Team Breton continue to further hone their percussive, jittery, melodically interesting sound with “S Four”. The follow up single to the South London quintet’s great “Force of Habit” EP. On “S Four” punchy, skittering drums frame a hypnotic main melody “and how will I be in two places at once” augmented with well-timed flourishes of synth and orchestration.
strong>Breton 
(Official)
Rating 8.4
One of our favorite indiesphere fresh faces is the School of Hall & Oates blue-eyed soul of Dallas-based singer Johnny Stimson. On new track “SO. GOOD.”, Stimson, slows y’all down, wears y’all out, lets y’all breathe, puts y’all up on pedestal; you know, the basic emotional up and downs of the soul genre’s best songs. That, and an easy as the Sunday of MLK weekend is long vocal that is mmmmmm… so sweet and oh “SO. GOOD.” We’re absolutely loving it. Go Johnny go!
Johnny Stimson (Facebook)
Rating 8.1
Team Disclosure turns rap for their latest production project, collab’ing with NY newcomer Bishop Nehru for the space age boom bap of “You Stressin'”. And while of somewhat of the School of J Dilla in sound, the Disclosure style does translate well here while still sounding like, well, Disclosure. Mr. Nehru does well too here; seemingly able to flow effortlessly on top what could be a difficult track stylistically for a lesser MC.
Bishop Nehru 
(Facebook)
Rating 8.2
The stunningly-voiced George Maple debuts today new single “Began To Say”. Previewed from her forthcoming debut EP, “Began To Say” adeptly conveys the outstanding vocal tone and neatly executed diction that thusfar defined the George Maple sound; that and an excellent skill at picking instrumentals, as the slow motion R&B beat of “Began To Say” is a full on winner.
George Maple 
(Facebook)
Rating 8.8
Our Man in New Haven, Yale student/beats-wiz Sunik Kim a/k/a Beat Culture follows up last month’s “Drifter” with the equally excellent ambient pop of “Shibuya”. On the track, washes of swirling synth haze and dynamic bits of noisy electronics provide the axis & center point around which a pulsing kick and vocalist KID A’s percussive melodies whril about. “Shibuya” is paired w/ “Drifter” on a 7″ release on our very own B3SCI Records.
Beat Culture 
(Soundcloud) (Purchase 7-inch)
Rating: 8.3
Review By Brian Litwin.
Photos By Russ Ramos.
2013 was an incredible year for music, and 2014 is shaping up to be even better. Rising star John Newman has really hit the ground running in the new year. Having been a featured artist on 2 tracks in 2012 (Rudimental’s “Feel The Love” and “Not Giving In” with Alex Clare) and with the current radio hit “Love Me Again”, his recent live performance at the El Rey only added to the buzz surrounding the young John Newman.
To start the night off, Brooklyn based WE ARE TWIN hit the stage to an all white backdrop and eager crowd. Bringing their power pop sound to a music hungry crowd, they resonated well with the LA audience. Lead singer Gabi Christine, with her long braided hair and her school-girl-plaid skirt commanded the stage and navigated every inch of the space. Playing tracks off their self-titled major label EP release, the single “The Way We Touch” stood out as the star song from the set. The crowd vibed well to their shorter set and even Randy Jackson (music man, producer, former American Idol enthusiast and dance crew dude) was seen in the crowd digging the tunes.
John Newman next hit the stage with a big bang. A backing track played for a minute or so and then lights exploded on the stage as the giant white backdrop curtain fell to unveil a l6 piece band and John standing on a platform in the back, with his back to the crowd. Everyone on stage was in black and white suits and dancing in unison as Newman opened his set. The show was originally set to be played the Troubadour, but due to demand – was moved to the larger and more accommodating El Rey Theater. Still there was barely any room to stand, so it was a good thing this show got moved.
John rolled through his set with class, showmanship, he had absolute control of the audience, and had dance moves that came way out of left field. His voice has a distinct nasally, raspyness to it, and some overall stylings similar to Otis Redding, which the LA crowd ate up. When Newman got to the second single off his 2013 debut full length release Tribute, the crowd really started to get into it. “Cheating” got the crowd jumping and he rolled into the slower, piano driven “Easy”. Right after that the drummer marched in to the third single of the album “Losing Sleep”. With a wall of applause, John seemed taken aback and truly humbled with the response right before he went into “Down On Life” and “Gold Dust” to close the set. The crowd wanted more and John came back out with just a piano player and drummer for a slowed-down version of the widely popular “Not Giving In” by Rudimental. The crowd heard the hook and responded immediately. Finally as the last song had to be the current hit in the US and star off Tribute. John and crew blazed through a mesmerizing version of “Love Me Again”. There is no denying that this 23 year old Brit has incredible talent, but this live show is what really sets him apart from other indie darlings of the same vein.
John Newman 
(Facebook)
Rating 8.6
Two of the hottest producers in the indiesphere, Mad Decent’s Man in Hawaii, Mr. Carmack & Mr. Everytime He Remixes The Bloggers Lose They Minds, Kaytranada link up for a fluid and smooth bit of future quiet storm. Into it.
KAYTRANADA
: (Facebook)
Rating: 8.7
New York band Mainland play the sort of hooky melodies first, jabby guitars second; closely followed next by casual impetuousness and general nonchalance formula that’s proven out for bands like The Strokes and Postelles. The excellent Jim Eno-produced (Spoon) “Savant” is the lead single from Mainland’s upcoming self-released EP “Shiner” due February 25.
Mainland (Facebook)
Rating 8.2
Whalers out of Austin, Texas ably blend modern indie w/ touches of surf rock (dat chorus) and classic UK rock (and dat distorted guitar drive) on “Battleships”. The track is the lead single from an upcoming LP called Submarine Sun which will see a release on April 8th.
Whalers 
(Official)
Rating 8.5
The infectious “Cucurucu” is new from BBC Sound of 2014 nominee Nick Mulvey. A very catchy tune with a rudder born of the Western Hemisphere (the influence of classic Brazilian pop can especially be heard), “Cucurucu” is a top class introduction to Mulvey’s solo material (He was formerly of London band Portico Quartet). “Cucurucu” is out March 3rd on Fiction Records.
Nick Mulvey (Facebook)
Rating 8.4
The cooled late night R&B of “Breathe” is the debut track for UK singer Rubee Rayne. “Breathe” excels on its flawless mood and timbre adeptly accentuating in the track all its best intersections of vocal and melodic quality. Ace.
Rubee Rayne (Facebook)
Rating 8.4
Many say that UK guitar bands have become less relevant and inventive as the indie pendulum has swung towards softer and more electronic music. Of course it’s only a matter of time before the guitars reclaim the throne. The Crookes consistently deliver refreshing, energetic, catchy songs. Their third album Soapbox comes in April and “Play Dumb” is the lead single. Behind the uptempo tune is a joyous vibe and monster collection of hooks. Frontman George Waite sings about hitting his midlife crisis at age 25 and about not letting a certain relationship get the best of him. The Crookes hail from Sheffield, England — same place the Arctic Monkeys come from. If there are those who feel that UK guitar-based bands fell off in the wake of the Arctics blowing up years ago, it might be the Crookes who help bring the sound back to the forefront. They will be at SXSW this year. Reviewed By Bruce Rave
The Crookes (Facebook)
Hear Bruce’s “Go Deep With Bruce Rave” weekly new music show on Indie1031/Los Angeles and WSUM-FM/Madison. Details and archived shows can be found on his blog and be sure follow Bruce on Twitter too!
