“Plain” is the lead single from longtime favorite of the site Jesse Boykins III’s upcoming new Love Apparatus LP. Produced by Machinedrum, “Plain” walks (while still immensely soulful) a decidedly dance-driven lane; a style that Boykins has dabbled with ably in the past. Here, Boykins’s syrupy fluid full-toned vocal does a nice juxtaposition against Machinedrum’s compact almost wholly-self contained instrumental. Love Apparatus is out April 22.
Jesse Boykins III 
Soundcloud)
Rating: 8.3
Big Wild (great name) hooks up the feel good, “summertime in March”, big vibes on new one “La Brisa”. Blending pitched up major-keyed vocals w/ hooky piano stabs and beachside electronics, “La Brisa” will (guaranteed) make your “March 5th, 2014” way less sucky. Tip to the pros at HD.
Big Wild (Soundcloud)
Rating: 8.6
On new track “My Medyk”, UK duo Face and Heel do the boy-girl nuvo-R&B/pop thing to near perfection. There’s not a guitar wah, a drum loop, a melodic line out of place on “My Medyk” its that skillfully crafted and streamlined; particularly standout is Sinead McMillan’s soothing flawless alto vocal. Do not miss.
Face+Heel 
(Facebook)
Rating 8.7
The indomitable La Sera (Katy Goodman, ex-Vivian Girls) makes a distortion-fueled power pop return w/ “Losing To The Dark”. About the record, Goodman called it, “”I wanted the new La Sera record to sound like Lesley Gore fronting Black Flag” and while (RIP to the great Lesley Gore) “Losing To The Dark” isn’t quite that, it does do well to marry that described 60’s pop melodic dynamic to a bed of turned-up, thin and blustery guitars. Hour of the Dawn is the new record from La Sera and its’ due May 13th on Hardly Art.
La Sera (Facebook) (Hardly Art)
Rating 8.3
The COIN boys drop off a slightly more honed but no less accessible new indie pop gem with “It’s Okay”. The hooks are a bit sharper, the placement and arrangement of the instrumental just that little more precise; however, the charisma of melody and pop immediacy, the formula that COIN has successfully rode thusfar are still very much present (and perhaps here at their strongest realization). COIN’s focused, they’re after it and we’re (along with a great swath of the blogosphere) delighted to be party to it.
COIN 
(Official)
Rating 8.0
The impressive Odesza chalk up an equally impressive placement credit as they join M83, Ellie Goulding, A$AP Rocky, etc on the ostensibly blogger-friendly Divergent soundtrack with their big drums, big synths new mix for Pretty Lights’ “Lost and Found”.
ODESZA 
(Soundcloud)
Rating 8.4
