Still a mystery to the masses, ZHU puts together an impressive cover of the blog fave CHVRCHES’ “Gun”. ZHU’s twist on “Gun” is a unique and pleasant one; giving the track a proper dance floor treatment. By Brian Litwin
ZHU (Soundcloud)
Rating 8.3
Still a mystery to the masses, ZHU puts together an impressive cover of the blog fave CHVRCHES’ “Gun”. ZHU’s twist on “Gun” is a unique and pleasant one; giving the track a proper dance floor treatment. By Brian Litwin
ZHU (Soundcloud)
Rating 8.3
The combination of Alina Baraz’s breathy float-on-top-the-mix vocal and producer Galimatias’ vibed-down exotic-y beats has produced some of B3’s favorite tracks of 2013 and 2014 including the very accurately titled “Pretty Thoughts”. “Fantasy” is another strong exercise in the Baraz/Galimatias formula and deserves your attention below. “Fantasy” is excerpted from the upcoming “Urban Flora” EP.
Alina Baraz & Galimatias 
(Soundcloud)
Rating 8.3
Mega-talent Rochelle Jordan is joined by the equally great JMSN for a new remix to “Lowkey”. We touched yesterday on Kiesza’s excellent R&B turn how it felt in quality and construction like (in the context of the seemingly everywhere right now “alt-R&B) believable R&B, Jordan’s starry-eyed “Lowkey” remix is composed of similar credible DNA. A++
Rochelle Jordan
: (Facebook)
Rating: 8.7
Kiesza’s “Hideaway” is one of indie in 2014 biggest success stories. The dance-flavored track topped the UK single chart in April and the song’s video has amassed over 100M views on YouTube. “Bad Thing”, Kiesza’s new track, is not “Hideaway” but it is very good. The R&B-styled and Joey Bada$$-featuring (!) song has the accompanying weight and believe-ability that much of the oft-maligned alt R&B blog genre is missing in Sept 2K14. Kiesza is real and “Bad Thing” is great.
Kiesza (Soundcloud)
Rating 8.3
The truly stunning “Theia Mania” is new from Canadian R&B artist and producer Sundays. Immediately at ~0:17 in the track, Sundays’ sublime alto takes hold and sets the theme and feel of the record. “Every bit of me is all a flutter while, you’re touching me…. I wanna keep fallin'”, Sundays wrote “Theia Mania” about what she describes as “the thrill and uncertainty of big city love”. The dynamic between the urban/sophisticated R&B of instrumental and Sundays’ earthy, center around which the whirlwind transpires narrative is particularly special here. Sample “Theia Mania” from Sundays’ upcoming “Neverland” EP out October 28th on Roshambo Records.
Sundays (Soundcloud)
Rating 8.3
Aesop (the label of TĀLĀ & SOHN) introduce UK outer space soul duo Sylas. Almost mechanized in sound and languid like in the style of James Blake, “Hollow” takes forward the Blake-palette into furthest way out spaces wresting emotion of the most disparate varied and powerful varieties. You’ll want to not miss this one.
Sylas 
(Soundcloud)
Rating 8.4
Lord Flying Lotus evokes the otherworldly visceral quality of Donald Byrd’s version of “Cristo Redentor” distilled through modern beats music on “Coronus, The Terminator”. FlyLo’s You’re Dead! LP is due October 7th on Warp Records.
Flying Lotus 
(Facebook)
Rating 8.1
UK band HONNE, authors of one of 2014’s best tracks “Warm On a Cold Night”, are back today with new one “Baby Please”. The soulful number “Baby Please” is another stunning (a word music blogs use a lot but warranted here) example of HONNE’s great and sophisticated R&B-influenced (but not alt-R&B) songwriting and again marks the band as one to keep on the radar screen into 2015. HONNE’s debut EP is out September 22nd on Super Recordings.
Honne (Soundcloud)
Rating 8.4
“Obsession” is the latest bit of inventive (and excellent) synth-tinged new-funk from rising Dallas, TX genre-hopper Johnny Stimson.
Johnny Stimson (Facebook)
Rating 8.1
The slow burning “Ease Away” is new from Melbourne AU band Leisure Suite. Hypnotic and visceral in that far off way that Sade has perfected, “Ease Away” exists in the context of a similar “Cherish the Day”-type DNA both in sound and content. Leisure Suite is Mitchell Wood, Su Zechen, and vocalist Bridgette Le.
Leisure Suite 
(Soundcloud)
Rating 8.8
