Trei & Concord Dawn - "Wipeout EP" 2012
This is some pretty standard sounding, semi-hard driving, drum & bass. Nothing too special, but not bad or annoying. You can listen to the whole thing here.
Le1f - "Dark York" 2012
This album is super dope, and is the first time i've seen proof that it could be possible for a gay dude that's not in the closet to not only be accepted within hip hop, but possibly become a big star as well. Part of this lies in the fact that he's not generally all up in your face about his sexuality. He's just someone who makes good rap music and happens to also be gay, instead of trying to use his sexual orientation as a gimmick, which is all I had ever seen in the past when others had tried. He's got an interesting style that fits in well with whatever beat he's on. He switches from club type flows similar to Spank Rock, to some more sing songy stuff, but not typical sing songy stuff, he definitely has his own way of going about it, where it sounds like he could possibly be freestyling the words and just getting really rhythmic with it. He also sometimes gets a little more hyped sounding at times, almost yelling, vaguely similar to Death Grips, except Le1f actually sounds good and not like some drunk homeless dude. GREAT production on this throughout, provided by Nguzunguzu (I really want a new album from them too!), Boody, Morri$, and others. There might have been 2 beats that were just OK, and the rest of this album is just bangin. This album is a free download on Soundcloud, so do yourself a favor and grab it.
fLako - "Eclosure EP" 2012
First of all, what great artwork... Second of all, these 4 songs are pretty sweet. It seems like he's heading down the same alt-r&b route that Shlohmo and Lapalux are forging into, and it seems to suit his style of beat making very well. You can stream it and purchase it from here.
"Keats Collective Vol. 3" 2013
I'm very happy with the fact that sample based music of this nature is becoming a scene now, but I wish more of the artists had their own unique stamp on things. A lot of these songs sound like they were produced by the same person, and I know they weren't. There is still some awesome music to be heard here, and I think different people will find different songs on this compilation more interesting to them, depending on what they get nostalgic about. This compilation covers a wide range of styles, but it all still fits in a sample-based, happy sounding pocket. Listen and download here.
Shawn Lee's Ping Pong Orchestra - "Reel To Reel" 2012
I probably don't enjoy this album quite as much as some of his other recent releases (there is many), but that doesn't mean this one isn't great too. All instrumental except for one song, where they list off people who are carrying on the funk in their eyes. You can get a better, detailed description of this, and listen to and purchase this album here.
Unknown Hinson - "Reloaded" 2012
This album is funny as hell. He's mostly known for doing the voice of Early on Squidbillies, but it looks like I'm going to need to delve more into his own music career because this is not only hilarious, but the music is pretty high quality as well, with nice guitar work and background vocals. The styles range from straight country to more classic rock sounding stuff, some rockabilly-ish stuff, and some stuff that has the same production style as a lot of Roy Orbison classics. Check out "Fetch It For Me", "Before Your Husband Gets Home", and "A Smartass Yankee In A Rebel Court".
Pale - "The Yearn EP" 2012
Some nice and light dance sounds that aren't corny sounding. Nice details within the high end too. Here is a little mini mix of the 3 songs.
How To Destroy Angels - "An Omen EP" 2012
I listened to this and the full length in the wrong order, obviously. At least half of these songs ended up on the album, but this is still a must-have for a Trent Reznor fan. Check out "On The Wing", "Ice Age", and "Keep It Together".
