Best Songs of the Month

For the few past years, the hip-hop coming out of Chicago has reflected a city plagued with violence and hopeless youth. It has been cold, aggressive, and confrontational. That's fair, and music that reflects real life is critical. But Chance The Rapper takes a different approach, and one that is equally important and no less real. On "Angels," Chance offers hope for his city while acknowledging its problems ("Clean up the streets, so my daughter can have somewhere to play"). This isn't another gloomy depiction of Chicago—it's a celebration. Steel drums, high energy, and a gospel chorus all give Chicago, and the rest of the world, a reason to join the party.—Confusion

When it comes to interesting pop, Scandinavia dominates. Danish artist Kill J is one of the best doing it right now, and "You're Good But I'm Better" is her best song yet. With simple but forward-thinking production and severe lyrics ("Do I have to slit my fucking wrist / To get an answer out of you, ever?"), it's a song that is as challenging as it is gripping.—Confusion

It was clear that London's Jones, one of our favorite rising singers, could write a damn good pop song from the very first time we heard her on "Deep." That track was gently nostalgic, with a subtle sort of catchiness, but on "Hoops," however, she doesn't hold back at all on the huge chorus. It feels like the kind of hook that Sia could belt out, but we're happy this is Jones' song. The dynamic production from XO and Josh Record is great too—if Jones keeps the levels this high, her debut album New Skin, due out in 2016, is going to be essential.—Constant Gardner

For fans of Raury, the wait is finally over. Today marks the release of his major-label debut album All We Need, but he made a generous gesture earlier this week by sharing an acoustic demo, simply titled “The Sea.” Unfortunately this song wasn't be featured on his new album, but we’re just glad he didn’t keep this track to himself. “The Sea” is a beautiful ballad in every respect.

The warm tone of Raury’s voice and his sweet lyrics make for a heartwarming combination, but the addition of the saxophone towards the end is the last piece of the puzzle. This song is filled with love—that much is easy to hear.

By the time "The Sea" has ebbed, it feels as if a huge weight has been lifted off your shoulders. It's a much-needed hug at the end of a rough week. And the more times it’s replayed, the more comforting it feels.—Adrienne Black

Many were worried that the return of Grimes meant more songs like "Go"—glitchy, EDM-inspired production with too little of what we originally knew and loved Grimes for. We appreciated that strange but alluring vision she created through her debut album, and "Go" wasn't that.

But Grimes isn't one to be contained. She's one to experiment, and it seemed unlikely that she was going to make another Visions. "Flesh Without Blood" is undoubtedly poppy; it's bright, and fun, and more like her work on "Phone Sex" than something like "Vanessa." The single is Grimes embracing a new sound, and it shows in the accompanying videos. She's having fun with it, and it's a really beautiful thing.—Joyce

In 2015, one-dimensional rappers are going nowhere. Technical skills are still impressive, but with more melody and genre-blending finding its way into hip-hop, it's all about being versatile. Smino has it all—he's a technically sound rapper, he's got an ear for melodies, hooks, and song structure, and his charisma shines through it all. He's currently working at Classick Studios in Chicago (where Chance made Acid Rap), and if his S!CK S!CK S!CK EP is any indication, he'll have his breakthrough moment soon.—Confusion

We premiered Croydon, UK rapper and producer Rocks FOE's track "Law" earlier this week, a brilliant horrorshow of a track that comes from his upcoming Legion EP for Black Acre, out November 27. There's great variety across the EP, from ominous Wu Tang-esque production to the absolutely brilliant all out aural assault of EP highlight, "Hold That (L)." Made the beat and murdered it.

Also, shout out Black Acre, from the personal pop of Connie Constance's brilliant debut EP to this Rocks FOE release, they're winning it across the genres at the moment.—Constant Gardner

The return of Blood Orange is a bittersweet one. Dev Hynes has been vocal about the racial prejudice he encounters and its influence on his music, and he's spent more of 2015 writing for other people and posting Facebook missives than he has on the tropical pop-rock that cut his teeth. But that all came to a screeching halt today—the infectious melodies have returned, coming hand in hand with Dev Hynes' stiff upper lip on "Sandra's Smile."

Written in memory of Sandra Bland, the song/video features a booming woodwind chorus and some dance moves that are not to be fucked with. Annotating the lyrics on Genius, Dev said "Sandra's Smile" reminded him that "everything I’ve learnt in life has been controlled by some aspect, by people I have zero respect for on a deeper level. But that doesn’t mean I haven’t learned from them. Classical musicians of the past, who if they met me via a time machine would probably spit on me, these are the people that taught me to breathe music which gives me life… but now that it’s time for us to speak up, we have no voice."—Graham Corrigan

Boston rapper Cousin Stizz is killing it with consistency. There’s nothing flashy about him—no in-your-face hooks, over-the-top production, or extravagant deliveries. Where Stizz succeeds is effortless style, low-key catchy choruses, and unwavering quality.

His Suffolk County mixtape cemented his spot as one of the best up-and-comers out right now, and “The Wave” keeps the momentum up with a hypnotizing flow. If you don’t know Cousin Stizz yet, stop sleeping.—Confusion

Tyler had been quiet... too quiet... when it came to his recent exile from the U.K. and Australia. There were a few pissed off tweets, but nothing on the level of fury that the freedom-hating decision deserved. "Fuck It" is a start—it's a stark departure from Cherry Bomb, and is much more in line with his OFWGKTA days, which were what got him in trouble with authorities in the first place.

I missed this Tyler, the one full of pent-up rage and unabashed frustration. It's just too bad it took such an extreme (and delayed) reaction to bring him back. I'm not saying this is Tyler being himself—we can never be the people we were—but he does sound natural over these types of beats. He's expressing himself with a raw, unrestrained delivery that still has room for brutal lines that ooze cool ("Tell Australia I'm sneaking in with a mic in my damn hand"). These kind of cutting punchlines still come easy to Tyler, and that's comfort enough for the time being.—Graham Corrigan

Novelist is building up a solid catalog of tracks and videos (make sure you watch the "1 Sec" video here) about his life in London, an introduction to the ends for his new fans and all the listeners who are just becoming familiar with grime.

"Endz" is shot in the classic grainy, handycam grime video style, and although Novelist doesn't spit his most complex lyrics, the combination of a simple beat and catchy hook mean these bars are likely to become a live favorite.—Constant Gardner

Ty Dolla $ign is about to drop an album, but this week he came through with a surprise mixtape that provides a quick fix for anyone in need of raunchy R&B. Ty's warm croak and ear for melodies makes everything enjoyable to listen to, even when that's crooning about fingering a girl with no panties on the dancefloor or sticking his thumb in your girl's asshole (yup).

Anyway, the tape is a whole lot of x-rated, smoked-out fun, but one of the standouts is "Violent," with Dolla $ign taking on a trap beat from producers du jour DJ Spinz and Southside. If these are the throwaways, I'm definitely ready to get Free TC in rotation.—Constant Gardner

Young Juve has a slightly unfair advantage when it comes to access to New Orleans legends, because Young Juve is Juvenile’s son. But even without anyone on the remix, his track “Do Yo Thang”—posted on P&P back in August—was a great one. Now it’s even better, and Lil Wayne delivers one of his best guest verses in recent memory.—Confusion

Even with all of the current frustration many users are experiencing with SoundCloud, there are still a few reasons to love it. One of them is the “Related Tracks” section. After your song of choice is finished playing, it will immediately move onto something similar, and every now and then it turns out to be a really great song that may be new to you. That’s how I stumbled upon Brayton Bowman’s song “Bieber’s Hotline” earlier this week.

By the title, it seems like it may just be a regular mashup of two major hits—been there, done that—but instead of some DJ or producer simply mixing the two songs together, Bowman turns out to be a singer/songwriter covering both songs with an interesting twist. On the surface, Drake’s “Hotline Bling” and Justin Bieber’s “What Do You Mean?” don’t have much in common—besides the fact that they’re both burning up the charts. But Bowman’s track weaves the lyrics of each song together in such a seamless fashion that it seems like these two songs were meant to be together.—Adrienne Black

We learned this month that GoldLink's debut album is called And After That, We Didn’t Talk. The news came courtesy of Zane Lowe, who also provided the album's lead single, "Spectrum." Add Lowe to the long list of huge names cosigning this high-tempo rapper from the DMV—GoldLink already has Rick Rubin's ear, and the album features some impressive production credits. But at the end of the day, the music still has to hit, no matter who's making it.

"Spectrum" finds GoldLink improving upon his proven formula. With a Missy Elliott sample leading the way (again) and some pizzicato synths by its side, "Spectrum" is another impossibly smooth jam that can succeed on the dance floor or a smoky bedroom in equal measure.—Graham Corrigan

A couple of weeks ago I saw Demo Taped live for the first time, and I was surprised. First of all, he's a confident, magnetic performer—not what I expected from a 17-year-old who describes himself as anxious and is open about his struggle with depression. I expected an artist unsure of himself, but he's a natural performer, and his love for what he's doing is on full display.

I was also surprised by how much of his set was purely instrumental. Behind the boards, Demo Taped is a production prodigy, but my favorite Demo Taped songs are still the ones with an emphasis on vocals: "Not Enough," "I Luv U," and now this one, "Game On." Demo Taped could easily be a behind-the-scenes producer, but "Game On" is another example of how much more he can do. This young artist may be a production wizard, but it's his warm melodies, moving lyrics, and signature vocal sound that make him one of my favorite new artists.—Confusion

So far, each of Leisure’s singles have been unique. On "Got It Bad" and "Hot Love, they’ve proven that they can deliver funky, mid-tempo songs that are too infectious to listen to standing still. This time, however, they’ve slowed things down for their latest single, “All Over You.”

Their previous songs have felt like funky pop fusions, but “All Over You” takes a deeper dive into the R&B world. Like any great R&B or funk record, Leisure’s latest single is led by a strong bass line that helps to set the sultry tone. The mood is completed by the accompanying smooth vocals—every song from Leisure has an undeniable coolness.

It comes as no surprise that a group named Leisure has perfected the art of making songs that can release tension. In short, “All Over You” is hypnotically soothing, and just so damn good.—Adrienne Black

James Blake's BBC Radio 1 show has been a continued source of great new music, both from friends and members of the 1-800-Dinosaur family and from Blake himself. Last night he debuted another new one, a cover of Simon & Garfunkel's "Sounds of Silence," keeping the original's melancholy melodies intact and backing his vocals with subtlest of keys. One listen, and it makes so much sense, and I wouldn't be surprised if this becomes part of his live show in the future.

Of course, we sould have known this was going to be great—Blake's covers of "A Case of You" (Joni Mitchell) and "Limit To Your Love" (Feist) are both brilliant.—Constant Gardner

Pell and Dave Sitek for the win. The young New Orleans rapper and TV on the Radio producer bring out new sides of each other. Pell busts out the gate with Redman levels of charisma, and Sitek laces him with a fun, triumphant beat to commandeer.

The chorus is great, but more importantly, Pell remains one of the most relatable, honest rappers making music right now. Sonically, this track is upbeat and carefree, but lyrically, it's the opposite of stunting. Instead of faking it 'til he makes it, Pell just tells it exactly how it is. That shouldn't be such a rare occurrence in rap, but it is. GoldLink knows. Props to Pell for keeping it real and having fun while doing it.—Confusion

Ryan Hemsworth's Secret Songs started as a decidedly electronic collection, and its found ways to reinvent the term with every passing song. Now in its 37th installment, the singles series has spread its wings to a number of different genres, as this week's soaring R&B ballad from Lontalius and CutMyLips demonstrates.

It's a dream collab on many levels: "Mooncatch" pairs Lontalius' buttery-smooth vocals with a CutMyLips beat that is ever-changing, rooted in bouncy, driving percussion that buoys a song that's otherwise sweetly melancholic. Lontalius knows when to stay out of the way and when to hop in, and the resulting double-dutch will have you bewitched in no time.—Graham Corrigan

Nao is good at sensual and sultry. She's proven that in the past, and while that's not the limit of her abilities, it's definitely something that we don't mind her revisiting. On her latest single, "Bad Blood," Nao's sweet, coy voice cajoles listeners to stay with her, amplified by the sweltering, molasses-like production that feels simultaneously minimalist and powerful.

It's a very strong first introduction to her debut album, and if the rest is as brilliant as "Bad Blood," she might find her album on some "Best of 2016" lists.—Joyce

Nicolas Jaar has a way of making eight minutes pass by in the blink of an eye. "Fight" is filled with the sort of layered, heart-racing beats that make Nico a master of suspense and delivery.

"Fight" is the third entry to Jaar's single series Nymphs—the song's full title is "Fight (Nymphs IV)," as the series started back in May with the Nymphs II EP. This one stands alone, though—it's a glossy club banger that tricks you into thinking its peak happens at the five-minute mark, but stick around. As always, Nico Jaar rewards close listening.—Graham Corrigan

After more than three years of waiting, Adele didn't disappoint. "Hello," the first single off of her upcoming 25 album, is the kind of pitch-perfect balladry Adele's fans have been yearning for, complete with a massive hook that will shake more than a few rafters.

This is Adele's lane, and even though it's been a while, she's proven with one song that she's still the de facto queen of heartache and empowerment.—Graham Corrigan