“#1 in Heaven” is somewhat a monster of a song. It’s near commercial caliber feel gets you moving and will have you singing. To us, it can be as much “We Found Love” as it can be “Love Fool” at moments. On repeat:
MNDR – #1 in HeavenMNDR 
(Facebook)
Rating 8.4
By Bruce Rave
Big Black Delta opened an encore, night two, performance for M83 at Club Nokia in Downtown LA this past Friday. For those unfamiliar with the B3SCI top 50 in 2011 track-makers, BBD is the current project of Mellowdrone’s Jonathan Bates. It was great seeing him back, as I’ve long hoped for a new Mellowdrone project. If Mellowdrone had a certain Beck vibe, then Big Black Delta often reminds me of the darker synth music coming out of England in the late 80’s. Still their music maintains a winning freshness. The band arrived on stage pre-approved by M83 (Big Black Delta appeared on M83’s “Midnight City” remix EP) with Bates singing and working layers of synths and backing tracks accompanied by two female drummers. Bates moved in a herky-jerky way that made total sense and came off as likable in the lower-key environment. Those close to the stage got to see and hear a solid show from the up and coming LA based project. Jason Bates is a strong front man, especially with good songs like “Huggin & Kissin” under his belt.
Big Black Delta – Huggin & Kissin
(Facebook) (Official)
M83’s live show is ready for prime time. Oh wait, they ARE prime time thanks to the massive success of “Midnight City”. Especially having completed two sold-out nights at Club Nokia, only two months after they played at the Henry Fonda Theater in Hollywood. To be fair, it’s more than just the hit song that has brought them to this level. M83 has had a stellar live show all along. I will admit to not being a fan of Club Nokia, as the sound frankly sucks for most artists. The décor of the place seems to be geared more to the downtown velvet rope crowd. Either way, M83 cut through and delivered a show that reached everyone. From “Intro” into “Teen Angst” and then “Kim & Jesse”, it was immediately apparent that M83’s progressive synth-pop has taken on a rock-sized presence that will allow their show to work anywhere.
Leader Anthony Gonzalez freely admits to being uneasy in the role of front man, but M83’s style doesn’t require an outsized character. He actually fits the role quite well even if he has appeared less at ease in the past. I’d contest that the slower songs didn’t work as well as everything else, but really that’s just a minor concern. “Midnight City” was as expected the highlight of the evening. The hit seemed to come all too soon even though it was song number twelve in the set. This band may be known for being fairly low-key, but there were times when standing or sitting still was virtually out of the question. Most were even raving upstairs in the often jaded balcony, not only for the hit, but for the hot second encore “Couleurs”. The Frenchman Gonzalez has lived in LA for the past two years, so this week was very much a home town win for him. He and the band seemed genuinely blown away by the size of the crowd as well as the response. They will hit Coachella in April, and I fully expect their show to be a festival highlight.
M83 – Midnight City
(Official) (Facebook)
Big Black Delta at Club Nokia
M83 at Club Nokia
Check out Bruce’s “Go Deep” show on Fridays 1-3 pm Pacific, 4-6 pm Eastern, 9-11pm GMT. Also listen to past shows at Bruce’s blog and follow Bruce on Twitter.
Contributed by Elliott Porter
Always entertaining the kind of golden nuggets that can be discovered on Soundcloud, this one comes from Davis, and then there’s another Davis too! Vintage chord progressions lead to a drop more righteous than Billy Crystal. The song goes from happy meal to Big Mac when the double time snare kicks in. The Eagle has landed! Houston we have a problem! Blastoff. If only Neal himself could hear this, he’d be proud.
Davis & Davis – Neil ArmstrongDavis & Davis 
(Soundcloud)
Rating 8
By Erin Routson
Some music is undeniably written by women. Contend that if you will. Seeing Lightyear (aka Lauren Zettler) open for Mitten and Allison Weiss at Brooklyn’s Glasslands merely hit the idea home. Sometimes there are places that only women can go.
Taking the stage with her band, she launched into a set that ranged from the gentleness of lullabies and near-whisper sung lyrics to the punk vibes of yelping “Oh my god!” and being unable to contain her energy. Her songs are culled from the subject matter that any woman as a diarist would recognize. Love, loss and finding one’s own way all work their way into her lyrics.
It sounds like a complaint, but it isn’t. If all of these ideas are swirling around in our brains, why shouldn’t women sing them? Why shouldn’t all of that creative force be channeled into music? Isn’t the point so that I relate?
While Lightyear’s debut EP All of the Miles is sometimes soaring, sometimes intimate, but always polished, her live show presents a more raw take on the same kind of expansive and constricting sound. This might’ve been partial credit to her under-the-weather slightly croaky voice, but the songs took shape live. “Lose Yourself” and the opener “When You’re Alone” capitalized on the full band rougher sound. They were more human and more powerful. Even the songs that were just her alone onstage with a guitar were bigger than what that idea connotes.
As she closed with “It Beats” Zettler seemed to almost want to climb out of her own body, seeking the “sea change” she sings about. Maybe only a woman could write those lyrics, but it’s also true that maybe only a woman could deliver them and do them justice.
The rest of the show carried through this theme of our innermost thoughts being broadcast backed with guitars, keyboards, or both. Mitten, weaving their way through dance tracks and dreamy vocals, got the crowd moving. By the time Allison Weiss took the stage (with Mitten as her supporting band), she could’ve read her diary out loud and it would’ve been enough. Her earnest and borderline comical delivery made her set charming as she took us back to summer camp, to awkward nights out beyond curfew, to feeling so many feelings.
It was a night to embrace all of those feelings and remember: it isn’t a shame to turn them into a song at all. It’s a gift.
Lightyear (Facebook)
Mitten (Facebook)
Allison Weiss (Facebook)
This A-level remix for “Sail Away” from electronic heavyweight champs Cut Copy joins remixes of the track from Aeroplane and Cosmic Kids on a new DFA release. Cut Copy takes an already “pretty good” song, one of their better tunes on In the Grace of Your Love, levels up all its the head ringin’ components and blasts it into some kind of heater stratosphere. That’s something you’re gonna want to be apart of. Hit that play button.
The Rapture – Sail Away (Cut Copy Remix)Cut Copy 
(Facebook)
Rating 8.3
Ellie Goulding remixes probably take up approx. 22% of all server space on hulkshare. They’re evvvvvvvvvverrrrryyyyywhere and played out as hell. Right. But you’ve probably never heard that Starry Eyed vocal track flipped quite like this. Monsieur Adi totally takes it there. Suiting up Ellie with Marvin’s “Sexual Healing” and Madge’s “Lucky Star” for a 80’s-smooth/cruisin-in-my-yacht take on the track. Put a sweater on.
Monsieur Adi – Starry Eyed x Lucky Star x Sexual Healing (Ellie Goulding x Madonna x Marvin Gaye)Monsieur Adi (Facebook)
Rating 8.1
And then it happened… one of our favorite electronic musicians went and remixed maybe our favorite new artist right now, period. It’s Shlohmo doing a beautiful future-garage version of Lianne La Havas’ “Forget”. Do not miss it.
Lianne La Havas – Forget (Shlohmo Remix)Shlohmo (Facebook)
Rating 8.6
Sam Sure & Giacomo are new electronic duo out of London that do beats-heavy atmospheric pop. We can dig that and we can dig the pair’s new track for “Dark Inside”. Not unlike the tune’s title, “Dark Inside” is dark & brooding at it’s core, but with enough punch in drums and lift in the vocal track not to totally bum you out.
Sam Sure & Giacomo – Dark InsideSam Sure & Giacomo 
(Facebook)
Rating 8.0
Grimes cooks up this slowcouched “goth 80’s” version of Pictureplane’s “Real is a Feeling” for a new remix collection for Pp’s Thee Physical LP. Grimes y’all.
Pictureplane – Real Is A Feeling (Grimes Remix)Pictureplane (Facebook)
Grimes 
(Myspace)
Rating 8.1
Rising UK electronic artist Wilkinson turns in this other-side-of-the-universe version of Jess Mills’ latest “Pixelated People”.
Jess Mills – Pixelated People (Wilkinson Remix)Wilkinson (Facebook)
Rating 7.8
By Chris Gedos
Charlie Yin, aka Giraffage, drops a stunna’ called “With You”. The mother nature sample may be an homage to Dan Snaith’s discography, or, equally as appetizing, the Donkey Kong Country Soundtrack. The SF based Giraffage is firing on all cylinders right now. Get it while it’s hot.
Giraffage – With YouGiraffage (Official) (Facebook)
Rating 8.4
