[EP] Blackbird Blackbird – BORACAY PLANET (w/ “It’s A War “)

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which are you waiting for?

  • Who: Mikey Maramag
  • What: Oversized dream pop, like Toro Y Moi, KidsOf88, Humans
  • Where: San Francisco, CA + Facebook
  • When: Buy Boracay Planet now.
  • Why: Blackbird Blackbird was booked by Joel and scheduled to play day 4 of our SXSW showcases but a transportation disaster kept Mikey from the venue for hours. Had I heard him play that day I guarantee you this post would have happened months ago. I just didn’t know what I was missing. After finally tracking down his latest EP I was immediately blown away by “It’s A War.” What a rollicking piece of slightly dark tropical pop. The rest of Boracay Planet is full of shuffling and twitching beats under dreamy guitars that blend together brilliantly. Especially “Happy With You” (& this great Yalls remix of it here!) So it turns out the guy has been making music for years. His Bandcamp is a treasure trove of previous releases. Cheers to many more!

[LP] Macklemore & Ryan Lewis – THE HEIST (w/ “Cant Hold Us ft. Ray Dalton”)

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y’all can’t stop me, i go hard like i’ve got an 808 in my heart beat, and i’m eating at the beat, like you gave a little speed to a great white shark on shark week

If you’ve caught any of our posts on Macklemore & Ryan Lewis then you know the kind of freshness these two are bringing to the rap game. Macklemore ‘s intensely personal, honest, and and often funny storytelling. Ryan Lewis’ impeccable and unique production. It’s really quite remarkable. Independent since day one, they’ve obviously been courted by major labels but as “Jimmy Iovine” lays out, the current state of affairs in that world is dismal for the artist. The duo blazed on alone and The Heist is their opus. But don’t let the commercial success on the backs of a legion of loyal fans fool you. This is a fantastic album. If you never thought you liked hip-hop you will still find something here to love. Macklemore brilliantly balances his signature heavy topic songwriting with goofball party songs that keep the album from getting bogged down in it’s own seriousness. Both “Same Love” and “Thrift Shop” are shaping up to be top songs of the year but for such different reasons. But one common thread. Two really. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis.


[EP] Parade of Lights – BORN TO LIVE, BORN TO LOVE (w/ “Just Give It Up” )

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lets do this together, i want you more than ever

♫ Parade of Lights – Just Give It Up

  • Who: Ryan & Anthony
  • What: Alt-electro rock, like The Big Pink, Morning Parade, Joywave
  • Where: Los Angeles + Facebook
  • When: Buy the Born To Live, Born To Love EP now.
  • Why: Parade of Lights is an apt name for the band making this stadium sized jam that was built for lights shows and all-out sing-a-longs. Los Angeles, can we please get into this guys big time so when they play November 12th at The Bootleg we can all get rowdy? “Flash of Light” & “Talk To You” are other big poppy highlights on the EP. Get into it.

[EP] Don Diablo – LIGHTS OUT EP

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you’ve not run out of love yet, there is plenty left
in this city i know in this city i call my home

  • Who: Don & friends
  • What: Big dirty dance, like Joe and Will Ask?, DJ Kue, Portasound
  • Where: Amsterdam + Facebook
  • When: Buy the Lights Out EP now.
  • Why: The first Don Diablo track I ever heard hit my iTunes the day after I started this website. Ever since then its been a solid love-fest for the Dutch beat master. He’s always got more love for his remixes on TBE but his solo stuff hasn’t gone un-followed. After a few years of building his fanbase organically it seems like DonnyD is finally poised to blow up the way he should. Lights Out EP is a tight little collection of dance jams that kicks down the door with the rowdy “Lights Out Hit” and continues with the grand ode to hometowns “The Golden Years.” “Memories”  takes the EP in another great direction and is slowly becoming my new favorite. Diablo has always shown range and while its exactly what keeps him interesting I hope that people can wrap their mind around it and get into these tracks.

[EP] Frank + Derol – FRANK + DEROL EP (w/ “Let It Go”)

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once we say forever that’s the first lie we tell each other

I’ve had the pleasure of seeing Frank + Derol live a handful of times now and they are definitely coming into their own. Still a little wet behind the ears but their current tour with Wolf Gang should go a long way to strengthening their stage show. They certainly have no shortage of jams. Unfortunately only 4 of them are included on their debut EP. “Let It Go” is the one that makes me roll my windows down and sing along at top volume like a spastic. Get into it.

[LP / REMIX] Citizens! – HERE WE ARE [w/ “She Said” & “True Romance” (Gildas remix)]

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you’ll taste heaven and you’ll taste hell, and those who doubt you will doubt themselves

♫ Citizins! – True Romance (Gildas remix)

  • Who: Tom, Lawrence, Mike, Martyn, Thom
  • What: Genre, like XX
  • Where: London, UK + Facebook
  • When: Buy debut album Here We Are now.
  • Why: “True Romance” is one of the great songs of the year. It stands strong on its own and lends itself beautifully to some stellar remixes, like the one above. If Citizens!’ worthwhile contributions stopped there it would still be something appreciated. Luckily for us they have more swinging indie dance rock for us. Here We Are is chock full of bendy baselines and hopping percussion, making a set of jams sure to start up your next party. Take “She Said” for example, I just hit play and already there are people knocking. And I don’t even have enough dip!

[LP] Germany Germany – BLANK MIND EMPTY HEART (w/ “With You ft. Kotomi”)

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what do i do? i’m in love with you and i feel like a fool

♫ Germany Germany – With You ft. Kotomi

  • Who: Drew Harris
  • What: Bedroom space pop, like Arrange, Youth Lagoon, The xx
  • Where: NYC via Vancouver + Bandcamp
  • When: Buy Blank Mind Empty Heart now.
  • Why: While Germany Germany has been a Burning Ear favorite for years, Drew Harris and his beautful electronic sounds have gone under-appreciated among most. It’s understandable, though. Harris doesn’t bow to anyone’s expectation or genre boundaries. He follows his heart and has evolved down more pathways than any other artist I have followed on this site. With that said, his latest album is another journey through a mellower and more ambient sound than some of his previous dance jams. I just put on the album to write this review and 90 seconds in heard my friend say “This is nice! Who is this?” One more fan!

[EP] Portasound – THE SECOND RENAISSANCE (w/ “To The Colours”)

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  • Who: Michael, James, Luke, Thom, Graham
  • What: Instrumental electro freak pop, like Civil Civic, Is Tropical, Joe & Will Ask?
  • Where: London, UK + Facebook
  • When: Buy The Second Renaissance EP now.
  • Why: Portasound are solid favorites at TBE HQ but the world doesn’t seem to like awesome instrumental electro party jams as much as I do! With under 1000 likes on Facebook they fall squarely into the same under-appreciated camp as similar TBE instrumental faves Civil Civic. Just try cranking up “To The Colours” on a night drive and not rolling down the windows, lead-footing the pedal, and generally feeling like a badass. You cant! EP opener “Dreadnought” may start off slow but when it kicks in it brings full-on 80s car chase grooves with it! Rage on!