AOE – Homecoming

Recent signees to Def Jam, AOE (Ambassadors of Earth) is an alternative R&B duo comprised of singer Phil Beaudreau and producer Dawaun Parker, a Grammy-winning Dr. Dre protégé who’s worked with Kendrick Lamar, Dr. Dre, Jay-Z, and 50 Cent. Their music has proven to be totally innovative, melding elements of R&B and EDM into lush, expansive soundscapes that sound something like a mix of dvsn and Radiohead. Keep and eye on AOE.

 

Charli XCX – Number 1 Angel

Charli XCX has managed to escape the image she appeared on the scene with, as just another pop singer making hits with Iggy Azalea, and has reinvented herself as a truly innovative artist (see last year’s Vroom Vroom EP with producer Sophie). Charli’s latest project, Number 1 Angel, was originally supposed to be a free mixtape, but apparently label issues held it back. The feature list is entirely female, with some excellent contributions from Starrah, MØ, Abra, cupcakKe, and a surprise appearance from pop singer Uffie (who, after nearly acheiving pop stardom with her 2010 Sex Dreams and Denim Dreams album, all but disappeared from the scene).

Devin the Dude – Acoustic Levitation

It’s been a decade since Devin the Dude released one of my favourite hip hop songs of all time (the Snoop and 3stacks-assisted “What A Job”, off Waitin’ To Inhale), but the Houston-based MC has been maintaining a steady output. He may not have maintained as strong a presence as stoner-rap contemporaries like Wiz Khalifa and Curren$y, but Devin’s still going strong with the best in smooth, breezy, laid-back hip hop. Rob Quest, Lisa Luv, Tony Mac, and more are featured on Devin’s ninth solo project.

Feel The Love – Feel The Love EP

As part of the rising Chicago collective Closed Sessions, Boathouse has been making a name for himself as a producer to keep a close eye on. He’s worked not just with labelmates Kweku Collins, Jamila Woods, Kipp Stone and WebsterX: his career has also found him collaborating with the likes of Allan Kingdom, Mick Jenkins, Kelechi, Dally Auston (of SaveMoney), Hodgy Beats (of Odd Future), and Lucki Eck$. Teaming up with little-known singer/songwriter Mán Cub, the duo has released their debut project under the moniker Feel the Love, and it’s a beautiful little three-track taster of what they have to offer. The beats are spacey, electronic-influenced soundscapes, and Mán Cub’s voice flows effortlessly over Boathouse’s production. Hopefully the new duo brings more like this in the future.

J.I.D. – The Never Story

As a member of rising rap collective Spillage Village, Atlanta rapper J.I.D. has been part of a movement that’s fought against his city’s proclivity for trap music by releasing odd, unorthodox hip hop. Their sound has drawn the attention of J. Cole, who, after remixing Spillage Village group EarthGang’s “Can’t Call It” for DJ Khaled’s last album, signed J.I.D. to his Dreamville Records label. J.I.D.was quick to release his first album under the label, titled The Never Story, which features tracks with EarthGang and 6LACK (another Village member who’s been finding a lot of fame recently), as well as a new track produced by Cole. If Dreamville’s roster is any indication (with artists like Omen, Bas, and Cozz), J.I.D.’s about to prove himself as much more than an underground rapper with a ton of potential.

Kool A.D. – Sky Ladder

Former Das Racist rapper Kool A.D. has had a ridiculous music output recently, dropping not one but two 100-track albums in the past 14 months (2015’s OK and 2016’s Zig Zag Zig), as well as nine other projects of more appropriate length. His latest is Sky Ladder, his first release of 2017, and features more of the Bay Area MC’s laid-back, yet unflinchingly well-written raps, with a solitary feature from Run the Jewels’ Killer Mike.

 

Laura Marling – Semper Femina

At just 27 years old, it’s strikingly impressive that Laura Marling is already six albums into her career. Following up two albums (2013’s Once I Was an Eagle and 2015’s Short Movie) that shot her from singer/songwriter obscurity into mainstream attention, Marling has returned with her most stripped-back, intimate work yet. Semper Femina consists mostly of acoustic guitar and lush string arrangements, as the British musician dictates stories of a relationship she had back in 2013, after shaving her head and becoming a yoga instructor in LA. It’s a fairly lowkey affair, with Marling at her most balladic, but the downtempo album finds a suitably majestic conclusion in the standout closer, “Nothing, Not Nearly”.

The Magnetic Fields – 50 Song Memoir

In 1999, Boston indie group the Magnetic Fields blew up with the release of their massive, three-disc concept album 69 Love Songs, a ridiculously ambitious project that somehow didn’t overstay its welcome, despite clocking in at nearly three hours. Today, they’ve returned with their first album in four years, and it’s almost as ambitious: 50 Song Memoir chronicles frontman Stephen Merritt’s life, with a song representing each year from his birth in 1966 to 2015. Reportedly, Merritt doesn’t just sing on every song: he plays more than 100 instruments over the course of the project.

Murs – Captain California

Murs has long proven himself to be one of the strongest lyricists in Strange Music, dating as far back as his 2004 Murs 3:16: The 9th Edition album with 9th Wonder, now widely considered an underground classic. He’s since made albums with Slug (as Felt), Terrace Martin (as Melrose), and ¡Mayday! (as ¡Mursday!). Captain California is the South Central rapper’s sixth solo project, and features Krizz Kaliko, Curtiss King, Reverie, and more.

The Shins – Heartworms

For years now, the Shins haven’t sounded like they used to, and there’s a reason for that: the team behind the albums that made inspired Zach Braff to write a movie (Oh, Inverted World and Chutes Too Narrow) is nearly entirely gone, with frontman James Mercer being the only remaining member of the original lineup. As such, gone is the sleepy, endearingly-twee indie sound, in favour of a much fuller, more polished approach to indie music that, while still well done, doesn’t carry the heart of the band’s old work. Diehards will still find things to love, however, so don’t write off the Shins entirely. We’ll just never get another “New Slang”.

OG Maco – Children of the Rage!

OG Maco supposedly finished Children of the Rage! somewhere between 2014-2015, but label issues have held it back. The “U Guessed It” rapper has anarchically decided, however, to release the project on Soundcloud “because my label would remove it from anything else”. Maco’s been trying to escape the sound of his viral single by embracing a mathematic approach to trap (think the complexity of math-rock, filtered into 808s and handclaps), and it’s certainly made for some interesting music. BJ The Chicago Kid and Ash Riser both appear on the project, which features production from Childish Major, NBHD, Montage, and more.

Westside Gunn – Hitler on Steroids

Fresh after signing to Eminem’s Shady Records label, NY rapper Westside Gunn has released a new project: Hitler on Steroids, a companion to his popular Hitler Weares Hermes series that features production and hosting from DJ Green Lantern. The early standout track is “1000,000 Machine Gunz”, which features a mind-blowing verse from Gunn’s new labelmate Royce da 5’9″. Action Bronson, Roc Marciano, and frequent collaborator Conway all appear on the lengthy mixtape, available for free of Datpiff.

Your Old Droog – Packs

Brooklyn rapper Your Old Droog has built up a massive local following since his 2014, self-titled debut, an album that wasn’t just compared to Nas’ Illmatic: it bred a conspiracy theory that Droog and Nas were one and the same (they’re not). After releasing a five-track EP with Wiki (formerly of Ratking) earlier this year, the Ukranian-American MC has finally returned with his sophomore project: Packs, supported by early single “G.K.A.C.”. Clocking in at 14 tracks, the album includes features from Heems, Danny Brown, and Wiki, and offers simple proof that Droog’s impressive abilities, lofty messages, and genuine humor make him one of his city’s brightest new stars.

Also released:

Bush, Black & White Rainbows: That grunge band you forgot about (“Bomb”, “Glycerine”) is still trying to keep the genre alive in 2017.
DJ Nick, HDIC (Head DJ In Charge): A$AP Ant’s touring DJ dropped a mixtape, with Ant, Maxo Kream, Chynna, Key!, and a remix of Ant’s “Finance” with members of A$AP Mob. Hosted by A$AP Ferg.
Jam Baxter, Mansion 38: Moody white rapper Jam Baxter, out of High Focus Records, returns with his fourth album.
K Camp, KISS 4: Atlanta rapper and former XXL Freshman’s 12th mixtape, mostly produced by Bobby Kritical.
Smokepurpp, Up Now Fuck Next: Up and coming Southern rapper Smokepurpp, fresh after signing to Alamo Records, drops off a 4-track EP featuring Xavier Wulf and Larry June.
Sonny Digital & Black Boe, The Black Goat: Known for his work with Rae Sremmurd, Key!, and Young Thug, Sonny Digital celebrated his birthday by dropping a collaborative project with rapper Black Boe.
Young Chris, Network 4: Formerly of Roc-A-Fella rap duo Young Gunz, Young Chris returns with the fourth installment of his Network mixtape series. Lil Wayne, Wale, and Freeway all make appearances.
Yung Sherman, Innocence: Yung Lean producer Yung Sherman’s debut EP, all instrumentals.