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Clubfeet – Cape Town (Panama Remix)

clubfeet cape town

New jam. Panama ring in the sunniness sounds of “Cape Town” (yes, both the track and the place) with this latest remix of the stellar Clubfeet track. Catch these two acts together on tour in Australia this summer ahead of Clubfeet’s new AA-side single release for Everything You Wanted/Heartbreak (July 15) and new full length album Heirs and Graces expected this September. In the meantime, get your daytime disco dance-on to this fresh take of “Cape Town” below.

Clubfeet – Cape Town (Panama Remix)

Panama (Facebook)

Rating 8.3

brown8

reviewed by
07-03-13

Smooth Hound Smith – Get Low

smoothhoundsmith

Smooth Hound Smith, the male/female duo out of Venice, CA, ably connect the roots of rock and soul to the more modern palette with their just released debut self-titled LP. A favorite of ours (of many) from the album is the stomping, compact, blues-in-motion sound of “Get Low”. You can stream stream Smooth Hound Smith in its entirety on bandcamp.

Smooth Hound Smith california (Facebook)

Rating 8.5

brown8

reviewed by
07-02-13

Amason – Went To War

Amason

Amason, a Swedish indie supergroup of sorts (the Stockholm-based band features members of Miike Snow, Idiot Wind & Little Majorette), make their B3 debut w/ the compact rhythm-driven indie pop of “Went To War”. The track ticks the boxes (quite well actually) of being great melodically and conceptually as well as lyrically but is particularly memorable for it’s excellent set of horn-led hook-sealing counter melodies (you will recognize them instantly when you first hear them) that are of a quality characteristic of the best songwriters (like Miike Snow’s Pontus Winnberg).

Amason california (Facebook)

Rating 8.3

brown8

reviewed by
07-01-13

Duke Dumont feat. MNEK – Hold On

duke dumont

Duke Dumont’s maturation into a full on star of indie dance music continues with new single “Hold On”. Featuring Rudimental collaborator MNEK (& “Need U” co-writer), “Hold On” walks a neat juxtaposition between the immediacy of the track’s club ready beats and bounce and the more sobering spiritual for the 2010’s vocal and instrumental stylings. “Hold On” is a most definite win for Duke Dumont.

Duke Dumont (Soundcloud)

Rating: 8.3

brown8

reviewed by
07-01-13

Major Major Major – Scream Queen

major major major

Major Major Major a new rock and roll duo out of Austin score major B3 points with the 60’s pop-informed crunch of awesome debut single “Scream Queen”. Get into Major Major Major before all yr friends (inevitably) do RIGHT NOW.

Major Major Major texas (Bandcamp)

Rating 8.3

brown8

reviewed by
07-01-13

Mayer Hawthorne – Her Favorite Song (Oliver Remix)

favorite song

“Her Favorite Song” is probably Hall & Oates, that is if the sound on Mayer’s latest single transferable to the tastes of the track’s titular boo. Here, blog favorite Oliver gives the Jessie Ware-featuring song a 2010’s synth-pop makeover injecting it with enough bounce and “feel good feels” to keep the blog rocking rocking until the break of the dawn (1990’s).

Mayer Hawthorne – Her Favorite Song (Oliver Remix)

Oliver (Soundcloud)

Rating 8.0

brown8

reviewed by
07-01-13

Holograms – Meditations

meditations

Ooh yeah, we likey. The well-worn genre of “dark brooding post-punk” comes and goes (as all genres in the larger rotation of the literati do) among the turnstile consciousness of the indie literati. July 2013, scene: The United States, neither the time or place are particularly friendly (at least broadly) to post-punk and the genre’s charms. It’s awesome to find a band that in addition to playing great music in the face of its current trends; but the the fact that Swedish band (where post-punk is still alive and well apparently) Holograms do it so well and so convincingly is something truly worthy of admiration (& a spot on B3). “Meditations” is single #2 from Holograms sophomore Forever LP.

Holograms sweden (Facebook)

Rating 8.4

brown8

reviewed by
07-01-13

Elli Ingram – Poetic Justice (Retrial) (Prod. Felix Joseph & Rudi Redz)

elli ingram

The very very talented UK up and comer Elli Ingram releases her debut “Sober” EP. A tantalizing (and we don’t use that word lightly) mix of current R&B and pop sensibilities w/ the powerhouse vocal quality and performance of the best and most well-lauded of the current wave female British singers; and, oh yeah, there’s this absolutely crazy re-work of Kendrick’s “Poetic Justice” that closes the EP and is our pick from the set.

Elli Ingram – Poetic Justice (Retrial) (Prod. Felix Joseph & Rudi Redz)

Elli Ingram (Facebook)

Rating: 8.5

brown8

reviewed by
07-01-13

Bondax – Giving It All

bondax

Lancashire UK’s soul pop home team Bondax. We’re going proceed now with this track by forgoing the requisite Disclosure comparison and introduce you straight to the track, which (and it should really not be a surprise) is very good indeed. We’re talking hit-you-in-the-heart-area R&B vocals, the slickest of slick bass lines & “feel good for summer” vibes; the typical (& typically well-fashioned) Bondax formula. A+’s all around.

Bondax (Facebook)

Rating 8.4

brown8

reviewed by
07-01-13

B3SESSION: X Ambassadors Perform “Unconsolable”

x ambassadors copy

Brooklyn based X Ambassadors recently stopped by Elias Studios in Santa Monica to perform a few tracks from their new Love Songs Drug Songs EP, and to do an interview with KCRW DJ & Music Supervisor Jason Kramer. This performance of their song “Unconsolable” especially showcases the band’s various stylistic intuitions, from pop to indie and alternative rock. Check out Part 1 of the session below.

X Ambassadors newyork: (Facebook)(Love Songs Drug Songs on iTunes)

reviewed by
07-01-13

Interview w/ Lovelife

lovelife

We were probably not alone in the music blogging game in scratching our heads at the notion that newcomers Lovelife were a partial extension of the once very well-hyped UK guitar band Viva Brother. That same band (or most of it) is now getting on well enough in their new digs as NYC-based 80’s dream-synth-poppers, Lovelife. We unlocked some of the band’s mystery during an interview before their recent Echo/Popshop West Presents show in L.A. We spoke briefly with producer/instrumentalist Ally Young and guitarist Samuel Jackson about their past, their new single with tastemakers Neon Gold, life on the road and more.

Lovelife (Soundcloud)

reviewed by
07-01-13

Los Girls – One For Sloan

LosGirls

Necessary chill coming your way from LA based producers LOS GIRLS. Their debut release “One For Sloan” fuses dreamy synths and subterranean beat culture into an experimental serving of surreptitious electro pop. Keep an eye out for their debut EP July 16 on Plug Research and sample the cinematic vibes of “One For Sloan” below.

Los Girls california (Plug Research)

Rating 8.3

brown8

reviewed by
06-29-13