Carnage – “I Like Tuh” (ft. ILoveMakonnen)

This man is my hero

Some people like to bemoan the current hip hop zeitgeist as it continues to move away from poetry and consciousness, and more toward the abstract and raw emotion. The DJ/producer, originally the main act in hip hop, has returned to prominence with the rapper shifting back towards their role as emcee, the ringmaster of the moment. In this instance, DJ Carnage fully harnesses ILoveMakonnen’s style in an electrifying fusion of massive production and abstract delivery. There may not be a message, it’s certainly not conscious, but god damn it feels fucking fantastic. I LIKE TUH!

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FRANKIE – “Problems Problems”

FRANKIE’s first problem is a flower located inside her mouth

Most of the time, the best pop music floating around is stuff you’re not going to hear on the radio (yet). I could spend a lot of time trying to deconstruct every little element of this song that puts it ahead its radio counterparts, but that would go against the ethos of the track. It’s just… really nice to listen to. And like FRANKIE sings, everybody’s got problems so there’s a little something for everyone to relate to. She only has a couple songs out right now but “Problems Problems” definitely puts her on the watch list.

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Cosmo Sheldrake – “Tardigrade Song”

Stand strong, stand proud

London’s Cosmo Sheldrake is an irrefutable badass. A veritable one-man band who mixes traditional world music sounds with modern electronic production, he’s a unique standout even if what I just described sounds like Beats Unique (it’s not). His latest single “Tardigrade Song” sings about the struggles and desires of what National Geographic describes as the world’s toughest animal. Who else sings about this kind of shit?

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Diet Cig – “Harvard”

A joke about what’s happening below the crop is too easy, right?

There’s something about jangly, snotty indie pop that manages to keep it relevant and interesting way past its heyday in the 90s. Upstate New York duo Diet Cig are making a great name for themselves from their debut tracks, the second being a simultaneously cutting and charming diss track against singer Alex Luciano’s ex. Kind of want to don a pair of suspenders and sneer at passerbys whilst smoking a cigarette on a sidewalk patio in Brooklyn after listening to this. Just me?

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Anton Borin – “You”

Anton found himself genuinely conflicted over which angle was, in fact, his best angle

There must be something, at least in the electronic world, about naming your song “You” that demands quality. Gold Panda and Bibio obviously hit that one out of the park, and now Swedish newcomer Anton Borin adds one more to the mix. Calling it “minimalist house” doesn’t do the song enough justice. It’s not going to melt your face off, but there’s something so subtly catchy about it that it’s impossible to dislike.

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Twerps – “I Don’t Mind”

Taking a holistic approach to 90s revival

Now that we’re sneaking into the halfway mark of the decade, it’s about time that my generation’s borrowed nostalgia for the 80s slowly gets replaced by the younger generation’s borrowed nostalgia for the 90s. It’s a cycle that’s repeated for years – the current decade hates the previous decade but idolizes the one prior to that. You certainly won’t hear me complaining about that, especially if it means more tunes like this fantastic slow burner from Australian quartet Twerps.

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Starfoxxx – “Bae HD”

If you’re looking for an extra reason to see Starfoxxx live, well…

Chicago producer David Beltran isn’t trying to do anything groundbreaking or mindblowing under his Starfoxxx moniker. His music is a lot like his album title, Baby I’m Off Drugs and Ready to Marry You – fun, silly and memorable. “Bae HD” is a shining example of his upbeat, jungle-tinged sound with vocals that will have you trying to sing along even if you aren’t exactly sure what’s being said. It’s actually nice that his music is good because typically there’s an inverse relationship between how clever or witty an artists’ name or song titles are, and the quality of their output.

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Emilie Nicolas – “Grown Up”

Emilie suddenly regretted her choice of outfit under the hot stage lighting

Came across this undeniable gem while perusing Hype Machine’s “Best of 2014” collection and it instantly took my breathe away. Seldom can artists do so much with so little, and even at its boldest moments, “Grown Up” brings you through them effortlessly. There is only one other track on Emile Nicolas’ Soundcloud account and one can only hope this is the start of something big. Norwegians are pretty great at creating these dreamy atmospheres but she stands tall among the crowd.

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