SEVDALIZA – SOUL SYNCABLE
“Soul Syncable,” Sevdaliza’s latest slice of ambitious dark pop, emerged on the day of the super blue blood moon—should you believe in trippy lunar happenings—and was accompanied by a special message. “These are glimpses of her supernatural realm,” wrote the Iranian-Dutch musician. The “her” was unclear—perhaps a reference to herself, or to the moon.
Regardless, the idea of glimpses into the beyond resonates throughout “Soul Syncable,” as the track flickers between bright and dark like a nightlight about to blow. It opens with luscious string arrangements that slowly melt into a trip-hop beat, with woozy keys that sneak in over the top, followed by Sevdaliza’s breathy, almost Aaliyah-like vocals. The effects are ghostlike and eerie, as well as heavily nostalgic for Dummy-era Portishead and classic 1990s UK garage acts. “I’m on codeine, suffer to dream,” she sings, sounding high on the enigma of it all. “Soul Syncable” is familiar like an apparition from the past, but it sparkles with promise for the future.
Read the rest of this article at Pitchfork
Scallops Hotel – A Terror Way Beyond Falling
It would seem like there’s a finite amount of exemplary performance in all of us. Having completed work regarded as our best, it’s considered irrational to expect our next efforts to immediately meet or transcend this high water mark. Rarely does an athlete post career highs in successive game. Rarely does an actor or musician deliver back-to-back performances described as “their best.” Typically, time must pass, the metaphorical fountain of inspiration must be allowed some time to refill itself, before we’d expect to top ourselves.
Therefore it really shouldn’t be possible for milo’s new record, sovereign nose of (y)our arrogant face, to be as good as it is—considering it was released a scant four months after last August’s stellar breakthrough who told you to think??!!?!?!?! Yet from its self-produced beats, to its lyrics, to its structure, Milo’s latest stands up to and even surpasses its predecessor.
Read the rest of this article at Passion Of The Weiss
Laurence Guy – Then Again, Maybe Not
UK producer Laurence Guy lands on Mule Musiq for the first time with his ‘All I See Is Her’ EP, featuring the jazzy and soulful house ballad ‘Then Again, Maybe Not’.
Following his acclaimed album and various releases on labels like Church, Cin Cin and Rose Records, Laurence Guy is building up his already stacked catalogue by gracing the influential Japanese label Mule Musiq. His new material delivers on the infectious rhythms, dreamy soundscapes and warm melodies he’s become known for with his distinctly intricate sound profile.
Read the rest of this article at Soundcloud
Birocratic – Extra Fresh
Brooklyn-based producer Birocratic has steadily built his career with a style centered on flipping samples and turning them into tracks with palpable grooves. 2017 saw the producer continue to self-release a number of tracks, in addition to catching the eye of GRiZ‘s All Good Records, who signed him for a remix of the label boss himself.
With a solid foundation established, Birocratic’s latest release, “Extra Fresh,” veers into new territory for the artist.
“In 2017, I got out of the studio and started bringing Birocratic to the stage in a big way — and meanwhile I’ve been super inspired by underground funk and house music. So the only natural solution for my next release was to get straight back into the studio and freshen things up a bit.”
The end result is breezy, meandering affair that successfully blends Birocratic’s established sound with new house stylings. An effortless, catchy production, “Extra Fresh” portends even bigger things to come for the producer in 2018.
Read the rest of this article at Dancing Astronaut
Dream Wife – Hey Heartbreaker
Get ready for Dream Wife to liberate young females everywhere with the release of their self-titled debut album later this month.
It’s an album trailed by countless live shows, a seemingly never-ending trail of riffs, broken equipment, and their always-vital message of empowerment.
Set to play a pair of British shows in January before skipping out of the winter blues for a trip to Australia, Dream Wife are simply unstoppable.
But first, Clash writer Laura Copley caught up with lead vocalist Rakel to find out a bit more behind the trio who are blazing the way for empowered lady rockers. Bad Bitches unite…
Congrats on the album! How long has it taken to get to the release?
Thank you! About a year and a half. We started with our label (Lucky Number) last summer and they just put us to work! We had enough material and enough encouragement to just go for it and instead of releasing more EP’s just going for the debut.
Where have you been recording?
We wrote a lot in the studio we have in Peckham, which is a windowless little space. Then we recorded in East Coast studios in Notting Hill which actually doesn’t exist anymore, I think we were one of the last bands to record there.
There was this amazing guy who was in his 80s that was selling the studio and he’d built it in the 1970s. It looked like a wooden spaceship. The Rolling Stones recorded there too, you could feel the place had soul.
Read the rest of this article at Clash Music
