Best Songs of the Week

Childish Gambino puts his own spin on Little Rock rapper Kari Faux's "No Small Talk," and the result is one of the highlights of the STN MTN mixtape. We know Gambino can sing and craft a polished, accessible hit, but it's his ability to go from a track like "Sober" to something like this that makes him such a threat.—Confusion

With attention spans shrinking and the flow of newcomers at an all-time high, a good first impression is essential. London O'Connor's "Oatmeal" is one of the strongest debuts of the year so far. Fans of Earl should like the nonchalant delivery, but it's the chorus that has London showcasing at an ear for melody that makes this such a unique and promising first song. He produced it, too.—Confusion

I was tricked into going to my first piano lesson. I was in the car with my grandmother, and she essentially told me to get out as we were dropping off another kid who took piano lessons at this lady's house. "You're going to learn, too," my grandma said. As if I could disobey her, being her only granddaughter and all. Plus, I was like, seven. I didn't quite know how to weasel my way out of shit yet. I hated playing the piano. I hate practicing, I hated my teacher, and over time, I ended up even hating hearing the damn piano. I just didn't get what all the fuss was about

But I'm a grown ass woman now, and I've grown to appreciate it. In fact, I'm essentially a sucker for any song with the piano in it. Rhodes’ "What If Love" gave me goosebumps at first listen. There's something about the piano that makes Rhodes sound even more vulnerable, more delicate. It's a powerful song in such a subtle way. I guess I know what all the fuss is about now.—Joyce

Philly's Chynna comes with a cosign from Hudson Mohawke, and her cool, confident calm is a perfect match for HudMo's insanity. "MadeInChynna" starts strong and only gets stronger. There's just something so easy in Chynna's delivery, equal parts Big Sean and Cool Kids. She bounces through the beat while HudMo's synth begs attention in the best way, whether its a blip or draw all the way out. Chynna's only project to date is the Chinois EP. We'll keep our ears open.—Graham

Tinashe has spent a lot of 2014 churning out more up-tempo R&B productions, thanks to collaborations with artists like ScHoolBoy Q and Erik Hassle. With songs like these, it sounded like the singer was becoming more accessible than she was on her Black Water project that dropped at the end of last year.

But then we got "Bet," her newest single, and one that sounds like a welcome flashback to those mixtape days. Featuring Dev Hynes, the track is dark and moody, an atmospheric R&B production that (surprisingly) even includes a guitar solo at the end courtesy of Hynes. 2014 has proven to be a strong year for Tinashe, and things don't seem to be slowing down anytime soon.—Katie K.

P. Morris is a producer that really got me open in 2014. So much so that the time he's taken to craft his forthcoming EP has left me lonely for the last eight months. Yeah, he produced that Kelea x Le1f cut we heard back in August, but I'm a man that needs silence on the vocals for like 75% of my listening. Stewing in my depressed mindstate, I naturally gravitate to tracks like "Lunette [incomplete]," with all of its space and atmosphere, throwing some twisted, Eastern-influenced loops atop. It's pretty damn mesmerizing, and truly sounds like a track that was "written by the light of the moon."

I'm going to drink an entire bottle of Henny to this cut on repeat while I wait for the full EP to drop dot com slash hangover tomorrow.—khal

As the temperatures start to cool down and everyone around me continues to obsess over everything pumpkin spice flavored, the need to hold on to any reminders of summer has never felt stronger than it does now. Unfortunately I can’t turn back the hands of time and I live in an area that actual experiences all four seasons. But it’s easy to ignore that harsh reality outdoors when they are songs that continue to give off a summery vibe. “Burning Slums” by Ace Cosgrove is thankfully one of those songs. If there was a video for this, I wouldn’t be surprised if it was shot on a boardwalk somewhere with multiple shots of kids biking or skateboarding because that’s exactly what this sounds like.

But “Burning Slums” isn’t just another carefree song, it’s an important message over a beat that’s easy to love. Which makes it clear that Cosgrove understands the formula of this strange music industry—If you want people to listen to what you have to say, you’ve got to get their attention first. Well, he’s got mine and it won’t be long until he’s got everyone else’s too.—Adrienne Black

Glacial Sound is a young label out of Dublin that is pushing a forward-thinking grime sound, whether that's Texan producer Rabit's hard-edged, menacing Double Dragon EP (the label's first release) or Murlo's more colorful, tropical Last Dance EP (their second). For their third release, Rabit's neck-snapping "Black Dragons" beat gets a vocal from grime legend Riko Dan, and it's the most directly, unapologetically aggressive thing you'll hear all month.

Quite apart from the fact that Riko rides the futuristic beat with consumate ease, this track is an awesome representation of grime's widening reach. A London MC spitting on a Texas-based producer's beat, getting a release from an Irish label? We should probably thank the internet for that.—Constant Gardner