Instead of just rolling through the best music of March, let’s round up the best music of the first quarter of 2016. We’ll kick things off with the best tracks of the year so far. My album list should be out later this week. And so as not to repeat myself, I didn’t include anything from any of those albums on this list.
Last Japan
“Ascend” (f/ AJ Tracey)
Digital Single
Two of the biggest young talents in grime link up for one of the biggest choons of the year. Last Japan has been cranking out gorgeous, powerful tracks for the last few years. But he rarely works with vocalists, so it’s great to hear one of the best MCs in the game lend vocals to his work. We’ll see if this will be a one-off or a sign of things to come. Hopefully, it’ll be the latter.
Jordan Raf
“Duvet”
Double Negative (out soon on POW)
Undoubtedly one of my favorite new artists of the year, the LA-based singer-songwriter has been on fire recently, using his gorgeous, clean tenor to sing dirty little love songs. His work reminds me a lot of eternal TP favorite, Dan Bodan, unabashedly exploring the oft-seedy, visceral aspects of real sex and relationships.
Silk Road Assassins
“Vectors”
Reflection Spaces (out 04.15 on Planet Mu)
Of all the exciting new album news this year, nothing beat the secretive London neo-grime trio announcing their forthcoming debut EP on Planet Mu. I’ve been lurking on their Soundcloud for more than a year, inhaling their icy, Neo Geo synths and monstrous, rolling percussion. And while “Vectors” isn’t anywhere near new, it remains one of most exciting, futuristic tracks of recent years and is an exciting roadmap to how far these three could really take this. Roll on April 15th.
Future
“Fly Shit Only”
EVOL (out now on Freebandz)
After an all-conquering 2015 (and 2014 and 2013), Future Hendrix shows no signs of slowing down, dropping two full-lengths in the first quarter, EVOL and Purple Reign. While neither will remembered as a classic, they are full of highlights, namely the former’s mid-tempo, guitar-driven closer. The DJ Spinz weeper recalls my favorite song of last year, “News or Smthn,” and continues to hint at how special an all-slow jam Future album would be.
Stormzy
“One Take Freestyle”
Digital Single
Bars, bars, bars, and more bars. That’s all the 22 year-old’s been up to the last two years. His bars are clever, powerful, quotable, sharp, and hilarious. But more than anything, Stormzy raps with a joyful exuberance that permeates all his work. His records feel like private group text conversations amongst friends, packed with inside jokes, verbal emojis, and lighthearted shit-talk. In a genre where artists consistently take themselves more seriously than their craft, Stormzy is the opposite, crushing all comers with a goofy smile on his face.
Thast
“Independent” / “Snitch”
Digital Single
While we’re on the topic of bars, Tampa rapper Thast is one of the most underrated in the game. Without any label push or marketing, she’s built a unarguable body of work, and her ravenous, drawling flow is a tasty antidote to the low-BPMs and auto-tuned crooning that rules mainstream hip-hop. Instead of looking to more established producers, her recent work has been handled by off-kilter Soundcloud weirdos like Xssory, Hi Tom, and Svani, and the results have been delightfully original and unexpected.
PartyNextDoor
“Come See Me” (f/ Drake)
P3 (out soon on OVO Sound)
Considering the horrifying recent events surrounding Kehlani, it’s hard to divorce PartyNextDoor’s dirtbag (ahem) shenanigans from a track that it is a pleasing return to form for both artists. PND’s languid tenor is the perfect match for the sparse 40 beat, and Drake is in full petty mode, hanging out with his old friends and licking shots at his exes. It’s the kind of track that could have come from the Take Care sessions, which remains Drake’s best work.
ZAYN
“It’s You” / “Pillowtalk”
Mind of Mine (out now on RCA)
Though the ex One Directioner’s debut album is a bit of a drag, its first two singles highlight the 23 year-old’s intriguing potential. The former is a delicious, sad-sack break up jam with Frank Ocean organ and Malik’s lovely falsetto on full display. While the latter is the kind of delirious romp in the sheets that Peak Usher would have approved of. Sure, it’s a little disappointing that two tracks this strong didn’t get an album to match, but at least his solo career is off to a better start than 90% of other ex-Boy Band members.
Julianna Barwick
“Nebula”
Will (out 05.06 on Dead Oceans)
Nearly three years on her stunning second LP, Nepenthe, we’re just a couple months away from another helping of the soothing sounds of Julianna Barwick. While her signature, mellifluous vocal loops still feature heavily here, “Nebula” marks a subtle stylistic shift in the form of the undulating synth melody that the track is built around. It’s an exciting development in an already innovative sound, and I can’t wait to hear it in its proper album context.
DVSN
“Angela”
SEPT 5TH (out now on OVO Sound)
I’m still formulating my feelings on the anonymous OVO duo’s debut, but this soulful, devotional had me hooked from the first spin. Though their work is often lazily compared to the Weeknd, “Angela” feels a helluva lot more like a Frank Ocean track to me, mostly due to vocalist Daniel Daley’s timeless falsetto and the arrangement’s classic soul overtones. But even that paints an incomplete picture, and I’d just rather let them be the first DVSN, rather than the next whomever.
Boosie Badazz
“Wanna B Heard” (f/ Slim Thug)
Out My Feelings (In My Past) (out now, self-released)
At his best, Boosie always felt like a voice for the voiceless community he represents. Baton Rouge is the second city of one of America’s poorest states — a city that ranks first in HIV cases and last or damn-near last in many quality of life metrics. “Wanna B Heard” is a stirring return to form that finds Boosie — a 33 year-old survivor of an impoverished childhood, Angola state prison, and kidney cancer — still standing and speaking up for his people. He’s an essential voice who still has a lot more to stay.
Turnover
“Humblest Pleasures”
Humblest Pleasures 7″ (Run for Cover)
The Virginia Beach quartet’s 2015 LP, Peripheral Vision, continues to be in heavy rotation around these parts, and this loosey is another example of their razor-sharp songwriting and so-very-welcome Gin Blossoms vibes. Guitarist Eric Soucy’s lazy guitar line is the perfect partner for Austin Getz’s disaffected vocal, resulting in the sweetest kind of musical malaise.
Zora Jones
“Ruby Fifths” (f/ Heavee)
Digital Single (Fractal Fantasy)
If Gaspar Noe ever plans on making another movie, he should ask the Barcelona producer to handle soundtrack duties. Her music is thrillingly non-linear, veering in wild and unexpected ways. “Ruby Fifths” is one of the most accessible tracks of her career, teaming with TEKLIFE veteran, Heavee, to create a swirling slab of interstellar footwork magic.
Pinegrove
“Old Friends”
Cardinal (out now on Run for Cover)
“Every outcome’s such a comedown” sings Evan Stephens Hall on his the first track from his band’s breakout sophomore LP. “Old Friends” vividly chronicles the struggle of living too much in your head and not enough out in the world. He frets about letting his loved ones know he cares about them and missing social functions, and he confronts his own mortality at the funeral of a friend. It all plays out over dusty, Saddle Creek guitars and loose, crashing drums.
The Range
“Five Four”
Potential (out now on Domino)
James Hinton’s sample-laden sophomore album is another that I need more time with, but its stirring second single got its claws into me at first listen. Aspirations are a massive part of Potential, and “Five Four” is dripping with them — both in the directness of the vocal sample and the uplifting keyboard melody.
ANOHNI
“Drone Bomb Me”
HOPLESSNESS (out 05.06 on Secretly Canadian)
Though I remain conflicted about the artist’s real connection to the subject matter here (please read Tayyab Amin in FACT), Anohni’s meditation on the horrors of drone warfare remains one of the most affecting tracks of the year. Her trembling warble is unshakable, and Oneohtrix Point Never and Hudson Mohawke deliver some of the most penetrating synths and percussion of the year. The disc remains one of my most anticipated of the year, and I cannot wait to dig into it come May.
The Rhythm Method
“Party Politics”
Digital Single
Nostalgia is a weapon in pop music, and few wield it more effectively against me than this young South West London duo. Mike Skinner, Britpop, British TV, and Paul Weller are the main ingredients here, which are all key food groups of my teenage years. They first popped onto my radar with last year’s “Local Girl,” which sounded like the theme to some long, lost UK sitcom. Their third single, “Party Politics,” maintains that vibe, but injects it with the doe-eyed party worship and speak-rap of “Weak Become Heroes” (still, possibly my favorite ever song). I may be about 15 years older than the target demo, but this still hits me right in the feels.
