// Pusha T - My God //
Leaked as a single in early February, "My God" is the crown jewel of Pusha T's recent mixtape effort, Fear of God. There is no catchy hook or chorus here, just Push oozing conviction and laying his proverbial foes to rest. Between the electric guitar riff and the measured snare rolls, the track plods along almost at the pace of a funeral procession. The tambourine and organ add a little flare, but there's no mistake that this cut is weighty and dark. The simplistic yet powerful "Yes, my God..." hook fills so much space the way it echoes. This is a man with confidence at an all-time high, and we are listening to his self-affirmation.
// Frank Ocean - Songs For Women //
California-based hip-hop collective Odd Future (Wolf Gang Kill Them All) have made many a-wave in the last couple of months. In a nutshell, they're as bizarre as their name might suggest. If their outlandish approach isn't for you, it may help to know that there's at least one apple in the bunch providing a little bit of mellow flavour. Frank Ocean is the group's resident R&B singer/songwriter, known to some for his previous work writing for John Legend and even Justin Bieber. He's another unfortunate case of a talented young man, signing a major label deal and never getting the chance to shine. The story is documented briefly here. Off his self-released album titled Nostalgia, Ultra., "Songs For Women" is a super chill track which showcases Ocean's production talents. He's got a pretty decent singing voice to boot. Does he sing songs to win over the ladies? Check it out for yourself.
// Daft Punk - The Son of Flynn (Ki: Theory Remix) //
The soundtrack for Tron Legacy was already pretty sweet. Last week, we were treated to a reworking of Daft Punk's original score by a gamut of electronic heavyweights. From Crystal Method to Paul Oakenfold to M83 and Kaskade, there are plenty of familiar names on the bill. My favourite track from Tron R3C0NF1GU3D is Ki:Theory's remix of "The Son of Flynn". That electric guitar just about makes me lose my shit every time. For those of you looking for a new powersong to freshen up your workout playlist, here you go.
// The National - You Think You Can Wait //
Now completely changing gears, here is an utterly wonderful track from The National. The title track for the upcoming film, Win Win, "You Think You Can Wait" has a sort of grounding effect on me. It's music for your moment of clarity. The question,"you think you can wait?" is perhaps one of the hardest and most honest questions a person can ever ask him/herself. This song challenges you on a different level than what you would expect from a mere song. It's spooky, but you can't deny good music. What effect does it have on you?
// Shlohmo - Places //
Loosely categorized as "experimental", Shlohmo's "Places" is a peculiar piece of work that I can't put down. The LA-based producer seems to have various hip-hop influences in his work. Most notably, I'm hearing a lot of D'Angelo in here. The cool thing about "Places" is its movement - it seems to be constantly going somewhere, blossoming. It's chill, ambient, and simply relaxing. I'm a fan.
// Funeral Party - Car Wars //
I could be a bit off on this one, but Funeral Party really reminds me of The Rapture. In any case, the Cali indie rock quartet can at least groove like the now-defunct dance-punk band. Funeral Party's first album, The Golden Age of Knowhere, released earlier this year to generally warm critical reception. Boosting a boogy-down bass groove and some electric vocals from frontman Chad Elliot, "Car Wars" will definitely get a few people up and cutting a rug.
