Welcome Danish singer Kwamie Liv to B3. “Perfect Grace” from Ms. Liv’s forthcoming sophomore EP rides a minimal acoustic guitar-driven instrumental and cool polyrhythms to ~3:35 of pinpoint perfect indie R&B. We love it.
Kwamie Liv (Soundcloud)
Welcome Danish singer Kwamie Liv to B3. “Perfect Grace” from Ms. Liv’s forthcoming sophomore EP rides a minimal acoustic guitar-driven instrumental and cool polyrhythms to ~3:35 of pinpoint perfect indie R&B. We love it.
In 2014 we fell for the minimalist melancholy pop of 25-year-old Oakland native Jackson Phillips (also known as Day Wave) and it has been a pleasure to feature several of his tracks here on the blog. We like the latest muted understatement from Day Wave called “Gone” and hope you do as well. Get set to enjoy its simple lazy-day ambient vibrations and brilliant repetitive emotive-lamenting vocals (which we think are two of Day Wave’s finest signature qualities). Reviewed by Erin Shay.
San Francisco/LA-production artist Mikos Da Gawd captures the immeasurable fun-filled spirit of old-style Bay Area hip-hop and elevates it to something new entirely on his outstanding new modern deep house re-vibe of classic Too Short track “Blow The Whistle” (off MDG’s “Caffeine Vol. 2” EP). Reviewed by Erin Shay.
Information-scarce newcomer BISHOP takes an emphatic step forward on the minimal dark pop of “River”. Built around a spare electric guitar figure and a slowed half-time rhythm, “River” reaches a forceful bit of emotional/songcraft catharsis with its hip-hop-influenced big choruses. Definitely one to watch for.
New beauty “Don’t” is the voluptuously appointed vocals-led melodic-piano-soused third track from favorite producer Sango off his new “Mais Mais Mais” EP. A joint production with Louisville (KY) artist Bryson Tiller, “Don’t” (the Salguiero edit) showcases a montage of lulling percussion accents, debonair-style r&b vocal atmospherics, and muted melodic piano chords. The track (which also features the talents of NYC pianist/producer Chris McClenny) has us wanting to hear the other two tracks from Sango’s EP (“Infinidade” and “F.L.O.R”). Reviewed by Erin Shay.
“Red Water”, the new track from L.A. band Dream Vacation, is excerpted here from the band’s new self-titled EP. Produced by John Rausch (engineer for Florence + The Machine, Foxes, and Taylor Swift), “Red Water” picks up palette-wise on a mix of Disintegration-era Cure mood and Unforgettable Fire U2 melodicism. A potent blend of anthemic ideas and the instrumental scale to support such ambitions, “Red Water” is a strong listen we recommend. Stream the B3 Premiere of “Red Water” from L.A.’s Dream Vacation below.
Tune into the new mind expansive, cosmos reverberating, percussion saturated melodic-dance epic “Mothers” (over 8 minutes long) from B3 fave UK producer Four Tet (covered here multiple times) and Aussie producer Designer. D & FT take the listener on a jaunt a midst some bewitching late night Euro house atmospheres, build it up into something slightly chaotic and gracefully tone down the song gradually to a whisper-y essence that tapers out beautifully at the end. Terrific tune. Reviewed by Erin Shay.
Prepare to be impressed by the moshed-up mangle of cacophonies and mind bending reverb-y sonics on wild knockout thrasher track ”Hey Illuminati”; the latest awesomely hazy edgy rock gem from B3-fave label Burger Records. From LA artist No Parents, the new track (filled to the brim with intensity) is a wall of voraciously unrelenting reverb-drenched guitar noise mixed with potent vocals. Incredible. Reviewed by Erin Shay.
The run-up to Tinashe’s Joyride continues on with sultry new track “Energy”. An expert late-night R&B instrumental c/o of producer Mike Will Made It provides a cool frame for Tinashe’s easy vocal glide (+ a verse from Juicy J!). She exercise, she eat yogurt.
B3 fave and exquisitely-talented artist Tom Misch turns in another amazing radiant-guitar-touched stunning-instrumentals-led masterpiece “Never Moved” which has (as per Misch’s breathtaking usual) a divine balance of catchy melodics and tranquil sun-kissed vocal vibes. Amazing! Reviewed by Erin Shay.
Swedish quintet Francis will release their international debut LP Marathon on February 5th on Strangers Candy. Recorded and co-produced with Deerhunter producer Nicolas Vernhes, the LP’s latest stream is the stunning unfolding pop of “Turning a Hand”. “Turning” in its most sublime moments rotates about a kaleidoscope whirl of re-verb guitars and and sweeping percussion. Listen.
B3 recently covered New York-based Parisian Kayloo for his subtle yet robust trap-accented French-touch-permeated late night dance spin on the Internet’s poetic-sexy vocals-led Ego Death album gem “Get Away”. We also recommend Kayloo’s new groovy chill-vibe lounge-y instrumental beat track “Porte Dorée” (French for Golden Gate). Kayloo’s third track to hit the pages of B3, “Porte Dorée”, is a warmly enveloping rhythmic-melodic electro soundscape that vaguely (not sure the circumstances) pays homage to another B3 fave artist TEK.LUN. (We would love to know the story behind this very good tune.) Kayloo (now rep’d by Singapore label Darker Than Wax) exhibits a good deal of artistic promise on the track and we look forward to hearing more songs from him real soon. Reviewed by Erin Shay.
