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Oscar Key Sung – Holograms

oscar key holograms

Songwriters have the most infinite canvas to create art. Within that vast amount of space, most artists tend to pack as much sound as they can within 3 minutes or so. With his space, Oscar Key Sung from Melbourne has etched out a perfectly shaped R&B jam in “Holograms.” From the incredibly round and full bass hits, to the unbelievably smooth synth lines and vocal melodies, this track is an absolute thing of beauty. Even sneaking faint birds singing to each other in between the valleys of bass hits at 00:58, OKS could do no wrong. Reviewed by Brian Litwin

Oscar Key Sung australia (Soundcloud)

Rating 8.3

reviewed by
02-23-14

Goodbye Chanel – Foreva

Goodbye Chanel - Foreva

Leeds UK five-piece Goodbye Chanel’s M.O. of dreamy, reverb-washed, indie pop buoyed by skilled hook-conscious songwriting reaches a new apex with “Foreva”. Taken from “Hot City Nights”, the band’s new EP, “Foreva” delivers on a quality and accessibility that should only bolster their profile. “Hot City Nights” is out Dead Young Records on April 21.

Goodbye Chanelengland: (Soundcloud)

Rating: 8.4

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reviewed by
02-21-14

Holychild – Every Time I Fall

holychild

A recent addition to Glassnote Records impeccable roster are L.A.’s much-lauded synthpop exporters Holychild. “Every Time I Fall”, the band’s latest track for Glassnote, pushes HC’s already airtight pop songwriting considerably forward with it’s cleverly constructed choruses and next level inventive interplays between vocal, rhythm and instrumental tracks. The “Mindspeak” EP, from which “Every Time I Fall” is excerpted, is out March 4th.

Holy Child (Facebook)

Rating 8.1

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reviewed by
02-20-14

Kate Miller – Collar Up

kate miller

The very good “Collar Up” is new from UK breakout candidate Kate Miller. “Collar Up” orbits about the axis of a dark, rumbling, hypnotic groove, rhythmic melodic lines and a highly singable chorus that is not difficult to envision a house of 1,000 or more shouting back at Ms. Miller. Occupying a similar nexus (vocally, stylistically, aesthetically) as to a number of singer that broke through in 2013 (Banks, Laura Welsh, Chloe Howl, etc); Kate’s alike talent-level and quality suggest a significant move forward this year.

Kate Millerengland: (Official)

Rating: 8.4

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reviewed by
02-20-14

Jungle – Busy Earnin’

Jungle

New and from our friends across the pond, Jungle has release their first XL Records single and it reminds us of why we fell in love with this London duo in the first place. “Busy Earnin'” drips of soul and groove from the very first notes struck via horn section. It fits immediately in their self carved formula of short, sweet, and exploding with electronic soul — and of course extremely catchy. Reviewed by Brian Litwin

Jungle england (Facebook)

Rating 8.4

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reviewed by
02-19-14

Arthur Beatrice – Late

arthur beatrice

Working Out is the highly anticipated upcoming debut LP from Arthur Beatrice. The rhythm-driven dark pop of “Late”, puts the female component of AB’s two vocalist setup to the fore, as singer Ella Girardot’s lovely alto is at the track’s center. “Late”‘s excellent use of mood is particularly standout with percussive delayed guitars flitting and weaving as a perfect mechanism about subtle changes and layers in the rhythm track. Working Out is released February 24 on Harvest.

Arthur Beatrice england (Facebook)

Rating 8.4

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reviewed by
02-19-14

Young & Sick – Glass

Young Sick

New Harvest (Banks, Arthur Beatrice, Together Pangea, etc) signees Young & Sick debut the kinetic & soulful synthpop of “Glass”. Sophisticated without being self-important, idea-loaded and ambitious while still maintaining an ease and cohesion “Glass” is indie pop of the highest order and demands your attention ASAP. A++

Young & Sick newyork (Tumblr)

Rating 8.0

brown8

reviewed by
02-19-14