DJ Khaled dropped three not one, not two (crazy Khaled), but THREE new tracks from his upcoming Kiss The Ring LP on Funkmaster Flex’s show tonight. The J. Cole-produced Kendrick and K.R.I.T.-featuring “They Ready” is the easy standout of the trio. Get a sample below. p.s. Khaled you misspelled K.Dot’s first name on the single artwork. K-E-N-D-R-I-C-K.
DJ Khaled – They Ready (Feat. J. Cole, Big K.R.I.T., Kendrick Lamar)DJ Khaled 
(Facebook)
Rating 8.4
Grammy-nominated songwriter (John Legend’s “Save Room” “PDA” & “Heaven”, Fantasia, Ledisi) Jessy Wilson fires an emphatic sortee of her own with new single “Heartbreaker”. The classic soul-driven driven song gets the requisite updating in the rhythm track and arrangement to make it palatable to R&B radio but the melodies, hook & feel are all deep in the pocket of the best minor-keyed lovelorn soul.
Jessy Wilson – HeartbreakerJessy Wilson 
(Facebook)
Rating 8.3
The Raider Klan general dropped off a little something new today in the form of the spooky a.f. “Black Swamp”. The b3sci crew have been doing the “Creepy Walk” (which looks something like praying mantis hands combined with the way Dick Dastardly sort of hobbles about like he’s got a serious lower back problem) all day to this joint.
SPACEGHOSTPURRP – Black SwampSPACEGHOSTPURRP 
(Facebook)
Rating 8.1
The French Express winning streak continues with the soulful sounds of “If U Got It” of New York artist Chris Malinchak. “If U Got It” comes nicely equipped with all the right upgrades and accouchements to ride out deep into the late summer.
Chris Malinchak (Facebook)
Rating 8.0
Daughter were one of our favorites at SXSW. The London-based trio’s performance inside St. David’s church in Austin was truly stunning. The cinematic “Smother”, the band’s latest, is right there with Daughter’s best. Do not miss it.
Rating 8.5
Liam Bailey, whom you may know from his collaborations with Chase & Status or Delilah or from reading B3SCI (Bailey is our man), puts on offer new single “Please Love Me”. The cooled-out almost doo-wop-y (the harmonies on the track are really nice) song has a neat half-time feel and some perfectly-replicated great classic soul warm guitar tones. If that sounds like something that might pique your interest, (if it’s not then maybe we should reconsider being friends) you’ll want to hit that play button right now.
Liam Bailey 
(Facebook)
Rating 8.5
Canadian producer Stealth Mode dials up the feel good nu-disco vibes (and a really cool soul sample!) for his latest track “Everybody”. Try not and do what the song says.
Stealth Mode – EverybodyStealth Mode 
(Facebook)
Rating 8.2
New York songstress Alison Valentine comes up aces on new track “Peanut Butter”. The song earns it’s bread on a set of big time melodies (the sort of melodies and hooks that start the rise of a blogoverse star) that make the track must listen material.
Alison Valentine – Peanut ButterAlison Valentine (Facebook)
Rating 8.4
Lupe’s latest from Food & Liquor II (which drops 25th September) sees the Chicago MC jump on a hypnotic-sounding jawn c/o rising producer Mr. Inkredible.
Lupe Fiasco 
(Facebook)
Rating 8.1
Stevie’s a legend and any opportunity to see one of the greatest singers/songwriters/people ever should be savored.
Bloc Party brought their OK live show to an absolutely packed Twin Peaks stage. The Brits, although not world beaters on their instruments, created enough onstage energy to have the house locked in and engaged.
Uncle Jack did his best Johnny Depp impersonation for 70 minutes accompanied by a fiddler, double bassist, and a bathtub stomper (We made the bathtub part up). White’s closer “Seven Nation Army” turned a 50/50 psyched/apathetic crowd into a sea of Euro Cup 2012-esque revelers.
Santi White’s 50 minute Twin Peaks set featured big beats, womps, some neat live instrumentation and lots of crowd participation (incl. bringing up approx. 30-40 kids for 2012 single “Disparate Youth”)
Dallas Green’s City & Colour kept the vibes cool and the performance simple, running through a great set of acoustic-driven paeans to love, loss & life.
“From Nowhere” is the first official release by new Liverpool based artist Dan Croll, a name we’ll no question be hearing a lot more from in the near future. Having already supported the likes of Michael Kiwanuka, James Vincent McMorrow, Map & Atlases and Benjamin Francis Leftwich, Dan has gained noteworthy attention with the release of just a few stellar demo tracks. Dan describes his lively blend of timely indie pop, “Whatever is on around me makes it into my head. I always like to say it’s a balance between acoustic, folk and digital. I’m between two points. I don’t know what you’d call that, a genre that hasn’t got a name”.
One thing for sure, “From Nowhere” is hard to resist. Dan is currently at work recording his debut full length expected sometime in 2013.
Dan Croll (Facebook)
Rating 8.3
YEAHHH. The Hetfield “YEAHH” and “HUGGHH” count was high as cartoon band Metallica closed the main stage on Saturday with a two hour set of the band’s classic material.
The swells of fog and mist provided a dreamlike backdrop for Icelandic vets Sigur Ros’s stunning set.
The Kills’ Allison Mosshart gets an A+ for effort (and flailing) for trying to get the semi-disinterested crew of front-of-the-main-stage-assembeled Metallica fans engaged in their set.
Big Boi made good on a MacArthurian promise to return after “technical difficulties” killed off his set last year. The Atlanta MC blew through a commensurable mix of Outkast staples and newer solo material.
Michael Kiwanuka is a star. The soul songwriter filed away another top level performance at the Panhandle Stage.
The scene around Alabama Shakes 4 PM set was one of absolute and total chaos. Drawing a crowd that could compete with many of the headlining acts, Brittany and her lot sounded great even from great distances.
P. The Man brought the Bowie, the big guitars, and vastly improved performance chops to their hour long main stage set.
