December 22, 2017

I’m not even going to front: I’m beat. Absolutely beat. And the weekend hasn’t even started.

It’s Thursday night as I type this up, as I do every Thursday evening tying up all loose ends for cmd+f. I’m currently waiting for some brownies to cool for a holiday party, am thinking about maybe buying more wrapping paper, trying to strategically plan out all the cookie dough prep I can do over the weekend, and my list of things To Do is seemingly endless. It is exciting, but being in Santa’s Elf mode is taxing.

It’s been a lot of fun collaborating with so many people and putting out cmd+vent for y’all; I wouldn’t have it any other way. We’re in the final stretch for the calendar, and seeing it come to an end is rather bittersweet. It’s exciting to have material for you all every day, and the response has been incredible. I am so pleased with the content my dear friends have so graciously crafted for this holiday project; I can’t wait to do it all again with you next year, along with a lot of other exciting plans I have up my sleeve for cmd+f.

Let’s get on with the music, people! This week I have five sweet selections from emerging artists across a variety of genres. Get ready to dance, get ready to sulk, get ready to get sloppy drunk: cmd+f has it all this week!

Please reach out to me via the handy dandy contact page on the cmd+f website, or on Twitter with your thoughts about any of the tracks I’ve selected this week. As you already know, I love chatting about music. Let me in on your new favorite band; they’re looking for new fans, too!

As always, you know the drill: if you like what you hear, spread the cheer. Tell your friends about the songs you liked in this letter, but most importantly, let the artists know. There’s a good chance they’ll see your comments. Let them know how good their tunes are, and they’ll crank out even more magic.

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“Sign” - VHS Collection | I am coming out the gate this week with a strong claim: “Sign” is the greatest song I have heard all year. ALL. FUCKING. YEAR. Now I have an obligation to hype this song up, but I can assure you when you hear it, you’ll know. “Sign” opens with a distorted, solemn hymn, fizzes out, then guns forward into a Tears for Fears-worthy powerballad. Who can resist a cascade of rubbery synths? On first listen, it reminded me of the 1984 poverty-porn hit “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” which, imperialist guilt aside, we all know pops OFF every time it comes on the speakers. “Sign” is a 4:20 cinematic, hypnotizing journey. I’ll remind you: “Sign” is the best song I’ve heard in 2017. Listen here

“In Blue” - Yumi Zouma | For those of you who read Day 1 of cmd+vent, Ana made a chic playlist full of tunes by New Zealand artists, including this particular tune “In Blue” by Yumi Zouma. The group already have a solid fan base with a few amount of streams on all their tunes. They’ve got a lush, neo-disco vibe akin to Phoenix, buffed over with velvety vocals. While Phoenix begs you to hop on a bike and head to the discotech, Yumi Zouma made that hazy bedroom pop. I’ve been listening to “In Blue” obsessively for a couple weeks now, and nearly resisted including it in the letter this week simply because Ana had thrown them in her playlist. Nay, “In Blue” needs its own spotlight. Listen here

“Guilty Party” -  Thunder Jackson | What exactly is a Thunder Jackson???? While everyone is trying to figure this out, the secretive alleged pop duo shared their debut single “Guilty Party” last month, and it’s fucking massive. Allegedly the two met in a taxi in West Hollywood - one a songwriter from the South, the other a producer from Wales. To start, the song rides on a brilliantly sped up sample of the opening notes to Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark’s “Enola Gay.” It’s a scrapbook of nostalgic sounds that end up feeling so utterly contemporary. Also, the song is so blatantly about having a really fucked up hangover after going to a party in The Valley, so, 10/10 can relate.  Listen here

“This Is For You” - Bleach Baby | House music is my first love. It’s been a minute since I’ve heard a house tune that’s excited me. Bleach Baby’s “This Is For You” is a fantastic pop house tune, stabbing piano keys and massive drops included. Listen here

“No Angels” -  Catholic Action | I’m ending my five tracks this week with a Christmas tune! I’ve been listening to this particular track all month long amongst my Christmas list tunes, and “No Angels” cracks me up every time. With the opening lyrics, “You can’t have sex at Christmas / You can’t make love or screw / Celebrate as he intended / With television and food” it instantly became a favorite. Catholic Action are a rowdy bunch of Glaswegian’s who dropped their debut album In Memory Of in October this year, and it’s fantastic. But first, listen to “No Angels” Listen here

BONUS

• Merry! Fuckin! Christmas! We’ve been blessed with Cardi B’s new single “Bartier Cardi” featuring 21 Savage. Hook is fiiiiire  Listen here
• Mat Kearney has a new self-titled EP, and the New Years Eve breakup ballad “Don’t Cry For Me” is rather good Listen here
• cmd+f fav BETSY has shared an acoustic mini-album Listen here
• Cassie out here whispering her ass off in her new single “Don’t Play It Safe” Listen here
• It was announced this week that Liam Payne and Rita Ora are releasing their duet single for the Fifty Shades Freed film. Some reactions to the news has been “Who?” or “they don’t even have fans,” but I am here to tell you: I know who they are, and I am their fan. I am their lone fan who is psyched as hell for this duet recorded exclusively for a hellfire film franchise that was made specifically for horny soccer moms.
• Pale Waves, aka the future biggest new music act of 2018 (take notes!!! If you haven’t been listening to me ALL YEAR LONG!), have shared a very aesthetically aesthetic (haha) music video for their latest single “My Obsession.” Dear Heather goes full on Lars and the Real Girl with her “dream boy” and… anyway, I need to speak to whomever is doing their color direction because their videos are always a feast to watch Watch here
• Last but certainly not least, I’m including a link to my own Christmas music playlist I will have on loop all weekend long. It includes a host of non-traditional classics from the likes of WHAM!, The Waitresses, and Paul McCartney, covers of “classics,” a few original Christmas tunes, and of course, no Christmas music list is complete without a host of Sufjan Stevens. If you’re about to pull your hair out listening to “Jingle Bell Rock” one more time, I promise you, this one is like, a really cool Christmas playlist. Mix things up a bit: Listen here
• P.S. A new cmd+vent calendar letter drops tomorrow!

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If you’re interested in hearing what else I’ve been rinsing this month (aside from the tracks listed above), peep my personal December 2017 playlist. There I will be dumping in new (and occasionally throw back) tracks as the month carries on. You can dive into the cmd+f archive to hear what I’ve been listening to in previous months this year.

A(lmost a)ll of the tracks I’ve shared this week and past cmd+f newsletters are archived into a single playlist on Spotify for you to follow here. You’re welcome.

November 13, 2017

Must keep this brief: I might asleep writing this,,,klloiiiiioi;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;

…. Well… good morning….. crap.

Let me explain myself: I had my first major event at my job Thursday night, drank some [erm, fair amount] wine, and despite the cup of extra strong black tea I brewed to stay up and write this, I woke up in a pile of my own drool around 11pm, admitted defeat, and took my ass to bed.

It feels weird sending this out on a Monday, as I presume you’ve already listened to most if not all of the Bonus tracks/albums I’m throwing down at the bottom of the letter. Fear not: I am unfathomably stoked to present five sick tracks from emerging artists I’m almost certain you’ve not heard. They’re all super top notch.

Enjoy, and happy Monday.

Please reach out to me via the handy dandy contact page on the cmd+f website, or on Twitter with your thoughts about any of the tracks I’ve selected this week. As you already know, I love chatting about music. Let me in on your new favorite band; they’re looking for new fans, too!

As always, you know the drill: if you like what you hear, spread the cheer. Tell your friends about the songs you liked in this letter, but most importantly, let the artists know. There’s a good chance they’ll see your comments. Let them know how good their tunes are, and they’ll crank out even more magic.

P.S. If you would like to have this letter sent to your email every Friday, please head over to this link right here to subscribe to never miss a weekly roundup!

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“Love You So Bad” -  Ezra Furman | How bad have you ever loved someone in your life? Like, really really bad? “Like the kid in the back of the classroom who can’t do the math ‘cause he can’t see the blackboard, so bad” croons the Newest Ezra I Have Admitted Into My Life. When you’re at a loss for words to describe how smitten you are with the love of your life, take a page out of Ezra’s book and I’m nearly positive you’ll get many a kudos. Cannot wait for their album Transangelic Exodus Listen here

“Blind” - FEVA | I...got a fever...and the only prescription….is….mo….. FEVA [I low key wonder how many times they’ve heard this joke] - Jokes aside, I am 97% sure after you listen to “Blind” you will agree with me. The relentless, churning guitars, massive chorus, it’s all fucking incredible. Listen here

“Bring You Down” -  Pinact | Imagine: a melodically inclined grunge band, aka what every early 00s neo punk band i.e. Saves the Day et. al tried to do, but I must say Pinact have carried that torch best on their joint “Bring You Down.” With the scratchy vocals layered over a chorus fit for an mid-90s teen flick, “Bring You Down” SLAPS. Listen here

“Liberty Belle” -  Fontaines | It’s been several years since I’ve stumbled across straightforward, carefree sounding rock n’ roll jams (see: The Drums’s 2010 self-titled album). Though it came out in the early weeks of summer this year, Ireland’s very own Fontaines have shelled out a slick, cool, and infectious debut single with “Liberty Belle.” I typically have one song a week that sounds great on an endless loop for a good chunk of my week, and this one takes the cake. Listen here

“Sonora” -  Spendtime Palace | I was driving home the other night through the Hollywood Hills listening to this tune, and immediately started outlining an entire dissertation on what could potentially “sound” like Southern California, and how Spendtime Palace’s “Sonora” is a journey through those vibrations. “Sonora” opens with a slumbering guitars, cranking up for sunrise, then coil into a twang over a crispy rattle under the desert sun. The vocals unfold over a backdrop of a wild frontier, swaying through sinister piano chords chopping their way up up up, then licks out to a Blue Oyster Cult-esque, cowbell-infused surf rock chorus. Not to mention, the opening lines are in Spanish, the song blossoms through so many sounds that remind me of growing up in Los Angeles, all of the little bands I’ve seen in dingy, low ceiling clubs with sweat dripping down the walls, in backyards under fairy lights around palm trees mingling with powerlines, on blacktops under the blazing sun. Spendtime Palace are indeed a SoCal band, from Orange County’s own Costa Mesa (I believe), and I can’t even front: I found out about them through Finn Wolfhard’s Instagram, and noticed Finn co-directed and starred in the music video for “Sonora.” The more I listened to “Sonora” and the rest of Spendtime Palace’s tunes, the more I sunk back into the sounds of Southern California. Listen here

BONUS

• Apparently someone we should all know released an album (exclusive streaming on Apple Music) but I am not addressing it any further than saying what I’ve already said

• Australian outfit Pnau has pumped out the best pop house album I’ve heard in a long ass time. As you work your way down the disc, each song slaps hard than the last, and I cannot get enough of it. Changa was the album I needed to keep my sleepy head away from a pillow Thursday night Listen here

• I feel like I would be accused of being a fake pop music stan if I didn’t include Sigrid’s new tune “Strangers” so here is my obligatory Sigrid-has-a-new-song notification Listen here

• cmd+f alumnae Ten Fé takes us on a sweeping voyage in their new track “Single, No Return” Listen here

• Say what you want about JLo, but it better not be anything negative or neutral when I am in earshot. Listen to her latest Latin smash “Amor, Amor, Amor” feat. Wisin Listen here

• Nothing negative or neutral about MY President, Mr. Worldwide, PITBULL’s new single “Jungle” either!! Uhm, it’s got E-40!!! Listen here

• Raunchy rapper cupcakKe is one of those artists you either really love or can’t gel with. Her new single “Cartoons” is a damn treat Listen here

• Since The 1975 have been teasing us about a new EP for months and finally came forward to say it won’t drop until the new year, have a listen to Backup The 1975, aka Pale Waves, on their new single “New Year’s Eve” Listen here

• Jidenna has blessed us with his surprise release Boomerang EP Listen here

• Empire of the Sun are back with their dreamy new single “On Our Way Home” Listen here

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If you’re interested in hearing what else I’ve been rinsing this month (aside from the tracks listed above), peep my personal November 2017 playlist. There I will be dumping in new (and occasionally throw back) tracks as the month carries on. You can dive into the cmd+f archive to hear what I’ve been listening to in previous months this year.

A(lmost a)ll of the tracks I’ve shared this week and past cmd+f newsletters are archived into a single playlist on Spotify for you to follow here. You’re welcome.

See you next week!

February 24, 2017

This is an archived post originally sent out via the cmd+f weekly newsletter

Happy Friday, y’all. I’ve plucked six new tracks you may have overlooked–enjoy!

Hit me up on Twitter at @hellogoodbritt with your thoughts about any of the recommendations below, and please do send me any finds of your own. If you like any of the songs mentioned in this letter, tell your friends about it, but most importantly let the artists know, too! They work really hard on helping evolve the culture.

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“There’s a Honey” - Pale Waves | Love at first note. “There’s a Honey” is the quality evolution of guitar-driven pop I wish to hear in the world, and thank god it has arrived. Hands down going to be an insta-fav for fans of The 1975 (+ the track was produced by Matty and George). I can’t wait to hear more from Pale Waves this year.  Listen here

“Charm Assault” -  Ride | Between news of a Kanye West makeup line and Future releasing two albums a week apart, news of Ride’s return were gravely overlooked this week. And this is fucking huge – over 20 years ago, this band had major ass beef and split after crippling record sales (could you imagine having your label telling you they want you to be the ‘new Oasis’ all the time?), and probably other drama, but they’ve been in the studio with Erol Alkan (yaaas keep those kid dancing, Erol), and plopped down the incredibly fresh “Charm Assault.” Good to have you back, fellas.  Listen here

“Temple” -  BF/C | “Temple” is the soundtrack of Black Mirror episode, pitched in darkness like a ghost breathing down your neck. There isn’t much information about BF/C out there, aside from a Facebook page about Californiaman from Sweden??? Either way, very into this. Listen here

“Restless” - darkDARK feat. Haley Bonar | “Restless” reminds me of early Zola Jesus, verging onto more power-pop production. It’s luxe, sultry, and velvety. Listen here

“take me on” - joan | The first time I heard “take me on,” my initial thought was, “what are the odds I’ll hear this on a TV show?” Maybe I’ve been getting way too into Riverdale every week, but this track is soaked in the kind of teen lust you’d expect to hear on a primetime soap.  Listen here

“5 fine frøkner” -  Gabrielle | I’m including this track as a Bat Signal more than anything. For those who obsessively followed the wildly popular third season of Norway’s teen drama TV show Skam late last year, you’ll know fans outside of Scandinavia kept trying to track down the song Isak and Even danced to in the kitchen one episode. And when they did manage to track a recording down, many were sorely disappointed to only find low quality rips on YouTube. Look no further: Gabrielle’s 2014 sapphic Norwegian club banger is officially up on streaming sites! Listen here

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 To keep up with everything I’ve been listening to this month, please feel free to follow my monthly Spotify playlist for February 2017 here.

I’m also adding all of the tracks I post in the cmd+f newsletters into a single playlist on Spotify for you to follow here and listen at your leisure.

Thank you so much for subscribing and all of your feedback.

See you next week!