Sound of Erasing

       Rubblebucket's "Sound of Erasing" offers a refreshing change of pace from the rest of the recently released summer ready singles; an upbeat rhythm, winding melody, and actually eloquent lyrics manage to take an honest approach to real life without sounding too plaintive or exasperated.

       The interesting melodic embellishments give the prominent rhythm a nice contrast to stand against and offer up a hypnotic feel to the track while steady horns pipe up intermittently and keep the track feeling full and grounded, even as the melody tries to float away. 

       A persistently upbeat chorus delivers the sweetly assuring promise "I won't let you worry now, don't take me off this cloud, this is the sound of us erasing, this is the sound of a wave, take us away" with such aplomb that eloquent lyrics stating "I wish I was a planet, with a forest full of answers, but instead I'm just a human, freaking out out out" and "I thought you were a dancer, so fuck your inhibitions, here's a better answer, drown 'em out out out" are left feeling regretless.

       The melody feels like it could slip into melancholia in the tracks introduction were it not for the steady rhythm, horns, and solid progressions to back it up and push it forward, but articulate lines that take an optimistic approach seem to lift the melody and transform it until the end of the track feels perfectly light and easy to play on repeat.

       Listen to the alluring single from US 5-piece Rubblebucket below and head to the sites to find out more about the artists and their music.  

"Sound of Erasing" Rubblebucket

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Pour

       SLK (pronounced 'Silk') manages to lay eloquent lyrics "throw me off course, till I'm lost till I'm late, I won't tether my thoughts now you've led them astray" and "my rented heart out on loan to you, always held too tight and now it beats blue" over an intelligently produced (courtesy of Embody) track that features simple melodic embellishments intermixed with a heavy production; the constantly pulsing rhythm and heavy bass is broken up by sweet vocal runs and a melody light enough to give the track a hypnotic, hazy feel. 

       Powerful, emotional drops are met with deep vocals that pick the track back up with "I'm so full of you.. I'm so full up" complementing the heavy, undulating rhythm and standing in stark contrast to SLK's sweet vocals and playful melody. 

       Listen to the track's entrancing production and SLK's gorgeous vocals, then grab your copy of Form now.

"Pour" SLK

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East of Eden

       Zella Day's newly released "East of Eden" features a writing style similar to her first single, "Sweet Ophelia", with literary allusions effortlessly intermingling with personal accounts. 

       Day manages to write all of her lyrics with a literary flair, focusing on the most minute and intimate details in each verse before delving into emotional choruses which leave a wide berth for interpretation, all while wrapping those lyrics in gorgeous melodies and prominent rhythms that pull the entire story together with ease.

       A chorus which states "keep me from the cages, under the control, running in the dark, to find East of Eden" that falls in line perfectly with Steinbeck's "the free, roving mind is being pursued, roped, blunted, drugged" while a haunting rhythm and heavy melody ring full of trepidation and longing is too great to ignore and a hard hitting chorus is made lighter by verses which state lines like "pink toes pressed against the carpet, show your face and finish what you started, the record spins, down the alley late night, be my friend, surround me like a satellite" in such a straightforward and storybook way that it's easy to miss their greatness on first listen. 

       A repetitious bridge that builds up to the chorus' final go round insists on dragging you into the track, if you hadn't already fallen in the first time that piano made its presence known, and the constant repetition "to find East of Eden" overlaid with vocal samples is amazingly hypnotic. 

     The track features a production as greatly mature as her previous few releases with lyrics that insist on plaintively speaking their truths, even as the melody remains upbeat and interminably addictive.

        Listen to the new single below and buy "Sweet Ophelia" and B-side "1965" now.

"East of Eden" Zella Day

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Leave Your Lover

       I am fully convinced that no one can lay down poetry to a softly simple melody quite like Sam Smith can, and lyrics that beg "don't you see what I can bring, can't keep this beating heart at bay, set my midnight sorrow free, I will give you all of me, just leave your lover, leave him for me" are too amazing to pass by. 

       Realizations as sweetly heartbreaking as "I don't have much to give but I don't care for gold, what use is money when you need someone to hold" and "oh, I'm in love with you and you will never know, but if I can't have you I want this life alone, spare you the rising storm and let the rivers flow" ring out like a cult hit in the making and should endear Smith to anyone.

       Smith's vocals are smooth, rich, and entirely satisfying; combined with a softly played guitar riff, melancholy strings, and a simple and recurring piano melody, this track can't be outdone by any other tracks about 'hopeless romances' released this year. 

"Leave Your Love" Sam Smith

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Wolf Bite

       Upon first listen, Owl City's new single sounds like the efforts of a boy band trying to make a comeback that everyone knows won't happen because the lyrics in the chorus are far too reminiscent of something you might find in the pages of a middle school girl's composition book; it gets exponentially better after your premiere listen. 

       The single grows on you until you're dancing around to a production as prominent as the one featured on "Hello Seattle" with lyrics as sweetly reminiscent yet simultaneously hopeful for things to come as "I'll Meet You There", all without slipping into the void of overly produced pop that "Good Time" was left drowning in two summers ago. 

       The track has the fresh feel of Maybe I'm Dreaming but with the ability to make you dance that has only come about with experience. The more structured track pulls everything together with a fun, pulsing rhythm and a melody addictive enough to have you hitting repeat before the last note has faded out, all while lyrics as great as "it's another wolf bite, howling in the moonlight, I wanna get my life right" and "if the darkness falls and my angel calls, in my despair, will you be there?... If the world goes blind and I lose my mind, will you show me the way tonight?" will have you singing along shamelessly. 

       Featuring a production as fun and unique as everything that first made you fall for Young's music, "Wolf Bite" feels like a trip back home to the music you've always loved and offers a single you'll want to dance around to all summer long. 

       Check out the sites, get the single, and pre-order your copy of the new EP Ultraviolet, available June 27th. 

"Wolf Bite" Owl City

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Battles

       The ever present guitar harmony pulls your attention immediately before giving way and sharing the stage with a wonderfully prominent, and slightly vengeful, piano riff that falls steadily in line with lyrics "I will lift her love and I'll break your spirit, I will dig a hole and I'll throw you in it".

       The track features the brother's vocal harmonies, sans instruments, only in fleeting moments, but does so with an ease that just feels natural, letting the chorus unwind with "if we're all just cynics come undone" sung acapella before a hurried guitar riff picks it back up to urge the song forward. 

       A fantastically powerful bridge ties the song together with a guitar riff that grows more persistent as it continues, a pretty piano riff that steadily gains strength throughout, and a drum rhythm that fails to let up; all while great lyrics "we are tied to the truth, the tie that binds me to you, and I'm acting on my words, with all that I have heard, with honesty in mind, you'll find, that I'm not the lie see the truth in my eyes" are trotted out over an impossibly catchy melody. 

       Their harmonies, both vocal and guitar, are flawless; the melody is so catchy it will be in your head for days; the rhythm's relentless; and the lyrics are as perfectly unpretentious and emotional as ever. 

       Hudson Taylor's "Battles" will be released tomorrow (June 15) and is available for pre-order now. Can't wait a few hours to have this repeating on your iPod? Grab the recording originally released on their Chasing Rubies EP now.

"Battles" Hudson Taylor

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Night Like This

          LP's lyrics are always put so eloquently that it's easy to forget that her music falls solidly into the pop genre, but with its steady beats, a fun vocal harmony, and a melody that lifts and twists along with the verses and choruses, it's clear that "Night Like This" is nothing less than a wonderfully put together summer pop anthem.   

          The track opens with the perfectly put "you were the one, you were the only one, I was born to know, beyond the crush, of any summer lust, that we dared to go" that is bound to make any longtime fans really swoon for the first time since "Levitator" and, while a chorus which states "stars are falling, are we falling too, dawn is coming, what's this coming to" carries the same cliches and slightly tired invocations of every pop track, LP's powerful and crooning vocals keep it from delving too far into the realm of pop songs and bring it back to something interesting that you can sing along to, without the fear of making a fool of yourself by singing passionately along to a Top 40.

          Listen to LP's gorgeously crafted "Night Like This" and get her full length album, Forever For Now, available now. 

"Night Like This" LP

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Try

       Colbie Caillat released her new EP, Gypsy Heart Side A, in anticipation of her forthcoming fourth full-length album, Gypsy Heart, due for release later in 2014, and the lead track is achingly stunning.

       Lead track "Try" (available for free on iTunes now) features Caillat's signature soft guitar and crooning vocals which build in accordance with Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds gorgeous piano melody.

       Lyrics which seek to engender women everywhere sweetly beg "you don't have to try so hard" in between verses which question "get your sexy on, don't be shy girl, take it off, this is what you want, to belong, so they like you, do you like you?" and "wait a second, why should you care what they think of you, when you're all alone, by youtself, do you like you?". 

       The track closes out with Caillat's acoustic guitar and soft vocals stating "look into your mirror at yourself, don't you like you, 'cause I like you" and the softly sung assurance is sweet enough to hook any long time fan. 

       Get Caillat's new EP on iTunes now and listen to the gorgeous single below. 

"Try" Colbie Caillat

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Let Me In

       An assuredly sturdy piano starts the song off right and offers its constant support throughout while steady drums keep the song moving forward, a soft woodblock adds something unique, and fun guitar riffs and bass lines are addictive enough that anyone can fall for the track. The back and forth between Christian and Hannah makes already sweet lyrics even more irresistible and lines like "all this time been trippin' and slippin' around, you got me, now I'm swimmin', swimmin' in clouds" are sung with such tenderness that you're sure to find yourself sucked into this single, whether you're a nerd fighter or not. 

       Christian's frantic scream around 2:17 leads into a wonderfully emotional instrumental before the track plateaus again with Christian's soft vocals stating "now I'm findin' out that all I know is right at home, but I'm tellin' the man my plan to never feel alone" as the track quickly crescendos again before snapping back to Hannah's softly sung "gimme, gimme that love, I'll be waitin' for ya, catch my hand, I'll be fightin' for ya" (which perfectly captures the vulnerability of the line) and the track is made just as torturously emotional as the movie it's supporting. 

       Listen to the gorgeous single below, see The Fault In Our Stars in theaters now (with a box of tissues and a complete lack of dignity), and check out the sites below to see why Grouplove is still seriously underrated. 

"Let Me In" Grouplove

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Boom Clap

       Twenty-one year old Charli XCX released the video for "Boom Clap" featured on The Fault In Our Stars: Music From the Motion Picture soundtrack and it's perfect for all of your summer playlists. 

       The track drips with synth beats as a delicate piano dances in the background and sturdy drums hold it all together at the same time that heartfelt and embellishment-free lyrics state "you make me feel good" and "just tell me what to do, I'll fall right into you"; it's fun to single along to and impossible not to dance to.

       Says Charli of the track “’Boom Clap’ is a magical song to me. It celebrates epic love. I want people to dance and cry to it, and scream it at the top of their lungs”.

       Turn your volume up and listen to the adorably addictive track now and look for Charli's second album to be released later this year.

"Boom Clap" Charli XCX

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Get Me Golden

       Sun soaked riffs and youth fueled rhythms feel like the sound you would get if you mixed Graffiti6 with WALK THE MOON while the thoughtful lyrics and interweaving melodies smack of something mature enough to grow from a summer ready hit. 

       Check out the gorgeously fun piano riffs, lulling vocals, and danceable rhythm of Terraplane Sun's "Get Me Golden" and look for the blues/indie rock band's album Generation Blues to be released later this summer.

"Get Me Golden" Terraplane Sun

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Desire

       Matthew Mayfield has a knack for writing tracks that would make any self-proclaimed hopeless romantic swoon, and "Desire" is no exception.

       The video features a lyrical dance so gorgeously choreographed that it perfectly personifies the track's emotions while lyrics as sweet as "hearts are tethered and spoken forever" doled out over a soft guitar will have you falling for the song in one listen. 

       Check out the video below, head to the sites to hear more from Mayfield, and buy this single from iTunes now. 

"Desire" Matthew Mayfield

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Happy Alone (Son Little Remix)

       Saintseneca released their dark yet hope laced track "Happy Alone" in early February and its sound promised great things to come from the band's debut album, Dark Arc (which is available now on iTunes and is stuffed full of tracks that will leave you hopelessly addicted to a band whose lyrics hint at the darkness while their compositions remain lofty yet grounded).

       Son Little's remix of the indie folk track re-imagines Zac Little's soft vocals, twisting them into doleful pleas that wrap around heavy, synth laden tracks which give the single a trepidation filled indie beach sound. 

       Check out the remix, listen to the original, and head to the sites to find out more about Saintseneca and Son Little (and take the time to listen to Son Little's "Your Love Will Blow Me Away When My Heart Aches" for achingly sweet vocals).

"Happy Alone" (Son Little Remix) Saintseneca

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Reverse

       SomeKindaWonderful's "Reverse" offers up a heavy dose of that reggae rock fusion that is coming (whether you like it or not) and lyrics which will lead you to like it because you believe the entire track can be flipped, in accordance with the song title (i.e. he was the cheated, not the cheater); hate the song because you think it glorifies cheaters; or love it for its simple, yet amazing, lyrical ingenuity. 

       An opening verse that starts with "she hung up the phone and said 'fuck you, it's over'" and ends with "I started with darling please listen, and then I picked up the phone" is entrancing. It seems like a simple concept, having the entire track written in reverse (the last line of the song being the first line of the story), but the songwriting choice offers up a refreshing change of pace from most of these reggae rock songs that are coming out of the woodwork with dance along verses and easy to memorize choruses. 

       The band's already established that they can write a catchy melody, the steady piano chords and added string track makes the single's composition impossible to not love, and the lyric's inverted style hints that there are better things to come from a band that can think through what they're trying to say, rather than sloppily jotting down lines that sound like the norm for a breakup song. 

       Check out the track below for something you can easily become addicted to. 

"Reverse" SomeKindaWonderful

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Gold

       Sir Sly's "Gold" holds all the trepidation, honest lyrics, and pleading notes of the ever-popular The Neighbourhood, but without that constant pit of despair which beckons you in whether you're ready or not, making Sir Sly's track that much better (in this niche) because I can only take so much empathy before I'm ready to leave and find music that understands me, rather than a track that begs for my consideration. 

       A trippy video which features the constantly haunted protagonist running from himself while the lines "darling never settle, chasing down the devil, chasing down the gods, I hope you find your dream" traipse across the backdrop makes the video hit harder than any of this year's other releases from popular artists, which all seem to support the same light and running theme (i.e. "we're young, adorable, and cooler than you"). 

       A solid composition and a video interesting enough to keep you watching through the final scene while lyrics as great as "nothing in my life worth proving, chasing, all my time is wasted" and "it's the push and the pull, it's the rise and the fall, I don't owe you a single thing, I don't owe you anything" are brought to life makes "Gold" completely refreshing and worthy of all your late night summer playlists.

"Gold" Sir Sly

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Your Love Will Blow Me Away When My Heart Aches

       Nothing is more satisfying than these vocals which I could listen to for days, but add in that sweet, melancholy guitar, prominent rhythm, mellifluous melody, addictive vocal hooks, and lyrics which repeat "I'm afraid your love will blow me away" and Son Little's "Your Love Will Blow Me Away When My Heart Aches" could not be better.

       Satisfyingly rich vocals combine with a slowly unwinding melody to make a gorgeously downtempo track that will leave you wanting more, so check out the single below, head to the sites to find out more about the artist, and buy the single from iTunes now.

"Your Love Will Blow Me Away When My Heart Aches" Son Little 

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1965

       The B-side off Zella Day's newly released vinyl offers a stripped down alternative to the bouncy pop beats of "Sweet Ophelia", replacing those heavy chords with nostalgia infused lyrics and a sweetly lilting rhythm that swirls around a soft piano melody.

       Swelling strings which pick up the soft melody and urge it forward with a melancholy feel make the song's emotions undeniably strong, but rich vocals which shamelessly plead "I don't belong here... can we go back to the world we had, with a love so sweet it makes me sad... it's the world we've been dreaming of" in contrast to a prominent composition create a compellingly gorgeous track.

       Check out the sites below and purchase the tracks now.

"1965" Zella Day

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Sweet Ophelia

    Zella Day's music video for "Sweet Ophelia" falls in line with the song's attitude, staying simple and straightforward while offering you plenty that's left to your own interpretation. 

       Check out the new video below and get the single, and softly gorgeous B-side "1965", now.

"Sweet Ophelia" Zella Day

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Fine

       I find myself hopelessly addicted to this track, and I am totally okay with that fact. 

       The simply stated repetition of "I'll be fine, if I get over it, when I get over it" is great enough to stand on its own, but the succinct verses and that fantastic composition (which gradually builds from a simple guitar riff to include drums, bass, piano, and, halfway through, a heavy techno influence which you never realized was simmering just below the track's surface until your second listen) only further the assertion that this band is brilliant. 

       Verses which state "cigarettes burned my desk today, blank page you know but I'm OK, these words I've written a million times", "you said 'I had enough today, I'm leaving you' and I'm OK, these words I've heard a million times", "nothing to do with what you think, cherish that part of everything, these words I've lost a million times", "dig this grave or just let it shine, the entire world is mine, these words I've prayed a million times" are as equally complex and emotional as the track itself, but still simple enough to play the single on repeat without being bogged down by your own thoughts. Being able to create something that evokes so many emotions while still maintaining a light feel is an enviable skill, and one which makes it impossible to ignore this band, so check out the websites below and get their EP from their site now. 

"Fine" OH DEAR VEGAS!

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Try

       As previously stated (so, so many times), this duo is amazing. Their chord progressions build slowly but always offer a full sound by the time the first round of the chorus swings around, their vocal harmonies are the most satisfying of any sibling group available right now, and nothing can beat the pleadingly honest lyrics that these guys so effortlessly put forth in each of their tracks. 

       While the music is fantastic and the vocals are never less than great, the lyrics make the song worth playing on repeat, because lines like "if you find yourself at a loss try to work out where you've been, all the shiny coins you've tossed are laid out in the street, and you wish you'd never agreed to open up your heart again", "when you're searching for a home and it's not where you left it, you really want to take control but you're scared to suggest it, when you wanna ask for more but you know you'll get refused again", "when the birds fall from your sky and life is clipping your wings, it steals a glint from your eye, you're afraid of what you might see, you're searching around for your dreams and think you'll never fly again" state the complexities of everyday life with such articulate ease that it's easy to get sucked into the pleading repetition of "try letting go the things you lost, the lines you crossed" and "try dreaming, try forgetting, try finding someone you can truly let in" which basically state that you should never give up, because it will always get better. 

       The lyrics are sweet, that bridge which relies on nothing more than two acoustic guitars is frisson inducing, and if you haven't already found yourself completely addicted to this duo's sound, head to the websites below and start falling now, because every track is just as great as this one. 

"Try" Hudson Taylor

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