progressive

Songs of the Week 25: August 30 – September 5

~ kbo27

ryder#5. Ryder – Pretty Little Gangster

soundcloud.com/thisisryder

The debut (I think? remember, I’m lazy…) from Ryder is an easy-on-the-ears pop track with an electro bent. Based on the strength of this debut I expect we’ll see a lot more from Ryder in the future.

skies#4. SKIES – Too Young

soundcloud.com/skiesaus

There’s a sound that Too Young has – which is prominent in a lot of music I like – but I just can’t put my finger on what exactly it is. Maybe it’s something borne out of their Aussie background (as I tend to like a lot of acts that are coming out of Australia)? Maybe it’s the catchy hooks and poppy-RnB groove? Maybe it’s that falsetto?! Yes, definitely it’s that falsetto.

noreenpure#3. RÜFÜS – You Were Right (Nora En Pure Remix)

soundcloud.com/noraenpure // soundcloud.com/rufussounds

I shocked myself when I dug through my post history to find out that I never posted You Were Right by RÜFÜS. It may be one of those songs that I didn’t really like on first listen and grew on me with time. Regardless, the song gets it’s due now, albeit in the form of a killer remix by Nora En Pure. She’s been on a tear with some amazing remixes, and gives this track a nice tropical vibe. (Don’t forget to check out the original, since I wasn’t hip enough to post it the first time around)

foals#2. Foals – London Thunder

soundcloud.com/foals

I love me some Foals. This past week (or perhaps the week before) they released their newest album What Went Down, which is well worth a listen. I rarely like full albums (I’m more of a singles-type guy), so the fact that I give a call out to a full album carries some weight (if you happen to even remotely respect my musical opinion). While I loved the whole album, my favorite track (by a mile) is London Thunder. It’s one of those “floater” songs that just … well… floats. I also expect that it’d be an absolutely killer track live.

aviddancer#1. Avid Dancer – I Feel It

soundcloud.com/avid-dancer

OK, get your head out of the gutter. Those are fingers in the wall. FINGERS.

Now that we’ve cleared that up, it’s time for some surf rock! Or at least what I’d lump into surf rock. Usually a song will win my “favourite song of the week” honours by being catchy, and Avid Dancer’s I Feel It is no exception. I mean, how can you not belt out “yeaaah” with him every time the chorus comes around? Also… DAT FADE OUT at the end. Man, no one fade’s out anymore. It’s the best.

Songs of the Week 16: June 28 – July 4

~ kbo27

everso

#5. Ever So – Not Over You

soundcloud.com/eversoofficial

These guys have a sound that would make you think you’ve heard them somewhere before. But you probably haven’t, because as far as I’m aware this is their debut song. I can’t quite put my finger on who Ever So remind me of, but they’ve got that indie-dance thing down perfectly.

felon#4. Felon Feat. Kaleem Taylor – Isla

soundcloud.com/felon

Fantastic vocals and consistent, butt-wiggling groove have Felon’s Isla making me wish I was out at some tropical dance festival. I can’t tell if it’s correlation or causation that results in all these uplifting, breezy tunes all rolling out in the summer months.

poema#3. Poema – Enough Messing Around

soundcloud.com/poemamusic

Poema are back, and back with a vengeance. Well, vengeance might be a bit strong for the delicate, gentle sounds of Enough Messing Around… but regardless they are have a new track and are now one of the few bands to make a repeat appearance in my weekly favourites list (previous entry here). Like I mentioned above in Felon’s entry, this is another “summerish” track that just makes me want to go to frolic. Frolic for days.

carneyval and instrum

Kendrick Lamar – i (Caryneyval & Instrum Remix) (Cover by Jackson Breit)

soundcloud.com/Carneyvalmusic // soundcloud.com/instrum // https://soundcloud.com/jackson-breit

I often wonder how many amazing songs I’ve missed out on because I didn’t give them enough of a chance. I’m a tough critic. Very tough. But when you listen to hours of new music a day you get pretty good at finding sounds you like and knowing quickly (often after the first 30 seconds) whether it’ll make the cut. This remix of a Jackson Breit cover of i by Kendrick Lamar is one of those songs that I almost missed out on. The first few listens were meh, but still enough that I kept it on my list. However, in those first few listens I never got past the 2:00 minute mark. It was only after I gave the full song a shot did I realize how fucking amazing it was. The piano-based shift starting at 2:12 makes my brain melt, and the 2:43 drop makes me completely lose my shit. So it’s for this reason I say to give the entire song a shot, as it’s worth it.

stray echo#1. Stray Echo feat. Lolo – Ground

soundcloud.com/strayecho

OH BOY OH BOY OH BOY OH BOY. This right here. This song right here could very well end up being my favourite song of 2015. It’s a track that makes me want to share it with everyone single person I know… but then I force myself not to (since it’s for that exact reason I have a blog… to stop pestering all my friends with music daily). Welp – I’ve broken that rule already as I think I’ve sent this song to almost everyone I know. There’s absolutely nothing I don’t like about Ground. From the moment it starts to the moment it ends, every single second is goddamn fantastic.