Best Songs of the Week

Before Leon Bridges was reinstating retro soul as a force in contemporary music, there was Lianne La Havas. Ever since her 2012 debut Is Your Love Big Enough, Lianne has reached back into the past to pluck at our heartstrings, recalling a time when pop standards and a gorgeous voice were all you needed to gain a legion of followers. The followup, Blood, has Lianne spreading her wings and moving on to bigger everythings: bigger arrangements, more ambitious vocal stylings, and most importantly, a renewed confidence that manifests as unflappable happiness on her first single of 2015, "Unstoppable."

This week, we got the second. With a voice dipped in gold and swinging 6/8 beat, the London-born singer proves why she's the future on "What You Don't Do." Like most of her previous output, it's a pop song that doesn't feel that way: the warmth emanating from the slow build of her vocals doesn't jerk like the computer processed drops and ugly transitions you hear on radio. This isn't just a pop song, it's pop songwriting, with the unique ability to surprise the listener while staying the pocket of the song. As always, Lianne slays.—Graham

Just heard this one late yesterday, but it's already the fucking jam. From yesterday:

There are sweet spots between hip-hop and R&B, between feel-good party jams and sedated chill-out music, and between accessible and interesting. A.Chal’s “Round Whippin” lives in these spaces. The Los Angeles-based singer/producer may have just matched the magic of his excellent “Gazi.” Don’t sleep on this dude.—Confusion

Anyone who has recently become familiar with Boogie through "Oh My" and downloaded his new mixtape The Reach expecting songs in a similar style has a lot to learn. Boogie is an incredibly gifted lyricist and storyteller who is not afraid of going deep. He shares his emotions, pains, and his struggles in a straightforward way across The Reach, with hard-hitting lines like, "Waking up my kid he see a puddle by the bed, and then he ask me, "Was it rain?" I had to tell him it was tears, yeah, Daddy outchea hurtin'" on "Intervention."

One of the things (aside from his dexterous flow) that impressed us on Boogie's Thirst 48 mixtape was the production choices, and the beats shine here again, with opening track "The Reach" riding an inspired sample that nearly threatens to overwhelm Boogie, but is put in check once the verse properly starts.

It's hard to pick a standout from such a strong album, so, if you haven't already, download The Reach below.—Constant Gardner

Boogie plays our No Ceilings show in New York on July 8. Buy tickets here.

Boogie - The Reach

Those who know a little bit about zodiac signs know that Gemini is often referred to as the twin sign. People born under this sign often have a clear duality about their own personalities. London songstress Anne-Marie plays with that theory for her single “Gemini” as she explains the personal changes people often go through as they mature. Lines like, “Say where’s that girl we knew before? We don’t see her anymore,” specifically stand out and feel relatable for any 20-something who might still be trying to find themselves.

On the surface, “Gemini” is an effortlessly smooth song. Anne-Marie’s velvety voice displays an enticing confidence. However, a closer listen will prove that “Gemini” is actually quite vulnerable. The combination of the vulnerability of the lyrics and Anne-Marie’s sweet voice over the production make for a undeniably enjoyable experience.—Adrienne Black

Sweet holy funk, Thundercat is a beast. After recent work on Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp a Butterfly, Thundercat dropped a six track mini-album called The Beyond / Where the Giants Roam this past Monday. The standout, "Them Changes," is a deliciously funky song, and even though the lyrics talk of blood on the floor and lost hearts, it still feels tailor made for cookouts and summer drives.

Thundercat is blessed with a voice that is a pleasure to have caress one's ears, but on "Them Changes" he says as much with his bass as he does with his voice. Flying Lotus co-wrote and co-produced the song and it's a jam—if you dig it check out the rest of the album ASAP.—Constant Gardner

This is a special song, but it takes a little effort. It's structured unusually and its breakdown is counterintuitive, but the beauty is in the slow but sure rebuilding. This song falls apart, but it somehow manages to put itself back together. It reminds me a lot of hearing Wilco's Yankee Hotel Foxtrot for the first time. There are strong traditional elements at play, but its the sense of a free-flowing, unstable connection that makes it feel alive.

"Hills" is the first single from the Sydney-based songwriter/producer's upcoming EP. Stay tuned.—Confusion

Azekel is at his raindrops-on-the-window best for this one. "Sold My Love" sounds like its title: angst, baby, a freshly cleaved heart on full display with some reversed piano whining away like dark side of Kid Cudi's "Man on the Moon" intro. Azekel does all his production himself, and you can tell from the way he glides around the beat, letting those big piano chords ring out like a slammed door.—Graham

First things first, just know that The Game is the rap chameleon. He finds a way to sound exactly like whoever he's fucking with–if it's a Drake track, he's all bigging up 40... I'm kind of surprised he didn't reference runnin' through the 6 in his latest, "100."

Word is this Drake verse is lifted from a freestyle he was spitting on the tour. Whatever. It's him being on some straight unresponsive shit. He's the realest sadboy sleeping on a pile of money right now. I can't be mad at it.

Truth be told, I just want the instrumental. Cardo and Johnny Juliano have sorted out the perfect banger to mob with the squad through whatever hood, burb, or cornfield you're turning up in. Hell, that beat can overtake ANYTHING being spit on this track. Welcome to the rest of your summer.—khal