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Track Reviews

Marina and the Diamonds – Scab & Plaster

marina

True story, “Radioactive” is one of my favorite songs of the year. I’ve had it on nonstop repeat the last several weeks. Something about the combo of a great track and the dynamism of an artist in some sort of transition really does it for me sometimes. “Scab & Plaster”, although not quite “Radioactive” good, is a top track in its own right. “S&P” has a sound that mixes 80’s UK rock (Eurythmics, Depeche Mode, Cure, other stuff) and current pop radio (think Katy Perry working with a much broader emotive palette). (DoML)

Marina and the Diamonds – Scab & Plaster

Marina and the Diamonds england (Official) (Facebook)

Rating 8.2

brown8

reviewed by
09-21-11

Thundercat – For Love I Come (Lapalux Flip)

thundercat

Lapalux is maybe our favorite producer doing it right now. Here he hooks up with the track of another b3sci fav, Thundercat, for an interstellar track. The track features cascading bits of vocal, synth layering, and programming all revolving semi-chaotically to create a truly cosmic sounding whirl. Shouts out to the b3sci grown and sexy crowd. Shouts also to the b3sci E.T. grown and sexy crowd. This mix is for you guys.


Lapalux england (Official) (Facebook) (Twitter)

Rating 8.8

brown8

reviewed by
09-20-11

Casey Veggies – I Be On Shit

veggies

Veggies goin’ in.

Casey Veggies – I Be On Shit

Casey Veggies california (Official) (Twitter)

Rating 8.0

brown8

reviewed by
09-20-11

Youth Lagoon – Bobby

youthlagoon

Boise, Idaho, home to beautiful scenery, a shitload of potatoes, and smurf turf can now claim credit to blogrock’s newest heartthrob, multi-instrumentalist Trevor Powers. “Bobby”, excerpted from Powers’ upcoming debut The Year of Hibernation, is a quiet, pensive, piano-driven track that should be the perfect soundtrack to your next “alone time” Saturday night jam playlist.

Youth Lagoon – Bobby

Youth Lagoon idaho (Bandcamp) (Facebook)

Rating 7.6

brown71

reviewed by
09-20-11

Miles Kane – Heaven (Emeli Sande)

mileskane

Arctic Monkeys associate and all and all Class-A bloke Miles Kane turned in this cover of Emeli Sande’s UK Top 10 track “Heaven” earlier today on Radio 1.

Miles Kane – Heaven (Emeli Sande)

Miles Kane england (Official) (Facebook)

Rating 7.9

brown7

reviewed by
09-20-11

Tashaki Miyaki – Nothing Can Change This Love (Sam Cooke)

tashaki

California dream pop band Tashaki Miyaki cover an all-time favorite song by an all-time favorite artist, Sam Cooke’s “Nothing Can Change This Love”.

Tashaki Miyaki – Nothing Can Change This Love (Sam Cooke)

Tashaki Miyaki california (Bandcamp)

Rating 8.0

brown8

reviewed by
09-20-11

Silent Rider – DLZ (TV On the Radio)

silent-rider

NYC duo Silent Rider deliver a killer dubstep-influenced cover of TV on the Radio’s “DLZ”

Silent Rider: newyork (Facebook) (Twitter)

Rating 8.0

brown8

reviewed by
09-20-11

Happy People – Apt

happy-people-ep

Multi-instrumentalist Jeff Widner and singer Steve Ortega team up on HP EP, the debut EP from Happy People. There’s a lot of acts which try to sound like these guys but with only a fraction of the same success. ‘Apt’ sounds like wall-of-sound Feist or stripped-down Broken Social Scene, depending on how you look at it. Fans of fellow Jerseyites The Wrens will find much to love here, including a similarly eclectic range on the rest of the EP. Contributed by Christopher Gedos

Happy People – Apt

Happy People newjersey (Soundcloud)

Rating: 8.2

brown8

reviewed by
09-19-11

Chemo – The Cause and the Cure (Feat. Jareth)

stomach-of-the-mountain

London producer Chemo loosens a hinge or two from the vault on his forthcoming The Stomach Of The Mountain LP. Jareth’s vocal adds a perfect layer to the cinematic “Cause and the Cure”, and finds the pocket better than anything else I’ve listened to this week.

Chemo – The Cause and the Cure (Feat. Jareth)

Chemo england (Official) (The Stomach Of The Mountain) (Preorder)

Rating: 8.7

brown8

reviewed by
09-19-11

J. Cole – Nobody’s Perfect (Feat. Missy Elliott)

j-cole

One of our most anticipated Cole World tracks has arrived. Sample “Nobody’s Perfect” featuring Missy Elliott(!) below.

J. Cole – Nobody’s Perfect (Feat. Missy Elliott)

J. Cole northcarolina (Official) (Facebook)

Rating 8.6

brown8

reviewed by
09-19-11

Kasabian – Re-Wired (The Wunderstation Re-Work)

wunderstation

East LA electro collective The Wunderstation ‘re-wire’ said track from Kasabian’s forthcoming beast of an LP. You know what to do.

Kasabian – Re-Wired (The Wunderstation Re-Work)

BONUS: Kasabian – Re-Wired england (Pre-Order Velociraptor!)

The Wunderstation california (Soundcloud)

Rating 8.3

brown8

reviewed by
09-19-11

BELL – Are You That Somebody? (Aaliyah)

aaliyah

Aaliyah’s classic “Are You That Somebody?” (in at least one b3sci writer’s Top 10 all-time favorite songs) is awesome but it’s also been done to death covers-wise. It’s an easy target, it’s a great seminal song by a great well-remembered artist that everyone knows. How does BK singer BELL’s version measure up? Pretty fucking well. This is no doubt one of the best versions I’ve heard of the song. We know you’ll like it too. (IGIF)

BELL newyork (Official)

Rating 8.2

brown8

reviewed by
09-19-11