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Daniel James – A Lonely Man

daniel james

23 year old Northern Irish songwriter Daniel James channels the rhythmic and meldoci structures of gospel and spirituals on new track “A Lonely Man”. In writing “A Lonely Man” James wanted to convey struggle and how his personal notion of it relates to its historical context; he had this say about the track, “‘A Lonely Man’ is based on parallel stories. One part expresses my own struggles with everyday life and another part expresses my imagination of what ‘struggling’ actually entails. Researching old reference books and documentaries, I focussed on the struggle of the slaves in chain gangs in America in the nineteenth century. I tried to harness old slave/gospel type vocal rhythms in the track to reflect the parallel story. ‘A Lonely Man’ is a story of one man’s battle, both real and imagined.”

Daniel James ireland (Facebook)

Rating 8.5

brown8

reviewed by
08-07-13

Erlend Øye – La Prima Estate

Erlend Øye - La Prima Estate

Mr. Kings of Convenience a/k/a The Whitest Boy Alive a/k/a Ya Boy Erlend’s back w/ a new track and it’s….in Italian! The Norwegian Mr. Øye moved to Italia last year and as perhaps a postcard from his new place of residence is the Whitest Boy Alive meets Romano’s Macaroni Grill sound of “La Prima Estate”. Give the track yr ears below.

Erlend Øye norway (Facebook)

Rating 8.3

brown8

reviewed by
07-31-13

Indigo Joseph – Others

indigo joseph others

I have been waiting to hear this studio version of “Others” for what feels like ages. This is a special song for the band, that they have been playing it at shows for a few years now, but they were holding out for that perfect moment to get in the studio and release it to the masses. B3SCI has detected some early Kings of Leon sound in this one. At their live shows I never stop dancing, but Canadian blues-rockers Indigo Joseph have their grooviest single yet with “Others”. Just wait until you hear those keys. By Jon Herriot

Indigo Joseph – Others

Indigo Joseph canada (Facebook)

Rating 8.0

reviewed by
07-27-13

Jesse Boykins III – Young & Beautiful (Lana Del Rey Cover)

Jesse Boykins III - Young & Beautiful (Lana del Rey Cover)

Lana’s Great Gatsby headliner “Young & Beautiful” fits the great Jesse Boykins’ dulcet & smooth tenor very very well. In arranging the cover, Boykins selects for buzzing synths, dancier drums and where LDR’s version was wistful/nostalgic, Jesse’s is pleading & immediate. Each change to the track is quite impactful making for a very strong reinvention. Listen.

Jesse Boykins III newyork (Official) (Myspace) (Twitter)

Rating: 8.3

brown8

reviewed by
07-25-13

Premiere: Kodaline – Gabriel (Roy Davis Jr cover)

Kodaline

We’re privileged to present another very cool premiere today in the form of Irish band Kodaline’s new cover of Roy Davis Jr’s garage/house CLASSIC “Gabriel” (whoa, big respect on the choice of track). The Dublin-based boys sort of space out the arrangement (piano for synth), change the scenery (Dublin for Chicago), and suit up the track with a stunning mix of acoustics & subtle electronics; all the while well maintaining (although vastly different stylistically) the original track’s immense soulfulness. The mighty Kodaline are the current holders of the #1 spot in the Irish album chart (ahead of Hov and Kanye) with their great A Perfect World. The band will release new EP “Brand New Day” (of which “Gabriel will be a part) this coming August on the 25th.

Kodaline ireland (Soundcloud)

TOUR DATES

Friday 8th November – Birmingham Institute
Saturday 9th November – O2 Academy Oxford
Sunday 10th November – O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire
Tuesday 12th November – London The Forum
Wednesday 13th November – Leeds Stylus
Saturday 16th November – Gateshead Sage 2
Monday 17th November – Manchester The Ritz
Monday 18th November – O2 Academy Bristol

Rating 8.5

brown8

reviewed by
07-24-13

Jesse Woods – Gold In the Air

jesse woods

Texan Jesse Woods’ beautiful playfully plaintive folk gem “Gold in the Air” is preview here from his forthcoming debut Get Your Burdens Lifted LP, due August 6th on Guns in the Sun.

Jesse Woods texas (Facebook)

Rating 8.5

brown8

reviewed by
07-19-13

Mazzy Star – California

Mazzy+Star+Hope+Sandoval

The great Mazzy Star announced today that they will release their first LP in 17 years (since 1996’s Among My Swan) and it will be called Seasons of Your Day. Sample below the dreamy desert highway hush of excellent new Mazzy track (!!!!) “California”.

Mazzy Star california (Official)

Rating 8.5

brown8

reviewed by
07-16-13

Jesse Boykins III – Sparks (Coldplay)

boyking coldplay cover

The velvet-voiced favorite of the site Jesse Boykins III drops off a new recording in the form of a cover of Coldplay’s “Sparks” from 2000. Yes, that is Coldplay and yes, it’s Jesse Boykins covering it. The Brooklyn-based Boykins does a right on very good job of the Chris Martin-penned tune; if Stevie Wonder was into Coldplay (he probably is) and sounded vocally like Jesse, his version would probably sound a bit like this (one of the highest compliments we can give). Parachutes swag.

Jesse Boykins III – Sparks

Jesse Boykins III newyork (Official) (Myspace) (Twitter)

Rating: 8.3

brown8

reviewed by
07-15-13

B3SCI Presents: Miner with Vertical Scratchers, Olin And The Moon, Guardian Ghost @ Bootleg Bar L.A. 7/15/2013

July15Bootleg

LA based folk-rock band Miner is taking stage at the Bootleg Bar in Silver Lake on Monday nights this July as the club’s monthly artist in residence. More than just a celebration of the band’s indie folk style fusion, the residency stint will also be “multi-art” themed, with a variety of arts, food and fashion installations present throughout the month.

On this coming Monday, July 15th B3SCI is pleased to present Miner on Visual Media Night with a bill of stellar buzzing talent that includes Vertical Scratchers, Olin And The Moon, and Guardian Ghost. As if that weren’t enough, Writer / Actor and longtime B3SCI family Chris Geddy will be spinning OBG, Post-Punk, and Jangly goodness between the evening’s sets. Entry for the residency night is FREE (21+) and you can get more information on the show HERE. We’ll see you there!

Bootleg Theater (Info) (Facebook Invite)
Miner california (Facebook)

reviewed by
07-12-13

Alex Hepburn – Woman’s World (Neneh Cherry Cover)

alex hepburn

Already a success in France (Her Together Alone LP went to #1 there), the vocal power that is Alex Hepburn gears up to release her first single in the UK, the b3sci rec’d “Pain Is”. To mark that single release, Ms. Hepburn lets loose a stunning vocally-leaves-it-all-out-there cover of Neneh Cherry’s mid 90’s track “Woman”.

Alex Hepburn (Facebook)

Rating 8.2

brown8

reviewed by
07-09-13

Premiere: Brotherun – The Dissonance Between Us

brotherun

Nashville via Arizona duo Brotherun (the pair are actual real life brothers) release new single “The Dissonance Between Us”. Previewed from Brotherun’s debut s/t EP due later this summer, the dark pop of “The Dissonance Between Us” marks a maturation for the Tillery Brothers as writers and arrangers. Neat and inventive bits of layering in the rhythm tracks and in the song’s flourishes of synth do well to complement the pacing and phrasing of “Dissonance”s excellent swath of emotively precise melodies. Check the b3 premiere of Brotherun’s “The Dissonance Between Us” below.

Brotherun (Official)

Rating 8.3

brown8

reviewed by
07-09-13