Artist Spotlight: Kwes

Posted on by santiago

Kwes-color

British producer and songwriter Kwes is used to being behind the scenes, having done production for a myriad of artists including The xx, Damon Albarn and Hot Chip’s Joe Goddard. However, he’s also broken out as a solo artist in recent years, having released his first LP ilp in 2013. As demonstrated on the gorgeous track (“36”) from the LP, Kwes’s art form is a masterful convergence of subtlety and sonic complexity achieved through the use of repetition, layering, and divergent textures. Interestingly enough, Kwes — along with Pharrell, Dev Hynes, Billy Joel and even Stevie Wonder — all experience a phenomenon known as Chromesthesia (sound-to-color synesthesia), a neurological condition effectively allowing them to hear color, or see sound depending on how you look at it. Perhaps it is no coincidence then that these artists’ creative genius manifest themselves in stunning visual pathways as well. Stream “36” and “Bashful” (from the 2012 EP Meantime) below.

https://soundcloud.com/littlebig/kwes-bashful

JUCE – Call You Out

Posted on by poetryinanemptycokecan

jucevideo970

In a fabulous callback to the era of 90’s all-female pop groups, the London-bred trio JUCE have a seriously soulful sound akin to those before them such as Salt-n-Pepa and TLC. Made up of Georgia, Chalin and Cherish, the girl group’s aggregate sound of contemporary R&B is refreshingly evident on their debut track “Call You Out.” Stream the groove-filled track below and check out the video here.

 

we’re making champagne out of lemonade

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Elbow – New York Morning

Posted on by santiago

NY Morning

Having a strange name for a band, Elbow is an alternative rock group that hails from Manchester. This month they released their sixth studio album, The Take Off and Landing of Everything. Another exquisite song about the capital of the world, “New York Morning” was inspired by Elbow frontman Guy Garvey’s recent time in Brooklyn last year. The accompanying video — detailing the lives of New York City couple and CBGB scenesters Dennis and Lois — is a love sonnet to the city in itself and well worth a viewing.

https://soundcloud.com/mmmusic/elbow-new-york-morning

NY Morning3

Upcoming Tour Dates:

3/31, Birmingham, LG Arena
4/6, Glasgow, SSE Hydro
4/8, Cardiff, Motorpoint Arena
4/9, Manchester, Phones 4U Arena
4/11, Leeds, First Direct Arena
4/12, Liverpool, Echo Arena
4/14, Nottingham, Capital FM Arena
4/16, London, The O2

US Tour:
5/11, Washington, D.C., 930 Club
5/12, Boston, MA., Royale Night Club
5/13, Philadelphia, PA., Electric Factory
5/16, New York, NY., Webster Hall
5/17, Toronto, ON., Danforth Music Hall
5/19, Chicago, IL., House of Blues
5/20, Minneapolis, MN., First Avenue
5/23, Vancouver, BC., Commodore Ballroom
5/24, Portland, OR. Wonder Ballroom
5/25, Quincy, WA., Sasquatch Music Festival
5/27, Oakland, CA., The Fox Theater
5/28, Los Angeles, CA., The Wiltern

NY Morning2

Four Tet – Parallel Jalebi

Posted on by poetryinanemptycokecan

fourtet

Four Tet, the well-known producer from the UK (aka Kieran Hebden), released his seventh album Beautiful Rewind at the end of 2013. Known for combining electronica with the experimental elements of jazz, Four Tet has a number of critically acclaimed works under his belt. No wonder his show at DC’s U Street Music Hall tonight is sold out. Check out his remaining tour dates below after listening to “Parallel Jalebi” off the latest LP.

 

Tour Dates:

2/28 – Washington, DC @ U Street Music Hall
3/1 – Austin, TX @ Mohawk
3/6-3/7 – Los Angeles, CA @ Echoplex
3/8 – San Francisco, CA @ Mezzanine
3/22 – London, UK @ TBA
3/29 – Birmingham, UK @ Rainbow Warehouse
4/10 – Mayrhofen, Austria @ Snowbombing
4/12 – Milan, Italy @ Design Week Festival

Osca – Blood

Posted on by poetryinanemptycokecan

osca

Formerly known as Kenworthy, the London quartet Osca debuted their first track, “Blood” earlier this month and it is a beaut. With piano-driven melodies and heartfelt harmonies, their sound is evocative of older, classic Coldplay. Also check out a live video of their gorgeous track “Heartache” and pick up a free DL of a fantastic edit below. As the young Jack Kenworthy in his earnest vocals sings, “And it’s like heartache, heartache, heartache in my bones… / Is this all I’ll ever know?”, his audible agony is heartbreakingly irresistible. Keep a lookout for these guys in the future.

Jungle – Lucky I Got What I Want // The Heat

Posted on by santiago
Jungle
Jungle video: Icky and Silence in The Heat. Photograph: PR company handout

Formed at the start of 2013, Jungle is the enigmatic new London duo consisting of best friends “J” and “T”. The loneliest place is in your own head, so you have to share it with other people to make it real, says J. They’ve already built up quite the fan base in the blogosphere over the past year, so much so that their first show in London this past December sold out in less than 24 hours. They will be supporting HAIM in March around Europe as well as a handful of places in the U.S., so check out their tour schedule below and catch this promising group live if you can.

Stream their song “Lucky I Got What I Want” from their debut EP The Heat, and watch their groovy video for the title track below. Co-directed by J and T, the vid featuring the dance moves of Icky and Silence from the High Rollaz UK skate crew.

2014 Tour Dates:

3/1 – Le Trianon Hall, Paris *
3/3 – Paradiso, Amsdterdam *
3/4 – Village Undergound, London
3/6 – Brixton Academy, London *
3/7 – Brighton Dome, Brighton*
3/8 – Rough Trade, New York
3/9 – Mercury Lounge, New York
3/10-14 – SXSW, Austin
3/17 – The Echom, LA
3/20 – Hare+Hounds, Birmingham
3/21 – Exchange, Bristol
3/22 – Deaf Institute, Manchester
* with HAIM

Years & Years – Real

Posted on by poetryinanemptycokecan

years&years

It’s been awhile since we heard from London group Years & Years, so I was delighted to see that they had dropped another infectious single. Since their last standout self-released track “I Wish I Knew,” they have been picked up by French label, Kitsuné. Their latest number, “Real” has more of an electronic sound with some R&B elements mixed in — but it’s equally addictive — thanks in part to the charming vocals of frontman Olly Alexander.

For those unfamiliar with the group, UK’s Disorder Magazine had this to say about them: It’s as if Nina Simone is crooning a melodic lullaby to the folktronic lovechild of Beach House and Terry Riley. Touché.

Look out for the new Years & Years EP to drop on February 17.

London Grammar – Everywhere You Go

Posted on by poetryinanemptycokecan

london grammar

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.