Best Songs of the Week

With so much good music steadily coming through, it's easy to miss out on some of the best. To help prevent this, we've picked some of our favorite tracks from the week. Here are the songs you can't afford to skip, in no particular order.

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2. ALA.NI - "Suddenly"

Sometimes, you need to take a break from listening to the latest Rich Gang leak and calm down a little. When that time comes, ALA.NI’s "Suddenly" is the song you need. The fairly mysterious London-based artist has apparently been a backing singer for the likes of Mary J. Blige and Andrea Bocelli, but "Suddenly" is her debut solo song. It's gentle and delicate, with the feel of a timeless lullaby, and endlessly replayable thanks to its simple beauty.—Constant Gardner

3. KLOË – “Grip”

This is the very first release from KLOË, an 18-year-old singer from Glasgow, Scotland. Dark production and lyrics that hold nothing back give "Grip" and edge to it, but the songwriting is pure pop. KLOË's got an EP coming in January, and if the rest of it is on the level of "Grip," this young artist is going to take off quickly.—Confusion

4. Death Grips - "Inanimate Sensation"

Every one of Death Grips’ full-lengths has possessed a unique identity, and from the sounds of "Inanimate Sensation," the same will be said of Jenny Death when it releases. However, upon first listen, there's something startlingly familiar about the whole aura that the track gives off. The whirring and building sounds on display here aren't exactly sounds that the trio have toyed with before, but it brings to mind that one of a kind combination of fear, intrigue, and unbridled excitement that their very first releases were capable of evoking.

In reality, the only thing familiar about "Inanimate Sensation" is its unfamiliarity, pushing the Death Grips sound into even weirder directions than initially thought. There's something strangely cinematic about it, as if promising that things for the group are far from over just yet.—Joe Price

5. Twin Shadow - "Turn Me Up"

"Turn Me Up" isn't Twin Shadow’s most immediate song, but that's part of what makes it so great. After over a minute, that chorus erupts like the soundtrack to some dramatic slow-motion scene in an '80s movie. With some nice guitar touches and a big beat, it's George Lewis Jr. doing what he does best. Twin Shadow's new album Eclipse is coming in March.—Confusion

6. Rae Sremmurd ft. Nicki Minaj & Young Thug - “Throw $um Mo”

I have to admit, I was originally one of those people who thought Rae Sremmurd just happened to get lucky with their first hit. But I know better now—see what I did there? They keep making dance-worthy hits that are impossible to resist and have proved many doubters like myself wrong. Just like their previous singles, “Throw $um Mo” has infectious production and a catchy hook. That’s a combination I just don’t have the willpower to deny.—Adrienne Black

7. Joker - "Midnight (Rustie Remix)"

How does one improve upon perfection? Why, one gets Rustie to remix it. To me, Joker's sexy purple single "Midnight" is one of my favorite tracks of 2014. Something about the way the vocal sample is thrown in there—it's on some next level seduction. Getting Rustie to weave an intricate synth all over that track was a thing of beauty. It's one thing to have an instrumental take over your feels; it's another to then have that instrumental guide your feels into other directions. This isn't something set to murder clubs; this is definitely candlelit dinner turn up at its finest.—khal

8. Anna of the North - "Oslo"

I don't know for certain that Anna of the North planned the release of "Oslo" around the cold winter months. But if timing is everything, "Oslo" is everything. The song is both crisp and brisk, staccato percussion pulsing underneath airy wisps of synth and voice. It's a perfect accompaniment to the stark ritual of winter months, a fireplace and stacks of thick sweaters.

Anna of the North is from Norway—she's singing about her hometown, a generally frigid place. So she has a lot of experience with the sounds of winter, and it's put to good use in "Oslo."—Graham

9. Future Brown ft. Shawnna & DJ Victoriouz - "Talkin Bandz"

Future Brown are going to have a lot more people paying attention early next year when they drop their self-titled debut album. The fearsome production team is made up of Nguzunguzu (Fade To Mind duo), Fatima Al Qadiri (endlessly creative musician and visual artist), and J-Cush (founder of wonderfully genre-spanning label Lit City Trax), and their album taps artists from across the world and across various niches genres. There is grime, drill, dancehall and more, tied together by Future Brown's powerful, often menacing, but always club-ready production.

"Talkin Bandz," featuring a fiery Shawnna and a big hook from DJ Victoriouz, is just the tip of the iceberg.—Constant Gardner

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