Hot Jam of the Day

Stream This Shit: Evan Abeele, “III”

Posted on September 22, 2015 by TP1.COM in Hot Jam of the Day | Comments Off

Evan Abeele
III (out now, self-released)

To be honest, I’m not sure when the Memoryhouse composer put out this EP. Bandcamp says it was released in August of 2014, but I feel like it hasn’t existed in this 5-song form since last year. Either way, it’s new to me, so I wanted to write about it. I stumbled on this collection on a recent visit to the underrated Guelph native’s excellent Bandcamp, hankering for the reflective ambient goodness he serves up as a solo artist.

III has its fair share of his trademark solo sound: spare, piano-based pieces (see: the lovely opener “Williwaw” and centerpiece “You Don’t Have to Love Me Back”). That said, it is well balanced by the expansive, powerful “An Airing” and the washes of guitar reverb and gentle vocal filigree of celestial closer, “Hialeah, pt II (Em).” While we’re still awaiting details on Memoryhouse’s forthcoming second LP, III is more than a worthy aperitif — both an harbinger for exciting things to come and an impressive statement in its own right.

Hot Jam of the Day: Jam City, “Dream ’15”

Posted on September 17, 2015 by TP1.COM in Hot Jam of the Day | Comments Off

Jam City
“Dream ’15”
Earthly Versions (out 10.02 on Night Slugs)

Jack Latham’s excellent Dream A Garden gets a little remix love on the recently-announced EP, Earthly Versions. The Londoner reworks two of the disc’s standouts — “A Walk Down Chapel” and “Crisis” — and graces us with this tasty new single. Like much of his brilliant LP, “Dream ’15” matches dreamy synths and textures with banging percussion and evocative, faraway vocals. As heady as his arrangements are, there’s a powerful urgency to much of Latham’s recent work, and this single captures the feeling of having your head in the clouds but your body in the warp-speed grind of modern life in the city.

Hot Jam of the Day: Kelela, “Rewind”

Posted on September 16, 2015 by TP1.COM in Hot Jam of the Day | Comments Off

Kelela
“Rewind”
Hallucinogen (out soon on Fade to Mind)

Even though mid-September is a little bit late to be talking about “songs of the summer”, it’s been about 8 billion degrees in LA for the last few weeks, so the gorgeous new track from Kelela still qualifies for consideration. This lithe, breezy jam is strong enough to brave the sweltering days and muggy nights of the season, and the LA-based vocalist barely breaks a sweat, as she bodies shuffling percussion and etherial synths courtesy of production heavyweights Kingdom, Nugget, Obey City, and Girl Unit. While the highly anticipated Hallucinogen still doesn’t have a release date, “Rewind” makes the wait a little more bearable.

Hot Jam of the Day: Joan Shelley, “Over and Even”

Posted on September 15, 2015 by TP1.COM in Hot Jam of the Day | Comments Off

Joan Shelley
“Over and Even”
Over and Even (out now on No Quarter)

The Kentucky-based singer-songwriter’s third LP is a beautiful collection of direct, folsky Americana, built around Shelley’s remarkably mellifluous vocals and gentle, expertly crafted guitar melodies. As strong as the arrangements are, that voice is the star of the show — evocative, transportive, and laced with the kind of magic that takes your mind to log cabins, gentle rivers, and long, easy days. The excellent disc’s title track frames a single-string electric guitar riff with tasteful touches of banjos and lap steel, creating the perfect pensive, pastoral canvas for the Louisville native to paint her beautiful voice all over.

Hot Jam of the Day: Natasha Kmeto, “Your Girl”

Posted on September 4, 2015 by TP1.COM in Featured, Hot Jam of the Day | Comments Off

Natasha Kmeto
“Your Girl”
Inevitable (09.18 on Dropping Gems)

If there’s any fairness in the universe, Natasha Kmeto’s gorgeous new single will achieve widespread attention by soundtracking a pivotal first kiss in a teen movie (i.e. the 2015 equivalent of when Liv Tyler finally makes out with A.J. on the roof of Empire Records). The crushing vocals, the technicolor synths, the “I always wanted to be your girl” mantra. Everything about “Your Girl” feels like those special moments are supposed to feel, which isn’t surprising considering she wrote the song for her partner before embarking on a long tour (via TheFader). It’s dripping with equal parts devotion and regret, which is so relatable to anyone who is in a long distance relationship (like me) or often travels for work. It may not soundtrack any big-screen love affairs, but it will certainly soundtrack some real ones. And that’s what matters most.

Hot Jam of the Day: Oneohtrix Point Never, “I Bite Through”

Posted on September 3, 2015 by TP1.COM in Hot Jam of the Day | Comments Off

Oneohtrix Point Never
“I Bite Through”
Garden of Delete (out 11.13 on Warp)

The first taste of Daniel Lopatin’s second full-length for Warp, “I Bite Through” is a disorienting sonic collage that veers wildly through its 3:20 running time. And while one would expect that a song this unpredictable would be hard to follow, Lopatin has always shown the incredible ability to form order from extreme chaos — crafting coherent wholes from the sum of incoherent parts. Judging a OPN album based on a single song is always dangerous business, but “I Bite Through” will certainly do nothing to damage its status as one of my most anticipated albums of the year.

Hot Jam of the Day: Autre Ne Veut, “World War Pt. 2” (Jazz Version)

Posted on August 26, 2015 by TP1.COM in Hot Jam of the Day | Comments Off

Autre Ne Veut
“World War Pt. 2” (Jazz Version)
Age of Transparency (out 10.02 on Downtown)

After a few weeks of downtime thanks to the good folks of GoDaddy.com, the lights are back on at Thunder Penguin. Our first post back comes from longtime fave Arthur Ashin. I’m not crazy about the album version of the discs first single, “World War Pt. 2,” due to its overzealous “ay, ay, ay, ay” vocal sample constantly clashing with what is, at its heart, the kind of spare vocal ballad that the Brooklyn resident does so well.

Luckily for me, he dropped this jazzy, paired down arrangement. The delicate pianos and a walking standup bassline jives so much more naturally with his potent vocal track. While I’d expect that Age of Transparency will sound much more like the original version, this version is a tasty reminder of Ashin’s sonic versatility and a welcome look into the beating heart of his new single.

Hot Jam of the Day: Majical Cloudz, “Silver Car Crash”

Posted on August 14, 2015 by TP1.COM in Hot Jam of the Day | Comments Off

Majical Cloudz
“Silver Car Crash”
Are You Alone? (out 10.16 on Matador)

There’s nothing romantic about car crashes in real life, but Majical Cloudz’s beautiful love song “Silver Car Crash” isn’t so sure. Joining Morrissey’s seminal “There is a Light That Never Goes Out,” the first single from the duo’s second LP uses a car crash as a breathtaking metaphor for true love. Vocalist Devon Welsh is not a man known for his jocular demeanor, but there’s always been a gallows humor and a deep romanticism in his lyrics. That said, this cut is by far the most direct love song we’ve ever heard from him, and when he delivers lines like “I’m so hopelessly for you” in his intense, expressive voice, it’s impossible not to feel every inch of what he feels. And anytime those feelings are this strong, you know it’s a very, very special piece of music.

Hot Jam of the Day: Martin Courtney, “Vestiges”

Posted on August 7, 2015 by TP1.COM in Hot Jam of the Day | Comments Off

Martin Courtney
“Vestiges”
Digital Single

I remember a scene in Journey’s Behind the Music where guitarist Neal Schon claimed that vocalist Steve Perry’s solo side project led to their decision to fire him. Schon’s issue wasn’t with Perry making music outside the band — Schon and key songwriter Jonathan Cain were both in other bands. Rather, his solo work sounded too much like Journey, which for some reason, infuriated the frizzy haired axeman.

Now, something tells me that the internal politics of the seemingly affable Real Estate are quite different than the terminally bickering San Franciscans, but singer-songwriter Martin Courtney’s debut single is very Perry-ish. “Vestiges” shares the languid beauty and jangly riffs of the New Jersey nice guys’ best work, and when you throw in Courtney’s perma-chill vocals on top, it’s nearly unrecognizable from a new Real Estate tune. Luckily, Real Estate tunes are almost always great, and this is no exception. Hopefully, Alex Bleeker and Matt Mondanile don’t pull a Schon and fuck this up for all of us.

Hot Jam of the Day: Stormzy, “10 Minutes”

Posted on August 3, 2015 by TP1.COM in Hot Jam of the Day | Comments Off

Stormzy
“10 Minutes”
Digital Single

One of the grime’s brightest young talents goes in over the Game’s recent single “100.” As he’s done consistently over the last year or so, the 22 year-old delivers muscular bars with a sharp wit that will make you want to run it back and listen again. Though this single is very much a digital loosey, its outro is noteworthy, as it’s one of the first times we’ve heard Stormzy’s use his pristine baritone to sing (see: G FrSH’s underrated, “Sometimes”). Something tells me it won’t be the last time…

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