Back at it again, Blackedout casts a mesmerizing spell on Ri Ri’s 2005 single “If It’s Lovin’ That You Want”. Seriously, I am taken aback by the production of each of the tracks that Blackedout has put on showcase. The young producer has really taken the blog scene by suprise and I am just glad we caught on early. By Brian Litwin
Blackedout 
(Soundcloud)
Rating 8.4
UK trio F.U.R.S. release second single “Just Kids”. The track (& band), another great find for Loose Lips Records (Chad Valley, Mausi, Night Works), tick all the anthemic UK indie rock boxes (rather amazingly actually) incredibly accurately & well. Every bit of the modern rock song formula is represented here and executed quite flawlessly; a huge singable chorus, a rumbling hooky bass & drums, a neatly melodic but still neatly lo-fi vocal, etc.
F.U.R.S. 
(Official)
Rating 8.4
PAPA continue their crushing of the indie rock and roll game on the reg w/ latest track “Young Rut”. Previewed from the band’s debut LP due in the Fall, “Young Rut” is an excellent further realization of the PAPA sound; soulful rock tinged with enough “modernness” and “relevance” to make accessible good feeling music to even the coldest of cold indie music critics & dudes.
PAPA 
(Facebook)
Rating 8.5
Yesssss. Body Language make their much-awaited return to B3SCI with the summer in the city bounce of “Well Absolutely”. The first single from BL’s upcoming Grammar LP due out in September, “Well Absolutely” is floor to frame loaded with hooks; hook after hook after hook (It’s like aw shit, that verse was great, and damn @ that prechorus, and then the chorus pushes the track into some previously unrealised 6th or 7th gear or something and then forget it, it’s all toe taps and hip shakes from there on out.) Get into “Well Absolutely” now before everybody on yr block is bumping out their boombox below.
Body Language 
(Facebook(/a>)
Rating 8.2
Houston. H-Town. Baghdad on the Bayou. H-Town riser Propain grabs a rising Houston star (Kirko Bangz) and a Houston capofamiglia (Slim Thug) for the easy ride-out leaner “Got a Problem”. Styrofoam cups up. Ridin’ Slab is out today.
Propain 
(Soundcloud)
Rating 8.3
Norwegian producer Kygo gives Australian star songwriter Matt Corby’s “Brother” track a high drama makeover that is as equal parts Mysterium Prefatory Action as it is Peter Gabriel.
Kygo 
(Soundcloud)
Rating 8.3
Bloc Party have announced another indefinite hiatus, to begin following their summer tour dates. Before they leave us, they will add a new EP Nextwave Sessions to the party. The first single is “Rachet”, which brings to mind the offbeat rhythms we heard on their Silent Alarm debut. They are planning six different festivals this month. By Bruce Rave
Bloc Party 
(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!
National Anthem artist (CHVRCHES, Haim) Josh Record releases “The War” the title track from his upcoming follow-up EP to his brilliant “Bones” EP. Already anointed a “Hottest Record in the World” by Radio 1 DJ Zane Lowe, “The War” is stunning in its sparkling simplicity & beauty. Spare slightly-reverbed guitar arpeggios and Josh’s 100% committed vocal (& fine falsetto) highlight here a track that is clearly the work of an artist, writer & arranger of the highest ability and order. “The War” EP is out August 12th.
Josh Record (Facebook)
Rating: 8.3
Listening to UK rapper Context’s new track “Small Town Lad Sentiments” is a little like having one foot firmly in sort of classic garage mid 90’s time-warp (and a very well-executed fresh approximation of that sound at that) and one being pulled at unflinchingly 20 years into the future; the rhymes, the feel of the track all sound very progressive, modern and futuristic (and we don’t mean “futuristic” in the future garage sense, we mean july 4, 2033 is tomorrow futuristic).
Context – Small Town Lad SentimentsContext (Facebook)
Rating 8.1
Really this review could begin and end with a “Fuck yes.” but here are a few details about “Drops”, new from UK artist(s) Jungle. Space beats, space soul, soul w/ panache, pop w/ panache, pop that moves you; “Drops” is that soulful beats-driven modern pop that will absolutely move you at your most basic and most complex and will grab at you, addict you, make you feel a part of it. That is (roughly) how strong/powerful a track “Drops” is. “Drops” is a double-A w/ previously b3 rec’d “Platoon” and will be released on the very cool Chess Club Records, July 15th
Jungle (Soundcloud)
Rating 8.4
Ah yes, Tinie Tempah. The UK grime MC turned global superstar returns with his first solo release since his breakthrough Discovery LP, with (and just an indication of how far his star has risen) the Diplo-produced and 2 Chainz-featuring “Trampoline”. We would expect the gritty club-ready “Trampoline” to do nothing short of eviscerating charts from the UK and beyond all summer.
Tinie Tempah (Official)
Rating 8.1
Russ Chimes’ nonstop tour of world-beating jams rolls forward w/ his latest melodic house mix for UK band Clean Bandit. If you know Chimes you will love this remix; if you don’t know Chimes then for the sake of your own humanity and humanity at large you should sort out pronto (also you will love this remix). Chimes 100.
Russ Chimes (Official)
Rating 8.4
