James Blake - 200 Press

Fans of the London-based producer will have new material to tide them over until the rumored release of his next full-length, expected to drop sometime in 2015. The 200 Press EP consists of four tracks that might seem strange on their own, but come across as united in their oddity.

In a change of pace from the songs on his two previous LPs, the focus is taken away from his delicate, R&B-influenced vocals; in fact, they are strikingly absent. Blake's voice only makes appearances in the form of a few wispy, intermittent production flourishes and the warped out spoken word track closing out the EP. The instrumentals across these songs are varied, departing from the more direct, saccharine melodies of Blake's recent work in favor of cryptic, sometimes harsh progressions. Underneath are some subtle 2-step and techno beats, complete with hushed and sculpted sub-bass, tight hi-hat, and all sorts of other blips and pops. Of the bunch, I think "Building It Still" is probably my favorite, but they're all definitely worth a listen.

-Tom Fullmer

Lotic - "From the Front" (ft. Dr. Luke, Rabit, Sugur Shane, DJ Karfox, Big Hud, Fat Pimp)

https://soundcloud.com/lotic/front Lotic's self-released mini-album Damsel In Distress was named one of the best of 2014 by FACT Magazine, referring to it as a mixtape of "gothic club nightmares". Quite a description of the Berlin, Germany DJ/Producers' brand of dark yet satisfying, enrapturing club music. And "From The Front" only helps to add to Lotic's mystique: it's a grab bag of disturbingly distorted southern voices and lyrics that are paired with a production job that includes elements of trap, trance, gritty grime and crunchy, squeaky dubstep, all competing with each other for attention but still working seamlessly together. Lotic, along with his collaborators (Dr. Luke, Rabit, Sugur Shane, DJ Karfox, Big Hud and Fat Pimp) have created a song that's sure to be considered an eerie, almost ghostly but exciting and bouncy certified club/strip joint banger.

-Ron Grant

Krill - "Torturer"

https://soundcloud.com/krillband/torturer/ Melding elements of punk rock, loads of both metal and garage rock influences and a dash of poppy, melodic lyrics and undertones, Krill's "Torturer" from the forthcoming album A Distant Fist Unclenching is rousing and bludgeoning, yet focused in its wild need to be experimental. The songs explodes with a spirit of desire and longing in the words and in the music in specific spots, leaving open a wide array of interpretation of the songs' central meaning. At around 3:30 in, a grating, shredding guitar takes center stage and brings "Torturer" to a whole new level, and then the music drops down again for a more subversive ending to the tune than we were probably expecting. "Torturer" is the sound of a band with a few years under their collective belts, but still striving to find that signature sound. It's a spirited outing for this Boston trio and should get more people talking about and sharing their music.

A Distant Fist Unclenching is due out 17 February via Exploding in Sound.

- Ron Grant

OG Maco - OG Maco EP

With some pretty creative production backing him, Atlanta rapper OG Maco's exuberance and extreme delivery distract from his need for better lyrics much of the time, but not all the time.

Myrkur - "Skaði (Demo)"

Normally, I wouldn't make such a big deal over a demo, but this new track from the one-woman black metal project known as "Myrkur" comes with a pretty interesting announcement: Not only is the cut embedded above going to be featured on the forthcoming Myrkur LP on Relapse Records next year, but this project is also going to see some production assistance from Mr. Ulver himself, Kristoffer Rygg. There will be some instrumental accompaniment from members of Dodheimsgard and Mayhem as well.

That's a pretty hefty endorsement, and all of this for a project that seemingly came out of nowhere.

But here's something Myrkur's PR campaign has kind of omitted in the promotion of this project: Myrkur is actually Danish singer-songwriter and model Amalie Bruun. Ms. Bruun has actually released a handful of pop-flavored solo albums, sung in the band Ex Cops, and even collaborated with R.A. The Rugged Man. From hip hop to black metal, Bruun's musical tastes seem pretty diverse, and that can only be a good thing.

While I was somewhat underwhelmed by the debut Myrkur EP earlier this year, I'm hoping Bruun's past experience in releasing records yields more exciting results. I don't see how it can't considering minds like Rygg are going to be involved. Plus, this new track isn't half bad, too!

Various Artists - "Detroit vs. Everybody (Official Remix)"

I recently reviewed the new Shady XV compilation with Mr. Steven Francis, and I remember commenting on how much of a letdown the "Detroit vs. Everybody" cut was. While there were come decent verses on the track, the list of featured MCs seemed kind of limited. However, this new official remix fixes that in a big way. I mean, the thing is 16 minutes long, and features over ten rappers.

Really happy Shady saw fit to cast a wider net here, and I think the results speak for themselves.

Death Grips - "Inanimate Sensation"

Death Grips drop a new single to tease toward the second half of their yet-to-be-completed double album, The Powers That B.

Foo Fighters - Sonic Highways

Foo Fighter's match this album's ambitious concept with some generally uninteresting songs.