237. Rhye – Open
Posted: August 25, 2013 Filed under: #hotfor2013, chillout, downtempo | Tags: a song a day, chillout, downtempo, jessie ware, mike milosh, open, polydor, rhye, robin hannibal, rumer, sade, willy moon, woman Leave a commentFrom their debut album “Woman”, Rhye are a rare find. Capturing that middle ground between Rumer’s introspection and Jessie Ware’s breathy warble, yet for me, it’s more soulful, more pronounced and heartfelt. The biggest crime must be their only charting at 143 upon the album’s March release on Polydor – a case of a woefully undercelebrated talent, similar to Willy Moon earlier this year.
“Open” is a delicate number that feels current and yet in it’s own way, timeless. Go and buy or stream the album now.
Leaving yourself Open
234. Sam Smith – Nirvana
Posted: August 22, 2013 Filed under: #hotfor2013, chillout, electronica, post dubstep | Tags: a song a day, blackstreet, chillout, disclosure, downtempo, electronica, john newman, nirvana, pmr, r&b, sam smith, soundscape Leave a comment
Forthcoming on PMR (home to Disclosure), it’s another luscious, dreamy soundscaper from Sam. “Nirvana” shows off his vocal and emotional range well, taking in tinges of Blackstreet along the way. There’s always a few stand out artists that emerge in the second half of the year and Sam, alongside the likes of John Newman has forged a path for a new type of electronica soul to emerge. No plans for an album have been announced yet but his body of work to date is strong.
Squiggly Smith
184. London Grammar – Wasting My Young Years
Posted: July 3, 2013 Filed under: #hotfor2013, downtempo, indie | Tags: a song a day, alt-rock, australia, downtempo, emo, florence & the machine, imogen heap, indie, london grammar, metal & dust, the xx, wasting my young years Leave a commentHotly tipped London trio London Grammar have built themselves quite a following already, with no small thanks to “Wasting My Young Years” which reached #31 in the UK singles chart this year. This came on the back of their Metal & Dust EP, which went into the top 5 in Australia and gained them new fans worldwide. Florence-esque in pitch but far less inyaface, their brand of indie sounds heavily influenced by the likes of Imogen Heap, the XX and numerous others. That isn’t to say it’s paint by numbers emo-rock; it feels like there’s a good space for this – time, as ever, will tell.
Young enough to spell better
127. Toddla T Sound – Worst Enemy #newmusicmonday
Posted: May 7, 2013 Filed under: #hotfor2013, downtempo, electronica, new music monday, Uncategorized | Tags: downtempo, drs, electronica, j2k, lush, serocee, shola ama, take it back, toddla t sound, trap, worst enemy Leave a comment
Released earlier this year, Toddla T and his “sound” (aka Serocee, Shola Ama & DRS) come through with this spacious, synth out lush in it’s sparseness. Toddla’s previous high was “Take It Back”, featuring J2K and Shola Ama, which in many ways could’ve been a lot bigger than it was – this is a tad less accessible, but far fresher; as a track, there’s a definite feeling of it pushing the barrier.
What’s this bloody racket?
125. Lamb – Gabriel
Posted: May 5, 2013 Filed under: chillout, downtempo, electronica | Tags: a song a day, Andy Barlow, downtempo, electronica, gabriel, Koch, lamb, Lou Rhodes, trip hop, what sound Leave a comment
Chill out electronica masters Lamb hit the sweet spot with the trip hop space out wonderment of “Gabriel”, from their 2001 album “What Sound” on Koch.
They never quite broke thru as they threatened to, and having wrapped up the act in 2004, we may never know what heady heights they may have yet scaled. Without a doubt this is goes down as one of the finest chill out tracks of the late 90s/early 00s.
98. James Blake feat RZA – Take A Fall For Me #newmusicmonday
Posted: April 8, 2013 Filed under: downtempo, electronica, hip hop | Tags: a song a day, CMYK, downtempo, dubstep, electronica, falsetto, hip hop, james blake, overgrown, polydor, pop, R&S Records, rap, retrograde, rza, take a fall for me, wilhelm scream Leave a comment
The ever delightfully weird James Blake drops his new album today, entitled “Overgrown”. It’s slightly more upbeat than the last album (that’s saying something) with a couple of stand out tracks – the previously referenced “Retrograde” and this one, featuring Wu-Tang’s RZA.
Fuzzy static and chopped up vocal samples intersperse Blake’s falsetto and RZA’s relentless, impassioned lyricising, creating something equally emotional and eerie. Blake’s best tracks move away from his tendency to the macabre to remembering his upbeat, dubstep roots but this album definitely feels like a positive progression for the Enfield man.
Get a haircut then
85. Lion Babe – Treat Me Like Fire
Posted: March 26, 2013 Filed under: #hotfor2013, downtempo | Tags: #hotfor2013, a song a day, boddika, clash magazine, downtempo, electronica, jill scott, jillian hervey, lion babe, lucas goodman, rinse fm, treat me like fire Leave a comment
New York RnB via the finest British tastemakers, Lion Babe (Jillian Hervey & Lucas Goodman) make this trippy, crackly number – think Jill Scott via a slowed down Boddika. Support from Rinse FM & BBC 6 Radio has seen their name rise and still being independent, I’m sure they’ll have plenty knocking on their door.
Lion pups
49. James Blake – Retrograde #newmusicmonday
Posted: February 18, 2013 Filed under: downtempo, electronic, new music monday | Tags: 2013, a song a day, bon iver, CMYK, downtempo, electronica, james blake, lindesfarne, polydor, retrograde, unluck, wilhelm scream Leave a comment
This is a definite return to form for the high pitched electronic warbler from Enfield. Whilst the album was all doom and gloom, this feels far more euphoric without quite getting back to the madness of CMYK etc.
Measured in its euphoria whilst equally still as introspective as his solo stuff has proven to be, an album of more upbeat and soul influenced stuff like this would be extremely welcome. And with over 600k views in just a week, it’s fair to say the appetite is there.
James Blake
A Song A Day 2013 