10
"Default"
Atoms for Peace
Atoms for Peace
The first single proper from the unexpected supergroup that includes Thom Yorke of Radiohead, Flea of Red Hot Chilli Peppers and Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich. At first listen it's hard to hear anyone apart from Thom Yorke on this jittery, quirky electronica track, but "Default"'s wistful melodies and restrained, tasteful beats are in fact much easier on the ear than Thom Yorke's introverted, difficult solo material. Much like his excellent collaborations with Modeselektor last year, Thom doesn't mumble through the words as if he wishes the listener would leave him alone, instead his voice is beautiful, gliding along in spectral falsetto. If this track is the default setting for Atoms for Peace's debut record, allegedly due early 2013, then it's a promising benchmark.
9
"Feeling's Gone"
Beacon
I've come across a lot of atmospheric post-James Blake pop bands over the last year popping up on blogs, but few have quite created something as haunting as Brooklyn-based Beacon's debut single "Feeling's Gone". A wonderful, beautifully tragic lyrical refrain, "Feeling's gone, we waited for too long, but if you stay the night, we can find some more", opens the track, and the muffled synths, initially shrouded in misty pads, hint at a climax to come, but it isn't until the track's final minute that it triumphantly breaks out into an xx-esque dance beat. It's brief, but expertly done. The band's debut EP is out on October 2nd, called For Now.
"Feeling's Gone"
Beacon
I've come across a lot of atmospheric post-James Blake pop bands over the last year popping up on blogs, but few have quite created something as haunting as Brooklyn-based Beacon's debut single "Feeling's Gone". A wonderful, beautifully tragic lyrical refrain, "Feeling's gone, we waited for too long, but if you stay the night, we can find some more", opens the track, and the muffled synths, initially shrouded in misty pads, hint at a climax to come, but it isn't until the track's final minute that it triumphantly breaks out into an xx-esque dance beat. It's brief, but expertly done. The band's debut EP is out on October 2nd, called For Now.
8
"Ache"
Twigs
Twigs' "Ache" appeared online a couple of months ago, out of the blue with no clue as to the identity of this mystery singer. It arrived with an arresting, somewhat unsettling video, a slow motion clip of a masked dancer contorting his body in a rhythmical rage. It was a bizarre pairing with this sensual, intensely sexual art'n'B track, yet somehow a perfect fit. Twigs' gentle voice can be compared to the sugary tones of AlunaGeorge or even Aaliyah on a good note, but there's no denying that this is a track that suggests Twigs has a lot more to express and to offer.
7
"Fall"
Presets
Presets
"For a band who focus so intently on their less melodic, minimalistic rave numbers, I personally wonder why The Presets don't just stick to melodic dancepop numbers like "Fall"...
6
"Suicide Mission"
Groundislava feat. Baths
On the outskirts of the flourishing underground bass scene lies Groundislava, who are fond of their subby hip hop beats, but are also very fond of rubbing shoulders with the likes of Boards of Canada and Four Tet. As a result, Groundislava's Feel Me record mixes gorgeous electronica with a gritty, modern bass edge. "Suicide Mission" stands out on the record for its enchanting, eerie vocal and baroque-tronic synth arpeggios, like the long lost, missing cousin of SBTRKT's "Wildfire".
5
"Latch"
Disclosure feat. Sam Smith
"Latch" is the first single that really sets Disclosure apart from just another UK underground dance act, mainly because it takes risks. Looking at the more popular numbers of Disclosure's output so far, "Boiling" brings ethereal female vocals to the table, and "Tenderly" showed us the duo's ear for perfect vocal sampling, but not only does "Latch" bounce rather than pound, the camp, falsetto-heavy vocals of Sam Smith are totally out of the bass ball-park. Not a million miles from the soulful croon of Sam Sparro, the slamming climax when his falsetto hits in the chorus is the most exciting moment in any Disclosure track thus far. A track this daring makes Disclosure seem more than just another craze, this gives more than just a hint the duo could be in it for the long run.
4
"Swept Away"
The xx
The elevated presence of Jamie on Coexist is most apparent on the tribal, subtly ravey "Swept Away". For all the criticism directed at the band's sophomore effort, its lack of creativity and progression, "Swept Away" certainly sounds like the band taking a step in a new direction. Jamie's 90s dance beat is simple, tom heavy and does nothing if not intensify the breathless emotion of the band's trademark reverb heavy soundscape. The track pulses like a heartbeat, yet still manages to float.
The xx
The elevated presence of Jamie on Coexist is most apparent on the tribal, subtly ravey "Swept Away". For all the criticism directed at the band's sophomore effort, its lack of creativity and progression, "Swept Away" certainly sounds like the band taking a step in a new direction. Jamie's 90s dance beat is simple, tom heavy and does nothing if not intensify the breathless emotion of the band's trademark reverb heavy soundscape. The track pulses like a heartbeat, yet still manages to float.
3
"Little Talks"
Of Monsters and Men
Although the track might be unabashedly chirpy in its main hook, the band's charm and the male/female vocal chemistry end up justifying the sheer joy that this song exudes. However, the song is allegedly a conversation between a dead man and the wife he left behind, and the bittersweet nature of one-two lines such as "there's an old voice in my head that's holding me back - well tell her that I miss our little talks" are all the more poignant when sung over such an uplifting brass-laden indiepop backing. A track that on first listen seems to reveal all it's ever going to, but on repeat listens, it dawns on you that you may never completely understand everything it has to say. Heartbreaking, beautiful and quite clever really.
Of Monsters and Men
Although the track might be unabashedly chirpy in its main hook, the band's charm and the male/female vocal chemistry end up justifying the sheer joy that this song exudes. However, the song is allegedly a conversation between a dead man and the wife he left behind, and the bittersweet nature of one-two lines such as "there's an old voice in my head that's holding me back - well tell her that I miss our little talks" are all the more poignant when sung over such an uplifting brass-laden indiepop backing. A track that on first listen seems to reveal all it's ever going to, but on repeat listens, it dawns on you that you may never completely understand everything it has to say. Heartbreaking, beautiful and quite clever really.
2
"Need U"
Unicorn Kid
Unicorn Kid
After last year's phenomenal rave revival of Unicorn Kid's Tidal Rave EP, "Need U" strides even more confidentally down the 90s rave route. Somewhere between rave classics "Let Me Be Your Fantasy" and "Set You Free", and leaving even more of his 16-bit roots behind, "Need U" is Unicorn Kid's crowing glory, and the most euphoric, stargazing dance track of the year by far thus far.
1
"Everything is Embarrassing"
Sky Ferreira
The Robyn-esque robot-pop of Sky's early singles "One" and "Obsession" were mildly distracting, but ultimately uninteresting in the long term. Her music smarted with a 'manufactured and lifeless' stamp, that sadly a lot of female singers cannot help by be branded with; one popular single, then oblivion and obscurity. But Sky Ferreira's "Everything is Embarrassing" is phenomenal. You can not only hear a real girl, her emotion, her words, but you cannot pin down what exactly the track is trying to prove, and this mystery is the beauty of it.
Sky Ferreira
The Robyn-esque robot-pop of Sky's early singles "One" and "Obsession" were mildly distracting, but ultimately uninteresting in the long term. Her music smarted with a 'manufactured and lifeless' stamp, that sadly a lot of female singers cannot help by be branded with; one popular single, then oblivion and obscurity. But Sky Ferreira's "Everything is Embarrassing" is phenomenal. You can not only hear a real girl, her emotion, her words, but you cannot pin down what exactly the track is trying to prove, and this mystery is the beauty of it.
Co-produced by Blood Orange's Dev Hynes, the track has the same warm, enveloping sound that gives life to that band's music, and Sky's voice is virtually untouched and airy, what sounds like a girl with nothing left to prove. She sings, defeatedly, cynically, yet beautifully "maybe if you let me be your lover, maybe if you tried, then I would not bother". A poignant, soft, yet hard hitting lyric, one that defines Sky Ferreira's character more than any other lyric she has sung before.
Play "Obsession" straight after listening to this. You'll want to turn it off within seconds in, well, embarrassment. Good luck to the new Sky.
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