Ed Thomas, the songwriter behind Bondax’s “Giving It All”, reveals a new track in the form of the spare, rhythm-driven R&B-tinged pop of “Hurt”. Closely packed, condense, an efficient machine, “Hurt” succeeds on both its imagination (the nexus of vocal, beat and atmospherics created on the track is next level) and its simplicity (the track’s spaces are magnetic).
Ed Thomas 
(Facebook)
Rating 8.4
The mighty Marian Hill announce new EP “Play” with the excellent new single “One Time”. Neatly balancing jazz influences in the melody with modern arrangement and rhythmic elements all while tying up the track within a compact and cool Marian Hill minimalist frame. The path to successfully blending jazz and contemporary sounds is lined with seemingly endless traunches of hokey garbage (Email subject line: Hey! Check Our Band, We Blend Miles Davis w/ Radiohead!) but the Marian Hill (taste and adeptness at selecting for the right arrangement help) sound just really really works. “Play” is out March 4th.
Marian Hill
: (Facebook)
Rating 8.3
Team Breton continue to further hone their percussive, jittery, melodically interesting sound with “S Four”. The follow up single to the South London quintet’s great “Force of Habit” EP. On “S Four” punchy, skittering drums frame a hypnotic main melody “and how will I be in two places at once” augmented with well-timed flourishes of synth and orchestration.
strong>Breton 
(Official)
Rating 8.4
One of our favorite indiesphere fresh faces is the School of Hall & Oates blue-eyed soul of Dallas-based singer Johnny Stimson. On new track “SO. GOOD.”, Stimson, slows y’all down, wears y’all out, lets y’all breathe, puts y’all up on pedestal; you know, the basic emotional up and downs of the soul genre’s best songs. That, and an easy as the Sunday of MLK weekend is long vocal that is mmmmmm… so sweet and oh “SO. GOOD.” We’re absolutely loving it. Go Johnny go!
Johnny Stimson (Facebook)
Rating 8.1
Team Disclosure turns rap for their latest production project, collab’ing with NY newcomer Bishop Nehru for the space age boom bap of “You Stressin'”. And while of somewhat of the School of J Dilla in sound, the Disclosure style does translate well here while still sounding like, well, Disclosure. Mr. Nehru does well too here; seemingly able to flow effortlessly on top what could be a difficult track stylistically for a lesser MC.
Bishop Nehru 
(Facebook)
Rating 8.2
The stunningly-voiced George Maple debuts today new single “Began To Say”. Previewed from her forthcoming debut EP, “Began To Say” adeptly conveys the outstanding vocal tone and neatly executed diction that thusfar defined the George Maple sound; that and an excellent skill at picking instrumentals, as the slow motion R&B beat of “Began To Say” is a full on winner.
George Maple 
(Facebook)
Rating 8.8
Our Man in New Haven, Yale student/beats-wiz Sunik Kim a/k/a Beat Culture follows up last month’s “Drifter” with the equally excellent ambient pop of “Shibuya”. On the track, washes of swirling synth haze and dynamic bits of noisy electronics provide the axis & center point around which a pulsing kick and vocalist KID A’s percussive melodies whril about. “Shibuya” is paired w/ “Drifter” on a 7″ release on our very own B3SCI Records.
Beat Culture 
(Soundcloud) (Purchase 7-inch)
Rating: 8.3
