We dig the minimalist hip hop-influenced pop of new NYC duo The Grand Affair. The piano/beat-based track “Work Week” is maybe simple in its lack of complication but is special for its melody-works-so-keenly-in-the-beat mechanisms and the spaces where the tune does become more complex ie: those piano scale runs in the verse and those space lazer synth embellishments that help add tension. Sample “Work Week” below.
The Grand Affair 
(Facebook)
Rating 8.3
Reviewed by Brian Litwin and Charlie Walker
As fall approaches and festival season comes to a close, only several events from 2013 seem worthy of making note. The eighth annual Virgin Mobile FreeFest in Columbia, MD. proved to be one such experience for the books. Unlike other ordinary festivals, tickets to FreeFest are given away for free, and the over 50,000 fans that showed up raised over $1 million for the RE*Generation project, which helps the young homeless. Our adventure on Saturday, September 21 was memorable, as a torrential downpour for over 7 hours provided a nice change of pace from B3SCI’s usual sunny Los Angeles habitat. Check out our recap of happenings from Virgin Mobile FreeFest 2013 below:
GHOST BEACH
B3SCI alum and faves, Ghost Beach opened the festival in fine fashion. Beating the rain in the Dance Forest stage, the duo consisting of Josh Ocean and Eric “Doc” Mendelsohn brought their tropical, grit pop to the masses in Maryland. Playing hits like “Empty Streets” and “Miracles” the duo seems poised to make some serious noise. Reviewed By Brian Litwin
BLACK JOE LEWIS
As the rain steadily came down, so did the spirited jams of Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears, a southern, brass-filled psychedelic outfit from Austin, TX. With their bluesy, soulful licks, it made for an exceptionally refreshing performance given the mostly synth-heavy Virgin Mobile FreeFest line-up. Channeling his inner James Brown and the 60’s era with a tight band right on his heels, the vibe was intimate while Joe Lewis’s extended jam of “Skulldiggin” was a hit with the drying crowd underneath the Pavillion Stage. It was evident with the screams and extended applause that the revelers were captivated, engaged, and wanting more when the set concluded. Reviewed By Charlie Walker
CONGOROCK
Tucked away deep in the woods with the tree canopy’s above shielding some of the constant drizzle, the FreeFest Dance Stage hosted a solid array of acts, including a thumping, energetic performance by Congorock. It was completely bonkers as Rocco Rampino’s set absolutely crushed the late afternoon timeslot, dropping massive electro-house sounds with riveting punk breaks. This Italian producer had bodies moving and twisting every-which-way, clothes literally flying off, and arms thrusting in the air when he let loose with his remix of Zeds Dead & Omar Lynx’s “Cowboy” remix. It was a completely different environment in the forest as this enchanted bassland was full of neon’s and seemed so far away from the rest of the FreeFest happenings. Crush-mode for sure! Reviewed By Charlie Walker
THE AVETT BROTHERS
Completely owning their unique sound and maintaining their positive ascension over their 10-year tenure as a band, The Avett Brothers ripped through a stellar 16-song set in front of a capacity Pavillion Stage crowd for over an hour, with those on the lawn dancing in the rain. Scott and Seth Avett, along with Bob Crawford, played with precision and without boundaries during “Life”. As majority of us VIP attendees were imbibing in crafted moonshine cocktails, the fellas fittingly played a crowd pleasing “Down With The Shine”, and had everybody on their feet singing along and dancing to their hit “I and Love and You”. Does it get much better? Reviewed By Charlie Walker
WASHED OUT
I have heard only the best things about the Ernest Greene project aka Washed Out’s live performance. Following Ghost Beach, all of those rumblings came true. The set was tight and the groove was steady. Greene played tracks mostly off his recent 3rd studio album Paracosm. Though my likeness lies anywhere on the first release Life of Lesuire, the whole set made the younger festival crowd dance. Reviewed By Brian Litwin
CHVRCHES
Scottish three-piece musical group CHVRCHES took full command of their audience at the West Stage, living up to the buzz they’ve created as one of the most promising new bands of 2013. Playing their catchy, well-remixed track “Recover” and popular live version of “The Mother We Share” – Lauren Mayberry, Iain Cook and Martin Doherty received perhaps the most arousing reaction from the youthful crowd as they played music off their debut album The Bones of What You Believe, out September 24th on Glassnote Records. It was in the following moments that Doherty busted out in frenetic dance with Cook, Mayberry, and roughly 15,000 others following suit. Reviewed By Charlie Walker
VAMPIRE WEEKEND
Over on the main stage, poppy, preppy indie quartet of Ezra Koenig, Chris Baio, Rostam Batmanglij and Chris Tomson played to the over flowing (of people and rain water) Merriwether Post Pavilion. When the band finally appeared, they killed it. Being only three albums deep into their career, Vampire Weekend has a numerous amount of hits and singles. Listing off their setlist would be pointless; they played anything and everything. They also proved that they can and will be (soon, mark our words) a headlining act of festivals of this size. Reviewed By Brian Litwin
MGMT
Another were another act I had been dying to see live, and lucky for the rain drenched crowd they played the covered pavilion stage. Fresh off the their 3rd studio and self-titled release, Ben Goldwasser and Andrew Ban Wyngarden’s set sent shock waves through the soaked crowd. To little surprise, fans did not respond well to their newer songs, but become uproarious when playing hits like “Weekend Wars”, “Time To Pretend”, “The Youth” and “Electric Feel”. Though the coolest part of the set may have been the giant cowbell played by a Virgin Mobile-wielding-fan during “Your Life Is A Lie”. Reviewed By Brian Litwin
PRETTY LIGHTS
Finishing out FreeFest’s West Stage was Derek Vincent Smith aka Pretty Lights, who’s been profoundly touring the country after releasing his newest, highly anticipated album A Color Map of the Sun via Pretty Lights Music. With rainfall remaining steady, the crowd was radiating with smiles and eagerness of what would be the best display of lights, bass, and energy of perhaps the entire festival. Icing on the cake? The beautiful stranger beside me, dripping wet with glitter from head to toe, as she mischievously looks over at me and whispers, “Just wait for ‘Hot Like Sauce,’” as she grinned from ear to ear while pulling packets of hot sauce from her neon fanny pack. Reviewed By Charlie Walker
MADEON
This 18 year old French native may be the second coming of the great powerhouse that is the French EDM scene. Being so young, Hugo Leclercq has seen a lot in the touring circuit, but a continual 7 hour rain in the middle of Maryland, might be something new to him. No matter, the Virgin Mobile Freefest crowd went nuts, seemingly doing a rain dance to Madeon’s set. Playing a slew of popular club hits and his own “Pop Culture” and “The City”, Hugo closed the Dance Forest stage quite nicely to the drippy, muddy ravers. Reviewed By Brian Litwin
Virgin Mobile FreeFest (Official)
Lots happening this week at B3SCI HQ, from announcing CMJ shows to premieres. Here’s a quick look at some tracks that have made their way through our personal rotation this week. Have a spin at them below, and get familiar with something else pretty damn cool that happened this week here.
The Chain Gang Of 1974 – Sleepwalking
Adulescens – Wings
Jarell Perry – Getaway (w/ Thurz) (Rambo Hollywood Remix)
Will Buck – Muscle Memory
POLIÇA – Smug
MØ – Never Wanna Know
Lexy and the Kill – Oh
Joel Compass – Run
The Witch Hunt – Army Man
C A T H E D R A L S – Unbound
Mike Hughes – (That Girl Is…) Misery
Vikesh Kapoor – Carry Me, Home
Hudson Taylor – Second Best
AZEKEL – Be Mine ’03
Elephant – Shapeshifter
WET – No Lie
Ben Khan – Eden
JWRIGHT – Too Much (Drake x Sampha Remix)
Patrick Baker – Summer Love
The great Phil Beaudreau returns triumphantly with this vibed cover of The Beach Boys classic “I Just Wasn’t Made for These Times”. One of Brian Wilson’s most harmonically and compositionally accomplished songs, super producer Dawaun Parker adeptly spins Wilson’s tune into an unexpected (and really rewarding) jazz-inflected direction. Warm caterwauling synths, cooled-out beachside vocal layering, and clattering looped horns well outfit Phil’s thematically on point soulful-in-the-aether singing. Phil Beaudreau will close this Monday’s residency night with Zak Waters at The Satellite for a B3SCI presented show, more info here.
Phil Beaudreau 
(Soundcloud)
Rating 8.7
Here at B3SCI we love nothing more than a great soul artist. With only two songs released to date, London based (by way of Netherlands) soulster, Bo Saris is one we’ve been keeping a close ear on. The recent Universal Republic signee has set the blogosphere a stir with his more than authentic Motown friendly blend of retro pop. And from our recent conversation with Bo Saris we’ve learned there’s so many more layers to know. Check out his debut EP The Addict this October and have a look at our recent chat with him below. Also for those of you in the UK, don’t miss his upcoming performance October 18th at St. Pancras Old Church in London.
B3SCI: Was there a point in your life that you knew American bred soul and pop music was the perfect sound for Bo Saris?
Bo Saris: I never really thought about it so I guess you could say I fell in love with that type of music naturally, I just connected with it without having a explanation for it.
B3SCI: We’re sure that you get this question a lot, but being from the Netherlands… how is it your sound feels so genuine and authentically from the golden age of Hitsville USA? It’s like you actually lived through it five decades ago…
Bo Saris: First of all, if that’s how I sound to you guys then I’ll take that as a huge compliment! In a way I did go through it by just growing up with that music being played in the house a lot & I could identify with it from the start.
B3SCI: You’ve collaborated with the likes of Bondax amongst others? Do you dabble much in the world of co-writes and music production?
Bo Saris: I do more now & it’s good fun! At first I wasn’t familiar with top lining/writing on dance music, I wasn’t even familiar with remixes being made of my music until last year’s remixes of “She’s On Fire”, which I loved! I guess it made me realize that it doesn’t hurt at all to become more diverse in music when you collaborate & that two styles can blend very nicely. Till now I’ve worked with Chase & Status and Bondax in the UK and both sessions were really cool & great experiences. At the moment my main focus is on the EP & upcoming album but I’ll definitely do more collaborations in the near future.
B3SCI: Has there been any other projects you were involved with that fans may come to find as a surprise, before you found your voice…stylistically?
Bo Saris: No I think that for most people it’s quite obvious that its soul music that has inspired me the most. They may be surprised by the different styles of music I’ve listened to & liked which was very diverse. For example “Rage Against The Machine” which I liked as kid to or “Frank Zappa” the weirdness/humor sometimes in his music I really enjoyed. And yes, in my teens I was a massive hip-hop head both underground & the more popular stuff. Snoops “Doggy Style” for instance was one of my favorite records back in the day, still is actually when I listen to it. But maybe that’s not such a big surprise given the fact it had such a huge “Clinton’s Funkadelic” vibe which is basically the kinda stuff I grew up with too. Soul,Funk & Jazz were my main influences so even Miles/Coltrane/Parker were well appreciated in our house. So as I said quite diverse.
B3SCI: You are currently based in London. How ids things on the UK music scene, and do you gig often? When will you come play a show in the United States and are there any plans for SXSW?
Bo Saris: Yes I’m based in London & I love it because it’s a vibrant city where lots of creative people live & work. It’s definitely the right place for me just now. We’ve gigged a few times, but that’s something we’ll start doing more & more in a few months time. I’ve just announced my first proper headline show in London on October 18th at Old St Pancreas Church. I needed an album finished and to release some songs first. Now that the album is done I’m able to really focus on the live side. Hopefully we can start doing gigs in the US real soon. I’d love to play SXSW!
B3SCI: “She’s On Fire” and “The Addict”. Two great songs that we’ve had the pleasure of hearing from Bo Saris so far. What more can we expect on your forthcoming EP? Is there a name for the EP and a release date?
Bo Saris: The Title of the EP will be “The Addict” It will contain “The Addict”, “Little Bit More” and another track I picked only for the EP!! Some great producers have done some remixes, including a Todd Edwards mix of “The Addict” which will also be on there. The release in the UK is planned for October, it’s definitely getting released in the US as well.
B3SCI: Is there a particular track on the EP that you feel especially proud of as an artist? Is there a story with it worth sharing?
Bo Saris: Well actually there’s a story behind all the tracks for me. So it’s hard to just pick one. But if I had to I would choose “The Addict”.
There’s something about that song that makes me emotional sometimes because of the fact it’s drawn from my real life experiences, which most of the songs are but when you write something about the pain & struggle your friends go through, you share that pain, it’s just something that crawls into your soul & it makes you show a more vulnerable side, which is a good thing I believe.
B3SCI: There’s so many colorful tones and lush arrangements on songs like “She’s on Fire” and “The Addict”. Where does the writing process typically begin for you? Do you have a ‘go-to’ instrument that you first like to write and arrange with?
Bo Saris: I play a little guitar & piano and that’s helped but also being in the studio with a producer creating a track, laying down a groove on the spot works very well for me. I’ve had producers send me tracks and that’s also worked for me. As long as the music triggers me then melodies & lyrics come out quite easy. There are many different ways of writing for me. For example, when I got the music for “The Addict” from my record producer Andrew(Dre) Harris I knew exactly the kind of melody & story I wanted to write. And so did the guy who I wrote the lyrics with bye the way, Jones Wetterberg.
B3SCI: We have to ask, what would you say to the Godfather of soul, James Brown if you’d ever had the chance to meet him?
Bo Saris: I would say: Let’s make it funky Godfather!! Yeahhh I feéééél good!! And of course I would want to give him a big hug & say thank you for what you’ve created & added to music history.
Bo Saris 
(Facebook)
UK melancholy merchant King Krule’s f w/ me if you want or don’t, I’m not bothered either way sound seems the perfect cross-genre match for Australian-based producer Ta-Ku’s f w/ me if you want or don’t, YOU will be bothered either way beats. Krule’s melody, vocals, and tune are all about knifed out inside Ta-Ku’s mix and what replaces it is a syrupy melange of soft-touched bass and delicate programmed hi-hat and snare. Listennnn.
Ta-ku 
(Facebook)
Rating 8.4
The Terry Lewis & Jimmy Jam-produced “That’s The Way Love Goes” is one of the best R&B tracks ever. So why remix it? Enter Final DJs and their 80’s synth-pop inspired heatrock of a mix. FDJs select for big room synth textures and balance them with smooth as silk house beats to create an A+ juxtaposition and an overall very good remix.
Final DJs (Soundcloud)
Rating 8.1
It’s been a big year for Austin singer songwriter Max Frost. Post-SXSW buzz, his track “White Lies” became a blogosphere hit. Since then, this 21 years young musician has signed with Atlantic Records and will be touring this fall with Gary Clark Jr in support of his forthcoming debut EP, Low High Low. B3SCI writer Brian Litwin recently had the chance to catch up with the young pop star in the making to chat about his massive year, song concepts, Geddy Lee, Texas BBQ and more! Have a look at their chat below.
B3SCI: Please introduce yourself to the B3SCI audience.
MF: Hey! I’m a 21 year old singer/multi-instrumentalist/producer born and raised in Austin, Texas.
B3SCI: We are picking up some soul, funk and pop influences? Who specifically would you consider your main influences?
MF: I wouldn’t say I have a ‘main’ influence. I draw from lots of music that I’ve loved over my life that spans from Albert King to Bob Dylan to Led Zeppelin to OutKast.
B3SCI: Are there any influences of yours that may come as a surprise to fans?
MF: I’m a huge Rush fan! Haha…
B3SCI: What can we expect from your debut EP Low High Low out October 8th?
MF: Five songs that represent my musical evolution over the past few years and also give a window on the styles I’m developing for the upcoming album. The theme came from the emotional content of the songs as well as the lo-phi against hi-phi production style.
B3SCI: “White Lies” has gained critical acclaim from reputable online press outlets. It’s an extremely nice mix of radio ready dance and catchy pop music, but there is more to it. What was the catalyst that spawned White Lies?
MF: “White Lies” was created as an experiment like most of my songs. I drew the concept from experiences I’ve had in relationships and stylized the song with the idea of creating an old school song on a modern groove.
B3SCI: You recorded all the instruments on “White Lies”. What was your favorite instrument to play on this track?
MF: Playing the bass was the best part for sure. It’s really the most important part and provides the motion of the groove and keeps the song funky against the electronic vibe.
B3SCI: You go on tour with fellow Austin native, Gary Clark Jr. starting on September 26th at The Wiltern right here in LA. You have a major label deal and you are only 21. Life must be pretty crazy right now, how are you handling all of this?
MF: I’m just trying to stay focused on my work and not lose sight of the passion that got me here in the first place. The momentum is great and I’m trying to enjoy everything in stride, but what’s really important to me is continuing to create music that I really love and am proud of making.
B3SCI: What is one artist, dead or alive, that you would want to hang with?
MF: I would kill to be able to go back and just be in the room while John Lennon wrote a song.
B3SCI: The Hype Machine backing seemed to help you get noticed by the overall music world. Do you have any advice for other up and coming artist on how to get your music out there so the “right” people can hear it?
MF: Be patient. Only put out what you think is your best work. Surround yourself with people who truly love what you create. Respect everyone. Be humble.
B3SCI: Last question – Tex Mex or Texas BBQ?
MF: BBQ all day!
MAX FROST ON TOUR
All dates w/ Gary Clark Jr. except *
9/21 Utopia, TX Utopia Fest*
9/26 Los Angeles, CA The Wiltern Theatre
9/27 San Diego, CA House of Blues
10/2 Oakland, CA Fox Theater
10/5 Austin, TX Austin City Limits Music Festival*
10/10 Salt Lake City, UT The Depot
10/11 Denver, CO Ogden Theater
11/11 Boston, MA Royale
11/12 Washington, DC 9:30 Club
11/16 New York, NY Terminal 5
11/20 Minneapolis, MI First Avenue
11/22 Indianapolis, IN The Vogue Theatre
11/23 Columbia, MO The Blue Note
Max Frost 
(Official)
“Fallin” reminds us of so many things we love about that mainstream late-90s R&B. Dallas Austin, Darkchild, Jermaine Dupri, you know the good stuff. A’LONNA is an L.A. based newcomer with sounds seemingly well beyond her years. Having already caught the attention of producers like Timbaland and INDIAN, take note and sample “Fallin” from A’LONNA below.
A’LONNA – FallinA’LONNA (Twitter)
Rating 8.1
Reviewed By Mike Olinger
Last year English trio London Grammar posted their debut single “Hey Now” on the Internet. There was something immediately gratifying about the warm female vocals, liquid guitar playing and industrial rhythm section and by 2013; the song went on to receive over 800,000 hits on YouTube. The same song was also chosen to kick-off their debut album If Your Wait, released by Columbia Records earlier this month.
The buzz has only snowballed since the inception of London Grammar less then a year ago. It’s tempting to pop a hole in the hype balloon that has been fed by a Mercury Prize nomination and glowing reviews from cream blogs like Pitchfork and Consequence of Sound. Their reverb-heavy pop fits a little too well next to the burgeoning Alternative Mainstream and sometimes comes off as a well-calculated move towards that marketplace.
Sounding something like the love child of The xx and Florence Welch, the London three piece do manage to keep an evocative edge on their sometimes overly plaintive songs. Their single “Strong” is particularly poignant in its admission “excuse me for a while, while I’m wide eyed and so damn caught in the middle.” It’s confessional and the narrative lends itself beautifully to the band’s speedy rise to prominence, while lead singer Hannah Reid demonstrates just how powerful her vocals can get.
There are some subtle hints to golden era of 90’s trip-hop on “Strong” and “Stay Awake”, and key track “Metal & Dust” conjures up the irresistible vocal breaks of Imogen Heap. There is definitely a synergy between the rhythm section and the vocals of Hannah Reid, one that is captured perfectly throughout the eleven tracks on If You Wait by producer Dot Major. The majority of the album feels intentionally contained and streamlined, which is a positive for people who gravitate towards bands that can recreate their recordings live. No bells and whistles are needed to communicate the impressive dynamics of this band.
London Grammar has certainly answered the call for a stylish debut. It is indeed a slow building, sweltering collection of translucent electronica that calls out for a winter evening and a glass of red wine. Their melancholy lyricism and soft soundscapes seem to be the thread that connects to the majority of their listeners. If You Wait is a little bittersweet, a little over dramatic, but also lovely and confessional. For such a new group, it is an album brimming with graceful sophistication and the promise of greater horizons.
London Grammar 
(Facebook)
Rating 8.3
