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Track Reviews

Rave’s Fave: Daft Punk – Give Life Back to Music

Random-access-memories

Daft Punk’s new single “Get Lucky” has gone top twenty in the US and topped the digital charts in 55 different countries. Their album Random Access Memories is full of lush sounds and throwback nods to disco. Probably a good thing. “Give Life Back to Music” opens the album, and the song title indicates that these guys feel something has been lacking in music today. Don’t expect glow sticks or intensity on this track. It will settle into a nice mid-tempo groove and leave you wanting more. By Bruce Rave

Daft Punk – Give Life Back to Music (Official)

* Links and playlists from Rave’s weekly new music show can be found on his blog and be sure follow Bruce on Twitter too!

reviewed by
05-16-13

FTSE – Tidal Wave (feat. Saint Saviour)

FTSE

UK artist FTSE grabs b3 staple Saint Saviour for the lovely R&B-informed slow-motion boy/girl disco pop of “Tidal Wave”.

FTSE england (Soundcloud)

Rating 8.5

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reviewed by
05-15-13

Kid Astray – The Mess

kid astray

Mom+Pop’s latest signees, Norwegian teenagers (all members of the band are between the ages of 18-19) Kid Astray debut in the English-speaking music world with “The Mess”. Instantly sing-a-long-able, the enormously catchy “The Mess” will get into yr ears, brain, bones, dancing feet like only the strongest and best indie pop tracks can. Look for an EP from Kid Astray in July.

Kid Astray norway (Facebook)

Rating 8.3

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reviewed by
05-15-13

KOTKEE – Angels (The XX Cover)

kotkee angels

We know yr probably done with “Angels” (we thought we were too) but we can’t help but fall deeply in love with KOTKEE’s beautiful 3 A.M. re-imagining (and we stress re-imagining, as we’ve never heard the oft-covered track quite like this) of The xx hit.

KOTKEE – Angels (The XX Cover)

KOTKEEE (Facebook)

Rating 8.3

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reviewed by
05-15-13

Mount Kimbie – Took Your Time (Feat. King Krule)

mount kimbie

Mount Kimbie + King Krule = ?. Of course, “Took Your Time” is very very good. The only real negative here is that there’s only 5 minutes 16 of the track. The languid cymbal tap-driven electric organ-grind of Kimbie’s instrumental fits Zoo Kid’s guttermouth rapsinging to a T. We are very much into it.

Mount Kimbie (Official)

Rating 8.3

brown8

reviewed by
05-15-13

Gallant – Please? (Vignette) [prod. Felix Snow]

gallant

The team of Gallant and Felix Snow, who produced the crushing (& one of the year) cover of Ke$ha’s “Die Young” return with the equally strong R&B of “Please?”. Felix Snow’s production, again, should be highlighted here as the track is next level good. Ok, enough from us, we’re hitting the replay button again.

Gallant – Please? (Vignette) [prod. Felix Snow]

Gallant (Soundcloud(/a>)

Rating 8.8

brown8

reviewed by
05-15-13

Splashh – Today (Fade Away)

splashh

Splashh (their spelling, not ours) fuzz it up w/ the 90’s on “Today”, an unreleased B-side from the sessions of the band’s debut Comfort LP. With “Today” it is certainly a buyer’s market in the distortion department but in addition is a nice bit of tunefulness and melody which gives the track some extra replayability legs.

Splashh – Today (Fade Away)

Splashhaustralia (Facebook)

Rating 8.3

brown8

reviewed by
05-15-13

MOKO – Hand on Heart

moko

MOKO, a 21 year old soul singer from New Cross, London offers up a proper debut track (she only uploaded her first song to Soundcloud 8 weeks ago!) in the form of the early 90’s house/school of Whitney Houston gospel-informed track “Hand On Heart”.

MOKO (Soundcloud)

Rating 8.3

brown8

reviewed by
05-15-13

Ásgeir Trausti – Going Home

Ásgeir Trausti

“Going Home” is excerpted here from Icelandic singer-songwriter Ásgeir Trausti’s debut English language EP, The Toe Rag Sessions. Just 20 years old but already a prominent commodity in his native Iceland (Trausti’s LP Dyrd i Daudathogn became the biggest selling dometic debut in the country’s history), an English language version of the entire EP is in the offing as well as supporting dates in the UK for Of Monsters And Men. “Going Home” is simply gorgeous and a definite gem of its genre that you should get ears on ASAP.

Ásgeir Trausti england (Facebook)

Rating 8.2

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reviewed by
05-15-13

Quasimo – We’ll Manage x Retrograde (Remix)

quasimo

The Australian electro scene has no doubt been producing some stellar exports as of late. Quasimo is the latest to hit our radar with his impressive intuition for rolling beats, laid-back synths and well inflected pitch and melody work. Judging by his first original, “We’ll Manage” and his bootleg of James Blake’s “Retrograde,” we’re looking forward to more to come from Quasimo.

James Blake – Retrograde (Quasimo’s Bootleg Remix)

Quasimoaustralia (Facebook)

Rating 8.3

brown8

reviewed by
05-15-13

Moon Boots – Love Strong

Moon-Boots-Love-Strong-Preview-960x960

Here is the latest from the French Express astronaut, Moon Boots. Fusing tropical disco with house, the low key producer has done it again with “Love Strong”. The consistent use of the different synth patches, mainly the xylophone, are really setting him apart from other producers of similar caliber. Keep ’em coming Moon Boots. By Brian Litwin

Moon Boots – Love Strong

Moon Boots (Facebook)

Rating 8.3

brown8

reviewed by
05-15-13

Disclosure – You & Me (Baauer Remix)

elizadoolittle

Yes, this did indeed just happen.

Baauer newyork: (Soundcloud)

Rating 8.6

brown8

reviewed by
05-14-13