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James Vincent McMorrow – You Know

mcmorrow

World conqueror James Vincent McMorrow is releasing a deluxe version of his acclaimed Post-Tropical LP on November 10th. One extra from the re-release package, which also includes two other new tracks and remixes from The 1975, Atu, and DPAT, is the unreleased rhythm-driven folk gem “You Know”. You can stream “You Know” before and do look out for JVM touring Europe and America this fall (we’ve included those dates below).

Oct 05 – O2 Shepherds Bush Empire – London, United Kingdom
Oct 07 – Kampnagel – Hamburg, Germany
Oct 08 – Vega Musikkens Hus – Copenhagen, Denmark
Oct 09 – Huxleys – Berlin, Germany
Oct 11 – Gloria – Cologne, Germany
Oct 12 – Cirque Royal – Brussels, Belgium
Oct 13 – La Cigale – Paris, France
Oct 14 – Tivoli Vredenburg Grote Zaal – Utrecht, Netherlands
Oct 16 – Theaterfabrik – Munich, Germany
Oct 17 – Biko – Milano, Italy
Oct 19 – Mascotte – Zurich, Switzerland
Oct 20 – FRI-SON – Fribourg, Switzerland
Oct 22 – Sala Apolo – Barcelona, Spain
Oct 24 – Joy Eslava – Madrid, Spain
Nov 01 – The Kessler – Dallas, TX
Nov 02 – The Belmont – Austin, TX
Nov 04 – The Mercy Lounge – Nashville, TN
Nov 05 – The Variety Playhouse – Atlanta, GA
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

James Vincent McMorrow ireland (Official) (Facebook) (iTunes)

Rating 9.0

brown93

reviewed by
09-26-14

Interview with Lincoln Jesser

lincoln jesser

It wasn’t long for Cali synth-pop artist Lincoln Jesser to set the music blogosphere a-buzz. After circulating online a series of high-flying tracks, the young songwriter looks toward his latest creation, debut album Modern Color. B3’s Geovani Donaires recently had the chance to catch up with the rising pop star to chat about his production prowess, high school bands, and (…of course) Elton John. Have a look at their conversation below.

B3: It’s an exciting time for you. Your debut album, ‘Modern Color’ drops on the 23rd of this month. Is there a theme to the album? And, were there any noteworthy inspirations while working on it?

LJ: It is an exciting time! This album has been in the works for about a year literally, but from a philosophical standpoint I’d say I’ve been building up to it since I moved out to LA 5 years ago. It’s a reflection of who I am not only as a musician but as a human being, about who we all are, about what we have in common and the things that distract us from happiness. But it’s also about remembering that most of the time, it’s better to say “fuck the over-analysis” and just enjoy life for what it is. Each of us has so much power to paint our individual realities the way we desire, more power than any generation of humans has ever had, so it’s up to us to use Modern Color to our advantage.

B3: You produce and write everything yourself, do you ever find that as a liberating or more confined experience?

LJ: Most of the time I find it liberating because I’m a bit of a control freak, but it can definitely get lonely and frustrating too. When I’m in the thick of working on a song, I find myself unable to really focus on anything else…if I’m stuck for a while on a particular lyric or passage, my life tends to go on standby. And there have definitely been times where my relationships have been affected by that. But the feeling when I finally connect the dots makes the loneliness and frustration worthwhile…and my real friends forgive me 🙂

B3: You’ve been in bands before. You were Yuna’s guitarist before going solo. Was being a solo artist always Plan A? When did the idea of starting your own band cross your mind?

LJ: I started writing my own solo songs at 13, but didn’t really begin performing until I started a band with my friends in high school. While I was involved with it, the band was pretty much my main musical focus. The summer after graduation was when I first really began exploring what I could achieve on my own, via a more electronic musical medium. I never had a very specific vision of what my long-term project would look like beforehand, I think it evolved pretty naturally. Yuna and I share management (Indie-Pop) which is how we met and became friends; she needed a guitarist/programmer and I was of course a huge fan of hers with a huge desire to get out and learn and experience live music on a much larger scale than anything I’d done before. But yeah, throughout all our touring together, I tended to spend my downtime in the green room corners, making my own stuff with a laptop and headphones (sometimes to everyone else’s dismay, haha).

B3: I noticed on Instagram you have a picture of Elton John. What’s interesting and awesome about this picture is the comment you posted stating, “he hit replay so many times that he hurt himself.” Tell us about that?

LJ: It’s so funny, so many people have asked me about that. Unfortunately, I’ve never actually met Sir Elton…I just came across that image and decided to Instagram it as a joke! I guess it looked like a real iPhone snap though. lol

B3: You recently performed at the Sunset Music Festival. How did you prepare yourself before stepping out on stage? Do you have any special or crazy rituals?

LJ: Yeah, I performed at The Roxy, which was a big milestone for me. I’ve seen a ton of inspiring shows there since I moved to the city…to perform there myself was definitely an honor. I like to do some pushups before my sets, to get the blood pumping a little bit. And occasionally a shot of Jameson.

B3: What’s next for Lincoln Jesser? What does 2015 hold?

LJ: I’ve got some visuals on the way for a few songs off Modern Color. Besides that, plenty of new music. I don’t plan on slowing down any time soon.

Lincoln Jesser california (Soundcloud)(Facebook) (Spotify) (iTunes)

Rating 8.4

reviewed by
09-26-14

Street Joy – Wrong Cloud

streetjoy

L.A. band Street Joy debut new single “Wrong Cloud”. Distorted and chaotic and melodically unpredictable in engaging ways, “Wrong Cloud” as a tune and in terms of broader palpability is held together by it’s infectious writing.

Street Joy california (Facebook)

Rating 8.2

brown8

reviewed by
09-16-14

Sage The Gemini – Gas Pedal (ESP’s Average White Guy Remix)

sagethegemini

ESP aka Canadian producer Eric Pearce remixes rap radio staple Sage The Gemini’s “Gas Pedal” to the tune of mid-to-late 70’s disco soul with super cool results. We absolutely adore it.

ESP canada (Soundcloud)

Rating: 8.7

brown8

reviewed by
09-10-14

The Barr Brothers – Love Ain’t Enough

barrbrothers

“Love Ain’t Enough”, new from Canadian band The Barr Brothers, is quite a special track. “Love Ain’t Enough” is the sort of tune that breaks out bands, that’s propels them into new and bigger levels of success. “Love Ain’t Enough” is a major moment for The Barr Brothers, do not miss it. Look for The Barr Brothers Sleeping Operator LP which is out October 4th on Secret City Records.

The Barr Brothers canada (Facebook)

Rating: 8.7

brown8

reviewed by
09-05-14

Premiere: Rökkurró – Blue Skies

Blue Skies

Icelandic band Rökkurró strike a majestic and cinematic-styled bit of dark orchestral pop on brand new single “Blue Skies”. Taken from the band’s forthcoming album – the follow-up to 2010’s Í Annan Heim which spent over 100 weeks in the Top 30 of Iceland’s album charts, the wistful and emotionally precise “Blue Skies” was recently explained thematically by singer Hildur Kristín Stefánsdóttir, “The lyrics talk about fulfilling your dreams and the fact that these dreams can die, if you don’t nurture them. I was having a bad day and had this feeling of when things are slipping out of your hands. I noticed that the dress I was wearing had a blue skies pattern on it and it straight away inspired me to write this line: “Blue skies, all your dreams are dying, blue skies, come and bring them back to life.” It was an instant reminder of how you sometimes just need to snap out of it and remember that blue skies are always there.” We’re very pleased to premiere “Blue Skies” below.

Rökkurró iceland (Official)

Pre-order “Blue Skies” HERE

Rating 8.3

brown8

reviewed by
09-03-14

DOROTHY – Wild Fire

Dorothy

In what seems to be a slap in the face to all other female fronted acts, LA based Dorothy doesn’t minx words or attitude. This collective want to rock and party right fucking now. Taking the LA scene by storm and grabbing the attention of almost the whole music industry with the southern-fried “After Midnight”, Dorothy return with “Wild Fire”. The tune is another gun-slingin’, face melting rock track that should be played at full volume. Listen below. Review By Brian Litwin

DOROTHY california (Facebook)

reviewed by
08-19-14

Premiere: Saint Motel – Cold Cold Man

Saint_Motel_My_Type[10]

The great L.A. band Saint Motel release their “My Type” EP in just a few short days, and to mark that extended-play’s imminence the band debut its’ third track “Cold Cold Man”. An impeccably crafted bit of A+ indie pop writing, “Cold Cold Man” showcases the band at their hook-laden and enormously catchy best. Sample below the B3 Premiere of Saint Motel’s “Cold Cold Man” and look for the “My Type” EP August 17th in the UK and 19th in the US.

Saint Motel california (Official) (“My Type” on iTunes)

Rating 8.331

brown8

reviewed by
08-14-14

Chelsea Lankes – Secret

chelsealankes

Chelsea Lankes, the young popstress behind the terrific (and beneficiary of over 400k SC spins) “Ghost”, is triumphant on new return single “Secret”. While more expressly pop (nods to Kaskade-esque female-led melodies are sprinkled throughout the tune) than “Ghost”, Chelsea’s voice continues to be the star attraction and makes the easy sale on “Secret” via its pop perfect hooks.

Chelsea Lankes california (Twitter)

Rating 8.1

brown8

reviewed by
07-22-14

Interview with Laura Welsh

laura welsh

Those who frequent B3SCI are familiar with the soulful talent of the young Laura Welsh. The rising British singer songwriter has been causing a flurry amongst the blogosphere for almost 2 years now. Having just recently dropped her debut and self-titled EP in the States, Welsh’s new single “Break The Fall” has been chosen by iTunes as there new Single of the Week — you can grab a free download of the track here. B3SCI writer Cheryl Dunn recently had a chance to chat with Laura Welsh about her new EP, songwriting, and her experiences collaborating with John Legend and Gorgon City, amongst other things. Have a look at their conversation below.

B3SCI: We’re curious, do you like to set aside time to write songs, or are you always writing on the go, as you are inspired? 

Laura: I tend to write lyrics or sing stuff that comes into my head into a recorder on my phone no matter where I am. I usually get ideas very late at night and have to put them down. Sometimes they don’t make a lot of sense in the morning (!) but there will sometimes be a line or melody that sparks off a song idea. Sometimes I will just sit at home with a guitar and write and other times I’ll go into the studio and experiment with sounds. It just depends on my what mood I’m in.

B3SCI: Do you always pull from personal experience when writing? Or are you inspired by friends, books or stories you hear?

Laura: I only write from personal experience. I find it easier to say how I’m really feeling through writing as opposed to having conversations about them with people. I write in an emotional and reactive way to situations going on around me.

B3SCI: Your new self-titled EP just dropped in the US. What was the writing process like for this EP?

Laura: “Ghosts” was one of the first songs I wrote on my own which was quite a defining moment direction wise for me. It was written during a period of time where I needed to take a step back and just have the freedom to write without any opinions or expectations. I wrote the other songs for the EP over in New York and LA and recorded them out there. The approach for me was no compromising at all with these songs and that included the shape and feel of the production too.

B3SCI: Can we expect some or all of the tracks on the EP to appear on a full-length album? Is that something you are working on now?

Laura: Yeah, all of the songs on the EP will be on the album which is finished now! It’s coming out early next year.

B3SCI: Do you have a favorite song from the EP that was particularly moving to write or record?

Laura: I would say “Hardest Part”. I wrote the song with John Legend over in LA. We just sat around the piano and wrote and recorded a demo of it in a few hours. It came out really quickly and was good to just keep it simple writing wise with just a piano.

B3SCI: For us US fans, what is your live show like? Is there anything you would like to do with your live shows artistically?

Laura: I’ve recently been putting together a set of visuals for each song in my live show. It’s a projection of imagery & video clips that I collected and put together with the help of my friend Babysweet. I have a few short black and white clips online and that’s the kind of feel I wanted to try out as a backdrop to the live show.

B3SCI: What are you upcoming tour plans and where would you like to play?

Laura: I’m hoping to tour in the Autumn time in the UK and also come over to the US before the end of the year.

B3SCI: You’ve recently worked with the very talented production duo Gorgon City on the infectious single “Here For You”. Much like Disclosure, they have an opportunity to break singers into stardom and give them a ton of exposure. How did you meet and what was it like working with them?

Laura: I went to write with Matt and Kye back in December. We did a day together at their studio along with MNEK and “Here For You” was what came out of that session. We pretty much wrote the track and laid down the vocals in one day. I just clicked with them to be honest and liked where they were coming from musically. They create a really relaxed environment to write and thats how like to work also. Musically, it’s a different world to my own music but I enjoyed stepping into their world.

B3SCI: After working with Gorgon City, is there anyone else you would really love to work or collaborate with?

Laura: There’s loads but right now I’d say Flying lotus, James Vincent McMorrow and Evian Christ would be up there.

B3SCI: On your twitter you sometimes post songs you are currently loving and listening to. What are some songs or artists you think people should know that you are listening to right now?

Laura: Collapse by Vancouver Sleep Clinic and I really like Ben Khan and Raleigh Ritchie at the moment.

Laura Welsh england (Facebook)(Purchase)

reviewed by
07-22-14

Giveaway: La Roux – ‘Trouble In Paradise’ Limited Edition Signed Poster

La-Roux-Trouble-In-Paradise-2014-1200x1200

Fans of British synth group La Roux have been patient, very patient. Five years after their acclaimed self-titled debut, La Roux now triumphantly return with ‘Trouble in Paradise‘. It’s an artfully approached album which marks songwriting and production as much as it does the synth-y electronic-pop roots for which La Roux has come to be known.

To celebrate the release of ‘Trouble in Paradise’, B3SCI is giving away a limited edition autographed lithograph of the artwork that you see above! To win just email us here with ‘LA ROUX CONTEST’ in the email title and let us know your favorite song on ‘Trouble in Paradise’. Check out the full album stream on iTunes Radio if you haven’t yet. We will pick our winning submission at random by August 1st. Good luck!

You can also catch La Roux now on tour with New Order. B3 writer Brian Litwin recently caught the show in Los Angeles at the legendary Greek Theatre. Below is a recap of the show:

REVIEW: La Roux + New Order @ The Greek Theatre in Los Angeles, CA. 7/13/2014

The Greek Theatre, an iconic jewel of the LA music scene, stage was graced by both up-and-comers and legends on Sunday night, July 13. Brit synthpop act La Roux shared the stage that evening with the storied Salford band New Order, creating a most memorable night for all in attendance.

Coming up on her new album release, ‘Trouble In Paradise’, Elly Jackson AKA La Roux opened the show, performing in front of an eager LA crowd who, at first, seemed most keen to see 80’s Brit New Wave rockers New Order, but Elly came out and got down to business. Firing off new singles from the upcoming July 21st release, “Uptight Downtown” and “Let Me Down Gently”, La Roux earned the crowd, creating new fans with every key stroke of the synth. Closing out the set with the undeniable hit “Bulletproof”, La Roux found a new fans in an old mainstay.

It goes without saying, the legacy that New Order and Joy Division have established for themselves, will forever be known. New Order came out to a packed and uproarious crowd that night. Starting off with “Elegia”, the audience was right in it. Playing a career-spanning set, Bernard and the gang proved they may never lose what they have, and they had a great time doing it. Truly impressed by the showmanship and overall professionalism, it was a dream come true for most fans in the audience. Personal favorite moment of the show was the excellent cover of the Joy Division single “Isolation”. – Review By Brian Litwin

reviewed by
07-22-14

Vanic X machineheart – Circles

vanic circles

Bring on the summer jams! Enter yet another mix with bountiful layers of sunny synths; this flip from Vanic on the newcomers machineheart’s “Circles” has recently shot to the peak of blogosphere. The young Vanic is definitely a producer to keep an eye on. Kudos for the tune! By Brian Litwin

Vanic canada: (Soundcloud)

Rating: 8.7

brown8

reviewed by
07-08-14