Angels – Clams Casino

Great. So right after I post an absolute bible of relaxation, Clams Casino goes ahead and releases another album full of instrumentals that would have easily made it onto that post, thus undermining the entire idea of it being the best chilled out playlist post. Oh well, better late then never I suppose. This new stuff is… well… incredible.

Hurricane – MS MR

I feel like it’s been a while since I’ve fallen in love with anything that has female vocals, so when I heard this I was suitably amped that my female tune drought had come to an end. This has been on repeat for the last twenty minutes and it’s just not getting any worse. If you knew me in real life I would give you a serious look and tell you to listen to this. Because we’re in the internet world, all I can do is tell you that your life will be better if you do, and that you can send me a nice thank you message if you do enjoy it. “Welcome to the inner workings of my mind…”

a2 – Ólafur Arnalds & Nils Frahm (Max Cooper Remix)

Okay so the other day I stumbled upon something really, really beautiful. No, not Mila Kunis (although I can still dream). I was paddling around and surfing our beloved internet when I discovered a quite frankly gorgeous Max Cooper remix.

Last Night I Heard Everything In Slow Motion – Oliver Tank

Okay guys, I have a great song for you today. When I say a great song, I mean one of those tracks that you just CANNOT take off of repeat.

Underground Kings – Drake

Another album for which there has been an absolutely massive amount of anticipation. Drake’s Take Care is his second full album, and after early releases of Marvin’s Room, Headlines, and Trust Issues, everybody who loves Drake could not be more excited. The official release is set for November 15th, but over here, we got lucky and I managed to get my hands on an early copy.

Terra Incognita – Atlas Sound

Had an obnoxious amount of work tonight, and the first single from Brandon Cox’s relatively new Atlas Sound LP, entitled Parallax is what got me through it. 

Pretty Lights @ CAMP (London)

For those of our readers the other side of the Atlantic, Pretty Lights is a reasonably well-known name on the electric music scene, inspired by a Pink Floyd concert poster that read “Come and watch the pretty lights!” A name able to command a festival crowd such as Coachella and Bonnaroo, and fill clubs. With his popularity soaring stateside he has turned his attention to the UK, something that got us all rather excited over here at Can You Hear This, as most of us are long term fans of Derek Vincent Smith, the man behind Pretty Lights. So you can imagine we had to seize the chance when invited to go to his gig at CAMP in London.

In a basement of the City Arts & Music Project, there is the throb of excitement and anticipation surrounding the arrival of Pretty Lights. I’m circled by a collection of people trickling in from the street outside. There is strong presence of young American fans, one rather loud and boisterous that assures me that “this is going to be awesome!” He’s a student from the states, who was a follower of Pretty Lights over there and like myself is seizing this chance to see him on the London music scene. He’s started telling me his life story almost relating it to the Colorado musician’s rise. By the time he’s explained how he’s currently living in Kensington, I’m watching a dance off between several other excited, avid followers. The atmosphere is far past buzzing and into some further state of anticipation.

Then the man himself walked up to the array of electronics on stage, hooded and ready to go. The room exploded. Derek Vincent Smith is a man who understands music. He seems to have a natural comprehension of how it works, and he doesn’t so much play the instrument but simply allows it to amplify the movements in his body. The sound is seamless, capturing the beat and the tune perfectly. Not a word has so far been sampled in his tracks and you are aware that you’ve been caught up in it all and swept along. There was no amazing light show that is often synonymous with Pretty Light shows, but there was no need.

As you can imagine and hear from much of Pretty Lights’ music, he takes inspiration from a very wide spectrum of sounds, sampling from all genres and doing so with flawless style. I would ask anyone to check out his tour dates and download his music (he notoriously gives it out for free on his website) because if the show here in London was anything to go by, the UK will be taken by storm by this young artist.

 

Streetz Tonight – Araabmuzik

Haven’t had any dance lately, so let me give you Streetz Tonight by Araabmuzik. There’s been some buzz about this kid lately, and as far as I know, he’s just a dude from Harlem who has been harboring some attention. Good for him. Anyhow, this song is something you can definitely dance to:

Nice and deep. It’s the classic combination of a soft but driving backing with a soaring female vocal layered over the top. We’re not complaining when it’s this good though. If you asked me to give you one word to describe it, I’d probably use ‘dreamy.’ Also, if you like the sound of this, be sure to download Araabmuzik’s mixtape for free, as it also has some awesome tunes on it.

Believer – John Maus

American composer John Maus has a huge repertoire of underground releases from the beginning of his career in music. However, I’d like to focus on the closing track from his latest LP, entitled We Must Become The Pitiless Censors of Ourselves. Quite a mouthful, I know, but just sit back, relax, and let Believer charm your ears.

I dare you to find chiming more sugary than that. The synths in this are gorgeous, and when they’re paired with a constant, punchy bassline and echoing vocals such as these, you just really hit the jackpot. The video that goes with it is pretty cool also. It’s very… colorful.

Jump In The Pool – Friendly Fires

Over the past few months I have grown to really like Friendly Fires. They have a really awesome electronic-rock sound that is pretty hard to come by. The song Jump In The Pool is actually so good that it got released twice. Yep, released and then re-released. Take a listen to it here:

This song reminds me quite a bit of Foals’ Spanish Sahara. It just kind of surrounds you in dreamy and ethereal noise, while the vocals are beautifully high and floating. The verses are a little bit different, but I feel like the whole things blends really nicely. Here’s the video: