Frazer Harrison/Getty Images; Daniel Shea; Via Jagjaguwar; RJ Shaughnessy
1. The flanged, lo-fi guitar part on Frank Ocean's "Ivy" could easily have been influenced by a million little-known Bandcamp bands. The mid-tempo song is beautiful, catchy, and a reminder that he's one of this generation's most gifted singer-songwriters, in any genre.
2. The slow-creeping, Auto-tuned title track of Chromatics's long-time-coming Dear Tommy is here. There's a tracklist too — maybe this thing is really happening after all. Thank God.
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3. "War Ready," which was produced by James Blake and features a sample of a legendary Andre 3000 verse, is peak Vince Staples. The whole Prima Donna EP is worth a spin or twenty, for real.
4. On "Pneumonia,” the new single from his as-yet-unreleased Atrocity Exhibition, Danny Brown sounds crude and reckless — in a good way — over Evian Christ's clanking, boiler-room backbeat.
5. Roses, the L.A. trio that features members of Abe Vigoda, have a knack for making synth-driven pop songs that sound like they're from another time. "Accessory," the jittery lead single from their first full-length, is rich, romantic proof of exactly that.
6. In terms of instantly memorable songs and aesthetically pleasing visuals surrounding her new album, Angel Olsen is three for three. "Sister," the latest leak from My Woman, is pure, simple, Rumours-esque magic.
7. Singer/rapper S A I N t J H N just dropped "Dope Dealer," a low-end-heavy production that highlights the Brooklyn artist's echoing vocals and affinity for simple, sludgy melodies.
8. It would feel weird to only have one Frank Ocean song on this list. So we'll end it with "Seigfried," the meandering, existential, Elliott Smith-quoting Blond highlight that will click with anyone who feels like they don't quite belong.
9. "Keep My Head Afloat," a catchy song by Jeremy Zucker, is hinged on a light dancehall influence, a clean melody, and the sort of blind optimism that comes from being in love: And if this plane fell to the water/ I'm OK/ We'll ride the waves of the ocean/ Wasting all of our days.
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From The Collection:
Songs You Need In Your Life
