Molly Nilsson

Molly Nilsson is a Swedish composer based in Berlin who has worked with John Maus and makes a similar kind of naive pop music using simple synths and clever, dramatic lyrics. She recently released an album called "History" and a few of those tracks are below. I, personally, can't stop listening to an older track of her's called "Truth", posted above. This is fun, occasionally goofy, pop music that is, at it's heart, subverting the, usually hard to embrace, nature of experimental music. Excellent stuff.

Also, she actually wrote the standout track on John Maus' new album "Hey Moon".

A$AP Rocky

Harlem rapper A$AP Rocky just released a new track called "Goldie" which is a good as everything he's released so far... which is pretty fucking good. Rocky is making some of the best druggy hip-hop around. Most of his stuff is really smooth and hazy but still keeps a kind of classic hip-hop style intact. And it's made even more fun by the fact that Clams Casino produces some of of tracks, like these below:

Featureless Ghost

Featureless Ghost is a brilliant new band based in Atlanta via Brooklyn who make dark,  catchy and exciting industrial music. Think Joy Division but more New-wave, new-age and maybe even a little B-52s. They make excellent, trippy music videos as well. 

Future Islands

I know this music has been out for a couple years, but my friend Jonny reminded me of how amazing Future Islands are with the music video above. The Baltimore band is like a chill-wave Joy Division with a slightly more idiosyncratic singer. There's a lot of passion underneath all the playful synths. Great stuff.

Mirroring

Mirroring is a collaboration between Grouper and Tiny Vipers, both from Portland. Both musicians have been experimenting in the hazy area between sound art and folk music for some time now, so it's good to see them working together. This is beautiful, calming music. Always a little melancholy, always a little brilliant. 

Chormatics

This is a great new band for Portland. They're part of a larger group of musicians trying to revamp disco influences and I think Chromatics might be the best in this contingent. The song "Lady" above has a really great housey, ravey electronic hook, reminiscent of Blondes and maybe Forma. That cool disco-kraftwerk vibe. Also, the lead singer is smokin'...

Willis Earl Beal

This guy is truly amazing. Willis Earl Beal is an "outsider" artist from the south-side of Chicago. Apparently, he's 27 and has spent most of his time living with his mom, visiting his grandmother and singing to loved ones over the phone. It's a real honour to be able to post up artists like this. It's not often that someone from outside the music industry drops your jaw (though I'd imagine that we had access to hear everybody, the world would be a much better place). Anyway, he's now singed on to an important indie label, was flown to New York and signed a contract while drinking champagne and eating lobster sandwiches with Damon Albran. His music moves from noise to folk to bluesy, soulful howling to standing on street corners, singing and clapping. Apparently, he'd like to be "a black Tom Waits". The song evening's kiss is astoundingly sweet, beautiful and naive. Also, you can watch him singing underneath a bridge on the South-Side below: