There is something very relaxing about a mixtape, it’s a collection of songs by an artist that don’t really have any sort of rhyme or rhythm when it comes to being on an album, so it really allows the artist to try new things and be experimental without any repercussions. It allows the fans to hear the rawest form of the music, and to hear the transformation the artist may be going through, which is critical to the growth of musicians nowadays. They’re also free to fans… which help. I am now going to take this time out to highlight three of my favorite mixtapes right now that really help relax me and ones I can listen to again and again and not get tired of.
 | Nostalgia/Ultra – Frank Ocean Frank Ocean is a fringe member of the immensely popular Odd Future group of artists right now, infusing a class R&B sound with a flair for the strange and the different. His album consists of original songs and re-imagining other artist’s songs (Coldplay and MGMT for example). It’s really a lush, cool album that when it’s finished will leave you wanting more. His heartfelt lyrics and intriguing ways of presenting them will get stuck in your head and won’t leave for weeks, truly a quality piece of work. No wonder it’s being released as an actual album! Highlight Track: “Swim Good” |
 | Bastard – Tyler, The Creator Speaking of Frank Ocean and Odd Future, here is the “leader” of the group of teenage rappers and singers. Tyler, The Creator has recently burst onto the scene becoming popular for his very graphic lyrics and language in general. While his ideas aren’t something that I would recommend doing, he does construct these songs in a sort of organized chaos that you can’t help but listen to. They are a sort of mess with how they bounce around, but that’s part of the charm. Tyler does whatever he wants and gets away with it, making this a quality listen. Highlight Track: “Bastard” |
 | House of Balloons – The Weeknd For the last mixtape I decided to go with some local flavor with Toronto’s own The Weeknd. The mysterious artist that works under this title has just hit the scene with a very valuable shout out from Drake who shouted him out on twitter a few times. This mixtape feels like a real album with the way it’s put together and will have a lot of people listening to this guy. The songs are fueled by the misadventures of youth that feature hypnotic production and a powerful struggle in the life of a 20 something hard partying city dweller. This mix is painfully honest and amazing at the same time, cannot be missed. Hipsters everywhere rejoice at finding out about him. Highlight track: “Wicked Games” |
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