“Lying To You” is the lead single from Keaton Henson’s forthcoming and second album, Birthdays, which sees release on February 25. The track is a simple ode of complex vulnerability and like most of Henson’s work, a moment stopper.
Keaton Henson 
(Official)
Rating 8.3
There’s a timeless menace to the Black Soul EP from Gayze. Besides being recorded at a supposed haunted house in seclusion since the 1930s, and with a makeshift studio, the release is as substantave in melody and song as it is garage and grit. We’ll let “Ain’t It Brave” serve as just one example. You can check out more from Gayze here.
Gayze – Ain’t It BraveGayze 
(Bandcamp)
Rating 8.0
Widowspeak’s latest “Thick As Thieves” hushes and whispers the majority of its 2:45 duration but despite that subdued tone weaves a potent magnetic web that transfixes in 3/4 time.
Widowspeak – Thick As ThievesWidowspeak 
(Facebook)
Rating 8.1
Josef Salvat’s “This Life” is one of our favorite tracks of 2013 thusfar. Maybe THE FAVORITE. “This Life” is modern pop perfection. Do not miss.
Josef Salvat – This LifeJosef Salvat (Facebook)
Rating 8.3
mr. carmack blesses us with a step by step guide on what it is to grind. If we’ve got it straight it would seem shows come before hoes come before lambos.
mr. carmack – Grind (Lex)Mr. Carmack (Facebook)
Rating 8.1987
UK band As Elephants Are ready sophomore single “Youth Blood”. “Lucifer”, the b/w “Youth Blood” is being given away for free by the band to mark the new single’s release. The excellent “Lucifer” is built on a sort of Slowdive meets Explosions in the Sky meets modern UK indie pop sound of dramatic percussion swells, delayed tremolo guitars and vocalist Ben Stratford Bombay Bicycle Club-esque croon. Give it a spin and see what you think below.
As Elephants Are – LuciferAs Elephants Are (Facebook)
Rating 8.2
Gold Fields bring their electro ethos to the Diamond Rings dance party for this new synthy, glammed-up flip on “Runaway Love”. Get familiar below.
Gold Fields 
(Facebook) (Purchase)
Diamond Rings 
(Facebook) (Get Free Dimensional)
Rating 8.3
Aussie-born London-based George Maple’s sultry A class lead vocal headline her newest track, the nouveau R&B-informed, minimalist “Uphill”.
George Maple – UphillGeorge Maple (Facebook)
Rating 8.5
Denitia Odigie continues to impress the b3 team with new track “Weekend”. Driven by jazz-inflected guitars, quiet storm rhythms, and a overall breadth to the track that sounds almost analogued to latter-day Radiohead (the picked arpeggios, the deep in the mix glacial vocal harmonies) “Weekend” is an absolute do not miss track.
Denitia Odigie – WeekendDenitia Odigie 
(Facebook)
Rating 8.1
The earth moved, the heavens unfurled, Mike Will made it, and Our Man in Memphis Juicy J adds solo Gold single to his already impressive Academy Award-anchored resume with “Bands a Make Her Dance”. To celebrate this latest accomplishment the Juiceman lets loose new soul-driven track “In the Stars” which also features one Sean Khalifa. blahblahblahratchet.com.
Juicy J – In the Stars (Ft. Wiz Khalifa)Juicy J 
(Twitter)
Rating 8.1
Straight from the b3 synth pop heatbomb files is Chicago duo Hey Champ’s latest, the house-tinged “Cliche”.
Hey Champ – ClicheHey Champ (Facebook)
Rating 8.1
b3 favorites Generationals namecheck everybody’s favorite Dutch Pantheist on newest track “Spinoza”. “Spinoza” which is excerpted here from the band’s just announced Heza LP maintains the soul and guts of the band’s previous output while dialing up the immediacy of the hooks and tightness of the arrangements. We couldn’t be more into it.
Generationals 
(Official)
Rating 8.3
