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Mayer Hawthorne – Designer Drug

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Welcome back, Mayer. After the disappointing How Do You Do, new track “Designer Drug” recaptures much of the energy, spontaneity, and tunefulness that made Mayer’s early records so much fun. The throwback touchstones are there; 70’s soul, 90’s hip hop, classic 80’s pop (& mostly accuratley Michael Jackson) but with “Designer Drug” Mr. Hawthorne doesn’t allow his influences and a bit of a self-consciousness about them shackle him to the safety of pastiche & trope.

Mayer Hawthorne michigan (Official) (Facebook)

Rating 8.3

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reviewed by
04-01-13

Still Corners – All I Know

London band Still Corners announced second LP Strange Pleasures last month. First single “Berlin Lovers” indicated perhaps a more synth-laden, compact direction for LP #2. New track “All I Know”, while in structure follows on from that first indication, takes a even darker and decidedly more nocturnal direction. Built on the simple mechanic of a spare drum figure & hushed percussive guitar; “All I Know” is primed for car stereo listening; late night, streets of the empty city cruising. That we can definitely dig and we can definitely get into Still Corners new sound. Strange Pleasures is due May 7th on Sub Pop.

Still Corners england (Facebook)

Rating 8.2

reviewed by
04-01-13

Ifan Dafydd – Llonydd (Feat. Alys Williams)

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Insanely talented electronic musician and Welsh language enthusiast Ifan Dafydd is back with a new track today in the form of the kinetic & beautiful “Llonydd”. If the Andromeda Galaxy had a quiet storm R&B station (and if they spoke Welsh) “Llonydd” would likely dominate its’ “late night” “grown” rotation. A part of a new out-today 10″ compilation spotlighting rising Welsh artists, you can find “Llonydd” via Recordiau Lilwgar.

Ifan Dafydd wales (Twitter) (Facebook)

Rating 8.6

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reviewed by
04-01-13

Tokyo Denmark Sweden – When It Breaks

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Australian trio Tokyo Denmark Sweden make electro-dance-pop that will spur an 80’s movie buff to yearn for a new John Hughes film. While Hollywood can’t seem to create the same magic Mr. Hughes did, Tokyo Denmark Sweden have no problem translating the classic synth era into modern nostalgia. Packed with rich bass and beats, bright vocals and synthesizers, ‘When It Breaks’ is about 3 minutes and 40 seconds worth of danceable escapism; magic we all can use. By Desiree Autobee

Tokyo Denmark Sweden australia (Facebook)

Rating 8.3

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reviewed by
04-01-13

Review: Django Django @ The Fonda in LA 3/23/13

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Django Django successfully ended their American tour at the Fonda on Saturday night, March 23. It’s been a quick rise for this refreshingly unique band, who was a Mercury Prize finalist and who made many year-end lists for 2012. A year ago, they were earnestly playing smaller SXSW venues as relative unknowns the the US. They sold out The Echo last fall, with several hundred onlookers and fans packed in and vibing to a show that was relentlessly electric. Saturday night, the guys expressed several times, their delight in playing on the Fonda stage. The venue holds about 1200, and an estimated 900 were on hand. Django Django attracted a good-natured crowd, as evidenced by the number of smiles on people during the intermission. The set sounded virtually note perfect, with all twelve songs coming from their debut album. The band has quickly moved to expand their show, with compelling lighting and some extended song versions. The tribal “Introduction” appropriately opened the festivities, leading into the popular “Hail Bop” just as on the CD. “Waveforms” has one of the band’s hottest grooves. The guys played an extended version with a nice little acapella section mid-song, followed by a jam that eased them back into the familiar tempo. Virtually every song has a dance feel and when they got to the acoustically based “Hand the Man”, it was a beautiful change of pace. The crowd was with them from the start but it was toward the end of the set when the house really got moving. As Django Django grows, it might behoove them to deliver their set with just a bit more punch to equal the impact they had at The Echo. As the show progressed, their hit “Default” and the garagy “Wor” ended things on an intense note. They returned to play “Silver Rays” for a hotly demanded encore. By Bruce Rave

Django Django (Facebook)

* Links and playlists from Rave’s weekly new music show can be found on his blog and be sure follow Bruce on Twitter too!

reviewed by
03-30-13

Review: Flume & Para One @ The Echoplex, Los Angeles 03/26/13

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“Hype for an artist can be generated from different media outlets and will always have different outcomes for that said artist. Certain times, when the spotlight is seemingly on only one artist, that act will fall short and usually go by the way side. However, other times, that one highlighted act rises from the uncertainty and leaves those doubters in the dust. On Tuesday night at The Echoplex in Silverlake, the sold out crowd may have witnessed one of those special artists in Flume.

Warming the audience up for Flume was Jean-Baptiste de Laubier aka Para One. The Parisian brought pure fire, genre hopping and mashing top 40 R&B and rap got the crowd really going. The well established producer/film director was not short on energy and if he had the chance to, he would have played for hours. The crowd really fed off the energy Jean brought and he exited the stage to a nice applause.

After a table change up, the 21 year old Sydney based producer Flume, real name Harley Streten, stepped on stage. The packed Echoplex seemed to shift closer to the stage and the set got on the way. Picking from the very successful self titled debut, Flume started to show the LA audience why there was a large spotlight on the gifted producer. Some personal favorites from the show that was just a non stop dance party were Sleepless featuring Jezzabell Doran, Insane featuring Moon Holiday, On Top featuring T.Shirt, Left Alone featuring Chet Faker and his side project with Emoh Instead monster remix of Major Lazer’s Get Free. Oddly enough, B3SCI contributor Phoebe Severin was also in attendance and she thought,”…his retouch on the Hermitude – HyperParadise remix… wow.” Believe the hype folks, this kid is the real deal.” By Brian Litwin

Flume australia (Facebook) (Soundcloud)

Para One france (Facebook) (Soundcloud)

reviewed by
03-28-13

Throwback: The La’s – Was It Something I Said (Kitchen Demo)

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And now a reading from the Holy Gospel according to Mike Badger.

The La’s england (Facebook)

Rating 8.3

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reviewed by
03-28-13

Fossil Collective – Wolves

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The hour is drawing ever closer to Fossil Collective’s debut album; so here is one final cut before it’s officially time to pour yourself a warming beverage and sink into your life long companion of a listening chair, eyes closed while you carefully breath in every soothing moment of David Fendick and Jonny Hooker’s wonderfully crafted collection of songs. “Tell where I lie” will be released April 8th and can be pre-ordered from Dirty Hit here and in the meantime stream the next single “Wolves” to your hearts content. By Nathan Hetherington

Fossil Collective england (Facebook)

Rating 8.3

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reviewed by
03-28-13

Burn Water – I Just Want You (Forever)

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Aussie producer Burn Water pours one out for the Alicia Keys we all once knew with the deeply soulful “No One”-sampling “I Just Want You (Forever)”. Very very nice, Mr. Water.

Burn Water australia (Facebook)

Rating 8.4

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reviewed by
03-28-13

Carousel – Another Day

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Summertime in March; sounds wild and crazy, right? Well, you’re just one play button push away from realizing your very own summer in the bleak later winter with Boston duo Carousel’s sunny new joint for “Another Day”.

Carousel massachusetts (Facebook)

Rating: 8.2

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reviewed by
03-28-13

FYFE – Lies

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“Paul Dixon, aka FYFE, is 3 for 3 and it seems like the more he puts out the more his Solace EP, expected release of April 7th, will grab record execs attention. Lies is a different direction than his two other singles Solace and St. Tropez, but still features his signature voice and great use of space for the track. In a 2008 interview with BBC Manchester, Chris Long said of Paul Dixon’s music, “With a striking fragility that belies the solid songwriting rooted within them, his tunes are at once brilliantly fleeting, strangely timeless and surprisingly shimmering.” I think this quote still holds true today. By Brian Litwin

FYFE england (Facebook)

Rating 8.4

reviewed by
03-28-13

Lab Coast – For Now

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Check out the wonderfully acoustic strum-driven (there’s definitely been a dearth of these sorts of tracks recently) and melodic “For Now”, excerpted from Calgary band Lab Coast’s upcoming Walking On Ayr LP, which is due in May on Mammoth Cave Records.

Lab Coast (Facebook)

Rating 8.4

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reviewed by
03-27-13