Check out the latest Dave Okumu (Jessie Ware) collaboration in the form of the infinitely soulful & immensely intimate and affecting new track from London-based singer Kwabs, “Spirit Fade”.
Kwabs 
(Facebook)
Rating 8.5
Check out the latest Dave Okumu (Jessie Ware) collaboration in the form of the infinitely soulful & immensely intimate and affecting new track from London-based singer Kwabs, “Spirit Fade”.
Kwabs (Facebook)
Rating 8.5
F Y F E remains a somewhat mystery, having created quite a buzz in the blogoshphere with his January single, “Solace” followed by a solid month of silence. He is back now with a new track, “St Tropez”. and the song shows the work and time put in. FYFE’s simple vocal and lovely lyrics like “take me home, is this not home dear?” are drenched in twisty drums and with delicate synth and guitar. Though “Solace” did set the bar high, “St Tropez” is not far behind. By Phoebe Anne Severin
FYFE (Facebook)
Rating 8.3
Providence-based Magic Man are really really talented; almost too talented (give these other new bands a break guys!). On “Paris”, the band’s debut track (!), everything’s an A+’ from the melodies (very good), to the hooks (very plentiful), to arrangement (very skilled). If “Paris” is any indication (and it’s an emphatic one) Magic Man could be in store for a really major 2013.
Magic Man – ParisMagic Man 
(Soundcloud)
Rating 8.2
The beautiful, cascading, soulful drum & bass of Rudimental’s new release “Waiting All Night” is further force forward for the UK act as they fully bloom now into megastars. “Waiting All Night” has more gas than ExxonMobil and more juice than Denny’s on a Sunday morning with a groupon, and is one of those really special tracks. We expect no less than it to be blowing up charts all spring and summer.
Rudimental (Official)
Rating 8.3
Desert Noises are a new favorite among the b3 squad. The band’s jangly melodic sound evokes for us open space, possibilities, the upper quartile best of Middle American summer days. If you listen to “I Won’t See You” and close your eyes super tight and think of England (or in our case Ohio) the imagery and cinema of the track become transportative, which is indicative of only the best sort of music. (At least we think so).
Desert Noises 
(Facebook)
Rating 8.2
Aussie exports New Gods impress with the sunny fuzz of their new indie pop track “Razorblades”. Sounding somewhere between what Lindsey Buckingham’s cool band might sound like if he were 23 today and more modern psych-informed indie rock, the band works from a tasteful balance of both old and new (and awesome). Check out “Razorblades” below.
New Gods
(Facebook)
Rating 8.2
Bristol band The Ramona Flowers connect some unique and intriguing musical dots on new track “Lust and Lies”. The far off melodies and harmonic textures of a band like Sigur Ros, excellent right-in-the-thick of the best of 2013 indie writing skills, and sharp/catchy (yet still unpredictable) use of electronic beats and rhythms make Ramona Flowers a band to watch in the year upcoming. If you’re in the UK, TRF will be touring the country (with Bastille) beginning the end of this month in Liverpool as well as releasing a new EP in April of which “Lust and Lies” is the title track.
TOUR
Feb
Thu 28th LIVERPOOL, O2 Academy
Mar
Fri 1st EDINBURGH, Liquid Room
Sat 2nd GLASGOW, Oran Mor
Mon 4th PRESTON, 53 Degrees
Tue 5th MANCHESTER, Academy 2
Thu 7th SOUTHAMPTON, Mo Club
Fri 8th NORWICH, Waterfront
Sat 9th BIRMINGHAM, HMV Institute
Sun 10th LEEDS, Uni Stylus
Tue 19th SHEFFIELD, Leadmill
Thu 21st NOTTINGHAM, Rock City
Fri 22nd OXFORD, O2 Academy
Sat 23rd CARDIFF, University Students Union
Mon 25th BRIGHTON, Concorde 2
Wed 27th BRISTOL, O2 Academy
Fri 29th LONDON, O2 Shepherds Bush Empire
The Ramona Flowers (Tumblr)
Rating 8.3
The soul-influenced UK band Secret Son hit b3 square in its rock and roll sweet spot with “Friends”. The genre “UK guitar music” is in a bit of a hype cycle nadir as of Feb 2013 with great upstart English bands like Secret Son all too uncommon. Secret Son’s “Friends” EP is due March 25th.
Secret Son 
(Facebook)
Rating 8.2
Mello Music Group artists The Black Opera connect with the King of 2010’s Blue-Eyed Soul Mr. Mayer Hawthorne on “Queen of Hearts”. The minor-keyed paean to both love idealized and love unrealized features many head noddin’ moments, not the least of which is the neat juxtaposition of Mayer’s gloomy hook and the instrumental’s harp arpeggios. Ace of Diamonds.
The Black Opera – Queen Of Hearts (feat. Mayer Hawthorne)The Black Opera 
(Facebook)
Rating 8.1
Rapidly-becoming-b3sci-faves Twice As Nice ring out another gem on the duo’s electroheavy slow burner restyling of the Ghost Loft track, “Seconds”. It’s a fitting homage to LA-based Danny Choi, the visionary behind Ghost Loft who himself has remixed for rising acts, The Neighbourhood “Let It Go” & Icky Blossoms “Heat Lightning”. Ghost Loft will release his highly anticipated debut EP later this year and stay tuned for more to come from Twice As Nice.
Ghost Loft 
(Facebook)
Twice As Nice (Facebook)
Rating 8.3
New UK bass artist A/T/O/S perfects a soft subtle R&B-driven mix with the lights-down-low “A Taste of Struggle”. On the track, A/T/O/S selects for a syrupy, slow-motion-in-a-reverse female vocal framed up by cooled out easy breezy (beautiful) percussion tones. The result amounts for us (and for you too) to must listen material. Look for an official release for “A Taste of Struggle” on DEEP MEDi March 25th.
Skanky (Facebook)
Rating 8.2
The Lift (producer Davy Nathan (Christina Aguilera, Toni Braxton) & singer Amber Ojeda) deliver a standout end-of-the-movie-credits-are-rolling ballad with “Make Me Believe”, the third track off their s/t EP. We are into it.
The Lift – Make Me BelieveThe Lift (Facebook)
Rating 8.2
