On the heels of my best of post, I had to sneak this last one in before the new year. This deep house cut comes from young producer Allen Hansrisuk, or Shmallen as he goes by. Sampling from Destiny’s Child “Independent Woman,” this sexy rework is the perfect track to play at your NYE party, so scoop it up gratis below.
And for the idyllic feel-good track to celebrate and reflect on the past year, I leave you with Beyoncé’s “XO.” Happy New Year everyone!
It’s that time of year again — the time in which the year’s best ear candy is served up in one delicious location for your listening pleasure. Unlike last year, however, I’ve streamlined my ‘best of’ index into a selective top ten list — so you KNOW they’re the cream of the crop.
Cheers to CHVRCHES, Disclosure and Arctic Monkeys amongst others for bringing us their indie A-game in 2013. So basically, well done to the UK; thanks for the aural alchemy. All of these artists made an impact on the music scene this past year in a major way — so if you see some cross-collaboration, well, there’s a reason. Without further ado, I present my top picks for 2013:
1. Disclosure – Latch (ft. Sam Smith)
Bonus: Disclosure – “F For You” (TEED Remix)
2. CHVRCHES – “Recover”
3. Dillon Francis – “Without You” (ft. TEED)
4. AlunaGeorge x Disclosure – “White Noise”
5. Arctic Monkeys – “Do I Wanna Know?”
6. MS MR – “Think of You”
7. Bombay Bicycle Club – “Carry Me”
8. BANKS – “Change”
9. Kanye West – “Blood On the Leaves”
10. London Grammar – “Strong”
Bonus: London Grammar – Wasting My Young Years (Sound Remedy Remix) + Free DL
And last but not least, the award for Best Remix of the Year goes to:
Grizzly Bear – “Will Calls” (Diplo Remix)
About a month ago the following synth track fell into inbox, only to be delivered to my spam folder. Fortunately I was able to recover it before it was too late, as not everyday does a local talent such as The National Pool present itself in my purview.
The Baltimore-based group consists of Bradley White and Kyle Cornett, who have been making chilled out tunes together since 2006. On their track “Better,” the duo explore a verse-verse song structure with the meditative repetition of a simple set of lyrics, counterbalanced by a flurry of synth sounds and the use of a vocoder. The result is a dreamy soundscape, similar to Odesza. Stream below.
Whether you’re looking for a groovy tune to get in a festive spirit this Christmas Eve, or perhaps for an upcoming holiday party — this upbeat number by Slovenian electro-soul pioneer Gramatik should do the trick.
Upcoming tour dates to accompany the imminent drop of his LP The Age of Reason below.
Gramatik Upcoming Tour Dates:
12/30/13 Chicago, IL @ Concord Music Hall
12/31/13 Chicago, IL @ Auditorium Theatre
1/16/14 Toronto, ON @ The Hoxton
1/17/14 Quebec City, QC @ Imperial de Quebec
1/18/14 Montreal, QC @ Théâtre Télus
1/19/14 Portland, ME @ Port City Music Hall
1/21/14 Brooklyn, NY @ Output Club
1/23/14 New Haven, CT @ Toad’s Place
1/24/14 Providence, RI @ Lupo’s
1/25/14 New York, NY @ Best Buy Theater
As 2013 winds to a close, enjoy this under-the-radar indie track by Unknown Mortal Orchestra, released on their sophomore album II earlier this year.
Brooklyn-based duo Holy Ghost! have just released a dance-floor bootleg version of Blood Orange‘s hit single “You’re Not Good Enough,” to coincide with the announcement of their upcoming tour dates (see below).
The original track — produced by the talented songwriter Dev Hynes (known as Blood Orange) — is quintessentially 80’s in style. Dev has worked with the likes of Florence and the Machine, Solange (“Losing You”), and Sky Ferreira (“Everything is Embarrassing”), so he clearly knows how to craft a good pop song. The track, which was released on his album Cupid Deluxe last month has been compared to the pop stylings of Prince, but my mind keeps going to Sheila E. What do you guys think?
See for yourself and pick up the free Holy Ghost! bootleg below as well.
Upcoming Holy Ghost! Tour Dates:
1/10 New York, NY @ Webster Hall
1/11 Miami, FL @ Bardot
2/07 Philadelphia, PA @ The Dolphin
2/08 Washington, DC @ U Street Music Hall
2/13 Montreal, QC @ Il Motore
2/14 Toronto, ON @ The Hoxton
2/21 Kansas City, MO @ Riot Room
2/22 Chicago, IL @ Smart Bar
London Grammar have uncovered an unreleased gem (incidentally one of their earliest recordings, according to Rolling Stone) — so you know I had to share it. Although the track diverges from the group’s usual electronic fare, it’s nice to hear Hannah Reid’s vocals float over an acoustic guitar so effortlessly in this musically simple song. So good, I can’t stand it.
The track can be found on their new Nightcall EP. Also the trio will be touring North America in 2014, so check out the dates below. I suggest you get your tickets now, as their show at DC’s U Street Music Hall this October was by far the best I saw all year.
2014 North American Tour Dates:
1/15 – Baby’s Alright – Brooklyn, NY
1/16 – The Box – New York, NY
3/17 – Fitzgerald’s Upstairs – Houston, TX
3/18 – Granada Theater – Dallas, TX
3/21 – The Crescent Ballroom – Phoenix, AZ
3/22 – Vinyl, Hard Rock Hotel and Casino – Las Vegas, NV
3/23 – House of Blues – San Diego, CA
3/25 – El Rey Theater – Los Angeles, CA
3/27 – The Independent – San Francisco, CA
3/28 – Wonder Ballroom – Portland, OR
3/29 – Neumos – Seattle, WA
3/31 – Commodore Ballroom – Vancouver, BC
4/03 – Varsity Theater – Minneapolis, MN
4/04 – Metro – Chicago, IL
4/05 – Shelter – Detroit, MI
4/07 – Phoenix Concert Theater – Toronto, ON
4/09 – Irving Plaza – New York, NY
4/11 – Paradise Rock Club – Boston, MA
4/12 – Underground Arts – Philadelphia, PA
4/14 – 9:30 Club – Washington D.C.
Brooklynites Alan Wilkins and Daniel Armbruster of Big Data first caught my attention with their track “Dangerous,” off their debut EP 1.0 released October 1. Formed out of a mutual distrust for technology, the paranoid duo “explore the ever-increasing relationship between man and machine, and more specifically how the internet and social media have reshaped the human experience.” Magnetic bass combined with four-to-the-floor beats create the perfect psychedelic space for some paranoia-induced dancing.
And if you really want to have your head spin, check out their interactive video for”Dangerous” known as thefacehawk.*
*Warning: facebook account required!
Manchester calling!!! Jimi Goodwin, the British singer of the underrated Doves has released a piece off his new solo project. You may recognize Jimi as the voice behind the track “There Goes The fear,” off the highly recommended 500 Days of Summer soundtrack. It’s nice to hear his voice again along with his characteristic basslines and heart-warming melodies. The single was released only a week ago and has already +10k plays on Soundcloud. Seems promising! Look out for the release of his debut solo album, Odludek in March 2014.
Jimi will be opening gigs for his friends from Elbow on their April 2014 UK arena tour. Looking forward to his new tunes and stories. Cheers mate!
poetry in an empty coke can 