David Ralph – “Best of Me”
This artist gives us the best of him and it is good. An electronic, ambient, and ambitious track, Ralph crafts hits that would make Chet Faker proud. You can tell the artist’s deep reverence for craftsmen like Faker as well as his desire to expand on an earlier sound a la Depeche Mode. Ralph is due for a new single every month and if January’s release is any indication, we are due for some great music through the spring. [soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/302824933″ params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]
Kris Angelis – “Heartbreak Is Contagious”
Solid songwriting. That’s all. This is the most difficult of crafts and what separates the best artists from the sea of good. Kris is one of those rare talents who can transport you into the life of her song narrative. She crafts pop tracks that are poppy enough for the mainstream but creative and ambitious enough to win over a more indie of audiences. LA Music Critics Awards named her debut album, The Left Atrium, as the Best Female Album of 2013 and she has won accolades from a mix of music fans. The artist is working on her new EP named after this track and says this about heartbreak: “When you’re brokenhearted it can literally feel like your heart is not working properly. You can’t really love anyone, including yourself, which can lead to you breaking someone else’s heart. But also included is the idea that you can let go—that sometimes heartbreak is just a thing that happens and it’s nobody’s fault.” The result is a classic track that bounces around genres in a way that only a well crafted singer songwriter can do. [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nql1y2ApTxQ]
Madeleine Mayi – “You Want More”
Wow. There is room in every heart for the music of Mayi. The jazzy and incredibly soulful LA artist has an incredible knack for tight and emotive lyrics sang over an array of great instrumentation. Think a young Norah Jones mixed with a little John Mayer guitar work and you have nailed down the promise of this tune. Currently she is prepping an EP to drop in March and we could not be more stoked for it. [soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/302875845″ params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]
Fly By Midnight – “Vinyl”
Guilty pleasures, we all have them. The boys from Fly By Midnight play to this eternal truth. Whether you say hate pop or bands like Walk the Moon or not, you cannot stand still to music that sneaks past your preference and grabs your inner-Abba fan. You know you want to clap and sing along – just do it. This track calls for a return to the vinyl days and calls fans to ditch MP3’s. This is an agenda we can totally get behind. [soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/291858607″ params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]
