Claire Maguire- 'Half Hearted love'

This track is beautiful, it really is as simple as that. Sometimes you don't need words to sell something, the beauty speaks for itself, but as this is a track review I guess a few words would be appropriate.

Musically this track encapsulates stripped down folk of the 1970s whilst staying new and fresh. This freshness comes from her amazingly unique voice and the sheer honesty of her lyrics. Her voice rises and flows like a great ocean whilst at all times keeping you harboured within the tale that her song weave's. With so many female singer/songwriters out there at the moment it is difficult to be heard and to be exciting. Maguire has two things in her favour; firstly her incredibly mature voice and unique voice, even more impressive as it comes from a 26 year old. And secondly I want to hear her songs, I want to hear, as sadistic as it sounds, the pain in her lyrics that creates intrigue and draws you in.

https://soundcloud.com/claremaguire/clare-maguire-half-hearted-love

Mapei- 'Don't Wait'

Lovely little track here from Mapei, a girl who hails from Rhode Island but is now based in Stockholm.  This track can best be described as Soul-Pop, but has much more to it. Her vocals are confident, they easily handle jazzy guitar riffs and echoey digital treatment that the likes of Daft Punk so love. What is so great about 'Don't Wait' is it is instantly recognisable whilst being new and innovative, which makes listening to it a shear joy from start to finish. Well worth a listen and if you want something even more streamlined, the remixed version by Kingdom only serves to strengthen Mapei's undoubtable talent.

https://soundcloud.com/mapei/dont-wait

Hot Since 82- 'Shadows feat. Alex Mills'

Part of Hot Since 82's aka. Daley Padley Little Black Book collection, released on Moda Black and well worth a listen. Intense house that sounds like a foggy night with surprises lurking within; definitely worth checking out!

https://soundcloud.com/hotsince-82/hot-since-82-shadows-feat

Kwabs- 'Last Stand (Produced by SOHN)'

Amazing, gorgeous, stunning, beautiful, incredible, hair standing on end stuff! The best way to describe this track is it fills you up with so much joy that you can't control yourself and eventually you go all Sound of Music and want to sing it and shout about it from the top of an alp.

https://soundcloud.com/kwabsmusic/kwabs-last-stand

Free downloads...Why ever not?!

Loads of artists do this as it's a great way for them to build up a fan base and it gives a little back to us the trusted and ever important consumers of their music. It's not always easy to find new music or free music, so this is just a little list of treats and goodies to get you lot excited about some great new artists.

Fyfe- 'Lies Pt. II'= https://soundcloud.com/thisisfyfe/lies-pt-ii/s-92pTn

Track sees London based singer in a reflective mood with a reasuringly gorgeous outcome.

moodblanc- 'Vous'= https://soundcloud.com/mood-blanc/vous

This Swedish duo weigh in with a track that is perfect for those dull days, very catchy dance anthem.

Santigold- 'Disparate youth (Jacuzzi remix)'= https://soundcloud.com/jacuzzi/disparate-youth-jacuzzi

Jacuzzi deserves huge credit for this sparkling remix of Sanitgold, hesitantly better than the original.

Tei Shi- 'Nevermind The End'= https://soundcloud.com/tei-shi/nevermind-the-end

Track that showcases the adept fragility of Tei Shi's voice, off the upcoming EP Saudade 

MØ - "XXX 88 (Oceaán Remix)"= https://soundcloud.com/momomoyouth/xxx-88-oceaa-n-remix

UK producer adds some of his own vocals, a song rich with texture and layers. 

Drake - "Come Thru (James Blake Version)"= https://soundcloud.com/1-800-dinosaur/come-thru-james-blake-version

Surprising everyone the recent Mercury Prize winner gives his own rendition on a Drake song.

Great songs and all free!

Peace and love x

Smog-'Running The Loping'

This one is going to be a bit different, it's still about a track which I love, however it is not brand new and has a slightly different feel to the sort of thing I have written about before.

I came across this whilst listening to Annie Macs Sunday show on Radio 1, which is based on the pretence of music you would listen to just before the act of sleep, and I love it. Peaceful, relaxing and calming music is in my opinion the best thing in the world. It connects with me far more than another area of music, it drifts me off and puts me into a head space in which I am the master, king of my own thoughts with no interference from the outside world.

The main feature on Annie Macs Sunday show is the 'bedtime mix', in which a guest (a musician) is invited to come up with four songs that they feel are appropriate for bedtime. A couple of weeks back Jon Hopkins was invited in, a man who is multi talented and makes very organic feeling electro music. Anyway to cut a long story short it was one of the greatest bedtime mix's I've heard, but particularly one song jumped out to me and immediately I searched it out and downloaded it. That song was 'Running The Loping' by Smog aka. Bill Callahan.

What immediately stood out to me was the simplicity of the music, he uses only a few cords and very simple melodies, but his music is far deeper than the simplistic composition suggests. 'Running The Loping' leads you into Callahan's world, you are given a glimpse of his insecurities. What really struck me though and what I could relate to was he doesn't look at himself through rose tinted glasses, the simplistic nature of the music reveals a human, a man who honestly asses himself. The honesty in the track connects with me, and the simple composition lulls me into a trance, a place of peace where, without sounding too airy fairy, you connect with yourself. 

And isn't that what music is all about? The connections we feel with it, the connections it has with our past and the overriding sense of being consumed by something that we can't quite explain. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4svk_EB_TU

Ben Khan-'Eden'

This London singer-songwriter seems to have the ability to create a remarkably big sound that swells and consumes itself all at the same time. With 'Eden' though he pushes his breathy vocals to the forefront far more than previous tracks such as "Drive (part 1)". He preaches "Palms to the sky on a religious high", although the sounds within this track evoke Walter White rather than conventional religion. 

This is one of my favourite kind of musical genres, I like to think of it as 'bedroom soul'; it certainly makes perfect listening for a relaxed environment. Whenever I listen to it I find myself being consumed by the synth and guitar working and throbbing harmoniously together. If you had to give someone a one sentence description of what this track sounds like it would have to be...."Imagine if the motion of your heart made a sound". It has the contracting nature of a heart swelling and subsiding, its sound floods through your body and it does it all with ultimate confidence. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzfLnaZ6FY0