Kodaline have just released this new cover of LCD Soundsystem’s “All My Friends”. The track will be on the band’s forthcoming and second EP, The High Hopes, which drops one week ahead of the release of their debut album, In A Perfect World on 3/18, right around the high-tide season of SXSW. Expect to hear lots more from Kodaline in 2013.
Kodaline 
(Soundcloud)
Rating 8
We recently caught up with singer songwriter Steffaloo on the heels of her sophomore LP and label debut, Would You Stay, via LA based Mush Records. And in addition to her collection of noteworthy collaborations, the album has found it’s way into steady rotation here at B3SCI headquarters this Fall. Get a look below at our conversation with Steffaloo about her next album, plans for SXSW 2013, the origins of her name and more.
B3SCI: Would You Stay is a standout release of 2012. And especially for a debut label release, how do you feel this album defines Steffaloo as an artist? Is there a message that you are looking to send to the world?
Steffaloo: Thank you! This album was really a big step for me I think, in a lot of ways. Not only is it my first release with a label, but I really tried to put a little more into each song than my previous work. I wanted the sound to be more full and developed. I have a long way to go for sure, but really feel like I just continue to learn a ton as I go along and hopefully that is coming out in my music. I think any artist’s hope is that their work/music speaks for itself as far as defining them. This is my hope at least. All I ever hope to communicate or give in my music is just me; something real and honest. Something brave.
B3SCI: Is there any special track on Would You Stay that you hold especially true to your heart?
Steffaloo: Well, I think the title track is probably the one that packs the most punch for me personally. It was just so defining as far as what I had been going through in life and where I was emotionally. It was really me learning to let go of things and move on into other, greater, things. The whole album is really that – me trying to navigate through a pretty defining moment in my life; trying to grow up and move beyond the past I suppose.
B3SCI: With the album’s minimal and largely acoustic nature, how do see the power of “song” cutting through the musical landscape that’s currently so heavy on new technology, sampling, effects and production? Especially given the short attention spans and flashy media bombardment of today’s society?
Steffaloo: I think this is a really interesting question because it never really crossed my mind when making the music I make, that people would see it as so minimalistic and raw. I think there’s a part of me that really just loves the simplicity of music a guitar and a voice. The artists i’ve really looked up to like Feist, Adele, Imogen Heap, have all had a very real and heartbreaking quality to them that always really moved me. I think it’s that same quality that the greats like Bob Dylan and the like had; just that ability to really tell a story or communicate something that people can really relate to without having to be the best singer on the planet or the even the best musician. I think for me that’s always been really impactful because it doesn’t take much to do this if what you’re saying is truly honest. I guess in my own music that’s something I’ve always really valued and so I’ve never felt the need to over complicate it with a lot of sound and noise. That, and I just honestly don’t know how to play the guitar as well as I’d like to ha, and that’s really pushed me to develop lyrically in ways I wouldn’t have. Don’t get me wrong though, I’m a huge fan of a lot of the electronic music out there today, and obviously I love being a part of a great deal of it. There are a lot of electronic producers creating some really beautiful things that I really appreciate, and it just goes to show that there are so many different ways to accomplish creating something that really speaks to people. I’m really thankful to be able to be a part of both spectrums of that.
B3SCI: Having worked with artists like Blackbird Blackbird, Stumbeline & XXYYXX, what goes
into your collaboration choices? How have you identified such great projects?
Steffaloo: As the things I’ve found myself being a part of collaboratively has had a great deal to do with what really moves me, all these guys have had a quality in their music that has really made me feel something, and I think the more I feel a track the more it brings out the best in me. These guys have all made me look good! I’ve been very fortunate to be able to have the opportunity to work with such amazingly talented producers and artists and I’ve learned a ton from each of them. I think a lot of these projects have come out of a great willingness to just keep expanding as people and artists by trying new things and communicating new and shared ideas. There’s a really unique community we’ve all found online and in the blogosphere that has really become near and dear to my heart.
B3SCI: Is there anybody that you’re angling to work with at the moment?
Steffaloo: There’s always new people that I’d love to work with, it’s hard to keep up sometimes ha! It’s been neat to see a number of new female producers pop up like Empress Of, and Wall, I think it’d be a great change to work with one of them on something.
B3SCI: We love your vocal tone and ability to draw out great melodic lines from the instrumentals you work with. What’s your process when you pull out or put together a new melody? How does your affinity for various genres factor (if at all)?
Steffaloo: Thank you so much! I touched on this a little earlier, but I really feel that my lack of skill instrumentally has kind of forced me to be stronger vocally and lyrically. My strengths have never lied in playing an instrument, but I’ve always known how to sing. And i think I’ve always been really drawn to other artists who are able to create powerful songs in this way. Artists like Feist, or Patrick Watson, or even someone like Pheobe Bridgers all have this amazing ability to sing in such a way that sometimes you forget they’re even playing an instrument at all. Their voice and what they are saying becomes so much bigger than the music itself. I think that’s what I really hope to acheive somehow when creating my own music. I think I just kind of naturally fell back on having the instruments I play be more of a guide for me vocally, and that’s a huge part of my process when writing.
B3SCI: What or who are your major vocal inspirations?
Steffaloo: Well, as you can probably guess, Feist is a huge one, if not THE one. Adele, Imogen Heap, Beach House, Stevie Nicks, Eva Cassidy.. there are really just too many to name.
B3SCI: At what point in your career do you feel that you found the voice of Steffaloo?
Steffaloo: Hh man, I feel like I’m finding it everyday ha. It’s funny, the way i kind of stumbled into this whole music thing has made being honest a bit easier I think. What I mean is, I started making music for the sheer joy of doing it, just pure and simple it is something that I do because it makes me feel alive. I think what ends up getting in the way of an artists ‘true voice’ is when that joy and aliveness is lost, that’s how all art is. I think as long as I’m being honest with myself my voice will emerge without me even having to think about it really.
B3SCI: Steffaloo, it just seems like a nickname. How did Steph Thompson come to acquire the alias known as Steffaloo?
Steffaloo: It was indeed a nickname! I somehow got deemed ‘steffaluphagus’ while working at Starbucks when I first moved to LA. It soon morphed into ‘steffaloo’ and before I knew it everyone was calling me that. I had used the name for some of the art and photography I was doing as a kind of brand name, so I just stuck with it when i started playing music haha.
B3SCI: Is there anything in particular that inspires you to write? Be it… a favorite place, instrument, routine?
Steffaloo: hmm, I think it’s just life really. Sometimes I’ll go months without really feeling like I want to write or play anything. Other times I’ll write five songs in one week. I think when I really let myself stop long enough to really absorb life and feel it a little bit I discover a lot of things that I just need to get out somehow and express. When it comes out in music form I usually find myself in my room for hours with my guitar just letting it do what it’s going to do. My songwriting process has become a bit like me sitting down to write in my diary in a way, haha.. it’s always an amazing thing to me to really let myself be still enough to see what’s really going on with me, to see what ends up coming out and manifesting into something (hopefully) beautiful.
B3SCI: What makes for classic music?
Steffaloo: Well I suppose that’s different for every person really. And that’s part of what I find so fascinating with any art, and with music in particular, because a work/song always has a very personal relationship with the listener. It means whatever you need it to mean, it moves you in ways only you know, it inspires certain parts of you that it might not in others. I think any piece of music that has the ability to do that is true music. And the ones that can continue to do that through the decades are the true classic pieces of music.
B3SCI: Do you have any favorite albums of 2012?
Steffaloo: A few that have seem some pretty heavy rotation from me are – Bloom (Beach House), Shrines (Purity Ring), Channel Orange (Frank Ocean), From The Top Of Willamet Mountain (Joshua James), Look An Little Closer (Levek), Hundred Waters (Hundred Waters)… I could go on, but I’ll stop there!
B3SCI: Finally, what’s next for Steffaloo. What can fans expect 2013 to bring?
Steffaloo: I’m working on another album for release next year – it will be a bit different than my solo stuff so I’m pretty excited about it. I’ll hopefully be recording some new solo songs with the band I’ve been playing with. Playing live shows with a band has been amazing. It’s really added a fullness to my music that I feel like I wasn’t able to add just playing by myself. It’s been crazy to play with other talented musicians and see not only where they take certain songs but also what they help bring out in me. Looking forward to playing some great showcases at SXSW, and one of these days I’d love to go on a real tour.. for now, I’m just enjoying this whole process and I’m constantly being surprised by the things that come my way and all the people I’ve met and been able to create with.
Steffaloo 
(Facebook)
These Brisbane, Australia talents do well in their home country but are still largely undiscovered in the US. They did play at SXSW, 2011 and their stunning harmonies had people outside, on 6th Street in Austin, literally stopping in their tracks. The band’s new album is The May King and His Paper Crown, and “Whistling Bone” has emerged as a lead track. It’s got a mid-tempo drive that sticks to your… bones. The animated video features a sweet little girl who is adopted into a house of hell, and is worth checking out as well. By Bruce Rave
Drawn From Bees — Whistling BoneDrawn From Bees 
(Facebook)
*Check out Bruce’s Moheak Radio “Go Deep” show on Sunday nights 7-9 pm Pacific, 10-12 am Eastern, 3-5 am GMT. Listen to past shows at Bruce’s blog and follow Bruce on Twitter.
With their signature blend of R&B fused guitar pop, it’s no secret that this Manchester based collective are causing a stir of excitement in the indie rock world. Title track and new single, “Sex”, from their upcoming EP release, has been in rotation here and across the blogosophere for the last year or so in it’s demo form; with the official single version recently debuted by famed BBC Radio 1 DJ Zane Lowe. More so, the rest of the band’s new Sex EP is equally infectious, with highlights including mid-tempo grooves on “Undo” and the melodic climax of “You”. The Sex EP sees release on November 19th, it is the second installment of the band’s current three EP release cycle, culminating to the band’s debut album with release expected sometime in 2013. Check out our Q&A with the band below.
B3SCI: How did The 1975 form and come to be, and for how long has the band been playing together as a whole?
The 1975: We met at school. We kinda started out of boredom. There was no real scene in our town at that time and we were all looking for some way of expressing ourselves I suppose. Some woman called Sheila started this run of gigs for underage kids (I think she was like a hippy council worker) and they soon turned into a riot. We would go and play there, doing covers of punk songs and ghostbusters etc. It was so drunken and personal. After doing that for a while we wrote a song and thought ‘Let’s just do this! This is well better than going to school or work. So we went under loads of names, made loads of different music and now we’re here – as The 1975.
B3SCI: Manchester has a legendary history of influential bands, was there anything in particular about this history that was influential to The 1975 in it’s formative years?
The 1975: Not really no. We met at school around Manchester – but I was born in London and George in Brussels etc. so our personal affiliation with Manchester and our understanding of it’s tribalist attitude towards music came quite late on. I grew up on R&B and Soul for example, as opposed to New Order. But as a city, it is the setting to all of our music in my head. It was the girls and endless gigs and general vibe of the place that bled into our music.
B3SCI: In the new video for your single “Sex”, your rehearsal space is dressed everywhere with iconic posters of artists. Did you guys play any role in the selection of what we see?
The 1975: Yes, all of it. That’s our rehearsal room and has been forever. We’ve never left it. We just thought it would be cool to shoot it in that room because it is essentially a visual representation of what we’re about. It wasn’t a contrived idea – just thought it would be real.
B3SCI: Some lyrical topics from The 1975 seem to explore concepts of new experience and discovery, yet the name of the band itself, and even musically, the band seems to hint towards a maturity beyond its years. What does the concept of time mean to The 1975?
The 1975: I think people are obsessed with time. That sounds a bit under revised – but what I’m talking about is our obsession with decades. We like everything to fit into our predetermined timeline of what we know and expect. It makes things easier to digest and helps us see cultural movements as ‘that time’. This can breed a lot of predictable art though – be it music or whatever. So our band take the attitude of ‘all bets are off’. That’s why we never really take contemporary music into consideration. Not to say we don’t listen to it, of course we do, we just don’t worry about ‘what’s going on’. I reckon timeless music is created by people that aren’t thinking about time.
B3SCI: The band is in the process of releasing a series of three EPs leading up to the release of your debut album in 2013. Is there a story behind these initial releases, or a story that you are trying to tell with them?
The 1975: I wouldn’t say that there is a narrative running from the first e.p. through to the last. But there is a definite theme. Sex, Love, Drugs and Fear I suppose. The songs on Sex are all about passing moments. Moments that we don’t analyse at the time – only to understand them retrospectively. Where as Facedown has a more assertive attitude. I think that’s what separates those two records. For the third, we’re not quite finished.
B3SCI: Is there a story or reason that the band has decided to collaborate with producer Mike Crossey on the forthcoming full-length album?
The 1975: He got in touch with us and said he really wanted to do our album. We were initially a bit apprehensive because we had always said that we were going to produce our debut album – same as we did with the E.p.’s. But we went over to Liverpool to meet him and shook hands on the whole thing that day. It was very easy. We are now in the studio with Mike as a co-producer and it seems to be going well. Very, very well.
B3SCI: Both your new Sex EP and it’s predecessor Facedown EP explore ambient rock concepts. Is there a philosophy or perspective that The 1975 has about ambient composition? Are there any particulars about ambient or atmospheric music that the band find inspiring?
The 1975: I suppose it was Sigur Ros who first really blew me away. I remember hearing their first album and then totally emerging myself in all things Eno. Ambient music really speaks to me. I think it’s because I first fell in love with music through film at a very early age – John Hughes movies etc. Ambient music at it’s best commands you how to feel without the use of words – I think that’s really powerful. More powerful in fact.
B3SCI: The band seems to have a strong affinity for a great pop melody. To you guys, what makes for a great pop song?
The 1975: Well that is something we’re really trying to explore at the moment. Sometimes you release a piece of music, or maybe play it to a friend, with the opinion that is really left field or something you’ve created with no intention of it being accepted as a ‘big’ song . And then it is. I used to think it was just all about structure and chords, but it’s really not. A good pop song is about how it makes you feel at face value – on the first listen. If it doesn’t take you some where immediately – through its message or instrumentation or whatever it is – it will simply be lost on you.
B3SCI: What artists or influences do you have which fans might find as a surprise? Any guilty pleasures you’d like to share?
The 1975: Well my iTunes at the moment is pretty much mid 90’s R&B. D’angelo, Boyz II Men, TLC, Brian Mcknight etc. But I’m not guilty for any of that. We find it hard to dislike music because it’s soppy or not perceived as ‘cool’. If you’re a good song writer you can find influence in any type of music whether it’s cool or not. But to be fair, Dixie Chicks just came on as I was saying that. I do feel a bit guilty about that.
B3SCI: If The 1975 could tour with any band, who would it be? (PS…you can hop into our B3SCI time machine if you like for any artist past, present, or future..)
The 1975: It would be : Michael Jackson – History Tour 1996. I was at that show in Wembley. I would have been about 7 years old. It was one of the most memorable and important experiences I think I’ve ever had. Seeing him perform catalysed a real drive within me from an early age. So that show would be awesome to fly back to and be part of. But also Talking Heads – Stop Making Sense Tour. Just cos they’re the fucking coolest. And David Byrne with that huge lamp was genius.
B3SCI: When will we finally get to see The 1975 performing in the US?
The 1975: Next year, if everything goes according to plan. We’re looking to get out there for SXSW. We might stick around and play some shows. We can’t wait actually.
B3SCI: What else should fans expect to hear from The 1975 in the year to come? Any surprises that you can share with us?
The 1975: If i knew, I would tell you. But I’m locked away in the studio. All I do know is that there is going to be A LOT of shows. And an album. A big album.
The 1975 
(Facebook) (Pre-Order Sex EP)
Daughter were one of our favorites at SXSW. The London-based trio’s performance inside St. David’s church in Austin was truly stunning. The cinematic “Smother”, the band’s latest, is right there with Daughter’s best. Do not miss it.
Rating 8.5
Moonlight Bride were an act on our must see list for SXSW this year. Of course general live festival chaos took its course, schedules crissed and crossed every which direction, etc, etc and we missed the band’s one set, that we knew of. (PS if you were there hit us up because we need to know how it was!) Fortunately the band have released a new remix collection of their Twin Lakes EP to remind us of what we missed. A standout from the collection is this expansive version of “Drug Crimes” produced by the Machines Are People Too team. Give it a looky below.
Moonlight Bride – Drug Crimes (Machines Are People Too Remix)Moonlight Bride 
(Facebook)
Rating 8.1
The Walkmen have delivered Heaven, an album that will probably land on my year-end list. The title track is the current single, but “Heartbreaker” is my personal fave. Check it out below, and be sure to catch them on tour. A little small world note is that my eventual adventures with B3Sci began at a Walkmen SXSW gig in ’05. Mike of B3Sci and I were in line next to each other and started chatting. The rest is history. – By Bruce Rave
The Walkmen – HeartbreakerThe Walkmen 
(Facebook)
*Check out Bruce’s Moheak Radio “Go Deep” show on Sunday nights 8-10 pm Pacific, 11-1 am Eastern, 4-6 am GMT. Also listen to past shows at Bruce’s blog and follow Bruce on Twitter.
By Bruce Rave
The Royalty are a new El Paso band that combine rock freshness with a retro feel. I met them at a SXSW party. They were really nice people, and I’ve been keeping fingers crossed that I’d like at least some of their songs. It turns out their Lovers album is pretty damn good. “Bartender” has a big sound and compelling melody behind Nicole Boudreau’s strong vocals.
The Royalty — BartenderThe Royalty 
(Bandcamp)
Check out Bruce’s Moheak Radio “Go Deep” show on Sunday nights 8-10 pm Pacific, 11-1 am Eastern Fridays, 4-6 am GMT. Also listen to past shows at Bruce’s blog and follow Bruce on Twitter.
Contributed By Nathan Hetherington
“Mona Lisa Overdrive” is Tango in the Attic’s second single from their forthcoming album, Sellotape, and comes with an accompanying video featuring footage from their time at SXSW this year. What we’ve heard so far from the new album points towards an altogether nosier, garage sound than the debut Blank Place Locomotive Society whilst hanging on firmly to their energetic pop qualities. Sellotape will be out on May 28th.
Tango In The Attic (Facebook)
Rating 8.3
Come watch Hanni El Khatib tell it like it is at the Brighton Music Hall this Friday in Boston, MA. Especially if SXSW serves any indication to the sort of ruckus that come Friday, and after one hell of a week, you’ll just be like “Fuck it. You Win” b3sci. ‘We’ll see you there!’
Hanni El Khatib – Fuck It. You Win.
Hanni El Khatib (Official)
By Bruce Rave
One of my top SXSW live discoveries was Gold Fields from near Melbourne, Australia. They are tight, energetic and danceable, with 2 sick percussionists. “Moves” is perfectly titled. It has a retro bottom-end topped with a modern vibe. I played this song on my show last Friday, and it got a super reaction.
Gold Fields (Facebook)
Check out Bruce’s “Go Deep” show on Fridays 1-3 pm Pacific, 4-6 pm Eastern, 9-11pm GMT. Also listen to past shows at Bruce’s blog and follow Bruce on Twitter.
First off, fuck Chris Brown. Now that we’ve got that out of the way. Self-promotion guru DJ Khaled is back with another summer smash with “Take It To The Head”. The smooth heater, sort of in the style of “I’m On One” with a side of current trends in indie R&B, sounds on the first couple listens like a hip hop radio juggernaut. The usual Khaled cast of suspects headline with Rozay, Crazy Nicki & DEWeezy (seriously whoever was running that DEWeezy street team at SXSW deserves a raise cause that shit was EVERYWHERE) making it rain radio-friendly bar after radio-friendly bar. Get behind “Take It To The Head”.
DJ Khaled 
(Facebook)
Rating 8.3
