"Not enough has emerged to be able to pinpoint whether MS MR are the real deal or predictable bullshit. One thing’s for sure though, they’re pretty MOR..." MS MR | Secondhand Rapture The elusive MS MR are part of the latest gloom brigade to break out from the waiting room of future talent, and as with most hyped-up fledging acts they have been charged with the over-familiar fate of ‘saving pop’. Their entry into the musicsphere was in the same vein as Lana Del Rey; opting not to release too much information too early on, letting [...]
Fix My Life by Melt Yourself Down Streaming above is a cut from the forthcoming, self-titled Melt Yourself Down record, which is gonna be released in June. As of right now, the UK band is streaming a few songs from it, and "Fix My Life" is one of 'em. The combo of sounds on this track is a hot and overwhelming blend of afrobeat, electronic dance music, psychedelic rock, and various shades of Middle Eastern music as well. It might seem like a far-fetched idea in concept, but Melt Yourself Down brings the sounds, grooves, and [...]
As one half of the group formerly known as Hype Williams, a duo which now goes under the more self-explanatory title Dean Blunt and Inga Copeland, Dean Blunt has specialized in obtuse, abstract electronic pop, though I use the term "pop" this loosely. With the idea of pop tends to come a relateable sort of accessibility with the potential for wide appeal, but it was this fundamental characteristic which Dean and Inga seemed determined to obscure. On last year's Black is Beautiful , the pair buried their humanness under a lo-fi haze of synth-based instrumentals. Dean Blunt is not [...]
If you do not know about the California indie/pop band The Neighbourhood by now, then I suggest researching about them because you are certainly missing out. I've been following them since they first started sending music and watching their progression and success grow has been truly a great hing. The group has come a long way and their debut album I Love You went over really well with audiences. Now they are embarking on a headlining tour with Lovelife, The 1975 , and JMSN , so to celebrate all that they [...]
There are very few bands out there that do the whole shoegaze-y, indie glam rock vibe as well as Smith Westerns do. Or maybe they're the only ones? In any case, the one thing that's for sure is that the young Chicago band are one of indie rocks finest treasures. After their excellent 2011 second album, Dye It Blonde , there were questions raised as to where they'd be going next, and if they could live up to the standards. These questions [...]
Nostalgia can be a terrible thing, but we're all grateful for a dose of it every once in a while. Gallant is a 21 year-old, New York-based artist who's music harks back to the glory days of the mid-nineties, when pop/r'n'b crossovers were storming every chart everywhere. Thankfully though there's something in his delivery and production that makes new track Please? (Vignette) sound beautifully fresh. The smooth-as-silk falsetto vocals are show-stopping, and they're the perfect match for the blissful ambience of the instrumentation that bubbles along on twinkling keys and crisp percussive beats. Please? [...]
Not to brag, but we here at Listen Before You Buy have been onto to Jagwar Ma for a hot minute now. More than anything though we're just happy that they're getting the attention they deserve leading up to the release of their debut full length, Howlin , which is out June 10/11 via Future Classics / Marathon Artists . First it was "The Throw" which made people catch on, and then the spectacular, nearly ten-minute long version of "Man I Need" which I [...]
It's been a solid fourteen months since we first introduced The Neighbourhood , and in those fourteen months, the band has gone from virtually unknown to releasing our favorite EP of 2012 and a more recent stellar album , as well as announcing their first North American headlining tour, already with several sold-out dates. So in honor of their first national headlining stint, the band has decided to release three split 73 singles with each of their tour openers - The 1975 , Lovelife , and JMSN - only [...]
Time to champion a champion, so to speak. Champion Sound Records to be more precise. The Belfast-based label have been absolutely killing it with their recent releases. Home to Ryan Vail - who made this delicious mix for us last week - and a handful of other great artists, they've upped their game again on latest release, I Cry . Featuring Gemma Dunleavy on (rather stunning) lead vocals, I Cry is the lead track from Unknown's [...]
At long last one of our favourite tracks of the last 6 months, the bubbling BRTSH Knights track If I Was To, is seeing a release on Technicolour Records. It will have a b-side, Hazed, and will feature remixes by garage legend El-B and Brainfeeder's Mono/Poly:
Freddie Dickson had us swooning last month with the release of "Shut Us Down," a track that had us comparing him to Lana Del Rey 's theatrics - before she deflated like a balloon. We also warned a debut EP would be on the way in May, and sure enough it's arrived now, via a premiere on our friends The 405 . The four-song Shut Us Down EP continues to establish Dickson's identity as an artist that plays around in orchestral pop music with a dark edge. But each [...]
![[stream] Gold Lake // We Already Exist](http://cdn.elbo.ws/posts/4962400_lg.jpg)
Whatever you're expecting a band named Gold Lake to sound like, that's exactly what you're going to get from this Brooklyn-via-Madrid outfit. The band's new album, Years , was mixed by none other than Phil Ek, who has produced the likes of The Shins and Fleet Foxes. While there is no official word about when the album is going to see the light of day, the band is releasing a two song single on June 18th to whet the appetites of potential listeners. "We Already Exist" is my introduction to the trio, and it's a breathless, layered affair [...]
You know me by now. I'm not the criticizin' kind. If I post about your music on Quick Before It Melts, it's 'cuz I like you, I want others to like you, I want others to know that I want them to like you. I don't ever write a negative review just for the sake of saying "I really, really don't like this record". Sure, there have been disappointed reviews of albums I've had high hopes for, but I approach this blog as a curated collection of music that I feel strongly-maybe even passionately- [...]
While Yonce is off filming adverts for International Conglomerate Number 7, Kelly and The-Dream are keeping it more real with their recent collaborations, first Rowland's Dirty Laundry and now The-Dream's Where Have You Been, a similarly solemn track, taken from his new LP 4Play:
Daft Punk | Random Access Memories Words by Ron Jurewicz In April, an emo band called Fall Out Boy came out of a five year hiatus to save rock and roll. The world still isn’t quite sure how to thank them, but I think an absurd, ironic punishment along the lines of tying their hands to their legs, pushing a boulder down a hill towards their loved ones and saying ‘Now Fall Out Boy, save rock, and roll’, should do nicely. When Daft Punk [...]
We've been closely following Melbourne trio I'LLS for a little while now. They've announced details of their sophomore EP A Warm Reception and released its exquisite first single 'Plans Only Drawn'. To continue on, we're delighted to present to you the EP's second single, 'Speak Low'! Milking out these tracks is a complete tease. With 'Plans Only Drawn' kicking us off in all its evocative beauty, the charm of I'lls strengthens through the sounds of 'Speak Low'. The drums, guitars and vocals all seem disjointed from one another, but still work as [...]
HOT CHIP 's JOE GODDARD has continued to keep himself busy on his solo material, as Taking Over - the follow up EP to 20112s Gabriel - is starting to feel closer and closer to its release. The highly anticipated EP has kindly given us an idea of what to expect through Taking Over 's first single, 'She Burns' with vocals by MARA CARLYLE . The bassline dominates in this track; from its rushed breakthrough to the slowed-down charge. Stomping its way through, it picks up a clean synth line (that [...]
“I've always been drawn to music expressing emotion, a message, a musical gesture. One coloured in rich textures, great full arrangements that somehow still seem to have space in the mix Real musicians playing real instruments (not laptops) through chunky, analogue hardware in expensive studios. Only the very best would have a chance to present their work to the masses on stage or on wax.” This is how LANCELOT introduces himself on his Soundcloud . This continues into a long paragraph about his musical influences and how he put together [...]
![[stream] Smith Westerns // 3AM Spiritual](http://cdn.elbo.ws/posts/4961078_lg.jpg)
Every so often I feel like Brooks from The Shawshank Redemption and marvel at how the (music blog) world has gone and got itself in a big damn hurry while we were away. We've taken a much more lackadaisical approach of late, and while I enjoy the pace of things now, I do feel like I'm missing out on everything that's happening out there. And even though I might miss first singles or album announcements or new cover art by not keeping my ear constantly to the musical grindstone, I still always manage to get the high points. Then I [...]
Originally the solo project of Jesse Cafiero, Split Screens added drummer Rory O'Connor ( Tycho, Com Truise ) and vibraphonist Geneva Harrison ( Rachel Goodrich, DRMS ) to record their debut, self-titled EP, which came out in December of last year. The band have recently made the step-up to performing live shows and have also released a beautiful new video that you can check out below. Crafted together using old footage from a San Franciscan film archive, the video is a perfect accompaniment to a track that is both vibrant and touching. Layers of soft instrumentation [...]
When The Gramophone Rings
The Needle Drop
Oh So Fresh! Music
Listen Before You Buy
GoldFlakePaint
Abeano Music
Tympanogram
Quick Before It Melts
Purple Sneakers
Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros – Better Days
Listen The Lonely Island and Solange together on “Semicolon”
Giorgio Moroder - Live at Deep Space
