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Track Reviews

Rave’s Fave: David Bowie – The Stars (Are Out Tonight) [Video]

david bowie

Here is the first official single from Bowie’s return album, The Next Day due March 12th. The single follows up the slow-moving track “Where Are We Now”, which some loved and and some didn’t. “The Stars (Are Out Tonight)” sounds more like what you’d expect from a mid-tempo Bowie song, and the title is of course appropriate for a single that dropped on the night following the Oscars. By Bruce Rave

David Bowie england (Facebook)

* 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
02-26-13

MMOTHS – Diaries [EP]

MMOTHS EP

Have you ever woken from a dream, questioning whether what you’d seen had really happened? A disconnect from what is real, and what is imagined? Enter Diaries, the newest work of fast rising Irish producer MMOTHS, who at only 19, is adept at rendering reality from the lack there of.

Diaries’ lead track, appropriately titled “One”, lulls and pulls you into a hypnotic state, with a gentle progression from simple cymbal to something much more emotionally dense. “One” feels like when the dusk meets the dark, a proposal of possibility without certainty. Another stand out song on the EP is, “For Her” featuring Young & Sick. The track showcases a level of depth from the collaboraters with its colorful pallet of glittery clicks and sounds, abounding only the best types of memories. With verse lyrics like “Earth is an ocean, a feather in flames”, the track builds an image of elemental perfection, as well as destruction. The music speaks of an all-consuming beauty summed up with the lyric, “There’s nothing like us, nor like you.”

Jumping from lust to sadness, tracks like “For Her” and “Losing You” bleed into “No One”. Calling up a wide range of emotions which deals with the gain, loss, and the odd places in between those you’ve cared about. The single release from Diaries, “All These Things” features Holly Miranda and surfaces late in the EP and offers a welcoming uplifting vibe, further highlighting Diaries clearly well devised range of moods. Miranda’s vocals sing, “you’ve been on my mind, now let me get in yours” with urgency, yet never hitting desperation showcasing a beautiful restraint.

“Too Real” winds the EP down with a glassy look at yearning, happiness, and notably sadness. MMOTHS makes emotions that are so very hard to identify, glaring with this track and the entirety of Diaries. By Phoebe Anne Severin

MMOTHS ireland (Facebook)

Rating 8

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reviewed by
02-26-13

Lewis Watson – Hold On (SBTRKT Cover)

Lewis Watson elias kdrphnc

Oxford, UK artist Lewis Watson dials up a sweet & immediate rendition of SBTRKT’s “Hold On”; styling the song’s smooth soul-driven melodies into something a bit rougher & a bit more vigorous while still retaining it’s heartfulness. The “Hold On” cover is excerpted from Watson’s upcoming “The Wild” EP, which will see release a month from today on March 26.

Lewis Watson – Hold On (SBTRKT Cover)

Lewis Watson england (Facebook)

Rating 8.1

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reviewed by
02-26-13

Stratus – Alarm

stratus

With a tagline like “Are you ready for the Bassline Sound?” would you expect anything less than an absolute monster of a first major release from 22 year bass wizard Stratus? “Alarm” is oozing with bass, hair raising builds and a drop that is seriously huge. The Ultra Records artist, Patrick Stratton, aka Stratus, seems on the right track to be playing more major festivals and more headlining shows in the future, and especially after sharing the stage with the likes of Zeds Dead, Flux Pavilion, Wolfgang Gartner, Krewella, Big Gigantic, Skream & Benga, Feed Me, Adventure Club, Porter Robinson, Kill The Noise, Borgore and others. By Brian Litwin

Stratus (Facebook)

Rating 8.1

reviewed by
02-26-13

Tanya Morgan – For Real

tanyamorgan

Tanya Morgan go and release some new heat. Would you expect B3 wouldn’t be there? NO WAY. Cinci/BK rap crew Tanya Morgan take a decidedly “slow jams”/late 90’s nu soul turn with “For Real”. TM, B3, and Anthony Hamilton, and Michelle Obama, we usually rock around 92 BPM.

Tanya Morgan (Facebook)

Rating 8.3

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reviewed by
02-25-13

J-Louis – All About the Panties (That Mara Hruby Flow)

marahruby2

Producer J-Louis goes 100% on b3 favorite Mara Hruby’s great Mos Def cover, selecting for a hypnotic after hours groove furnishing the track with a generous amount of cache and soul.

J-Louis (Soundcloud)

Rating 8.4

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reviewed by
02-25-13

Heathers – Teenage Clothes

heatherswinona

Join the b3 team in falling in love with L.A. band Heathers’ beautifully simple and beautifully visceral (really, this song will go straight at your guts) indie rock debut “Teenage Clothes”.

Heathers (Facebook)

Rating 8.3

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reviewed by
02-25-13

Charles Murdoch – Sleeper

charlesmurdoch

The more played out the “Future Garage” sounds gets, the more it becomes “Old” Future Garage, the more difficult it is definitely to impress, stand out, make an impression with a sound that is on the definite business end of its trendiness. Charles Murdoch’s “Sleeper” is that standout and so much more. The type and timber of the beats, the pitched down vocals, the languid instrumentals, they feel real. They feel like the product of an artist who needs to make this music, regardless of it’s fashion. That, and it helps, too, that Mr. Murdoch is also extraordinarily skilled. A++

Charles Murdoch australia (Facebook)

Rating 8.5

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reviewed by
02-25-13

Blondfire – Where the Kids Are (Funk LeBlanc Remix)

blondfire

The all nu-disco all the time cruise liner just landed at B3 station with an ace (and funky!) little mix for our friends Blondfire via SF remixer Funk LeBlanc. Spin it below and don’t be too shy to buy us a pina colada.

Funk LeBlanc (Soundcloud)

Rating 8.3

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reviewed by
02-25-13

Bondax – Gold (Moon Boots Remix)

moon boots

The mystery around French Express DJ Moon Boots continues to grow as his popularity continues to rise. Not much is known about the DJ and on his facebook page it says, “Moon Boots entered the world in the mid-1980s via Cape Canaveral,” though in a recent interview with Set One Twenty he mentions he is from Chicago. All that mystery and popularity lead us to this patented nu disco spin that he has given to the 2013 release of “Gold” by Bondax. Already a hit with the online community, Moon Boots turns the head bobbing, bass heavy original into a booty shaking, synth heavy masterpiece. By Brian Litwin

Moon Boots (Facebook)

Rating 8.3

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reviewed by
02-23-13

Rave’s Fave: Johnny Marr – New Town Velocity

johnny marr

Johnny Marr’s The Messenger album is out Tuesday and it’s an early 2013 highlight for me. The signature stamp of his guitar style is unmistakable just as you’d expect, and it dominates throughout just as you’d want it to. Marr’s vocal style often reminds of Morrissey, leading me to ponder how their many years together might have made an impact. Much of the album is upbeat, but there is a more melancholy track that will please many Smiths fans. That is “New Town Velocity”. It is easy going with a beautiful flow. Marr will embark on an 18-date North American tour in April that will include Coachella, with shows in Las Vegas and Santa Barbara with New Order. By Bruce Rave

Johnny Marr – New Town Velocity

Johnny Marr england (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!Johnny Marr –

reviewed by
02-23-13

Throwback Saturdays: E Ness – Rest ya Neck

E Ness

You may remember Elliot Ness from MTV’s Making The Band. He was the Philly battle rapper always getting into fights. What you probably don’t know is that he has some really good music. “Rest ya neck” is 55 bars of punch line after punch line. He reminds me of a flashier Sean Price. They both put forth complex rapping but E. Ness expresses style and the new school, while Sean typically rambles over steadily less effective, golden-era instrumentals. Notice the multisyllabic/compound rhymes Ness spits effortlessly on top of the engaging, bouncy bass and spellbinding, spooky whistle. The track is from 2008 and still resonates. It sucks Diddy didn’t hone his skills for mainstream success. By Teddy Pendergrass

E Ness – Rest ya Neck

E Ness (Facebook)

Rating 8.0

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reviewed by
02-23-13