“Salt” is excerpted from SoCal band Bad Suns’ forthcoming “Transpose” EP. A neatly compact bit of rhythm-driven indie pop, “Salt” succeeds especially on its very hooky bridges and choruses (try not getting “I raaannn til’ I couldn’t, and I scceeeamed til my voice was gone” stuck in your head) and its very clever and effective use of harmony in at all the right turns in the track. “Transpose” is out Jan. 21st on Vagrant.
Bad Suns 
(Facebook)
Rating 8.1
The mega-talented Torontonian vocalist Rochelle Jordan releases her first new material in nearly a year w/ the vibed-down ambient R&B of “Follow Me”. Ms. Jordan casts here a more confident, melodically more sophisticated line on “Follow Me”. Her Pressure project, and particularly “Shotgun”, were great but the growth indicated on “Follow Me” suggests Rochelle is primed to breakout.
Rochelle Jordan
: (Facebook)
Rating: 8.7
“Candy” is the new one from Canadian band Wake Owl. An engaging mix of classic soul-leaning indie pop & the melodically sensibility of big acts like Portugal. The Man and Cage The Elephant, “Candy” is the caliber of track that can catapult bands. The Private World of Paradise is due on Vagrant, March 4th.
Wake Owl: (Facebook)
Rating: 8.7
For “Adrift”, the first single from electronic artist Max Cooper’s debut Human LP, the UK-based producer crafts a cinematic, heavy drama, near perfect piano and complex rhythm-driven instrumental (we can’t stress how strong that component of the track is on its own). On vocals is Belleruche’s Kathrin deBoer who’s astral, otherworldly vocal hits the twists, turns, and starts of Cooper’s instrumental at all the right points; resulting in a track is not only light years ahead of its genre and peers but world’s away too (as in not of this world but of one with superior electronic music).
Max Cooper 
(Facebook)
Rating 8.0234
Megaton-voiced Ella Eyre’s Two-Inch Punch produced “Deeper” is out in four days (Dec. 15th) and today the English singer drops another gem in the form of the UK bass/R&B-hybrid (think of her collaborations with Rudimental) of “Love Me Like You”.
Ella Eyre (soundcloud)
Rating 8.0
“The Opposite Game” is new from UK R&B artist Tara Carosielli. Of a similar DNA to sweet-voiced/deeper-than-deep songstresses of the moment like Jhene Aiko and Tinashe, Tara’s great float on top the mix vocal juxtaposed against a slowed/throwed sample & the instrumental’s deceptively dark pulse “The Opposite Game”‘s sound demands the same attention as the aforementioned Jhene, Tinashe, SZA & a run of others. Don’t miss.
Tara Carosielli (Facebook)
Rating 8.0
Pairing two of the hottest acts of 2013 is always smart, especially when its Canadian Kaytranada remixing London duo Disclosure’s “January”. To put it into a formula Disclosure + Kaytranada = Internet Explosion. Taking the original laid-back, deep house track, Kaytranada offers a soulful spin that’s both funky and slick. This and other remixes will be on the Settle Remixes album out December 17th. Reviewed by Brian Litwin
KAYTRANADA: (Facebook)
Rating: 8.7
Brighton’s TOY is a band that we on the B3SCI team have followed closely in 2013. TOY’s SXSW shows were a powerfully played success and their self-titled debut EP was definitely a good listen. Songs from their Join the Dots album, coming in January, seem different in structure and less uptempo, but the band’s significant growth will be on display, especially if “Endlessly” serves indication. It took me a couple of listens but I’m hooked. “Endlessly” has a memorable chorus and a real psychedelic feel to it. Singer Tom Dougall, formerly of the Joe Lean & the Jing Jang Jong band, has a voice that reminds me of The Church’s Steve Kilby. His vocals work beautifully on this track. The synths nicely augment the dirty guitars, and an unobtrusive instrumental break suddenly explodes into a blast that this band will nail live. After dealing with visa issues that prohibited additional touring in 2013, the band will be play a strong set of January shows in American major markets. See ’em if you can! Reviewed By Bruce Review
TOY – EndlesslyTOY 
(Official)
Hear Bruce’s “Go Deep With Bruce Rave” weekly new music show on Indie1031/Los Angeles and WSUM-FM/Madison. Details and archived shows can be found on his blog and be sure follow Bruce on Twitter too!
Brother and sister duo, Merriment, create a wholesome sound in “Backwards” that is unassuming, yet familiar. Christie Dupree admirably shapes haunting melodies without straying into something trite, while Collin Dupree compliments the nostalgic air with indie/folk guitar elements. Though they are often compared to their sibling band Eisley, it is clear that Merriment is moving forward on a road entirely their own. Reviewed By Gabrielle Sukich
Merriment 
(Facebook)
Rating 8.5
Arthur Beatrice’s debut LP Working Out comes out on March 4th. To mark today’s announcement of the release date, the band dropped today new single “Midlands”. The track’s heart-jarring but very singable (great) chorus is neat contrast to the other more spread out, more difficult to get at (but no less rewarding), parts of the song. “Grand Union” was Arthur Beatrice’s breakout moment and “Midlands” is definitely of a quality to keep them there.
Arthur Beatrice (Facebook)
Rating 8.4
“Pretty Thoughts” (w/ “Drift”) is the double-A single from the duo of Cleveland-based singer Alina Baraz and Danish producer Galiamatias. Wow, just wow. Baraz’s vocal is warm, hushed, not hurried; the perfect pace for Galiamatias’ (and we don’t use a term like this lightly) breathtaking atmospheric production. Look for “Pretty Thoughts” out now on Loodma Records.
Alina Baraz & Galimatias 
(Soundcloud)
Rating 8.3
Phantogram announce today forthcoming album Voices, due February 18th on Universal Republic. Equal parts gritty electro rhythms, soulful/dynamic hip-hop production, and singer Sarah Barthel’s slinky syncopated alto, new single “Fall in Love” is (like your surprised) completely off the chain. We are in love.
Phantogram 
(Facebook)
Rating 8.5
