UK artist Sivu returns with the beautifully spare new tune “Over & Over”. Built around Sivu’s heartened slightly shaky croon & falsetto “Over & Over” is soulful, real, & immediate in all the best ways (and then some). Sample some very very good indie pop below.
Sivu 
(Facebook)
Rating 8.1
The cinematic beach-side slow dance of “Would You Love Me” L.A. band Hills is quite impressive. We can imagine the tune as some sort of soundtrack to the scene where the fallen 60’s matinee idol blows a kiss and a wave to his now departed sweetheart as he speeds away up that dusty highway and a rotted-out Chevelle (at least that’s what it felt like to us). “Would You Love Me” is wall to wall packed w/ great melodic and vocal lines and is truly very cinematic, do not sleep.
Hills 
(Facebook)
Rating 8.2
L.A.-based duo KITTYGATO debut w/ the melodically very special single “I Don’t Know (What To Do With You)”. Excerpted from the band’s BREEZE EP, “I Don’t Know” is beautifully tuneful, immediate and really quite catchy. There’s a realness/intimacy too to “I Don’t Know” that feels somehow like the band’s performing directly to you (like inside your headphones) every time the play button is pressed. All and all, a very strong track from a band to definitely keep ears on. Well done.
Kittygato (Facebook)
Rating 8.2
One of the best parts of Lollapalooza comes right after Chicago’s Grant Park closes: the after shows. And when you can couple the magic of a beautiful venue, with an artists magnetic personality and captivating storytelling, you’ve reached another level of “Lolla Heaven.”
On Saturday evening, Frightened Rabbit and Wild Belle took the stage at Chicago’s Park West, the 1920’s vaudeville turned concert venue whose romantic character seemed to weave its touch through the evening.
A crowd gathered on the small dance area below the stage while the rest of the show-goers grabbed one of the many booths or stools dotted throughout the venue. Though furbished for the 21st century, the layout of the club is reminiscent of days gone by and you can almost see a leading lady from Hollywood’s Golden Age capturing the crowd on the stage. It was like the ghost of those classic starlets touched Wild Belle’s Natalie Bergman when she took stage. Her mesmerizing voice held the crowd as she seductively swayed behind the mic, caressing it for dramatic effect. It seemed a contradiction at times, her 90’s inspired artist look (floppy black hat and high rise shorts included) with Reggae inspired tunes and moves right out of the 40’s. Add to that her brother Elliot alternating between synths and sax and you have quite the unexpected amalgamation–and it works.
If Wild Belle mesmerized the crowd, Frightened Rabbit got them jumping. The five member Scottish band carries with them the complete aura of their haggis-eating, tartan-wearing, story-telling culture, whether in the very rhythms of the music ringing out in ceilidh-like beats, the subtle Scottish brogue or story-telling lyrics. The men also exude the manliness one equates with Scottish culture, with beards and stockiness evoking William Wallace-like warriors. Besides, as drummer Grant Hutchison picks up steam during the show, his face transforms into a grizzly bear-like menace. You can just picture him running over hills in a kilt throwing javelins.
And then, lead singer Scott Hutchison brings a gem to the crowd–a new song. As the rest of the band members leave the stage, Hutchison sets the scene. Reassuring the crowd over and over again that he does not condone violence and “thinks it’s bullshit,” he launches into the inspiration of this new, enthralling tune.
“I wrote this next song when I was going through a major love affair–as many people do–with Game of Thrones. And I thought about–and I don’t condone violence, it’s fucking terrible–but I just feel like sometimes, men in particular, don’t really fucking fight for their women anymore.” To this, the crowd cheers and you can almost hear the girls’ quick breath intake. “I don’t mean physically fight, but I mean that if it matters to you, you should go and get it. And I’m not really fucking good at doing it.” With this foundation he emphasizes: “So, this song is a fiction. It’s all bullshit. I thought it would be awesome to try and write a super violent love song. And so this is it. This is about as violent as I was comfortable in making it.”
Following a little more banter and a fellow Scot calling out from the crowd, “Good on ya!” Hutchison launches into “Candlelit.”
Love’s checkered past
Is littered with violent acts
And the blood that fills kindless paths
Each drop drawn in her name.
In this modern age
The image of father has changed
But if you’re ready I’m willing to wage a gut-wrenched war
For a minute of your time
I’m done playing stone paper scissors
Gonna take that stone and bring them all down with it
Steal some scissors and cut some throats
Put pen to paper and write you a note
I won’t get in line
I will not wait for this.
With my bare hands I kill
Just to be candlelit
with you.
I have no checkered past
And I’ve never been a violent man
Maybe you’ve changed all that
Each scar I carve is in your name
So let the suitors come
I can see them off one by one
Open every last artery up
Just for a second of your time.
I’m done playing stone paper scissors
Gonna take that stone and bring them all down with it.
Steal those scissors and cut some throats
Put pen to paper and write you a note
I won’t get in line
I will not wait for this.
With my bare hands I kill
Just for the privilege
Look at the blood bath
Look at the mess I have made
With my bare hands I kill
Just to be candlelit
with you.*
And so, as the ladies swoon and testosterone builds in the guys, Hutchison shares his epic “fiction,” drawing out the romance of his land, his culture and his history–and of course that of Game of Thrones. With themes of valor, honesty, heroism and love, coupled with their Scottish rhythms, it’s hard not to love Frightened Rabbit’s bard-like music and even more appreciate it in a romantic setting. The beauty and history of the scene did nothing but enhance the magic.
Ending with the epic notes of “The Loneliness and the Scream,” Frightened Rabbit sent out a wistful crowd with Hutchison’s bard-like lyrics and Scottish rhythms inspiring elation and creativity. Truly, a great treat.
Check out Frightened Rabbit’s “Candlelit” from Park West. You can compare it to this first version performed in Salt Lake City.
A note on the lyrics:
**Coupled with the Scottish brogue and crowd, these are as best I can make out. If you have corrections, let us know!
Review and Photo by J.L. Greene
Liverpool’s China Rats turn up the punk for “Deadbeat”, the newest offering from their upcoming ‘Don’t Play with Fire‘ EP. Besides being an incredibly awesome suite of google-able words… china, rats, dead, beat (again we warn, proceed at your own risk), “Deadbeat” refreshes a stale amalgam of too oft try-hard indie rock trends with what else but the timeless blare of guitars and a quality tune.
China Rats (Facebook)
Rating 8.1
In her official Lollapalooza after show on this past Friday night at Chicago’s Lincoln Hall, London R&B queen Jessie Ware bantered with her adoring crowd with conversations that returned again and again to one region: anatomically speaking, the things down low.
In retrospect, the evening seemed to show the transition from youthful cares to the maturity of the adult world. The appropriately named SoCal band Pacific Air opened the evening with their light-hearted, catchy beats. Brothers in their early 20’s, Ryan and Taylor Lawhon exude “too cool for school.” One’s 90’s bleached, slicked back hair followed by the other’s carefully crafted, top heavy curls, they made for a great 2013 synth pop version of Saved by the Bell’s Zack and Slater. Added with the young enthusiasm of their touring bassist, Alex Lopez and guitarist Steven Lindenfelser, Pacific Air epitomized a band growing into their identity while spreading their catchy, perpetual-summer tunes. Chicagoans will surely cling to these memories during the hard winter months to come.
At midnight, Jessie took the stage. Opening with “Devotion,” her sultry voice, love-riddled lyrics and bluesy beats ooze the complexities of the adult world. And boy does that English girl know her R&B.
Alternating between soul singer and comedian, Ware thanked a couple of fans while receiving flowers, hinting for fans to bring more at future gigs, beginning a night of conversation and banter. As she reminisces about her last time in Chicago, she sees two familiar faces. “You were there!” she says joyfully surprised. “You two were there! You two were dancing so hard.” The crowd looks at the two men, shimmying without regard to the personal space of those around them. “I’m glad to see you’re still with each other and still dancing hard!” And with that, Ware lifts her arms high over her head to join the shimmy-train.
Jessie is a surprising fireball of enthusiasm, spunk and soul. Her pensive songs make her personality even more of a bombshell when the music ends. As she finishes a line about unrequited love, she mentions “You realize, I think we all need to just celebrate that ‘Wildest Moments’ is now in a Durex ad.” The crowd laughs, taken off guard by this curve ball. “I’m going to be throwing out condoms when you come to my next gigs,” she jokes. “Thanks Durex!”
From there, the night took an unexpected turn with colorful commentary filling the spaces between songs. First, Ware introduced “Taking In Water,” a song about her unlucky-in-love brother. “My brother is at home studying to be a doctor and he works very, very hard. He’s a very, very special guy; he’s also very, very unlucky in love. Always chooses the wrong guys. Boys can be really mean to boys! And they’ve been really mean to him and he’s just had the worst luck.”
As she finishes, a fan close-by yells for his friend, pointing to the guy next to him. “He’s a gay doctor!”
Excited, Jessie runs over to do an interview, speaking into the mic for fans to follow. Small pauses with inaudible answers follow the next series of questions, “Are you a gay doctor? Have you got a boyfriend? What kind of doctor?” With one last cheeky comment from the friend, Jessie bursts out laughing, ending the conversation with “You are naughty!”
The band clearly knows Ware’s tendency toward conversation and begins playing the next song, as almost a small shove to remind her why they’re there. Getting the hint, she concludes, “I just ruined the intro to my song; forget about fannies and willies.” And with that, she launches into “Taking In Water.” At the final note, Jessie turns to her new friend and says in exasperation, “All I could think about was fucking asses and fannies! It was awful. You ruined that for me!”
On the next rabbit trail, she shares another advertisement story. “Ok, can I tell you about the advert that I had in Florida?” She pauses for dramatic effect: “‘vaginal rejuvenation.’” The crowd laughs hysterically while she pulls a bewildered face . “Are you shitting me? What the fuck is ‘vaginal rejuvenation?’ And they only do that advert in Florida! How weird. So if you want a ‘vaginal rejuve,’ you need to go down to Florida…”
Technical issues overshadowed the set, but Jessie took it in stride making the awkward moments a part of the show. After the second time her crew member crossed the stage to adjust an unseen tech do-dad on her lower back, Jessie began booty-dancing and wiggling around. She clearly wasn’t going to let inconvenient tech problems change the evening’s tone.
The entire night was full of crowd interaction and storytelling. Ware reached her hands out to the fans continually, looked at their iphone pictures, chatted and continued triying to set up her brother. Despite her pensive, often sad tunes, Jessie is more than spunky. “So, the last time I was here I sang this line, ‘My friends wonder what is wrong with me.’ And someone shouted out ‘Ain’t nothin’ wrong with choo, girl!’ and it made me feel really special. And it was really all the gays being on my side. So, if you want to sing along, or shout out at this song, I don’t mind because I love it. And it reminds me of Chicago.” She certainly got her wish. Throughout the entirety of “What You Won’t Do For Love,” sassy commentary zinged her way from the audience.
“Seriously, though, I wish I could play every gig like this. It’s been so long since we’ve played in such a lovely, intimate space and it feels so nice! I kinda just want to really suck on the next album so I get downsized. It’s been so nice. And I recognize old faces.” She waved to her friends in the crowd and seemed truly touched by such a fun evening. Finally she had to end the fun. “This is our last song. I wish I had some more! I don’t. And it’s past my bedtime and it’s past yours. This has been the best gig in Chicago. It’s been better than the rest.”
It was a surprising, eventful show from an unexpectedly cheeky singer. Her comedic personality easily balanced her lyrics of soulful love-longing. If her music doesn’t make you love her, her quick wit certainly will.
Review and Photo by J.L. Greene
Jessie Ware (Facebook)
Here’s the second song and first official single to drop from MGMT’s self-titled September album. This is huge for the band. While they like to march to their own beat, their commercial momentum will depend heavily on how this album does for them. “Your Life Is A Lie” is definitely more straight forward than what we’re used to from them, and it also is less of a tune you can dance to. My calling this a “fave” might be a bit of a stretch after a couple of listens, but the song is definitely catchy and deserves to be heard. Tell us what you think of it?
MGMT – Your Life Is A LieMGMT 
(Facebook)
* Links and playlists from Rave’s weekly new music show can be found on his blog and be sure follow Bruce on Twitter too!
“Strange Warnings” is new from UK-based artist Rose Elinor Dougall. Her first proper single since the release of 2010’s well lauded Without Why (Dougall’s debut). The excellent layered pop of “Strange Warnings” is adeptly buoyed by it’s strong tunefulness and compact and inventive arrangement. Great track.
Rose Elinor Dougall (Facebook)
Rating 8.5
DE$iGNATED is the new project from young and talented electronic duo Nima Bazrcar and Rory Bowyer. First hitting the scene with their single “Valentine” featuring vocals from Kyiki of Crystal Fighters, the UK-based pair return with a brand new track called “The Cure”. Sample “The Cure” below and check out this recent Q&A with DE$iGNATED and B3SCI correspondent Brian Litwin.
B3SCI: There’s not much known about DE$iGNATED. Can you introduce yourselves to the readers and tell us a little about how DE$iGNATED came to be?
Nima: Hi my name is Nima, I’m 18 years old and I live in South London, I am 1/2 of DE$iGNATED.
Rory: Yo, my name is Rory, I am 18 too and I live in Hampshire, I am the other half of DE$iGNATED.
Nima: DE$iGNATED started last summer, when I thought it would be a cool idea to start a duo with my friend Rory (who was living down my road at this time) as we was always chilling together, making beats listening to the same music.
B3SCI: I love this time of year when almost every weekend there is a different festival happening somewhere around the world. Is there one in particular that both of you think stands above the rest?
Nima: I’m not too sure as I haven’t really experienced a festival, Gottwood & Outlook look very good though, I would love to go to Outlook next year.
Rory: I haven’t been to alot of fesivals, but I’ve enjoyed attending Reading festival yearly.
B3SCI: Being so young, have you both always exclusively created electronic music? Have you ever wanted to experiment with another particular instrument or style of music?
Nima: I was in a band called “KINGS OF THE CITY” playing keys and co-producing since I was 13, I’m dropped from the image of the band and I dont play keys for them anymore as I am concentrating on this project but I still do co-production fo them. Before that I started making grime when I was 11 and never stopped making tunes really. Rory comes from a band background, playing in a couple indie bands (last one called KoHo Knights) until taking up production a year and a half ago. I miss Rory’s band gigs, they were really fun.
B3SCI: How does your collaboration process as a DJ/Producer duo work? Is it easier for you two to create a track together or separately?
Nima: We tend to create tracks separatley, rather then together, we find it easier this way as we are both producing in our bedrooms and so it isn’t the best enviroment.
B3SCI: We were blown away with “Valentine”. Is there a story behind the lyrical and musical genesis of the track?
Nima: Erm sort of, it was one of the only tracks me and Rory have fully created together in a room, it was created last summer when we was starting up DE$iGNATED in our first batch of tunes, it was meant to be an instrumental only track with chopped vocals, but I thought it was right to be restructured and have a singer fit on it. The lyrical aspect comes solely down to Kyiki on this one, she knew where she wanted to go with it and I was very happy with the end product.
B3SCI: Who brought in Kyiki from Crystal Fighters to work on “Valentine”?
Nima: We got hooked up with Kyiki from a very nice and helpful A&R from my college, I go to the Academy Of Contemporary Music in Guildford and they have been very helpful towards the project and I am greatful for that, Rory is going there from September too so we should be together more.
B3SCI: We also recently interviewed producer Kyogi, who threw together a great reworking of “Valentine”. Can we expect more tracks between the two of you?
Nima: We’ve talked about collaborations before, but decided on its not the right time at the moment, so maybe one day in the future!
B3SCI: What’s DE$iGNATED listening to right now?
Nima: Hybrid Theory’s “So High” is my jam right now, I have quite a wide musical taste but I’ve been pretty addicted to garage for a long time.
Rory: Been listening to alot of Kaytranada, I’m mainly listening to alot of old school garage at the moment.
B3SCI: In the ever-evolving genre of electronic music, is there anything that you guys anticipate as the next ‘big sound’ to catch wave?
Nima: Post Future HouseStep.
B3SCI: If you had your choice of having anyone come in to remix one of your tracks, who would it be and why?
Nima: Oooh there’s a few people, I think if I wanted anyone right now for a remix it would be Flume, You never know what to expect with his songs, they are truly amazing.
Rory: Two Inch Punch would be sick cause his remixes are sick and that.
B3SCI: What does the future look like for DE$iGNATED?
Nima: Hopefully looking well, I live by the saying “hard work beats talent, when talent doesn’t work hard”, as long as we work hard enough I think we can achieve our goals and aspirations with this project.
DE$iGNATED (Facebook)
Swim Deep is a new band on the cusp of an emergence into the mainstream spotlight – having flourished amongst a newly thriving British Midlands music scene. In the 70’s and 80’s Birmingham was a hive of undiscovered rock and metal, producing legends such as Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin. During the 90’s it was engulfed in the Madchester Britpop movement with bands like The Charlatans and Ocean Colour Scene mimicking what was happening in the North. In truth, it was missing a true musical identity of its own. Fast forward to 2012. The almost overnight success of Peace, a Cure-inspired indie-pop outfit, saw a whole host of indie labels fighting to pluck the next big thing out of dingy nightclubs like The Rainbow, The Victoria and Sunflower Lounge.
Suddenly the city seemed filled with bands making ironically indie-beach-pop music set against a dingy industrial backdrop, christened BTOWN by the locals. The fact that the city is so vast and yet the amount of live music venues is relatively small, has meant that bands have needed to network in ways different from bands in other larger cities. It’s well documented that successful locals such as Peace, Troumaca, Corelli, Wide Eyed, JAWS and Swim Deep were all regular drinking buddies when they were growing up. In turn, this created a chain of bands bringing one-another into the mainstream; Swim Deep began supporting Peace, JAWS started supporting Swim Deep and Wide Eyed have recently begun supporting JAWS. Swim Deep are undisputedly the new next-big-thing to come out of BTOWN. Dressed like ninenties throwbacks and sporting long hair like California surfers you can’t dispute their talent – The dreamy rhythms, the introspection of their lyricism and altogether rawness of their sound. Debut track “King City” flew around the social-web with a video that was paid homage to the city that was backing them, showing the boys skating around run-down graffiti-clad parts of the city and drinking in local bars. Next came “She Changes The Weather”, a laid-back, sleepy love-song that could still be adapted when the band thrashed it out live, stage-dives and all.
Having signed to RCA last year, the four-piece have broken the city limits jetting around the world to spread their sun-kissed tunes supporting the likes of Spector on tour. Swim Deep will no doubt be heading along a path of international recognition with the release of their debut album Where The Heaven Are We making its appearance this September. But they will always be a product of an incredible wave of music that’s coming out of Birmingham. By Angela Newfield
Swim Deep (Facebook)
Rating 8.2
Review by Brian Litwin
Photos by Jesse Wright
We recently spent a weekend in Temecula, California at Lake Skinner for Lightning In A Bottle 2013. For the lack of a better term, this festival is different compared to others. With a main stage being construed around a tree, workshops regarding Yoga and healthier living, free water, and an assortment of art installations, LIB (as it’s referred to) was nothing short of a memorable experience. Here’s a collection of musical and photo highlights from the festival.
Purity Ring – Thanks to typical L.A. traffic on a Friday, getting into the secluded area of Lake Skinner where LIB was taking place was a bit of a challenge. Nevertheless, we arrived in time to catch Edmonton electronic duo Purity Ring’s set. Corin Roddick and Megan James seemed to be on a mission to please the crowd that night, with their noted stage lighting and drum pad pods. Though the set seemed a bit short of the midnight ending, Purity Ring played the majority of their 2012 release Shrines.
Odesza – Seattle duo Odesza threw down. Playing from their free album Summer’s Gone and ending with new tunes, as yet to be release, there was good reason why these guys were one of my 5 to see acts at LIB. Also, they played on a stage constructed with Bamboo (pretty awesome stuff).
Blackbird Blackbird – Over at the Lightning Stage, San Francisco based Mikey Maramag made some noise himself. Mixing in his “folktronica” sound with trap and some house, Blackbird Blackbird turned some heads. This was my first time seeing this guy live, but it won’t be the last.
Nicolas Jaar – This NY/Chile native is extremely talented and very young. His set featured loads of house and it will surely have people remembering his name long after LIB. Side note: his track “The Ego” with Theatre Roosevelt may be a single that has gone under the radar for way too long.
GRiZ – Speaking of young talent, GRiZ, aka Grant Kwiecinski from Detroit, MI, is younger than Nicolas Jaar and also plays saxophone over his produced beats. GRiZ also brought guitar player Dan Hacker on stage for some tracks. Playing selected songs off of Mad Liberation and End of The World Party releases, GRiZ ended Saturday night nicely.
Goldroom – Their sound has Southern California written all over it. It is radio ready and instead of being just the solo project of Josh Legg, it’s now a full band with Mereki Beach singing lead vocals. I saw Gold Room at Dim Mak for a DJ set and also live while during SXSW. “Fifteen”, “Only You Can Show Me”, “Morgan’s Bay” and “Angeles” should be in your next beach mixtape, and they sounded great live at LIB.
Giraffage – This is a no brainer. We love this kid. Throwing down crowd pleasers like “Close 2 Me” and his stellar remix of Janet Jackson’s “Someone To Call My Lover” really got the party started. Later, Giraffage mixed in possibly the best remix of 2013 (so far) and a personal favorite Stardust’s “Music Sounds Better With You”. However, the biggest reaction was the drop to “Money” and with friends on stage throwing out fake hundreds to the unique trap stylings of Mr. Yin, the crowd was floored. Do yourselves a favor and see this man live
gLAdiator – The LA production duo, Danl Goodman and Ian Johnson, may have had the surprise set of LIB. I had heard of them, but didn’t know what was about to transpire at this festival. How foolish of me. Their trap heavy set created so much noise that they pulled fans from other stages, who came to see what the commotion was all about. gLAdiator have a nice run of dates in the future, including a set in LA for HARD Summer. Do not miss these guys.
Tycho – Dive might be one of the more complete albums of recent history and Scott Hansen, project leader, clearly has a great and well defined artistic vision for Tycho. Stunning live visuals were set to all of the tracks. The tightness of the band evoked an energy that flowed calmly from the speakers to the crowd, capping off the perfect set to wrap up the festival. Tycho also performed a new track that had similar vibes to Dive but was much more bass and house influenced.
Lightning In A Bottle Festival (Info)
Photos and Words by Russ Ramos
I remember when I first heard, “I need a Doctor” from Dr. Dre and Eminem. That’s when Skylar Grey’s voice immediately caught my attention. With a handful of releases and hit collaborations to her name, Skylar Grey took to The Bootleg Theater in Los Angeles this past Thursday (7/25) to celebrate the release of her new and latest album, Don’t Look Down.
Skylar opened with her track “Back From The Dead” and, along with her full band, she set the perfect high-energy tone for the rest of the evening. With a long but paced set list, Skylar took the audience on a ride of musical hits from the brilliantly written, “Love the Way You Lie”, to her radio smash, “C’mon Let Me Ride”. Throughout the set, Skylar would sit on her custom ‘construction orange’ stage piano, and sing to L.A. fans as if they were her family. It was pure and honest. Have a look at some photo highlights from the show below.
Skylar Grey 
(Official) (Purchase ‘Don’t Look Down‘ on iTunes)
