—Alex Gardner

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