Best Songs of the Week

For a year that's been somewhat disappointing from a hip-hop album perspective, Freddie Gibbs and Madlib's Piñata remains one of a handful of true gems. This week, the duo supplied an official remix for "Knicks" featuring NY-based heavy hitters Action Bronson, Joey Bada$$, and Ransom, nicely timed to remind fans and writers alike of the standout album they delivered in the first quarter of 2014.

Like the original, the remix is cool and gritty, and the group of emcees combine to form a daunting four-headed monster. The track has a vintage New York feel and personality from all angles. Freddie's stock continues to rise every year; let's see where he takes it in 2015.—Tim Larew

Jessie Ware’s second album, Tough Love, came out in America earlier this week, and although a lot of the songs had already been shared, one of the very best was kept back, ready to wow anyone taking the time to play the album through. "Keep On Lying," track nine, was written and produced with frequent collaborator Julio Bashmore, and it's an odd but utterly gorgeous song. There is a lush simplicity to the song as it starts, but eventually those choral backing vocals come in, helping "Keep On Lying" to soar high above the competition. If you need some refined pop music in your life, choose Jessie Ware.—Constant Gardner

We know what happens when Thug jumps on a song. He almost, without question, steals the show. But Dej Loaf's "Blood" is an exception. The song succeeds not because of Thug, but without depending on him. Here, it's the young Detroit rapper's show and there's absolutely no room for anyone else on stage. She commands your attention, rapping with a ferocity that would make even "Monster" Nicki ask for a play back. And for a new rapper to have this kind of presence is special.

Listen to "Blood" (track 4) and download the whole mixtape below.—Katie K.

Still sitting here waiting for Oceaán to disappoint. It's been a long wait so far, but even as my expectations climb higher and higher, Oliver Cean continues to outdo himself. "Veritas" is some of his best work: it's melodic and off-kilter all at once, a tornado of hiccuping rhythms and atonal piano jazz that recalls Mount Kimbie and James Blake.

Oceaán opens up his pipes on this one, switching between lower octaves and a truly velvety falsetto with ease. I'm starting to think that skill is a British specialty And we haven't even talked about the cowbell! If (when) we ever end up doing a feature on cowbells, "Veritas" will be front and center.—Graham

I hate saying it, but I've not played Rustie’s Green Language album nearly as much as I thought I would. That's not diss to him—when I first got it, I gave it a number of uninterrupted listens. Maybe it's because the album was way more on some experimental, moody shit. Or maybe I just wanted more turn-up anthems a la "Attak." Maybe I've just been lost. Who knows.

Redinho put out an album that I loved, and this VIP of "Lost," which feels like Rustie decided to spice the tune up for his live shows, shows the best of both of their worlds. It mixes the emotional "if you're not here, I'm lost" shit of Redinho's vocal and Rustie's nutty bounce—hella quirky but fire enough to turn up to, aka my kind of left-field flavor. Now if this was only available for download.—khal

Since the rise of Scottish trio CHVRCHES, there have been so many bands doing catchy, danceable, electronic pop. "Get Away" reminds us why CHVRCHES is still one of the best. —Confusion

Borrowing from the past isn't always a good move. Reinterpreting the past, however, is even riskier. How can you remind listeners of certain era/scene without coming across as a cheap copy, or a simple regurgitation? The answer is pretty simple: you bend the past to your own will. Olivver successfully does this on the title track from his upcoming EP, Freak. There's a distinct John Hughes credit sequence vibe going on with "Freak," but at no point does it feel like listening to inferior version of what's come before. This doesn't evoke longing for the past; it simply longs for a shinier continuation of where the past left off.—Joe Price

It’s not often that a song makes me say “whoa!” immediately after the first note but congrats Alex Vargas, you’ve done it. When I first heard it, it was through unworthy laptop speakers that did it no justice, I missed every little but crucial piece to this song, which made listening to it again with headphones an entirely new experience. The delicate chords from the piano and Vargas’ breathy vocals would have been enough to make a great song. But the additional instrumentation and progression of the production as his own voice begins to pick up power turn this great song into something much more beautiful and sentimental.

Even with multiple replay, each note is just as striking as it was on the first listen. There’s no denying that Alex Vargas has a special quality about him that makes you curious for more.—Adrienne Black

Young Brooklyn-based producer Sweater Beats is supporting Chance The Rapper on a fall tour that is just now coming to a close, and tracks like "Cloud City" show why he was chosen. The track comes from Sweater Beats' excellent new EP, four tracks of colorful synth-work and pounding percussion, and lies somewhere between Rustie's jagged aggression and Flume's smoother production.

By next year, Sweater Beats could be producing for pop and R&B artists like Cashmere Cat, he could be making beats for forward-thinking rappers, or he could be dropping a great album. For the meantime though, just enjoy "Cloud City" below, and check out the rest of the EP here.—Constant Gardner