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Rave’s Fave: Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Mosquito

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Here’s the title track from what just might turn out to be one of 2013’s landmark albums, which Karen O. calls YYYs most lighthearted yet. “Mosquito” is an intense, straight ahead rock song with a huge sound; a hooky, driving rhythm section that showcases guitarist Nick Zinner in fine form. The dark and dirty bassline of this track will get under your skin and who better to sing the line “He’ll suck your blood” than Karen O? The album drops April 16 and you can peep the band’s recent performance of “Sacrilege” on Letterman below. By Bruce Rave

Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Mosquito

Yeah Yeah Yeahs (Official)

* Links and playlists from Rave’s weekly new music show can be found on his blog and be sure follow Bruce on Twitter too!

reviewed by
04-07-13

Joey Bada$$ – Day In The Life (Prod. Harry Fraud)

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La Musica da Hairy Frog. On the spectrum of (mostly brilliant) Harry Fraud beats, “Day In The Life” is that event horizon. The production is fire, young J.B. is one his A+ game, and the overall cinema of the track is of the high level variety; basically we really like it. Listen.

Joey Bada$$ (Facebook)

Rating 8.4

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reviewed by
04-04-13

Valentina – Ladders

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Following up her first single “Wolves”, Valentina releases another noteworthy track called “Ladders”. Taken from her Wolves EP, set to be released April 29th, her vocals take center stage once again. Unlike the gradual build of the Kwes-produced “Wolves”, “Ladders” has a consistent dream-like trance feel with a soaring chorus. The Ben Esser-produced track is making its ways around the internet and for good reason. By Brian Litwin

Valentina england (Facebook)

Rating 8.2

reviewed by
04-04-13

MS MR – Fantasy (NICITA Remix)

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Sometimes, the best person to remix a track might be someone who deals with the band on a regular basis. For this MS MR “Fantasy” remix, the Brooklyn duo turned to their producer/drummer Zach Nicita aka NICITIA, who took the most recent single and made it better. Adding a wall of percussion and staying true to the original track, NICITA might be getting more requests to bring fresh ears on other tracks. Kudos to Phoebe Severin for bringing this to B3SCI’s attention. By Brian Litwin

NICITA newyork: (Soundcloud)

Rating 8.3

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reviewed by
04-04-13

Dan Deacon with Chelsea Wolfe @ USC – KXSC Fest 3/30/2013

Dan deacon @ KXSC fest

Almost every college has a fund to bring music talent to their school and to entertain the student body at large. USC’s student run radio station put on it’s annual KXSC Fest this past weekend, boasting some serious names from the indiesphere. Last year’s festival included Starfucker and Nosaj Thing (pretty awesome), and this year, Chelsea Wolfe and Dan Deacon were mashed together, making this one of the oddest/greatest bill pairings I have ever experienced.

If there was a consistent theme of any sort that Saturday night, it was that both Chelcea Wolfe and Dan Deacon are not normal humans. For example, take Chelsea Wolfe, a stunningly beautiful, black hair, pale faced Los Angeles native that plays extraordinarily dark folk music. Performing tracks from her 2011 release Apokalypsis and 2012’s Unknown Rooms: A Collection of Acoustic Songs, Chelsea wowed the student body with her unique dissonance and foreboding tones.

Dan Deacon’s live set followed, and the experience was basically the absolute opposite of the prior. Deacon took stage – and by stage, I mean his small table with a buffet of pedals and gadgets, next to a not working light rig with a skull that lights up during different cues in his set. As weird as shit got, in typical Dan Deacon fashion, it was all about the track performances and the artist’s interactions that made this show so entertaining. Dan’s 2012 hyped release, America, has recently been one of the more talked about albums, and frankly, it is a well crafted electronic production. Deacon’s vibes were everywhere. He had students running around in a circle, high-fiving each other. He also invited everyone to download the Dan Deacon app and use it during a song, creating a crowd sourced light show, which was just brilliant. The whole experience was original and everyone, even the security guard standing next to me, was in awe.

Dan’s look is not one of a rock star or some sort of label pushed pretty face that echoes a team of writers. His look is that of his music; odd, unabashed and completely unique. I can say, for the countless shows I have been to in my short time alive, that this may have been one of the most entertaining I have ever witnessed. Please do yourselves a favor and see Dan Deacon live. Review By Brian Litwin

KXSC (Official)

reviewed by
04-03-13

Rich Boy – Pimp On (Feat. Doe B, Playboi Lo, and Smash)

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Six years in the making (Since his ’07 breakthrough with “Throw Some D’s”, Rich Boy a/k/a/ World’s Largest Forehead has found himself on the wrong end of label shelving for the better part of his career) and presented without further comment is “Pimp On”, the lead single from Rich Boy’s forthcoming sophomore LP.

Rich Boy – Pimp On

Rich Boy alabama (Facebook)

Rating 8.2

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reviewed by
04-03-13

Whistle Peak – Longrun

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Check out the skilled dark pop of Louisville, KY outfit Whistle Peak and their track for “Longrun”. And if the song sounds at all anachronistic (and we mean that in a very good way), it’s because it’s possible the track was recorded as far back as ten years ago. As Whistle Peak’s upcoming release Put To Flight, from which “Longrun” is excerpted, is a collection of tracks from their last decade of output.

Whistle Peak kentucky (Facebook)

Rating 8.1

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reviewed by
04-03-13

Weekend – Mirror

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Bay Area post punk act Weekend preview new single “Mirror” from the band’s upcoming Jinx LP, due July 23rd on Slumberland.

Weekend (Facebook)

Rating 8.3

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reviewed by
04-03-13

Bondax – Gold (Amtrac Remix)

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Rising producer Amtrac dials up the mansion, the yacht and the Elmer J. Fudd millionaire on this “outer space luxury” version of the much remixed “Gold” track from Bondax. We promise this one is worth it.

Amtrac kentucky (Soundcloud)

Rating 8.3

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reviewed by
04-02-13

Premiere: Big Black Delta – Side of the Road (Emperor Machine Special Extended Dub Remix)

Side Of The Road (Emperor Machine Special Extended Dub)

To excite a bit more fervor and zeal (if you’re cool like us and into BBD, you should already be brimming with excitement) for their upcoming debut record, Big Black Delta today released the official remix to the their recently P4K Best New Music’d “Side of the Road”. Courtesy of UK producer Emperor Machine, this dub remix grinds out the original, processes it down and then smooths it out into a thinly compressed groove-heavy gem. We’re doing a head bop and so should you as B3’s got your premiere waiting below just a Soundcloud player away. Bop to it with us.

Big Black Delta (Official)
Emperor Machine england (Facebook)

Rating 8.2

reviewed by
04-02-13

Review: Bondax & Breakbot @ LURE, Los Angeles 03/29/13

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The nightclub scene can be a tricky beast. Clubs open and close, what’s trendy now won’t be in a year and the turn over rate is pretty high for a “sustainable business”. However, Lure (where The Cabana Club once stood) in Hollywood seems to have a something good brewing. Being opened in May 2012, Lure is not only one of the hottest nightclubs in LA right now, but seem to be on a consistent track with booking the best of new and old talents of EDM. This was ever so apparent, with the bottle service crowd in full swing, for Breakbot and Bondax on Friday night.

Having already seen Bondax at SXSW, and knowing what Adam Kaye and George Townsend would do to a crowd brimming to kick the weekend off on the right note, I just sat back and watch the madness ensue. Some highlights from the set were Moon Boots’ remix of Gold, Pharrell and Jay Z’s “Frontin'”, Mystikal’s “Shake Ya Ass” and Bondax’s monster single Gold. The young UK producers are a must see if they roll thought your town.

A friend of mine would look at the scene for the next act, Breakbot, and would say that the club was “elbow to asshole” packed. Now take that saying however you want to, but the place was at max capacity and every soul under the tented roof were getting down. French native Thibaut Berland, nonchalantly started the funk/French house explosion and the crowd, already feeling it from Bondax, went nuts. The whole set was down right awesome, but a shining moment for me was Baby I’m Yours. The Ed Banger release track is just immaculate and the video is the ultimate compliment to the track. By Brian Litwin

Bondax (Facebook)
Breakbot (Facebook)

reviewed by
04-01-13

Mayer Hawthorne – Designer Drug

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Welcome back, Mayer. After the disappointing How Do You Do, new track “Designer Drug” recaptures much of the energy, spontaneity, and tunefulness that made Mayer’s early records so much fun. The throwback touchstones are there; 70’s soul, 90’s hip hop, classic 80’s pop (& mostly accuratley Michael Jackson) but with “Designer Drug” Mr. Hawthorne doesn’t allow his influences and a bit of a self-consciousness about them shackle him to the safety of pastiche & trope.

Mayer Hawthorne michigan (Official) (Facebook)

Rating 8.3

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reviewed by
04-01-13