The outsized UK talent TĀLĀ verifies that she’s got more in her artistic bag of tricks than just alt-R&B on the stylistically diverse “Black Scorpio”. Chaotic, melodic, inventive, infectious; “Black Scorpio” is evocative of many diffuse yet complementary adjectives; that and it’s very very good. “Black Scorpio” will appear on a brand new TĀLĀ EP due soon on Aesop.
TĀLĀ 
(Facebook)
Rating 8.5
4AM, aka Toronto producer Grant Alexander who’s remix of Zella Day’s “1965” we absolutely loved, sets the big room dance electronics and beat just right on his brand new mix for Blondfire. Here, “Waves”, from Blondfire’s 2013 LP Young Heart, gets a strong crossover treatment by the rising Canadian DJ complete with dreamy synth atmospheres and anthemic dynamics and builds.. Have a listen at the B3 Premiere of 4AM’s reboot of Blondfire’s “Waves” below.
4AM 
: (Soundcloud)
Blondfire 
(Facebook)
Rating: 8.7
Drake-affiliated Toronto rapper P Reign is joined by Meek Mill and PARTYNEXTDOOR for the Boi-1da & Maven Boys-produced “Realest in the City”. The mainstream radio-ready “Realest in the City” is available on P Reign’s “Dear America” EP out tomorrow.
P Reign (Soundcloud)
Rating: 8.7
The irrepressible Flight Facilities return today with the beautiful “Two Bodies”. The first single from the Australian duo’s forthcoming Down to Earth, “Two Bodies” finds Flight Facilities both at their creative dance music best while also bending their sound to the warmer more bass-driven tones of 2014. Down to Earth is out October 28th on Glassnote.
Flight Facilities
(Facebook)
Rating 8.6
Those who are partial to a little sample spotting (like train spotting without the creepy anorak jackets) will have a field day with Semi Precious’ self-titled EP. South London’s Guy Baron deals with the torsion of several familiar sounds in a unique way, before gluing them together with his laid-back, melancholic vocals. Each mini-track in the 6-piece collection is like a course of a tasting menu, and will have you revisiting the stand out tracks “When It’s Hard” and “Shaky Skies” numerous times before feeling anywhere near satisfied.
Released through Squareglass and streaming below, ‘Semi Precious’ deserves to be cherished to the fullest extent. Reviewed By Nathan Hetherington
Semi Precious 
(Facebook)
Rating 8.6
Let us get the obvious out of the way first: Allah-Las sound like a group from the ‘60s. This is meant in the best way possible. They know their sound so well—whichever ‘60s sub-category you try to pin them under: garage rock, surf rock, Merseybeat, they pay homage to them all—that at every single second of Worship The Sun, their prodigiously deep second album, to be released on Sept. 16th on Innovative Leisure Records, the listener is transported back to that decade of great dreams and musical experimentation. Listen to Worship The Sun before say, The Kink Kontroversy, or after Camino Parkway, the ? & The Mysterians compilation—they’re musical contemporaries despite being separated by nearly five decades. We often listen to music from the ‘60s within a vacuum, but Allah-Las set to prove that the era’s music is still a living genre, one that is continuously evolving.
Such comparisons are only possible because of the high level of songwriting and musicianship on Worship The Sun. Each band member (Miles Michaud on vox and guitar, Pedrum Siadatian on lead guitar, Spencer Dunham on bass, and Matthew Correia on drums) plays together as a cohesive unit, with each part wholly defined while not upstaging the work of the other three. The fifth instrument, Michaud’s vocals, takes precedence at times, but even this isn’t always the case. Much credit has to be given to singer/guitarist Nick Waterhouse’s production, clear and subtle, musician-approved, for other musicians and music lovers.
Here’s a track-by-track rundown.
“De Vida Voz”: smooth chorus vocal with an intro that reminds me of “Alone Again Or”, the Forever Changes opener
“Had It All”: confident garage backbeat with cool repetition of title lyric
“Artefact”: fuzzy bass with great bridge
“Ferus Gallery”: great instrumental, erudite guitar communication with prominent tambourine
“Recurring”: one of the strongest lyrics on the album, Mersey-style harmonies
“Nothing To Hide”: tongue-in-cheek lyrics which would make the brothers Davies proud
“Buffalo Nickel”: bah-bah-bah vocal intro which leads right into the chorus, first half closes on a sunnier note after the disaffected “Nothing To Hide”
And that’s just the first half! I’ll allow you to listen to the second half and make your own judgments. The consistency persists and matches our expectations set during the first half of the album. Allah-Las proved their merit with their self-titled debut; Worship The Sun cements their position as one of the most relevant West Coast bands here in late 2k14. Check out their free show at Amoeba Records, former place of employment for three members, on Friday, September 5th. From there they shoot off to Europe next week for a full slab of dates which will take the LA natives through the end of October, followed by a return to US dates from mid-November until the end of the year.
Review by Christopher Gedos
Allah-Las – Had It All (Info)
Rating 8.55
By Bruce Rave
I’ve been spending some time with a young LA based artful alt band by the name of Trapdoor Social. The group has received kudos for their songwriting, harmonies, videos, and dedication to environmental causes. This final track on their ‘Science of Love’ EP is unique to this band in the same way that “Supermassive Black Hole” is unique for Muse. Trapdoor is typically cleaner with higher notes, which is part of what makes this harder and darker song stand out for them. It kicks off with a magnetic low-end synth hook that repeats throughout. This driving song was developed on top of that hook and is a band favorite of many who have heard it.
Trapdoor Social (Facebook)
* Links and playlists from Bruce Rave’s weekly new music show can be found on his blog and be sure follow Bruce on Twitter too!
The buzz train kept rollin’ for L.A. trio LANY on newest track “Made in Hollywood”. The 80’s pop/modern indie pop hybrid “Made in Hollywood” is a compact/focused number that may remind of a bit dreamier version of Carousel.
LANY (Facebook) (Soundcloud)
Rating 8.1
“Love Ain’t Enough”, new from Canadian band The Barr Brothers, is quite a special track. “Love Ain’t Enough” is the sort of tune that breaks out bands, that’s propels them into new and bigger levels of success. “Love Ain’t Enough” is a major moment for The Barr Brothers, do not miss it. Look for The Barr Brothers Sleeping Operator LP which is out October 4th on Secret City Records.
The Barr Brothers (Facebook)
Rating: 8.7
Seinabo Sey, the much buzzed about Swedish songstress, is impressive again on brand new “Pistols at Dawn”. The sturdy and strong “Pistols at Dawn”, which is taken here from Seinabo’s upcoming “For Madeline” EP for Virgin Records, is potent for its galvanizing and triumphant qualities; one of the best palettes/formulas for standout dark pop.
Seinabo Sey 
(Facebook)
Rating 8.2
Wroclaw, Poland band Oxford Drama’s “Asleep Awake” is the latest release in Turntable Kitchen’s awesome Pairings Box series (home to records from GEMS, CATHEDRALS, Local Natives, BASECAMP, etc). “Asleep/Awake” takes its cues in mood from cool and soulful acts like Quadron and Esthero while instrumentally communicating a more direct almost dance-driven aesthetic. A+++
Oxford Drama 
(Facebook)
Rating 8.1
Queen of Pop heir-apparent Ariana Grande worked with blog fave Cashmere Cat on production for her upcoming My Everything LP. Today, the Scandinavian producer extraordinaire let loose this clubbier mix for My Everything track “Be My Baby” that’s got us on a bit of ’97 “The Roof” Mariah.
Ariana Grande (Soundcloud)
Rating 8.1
