Radiohead - True Love Waits
"True Love Waits", in all its various iterations, has been around longer than some Radiohead fans. The song has circulated in live sets since 1995, and much like any long term relationship, has twisted and transformed along the way. The studio recording of the song on A Moon Shaped Pool finds the melody and lyrics still intact, but the guitars are long gone, and the tempo's slowed down. The once earnest strumming is replaced by icy synths. The new sonic context lends the song a somber bleakness, as if to suggest that waiting is harder the older you get, but no less worthwhile.

Listen to it on iTunes.

Anohni - Watch Me
Anohni's stunning new album Hopelessness covers a lot of political ground. "Watch Me" tackles the surveillance state head on, with Anohni's haunting voice sending a dagger through Big Brother. The song's title is uttered like a defiant dare in the face of paternalistic policy. The experimental electronics that surround her words only lend it an even eerier tone that serve as both a warning and a command.

Kehlani - 24/7
"24/7" is the first song released by the rising R&B singer since her suicide attempt earlier this year and it addresses stigma against mental illness head on. The insistent chorus proclaims, "I don't know nobody / Who thinks that they're somebody / 24/7." That it's a topic rarely explored in mainstream music makes it all the more notable. And that it's an upbeat dance track, rather than a maudlin ballad, makes it worth celebrating.

Mutual Benefit - The Hereafter
On "The Hereafter," the gorgeous bedroom folk of Mutual Benefit, aka Jordan Lee, takes a more expansive approach. Off his upcoming sophomore album Skip A Sinking Stone, the music is just as meditative as ever but the swelling strings lend the track a greater sense of hope in an increasingly fragile and delicate world. It's the sound of finding beauty in the falling snow, even if it portends a blizzard.

Listen to it on SoundCloud

Michl - Die Trying
James Blake isn't the only one who released soulful electro-blues tunes this week. With "Die Trying" the Southern California native and relative pop newcomer, Michl dropped a stunning track. His falsetto swoops and yearning lyrics convey the desperation of hanging on even if when you should let go.

The Stone Roses - All For One
The most amazing this about "All For One" is that it exists at all. The Stone Roses have been hinting that a new music was imminent with the announcement of reunion tour dates, yet it was still surprising when the "Madchester" band released their first single in over 20 years. With "All For One" the dreamy psych-rock band return with a more polished sound, yet retain the playful raucousness that made hits like "She Bangs the Drums" and "I Wanna Be Adored" so loved in the first place.

James Blake (Feat. Bon Iver) - I Need a Forest Fire
It's easy to associate forest fires with destruction, but with "I Need A Forest Fire" James Blake inverts that conception. The moody track is about the desire for fresh starts, clearing the path to move on, even if it means burning down everything in sight. Blake's sultry voice blends with Justin Vernon, aka Bon Iver in brilliant harmony, as if to suggest such hopes are actually possible.