Pop
Radiation City – LA Beach
I’m sitting here on a bus texting a friend about potentially making a visit to Santa Barbara this summer and asking myself why I don’t take advantage of living in California more often. And just then, “LA” Beach by Radiation City came on in my SoundCloud stream. Irony aint dead. This is one of those truly summer tunes–with its incredible harmonies and change-ups in instrumentals–that makes me itch for the beach and the warm weather. I might have just been convinced to bite the bullet on that Santa Barbara trip!
I’m not better now
Janine and the Mixtape – Hold Me
It has almost been a year since we last heard from Janine Foster. The New Zealand-born songstress has been hard at work since her last single “Bullets” and is now set to release her Dark Mind EP. “Hold Me” is a somber song with gritty percussion and smooth vocals. It is amazing that the artist who initially blew us away with her powerful vocals has now done the same with a more subdued musical approach. Expect only gems on her EP due out later this summer.
-
Lorde – Royals [Music Video]
Since the release of her debut EP The Love Club last December, seventeen year-old New Zealand singer/songwriter Lorde has taken all the right steps toward what at this point seems to be inevitable future superstardom. Over the last few months she finally let us see what her face looks like, has attracted the attention of countless bloggers (and cool people like Grimes too), landed on Spotify’s “Top 10 Most Viral Tracks” list, and watched as The Love Club topped New Zealand’s iTunes charts.
Then today, she revealed her very first music video for The Love Club standout “Royals”. In line with Lorde’s mysterious aesthetic, the video focuses on an unknown actor instead of the singer herself — but she makes the most of her brief appearances. Like her music, the whole thing has a minimalist style and an unsettling/gritty tone that seems to be the key to her early success. Watch the video below and catch a stream of her EP as well if you haven’t had the chance to dive into that yet.
Also, on an adorable (but borderline creepy) note: Now that she’s turned 17, Arjun finally feels comfortable enough to let me publicly announce his crush on her. (I hope that didn’t have too much of a middle-schooler-telling-a-cute-girl-at-recess-that-his-friend-has-a-crush-on-her vibe). Oh well. Anything for Arjun.
And we’ll never be royals,
it don’t run in our blood
That kind of lux just ain’t for us
We crave a different kind of buzz
Let me be your ruler, you can call me queen B
And baby I’ll rule I’ll rule I’ll rule I’ll rule,
Let me live that fantasy.
Bonus! Stream her debut The Love Club EP, featuring “Royals”.
Stay Bless – Always
If first impressions are as important as career advisors and dating experts say they are, Stay Bless just locked in a successful future for themselves with today’s release of their debut track, “Always”. Blending lush indie pop sounds with a distinct flair for the dramatic, it’s an immediately accessible first effort that’ll likely turn the heads of fans, bloggers, and Hollywood music directors alike.
In an effort to give a completely open and honest introduction, they also released a slightly NSFW music video that’s pretty much just a four minute clip of frontman George Cassavetes taking all his clothes off. So there’s that too.
[via disco naïveté]
Mr. Little Jeans – Oh Sailor (MP3 + Video + Lyrics)
I started listening to “Oh Sailor” soon after getting on the bus to work this morning, and about 30 seconds in, I felt myself getting antsy and almost jumped to the next song in my queue. But knowing what Mr. Little Jeans has put out in the past, I told myself to hold out for the chorus. Just give it a shot.
I’m really glad I did. While the non-chorus parts of this song didn’t hook me, the chorus made it all worth it. Something about kids jumping in to help with a chorus always tugs at my heartstrings. But beyond that, the feel-good nature of the song once it hits the chorus is almost indescribable. This song will really make you feel good. Hit the jump for the full lyrics and the video.
Continue reading “Mr. Little Jeans – Oh Sailor (MP3 + Video + Lyrics)” »
Young Galaxy – Pretty Boy
Young Galaxy has been on my “this band is hot” radar for a little bit now, and with each song they put out, they get hotter and hotter. The 5-piece band out of Canada is on a roll right now within the electropop music scene. They officially release Ultramarine tomorrow. It will be their fourth LP as a group, but the first album that they’ve created outside of Montreal. If you were to make an educated guess as to where it was created, you’d likely be correct. [Make your guess now.] The answer is Sweden. God damnit, I’m proud to be part-Swedish. Everything beautiful these days comes from Sweden.
The LP has ten songs, and Pretty Boy is just one of the gems in the entire collection. The whole album is a beautiful work of art. The album, like their 2011 album, was produced by Dan Lissvik. The band’s website says this of the process of creating this album: ‘Sharing a single small apartment, Young Galaxy played and played, building a new mission statement. McCandless spent an entire week recording vocals. “I can’t act. I can’t fake it,” she says. And although Ultramarine is more direct than previous records have been, with songs of azure longing, Young Galaxy haven’t lost their other aspect: a willfulness, a purposeful independence, and a sense of darkness, unilluminated. “If a song is too sweet, it’s not right.” As lighthearted as Ultramarine can be – as much as you can dance to it – there is also something elemental, something underneath. As McCandless puts it: “Music is a doorway into an engine room.”
I’m not sure I can write a better description of the music than that, so I’ll just let you enjoy that as you listen to some of the most beautiful electropop of today.
When we were lost
We found each other
And headed sightless for the sea
Lana Del Rey – Young and Beautiful (from The Great Gatsby Soundtrack)
This is my second post today about music from movies, but that makes sense. I love movies, and I love music. The two play together so well, titillating your senses and triggering your emotions. Gosh, I also LOVE the word “titillating”; it makes me giggle. Anyway, a few days ago we posted about the preview of the Jay-Z-helmed The Great Gatsby soundtrack. Upon first listen, Lana’s contribution seemed to be a far-and-away highlight, so much so that I used an inequality symbol in a tweet, which I kind of hate.
Lana’s song on the Gatsby soundtrack >>>
— Arjun (@THEArjunGrover) April 17, 2013
The confusing thing about this song is that while Lana Del Rey may not always be young, she will always be beautiful. Gosh, she’s my spider angel (not sure what that means–but it feels right). This song is gorgeous.
-
Fitz and the Tantrums – Out of My League
Fitz and the Tantrums haven’t put out new music for quite some time, but they’re finally putting out their sophomore album (to follow their incredible 2010 debut that made my Best Albums of 2010 list) this May. The vocals here sound different than the content on their first album, but the background music still has that catchy Fitz and the Tantrums style. I’m intrigued to hear what the full album will sound like!
Justin Timberlake – The 20/20 Experience [IRL Review]
Okay, this is cool. The Sunset fam is proud to announce the very first IRL Review via Google Hangout on Justin Timberlake‘s The 20/20 Experience. Stream it LIVE below.
Justin Timberlake Performs a Medley of His Hit Songs
Had enough of Justin Timberlake yet? No. The answer is NO. Never. First there was Suit & Tie, then there was Mirrors, then his full album stream of The 20/20 Experience, then there was History of Rap 4 with Jimmy Fallon, now a medley of JT’s biggest hits. This shit right here is my jam. Seeing the man himself playing the music, sing, and–the best part of it all–dance is inspirational. You can have great singers, but if they can’t dance or put on a performance on stage, they’re not going to make it far. That’s part of what has gotten Justin Timberlake so far. It’s what is helping Macklemore make it so big right now. The energy is contagious. I’m able to ignore the weird faces that JT makes when he sings because I’m awed by his dance moves. And the fact that he legitimately looks like he’s having fun. Add to that the addition of Kanye West and Jay-Z lines into this performance, and you’ve got the recipe for…another hit. This is too good.
[NBC]
Justin Timberlake – The 20/20 Experience [Full Album Stream]
Former N’Sync star and versatile actor (what?) Justin Timberlake is your basic renaissance man. After taking a whopping six years from music to pursue acting and Jessica Biel, JT is back in a big way. Over the last few months, it has been tough to avoid him. Let’s see… “Suit & Tie,” despite mixed reviews, was an all around success (“Mirrors” was better). He announced a stadium tour with his BFF Jay-Z. He hosted one of the best episodes of SNL in recent memory. Oh, and he’ll be on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon every night this week.
#JUSTINTIMBERWEEK is this week on Late Night. See you then.
— jimmy fallon (@jimmyfallon) March 10, 2013
STREAM THE 20/20 EXPERIENCE IN FULL HERE
And while you listen, follow along with the tracklist.
- Pusher Love Girl
- Suit & Tie
- Don’t Hold the Wall
- Strawberry Bubblegum
- Tunnel Vision
- Spaceship Coupe
- That Girl
- Let the Groove Get In
- Mirrors
- Blue Ocean Floor
Cop the album on Friday, March 15 via RCA.
WATCH A VIDEO REVIEW OF THE SUNSET TEAM’S REACTIONS TO THE 20/20 EXPERIENCE
BESTiE – Asleep On The Bus
BESTiE came across my radar in one of those beautiful little #NP posts that Arjun graces us with. He had me at “sounds like: Vampire Weekend, The Griswolds.” I started following them on SoundCloud, and today heard a new song of theirs called Asleep On The Bus. Again, they’ve managed to create infectious indie-pop, just like Arjun promised they would. I’ve pressed the play button three times on this song already, and I only found it about 7 minutes ago.
BESTiE provides too perfect explanation of themselves for me not to share: “BESTiE are a band whose influences are summer, ice cream, the beach, girls, floating down a river in an inner tube, high fives and heart break.” I want [almost] all of those things. Use your imagination, I guess.
BESTiE || Bandcamp | SoundCloud | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube
