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Teedra Moses – California Vibes EP
The Young Lioness is back with a surprise EP for her fans! Teedra Moses gave us one of my favorite albums to this day, back when I was a young girl in high school who didn’t see herself as knowing much about love or life and its losses. And even then, I was in love with every track and knew that her debut, Complex Simplicity is something that should be felt by everyone. Keeping in similar tones with her latest self-released project, California Vibes, The New Orleans native has created another masterpiece that curls around my soul ever so snuggly. Every word expressed rings at elements of my own life,…
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Lion Babe – Jungle Lady Visual
After two teasing years, the first official Lion Babe EP has arrived, and it delivers a refreshing helping of new school funk music. The only disappointing thing about this project is that it leaves you wanting more. I think this very special duo picked a fitting time of the year to officially introduce themselves to the world, with all of the other amazing music that is being released lately, from D’Angelo’s Black Messiah to J.Cole’s recent release. The self-titled project includes the future classic (I feel), Treat Me Like Fire, as well as other favorites I have featured previously, Jump Hi featuring Childish Gambino and Intro. With the five track…
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Majay – ROOM 202
I don’t remember how I came across this cool website, but it relates to this post and I’ve had the link to it up for weeks. I’ve been going to rainymood.com for some years now because the sound of rain coating anything is soothing to me. I highly recommend it, especially to play with the wonderful instrumentals on this project. Try it and thank me later. ; ) So, it has been raining in Los Angeles for the past couple of days. While I’ve been playing this new Majay project a lot, I like it even more with this weather. I ran into a few of these guys at a…
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P.R – The Instrumentals
I am a fan of instrumentals. Even before my recent experimentation with meshing my rhymes over them, I have found that a great instrumental can be just as rejuvenating and relatable as a song which I connect to lyrically. I remember listening to beats by producers like Nujabes and J Dilla in high school and discovering then that instrumentals really helped me focus whenever I’d write my own short stories in my spare time, as well as the dreaded essays assigned. I developed an appreciation for instrumentals alone. They mask the ever-going clutter in my mind while the unique instruments lead to all sorts of sounds and scenarios associated when…
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Sonnymoon – The Fear
Anna Wise has one of the most enchanting voices I have ever heard. The quality about Sonnymoon, previously mentioned here, that draws my attention to them again and again is their ultra eerie & indefinable sound. They are masters at channeling several styles at once to create their own individual sound. I discovered the super duo through their Golden Age project, which I fell in love with along with their self-titled LP Sonnymoon. They get me through long hours of transit, and sound especially magical while up in the clouds during a flight, or on a train. I highly recommend both of their projects. True experimentalists, I honestly believe that…
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Dumplings én China – Spray Paint My Huffy
Dumplings én China just released a sweet new song titled Spray Paint My Huffy. He describes it as “super vibey and bubble tea-ish” and I agree! The beat is interesting and as colorful as the song’s artwork. If you love music like I do, you won’t be able to resist feeling it, right away! This song, like another one he recently made available, Sorbet, reminds me of bright weather and smiles exchanged on a beautiful day. Songs like this can keep you warm all throughout winter. His words invoke that old summer nostalgia, with references to some of my favorite cartoons growing up. I like that the music he’s been…
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Little Simz – Quest Luv feat. Tilla
Little Simz is slaying all of the boys, and they don’t even know it yet. In a matter of months, she has dropped a thirteen-track EP followed by two more stunning drops, while she is now prepping a third one. She just revealed the visual for her song Quest Luv, featuring the vocals of Tilla. This track is one of my favorites from her E.D.G.E. EP, which I featured here. In this video, she gets up-close and personal to put this emotional song into perspective. This visual left my mind racing. After the first minute of watching, I found that is both comforting and a bit unsettling that so many…
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Etta Bond – #FML & Feels Like Visual
I am so compelled to share this one because I just love it whenever Etta Bond drops random goodies for us through her soundcloud. Each one always seems to match my exact frequency at the time, and she was right on cue adding this one. This calming and beautiful song, Feel My Love, was produced by Chris Loco. It comes weeks after her #COOLNEWURBANTALENT project, which also features his production on the instantly infectious Feels Like. She literally gets better and better, which is admirable because I have been awed by Etta’s lyrical skills and vocals for a while now. This melody is like some sweet echo of the classical…
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thestand4rd LP
thestanda4rd decided to drop a self-titled album on us, for free. In a recent post, I gushed over the mystical visual for this super group’s lead-single, without knowing their plans to release a complete project. They then announced a tour, which I am excited to witness next week at The Roxy in Los Angeles, only days after Flying Lotus and days before FKA Twigs! While festivals cover the rest of the seasons, the Fall time is the most active for unique live shows, I’ve noticed. thestanda4rd is what happens when four unexampled up-coming artists decide to collaborate with some assistance from Dock Mckinney. Dock Mckinney is responsible for two of…
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Xavier Isme – Monotone
Deciding to dive into writing the frolic has introduced me to many inspirational voices. I always reflect on this because it both humbles and energizes me each time I receive a wonderful new submission. It’s another strong reminder that you recieve what you put out. This particularly gifted sixteen year old rapper who I decided to give a listen recently surprised me. Xavier Isme’s newly released song Monotone touches on the topic of identity. He expresses his own struggle while channeling the conflict encountered when deciding who you are and trying to fit into public personas. Topics like this are close to my heart and are especially important to address…
