Tag: indie electro R&B

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

With the release of EP Two, which was released earlier this year, the London-basd electronic soul songwriting and production act Two Another, comprised of Angus and Eliot, along with trumpet and additional production from frequent collaborator Nico Segal received attention for a sound that effortlessly messed classic, Motown-like soul with 90s R&B with slick, contemporary electronic production. As a result of the growing buzz surrounding the British electro soul act, they’ve opened for the likes of Daniel Caesar and SG Lewis.

Building upon their growing profile, the act recently released their latest single, the silky and soulful “Hoping You Changed,” which features a sinuous production that owes a debt to 90s R&B and neo soul,  complete with a funky and insistent bass line, fluttering electronics, and razor sharp hooks paired with soulful vocals and a slick, hyper modern production sheen. And while being remarkably radio friendly, the song reveals a careful yet self-assured attention to craft.

 

.
Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: Check out the “Grease” Inspired Visuals for Joseph of Mercury’s “Angel”

Earlier this summer, you may have come across a couple of posts featuring Joseph W. Salusbury, an up-and-coming Toronto, ON-based singer/songwriter and producer, who has a number of songwriting and production credits including cowrites on Majid Jordan‘s “Something About You” and Illangelo‘s “Your Future’s Not Mine, and vocal production on Nelly Furtado and Blood Orange‘s “Hadron Collider” — and earlier this year, Salusbury stepped out from behind the production booth and the relatively anonymity of being a go-to songwriter with his solo recording project Joseph of Mercury, and three singles “Without Words,” “Young Thing” and “Find You Inside,” which quickly established the Canadian singer/songwriter and producer’s reputation for crafting melancholic, slow-burning synth pop that draws from a diverse range of influences, including David Bowie, Elvis Presley, Future Islands and Lower Dens among others, paired with his aching baritone crooning.

Salusbury’s Joseph of Mercury debut, Find You Inside was released last week, and as you may recall, to celebrate the announcement of the EP, he released a live and hauntingly spectral rendition of EP single “Without Words” featuring the up-and-coming Canadian pop artist accompanying himself with guitar. And personally, what made that rendition so compelling is that the live version pulls out the raw, aching emotion at the core of the song in a way that nods at both Roy Orbison and Nick Hakim.

“Angel,” the fourth and latest single off the Canadian pop crooner’s recently released EP finds Salusbury meshing 60s pop and classic R&B, anthemic 80s arena rock and contemporary electro pop in a way that reminiscent of both the aforementioned Nick Hakim and Roy Orbison, and of Daughn Gibson — and much like the sources that influenced the song, “Angel” is a sweet, almost old-timey love song written in a way that may of his contemporaries frankly just seem incapable of doing. As a result, the song is a swooning yet slow-burning  and contemporary torch song in which the song’s narrator confesses his love and devotion with an visceral ache.

Directed by Cannes Short Film Festival-nominated director Gemma Warren, the recently released music video for “Angel” pays homage to a famous scene from Grease in which Joseph play the part of the Teen Angel, originally played by Frankie Avalon, and as a result the video possesses a hazy, dream-like nature. 

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

 

With the release of their first two singles a cover of Pharrell Williams‘ “Frontin‘” and their Amin Payne-produced debut single “Love Trick,” the Melbourne, Australia-based R&B/Future Soul act La Hazel, comprised of Lucas Miller, Matty Lansdown, Tim Chambers and Anand Sivamalai quickly received attention nationally and elsewhere; in fact, with the release of their cover of “Frontin’,” the Melbourne-based Future Soul act built an online following and played with a number of local acts including Blasko, Zil, 1/6, SO.Crates, Tino, Aaron Creigh, Tail Sing, Noti, Class A and others. Along with that they were included on an international line up of up-and-coming hip-hop acts that included Canada’s Xolisa, New Zealand’s Raiza Biza, and American acts A1 Krashn and Paco while the acts were on tour in Australia. Their official debut, “Love Trick” quickly racked up 30,000 views within the first four weeks of its release on Facebook.

Building upon a growing profile, the Melbourne, Australia-based Future Soul act recently released their second and latest single “Begging” is a slinky and sultry bit of synth-based funk that interestingly enough reminds me of Melbourne, Australia-born, Brooklyn-based Nick Murphy, fka Chet Faker — with hints at D’Angelo, The Roots, Dam-Funk and others, but with rousingly anthemic hooks; but under-pinning the song is an irresistible, yet frustrated carnal need. 

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Earlier this month, I wrote about Joseph W. Salusbury, an up-and-coming Toronto, ON-based singer/songwriter and producer, who has a number of songwriting and production credits including cowrites on Majid Jordan‘s “Something About You” and Illangelo‘s “Your Future’s Not Mine, and vocal production on Nelly Furtado and Blood Orange‘s “Hadron Collider;” however, earlier this year, Salusbury stepped out from behind the production desk with his solo recording project Joseph of Mercury and three singles “Without Words,” “Young Thing” and “Find You Inside.” And with this three early singles, Salusbury quickly established a reputation for crafting melancholic, slow-burning synth pop that draws from a diverse range of influences, including David Bowie, Elvis Presley, Future Islands and Lower Dens among others, paired with his aching baritone crooning.

Find You Inside, Salusbury’s Joseph of Mercury debut is slated for a September 1, 2017 release, and Salusbury celebrated the release announcement with a live, spectral rendition of EP single “Without Words” featuring the up-and-coming Canadian pop artist accompanying himself with guitar, and what makes this rendition so compelling to me is that it pulls out the raw, aching emotion at the core of the song in a way that nods at both Roy Orbison and Nick Hakim.

“Angel,” the fourth and latest single off the Canadian pop crooner’s soon-to-be released EP finds Salusbury meshing 60s pop and classic R&B, anthemic 80s arena rock and contemporary electro pop in a way that reminiscent of both the aforementioned Nick Hakim and Roy Orbison, and of Daughn Gibson — and much like the sources that influenced the song, “Angel” is a sweet, almost old-timey love song written in a way that his contemporaries frankly just seem incapable of doing. As a result, the song is a swooning yet slow-burning  and contemporary torch song in which the song’s narrator confesses his love and devotion with an visceral ache.

 

 

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

BLVK IRIS is an up-and-coming Danish electronic music artist and electronic producer and his debut single single “Put It On” is a sultry, slow-urning, Quiet Storm-inspired pop song featuring a sinuous bass line, shimmering and wobbling synths, an anthemic hook and the warm, interwoven male and female vocals of New York-based vocalists Janelle Kroll and Jeuru. And while being an incredibly sensual song with both vocalists expressing a yearning and urgent sexual desire and longing, the slickly produced, swaggering song also nods at 90s R&B and contemporary R&B simultaneously.

New Video by William Ruben Helms

Live Footage: Bay Area-based JOVM Mainstays The Seshen Perform “Right Here” at Berkeley’s The Clock Factory

Now, if you had been frequenting this site over the past 12-18 months or so, you’ve likely come across a handful of posts on one of this site’s newest mainstay acts, the Bay Area-based electro pop/electro R&B/electro soul act The Seshen. Comprised of founding members Lalin St. Juste (vocals) and Akiyoshi Ehara (bass, production) with Kasha Rockland (vocals), Mizra Kopelman (percussion) and Kumar Butler (sampler), the Bay Area-based act have received attention from this site and elsewhere for a sound that draws from a broad and eclectic array of influences including  Erykah Badu, Jai Paul, James Blake, Radiohead, Broadcast, hip-hop, indie rock, electronica — with the result being a sound that managed to be simultaneously contemporary and retro-futuristic.
Over the past year, I wrote about the first three singles off the act’s sophomore full-length effort Flames & Figures — “Distant Heart,” a sleek and sensual, synth-based single that sounded as though it were influenced by 80s synth-based R&B and pop,  “Already Gone,” a sultry and sensual track that subtly nodded at Giorgio Moroder, and “Colors Collide,” which managed to nod at 60s-inspired psych pop and rock rock, complete with a shifting and morphing song structure held together by a hazy vibe. The album’s latest single “Right Here” consisting of retro-futuristic-leaning production featuring cascading layers of synths, xylophone, subtly African percussion, a sinuous yet propulsive bass line and ambient synths within an expansive song structure featuring rapidly shifting key changes and mood and razor sharp hooks — and while there’s a lot going on within the song, there’s enough room for St. Juste’s sultry and coquettish vocals to dart and float about. But perhaps most important, the latest single should remind listeners that the Bay Area-based act specialize in balancing an accessible, pop sensibility with an uncompromisingly challenging songwriting approach and sound. 

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Comprised of Jillian Hervey (vocals) and Lucas Goodman, a.k.a. Astro Raw (production), the New York-based neo-soul/R&B duo Lion Babe received a growing national and international profile with the release of their full-length debut Begin, which featured the duo collaborating with Pharrell Williams and Childish Gambino,  and standout, blogosphere dominating singles “Treat Me Like Fire” and their collaboration with the aforementioned Childish Gambino, “Jump Hi,” the Sun Joint Mixtape, the duo’s first headlining tour and a number of festival appearances — including at Glastonbury Festival.

The duo will be releasing a new EP sometime this spring and it’ll feature the duo’s latest single “Rockets,” a collaboration with Moe Moks that features the duo doing their thing over a swaggering yet minimalist, neo-soul production featuring what sound like twinkling vibraphone, tweeter and woofer rocking beats — that nods at Erykah Badu, Jill Scott but with a bracingly chilly, cosmic glow. And as the duo explained to the folks at Noisey, the song is about creating “good times in a crazy world.”  Certainly, we could use some of that in our lives, eh?

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Elijah Hook is a Berlin-based soul/pop artist, whose sound meshes elements of old-school soul, contemporary electronic production and R&B as you’ll hear on his latest Sugaboy-produced single “Lights 47” which pairs Hook’s ethereal crooning and Drake-like flow with hyper modern and atmospheric production featuring stuttering drum programming and malevolently swirling electronics in a song that reminds me quite a bit of Steven A. Clark‘s Fornication Under Consent of the King complete with a self-assured swagger.

 

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Last month, I wrote about San Francisco Bay Area-based electro pop/electro R&B act The Seshen, an act comprised of Lalin St. Juste (vocals), Akiyoshi Ehara (bass, production), Kasha Rockland (vocals), Mirza Kopelman (percussion), Chris Thalmann (drums), Mahesh Rao (keys, synths), Mirza Kopelman (percussion) and Kumar Butler (sampler), that has received attention across the Bay Area and elsewhere for an aesthetic that draws from a diverse array of influences including Erykah Badu, Jai Paul, James Blake, Radiohead, Broadcast, hip-hop, indie rock, electronica and 70s dub to craft a sound that walks a tightrope between sounding remarkably contemporary and retro-futuristic. Interestingly enough, “Distant Heart,” the first single off the act’s soon-to-be released sophomore effort Flames and Figures reminded me quite a bit of the slickly produced, sleek synth-based R&B and pop of the early 80s. 

“Already Gone” the second and latest single off Flames and Figures finds the act pairing St. Juste’s sultry and plaintive cooing with glitchy and stuttering drum programming, swirling ambient electronics and layers of cascading, shimmering synths, some reverberating industrial clang and clatter in the background and a sensual hook to craft a song that manages to feel both deliberately crafted and improvised — all while subtly nodding at Giorgio Moroder’s legendary and incredibly sexy productions.

Uncategorized by William Ruben Helms

With the release of her debut single “This Human Ache,” 23-year-old, Rhode Island-born, Brooklyn-based singer/songwriter and electro pop artist Elisa Coia has quickly received praise for a breezily atmospheric sound consisting of subtle layers of ethereal […]

Uncategorized by William Ruben Helms

Up-and-coming London-based vocalist and producer Rationale has quickly captured the attention of the blogosphere, as his debut track “Fast Lane” which was released last month received 450,000 plays and quickly climbed to the top of the […]

Uncategorized by William Ruben Helms

Frank Ocean, The Weeknd, Steven A. Clark and a lengthy list of others represent a progressive movement in both Black music (if such a thing truly exists) and in pop/R&B as these artists and their […]

Uncategorized by William Ruben Helms

Comprised of producer Zachary Andrew (Black Light Dinner Party, High Highs) and vocalist, Richard Saunders, the New York-based duo of Refs have quickly won the attention of the blogosphere with the release of their debut […]

Uncategorized by William Ruben Helms

Bee Becx is a singer/songwriter who has started to gain attention for a sound that’s been described as “a subtle suggestive hint of R&B, Hip-Hop and Trip-Hop overtones laced with an experimental edge.” Interestingly, her latest […]

Uncategorized by William Ruben Helms

The South London-based vocalist Ego Ella May has developed a reputation for an effortlessly and easy-going vocal style that uncannily channels Erykah Badu. Her latest single, “How Far” produced by Wu-Lu and Reiss G features a […]