Best Songs of the Week

Ever since our introduction to Michael Christmas, the aptly titled single "Daily," showed that a faint pulse passed through the dormant body of regular guy rap, the young Boston emcee has continued to prove that charm, wit, and sharp writing can breathe life into even the stalest hip-hop subgenres. New single "Jackie Brown" is neck and neck with preceding release "Kunishi" for the strongest in Christmas' catalog, a refinement of the mellow that first put him on our radar. - Jon Tanners

"Sea Legs" was one of the best songs on Run The Jewels' self-titled album packed with furious rapping and hard-as-nails El-P beats. Dave Sitek (TV On The Radio, Federal Prism label owner etc.) is a great producer, but I wasn't sure exactly how—or if—El-P's clattering drums could be improved on. Happily they can, and Sitek is here to show us how, adding some thunderous bass and a ceaseless high-pressure synth line that runs through the verses. And the song is up for free download? A Christmas fucking miracle indeed. - Constant Gardner

Producer Bobby Johnson's beat for this song is just stupid heavy. The 808s could make craters in a granite cliff, or start a minor earthquake, and they are the perfect accompaniment to King Louie's return to hard-as-fuck rapping. After his huge look on Kanye's "Send It Up," Louie lost a bit of momentum releasing the weird, sing-songy Jeep Music, but is back to in-your-face production and aggressive rhymes on his latest mixtape Drilluminati 2.

Whether or not your interested in the whole tape, it's clear from this and Que's "OG Bobby Johnson," that producer Bobby Johnson is the go to guy for obscenely hard-hitting bass. BOOM BOOM BOOM.

Download whole tape here. - Constant Gardner

On one of their best songs ever, Minnesota hip-hop duo Atmosphere captured the summer spirit with "Sunshine." This time, we get a little something for the winter with "Color in the Snow." The funny thing is: it's not all that different from the "Sunshine" vibe. It's got Slug's endearing every-man lyrics, a bittersweet and welcoming piano beat, and without being goofy or corny, this one is fun and doesn't take itself too seriously.  - Confusion

THE 25 BEST ATMOSPHERE SONGS

Cosmo Sheldrake's strange sound collages seem to draw on every corner of music. They're sample-heavy but always flow, classically tinged but definitely grounded in rap music. His latest, "I Threw A Rock Into The Sea," features the feather-light, Coco Rosie-infused vocals of Jana Eidse against a backdrop of muted bass and the sounds of open water. The song was recorded on an iPhone, creating a mix makes the music sound far away, just out of reach. It's alien and intimate, folky and experimental all at once. - Crax

I love when people think that me saying "EDM" means "me don't know shit about dance music." I'm sitting on the train, daily, vibing to shit you never fathomed existing, with basslines that tickle the fuck out of your spinal columns, and you're over here worried about some goddamn electro house. Higher planes, homey, and Joker & Swindle, two UK bass music demigods, have linked up to form 040, finally releasing a tune I've legit been in need of an ID on since February. Christmas done come early. - khal

With an excellent Sampha sample in tow, L.A. production duo 4e's debut single "Hesitant Oath" is an intricate introduction, layering wriggling synths atop warm bass and snapping drums. It feels like a fitting intersection of current styles, a cross of hip-hop, future bass, trap, and funk-influence cleanly synthesized into an enjoyable first foray and hopefully a sign of things to come. - Jon Tanners

This is not a remix. Don't call it a remix. Until The Ribbon Breaks does not remix, he pays homage. He re-imagines, and you may not understand the difference until you listen to his version of Sam Smith's "Nirvana." It's a dark, moody song that pulses and twitches with anticipation until just the drop comes just after the one minute mark. Smith is splintered into a thousand vocal fragments and reassembled by his re-imaginer. This is Adderall for your ears, a motivator to take you down a wormhole of code, text, cat videos—whatever you're into. - Crax

Plastician's done a lot for the dubstep scene in the UK, but over the last year he's been moving towards all-encompassing bass music DJ and producer territory, with "Blenz" being a tune that many have been waiting for. This week, his Terrorhythm imprint dropped Turquoise, and he made sure to throw this banger on the compilation (if not, bad shit might coulda happened). Sure, it's a trap track. Sure, you might be over trap, but Plastician with the HUGE bass over that beat? You shouldn't play yourself and think you're over this. Whatever. Don't listen to it. Be an idiot. I'll stay winning with quality beats in my ears while you're still sifting through bullshit. Do you. - khal

For those of us, myself included, disappointed that one-time R&B icon D'Angelo's career hasn't quite panned out the way we thought it would, this song serves as a much-needed homage to his glory days. For her fifth album, Beyoncé miraculously channels D'Angelo on the eighth track "Rocket," a song which seamlessly samples D'Angelo's 2000 classic "Untitled (How Does It Feel)." In an iTunes Radio interview, Beyoncé says she wanted to be reminded of the vibe she got when she first heard "Untitled" in creating "Rocket." And for a song co-written by Justin Timberlake and Miguel, two of today's leading male R&B stars, it effortlessly captures the intricacies of female sensuality with some of the album's best vocal moments. Oh, and if you're in need of some late-night baby making inspiration, well, just watch the video. - Dee