I never thought a dance track would make it onto this blog but Chris Malinchak’s “So Into You” is just too good. The Brooklynite who made his debut in 2010 with the glossy single, “Beiji-Me,” seems to have found the balance between shiny, simple hooks and tight, complex production. “So Into You” has so much R&B goodness, the alternative purists won’t lose any cred for blasting it in their apartments. Stop acting like you don’t love this. I know you do. Enjoy.
Electronic music has a new mysterious duo beginning to dominate the scene. Very little is known of uncle-niece combo known as Willow Beats other than the fact that they are making some of the most experimental electronica and dubstep garnering indie attention. They released their self-titled debut EP in 2012 and return with “Experimental,” a single that changes course about 20 times over, yet flows effortlessly towards its conclusion. The music stops and starts, changes tempo, and switches instrumental accompaniments so sharply, you’ll get whiplash trying to keep up. Enjoy.
I wish you the best of luck finding out any information on No Ceremony///, the Manchester band that, as a byproduct of their unwillingness to sell personality over music, remain mostly a mystery. No Ceremony/// has yet to partake in social media, leaving us net addicts a bit confused (as if the three backslashes alone wasn’t enough). What is clear is that their most recent single, FEELSOLOW, is a soft, entrancing electronic track that makes us quickly forgive and admire their reclusivity. Hopefully, No Ceremony/// will let us further into their world but if they don’t, FEELSOLOW is enough to keep me satisfied…for now. Enjoy.
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Check them out and download FEELSOLOW for free here
Seriously, Mother of Pearl by Silver Swans has to be the sweetest little track I’ve heard in a while. Even though Mother of Pearl, off of the San Fran-based duo’s 2012 sophomore album, Forever, is a slick, electronic, 80s inspired tune, it’s still unusually endearing and innocent. Maybe it’s the way Anna Yu hypnotically exhales high school crush lyrics, “And I will lay my eyes on you…” or maybe the way the song never crescendos but remains consistently relaxed with twilight-inspired sounds echoing in the background. Maybe you should just hear for yourself. Enjoy.
There’s a purpose to the lo-fi, crackling quality of Vacationer’s debut album, Gone, released on March 20, 2012, in that it emulates music barely breaking through an old radio on a tropical beach in the middle of nowhere. Vacationer, the brainchild of Kenny Vasoli (from The Starting Line) and Brooklyn’s indie electronic trio Body Language, is the self-proclaimed “relaxation expert,” making songs to aurally take you on vacation when jobs, money and time does not permit. Gone mixes fluid synthesizers, wind instruments, guitars, and tropical elements to create the perfect album for escaping the daily responsibilities of real life.
Kenny Vasoli, the relaxation expert himself
Best Tracks:
Trip begins with woodwind instruments, then melts into a synth infused melody carried by Vasoli’s crisp vocals about slipping away.
Gone is a beautifully soft, calming track laced with starry synth sounds, reggae elements and lyrics about being away from the one you love and craving their arrival. Gone, gone. I will be waiting for you, here. you’re gone, gone, you’re gone, gone, no matter how long.
Everyone Knows is unique to Gone, since it focuses more on pop and sing-a-long elements rather than soothing electronics. However there is an R&B/soul quality to this song that makes it as addictive as the rest of the album.
When & Where:
Play Gone if you find yourself lounging in a cabana surrounded by sand and the ocean or if you are trapped at home but want the world around you to melt away.
Digits (a.k.a. Alt Altman), the Toronto synth pop artist, is no stranger to crafting moody, dark electronic music. He first emerged with his 2009 debut album, Hold It Close and returns with a new track, So Cold off his April 12, 2012 mixtape, Death and Desire. With whispered vocals, smooth synthesizers, and a funky electric guitar riff, So Cold is seductive R&B/jazz track that’s guaranteed to make you feel cool (no pun intended…maybe).
Click the down arrow to the side of the track to download So Cold
Imagine the Black Keys on speed and you get Matchstick, the second EP from rock group, American Royalty. The Los Angeles-based trio mixes plenty of musical genres into every track (soul, psychedelia, rock, R&B, and electronica) and somehow disciplines them just enough to work together to a create trippy, funky, hard rocking EP. Released on February 14, 2012, each song on Matchstick is a chaotic thought fighting desperately for your attention…and winning.
Randomly shifting gears midsong from one genre to the next, Matchstick is an EP anthem for the aurally ADD who stare at their playlists for 20 minutes trying to figure out what to listen to. At just three songs, Matchstick begs for an immediate second listen because, by the end of the first, you’re trying to figure out what just happened and why you liked it so much.
Track Breakdown:
I’ve Been Fighting For You is American Royalty’s smoothest, most soulful sound, melding blues with a slight electronic rip and that homemade, musty garage rock sound.
Matchstickstarts with a slick piano melody and builds to a psychedelic climax coupled with some eerie harmonies and hooks by vocalists, Marc Gilfry and Billy Scher.
Blood Keys has ominous guitars coupled with dark, sultry vocals that lead into some thrashing riffs and sharp electronics so versatile, they make this a fitting track for a concert or a club.
When and Where:
I picture myself kickin’ back at some invite only cigar bar, legs kicked up on the edge of the table, with clouds of smoke and American Royalty’s grooves filling the entire room.
The XX deserves far better than being hook-up soundtrack to the college set. Formed in London in 2005 while still in high school, The XX released its minimalist debut album, xx in 2009, mixing electronica, R&B and pop. With light, effortless vocals provided by the male/female combo of Romy Croft and Oliver Sim, soultry guitar riffs and electronic percussion, The XX creates a flirtatious sound filled with sexual tension and soulful desire.
Croft and Sims’ vocals borderline on whispering, making you feel like you are in on a dirty little secret; a chess game between two lovers. There are no crazy guitar or drum solos and no over-the-top vocals. While the album is primarily about love, sex, loving sex, and any other combination of those words you can think of, the R&B vocals along with the perfect use of echo and reverb keep this topic from getting stale.
Best Tracks:
Intro is an enchanting opening to the album, with haunting, deep notes melting over the entire track and a quickly strummed lead guitar. The intro lacks lyrics and is the perfect appetizer to xx, mixing a sensual tone with the album’s theme of simplicity.
Crystalised, an intense track about a sexual encounter, has tit-for-tat vocals between Croft and Sims, as well as funk and R&B inspired guitars matched with nominal percussion, which slowly build to a match the emotion of the encounter.
Shelter feels like an apology, with lyrics about wanting someone and being willing to do whatever it takes to have that feeling reciprocated.
When and Where:
I know I said that The XX is a victim of cheesy sex mixes, however, I love being a hypocrite. It is undeniable that the album is sexy, smooth, and needs to be played when you are getting intimate (hopefully with someone else).
Every now and then, a song emerges from a genre of music that you don’t dig but is so well-made, you can’t help but like it. Wildfire, a track by SBTRKT, a London DJ with a name to secure his anonymity , is easily one of the coolest songs I’ve heard in a while and is kind of easing me into this whole electronica/dubstep genre that is quickly infecting the music scene. While I’m not a fan of the album, this song is impossible to ignore. Wildfire oozes into your brain with a slow bass that sounds like a frog beatboxing and is balanced out by a siren randomly piercing through the track.
The vocals are provided by the Yukimi Nagano, the lead singer of Little Dragon, a Swedish electronic band that is also gaining a lot of popularity in the States.
Wildfire has a grimy but sexy feel to it which is only enhanced by Yukimi’s lyrics (Your innocence; who’s brave? / Drowning in. Would you save me? / It’s a crime if you don’t/ You’ll despair by the throat) only add to the appeal of the track.
October 8, 2013
adamkazansky
everythingwehear 