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Track Reviews

Labrinth – Last Time (Knife Party Remix)

labrinthlasttime

Awwwww shit. Check this 20,000-pound megatron bomb of a remix from Knife Party! If we’re being honest, the original “Last Time” kinda sucks. It’s comes off pretty flat when compared to other Lab produced tracks like “Earthquake” and “Pass Out”. Fortunate for Labrinth’s listening public, Knife Party has swooped in and delivered “Last Time” from the shit track respirator. Fully resuscitating it into a must hear full fathom five club banger. Shouts to our fam at DoML for the rip.

Labrinth – Last Time (Knife Party Remix)

Knife Party england (Facebook)

Rating 8.1

brown8

reviewed by
02-14-12

Kendrick Lamar – Cartoon & Cereal (Feat. Gunplay)

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K Dot yep. Kendrick Lamar lets loose new jawn “Cartoon & Cereal”. Seems as if even our dude can’t avoid the imperial splendor, sprawl and grasp of the Untouchable Maybach Empire, as K Dot links up with MMG’s Gunplay for the track. The subtle nods to spaced out 70’s funk & R&B in the instrumental may remind a bit of ATLiens era Outkast. Tippin’ a Diet Coke to this one.

Kendrick Lamar – Cartoon & Cereal (Feat. Gunplay)

Kendrick Lamar california (Facebook)

Rating 8.1

brown8

reviewed by
02-14-12

Dunson – Count On It (Prod. Phatboiz)

dunson

This is really nice. MD native Dunson (a/k/a Kenton Dunson) delivers on “Count On It”, the first single from the MC’s upcoming The Investment mixtape. Produced by Phatboiz (John Legend, Ludacris), “Count On It” has that nice Friday afternoon, just-got-paid, no. 2’s-in-the-air, feel good sound to it. (The track samples Sesame Street ffs.) Put this one in your rotation.

Dunson – Count On It (Prod. Phatboiz)

Dunson maryland (Facebook)

Rating 8.2

brown8

reviewed by
02-14-12

The Heartbreaks – Winter Gardens

heartbreaks

More sunny guitar pop from Morecambe collective The Heartbreaks. “Winter Gardens” is previewed from the band’s forthcoming Funtimes debut LP expected this May, and is currently a free download at the band’s Facebook. We’re into it.

The Heartbreaks – Winter Gardens

The Heartbreaks: (Facebook) (Soundcloud)

Rating: 8.1

brown8

reviewed by
02-14-12

Mia Rey – Making Love (Feat. Yung Berg) (Prod. Arch Tha Boss)

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Yung Berg protege Mia Rey drops a potential radio bomb with new track “Making Love”. With the right push/promo, “Making Love” is totally a hit on Hot R&B radio (& shit like 106 & Park). All the major playlist relevant ingredients are there: a sharp keys-on-the-one driven beat, subtle electronic elements, a GREAT chorus hook and melody, etc. Get on the Mia Rey train below.

Mia Rey – Making Love (Feat. Yung Berg) (Prod. Arch Tha Boss)

Mia Rey florida (Facebook)

Rating 8.2

brown8

reviewed by
02-13-12

Porcelain Raft – Something In Between

By Chris Gedos

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The Brooklyn band Porcelain Raft proves once again that great things can happen by sticking to the shoegaze formula with zero deviation whatsoever. Most shitty shoegaze takes the formula and tinkers unnecessarily, but Porcelain Raft writes and performs shoegaze pop very, very well, and “Something in Between” is a great example of that, right down to the blatantly ambiguous title. The accompanying video is also of great merit, featuring an animated black dot dancing about the image throughout. With both Porcelain Raft and Damien Jurado making serious noise, shared label Secretly Canadian is having a mammoth 2k12 thus far.

Porcelain Raft – Something In Between

Porcelain Raft newyork (Facebook)

Rating 8.07

brown8

reviewed by
02-13-12

Blah Blah Blah – Soon As I Get Home Tonight

blahblahblah

Like there was any doubt we’d be into this? Not only does Chicago band Blah Blah Blah totally nail the name, they come with a sound that might just be our musical perfect match. The nods to soul & R&B in the rhythm track, the dream pop guitar textures, the history-of-British-rock melodic palette. It’s like if our blog formed a band and it might sorta sound like this BLAH BLAH BLAH. blahblahblahscience loves Blah Blah Blah.

Blah Blah Blah – Soon As I Get Home Tonight

Blah Blah Blah illinois (Facebook)

Rating 8.4

brown8

reviewed by
02-13-12

Tony Williams – Another You (Feat. Kanye West)

kanye-west-tony-williams

The always fly Tony Williams has come through with the full version of “Another You”, his collaboration with longtime friend Kanye West. A snippet of the track appeared on Williams’ Some of My Best Friends Are Rappers mixtape. This final version is slated for inclusion on TW’s upcoming King or The Fool LP. “Another You” is that feel good, sunday afternoon, bbq with the family type R&B. You know these guys had a great time cutting this record.

Tony Williams – Another You (Feat. Kanye West)

Tony Williams texas (Myspace)

Rating 8.5

brown8

reviewed by
02-13-12

Kurt Vile – Baby’s Arms

By Trevor Meyer

kurtvile

Kurt Vile is such a talented artist. “Baby’s Arms” is the opener off of Smoke Ring for My Halo. This is a beautiful, flowing track with patented melodic refrains and that sweet reverberated twang that soothes the soul. To quote my friend, Pat, “Kurt Vile just gets me man, he just gets me.” I think this speaks for all of us.

Kurt Vile – Baby’s Arms

Kurt Vile pennsylvania (Facebook)

Rating 8.4

brown8

reviewed by
02-13-12

St. Lucia NYC February Residency!

stluciaresidencynyc

Brooklyn based Neon Gold artist St. Lucia is performing a weekly residency every Tuesday at Pianos in N.Y.C. throughout the month of February with a culminating gig on Thursday, March 1st at Santos… which will also feature a set from The Knocks! If you’re in The Big City, get in the mix for one of these sets from the to-be-2012-noise-maker! Also, get in the mood with this Disco Arcade flip of the St. Lucia track “All Eyes On You”, which is your new singalong for the rest of the day.

St. Lucia – All Eyes On You (Disco Arcade Remix)

St. Lucia newyork (Soundcloud) (Facebook)

reviewed by
02-13-12

Chromatics – Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black) (Neil Young)

chromatics

Chromatics are about to bum you out with their take on the Uncle Neil classic “Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black)”. A consensus b3 staff Top 10 Neil song, the bar here for a b3sci co-sign is a lofty one. How do the PDX Chromatics crew measure up then? The cover is cinematic, it’s grand-gesturing but it’s also, at times, sort of tortured and unnecessarily languid; however we think it ticks enough “sweet Neil cover” boxes for us to give it a small “yes”.

Chromatics – Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black) (Neil Young)

Chromatics oregon (Facebook)

Rating 7.8

brown71

reviewed by
02-12-12

Nicki Minaj – Young Forever (Prod. Dr. Luke)

nickiminaj

The Two Nicki Minajs. “Young Forever” is more of the “Super Bass”, appearances on “Ellen”, emulated on YouTube by 10 year olds Nicki that became a pop star last year. That fierce Nicki, that Nicki that reps Young Money (you know Slim, Baby) that chews up just about every rap track she’s featured on, (“Monster”, “All I Do Is Win”, “Bottoms Up”, etc) is all but bottled up on this Dr. Luke produced track. Is this a sustainable dynamic for her? For certain, “Young Forever” is a huge Top 40 track. Like it doesn’t have that instant hookiness or cool uniqueness (like nothing else sounds like it on radio) that “Super Bass” had. “Young Forever” sounds like EVERYTHING on radio right now. This track though will get ramrodded so hard into Hot Hip hip/R&B/Pop radio rotation; the breaking of its’ audience is nothing short of certain. We’re calling a peak at Billboard #4.

Nicki Minaj – Young Forever (Prod. Dr. Luke)

Nicki Minaj newyork (Facebook)

Rating 8.2

brown8

reviewed by
02-12-12