Pigeons & Planes' Best Songs of the Week

This week saw some 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.

Rapsody ft. Lance Skiiiwalker and Kendrick Lamar - "Power"

rapsody

Rapsody first appeared on many people's radars as one of the few guests on Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp A Butterfly (and the two also collaborated on her 2011 single "Rock The Bells"). Now she's shared another Kendrick collaboration called "Power," which appears on her full-length album Laila’s Wisdom.

Over a funky beat from another longtime collaborator, 9th Wonder, Rapsody kicks the track off with strong, charismatic bars before TDE's Lance Skiiiwalker mixes in his unique brand of silky R&B vocals. Then, like we've come to expect, Kenny comes through and rips the damn thing apart. 

Rapsody's album is out now and also features Anderson .Paak, BJ The Chicago Kid, Black Thought, Busta Rhymes, and Terrace Martin.—Eric Skelton

Maggie Rogers - "Split Stones"

maggie rogers split stones

"'Split Stones' is a parting gift," Maggie Rogers writes in a letter shared on Instagram. "This is me saying goodbye for a little while. Here's to the end of the beginning and the start of everything else." It's a sleek, soaring song and the perfect way to cap off a crazy year for the rising artist, whose career was set into motion with the massively successful "Alaska." Maggie appeared suddenly and ascended quickly, but she's held on to a very genuine, organic approach to music, and we're looking forward to what's next.—Jacob Moore

Carnage and Young Thug - "Liger"

Carnage and Young Thug

"Young Martha is about to be the new Slime Season,” producer Carnage said of his new collaborative EP with Young Thug. It will take a lot to reach the creative highs of the Slime Season series, but this project is definitely getting there. Young Thug is at his unpredictable best, rapping fast, rapping slow, singing, yelling, and generally being a beast. "Liger" is one of the most immediate new songs, but "Don't Call Me," featuring Shakka, is pretty wild too.—Alex Gardner

IDK - "Baby Scale"

ikd 2017 12

Even though this song originally dropped at the beginning of the month, the new video for IDK's "Baby Scale" only features the maniacal second half. On this "Baby Scale," Yung Gleesh starts things off with a snarl, paving the way for the artist formerly known as Jay IDK to deliver some of his most savage—and thoughtful—verses yet. No hook, no bridge, just knowledge.—Graham Corrigan

Injury Reserve - "See You Sweat"

injury reserve see you sweat

Arizona rap trio Injury Reserve took a surprising left turn with "North Pole," the first song from their Drive It Like It's Stolen EP. The song is introspective and the production is based around slow-moving, mournful guitar. With "See You Sweat," the second single, they deliver something rather different, sonically more in line with Floss tracks "My Shit!!!" or "All That Money." With a beat that The Neptunes would be proud of, it's a track that sounds best at high volume, and Injury Reserve's new EP (out September 29) is shaping up to be special.—Alex Gardner

The Trp - "Eagle"

the trp press

We still don't know much about the trp. The trio has remained anonymous while releasing silky, sparse singles like "Before You Know It," and they've struck again with "Eagle." Interlacing harmonies dance over a constantly shifting bed of keys, bass, and synth—once "Eagle" starts moving, it never stops. Except for an excellent outro. "We just wanted to make something unique and special for our generation," the trp told us. "Something with raw feeling and color."—Graham Corrigan

Yung Lean - "Hunting My Own Skin"

yung lean hennessy video

With his forthcoming album, Stranger, Yung Lean is evolving once again. Instead of conveying his anger, sadness, and confusion, he's reaching for the opposite end of the spectrum. What's surprising, is that it works just as well. "Hunting My Own Skin" is our second taste of the album, and it's considerably different from Warlord. Yung Lean making a pop record sounds kinda weird in theory, but, from what we've heard so far, it's shaping up to be one of the most exciting albums of the fall.

Yung Lean's Stranger is out November 10.—Joe Price

Knox Fortune - "No Dancing"

Knox Fortune

After years of working behind the scenes on projects with artists like Chance The Rapper, Vic Mensa, and Joey Purp, Knox Fortune is finally stepping out on his own, and his debut album opens with a bang. “No Dancing” layers unusual (but intoxicating) high-pitched vocals over crisp production that’ll have you moving your feet, in spite of its title. Right off the bat, Knox makes it clear he’s not a hip-hop artist and Paradise isn’t a hip-hop album, regardless of past associations. Instead, he opts for an inventive blend of pop and psychedelic rock with subtle hip-hop influences that keeps the project feeling fresh and exciting from top to bottom. We're here for it.—Eric Skelton

Angel Olsen - "Special"

Angel Olsen

For years I accidentally slept on Angel Olsen, but when I found myself in the front row for her headlining performance at Treefort Festival in Boise, Idaho this past March, I was instantly charmed by her feminist folk tunes. This particular song was birthed out of the recording sessions for Olsen's 2016 album My Woman, a fantastic body of work that captured "the complicated mess of being a woman.” The whole delivery of this slow-rolling, guitar-driven ballad sounds more like a drunken confession—you can practically feel Angel's hot breath hovering above your ear—but there's something sexy in the way that she gently croaks "I see you."

In recent times, those three words have become a declaration of validation, a formal acknowledgment that you are not invisible within the crowded space we call planet earth. Of course, the phrase also has a romantic connotation—like when a celebrity DMs an obsessed fan with those exact same words. "Special" is the dark, complementary spice to "Never Be Mine," Angel's fragile, light-hearted ode to unrequited love. This track is one of the many B-sides featured on Phases which drops on November 10 via Jagjaguwar.—Syndey Gore

Cautious Clay - "Cold War"

If I trust someone's musical taste enough, hearing: "Check this out, I think you'd fuck with it," is about all that's needed to spark my curiosity. And they were right. "Cold War," the latest single from D.C. native and Brooklyn-based artist Cautious Clay, is a smooth journey from start to finish. Clay's voice is soothing as it effortlessly floats over the glimmering production.

However, with the subject matter at hand Clay's calmness seems like the result of fatigue from dating during these strange, emotionally detached times. Searching for something genuinely and meaningly is definitely a rough battle when everyone can be so cold, and somehow Clay made a song about it with that warm, comforting feeling we've been looking for.—Adrienne Black

Baths - "Yeoman"

Geotic.

It's been quite a while since we last heard from Will Wiesenfeld as Baths. Resurfacing earlier this year to deliver a fantastic new album under his Geotic alias, he's now gearing up for his second album of the year with Romaplasm. Removed from the murk of his previous Baths full-length, Obsidian, the lead single teases some of his best pop songwriting so far. "Yeoman" is gorgeous, joyous, and invigorating. If you're in dire need of a smile, this is the perfect place to start.—Joe Price

Wizkid ft. Future - "Everytime"

Wizkid

Wizkid's plan for world domination has been unfolding with collaborations with artists like Major Lazer, Ty Dolla $ign, Drake, and Skepta, and the latest to work with the Nigerian star is Future. With a sparkling beat from Shizzi, "Everytime" would have fit right in on Wizkid's Sounds From The Other Side project which came out earlier this year, and it's also fun to hear Future's melodic vocals in this setting.

Slowly and surely Wizkid is winning over more fans, so please, do your research and don't hit me with any more angry tweets when I call him the original Starboy.—Alex Gardner

Tommy Genesis - "Tommy"

tommy genesis

For some reason, this Charlie Heat-produced track sounds like a play on "RAF." Regardless, Tommy Hilfiger should strongly consider dropping the Hadids and team up with Tommy Genesis instead. "Nobody fuck with Tommy/ Nobody's high like Tommy/ Nobody rock like Tommy/ All these bitches get off me," she drawls behind the menacing beats. You can practically see her rapping this to herself in front of a mirror.

Apparently, the song is about one half of her split personality—something a lot of Geminis out there should be able to relate to. "Tommy" marks the first single that Genesis has released since her World Visions mixtape dropped in 2015.—Sydney Gore

Twelve’Len & Skott - “Test Our Luck”

meetuppnp

We recently teamed up with Gap to bring together two artists from different worlds, and while we expected some interesting results, we couldn't have anticipated what we got. Florida's Twelve'Len and Swedish singer Skott agreed to work with producer duo Take a Daytrip for an original song, and in about six hours, we had "Test Our Luck." It's a gorgeous track that features intertwined melodies and dreamy production, and it's one of our favorite collaborations in recent memory.—Jacob Moore

Hear the song below, and watch Twelve'Len and Skott make the song together here.

Yellow Days - "I Believe in Love"

yellow days press 2017

Yellow Days is an 18-year-old with a brilliant voice and a timeless sound, and after a series of singles and an EP he's building towards his debut album. Before that, though, he'll release a thirteen track project called Is Everything Okay In Your World?, out October 27 featuring Rejjie Snow and Nick Walters.

The project was announced alongside the release of "I Believe In Love," and whether Yellow Days it's bluesy heartbreak or a lilting love song, Yellow Days keeps making compelling music.—Alex Gardner

Charlotte Gainsbourg - "Deadly Valentine"

Charlotte Gainsbourg

Lately, I've felt somewhat overwhelmed by all of the wedding photos flooding on my Instagram feed, so the last thing I would have expected was to enjoy a song inspired by the exchanging of vows. (I'm only 24, how are people my age already getting engaged? It's all happening too fast!)

After a few listens, this track makes a shotgun wedding in Vegas seem like the ideal type of ceremony though. Dev Hynes co-starring in Charlotte Gainsbourg's self-directed visual also adds another layer of love to the tune. If you're not walking down the aisle to disco, what's the point of the whole charade? The wedding will not be hashtagged, but definitely add this to the after-party playlist. Gainsbourg's latest single will be featured on a new 12" EP set to drop on September 29 via Rough Trade.—Syndey Gore

G Herbo - "Malcolm"

G Herbo

I haven't had time to check out Chicago rapper G Herbo's new album Humble Beast, but when I saw Danny Brown tweet about the track "Malcolm" I had to give it a spin. And this track is crazy. The storytelling is vivid, an entire movie in one song, and Herbo even manages to deliver a clear message in the track's final minute without coming aross to preachy. Now I'm really looking forward to diving into the full album.—Alex Gardner

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