The Grammys were quite surprising this weekend, with Sam Smith sweeping almost every major category and Beck winning for album of the year. Kanye, or course, was being his usual self. That being said, here’s this week’s list of songs. Grammy worthy? Not quite, but still good nonetheless.
1. “Ice Rink” – Cashmere Cat & DJ Mustard
Two amazing producers in their own genres, Cashmere Cat and DJ Mustard have apparently recorded quite a few collaborations in the past while that haven’t been released to the public, until now. This marks the first of their collaborations to be released. Although the signature “Mustard on the beat” tag appears a couple of the times, the song actually leans more towards Cashmere Cat’s style. It’s a great track, with a plinky little hook revolving around drops, claps, and synths.
2. “Early Morning Clissold” – Aphex Twin
So… Aphex Twin casually released over 100 demos this week for free download on a Soundcloud page with the username “user48736353001.” It would be next to ridiculous to have listened to all of them by now, but I find myself hoping there are some diamonds in the rough in this pile, against all odds. I’ve listened to about 20-30 of the demos thus far, and “Early Morning Clissold” is a standout. It’s quite nice with its string arrangement, and would be a pretty great song to wake up to. Hopefully some great dance music will pop up in the rest of the pile.
3. “Crazy in Love (Remix)” – Beyoncé
Yes, Fifty Shades of Grey is just… we won’t discuss it. It’s a shame that Beyonce is entangled in this mess of a movie, but the “Crazy in Love” remix is excellent. The soundtrack has some pretty good songs on it, and this is definitely a standout. Beyoncé whispers the lyrics in her slow, sultry voice on this version of the 2003 hit, and it’s interesting to see how the song has changed. Obviously, the horn line on the original version can’t be beat, but Beyoncé has evolved, and so has our generation, and this sensitive, more seductive version fits current R&B trends pretty well.
4. “Lose It” – Oh Wonder
Recently, London natives Oh Wonder have been releasing a song on the first of every month, in promotion of their debut album, coming out in September. Their latest offering, “Oh Wonder”, shifts from balladry to neo-jazz quite smoothly. “You’ve got to give yourself a moment / Let your body be / Lose it,” they sing over some simple piano chords. Surprisingly, the song manages to build enough momentum to let you feel like dancing. The result is an understated, but wonderful song.
