AOSOON is the South London duo of Marisa Hylton and Manny Folorunso. “Same Difference” is of the thematically high-aiming and tunefully gripping and precise style of melody and arrangement that major pop break-outs are birthed from. Listen.
AOSOON 
(Facebook)
Rating 8.4
Tune in to the expansive and breathtaking track “Limitless” from Swedish hyper-pop duo Korallreven which is off of their latest EP “Second Comin’.” Reviewed by Erin Shay.
Korallreven 
(Soundcloud)
Experience the enchanting and ethereal vocal musings of NY-based songstress-producer Mothica on the sublimely atmospheric track “Visions”; which was produced earlier this year by Diversa yet only just released. Diversa, who is one of several producers to recently collaborate with the superbly talented newcomer Mothica, excels with “Visions” as he simply and beautifully highlights the pure seduction of her remarkable voice with an artful combination of melodic acoustic accents and an irresistibly catchy, repetitive synthy beat. Stay tuned for more amazing music, dynamite collaborations and original productions from Mothica and be sure to check Soundcloud for her excellent new track “Molt” with UK electro heavy Bear//Face. Reviewed by Erin Shay.
Mothica 
(Soundcloud)
Rating 8.4
“Stranger” is the SHIFt K3Y co-written and produced latest track from Leo Kalyan. “Stranger” excels on its 10 out of 10 tunefulness and no drama school of the 1990’s R&B production.
Leo Kalyan (Soundcloud)
Rating: 8.8
Australian singer CVIRO (Cairo) & producer GXNXVS (Genius) debut “Benjamins”. The 90’s heavy track (don’t cringe just yet, as “Benjamins” makes up for any played-out-ness in style with turns of melody and production that are truly special) finds the Aussie twosome channeling the tunefulness of Joe or Craig David through a lens of still “old school” but modernized backbeats.
CVIRO & GXNXVS 
(Soundcloud)
Rating 8.3
World conquering hero James Vincent McMorrow will play The Theater at the Ace Hotel in Los Angeles, Thursday November 20th. Touring in support of last year’s pristine Post-Tropic LP, the Irish songwriter’s profile continues to expand exponentially with each successive run of concert dates. We’re very pleased to offer one pair of tickets to James Vincent McMorrow’s November 20th set at the Ace Hotel to one lucky B3SCI’er. To enter, hit our inbox with the subject line “MCMORROW L.A.” before Tuesday November 18th at 3 PM PST. Tickets for JVM’s Moors supported L.A. show are available here.
James Vincent McMorrow 
(Official) (Facebook) (iTunes)
James Vincent McMorrow on tour:
Nov 06 – Cat’s Cradle – Carrboro, NC
Nov 08 – The Lincoln – Washington, DC
Nov 10 – Town Hall – New York, NY
Nov 12 – House of Blues – Chicago, IL
Nov 13 – First Avenue – Minneapolis, MN
Nov 16 – The Neptune – Seattle, WA
Nov 17 – The Aladdin – Portland, OR
Nov 19 – The Fillmore – San Francisco, CA
Nov 20 – Ace Hotel – Los Angeles, CA
Interview by Erin Feathers and Geovanni Donaires
L.A. based Kacy Hill stylishly announced her musical debut with the recent release of her sharp and lovely Electro track “Experience” which is a subtle, refreshingly lyrical repose that alluringly showcases Hill’s talent as a producer, vocalist and poet. Apropos to the title, “Experience” teeters on the edge of innocence and risqué. Hill’s interestingly provocative lyrics and whispery vocals are so flirtatiously opaque they exude that star quality of a finely-tuned balance between artistic virtue and that ever-so-inviting steamy seduction of the imagination. Immersed in wonderful understatement, the production includes some vivacious electronic instrumental accents such as a quietly percolating bass line, simple melodic cowbell and well-timed ending background vocal loop; all of which serve to complement Hill’s soft and raspy vocals, vastly poetic lyrics and passionate yet wily, overtly-feminine delivery.
“Experience” also features a brilliantly spartan accompanying music video which captures and showcases Hill’s natural beauty and inherent star quality with a repetitive array of close up images as she delicately sings the lyrics. The video is strikingly minimalist as well; it only reveal Hills very pretty face, with is gorgeous smathering of freckles, perfectly-imperfect teeth and luminescent blue eyes which are jauntily obscured by a transparent plastic 70’s visor that she dawns throughout much of the video. Hill, who embodies the timeless look of a vintage postcard pinup from yesteryear, is an absolute eye charmer and therefore mesmerizing in each and every frame of the video which, in all its quiet simplicity cleverly introduces the world’s senses to the very capable, talented and trend-setting Kacy Hill.
B3SCI: I think it’s awesome that as a caption on your Youtube channel you have “I make music you don’t know about.” So tell us, the Kacy Hill “Experience,” what is it and where do you see yourself going as you begin your journey in the music scene?
Kacy: I think for me, the whole Kacy Hill “Experience” has been really heavy in observing and figuring where I fit, both as an artist and a person with a whole bunch of feelings. As I’ve begun to discover myself a bit more, I’ve ended up laying a (really cool) foundation of music to work off of and hope to continue with that and put out honest music I would be excited to hear myself..
B3SCI: The lyrics for “Experience” are wonderfully vast and poetic. Can you briefly describe how they came about, what they mean to you, and if they are designed to send a specific message to the world? Tell us about the most important line (or statement) from the song, both for you personally and regarding others.
Kacy: I wrote “Experience” at a strange time in my life where I was working at an ice cream store, starting to regret my decision to opt out of university, and feeling super lost. Sitting down to write it was like a journal entry and I started writing about things I wanted to do and what was holding me back. Everything I crave caters to a feeling rather than a physical thing, so “Experience” revolves around being uncomfortable in the best way possible.
“Freedom a state of mind/sold to wandering eyes/substances controlled to protect the mind” comments a bit on society’s inability to function without mind-altering substances. I think there’s something really lovely in being able to be a human and be nervous and weird and be okay with it. Everyone wants to be sold a lifestyle but no one wants to honestly feel what it is to be consciously alive.
B3SCI: Are there any cool remixes in the works that we can be on the look out for? Do you have plans to collaborate with any artists, musicians or producers in the near future?
Kacy: We’ll see! I think there are going to be some really amazing sounds coming along soon.
B3SCI: Living in LA with so many bands and singers, do you find yourself comparing, getting inspired or wanting to collaborate with anyone?
Kacy: I like making music a whole lot so I always enjoy collaborations. It’s all inspiring! I don’t think one group or individual inspires me completely, but constantly working with new people and learning from them is very humbling and gets me super hyped to make cool stuff.
B3SCI: What do you think are some similarities as far as putting yourself out there as a model and now as a musician? What experiences did you take from modeling and how did you incorporate them to your music world? Expand upon how it has helped to form your artistic tone and aesthetic as either a model or singer-songwriter.
Kacy: I think with both modelling and music, there is little room to hide. I put a lot of myself into my writing and it ends up feeling like I’m reading my journal entry out loud. I think it’s a really interesting point of view being both the observer and being observed. Modeling is great and definitely helped me be conscious of the aesthetic that I present, but I never felt any connection to it, so I think having creative freedom and catharsis in music was a chance to breathe.
B3SCI: Did you have a musical upbringing? Was your family involved in shaping your career as a singer-songwriter? Do you play any instruments?
Kacy: I went to a funny little performing arts school growing up and played oboe and saxophone and sang in choir there for some years, so my musical background is all based in that chunk of classical knowledge.
B3SCI: You began your artistic career in your home town of Phoenix as an assistant to a wedding photographer who later helped to uncover your beauty by taking photos of you. Do you still have an interest in or enjoy being behind or in front of the camera? Any noteworthy perspective worth sharing?
Kacy: As I mentioned before, I enjoy being observed and being the observer. I think the juxtaposition of vulnerability between being a photographer and being photographed is really lovely and both positions forced me to focus on detail that I normally would not have.
B3SCI: Can you reflect on a life experience that has transformed you as an artist or give some advice to young people who (like yourself) want to explore different faces as an artist?
Kacy: The past year has been a lot of letting go of poisonous relationships with other people and thoughts I let brood in myself. Good feelings come from letting yourself feel good and with that in mind, I think as an artist and as a person it’s best to stay honest and do things that make you feel good.
B3SCI: Your nose is fabulously pierced in your cool new video for “Experience”. Did you already have the piercing or did you decide to take the plunge for the video?
Kacy: I’ve had this little guy in my nose for a while now! It was a product of boredom.
B3SCI: We’re hooking you up with a ride in the B3SCI time machine? Imagine if you could go anywhere in the past or present. What time period would you choose and what makes you want visit that particular reality?
Kacy: Ancient Greece vibes. I think their technology was far advanced than ours because they had the intellectual capacity to understand what they were creating.
B3SCI: When can fans get a chance to see Kacy hill perform live?
Kacy: tbd…
B3SCI: When can we expect your next single?
Kacy: Eeeee hopefully soon…
Kacy Hill 
(Info)
“Who U Are” is the third and final track from Duly Noted Records artist J Tropic’s debut “Love Up” EP. “Who U Are” rides a trendy break and varied instrumentation but really excels in the melodic writing department as the track’s phrasing hooks are like little tiny homing darts of tunefulness and excellence impossible to miss or resist.
J Tropic (Facebook)
Rating: 8.8
“Hypnotic” follows “Sweet Ophelia”, “East of Eden”, and “Compass” as the fourth and final single/track from Arizona-born Zella Day’s self-titled debut EP. We’re pleased to announce today the release of Zella’s EP on B3SCI Records. You can order the EP here or on iTunes.
Zella Day 
(Facebook) (Order EP Vinyl Here)
Rating 8.3
Ninja Tune vet Simon Green a/k/a Bonobo announces new EP with scintillating title track. “Flashlight”‘s strengths include a wide and global palette of sound and textured instrumentation constructed with the most meticulous precision. December 1st is the release date for Bonobo’s “Flashlight” EP on Ninja Tune.
Bonobo (Soundcloud)
Rating 8.4
Interview by Cher Dunn
Courtney Barnett has been living and playing music in Melbourne, Australia for the past five years. This year, she released a wildly acclaimed EP, “A Sea of Split Peas”, toured non-stop in the US and abroad, playing sold out shows and festivals, all while maintaining her label Milk! Records. I caught up with the multi-talented artist and asked her about her start in music, her year so far, Australian artists we should know, and what we can expect for next year.
Wanting to start from the beginning, I first asked Courtney Barnett how she got started playing music and what her early experiences as a music fan were like.
“I grew up in Sydney and then moved to Hobart down in Tasmania.” She continues, “I started playing music when I was 10 in Sydney, and went to my first gigs when I turned 18 in Hobart.” Growing up her early experiences going to shows were a lot like ours, even now. “I started going to heaps of gigs and I’d stand right up the front. I would just get really obsessed with bands and buy all their stuff and try to get their signatures… I really made a connection with certain bands and artists.”
Courtney Barnett’s sound is unlike any other. From her storytelling lyrics to wailing guitar, I needed to know how she found her sound.
“I listened to a lot of different music, you know?” she states matter-of-factly. “So all of the different stuff kind of blended together.” She continued, “When I was a kid we listened to loads of Nirvana, and then I got into bands like the Australian band called Magic Dirt, and PJ Harvey,”. With so many classic musicians as influences, it’s no wonder she is quickly becoming legendary for us, but her influences didn’t stop there. “But then I would listen to my dad’s jazz records and mum’s classical records… and then I started listening to The Beatles,” she states. You can hear in her music that such a vast musical upbringing has helped her to create a sound all of her own.
I recalled finding a video of her on YouTube in the band Immigrant Union. The video was a live acoustic performance with her bandmates Bones and Dave, also in the band. I had to ask about the current band and if she met the them through her time with Immigrant Union.
“Yes I kind of met Bones before that, but yeah pretty much. I joined that band and they were already in it and then we became friends,” she says. Courtney Barnett had been writing her own music and playing solo for five years before she joined the band, and never stopped writing. “I kept my songs pretty separate,” she said. When she finished working with the band she would go home and record her own music. After releasing her EP A Sea of Split Peas, it started getting difficult to juggle both bands, so Courtney left to tour her first EP. Courtney, Bones, and Dave have been touring ever since.
I asked her what her writing process was like, did she set aside time to write? Or did she write as songs came to her? “I normally just do it as it comes or when I have time.” Courtney says then pauses, “I should probably set aside more time to do it!” laughing, she continues, “I haven’t really been able to work like that.”
Courtney Barnett has a lyrical style that is easy to connect with. Her songs really tell a story and build a world of experiences easy to relate to. She told us that most of her songs are from her own experiences, while others are inspired by other outlets. “Most of them are real life. There’s probably a few bits of stuff I’ve heard from friends or just inspired by something else- whether it’s books, music, T.V. or something strange,” she explains.
When we were talking to her, Courtney was in Australia finishing up a nearly sold-out tour, only to come back to the US to headline venues across the country. She has been non-stop after releasing A Sea of Split Peas. I had to ask her about her non-stop year and what she does to recoup between tours and festivals. “Yeah [this year has] been crazy! Crazy good! Yes, very hectic,” she continues “It’s the busiest I’ve ever been in my life.”
Courtney Barnett has not had a lot of time off between all of the touring and festivals she’s been playing this whirlwind of a year. But she let us know what her ideal time off is like. “Just hang out at home, sometimes get out of town go to the beach or the bush or something. Just read books.” Reading isn’t something she does on her time off. She reads many books while touring. “It’s the perfect setting to read, I’m reading that Pussy Riot book. It’s been really cool, good reading that!” she says.
As Courtney Barnett plans for her upcoming US tour, I asked her about what to expect, and a new member she has added to the band. She explains, “Dan’s played with us a bunch in the past and recorded with us. He helped produced the album we just wrote. It’s going to be released next year.” Trying to hold in my excitement on word of a new album, I listened as she continued, “Yeah, he’s great he’s a great guitarist. We’re playing mostly songs off A Sea of Split Peas, and then a couple of new songs we are busting to play. We kind of still haven’t played in some of these venues so we should probably play some of our old songs.” I laugh, as she explains, “Just very different from last time. With Dan playing with us as well, it’s kind of a different sound,”. This news has me even more excited for the tour. Courtney Barnett’s sound as a three piece was already electrifying, adding another guitar is bound to sound massive.
Courtney Barnett has had such a stunning year, from releasing her successful EP to endless touring. I wanted to know if she was documenting her year, through writing, photography or video.
“I document it through writing a fair bit, I try and do lots of photo and video. I think it’s very important to have that documentation. I’ve got a friend that’s actually making a documentary on part of the Melbourne music scene and she’s been following us around as an offshoot to that. So she’s traveled to some of the places with us. So that’s pretty cool capturing that moment in time,” she said.
Fans will have to wait for this insight into Courtney Barnett’s crazy year. She explained that the documentary will probably not be out for a little while, as her friend is still making it.
Barnett started her own record label Milk! Records. Originally, she started it to release her own music, but now the label has grown to include some of her favorite musicians in Melbourne and collaborative projects with her and friends. “It started slowly building into something else,” she continued, “it’s just grown into this awesome community.” She told us of one of her favorite artists, and friend on the label, “I play in Jen Cloher’s band and we made an album and put it out on Milk. It’s our own little project, helping each other out.”.
With so many Australian artists currently making waves, I asked her some of her favorites we might not have heard yet. “Darren Hanlon, The Drones, East Brunswick All Girls Choir, Beaches, Jen Cloher,” Courtney states, just to name a few. Sharing her vast musical knowledge of great music from now and of the past is enough to give everyone an addition to their record collection.
Courtney Barnett really seems to take control of the whole creative process of being in a band, including creating the artwork for her albums and merch sold on tour. I asked if she had a hand in the creation of the music videos from a concept level and if she thinks she will add any of her artwork to her live shows.
“Oh yeah, I wrote about five videos for the new album. We just did one the other week. I did the ‘Avant Gardener’ video as well,” she said. On adding art to her live show, she told us “Maybe! My friend Celeste Potter who’s an artist she did the ‘Anonymous Club’ video. It’s an animation. We’ve been showing some of that on stage which is kind of cool. It adds a different dimension.”
What is she looking forward to most with the upcoming US tour? “It will be fun to come back again and play different venues, slightly bigger venues which will be kind of scary,” she said. For a musician who has such a high-intensity, electric, mesmerizing live show, there is really no need to be scared. If Courtney Barnett doesn’t win you over with her vocals, slaying guitar and energetic interactions with the band, then you may need to have your pulse checked.
Courtney Barnett’s new album is due to be out early next year. Her US headlining tour with San Fermin begins on October 16th in Atlanta, Georgia and will end in Austin, TX with Fun Fun Fun Fest. Check out her tour dates and music below. You do not want to miss her live!
Courtney Barnett (Facebook)
TOUR DATES
16th OCT – Atlanta, GA @ The Loft
17th OCT – Charlotte, NC @ Visulate Theatre
18th OCT – Washington DC @ Black Cat (SOLD OUT)
19th OCT – Washington DC @ Black Cat
20th OCT – Philly! @ Union Transfer
22nd OCT – NYC @ Webster Hall
23rd OCT – Clifton Park, NY @ Upstate Music Hall
24th OCT – Montreal, QB @ Caberet Mile End
25th OCT – Toronto, ON @ Lee’s Palace
27th OCT – Chicago, IL @ Metro
28th OCT – Kansas City, MO @ The Riot Room
31st OCT – Seattle, WA @ Neptune
1st NOV – Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom
3rd NOV – San Francisco, CA @ The Filmore
4th NOV – Los Angeles, CA @ El Ray
5th NOV – Phoenix, AZ @ Crescent Ballroom
8th NOV – Austin, TX @ FUN FUN FUN FEST!!!!
Our friends from The North Rainer + Grimm take on another stunning flip, this time in the form of Drake-affiliated internet faves Majid Jordan‘s “A Place Like This”. Already a stellar B3-backed track “A Place Like This” gets the late night booty-shaker treatment the Torontonian duo. In a seemingly vast and endless sea of monster remixes on Soundcloud, R&G continue to set a standard. We can’t wait to hear some original tunes! Reviewed by Brian Litwin
Rainer + Grimm 
: (Soundcloud)
Rating: 8.7
