Little Dragon

September 29, 2017

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Going to keep the opening notes very short and sweet this week, as so much has happened (personally, globally, etc) - but before anything else, I reckon if you haven’t already, though you most likely have (if you haven’t, you must be just logging onto the internet for the first time today, I suppose), but J Balvin has released a remix of his global smash (in Latin countries. Trust me, the song is massive as f*ck, and you’re going to have to believe me if you’re not from a Latin country) hit “Mi Gente” with none other than MFing BEYONCE. J Balvin’s impact - he’s got Bey signing in Spanish, too! Naturally, the internet lost its mind over it.

100% of proceeds made from the release of this remix will go toward helping victims from the recent natural disasters in Puerto Rico, Mexico, and the Caribbean. Get on streaming the tune here, and maybe consider purchasing the track off iTunes/your preferred digital music retailer if you dig. It's for a good cause 'n all that.

Now, onto five fantastic tracks I want to share with y’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.

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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“Tommy” - Tommy Genesis | Those who follow the underground rap scene likely are already familiar with Vancouver emcee Tommy Genesis. Hailed as the “most rebellious underground rap queen,” her new joint “Tommy” is a sinister, biting track. The beat is dope, definitely borderline unnerving in an-axe-murderer-is-lurking-behind-your-shower-curtain kind of way. Warning: highly addictive. Listen here

“Big One” -  Madeline Kenney | Music to listen to when you’re freaking the hell out because every single element of your life has lead up to this moment of time and everything feels more wholesome and real and worthwhile than it ever did leading up to that moment in time. “Big One” is a lyrically grand tune, each cry out a beam of excitement about figuring out your life and discovering you’ve found the one person you want to share the rest of your life with. Madeline’s entire album Night Night at the First Landing also has this cozy, dreamworld vibe if you’re looking to channel this mood over the weekend. Listen here

“Angel Fire” -  Hollie Cook | I know most of us are prepared to launch into super-goth mode and burrow under nine layers of blankets then sink into the mattress over a cup of steaming hot cocoa listening to Transatlantacism on repeat, right? Well, for those who AREN’T seeking that our/live in the SOUTHERN hemisphere (yeah, guys - they’re about to plow through Springtime down there), I present to you the groovy, island vibey “Angel Fire.” Hollie’s voice is as smooth as whipped buttercream. Listen here

“Needing U” -  Desta French | That Tribe “Electric Relaxation” sample is fine as hell. Desta French’s got the chops with this old school mid-90s R&B pop job, I can’t wait to hear more from Desta. Listen here

“Why Didn’t You Say That?” -  The Lemon Twigs |  The Lemon Twigs are truly from another time. Their entire vibe is plucked straight out of that kooky, 60s Baroque rock. It’s hokey, but it works, and it sonically sounds like a day kissed by the California sun. Listen here

BONUS

  • Harry Styles, covering a song about a girl wanting to be a girlfriend of a boy they have a crush on so they can be close to the boy. [cue rainbow flag] Listen to Harry Styles cover “Girl Crush” here

  • Legends stacked on legends stacked on legends! Listen to what we go at stake: Little Dragon feat. Faith Evans “Peace Of Mind” produced by Raphael Saadiq. Raphael Saadiq!! Listen here

  • For my shoegaze babes, go listen to Wolf Alice’s new album Vision of a Life. Personal favorite is the CAN-inspired minimal bass “Formidable Cool.” Listen here

  • New Four Tet album New Energy Listen here AND new Miley Cyrus album Younger Now Listen here

  • Former cmd+f mentionable BETSY has finally released her self-titled debut album! Hurray! Listen here

  • If you’re doing for a bit of a laugh, please check out Lizzo’s new track and video for “Truth Hurts” Watch here

  • So, Spotify thinks they can guestimate what music you listened to during formative teenage years based off their nifty algorithm. Granted my list neglected to include music from my later high school years, it was on the nose with its selections for tunes I listened to primarily from my days of middle school and early high school. Selections included primarily early pop punk and emo tunes, with a big of gangster rap peppered in between all of those bits. Click here if you’d like to peep my own Time Capsule playlist. Discover your own Time Capsule 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 September 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!

April 14, 2017

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

I know it’s going to be really hard to focus on anything else today between the release of DAMN. and mentally preparing oneself for Harry Styles’ first live performance as a solo artist ever broadcasted live coast to coast on Saturday Night Live tomorrow. From the bottom of my heart: thank you for taking time out of your day to pause Kendrick Lamar’s new album to have a gander at my little letter.

This week  I scaled back on my compulsive podcast marathoning while at work and decided to focus more on music. Like. Way more. Like, I spent over 8 hours a day listening and finding a shit ton of cool playlists to dig into whilst sat at my desk. With all that audible heavy lifting, my eardrums are flexed and I ended up “””””finding””””” 16 songs! An Easter/Passover miracle!

Unfortunately for you, I only have five of those sixteen songs in the letter today. Those included this week were the first five I found, and I still feel very passionate to share them with y’all. Don’t fret: the others are stacked in my arsenal for a future week. You’ll hear them soon enough!

Got any questions? Tips? Please reach out to me via Twitter at @hellogoodbritt (or any other way you may know how to contact me) with your thoughts about any of the tracks I’ve selected this week. I love chatting about music. Let me know what you’re listening to that everyone else should be listening to, 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. It’s only good manners!

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“Kryptonite” - George Maple | if you enjoy club music, odds are you’ve heard George Maple a time or two. Dear George made her grande entrance as a vocalist for a song on Flume’s debut album a few years back, and has since gone on to lend vocals for Goldroom and DJ Snake. My girl (yes, George is officially one of my girls) is rightfully making strides to set a name for her damn self, and her latest single “Kryptonite” is a smoldering, silky R&B-fused bop. Fans of Jessie Ware and Kelela are definitely going to love “Kryptonite.” Listen here

“Physical” - The Aces | Well, well, well, it was only just yesterday the HAIM sisters decided to come out of hiding from the last four years. And the day before yesterday, I settled in on including this The Aces track. Now, to connect these two sentences, The Aces share a lot of elements of HAIM-esque pop-driven guitars in their music.  These girls are stirring up a lot of buzz, and 2017 is definitely their launching pad – and they know it. Head over to their website, and they introduce themselves as “FOUR GIRLS ABOUT TO RULE THE WORLD.” Hell yeah. Well, prepare to have “Physical” on repeat all week. If you live in LA, catch them at the upcoming School Night! at the Bardot in Hollywood (and maaaaybe you’ll run into me there, too….)  Listen here

“I’m Easy” -  Merk | Shout out to Coup de Main Magazine for keeping me posted with what’s coming out of the Kiwi music scene. “I’m Easy” dropped at the start of a sizzling summertime in the Other Hemisphere, and only recently dropped an official music video for the track that caught my attention. Merk’s not only got sunny-side-up egg glasses, but he’s got some really groovy tunes. “I’m Easy” passed my “windows down and driving 80mph in the fast lane at night” test. His debut album Swordfish is going to be rinsed heavily these coming summer months. Listen here

“Rodeo” - Pssy Pwr | WOOOOOOO!!!! Scream hallelujah! Pssy Pwr come through with a fucking BOP. I had to do some digging to figure out who the hell crafted this MASTERPIECE, and it turns out Pssy Pwr are a duo formed by none other than songwriting genius’ Anjulie and Oren Yoel, who both have an impressive roster of hits under their belts (Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus, Icona Pop?! And so many more?!). Good on them, as “Rodeo” has been stuck in my head ALL week. I washed my dishes humming the hook, yodeled “hallelujah” in my dog’s face when scratching his ears, had the song on repeat as I pecked out documents all day at work, and even couldn’t help but dance to it in the middle of my room a few times. Give it a spin - do note the song is best enjoyed at a high volume. Listen here

“To Swim” -  Petrie | Embarrassment be damned; Petrie is the Level of Cool I drag my ass through the tumultuous desert of discovering damn good music every week in search of. “To Swim” initially dropped last November, but Petrie did include it on his new Slurs EP that came out a few weeks ago. It’s still a stand out track dripping in absolute quality, sexy alt-pop. Listen here

BONUS

  • Little Dragon’s new album Season High is out and you should definitely listen to it sometime ASAP. Listen here

  • Michelle Branch is back with a FULL ALBUM and you should DEFINITELY pencil in an hour of listening time for this comeback. Listen here

  • I never thought I’d be typing this… but Linkin Park, Pusha T, and STORMZY dropped a single. Listen to it to believe it actually happened, tbh. For those who are fans of Grime: do you think Stormzy is going to break into the US mainstream before Skepta?

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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 April 2017 playlist. 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!