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GEMS – Medusa

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D.C.’s GEMS (& ATG/B3/TMD’s CMJ (enough acronyms?) Hit Parade act) let loose the dramatic & soulful boy-girl synth pop of their upcoming EP’s title track “Medusa”. Forty fathoms deep in reverb and Lean-esque in its cinematic quality, “Medusa” for its instrumental ornamentation is really quite visceral melodically (hit us straight in the gut) and we really really like that. Hit Parade.

GEMS (Official)

Rating 8.4

brown8

reviewed by
10-08-13

Tennis – Mean Streets

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Tennis, the Denver-based duo signed to Communion Records, catches a bit of that Holy Ghost w/ the 60’s soul-informed new track “Mean Streets”. Playing out from the record at a pace and quality that’s suggestive it could just be the very only track in the world (the song takes it time), “Mean Streets” leisurely meandering pocket ebbs about Tennis singer Alana Moore’s equally nonplussed but melodically right on vocal. Tennis’ “Small Sound” EP is due November 5.

Tour Dates

11/3 Brooklyn, NY @ School Night Brooklyn Bowl
11/5 New York, NY @ Rockwood Music Hall+
11/6 Washington, DC @ Black Cat+
11/7 Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts+
11/9 Montreal, QC @ II Motore*
11/10 Toronto, ON @ The Garrison^
11/12 Bloomington, IN @ Bluebird Nightclub+
11/13 Louisville, KY @ Zanzabar +
11/14 Nashville, TN @ Mercy Lounge+
11/16 Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall^
11/17 St. Louis, MO @ Off Broadway^
11/19 Minneapolis, MN @ Varsity Theater+
11/20 Madison, WI @ The Frequency+
11/21 Maquoketa, IA @ Daytrotter+

+ Communion Presents w/ ON AN ON, Night Sweats, Savoir Adore & more
* Support from ON AN ON

Tennis colorado (Facebook)

Rating 8.3

brown8

reviewed by
10-07-13

COIN – Time Machine

COIN TIME-MACHINE ARTWORK

“Time Machine” is new from Nashville party rockers COIN. Long on super strong hooks, easy accessibility and that indie 1-2 that is irresistible to keep still to, “Time Machine” is the latest pop crusher from the Tennessee-based trio. Also, COIN are playing the fabulous CMJ HIT PARADE showcase showcase we’re throwing w/ All Things Go on October 16th. All of which can be yours for the low low price of a few clicks of the mouse, a bit of geographic availability (NYC) and a “clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose” attitude starting below.

COIN (Official)

Performing @ The CMJ Hit Parade @ Brooklyn Bowl (Official Event Info) (Purchase Tickets)

Rating 8.0

brown8

reviewed by
10-07-13

Fe – Mother Russia

Fe

Besides the obvious, there’s lots to like about this.

Fe. newyork (Facebook)

Rating 8.7

brown8

reviewed by
10-06-13

Johnny Stimson – Here We Go Again

Johnny Stimson Here We Go Again

Like the title suggests, “Here We Go Again” is yet another Johnny Stimson grab bag of feel-good party synths and funky washed guitars. The song is as singalong primed as say, Maroon 5, and is as booty shakin as Zak Waters or say the latest Daft Punk, all hinting towards Stimson as one to watch for in 2014. Sample at “Here We Go Again” below and also have a spin at the recent Kulkid remix for the popular blogosphere track “Daddy’s Money”.

Johnny Stimson (Facebook)

Rating 8.1

brown8

reviewed by
10-05-13

The Landing – Strange Charm

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We’re in love with the gorgeous tunesmithing of “Strange Charm” from New York band The Landing. Spacey w/ out being distant, withdrawn, or kitch; lovely w/ out being precious or twee “Strange Charm” is that perfect sort of piano-driven space-pop ballad that all the best & ambitious writers on both sides of the Atlantic aspire to write. A+.

The Landing newyork (Facebook)

Rating 8.3

brown8

reviewed by
09-30-13

//Fractures – Cadence

fractures cadence

Melbourne-based Fractures a/k/a multi-instrumentalist (and once owner of an actual fractured neck – our man injured himself last fall but is now 100% recovered) Marc Zito announces new single “Cadence”. Excerpted from a forthcoming EP due early next year, “Cadence” succeeds in many categories but is particularly special for its simple, beautiful, plaintive vocal melodies. Very well done.

//Fracturesaustralia (Soundcloud)

Rating 8.7

brown8

reviewed by
09-30-13

Looking Back @ Virgin Mobile FreeFest 2013

Congorock

Reviewed by Brian Litwin and Charlie Walker

As fall approaches and festival season comes to a close, only several events from 2013 seem worthy of making note. The eighth annual Virgin Mobile FreeFest in Columbia, MD. proved to be one such experience for the books. Unlike other ordinary festivals, tickets to FreeFest are given away for free, and the over 50,000 fans that showed up raised over $1 million for the RE*Generation project, which helps the young homeless. Our adventure on Saturday, September 21 was memorable, as a torrential downpour for over 7 hours provided a nice change of pace from B3SCI’s usual sunny Los Angeles habitat. Check out our recap of happenings from Virgin Mobile FreeFest 2013 below:

GHOST BEACH

B3SCI alum and faves, Ghost Beach opened the festival in fine fashion. Beating the rain in the Dance Forest stage, the duo consisting of Josh Ocean and Eric “Doc” Mendelsohn brought their tropical, grit pop to the masses in Maryland. Playing hits like “Empty Streets” and “Miracles” the duo seems poised to make some serious noise. Reviewed By Brian Litwin

BLACK JOE LEWIS

As the rain steadily came down, so did the spirited jams of Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears, a southern, brass-filled psychedelic outfit from Austin, TX. With their bluesy, soulful licks, it made for an exceptionally refreshing performance given the mostly synth-heavy Virgin Mobile FreeFest line-up. Channeling his inner James Brown and the 60’s era with a tight band right on his heels, the vibe was intimate while Joe Lewis’s extended jam of “Skulldiggin” was a hit with the drying crowd underneath the Pavillion Stage. It was evident with the screams and extended applause that the revelers were captivated, engaged, and wanting more when the set concluded. Reviewed By Charlie Walker

CONGOROCK

Tucked away deep in the woods with the tree canopy’s above shielding some of the constant drizzle, the FreeFest Dance Stage hosted a solid array of acts, including a thumping, energetic performance by Congorock. It was completely bonkers as Rocco Rampino’s set absolutely crushed the late afternoon timeslot, dropping massive electro-house sounds with riveting punk breaks. This Italian producer had bodies moving and twisting every-which-way, clothes literally flying off, and arms thrusting in the air when he let loose with his remix of Zeds Dead & Omar Lynx’s “Cowboy” remix. It was a completely different environment in the forest as this enchanted bassland was full of neon’s and seemed so far away from the rest of the FreeFest happenings. Crush-mode for sure! Reviewed By Charlie Walker

THE AVETT BROTHERS

Completely owning their unique sound and maintaining their positive ascension over their 10-year tenure as a band, The Avett Brothers ripped through a stellar 16-song set in front of a capacity Pavillion Stage crowd for over an hour, with those on the lawn dancing in the rain. Scott and Seth Avett, along with Bob Crawford, played with precision and without boundaries during “Life”. As majority of us VIP attendees were imbibing in crafted moonshine cocktails, the fellas fittingly played a crowd pleasing “Down With The Shine”, and had everybody on their feet singing along and dancing to their hit “I and Love and You”. Does it get much better? Reviewed By Charlie Walker

WASHED OUT

I have heard only the best things about the Ernest Greene project aka Washed Out’s live performance. Following Ghost Beach, all of those rumblings came true. The set was tight and the groove was steady. Greene played tracks mostly off his recent 3rd studio album Paracosm. Though my likeness lies anywhere on the first release Life of Lesuire, the whole set made the younger festival crowd dance. Reviewed By Brian Litwin

CHVRCHES

Scottish three-piece musical group CHVRCHES took full command of their audience at the West Stage, living up to the buzz they’ve created as one of the most promising new bands of 2013. Playing their catchy, well-remixed track “Recover” and popular live version of “The Mother We Share” – Lauren Mayberry, Iain Cook and Martin Doherty received perhaps the most arousing reaction from the youthful crowd as they played music off their debut album The Bones of What You Believe, out September 24th on Glassnote Records. It was in the following moments that Doherty busted out in frenetic dance with Cook, Mayberry, and roughly 15,000 others following suit. Reviewed By Charlie Walker

VAMPIRE WEEKEND

Over on the main stage, poppy, preppy indie quartet of Ezra Koenig, Chris Baio, Rostam Batmanglij and Chris Tomson played to the over flowing (of people and rain water) Merriwether Post Pavilion. When the band finally appeared, they killed it. Being only three albums deep into their career, Vampire Weekend has a numerous amount of hits and singles. Listing off their setlist would be pointless; they played anything and everything. They also proved that they can and will be (soon, mark our words) a headlining act of festivals of this size. Reviewed By Brian Litwin

MGMT

Another were another act I had been dying to see live, and lucky for the rain drenched crowd they played the covered pavilion stage. Fresh off the their 3rd studio and self-titled release, Ben Goldwasser and Andrew Ban Wyngarden’s set sent shock waves through the soaked crowd. To little surprise, fans did not respond well to their newer songs, but become uproarious when playing hits like “Weekend Wars”, “Time To Pretend”, “The Youth” and “Electric Feel”. Though the coolest part of the set may have been the giant cowbell played by a Virgin Mobile-wielding-fan during “Your Life Is A Lie”. Reviewed By Brian Litwin

PRETTY LIGHTS

Finishing out FreeFest’s West Stage was Derek Vincent Smith aka Pretty Lights, who’s been profoundly touring the country after releasing his newest, highly anticipated album A Color Map of the Sun via Pretty Lights Music. With rainfall remaining steady, the crowd was radiating with smiles and eagerness of what would be the best display of lights, bass, and energy of perhaps the entire festival. Icing on the cake? The beautiful stranger beside me, dripping wet with glitter from head to toe, as she mischievously looks over at me and whispers, “Just wait for ‘Hot Like Sauce,’” as she grinned from ear to ear while pulling packets of hot sauce from her neon fanny pack. Reviewed By Charlie Walker

MADEON

This 18 year old French native may be the second coming of the great powerhouse that is the French EDM scene. Being so young, Hugo Leclercq has seen a lot in the touring circuit, but a continual 7 hour rain in the middle of Maryland, might be something new to him. No matter, the Virgin Mobile Freefest crowd went nuts, seemingly doing a rain dance to Madeon’s set. Playing a slew of popular club hits and his own “Pop Culture” and “The City”, Hugo closed the Dance Forest stage quite nicely to the drippy, muddy ravers. Reviewed By Brian Litwin

Virgin Mobile FreeFest (Official)

AvettBros

CHVRCHES

PrettyLights

reviewed by
09-28-13

Interview w/ Little Daylight

Little Daylight ELH lo res

Brooklyn based collective Little Daylight have hit the scene with an indie-pop roar in 2013. Their first single “Overdose” was a beacon of early ’13, and following they debuted their live show at SXSW with subsequent touring with Charli XCX, Bastille, and Marina and the Diamonds. It’s no doubt this trio have been hard at work in anticipation of their debut, and recently released, Tunnel Vision EP. Team B3SCI recently had the chance to catch up with the band to briefly chat about a forthcoming album, life on the road — and of course NYC in the year 2213. Have a look at the conversation below.

B3SCI: We have to ask… is the band name based any bit off of the 1871 fairy tale by George MacDonald titled Little Daylight?

LD: Now the cat’s out of the bag! Yes, we were drawn to the idea of lightness vs. darkness that is inherent in that fairy tale. This juxtaposition tends to find its way into our music.

B3SCI: The band made it’s live debut at SXSW this year. How was the experience being initially exposed in such a crowded festival style environment? How would you best explain your growth as a band since?

LD: It was awesome for us to be able to debut the band live at SXSW. We knew there would be the opportunity for a good amount of exposure in Austin, so we rehearsed a lot leading up to it. We set up a few warm-up shows under a different name in New York to get the kinks out. The whole experience went great and since then we finished and released our EP and have done a bunch of touring, with Charli XCX, Bastille, and Marina and the Diamonds. We are also at work on our full-length, which should be ready to release just in time for SXSW next year.

B3SCI: Speaking of touring with Bastille and Charli XCX, have things been any different on the road most recently now with the Tunnel Vision EP upfront on people’s minds?

LD: Yes, definitely. We can tell that a chunk of the audience now knows the songs from the EP. It’s a great feeling to play to people who know and love the songs and sing along.

B3SCI: Is there a particular track on Tunnel Vision that the band hold especially close to their heart? Is there a story worth sharing?

LD: “Overdose” definitely holds a special spot. It was not the first song that we wrote together, but it was the first one that demanded to be released. We had a bunch of songs recorded and ready to go, but we all knew that “Overdose” was something special. Once it was finished, we knew it was time to release it and begin the Little Daylight story.

B3SCI: Give us one guilty pleasure that has an influence in your writing today…

LD: Are there really musical guilty pleasures anymore? Lorde is on Z100, in between Katy Perry and Daft Punk. I think we’re living in a post-guilty pleasure world, which is a beautiful thing.

B3SCI: We’re hooking you guys up with a roundtrip ticket on our (very real) B3SCI time machine. Where are you going and why?

LD: The year 2213, New York City. Curious if it will be under water then.

*Interviewed by Brian Litwin

Little Daylight (Facebook)

Rating 8.3

brown8

reviewed by
09-28-13

In The Mix: Weekly Round Up (9/23)

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Lots happening this week at B3SCI HQ, from announcing CMJ shows to premieres. Here’s a quick look at some tracks that have made their way through our personal rotation this week. Have a spin at them below, and get familiar with something else pretty damn cool that happened this week here.

The Chain Gang Of 1974 – Sleepwalking

Adulescens – Wings

Jarell Perry – Getaway (w/ Thurz) (Rambo Hollywood Remix)

Will Buck – Muscle Memory

POLIÇA – Smug

MØ – Never Wanna Know

Lexy and the Kill – Oh

Joel Compass – Run

The Witch Hunt – Army Man

C A T H E D R A L S – Unbound

Mike Hughes – (That Girl Is…) Misery

Vikesh Kapoor – Carry Me, Home

Hudson Taylor – Second Best

AZEKEL – Be Mine ’03

Elephant – Shapeshifter

WET – No Lie

Ben Khan – Eden

JWRIGHT – Too Much (Drake x Sampha Remix)

Patrick Baker – Summer Love

reviewed by
09-27-13