Best Songs of the Week

Since they first traded playful bars on A Tribe Called Quest's classic "Scenario," Busta Rhymes and Q-Tip have provided some of rap's best (but most underrated) on-record chemistry. Their reunion on "Thank You"–one of the year's most unabashedly gleeful songs, a pitch perfect throwback in a year full of occasionally misguided outings into nostalgia–reminded listeners of their capacity for great, entertaining rap music. Sounding joyful and reinvigorated, they continue their winning streak on the similarly minded "Butch & Sundance," a fittingly titled celebration of their combined greatness set against an irresistible, thumping jazz-funk groove. Welcome back, guys. - Jon Tanners

Sometimes, the context in which you hear a song for the first time can profoundly affect the way it makes you feel about the song. The first time I heard James Vincent McMorrow's "Red Dust" was during a snow flurry in New York City, and it was probably the most serene moment I've had in 2013. The song is gentle and gorgeous, and James' album Post Tropical, out on January 14, will most definitely be in heavy rotation this winter. - Confusion

Daniel Wilson is yet to release his debut EP, but if you like textured, melodic pop with a bit of folky twist, "Will You" should you have this young Michigan native placed firmly on your radar. Over disarmingly simple piano, Wilson's voice is left to take center stage, and it's that unique voice which stays with the listener long after the song has ended. - Constant Gardner

Just in case you forgot how incredible St. Vincent a.k.a. Annie Clark is, she came back to announce her new album with some mysterious cover art, a wild new bleached-blonde look, and this dissonant piece of funky beauty. "Birth In Reverse" is a rougher, grainier sound that we've heard on Clark's previous St. Vincent albums or her collaborations with David Byrne, but as she said in the song's press release, "the groove is paramount." Distorted guitars and hints of the blues break into something akin to the Dirty Projectors syncopation near the end of the song, a sign that Clark's upcoming CD will be an increasingly experimental step forward for the multi-talented songstress. - Crax

THE 25 GREATEST INDIE ROCK GUITARISTS 

With all these rumors of an OutKast reunion, I've been in the mood for some of that cool, smart hip-hop with style. Enter After The Smoke. With the new Microwaves mixtape, mastermind Rob Coin brings plenty of that, and songs like "d.e.a.d." effortlessly capture an energy that's too often missing from modern rap. - Confusion

In terms of music, I'd probably identify with the conservative end of the spectrum. Not that I don't like myself an intriguing, off-kilter beat every now and then, but a lot of experimental music simply isn't my cup of tea. Then enter Burial, the ever mysterious UK producer who crafts music unlike you've ever heard before, and never will again after. To call his work experimental is just the tip of the iceberg—the way he manipulates tempo, textures, and samples, and molds them into complex, alluring works of audible art is awe-inspiring. This week, he released a three-track EP that's 28 minutes in length, and one of these songs is the stunning "Hiders."

Sandwiched between two 10-minute songs, "Hiders" is a subdued and ethereal piece of music, backed by the gentle sound of rain, which picks up halfway through for an uplifting result. His releases are few and far between, but rarely have they ever disappointed. This is precisely the case for Rival Dealer. - Joyce

DANCE MUSIC SONGS THAT A NON-DANCE MUSIC FAN WILL LIKE

Full disclosure (no Lawrence brothers): I forever want to hate on Grammy nominations. When I saw late last week that the noms were hitting Al Gore's Internets, I was on some super squint shit, trying to prep myself for the inevitable slaughter of my beloved electronic music scene. Thankfully, they got it right (for the most part), and Duke Dumont's "Need U (100%)" made the Best Dance/Electronic We Don't Want To Call It EDM Song category, which made sense. Practically the same night, he dropped this tune off on Annie Mac as a special delivery, and she wheeled it back. Yes, it's that goddamn good. New Duke Dumont single? Fuck your life if you can't get involved. - khal

On first listen, not much about Phantogram's latest single "Fall In Love" captivated me past the violin instrumental intro. Then the next day I heard a brief snippet of the track from around the 1:00 minute mark in one of those irritating pre-video YouTube ads, and immediately jerked my head up for a "what is this song?" moment. With the chorus isolated, it sounded completely different and suddenly I envisioned "Fall In Love" being sampled in a Kid Cudi song. Or maybe even on a future Big Boi mixtape—in my dreams—considering their recent collaborations. I've since had the song on loop all week. And regardless of whichever rapper inevitably samples this song, it's a perfect debut for the duo's upcoming sophomore album proving that however exhausted the use of synth may be in music today, there are always opportunities to make it exciting by evolving the sound you've built your name on. - Dee

"Love Me Like You" is a curious mix of throwback soul and modern dance music production, but in the capable hands of Ella Eyre and producer Two Inch Punch, it works ever-so-well. The chorus starts as a horn backed beauty that would make Amy Winehouse proud, but ends with pitch-shifted vocals and a garage beat, testament to Two Inch Punch's natural creativity. With a voice—and choice of collaborators–this good, 2014 could be a big year for Ella Eyre. - Constant Gardner

Todd Edwards FTW. Jersey. Now that I got that out of the way, let me say how awesome it was to find out earlier this week that Todd got the rights to his music back after a long four-year legal battle. See, if it wasn't for Todd, you might not have a Discovery album from Daft Punk. Dude is a proper originator of the garage scene. You're not here for that, though. I'm here to bring you motherfucking dance music, right? And instead of the "EDM" that you think should be here, I'm bringing you a consistently funky bassline that plays lead, accented by a pitched-down vocal from Jacob Banks because fuck what the fuck you thought was about to happen. This is what people in my space (ok, like two people) call "real dance music." Shit that you might actually want to, I don't know, dance to. Try it. A girl might like you. - khal