Pick Your Poison: Monday 10-6-14

I don’t know about you, but I’ve been relatively disappointed with the hip hop offerings so far in 2014. I mean, outside of records from Shabazz Palaces and Future, I can’t think of a single other hip hop release this year that’s gotten me genuinely excited. There’s been plenty of stuff on the “fringes” of the genre that have been great, and records from Flying Lotus and FKA twigs probably fall into that category. But I’m thinking that unless Kanye West or Kendrick Lamar get their records finished and out before the end of the year, that there’s not going to be much else noteworthy from the rap world to enjoy. I will say this much though – I stumbled upon the new K.Flay record not too long ago, and walked away impressed. She’s been making music for 10 years now, starting during her time at Stanford University when she released her first mixtape. Things have only built up from there, and she even signed to RCA Records, which put out her last EP What If It Is last year. Yet as an indie hip hop artist she’s always preferred to do things her own way, which is why earlier this year she decided to forego a traditional label and crowdfund her debut album instead. Life As A Dog is the result, and it came out this past summer to solid reviews and charted decently as well. I think what I like most about the record is just how completely alien it feels to the hip hop genre. The beats and rhymes are there, but they don’t really sound like anything else out there right now. In many ways, she’s blurring the lines between hip hop and indie rock with her liberal use of a full band. K.Flay has proven herself to be a truly unique voice for the type of music she’s making, and there’s nothing wrong with that, no matter what the haters might try and say. Consider her like a cross between Purity Ring, Grimes and Lorde, but with a lot of rapping thrown in. Maybe it’s easiest if you just give her new album a listen, which is currently streaming on Soundcloud. Anyways, I’ve been talking about K.Flay here because she’s coming back for an all-ages hometown show in Chicago (where she was born and raised) next Monday, October 13th. She’s performing at Schubas with her band, and all indications are it should be a blast. She prefers to mix things up a bit and throw some curveballs into her live arrangements vs. how they sound on record, which will definitely keep things interesting and fun. It’s an early show starting at 7pm, and tickets are only $12. You can purchase them in advance here. Okay, how about we dive into today’s Pick Your Poison? There’s some great songs in this set from Arum Rae, Ghost Mutt, Jasia, Rigbi ft. Miranda Sloane (and covering Lorde), Showstar and the Movement remix of Haim’s “My Song 5.” In the Soundcloud section after the jump, stream tracks from Antony & the Johnsons, Communions, Eternal Tapestry, and Jessie Ware, plus remixes of songs by Bear In Heaven, How to Dress Well and Woman’s Hour.