Finally Boys
“You Will Be Healed”/”Lunar Lovers”
Feelings (Self-Released)

Today’s hot jams come courtesy of two youthful weirdos/BFF’s from somewhere in the East Bay. I wasn’t expecting much when the fresh-faced duo took the stage on Friday night in support of the magical How to Dress Well, but I was bowled over by their hyper-blissful, maximalist sound and exuberant, passionate performance. Drawing from elements of trance, euro-house, Balearic beat, juke, electroclash, and whatever else they could find on MediaFire, the Boys (Preetom Choudhury and Shane LeBlanc) aim straight for the heart, crafting mile-deep whirlpools of synthy sonic goo that are crying out to swallow you up. Admittedly, they are still incredibly green and sometimes their tracks play like giant cock-teases without a money shot (ie massive crescendo, no real climax — think Pearl Jam’s “Black”), but it’s hard not to appreciate the amount of heart and emotion that they boys put into these tracks. I’ll be on the look out for Feelings when it drops later this quarter. 

Finally Boys: “You Will Be Healed”

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Usher
“Let Me See” (f/ Rick Ross)
Looking for Myself (LaFace)

Usher is a lot of things, but an idiot is not one of them. To make it in pop music for as long as he has, you need to be unbelievably savvy, and Usher’s sixth album is perhaps his greatest example of this quality. A direct result of the current post-Weeknd/Frank Ocean R&B landscape, Looking for Myself is littered with inspiration from the indie scene. While I suppose it’s surprising that a genre heavyweight would take cues from a bunch of upstarts without major deals, this is the Internet era, and the rules have changed. Admittedly, I’ve never been a great fan of Usher’s past work, but thanks to this new stylistic switch (along some incredibly on-point production), I’ve been forced to stand up and take note. Whether the blogosphere cred will translate into real dollars and cents (sales, so far, have been slow) remains to be seen, he’s made at least one new fan from this new sound. Oh, also, is there any MC who’s hotter than Rick Ross right now (besides Hansel)? Everything he touches seems to turn to platinum football fields these days.

Usher (f/ Rick Ross): “Let Me See”

Holy Other
“Love Some1”
Held (Tri Angle)

If you are like me and fell in love with the ghostly, meditational stylings of this UK/Berlin producer’s 2011 debut EP, With U, you are in for a treat, as the mercurial Mancunian recently announced that he is set to unleash his debut LP on August 28. Sensing that this is quite a long time to wait, he was good enough to give us a little taste of what to expect, and I’m thrilled to report that it is more of the moody, atmospheric brilliance that we’ve come to expect. Built on undulating swabs of sub-bass that is simultaneously creepy and soothing, “Love Some1” builds to a subtly spectacular resolution. Though they are never the focal points of his songs, Holy Other has always had a knack for using vocals in just the right way, always using them to add to the song’s mood without letting them overpower the track, and this track is no different. Fantastic.

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Recloose (f/ B. Slade)
“Magic” (Vocal Mix)
Feels Like Magic 12″ (Rush Hour)

Being a gay man in the world of Gospel music ain’t easy. Just ask B. Slade. Formerly known as Tonéx, Slade (né Anthony Charles Williams II) was one of the genre’s rising stars before coming out of the closet earlier this year. Predictably (and sadly), Williams was quickly ostracized from the scene that he grew up in — he got his start singing in church — and dropped out of the gospel scene. However, gospel’s loss is pop’s gain, as he has returned to music, lending his super smooth vocal to a swirling, ecstatic jam dropped by rising Auckland-via-Detroit producer, Recloose (pictured). Like any great disco track, “Feels Like Magic” is all about the groove, and Recloose’s bouncy, hypnotic soundscapes are the perfect foil for Williams’ soulful, joyful crooning. This track feels like a coming out party for Williams, and hopefully he’ll continue devoting his prodigious talent to dance music.

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