The Worst Songs of 2015

2015 has had some great musical moments. But every year has its lows. It's time to rummage through the garbage. I wish I could say that there was some positive goal behind this list, but there isn't - we're all sadists who love to indulge in a brutal panning now and again. Praise is boring.

My Top 20 Favourite Albums of 2015

Here it is - my favourite albums of 2015 BC! What a great year for music! The Ancient Egyptian lute scene was at it's peak. What do you mean they didn't have albums back then? Not even vinyl? Then what the hell am I supposed to write about? You want my favourite albums of AD 2015? Oh, alright then...

Review of 'Garden of Delete' by Oneohtrix Point Never

Experimental US producer Daniel Lopatin (AKA Oneohtrix Point Never) has delivered this new electronic epic inspired by hypergrunge band, Kaoss Edge.

BEST AND WORST NEW TRACKS OF THE WEEK 15/12/2015: Madeira, Pinkshinyultrablast, Stitches and more...

Review of 'Product' by SOPHIE

What's that below, you ask? I'll tell you what it is. It's a 'skin safe odourless and tasteless platinum silicon product' of course.

The Top 10 Most Bizarre Christmas Albums

Tired of hearing the same Christmas songs year after after? Slade’s ‘Merry Xmas’ no longer invoking those feelings of festive nostalgia but rather encouraging feelings of PTSD? In need of some alternative yuletide anthems? Why not give these records a gander. The perfect accompaniment to your roast goose. Or roast turkey. Or roast ostrich if you're really dead set on taking this alternative Christmas thing to the next level.

BEST AND WORST NEW TRACKS OF THE WEEK 01/12/2015: The Killers, Animal Collective, Native Construct and more...

Review of 'AQUARIA' by Boots

Boots (not to be confused with Little Boots, Moon Boots or Puss in Boots) is an American singer and electronic producer. Some of you may know him as the dude who produced Beyoncé’s ‘Haunted’. Some of you may now him as the dude who produced that recent FKA Twigs EP. Some of you may know him as the guest vocalist on that Run the Jewels track ‘Early’. Some of you may not know him at all, in which case don’t despair, I’m here to fill you in.

Review of 'Purpose' by Justin Bieber

It's 2015 and Justin Bieber is no longer that mop-haired squeaky-voiced Canadian kid singing schmaltzy love songs for fourteen-year-old girls. No, he's now a fully-grown adult male human being with tats and a six-pack making club anthems for his fellow twenty-something drinkers.

BEST AND WORST NEW TRACKS OF THE WEEK 24/11/2015: David Bowie, Savages, Fetty Wap and more...

BEST AND WORST NEW TRACKS OF THE WEEK 16/11/2015: Brockley Forest, Missy Elliott, Pusha T and more...

Review of 'Me' by Empress Of

This new avant-garde dance-pop album is the masterful work of Honduran-American singer-songwriter Lorely Rodriguez AKA Empress of.

BEST AND WORST NEW TRACKS OF THE WEEK 9/11/2015: SOPHIE, Take That, Rustie and more...

Review of 'Delirium' by Ellie Goulding

Ellie Goulding has a voice like a cartoon mouse on helium. I’m not sure it’s a cadence I’m entirely keen on, but I respect it’s individuality. 

BEST AND WORST NEW TRACKS OF THE WEEK 2/11/2015: Timbaland, A Sunny Day in Glasgow, Pink Lung and more...

Review of 'The Anthropocene Extinction' by Cattle Decapitation

San Diego deathgrind band Cattle Decapitation have dropped the hippy ethos. No longer are all their members vegetarians and no longer do they write songs about mankind's mistreatment of animals. Instead, they've turned to psychopathic songs about their hatred of humanity.

BEST AND WORST NEW TRACKS OF THE WEEK 24/10/2015: Drake, Boots, Savages and more...

Drake's 'Hotline Bling' is a banger! Plus new songs from Boots, Savages and more...

Review of 'V' by Wavves

‘My head huuurts’ and ‘everything sucks if you don’t get your way’ make up some of the moody hooks on this new album from San Diego rock band Wavves. If it weren’t for the ridiculously bouncy instrumentals, I’d think frontman Nathan Williams was a right sourpuss. Instead the unfittingly upbeat surf rock guitars turn the whole thing into a fun downer mockery – a woe-is-me album that seems to rejoice all of Nathan’s grumbles.

BEST AND WORST NEW TRACKS OF THE WEEK 15/10/2015: Formation, Kelela, Raury and more...

New tracks from Formation, Kelela, Raura and more...

BEST AND WORST NEW TRACKS OF THE WEEK 08/10/2015: Drake, Tom Misch, Hopsin and more...

This week features a beautiful new song from Tom Misch and a new Drake song featuring Beyonce. Plus more...

Review of '100% Electronica' by George Clanton

The title isn’t a lie. This is 100% electronica. But not the bargain bucket house music that the plain title seems to suggest.

Review of 'Caracal' by Disclosure

The warm chords are back as found on ‘Hourglass’. And the percussion is still as old skool as before, as evident on ‘Jaded’. This is undoubtedly the same UK EDM bro duo that gave us Settle. But where is the energy? 

BEST AND WORST NEW TRACKS OF THE WEEK 29/09/2015: Wavves, Pope Francis, Isaiah Rashad and more...

Some surprising new singles this week including a new track from The Pope himself. YES, THE ACTUAL POPE.

The Worst Types of Music Fan

I like music. Some of you who regularly read this blog may have realised this. It's always nice to talk to people who share my passion for music. However, there are some fellow music fans who are not a joy to talk to. You've probably come across them before. Here is a spotter’s guide:

BEST AND WORST NEW TRACKS OF THE WEEK 21/09/2015: DOOMSTARKS, Guerilla Toss, Meow The Jewels and more...

THE BEST:

'Lively Hood' - DOOMSTARKS

How much longer must we wait? These balls can’t get any bluer. It’s been almost ten years since veteran rappers Ghostface Killah and MF Doom announced they’d be teaming up for an album under the alias ‘Doomstarks’. Finally we have ‘Lively Hood’ – a collaborative single with a badass orchestral beat that may possibly be a hint that the new record is at last in the pipeline. I can just picture the deadly duo in their volcano lair laughing sadistically at the steadily growing impatience of their fanbase.

'Polly’s Crystal' - Guerilla Toss

New York noise punk band Guerilla Toss have a twisted sound that slowly sucks you in against your will like a tornado. Bleepy synths and unsettlingly dissonant guitars ride a hypnotic groove in this new seven-minute psychotic carousel ride, topped with some unhinged female sing-shouting. Can you believe the frontwoman used to be in a gospel choir?

'Dream' - Long Beard

‘Dream’ certainly lives up to its name. The New Brunswick band combine distant vocals and reverb-soaked guitars to create a lulling atmosphere that’s as warm as your childhood bed. You’ll want to curl up and suck your thumb.

'The Nile' - Kisses

Here’s some indie disco for all your indie disco needs. It builds up subtly from a galloping funky bassline, climaxing with some pretty horns. Is ‘The Nile’ title a reference to Nile Rodgers?

'Oh Darling Don’t Meow' - Meow the Jewels

US rap duo, Run the Jewels, drop another cat-noise remix. Yes, the beat is made entirely of meows and yes, somehow it still bangs as much as the original.

THE WORST:

'Ride' - Lowell (feat. Icona Pop)

An overdistorted bassline and a sweary chorus make this the perfect track for any teenage rebel looking for a brattier version of Charli XCX.

Review of 'Beauty Behind the Madness' by The Weeknd

 ‘Can’t Feel My Face’ is the kind of funky, feelgood love song that momentarily restores your faith in the radio. Sadly it’s also the only song of it’s kind on this album.

BEST AND WORST NEW TRACKS OF THE WEEK 12/09/2015: Oneohtrix Point Never, Nick Brewer, Miley Cyrus and more...

THE BEST:

‘Please Eloise’ – Flyte

Eloise isn’t a name I’ve come across before. I guess nowadays you’ve got to get creative given almost every other female name has been taken and used in a song. Anyhow, all that aside, this is a damn good indie rock track packing some serious groove and an explosive chorus you’ll inadvertently find yourself singing the next morning in the shower. This London band could be ones to watch.

‘I Bite Through It’ – Oneohtrix Point Never

Never one for conventionality, US electronic producer Oneohtrix Point Never delivers this digital glitchfest. It ski-ski-skips along like a scratched record, whilst skilfully managing to be both melodic and emotive. A full album, Garden of Delete, is set to drop soon.

‘Myths’ – Frank Gamble

These vocals sound bloody awesome. Is this even a dude singing? I mean, I don’t know many chicks named Frank, but that range is extraordinary. The glittery semi-trap instrumental is pretty awesome too.

‘Talk To Me’ - Nick Brewer

I know the beat’s stolen from Crystal Waters’ ‘Gypsy Woman’ and I know T.I. already sampled it, but UK hip hop artist Nick Brewer’s smooth rapping still manages to bring a new sense of life to it.

‘Ready Aim Fire’ – Lexi Scherr

Don’t we have enough eighties nostalgia floating around right now? Probably, but this Chicago singer’s new upbeat single trumps most of them.

THE WORST:

Dooo it! – Miley Cyrus

‘Why they put the dick in the pussy?’ See my Miley Cyrus & Her Dead Petz review. Although you probably have ears so no doubt don’t need me to justify what’s wrong with this song.

Review of 'Miley Cyrus & Her Dead Petz' by Miley Cyrus

That's it. I’m throwing my Hannah Montana DVD box sets in the skip. Who does this outrageous woman think she is, poisoning the minds of children? Does she not think of the children? WILL NO-ONE THINK OF THE CHILDREN!

Review of 'Pathology' by Trails and Ways

I’m glad Trails and Ways aren’t another depressing wannabe-Smiths indie band. I’m also depressed that it’s taken me until September to give this album a listen when it could have been fuelling my summer.

BEST AND WORST NEW TRACKS OF THE WEEK 4/09/2015: Macklemore, George Clanton, Battles and more...

As usual, I single out my favourite and least favourite singles from the last seven days. This week Slayer sing about getting stoned and Macklemore muses about mopeds.

THE BEST:

'It Makes The Babies Want To Cry' - George Clanton

Is this vaporwave? Chillwave? New wave? I don’t know the difference any more (I never knew). In any case, this new single from Brooklyn artist George Clanton is a hellload of fun. Shimmering synth stabs and distant vocals make for a sparkly eighties-inspired pop track complete with worn, bleary-eyed production. Let it wash over you like a wave, whatever –wave that may be.

'Cast the First Stone' - Slayer

Tuned down to drop-z, Slayer’s latest single is a ten-ton sludgy monster of a track that will rumble around your bowels. I’ve kind of got used to the metal veterans churning out identical breakneck thrashers year after year, so it’s nice to see the band trying something a little different (relatively speaking).

'Downtown' - Macklemore & Ryan Lewis ft. Eric Nelly

Lyrically it’s not as witty as ‘Thrift Shop’ – mopeds aren’t as funny as hipsters. However, the funky bassline and groovy agogo bells more than make up for this. Ryan Lewis has composed a killer beat here. I’m still warming to the flamboyant chorus, sung by guest singer Eric Nelly – its all a bit cheesy and theatrical. Still, US rapper Macklemore has definitely put together a fun pop song here, the constantly shifting instrumental keeping the listener guessing as to what will come next.

'Floored' - Priscilla Sharp

New York underground artist Priscilla Sharp provides breathy vocals over a glitchy electronic instrumental. The moments of silence are deafening and make for some serious suspense.

'FF Bada' - Battles

Also hailing from the Big Apple, experimental rock three-piece Battles tease the build-up to their new album La Di Da Di with a new characteristically-intricate instrumental, ‘FF Bada’, accompanied by some more foody artwork to drool over. Their last single ‘The Yabba’ struck me as a bit too noodly, but this new track seems to be just the right balance of complexity and cohesiveness.

THE WORST:

'Ain’t Nobody (Loves Me Better)' - Felix Jaehn ft. Jasmine Thompson

The Chaka Khan original was feelgood. This cover is depressing and Jasmine Thompson, whoever she is, sounds like she’s trying far too hard to be an Ellie Goulding clone.

Review of 'M3LL155X' by FKA Twigs

Accompanied by an artsy music video in which Twigs gives birth to rainbow ribbons in the back of a van amongst other surreal scenes straight out of Salvador Dali’s nightmares, this latest 16-minute EP sees the London-born experimental singer continuing to alienate pop fans in pursuit of her own weird and wonderful style. 

BEST AND WORST NEW TRACKS OF THE WEEK 26/08/2015: Boots, Deafheaven, Carly Rae Jepsen and more...

I single out the singles that made the biggest impression on me. This week Boots gets brilliantly bizarre, Deafheaven get darker and ditch the daintiness and Carly Rae Jepsen cuts the cuteness settling sadly for cookie cut crap.

THE BEST:

'Aquaria' - Boots ft. Angel Deradoorian

To a backdrop of jittery dark electronic sounds American producer/singer delivers this creepy yet alluring new song. Squelching bass and industrial clicks weave in and out of one another whilst Boots shifts from semi-rapping to groovy singing. I picture a handsome psychopath seducing his prey whilst listening to this. Cali rock singer Angel Deradoorian offers some brief female guest vocals.

'Brought to the Water' - Deafheaven

I find it very hard to feel happy when someone’s screaming at me. Deafheaven’s cheery approach to black metal on their last album Sunbather didn’t click very well with me for that reason – I need a bit of anger and gloom to accompany my shrieks and blast beats, otherwise it’s as confusing as watching Freddie Krueger in a rom com. This new track thankfully seems to be less happy and more in keeping with the evil metal spirit I’m used to. Eerie church bells kick off the track followed by a series of melancholy riffs. Admittedly, the mood turns happy half-way through the track, but contrasted against the gloomy opening it gives the band’s happier sound a new dimension.

'Juniper' - Amanda X

Philly all-female rock trio serve up this ode to unrequited love. Sour guitar melodies and an old worn production style reminiscent of The Cranberries adds to the tortured vibe of the song. Its an aesthetic that has me hyped for their upcoming EP, Hundreds and Thousands.

Listen to the track here over at Stereogum.

THE WORST:

'Watch Me' - Silento

Stop deliberately using slang that nobody understands! What the hell is a nae nae and why would I want to break my legs? I can’t dance to these instructions if I don’t understand any of them, and yes, I’m too ignorant to want to understand them.

'Your Type' - Carly Rae Jepsen

 ‘Call me Maybe’ and ‘I Really like you’ were both cute, but now the sugariness is starting wear off and Carly Rae Jepsen is starting to sound like a stale second-rate Taylor Swift.

'Flodgin' - King Louie

His squeaky vocal inflections remind me of how my voice sounded when I was going through puberty, and I’d rather forget about that awkward phase in my life, as would we all.

THE BEST AND WORST NEW TRACKS OF THE WEEK 12/08/2015: Roisin Murphy, Foals, Aston Merryweather and more...

Once again, I round up my favourite and least favourite singles from the last seven days. This week, the chick from Moloko gets weird and the dude from JLS gets stupid. 

THE BEST:

'Evil Eyes' - Roisin Murphy

One half of the nineties dance-pop duo Moloko, Roisin Murphy delivers this new weird and wonderful solo track. It’s a sonic journey consisting of electronic bleeps, massive chord splashes and funky guitars accompanied by slightly-occult themed lyrics about love. The music video is a bit of a trip. What’s the chicken-eating scene all about? 

'Pet U' - Curl Up

Dedicated to his pet cat, this cute EDM instrumental from New York producer Curl Up combines shimmering guitars and vibrant synth stabs. The result sounds like something out of a brightly-coloured Japanese video game. A video game, I can only assume, containing lots of cats. Clearly Curl Up is quite fond of felines – his facebook profile picture even has him cradling one.

'A Knife In The Ocean' - Foals

Oxford rock band, Foals, have exchanged the groovy funk rock sound of their last LP for a more slow and brooding sonic feel. The reverb-drenched guitars make this track sound absolutely colossal. I picture myself standing on a cliff whilst listening to this, hearing it echo at me from across the void.  

'Real  Joy' – Fono

Get your Zoolander ‘Blue steel’ face on and start vogueing. The wavy detuned fifth chords make for perfect catwalk material. I first heard this song whilst being dragged round New Look so maybe that’s why all I can think of whilst listening to this is clothes and fashion.

'Hidden' – Chagall

Amsterdam-based singer and producer Chagall crafts this gloomy and atmospheric experimental pop song. The scary flecks of industrial electronica peppered throughout had me poised on the edge of my seat, half-expecting the whole thing to plummet into some freaky dark techno breakdown. I’m a little relieved it didn’t.

THE WORST:

'Get Stupid' - Aston Merryweather

It’s impossible to hate this song because it’s so stupidly feelgood. However, Aston Merryweather sounds so stupidly similar to Bruno Mars and the instrumental sounds so stupidly similar to Blurred Lines and the title sounds so stupidly similar to 'Get Lucky' that I can’t help but get annoyed by how stupidly derivative it all is. 

Review of 'Free Weezy Album' by Lil Wayne

‘Woo this that shit you didn’t want me on’ the Louisiana rapper opens the album with to the accompaniment of a soaring choral beat followed by some genuinely tight flows. For a brief moment I was genuinely excited. Lil Wayne seemed to have upped his game, finally scrapping the bland poppy beats and actually riding these beats instead slurring over them like a drunkard.

BEST AND WORST NEW TRACKS OF THE WEEK 29/07/2015: Disclosure, El-P, New Order and more...

It's that time of the week where I insult your favourite band accompanied by lots of broken Soundcloud links. Adjust your speakers and belt up.

 THE BEST:

'Moving Mountains' – Disclosure ft. Brendan Reilly

The UK house duo have slowed things down with this slinky electroballad featuring sexy r&b vocals from London singer Brendan Reilly. The whole song builds up to some tasty but smooth trap flavourings towards the end. I’m now pretty psyched for these guys upcoming sophomore album, Caracal. Check out the track here whilst it’s still available for stream (skip to 1:29:00 to listen).

‘Another Body’ – El-P

Master hip hop producer El-P has recently refrained from making beats entirely out of cat noises in order to deliver this epic instrumental set to appear during the end credits of the latest Fantastic Four film. It isn’t very hip hop flavoured, but still shows off the producer’s talents, composed of cinematic trumpets, fat strings and brooding layers of electronica. Let’s hope the movie lives up to it’s soundtrack and isn’t a pile of wank like the original Fantastic Four film (yeah I said it! Isn’t ‘pile of wank’ such a weird expression?)

'Get Up Get Down' – Mick Jenkins

I guess you could call this a party tune. The hook’s punchy and the beat’s pretty wavy. However, Chicago rapper Mick Jenkins still manages to drop some socially conscious rhymes in the second half, keeping hold of his witty personality and preventing himself from turning into another Drake clone.

'Crackula' – Pizza Tramp

‘What do you get when you cross a horrible Welsh punk band with zero editing skills and footage shot on a digital camera. CRACKULA.’ That video description alone has won me over.

THE WORST:

 ‘Throne’ – Bring Me The Horizon

Once a shitty metalcore band, Bring Me The Horizon have now decided to become a shitty carbon copy of Linkin Park. Too harsh? Life is harsh. Deal with it.

‘Restless’ - New Order

What decade is this? Out of the blue, eighties electro kings New Order are back with a new single. Unfortunately, it isn’t very good. Bernard Summer’s disinterested vocals always had a dark undertone to them, but here they just simply sound disinterested. Also where are the groovy synths? With its flat guitars and strings, the whole thing might as well be a modern U2 song.

Review of 'Currents' by Tame Impala

Aussie psychedelic rock band, Tame Impala, have traded in rugged guitars for shiny synths. The result is a sound somewhere between the Blade Runner soundtrack and those glossy eighties power ballads that I could always picture myself driving down a highway to at night if I could afford a car and hadn’t failed my test five times, but anyway we’re getting side-tracked.

BEST AND WORST NEW TRACKS OF THE WEEK 22/07/2015: David Gilmour, Young Thug, Little Mix and more...

Cat noises and train station jingles. You can make a song out of anything these days. A lot of this week's music has been pretty strange. It's an even mixture of entertainingly good and entertainingly bad.

THE BEST:

'No Chill' - Skrillex & Vic Mensa

‘Practice? What the fuck is practice?’ Chicago rapper Vic Mensa is sounding ridiculously arrogant here and arrogance usually isn't my thing, but I'm willing to overlook it due to the badass beat. Who knew that the iconic dubstep producer could also make a mighty trap beat? That brass sounds huge. It’s like a fanfare to the apocalypse. Listen here.

'Rattle that Lock' - David Gilmour

If you’ve ever spent time in a French railway station you may recognise the SNCF jingle sampled throughout this song. Personally the sound brings back nostalgic memories, but I wouldn’t be surprised if a lot of French commuters find this rock veteran's new song intolerable.

'Like I Like It' - Vantage

Talking of France, here’s a little disco-house tune from the garlic-and-cheese-loving country itself. The funky middle section is extremely creative and I’m loving the shimmery use of synth vox.  

'Meowrly' – Meow the Jewels


Rap duo Run the Jewels have released a remix of their 2014 single 'Early' made entirely of cat noises. The use of purring as a substitute for bass made me chuckle. I can't believe they didn't think to call it 'Purrly' though...

'I Need Chickens' – Young Thug

After all the unwavering hate I’ve given garbling Atlanta rapper Young Thug on this blog I almost regret admitting that I kind of like this song. I guess it appeals to my goofy sense of humour the same way Riff Raff does. Producer Mike Will Made It delivers a fun beat complete with 808 cowbell, and Young Thug makes hilarious chicken noises over the top (they sound more like pigeon noises to be honest, but let's not get pedantic).

THE WORST:

Black Magic – Little Mix

UK girl group, Little Mix, wish they were American whilst promoting the idea that you need to be hot to be successful. That's just the music video.  

Review of 'Surf' by Donnie Trumpet and The Social Experiment

Donnie Trumpet and the Social Experiment is a Chicago hip hop collective consisting of Donnie Trumpet, Nate Fox, Peter Wilkins, Greg “Stix” Landfair jr and a load of other artists I won’t pretend to have heard of. About the only member I was familiar with beforehand was kooky emcee, Chance the Rapper, who provides bars on most of these tracks.

BEST AND WORST NEW TRACKS OF THE WEEK 15/07/2015: The Chemical Brothers, IshDARR, Diet Cig and more...

As per usual, I round up my favourite and least favourite tracks from the last seven days. Enjoy!

THE BEST:

‘Sugar’ – IshDARR

This bouncy hip hop single from Wisconsin newcomer IshDARR certainly lives up to it’s name – it’s adorably sugary. Sweet lyrics ride an uptempo beat made up of bright synths and squeaky pitch-shifted vocals. 

‘EML Ritual’ – Chemical Brothers

Built around a sinister synth riff, this new track from EDM legends The Chemical Brothers is a masterpiece in suspense. I was convinced there would be a drop around the two minute mark, but the Manchester duo keep up the teasing for another minute until finally giving in.

‘Sleep Talk’ – Diet Cig

Few songs capture love with such realistic and idiosyncratic detail as this new indie rock single: ‘I can’t play instruments very well and I eat all your cereal/ but I’ll never be a smoker cos the second cigarette makes me feel like shit’. The New Paltz duo might not be all that instrumentally, but their lyrical wit and charm certainly makes up for it. ‘Diet Cig’ is also one of the best band names I’ve heard all year.

 ‘Raindrops’ – CONFZ ft. Jamilah Barry

East London rapper CONFZ offers some impressive wordplay, although it's not quite enough to distract from phenomenally spacey beat in the background. All that's missing from this track is a hook.


'Impression of You' - Giraffage & Viceroy ft. Patrick Baker



If you're looking for a babymaking anthem this summer, look no further than this sexy electropop tune. Trap 808s, synth-harp arpeggios and woozy chords create the perfect backdrop for Patrick Baker's breathy vocals. I hate the word 'eargasm', but I think I just had one.

THE WORST:

‘Stay Up’ – Problem

'Good money, good weed/ that's the way you stay up'. These lyrics are absolute gibberish. It's like listening to a trap rap parody.

Review of 'The Beyond/ Where The Giants Roam' by Thundercat

When you’ve listened to as much soul and funk as I have you begin to get desensitised to the slinky chords and groovy basslines. Everyone becomes another wannabe-Stevie-Wonder, another wannabe-Steely-Dan. It takes an artist like LA producer, singer and bassist Thundercat to prove that funk and soul still has room to evolve.

BEST AND WORST NEW TRACKS OF THE WEEK 1/07/2015: The Game, Toro y Moi, Pharrell and more...

It's weekly roundup time. This week Pharrell gets political, Toro y Moi gets creepy and Puff Daddy attempts a comeback.

THE BEST:

'100' – The Game ft. Drake

 

Whilst The Game still strikes me as a pretty generic rapper, there’s no denying how cool Drake’s passive aggressive sighed guest verse is: ‘I would have all your fans if I didn’t go pop and I stayed on some conscious shit’. The beat is also bloody gorgeous.

'That Instead of This' – Toro y Moi

Continuing to dabble in new genres, singer and producer Chaz Bundick AKA Toro y Moi goes down a brooding electronic route with this new instrumental made up of sinister bass and screeching synths. I wasn’t all too keen on the musician’s recent indie funk endeavours, but perhaps there’s hope with this new darker sonic direction.

'When I Was Your Age' – Mammoth Penguins

Being a twenty-something millennial I’m constantly aware of how little I’ve achieved at my age compared to what my parents did. I don’t have my own house. I don’t have my own car. I’M NOT EVEN POTTY TRAINED (just kidding - or am I?). ‘When I Was Your Age’ is a song that any twenty-something feeling unaccomplished can relate to. Here’s hoping this Cambridge alt rock band continues to put out songs of this calibre.

'Freedom' – Pharrell

Pharrell Williams has dropped his surname and started getting political. 'Freedom' is a far cry from the cheerful sound of 'Happy' (Pharrell even sounds a bit angry as he's screeching the hook) and whilst it isn't quite as catchy as previous releases, it's interesting to hear the singer pushing his lyricmanship.

THE WORST:

'Finna Get Loose' – Puff Daddy ft. Pharrell Williams

I was constantly waiting for Puff Daddy to stop rambling over the beat and start rapping. Pharrell's constant yelping in the background is also prety damn annoying.

'Are You With Me?' – Lost Frequencies

Zzzzzzzzzzzz``

BEST AND WORST NEW TRACKS OF THE WEEK 24/06/2015: Thundercat, Duran Duran, Janet Jackson and more...

Excuse the lack of distorted guitars. I've been in a summery, poppy mood this week. Here are my favourites and not-so-favourites from the last seven days.

THE BEST:

'Them Changes' - Thundercat ft. Flying Lotus & Kamasi Washington

I expected some slinky jazz funk given the production credits, but nothing could have prepared me for the groovy mother of all basslines sported in this track. As usual, Thundercat injects the lyrics with his own warped sense of humour. The song turns out to be about losing one’s heart, literally: ‘Nobody move. There’s blood on the floor/ And I can’t feel my heart’.

'Pressure Off' - Duran Duran ft. Janelle Monae & Nile Rodgers

Rustle yourself up some cocktails and get the barbecue smoking. This new pop anthem from new wave legends Duran Duran has got me right in the summer mood. Funk guitar idol Nile Rodgers and neo-soul queen Janelle Monae add to the feelgood factor.

'Gold' - Kiiara

The chopped up vocals that kick this song off will either strike you as annoying or creative. Personally it’s this Illinois singer’s sweet vocal tone that’s drawing me in, the inflection reminding me a lot of Danish pop singer MØ. It perfectly suits the smooth but icy beat (I love that canyon-reverb click noise!)

'Everybody Knows' - Injury Reserve

Injury Reserve claim to be the ‘only good rap act in Arizona’, which is a bold statement to make, but I’ll roll with it seeing as I can’t think of any other Arizona hip hop artists off the top of my head. ‘Everybody Knows’ is their latest track and comes with an eccentric attitude and left-field instrumental.

'Down For This' - Vanessa Elisha

Australian r&b singer Vanessa Elisha delivers this spacey slowjam with a glitzy hook and lots of 808s. I wasn't too sure about it at first but then the chorus hit and floored me.

THE WORST:

'No Sleeep' - Janet Jackson

No sleep? Give this song a whirl and you’ll soon be out for the count. A lot of people (mostly hardcore Jackson fans I feel) have been hyping this track up, but it just strikes me as dull 80s lounge-revivalism without any kind of catchiness or flair.

Review of '32 Zel/Planet Shrooms' by Denzel Curry

The hip hop community are going to start getting serious bedsores if they continue to sleep on this Floridian rapper any longer. Sporting some of the tightest flows and creative beats in the game, this dude is a clear mile ahead of every other trap rapper in the game.

BEST AND WORST NEW TRACKS OF THE WEEK 18/06/2015: The Weeknd, Vince Staples, Beck and more...

I'm a day late with this weekly section. To make it up to you all, here are six gems - no duds.

Review of 'Drones' by Muse

Muse have never been masters at subtlety. Their combination of classical-inspired rock and Matt Bellamy’s operatic warbling at times couldn’t be more melodramatic if it tried. When singing about black holes and alien invasions a lot of this melodrama came across as charming. Like an explosion-packed action flick that doesn’t take itself too seriously, Muses theatrical sound represented nothing but indulgent fun. But then Muse started taking themselves seriously, discovering politics...