blues

Songs of the Week 94: January 1 – January 7

~ kbo27

curreny#5. Curren$y Feat. Starlito – Told Me That

soundcloud.com/currensy

Curren$y makes way too much music for me to be able to keep up. I decided to check in on him as I hadn’t really heard anything since Pilot Talk III. Well, turns out he’s only released 3 billion mix tapes since then so I’m way behind. I did my best to catch up, and Told Me That was what I found myself groovin to the most.

harlea#4. Harlea – You Don’t Get It

soundcloud.com/harleamusic

Real tough week this one. I honestly don’t like having this at #4… it should be at LEAST a #2. However, there is just so much quality stuff this week that Harlea will have to settle. It’s a stunning track, full of swagger and powerful chords that carry with it a bluesy-rock feel. Really really love the chorus.

ten-fe#3. Ten Fe – Twist Your Arm

soundcloud.com/tenfemusic

Despite not really blowing my socks off on the first listen, I’m kind of entranced by Twist Your Arm. It reminds me of songs I used to love in University – catchy pop rock that is deeper than it first appears.

ofenbach#2. Ofenbach – Be Mine

soundcloud.com/weareofenbach

When I first heard this track I was convinced it’d be #1. The beat is ridiculously catchy, something that will have you humming it for the rest of the day subconsciously after your first listen. However, as is often the case, a challenger appeared at the last minute…

max-liese#1. Bridgit Mendler Feat. Kaiydo – Atlantis (Max Liese Remix)

soundcloud.com/maxliesemusic // soundcloud.com/bridgitmendler

Hit play and was really feeling the trap grooves. Like most, I was a bit worn out on the dubstep/track scene from last year’s overkill… but this one was re-igniting it a bit. AND THEN Kaiydo’s verse kicked in. GODDAMN. It’s some of the smoothest flow I’ve ever heard. I really wish there was one more verse, because I find that I listen to this track now just for that one minute of hip hop ecstasy.

Songs of the Week 93: December 25 – December 31

~ kbo27

hamilton-leithauser#5. Hamilton Leithauser + Rostam – A 1000 Times

soundcloud.com/hamiltonrostam

Something different starts this week… at least something different for what I typically fall for. Some folksy-rock came across my doorstep this past week by way of Hamilton Leithauser + Rostam… and it’s what I’d call “adorable rock”. It’s like love song sung by a really drunk dude at the bar for his girl at the end of the night.

kali-uchis#4. Kali Uchis – Rush

soundcloud.com/kaliuchis

Kali has a sound that strikes me as classic. This could be a track from the 80s, 90s, 00s… maybe it’s the jazz vibes that do it. Rush is my favorite track from her recently released Por Vida.

majik#3. Majik – Friends (Under the Influence)

soundcloud.com/majiklondon

I don’t know if it’s that the XX influenced a whole ton of new acts we’re seeing now, or if they just all share a sound that in my head is very similar. Majik’s got that the XX minimalism thing going on that really makes the vocals stick out and gives the song a pretty somber feel.

dvsn#2. Dvsn – Another One

soundcloud.com/dvsndvsn

I know I know, Spotify. It’s all I could find though, and frankly if you don’t at least have the free version of Spotify you definitely should. Dvsn was a new discovery for me this week, and Another One was the track that stuck with me.

khalid-brasstracks#1. Khalid & Brasstracks – Whirldwind

soundcloud.com/thegreatkhalid // soundcloud.com/brasstracks

This Khalid kid… man. Watch for him, as he has some major talent. So excited to see what he does in the next few years. This collab with Brasstracks for the #songsfromscratch project is fucking gorgeous. I love brass instruments, and the music Brasstracks created for this track is nothing short of gorgeous (especially the explosion of sounds during the chorus). However, it’s the lyrical play from Khalid that blows my socks off. From the moment that first verse ended I knew this was taking spot this week. The line just over 35 seconds in “I’ve written a thousand songs about you; I’m just hoping that one day you’ll hear it” is beautiful, catchy and the moment I knew that this song was killer.