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Track Reviews

TOPS – Sleeptalker

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Montreal QC band TOPS put on offer the beautifully effortless & restrained “Sleeptalker”, the b-side to the band’s upcoming “Change of Heart” 7″ with Arbutus Records.

TOPS canada: (Facebook)

Rating: 8.7

brown8

reviewed by
06-25-14

Johnny Stimson – Sugar

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Nobody beats Stimson. The stylistically adventurous Dallas-based singer latest confection is the synth-pop/soul hybrid “Sugar”. Heavy at the start but chewy and delectable in its R&B-driven chorus middle, “Sugar” finds Mr. Stimson unrelenting in his consistency of delivering the highest quality goods.

Johnny Stimson (Facebook)

Rating 8.1

brown8

reviewed by
06-25-14

Rebecca Clements – Coma Boy

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We love the stunning and spare new one from Rebecca Clements, “Coma Boy”. Constructed around a simple figure of guitar riffing and minimal external instrumentation, “Coma Boy” is a showpiece for Rebecca Clements’ great melodic sensibility and considerable writing acumen. Do not miss.

Rebecca Clements (Facebook)

Rating 8.2123

brown8

reviewed by
06-24-14

Bondax – All I See

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Team Bondax return today with the more early 90’s dance-leaning sound exhibited on recent singles on “All I See”. A well-executed modernized version of that Bush I-administration sound, we expect to hear “All I See” to bumping out our nearest H&M or Zara all summer long.

Bondax (Facebook)

Rating 8.4

brown8

reviewed by
06-24-14

Oliver Wilde – Say Yes To Ewans

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“Say Yes To Ewans” is excerpted here from Bristol UK artist Oliver Wilde’s upcoming Red Tide Opal LP. An able blend of romantic shoegaze-y themes and space-zone guitar textures that sound freshly wrested from the 24th Century, “Say Yes To Ewans” is equally and expertly rhythmic and tuneful and unlike anything out right now. We absolutely love “Say Yes To Ewans”. Howling Owl Records is the label to know for the July 28th release of Red Tide Opal.

Oliver Wilde england (Official)

Rating 8.2

brown93

reviewed by
06-24-14

Snakehips – Days With You (Feat. Sinead Harnett)

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Snakehips continues to produce tracks at a very high level with latest collaboration. On “Days With You”, the semi-anon UK producer duo is joined by the quickly rising Sinead Harnett who’s impressed recently on vocal features for Rudimental and Ryan Hemsworth. “Days” operates within a 2014 sweet spot zone of a hip-hop referencing rhythm track outfitted with warm house instrumental textures and a female-led R&B-styled vocal. “Days With You” is out on August 25th on new label Hoffman West.

Snakehips (Facebook)

Rating 8.2123

brown8

reviewed by
06-23-14

Alt-J – Hunger of the Pine

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“Hunger of the Pine” is the return single from Alt-J, one of 2012 indie music’s biggest breakouts (winning the Mercury Prize, etc). The new track is of a similar plodding and obtuse ilk as much of debut LP An Awesome Wave but also like that record is buoyed by Alt-J’s penchant for tunefulness and strong writing. This Is All Yours Alt-J’s sophomore release for Canvasback Records is slated for a September 22nd release.

Alt-J (Official)

Rating: 8.8

brown8

reviewed by
06-20-14

Guerre – Tuk

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Australian-based producer Guerre offers the inventive and low touch dance track “Tuk”. The superbly styled song rests on an axis of unique for its genre (non-cliched) drum tones and a stunning architecture of vocal and minimal synth layers. “Tuk” is the second single from Guerre’s Ex Nihilo LP out July 4 on Yes Please / Remote Control.

Guerre (Facebook)

Rating 8.3

brown8

reviewed by
06-19-14

Salt Cathedral – Tease

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Brooklyn band Salt Cathedral do well to blend current trends in dance music (including R&B-infused beats and heavy use of syncopated vocal samples) with an indie pop melodic sensibility on the very good “Tease”.

Salt Cathedral newyork Soundcloud)

Rating: 8.3

brown8

reviewed by
06-19-14

Pomo – Start Again (Feat. Andrea Cormier)

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“Summertime vibes”, one of the music blogosphere’s favorite (and most used) turns of phrase in any season. Pomo, the project of Canadian producer David Pimentel, evokes those said “summertime vibes” in a most major and impressive way on new single for the awesome HW&W label. Look for “Start Again” on Pomo’s upcoming “The Other Day” EP.

Pomo canada: (Soundcloud)

Rating: 8.7

brown8

reviewed by
06-19-14

Wildcat! Wildcat! – Hero

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Wildcat! Wildcat! impress on maybe their best single to date with the indie pop perfect “Hero”. Taken from the band’s August-due LP No Moon At All finds the band adeptly pushing their sound into a more spacious, broader frame while maintaining the strong pop songwriting that W!W! have earned their bread on. Spin “Hero” below.

Wildcat! Wildcat! california (Soundcloud)

Rating 8.4

brown8

reviewed by
06-18-14

Jessie Ware – Tough Love

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The Great Jessie makes her return with “Tough Love”. Ware, who broke-out in 2012 on the strength of her top-to-bottom strong Devotion LP, maneuvers in a bit less direct space on “Tough Love”. While the impact of Jessie’s great diction and visceral quality is still very much at the forefront with the new song, “Tough Love” the minimal vocal + beats approach from LP 1 is less at the fore. We like the slight turn in sound and are of course excited for what is next in new material from Jessie Ware. “Tough Love” is out August 3rd on PMR.

Jessie Ware england (Facebook)

Rating 8.4

brown8

reviewed by
06-18-14