amber coffman - all to myself
what a surprisingly retro borderline doo wop ballad (filtered through some modern phrasings cause this is amber coffman, possible ex of the dirty projectors!) amber calls this jam a love song to yourself. so slow dance like theres no one watching! hey amber does it!
dirty projectors - keep your name
it's been 4 years since we've heard new material from the dirty projectors (4 years!) and they return with this artfully glitchy soulful ballad that also incorporates rap and a warped loop of a previous release. because they are musical geniuses, of course this crazy multidimensional divorce song works out perfectly. welcome back you lovely crazy people!
j cole feat amber coffman - she knows
though the album is almost 9 months old, j cole still manages to offer up compelling videos to bring new interest to his singles. don't want to give anything away, but lets just say skipping school for this young skateboarder doesn't turn out too good for him.
Edging closer to the top 20, this batch consists of some of my favorite bands of last year (The Maccabees, Dirty Projectors, Everything Everything and Alt J are all f-ing brilliant!) that offered up a mix of tracks that both appealed to my quiet internal and boppy external, all the while teaching me some quirky musicality no one else had.
While the rest of the bunch definitely showcases the fact that electronic music and hipster soul have ALOT in common these days (Solange, Santigold and Azealia Banks being the best examples of what I'm talking about). Of course fans of dance music will not be surprised that the epic Swedish House Mafia track made the list, as did the uber catchy Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs (I mean the vocal hook is "feet don't fail me now!"). Finally 2012 discovery Haim make their way into the top 30 with their happy go lucky sunny pop that feels both retro and fresh at the same time. Just love these gals!!!
dirty projectors - swing low magellan
probably my favorite song off the album and also one of my favorite songs of the year. oh wait... did i just give away spoilers of my year end list?
dirty projectors - dance for you
what a nice lovely number on the eve of their album release on july 9th! starting off as a simple sparse performance merges into sweeping orchestration and something kind of heartwarmingly special. i truly heart these guys!
want more? remember to watch a free live performance of the band on monday july 9th at 10pm ET on the bowery presents youtube page!
dirty projectors - gun has no trigger
[our song of the week back in april FINALLY gets an official video! luckily the song still holds its own after so many months and this video is weirdly hypnotic. cannot wait for the new album 'swing lo magellen' already!]
major lazer feat amber coffman (of dirty projectors) - get free
[miles away from major lazers last outing, this is pure dub chill made all the more interesting with amber from dirty projectors borderline shrill wail. who knows whats in store with their upcoming album, but i am definitely curious! like the song, get it here literally for free!]
dirty projectors - gun has no trigger
[it's been almost 4 years since we've gone cray-town for the dirty projectors' 'bitte orca', now they are back with a lo-fi sounding james bond-esque theme song and it's pretty darn wonderful! taken off their upcoming 'swing lo magellan', i can't wait to hear more quirky genius from these guys! love this!]
solange - stillness is the move (dirty projectors cover)
[this cover came out last year, but thanks to a wonderful piece on new york magazine about solange's upcoming r&b meets indie transformation, i finally got a chance to hear this AMAZING version. i always thought the dirty projectors wrote killer soul songs, guess i wasn't the only one thinking it. brilliant!]
check out the live performance WITH the dirty projectors in which solange comes out a tad too early... oops!
