One of our favorite new voices Charlotte Day Wilson is back today with her second stream online, the cooly soulful midtempo track “Work”. CDW impressed us in a major way back in January on debut “After All” and we’re just as knocked out on “Work”. On repeat all day/all night.
Liverpool kids The Night Cafe follow up “Together” from last month with equally strong “Time”. Built on an airtight pop construction (think Bombay Bicylce Club or Fickle Friends) “Time” as a song and The Night Cafe as a band are concocted of the DNA/fabric/stuff that big chart breakouts are made of. Look out.
Noname f/k/a Noname Gypsy is outfitted with a nice Goapele sample and snippets of a Nina Simone interview (both cool with us) on new “Freedom Interlude”. On the track, Noname flows neatly into the cool pedigree instrumental skittering lyrically through varying stages of emotional volatility about low touch drums and handclaps straight in rhythm with the viscera. Very good.
Montreal artist Patrick Holland releases today (4/8) as Project Pablo a new EP on Lone’s Magicwire label. New track “Evening Call” is a soulful uncluttered electric-piano driven track steeped in warm electronics and a calmed overall feel. Spin “Evening Call” below and look for Project Pablo’s “Priorities” EP out today.
Steady Holiday aka L.A. artist Dre Babinski employs a French pop/post-Portishead frame to new track “Open Water”. Carried by Ms. Babinski’s quieting/effective vocal/melodic choices “Open Water” radiates an excellent sense of setting atmosphere. Think a 1960’s Paris metro photographed in black and white or a foggy pier-side late night in 90’s Bristol.
The UK twosome enter another soulful bit of modern pop to their already great oeuvre of tracks on new one “Shouldn’t Have Done That”. On the song, a focused central (and hypnotic) vocal hook (Shouldn’t of…) twists “Shouldn’t Have Done That” into a kind of melodic accessibility that should break open new listening territory for the quickly rising band. Spin “Shouldn’t Have Done That” below.
The Single Lock Records artist released his third LP in January. The title track “Cautionary Tale” melds 70’s pop fidelity and sonorousness with canyon-side/Western landscape atmospheres and A+ melodic writing. “Cautionary Tale” is one of our favorite songs of the year; do not sleep.
The Australian producer reworks the Life of Pablo track “Father Stretch My Hands Pt. 1” into a Chi house-inspired late night groover we adore.
Chicago man Mick Jenkins turns to Kaytra & THEMpeople for a minimal production frame in which to spit an array of stylistically varied flows. The skittering creeper beat’s changing character gives MJ the appropriate chassis to cast a cool range of personas throughout the track. There’s a neat bit of narrative/symbiosis going on “The Artful Dodger” between the guise of each set of rhymes and its accompanying instrumental. Right. We like it.
The mellifluous Floridians return for pensive new sparkler, “Ivy”. Excerpted from the Orlando duo’s forthcoming debut LP (following “Big Sis” and “Jamz”), “Ivy” wins on its melodically cool sonically warm guitar work and its inventive (and pleasantly unexpected) turns of tune. We dig. Look for the new SALES LP on April 20th.
UK newcomers EAT FAST f/k/a EAT blend candy-sweet melodic sense with rapid fire guitars and laser beam-propelled tempos in crafting very listenable punishing pop tunes that sound not quite like anything else out right now. If you’re headed Great Escape-ward in May, EAT FAST play the Fishbowl on the 20th.
South London songwriter Matt Maltese links up with another fave of the site (and South Londoner too) Alex Burey (who helms up production on the track) for plaintive new one “Studio 6”. Built around a soft subtle piano tune & Maltese’s lilting vocal, “Studio 6” is a romantic track neatly tailored for a slow dance with your girl/boy/mate/yourself/friends, etc. A+
