Illustrious Welshman Gruff Rhys streams the Old Man Albarn-esque cinematic pop of “Set Fire To The Stars”, the title track to an upcoming Andy Goddard biopic about another illustrious Welshman Dylan Thomas.
Gruff Rhys 
(Twitter) (Soundcloud)
Rating 8.6
The melodically stunning “Timebomb” is new from Scottish singer A-L-X. “Timebomb” has nods to current indie R&B in its synth rattles and bass tone but the DNA of the track is firmly classic soul. When A-L-X hits that “‘Cause true love’s what you’re looking for” run in the afterchorus, our B3 hearts melt. Give the Scottish newcomer your ears below.
ALX 
(Twitter) (Soundcloud)
Rating 8.5
Marissa Nadler turns in a hushed and understated but still dazzling cover of Elliott Smith’s “Pitseleh” for new “Before July” EP, the unreleased demos counterpart of Marissa’s great July LP.
Marissa Nadler 
(Facebook)
Rating 8.3
Australian singer CVIRO (Cairo) & producer GXNXVS (Genius) debut “Benjamins”. The 90’s heavy track (don’t cringe just yet, as “Benjamins” makes up for any played-out-ness in style with turns of melody and production that are truly special) finds the Aussie twosome channeling the tunefulness of Joe or Craig David through a lens of still “old school” but modernized backbeats.
CVIRO & GXNXVS 
(Soundcloud)
Rating 8.3
The prodigious Recycle Culture (our man has already released an album and an EP this year) streams title track from newest EP “AYA”. Truly vast in its palette, running wall to wall from obtuse shoegaze to immediate indie pop, “AYA” is remarkable in just how accomplished it is. Listen.
Recycle Culture (Bandcamp)
Diplo dials up the “Climax drums” for hitmaker Ty Dolla $ign’s anthemic new one “Stand For”. As big a track as Hip Hop #1 “Paranoid” was for Ty Dolla’s career, “Stand For” is decidedly not the monochromatic club-ready “Paranoid”; it’s ambitious and it’s outside current rap radio’s comfortable DJ Mustard zone. We love it.
Mazzy Star 
(Soundcloud)
“Drip Away” is the latest sample of sooth pop from Adelaide, AU trio FLAMINGO. Buoyed by featured singer Madeleine Hunt’s emotive counterpoint vocal, “Drip Away” exists in a low touch nexus between R&B, house, and current indie pop. Stream “Drip Away” below.
FLAMINGO (Soundcloud)
Rating 8.3
OOFJ is the duo of Danish musician Jenno Bjørnkjær and South African singer Katherine Mills-Rymer. Track “You’re Always Good” is cinematic percussion-heavy bit of current wave boy-girl pop done as its highest and most forward thinking level.
The Luca Buccellati-produced (Tei Shi, Yellerkin) “Time” is the debut track from New York popstress Renee Orshan a/k/a RÉN. Ms. Orshan’s neatly melodic melodic vocal is “Time”‘s central mover around the track’s not one note of place instrumental. “Time” is one of Fall 2014’s best debuts.
RÉN 
(Soundcloud)
Rating 8.4
Basement Jaxx and Snakehips collaborator Meleka further explores the alternative sound of those artists with just announced “The Funkin’ 90’s” EP and single “You Don’t Know”. A cover of girl band 702’s late 90’s track, “The Funkin’ 90’s” EP will feature seven covers of 1990’s songs.
Meleka 
(Soundcloud)
Rating 8.4
Day Wave is the project 25 year old Oakland native Jackson Phillips. The pristine lo-fi pop songwriting of “Nothing At All” is the debut track from Day Wave and will feature on upcoming EP out early next year.
Day Wave (Soundcloud)
Rating 8.5
AZEKEL’s trajectory continues to point decidedly upward on the visceral and forward thinking R&B of the just melodically out of this universe “Chronophobia”.
Azekel (Soundcloud)
Rating 8.1
