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:
BANKS, the LA-based chanteuse has garnered a lot of attention in the music scene this year for her sultry R&B-inflected sound. The groovy beats on her track “Warm Water” — produced by none other than TEED — get turned up a notch in this house remix by producer Figgy below. Be sure to pick up the free download here, then check out the devastating SOHN-produced track “Waiting Game” — released on her EP London last month.
BANKS performs in DC this Saturday at DAR Constitution Hall with The Weeknd (full tour dates below). No furlough for the fervid artistes.
BANKS Tour Dates (Supporting the Weeknd):
10/02 – Durham, NC @ Durham Performing Arts Center
10/04 – Camden, NJ @ Susquehanna Bank Center
10/05 – Washington, D.C.@ DAR Constitution Hall
10/07 – New York, NY @ Radio City Music Hall
10/08 – New York, NY @ Radio City Music Hall
10/11 – Boston, MA @ Orpheum Theatre
10/13 – Chicago, IL @ Chicago Theatre
10/14 – Chicago, IL @ Chicago Theatre
10/15 – Detroit, MI @ Fox Theatre
10/17 – Toronto, ON @ Massey Hall
10/19 – Toronto, ON @ Massey Hall
10/20 – Toronto, ON @ Massey Hall
Dillon Francis and Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs recently paired up to create collaborative single “Without You.” The Moombahton pioneer solicited TEED on vocals, who ended up writing the track on the relationship troubles Francis was enduring at the time. Stream the ruminative nu disco track below.
Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs just dropped this new remix of Disclosure’s “F For You” and true to hype, TEED doesn’t disappoint. So what are you waiting for? Hit play and prepare for euphoria to set in around 3:30.
Although I featured TEED on my Best-of-2012 list and mentioned him briefly on this Foals feature, I have been fascinated with the UK artist (and his futuristic headgear) for some time and have yet to pay him proper tribute. Thus, what better time to recognize electronic DJ/producer Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs than on the day of his concert in DC? (There are still tickets avail, though I can’t imagine why — what with his alleged glittery cannons and dancing dinosaurs on stage.)
TEED, otherwise known as Orlando Higginbottom released his first EP in 2009 and eventually his debut album Trouble in 2012. Sample some of the addictive and avant-garde electro-house beats with “Household goods” and “Garden” below, available on iTunes.
Foals first landed on my radar with the release of their debut album, Antidotes in 2008. The indie group from Oxford have been making steady music ever since (particularly prominent in the UK), dropping their third studio album Holy Fire this month.
Although as a whole the music is a little too post-punk for me, I dig this house remix by the also Oxford-based (and totally amazing) producer Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs (TEED) of their latest single “My Number.” Hot Chip also attempted a makeover over the song, but I much prefer TEED’s version. Check it out below, along with earlier effort of theirs “The French Open.”
Update: Foals will be coming to DC’s 930 Club May 5th!
Now that I’m back from abroad, I’m amped to finally be sharing my list of stand-out indie tracks from the last year!
In no particular order, below are my top 50 artists and/or tracks of 2012. Since I started blogging midway through the year, some of these artists have been honored with a post prior and some have not. Thus for the sake of diversifying, in some cases the featured track below is not necessarily my favorite but a varying version of the original or new track entirely (but equally adored, obv).
poetry in an empty coke can 