Grimes – Go (feat. Blood Diamonds) [Free Download]
It's been two years since Grimes released Visions, one of 2012's most celebrated albums. Now she's back in the studio, and our first taste of the forthcoming album has caught many of her fans off guard. "Go," which Grimes co-wrote with Blood Diamonds (and was originally written for Rihanna), is a brilliant pop song that wouldn't be even remotely out of place on Z100, Hot 97, or any number of Sirius channels. Though her more fickle fans may be put off by the track's mainstream appeal, they can ultimately save it. "Go" is available for download via Grimes' SoundCloud.
Bag Raiders – Nairobi [Preview]
Is it really possible that Bag Raiders' self-titled debut album was released four years ago? Many of 2010's biggest releases aged poorly, but Bag Raiders is every bit as relevant now as it was then. That said, we could all use some new music from the Australian duo in our lives. Lucky for us, the guys are back with a preview of "Nairobi," one of the tracks from their upcoming Nairobi / Savannah club EP. Fans of their past work may compare "Nairobi" to "Snake Charmer" given that both are percussion-driven, instrumental tracks, but such a comparison would be overly simplistic; though both songs are charming and infectious, "Nairobi" is subtler and more persistent. Nairobi / Savannah is set for release on Modular Recordings in early July.
Lily Allen – Sheezus (Redlight Deconstructed Mix)
Lily Allen just uploaded a few demos and remixes to SoundCloud, the star of which is Redlight's remix of "Sheezus." Lily is clever, witty, and outspoken, so the stories she tells are generally the driving force in her songs. (That's not to say that her instrumentals are subpar; in fact, they're generally brilliant.) Here Redlight strips down both her lyrics and the already minimal instrumental, leaving nothing but a couple of vocal lines propelled primarily by simple drums. Though he neutralizes Lily Allen's most unique strength, the resulting mix is still absolutely breathtaking.