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Blood Orange
Cupid Deluxe
Domino
Known predominantly as a man who works for other artists, Devonte Hynes sure knows how to make music that is without a doubt his own. After providing the vital character for Solange’s True and writing tracks for Britney Spears new album that won’t see the light of day, Hynes has branched out on his own to create his second solo endeavor under the moniker Blood Orange. This isn’t to say Cupid Deluxe is entirely a solo record – each song features collaboration with a multitude of familiar names in the music scene. This use of particular artist selection is what gives the album its abundance of character and varietal depth. Even though the two guest MC’s feel like placeholders for Hynes’ immaculate production skills to shine, the guest vocalists are an essential part to the record’s charm. Tracks such as “Always Let U Down” and “Chamakay” are unimaginable without their female counterparts who drive the song into being the powerful midnight grooves they are. This is all taken into consideration that Hynes’ vocal output and production are noteworthy on their own. The real brilliance of Cupid Deluxe, however, lies in Hynes’ knowledge of how to fill the gaps of his own weaknesses with artists who can add character to his solid ideas that may not be executed as well on his own. – Jonny Williams

Los Campesinos!
No Blues
Wichita
This is the six piece so-fun-it-hurts indie pop act’s fifth release. As usual, it is snarky, biting and tongue in cheek sophisticated. Gareth Campesinos! [everyone in the band adopts the same last name, exclamation point and all] sings all about heartbreak but in his own overly high strung and sarcastic way. You can almost understand why it never works out for him. Lovely, catchy and littered with European soccer [football?] references it’s a worthy successor to their previous albums. Perhaps they’ve settled down a bit, the screechy, grating shout-along-in-your-car songs are few and far between. “Avocado, Baby” is the only song that comes close to the franticness of say, “My Year in Lists”- with the last chorus of the song shouted by a pack of cheerleaders. “Let it Spill” is probably the definite hit, “Glue Me” is lowkey and slower [while still sharply angry and antagonistic] and “Cemetery Gaits” wins points for being an obvious winking Smiths allusion. Like the Smiths, the album mixes naval-gazing moroseness with self-aware snark but nlike the Smiths, Los Campesinos! are flashy and poppy and easily danceable. However, while albums described as fun and catchy are often forgotten in a few months, LC!’s turns of phrase and obscure asides and allusions make No Blues an album to keep coming back to. – Brett Bennett

Title Fight
Spring Songs EP
Revelation Records
Beautiful. No other word can simply describe how Title Fight have evolved as both a band and a figurehead of modern punk rock and hardcore. The album starts off with “Blush” and it’s the most traditional sounding song on the EP. Pounding drums, thumping bass and driving guitars all echo around the indescribable howl of lead singer and bassist Ned Russin. The EP begins to stray away from their melodic hardcore sound and into something more akin to Jawbreaker or Dinosaur Jr. in the second track “Be a Toy.” This song is built around an instantly nostalgic riff that never gets old as it is played again and again over Jamie Rhoden’s vocals which foil Ned’s angsty howl with a mid-toned slacker drawl that fills the track with a fuzzy and warm mood.The last two tracks, “Receiving Line” and “Hypnotize” both add to the fuzzy, nostalgic feel of the album with droning yet punchy basslines mixing perfectly with Jamie’s mild vocals and singing guitar leads. It’s a wonder to me how Title Fight are able to meld the intensity and dynamism of hardcore with emo’s sincerity and thoughtfulness so perfectly and still be able to write some of the catchiest tunes of the year. If you have loved the past two Title Fight LP’s prepare to see your favorite Philly Punks continue to be one of the most innovative and beautiful bands in modern punk rock. Viva la Revelation. Viva la Hardcore. Viva la Title Fight. – Lucas Carver

Edited by: Nathan Kerce

Back in May we heard a snippet of rapper ScHoolboy Q’s Chromatics-sampling “Man of THe Year” at the end of his TDE label mate and rising superstar Kendrick Lamar’s “Bitch, Don’t Kill My Vibe” video. The thirty second preview could only satisfy fans for so long and after several delays of the release of his debut Oxymoron and a few less-exciting singles (”Collard Greens” excluded), it seemed like ScHoolboy’s hype had run dry among the online hip-hop community that gave him success in the first place. Well, forget all that because the full version of the track is finally here (released as part of the NBA Live videogame soundtrack) and it appears the ScHoolboy support movement has roared back to life. Lyrically we find Q back doing his hyped up sex fiend schtick. He’s rich, horny and has access to a lot of drugs, this isn’t new territory but he fits the role so well it doesn’t matter. The real star here is the beat, produced by Nez & Rio (and mixed by Ali as always), it features a prominent sample of Chromatics track “Cherry“ and manages to simultaneously resemble the best of cloud-rap production (in fact cloud rapper Deniro Farrar flipped this same sample in a song earlier this year) with the radio potential of mainstream bangers.

Listen to “Man of THe Year” here and check out Oxymoron when it drops sometime early next year via TDE/Interscope.

By: Nathan Kerce

No filter is needed when a lyric like “get fucked up six days a week” comes out as something other than a congratulatory ego stroke. The undressed, scuzzy guitar hooks that recall the brilliance of Yuck’s self-titled album sound frustratingly easy to come by, unforced and involuntary. A song able to so effectively tease what comes after the first cymbal crash, complete with blunt lyrics so universally angst-ridden you can’t tell if it was the first thing that came to mind or the product of revision after revision.

“I sleep like I’ve lived to long, Fucked up six days a week. Get to kiss you in my best poems, I write like I can’t speak. Go get lost with someone else now, I hear she’s got great eyes. Fuck it all good luck, I’ll be damned if I can’t die”

Check out their Bandcamp and Facebook if you’re looking for another acceptable way to procrastinate.

-Will Guerin

Active Child
Rapor EP
Vagrant Records

This is Pat Grossi (alias Active Child)’s third E.P. and his fourth release overall. Ellie Goulding, who covered “Hanging On” appears here, as does relative newcomer Mikky Ekko. It’s a gorgeous, short piece of electropop that is pretty consistent all the way through. It’s as atmospheric and beautiful as early Depeche Mode but is admittedly a lot more fun to listen to. There’s a pretty clear R&B influence here which oddly fits with the atmospheric synthpop production. It’s a fun, catchy record that anyone can get into. – Dan Clifford

Cut Copy
Free Your Mind
Loma Vista Recordings

The new album by Australia’s finest dance-rock act Cut Copy, Free Your Mind is one of the most fun and enjoyable records released this year. Structured around a few psychedelic interludes, the record is filled to the brim with catchy tunes and subtle grooves. One of Cut Copy’s greatest strengths is the way they can build a groove and then create a catchy song around it. Dan Whitford’s voice is breezy and his production creates songs that sound equally great at a dance party or an afternoon spent in the sun. All those psychedelic interludes lead up to the penultimate track “Walking in the Sky”, which is essentially Cut Copy’s version of a power ballad. It once again repeats the mantra that gives the album its title. Free Your Mind does just that, providing 50 minutes of escape and pleasure. – Andy Tabeling

Connan Mockasin
Caramel
Phantasy

Filled with phased and reverbed and pitch shifted vocals, crystalline guitar, and luxurious synth, this album just wants to give you that Ooh Baby real smooth like. With AM radio soft rock and Ariel Pink-esque soft focused nostalgia holding hands at the forefront of the sonic pallet here, Caramel welcomes you in with wide open arms and holds you tight and give you that Oh La La with tracks like the slinky “I’m The Man, That Will Find You” and “I Wanna Roll With You.”  Give it a spin and get some of that sweet Caramel as soon as you can.  - Sebastian Marquez

Edited by: Nathan Kerce

British dance-pop kings Metronomy are coming out with Love Letters, their first new album in three years in early 2014. Thankfully we have new melancholy groove “I’m Aquarius” to tide us over until the new year. It’s a full-on breakup jam about finding confidence after getting dumped by your significant other. The lyrics are tinged with a hint of anger and have an overall theme of moving forward but Joe Mount’s vocal performance and slightly mournful synths suggest there’s a degree of doubt behind his more uplifting words.

Listen here and check out Love Letters when it releases on March 10th 2014 via Because Music.

By: Nathan Kerce