Grammy Award winning producer Dawaun Parker has linked up with New England born and LA based artist Phil Beaudreau for the pre-release of several tracks including the infectious “Take It High” and “Spark”. The two linked up while at Berklee College of Music and have since put together a collection of tracks to be released this April on Parker’s own High Renaissance imprint. Get familiar below.
Phil Beaudreau – Take It High Phil Beaudreau – SparkPhil Beaudreau 
(Soundcloud)
Rating 8.2
Indie dance-rock outfit We Were Lovers recently premiered the video for their new single “Islands”, off their Pyramids LP coming this April. This is their first official music video, but you wouldn’t know it. Playful, sexy, and badass. That is how I would describe this video. Also, the landscape shots are as epic as the vocal and beat that accompany them. We Were Lovers are the duo of Ash Lamothe & Elsa Gebremichael from Saskatoon, Canada. By Jon Herriot
Islands – We Were LoversWe Were Lovers 
(Facebook)
Rating 8.4
Renowned producer on the rise – Cyril Hahn flips the forthcoming single from hottly tipped songstress Gabrielle Aplin. Stay tuned for more to come from both artists in 2013. Also, be sure to check out Cyril on his debut European tour.
TOUR DATES:
22/02/2013 – Hoetell (Oslo, NORWAY)
23/02/2013 – Club 55 (Warsaw, POLAND)
26/02/2013 – Fiftyone27 (Bristol, UNITED KINGDOM)
27/02/2013 – Le Lieu (Birmingham, UNITED KINGDOM)
28/02/2013 – Heat&Defeat (Vienna, Austria)
1/03/2013 – Riot @ Simons (Copenhagen, DENMARK)
2/03/2013 – 7 years of FORMA.T (Liege, BELGIUM)
4/03/2013 – NQ Live – (Manchester, UNITED KINGDOM)
5/03/2013 – Killer Kitsch (Glasgow, UNITED KINGDOM)
6/03/2013 – The Button Factory (Dublin, IRELAND)
7/03/2013 – Social Club (Paris, FRANCE)
8/03/2013 – Sidings Warehouse (London, UNITED KINGDOM)
8/03/2013 – Audio (Brighton, UNITED KINGDOM)
9/03/2013 – SVMK Festival (Stockholm, SWEDEN)
Cyril Hahn (Facebook)
Rating 8.1
Hankering after something to rid you of that lifeless feeling? Forget exercise and healthy eating; take this 8-minute programme of mechanical resynchronisation therapy courtesy of Factory Floor and you’re back on track.
The krautrock inspired left field electro three-piece have finally announced their debut album, which will be out on DFA Records later this year, and with it this first single “Fall Back” released on January 15 and streaming below. By Nathan Hetherington
Factory Floor 
(Label)
Rating 8.2
Hey Sholay offer up melodic indie pop that reminds of the late As Tall As Lions and The Velvet Teen on latest single “Go Easy Tiger”. Look out for a new EP from the band this coming spring.
Hey Sholay – Go Easy Tiger Hey Sholay – A Strange Dream For A BoatHey Sholay (Facebook)
Rating 8.2
Yeah this is rock and roll. “Sweet Dreams” sounds mean and dark and menacing and cool. Angel Olsen’s deep-in-the-pa wail sounds anachronistic and nostalgic as if it was ripped straight out of some dusted-out frequency and amplitude of post-psychedelia. In 2013, we need more music like this.
Angel Olsen – Sweet Dreams (Official Video) from Randy Sterling Hunter on Vimeo.
Angel Olsen 
(Purchase)
Rating 8.1
A single kinetic guitar frames up Big Brave frontwoman Robin Faye’s gritty vocal on the excellently spare new track from the French Canadian band. Check out the band’s equally good EP “Understanding Between People” on their bandcamp, here.
Big Brave – HaloBig Brave (Bandcamp)
Rating 8.2
Mara Flames is the sound of a seasoned rock songwriter’s experiences, regrets, loves distilled through visceral melodies and guitar figures. “In The Pouring Rain” is soulful, and honest, and really really good. Do give it your attention below.
Mara Flames 
(Soundcloud)
Rating 8.2
UK producer borrows a page from the book of Deadmau5, blending cinematic piano stabs, dynamic builds of percussion, and sweeping R&B-informed female vocals on his new track “Fade”. Debuting today on Huw Stephens BBC Radio show, “Fade” will see its proper full on release in March.
Jakwob (Facebook)
Rating 8.1
Young Veggies delivers fresh material from his just announced Life Changes project (due Jan. 22). The jazzy/heroin soul-tipped Terrence Clayton-produced track left us right defenseless against doing exactly what song says to. CV we fwchu.
Casey Veggies (Facebook)
Rating 8.2
“Wait Up For You” is jangly female-fronted indie rock in 1/2 time via Canada’s West Coast. The Vancouver 5-piece will release “Wait Up For You” b/w “Wasted Light” January 21 on Bella Union. Get psyched.
The Belle Game (Facebook)
Rating 8.1
Lion Babe a/k/a the New York duo of Jillian Hervey (who, suprise, is Vanessa Williams’ [“Colors of the Wind” and “Ugly Betty Vanessa Williams not 90210 and Soul Food Vanessa Williams] daughter) and production wiz Lucas Goodman put the b3 crew on R&B notice with their silky smooth late nighter “Treat Me Like Fire”. If you’ve ever even once in your life listened to a Erykah or Aaliyah record and liked it (We probably can’t be friends if the answer to that question is no btw) then you’re going to want to get ears on “Treat Me Like Fire” ASAP.
Lion Babe – Treat Me Like FireLion Babe (Official)
Rating 8.5
