Editors' Picks

Norah Jones has just released a new full-length album titled “Visions.” This album is full of smooth and relaxing tracks that come together in a blend of many different genres - too many to count, actually. Norah Jones has always delivered soothing songs that are low-key but never low effort. You can always tell she puts a lot of thought and effort into her tracks, constructing and changing her sound. "Visions" has a lot of interesting little things happening in the background of most songs: synths, birdsong, ethereal arpeggios. It is not always easy to pick out a favorite, but on this album, my personal favorite track is “On My Way.” It has so many gorgeous sounds and interesting little vocal things going on. Then the ending, where it slowly blends the voice with a mellotron and the mellotron gets to finish, is just great.

Imogen Clark's latest release, "Big One," has left me pondering its significance as it had me dancing at 6 am mere moments after waking up. It's remarkable how a song can instantly elevate one's mood, and this track is no exception. Scheduled to be featured on Imogen's upcoming album, "The Art of Getting Through," slated for a May release, it holds promise for what's to come. If "Big One" is any indication of the album's direction, I'd say it's essential to keep an eye on her musical journey. Many might listen to this track and wonder why Imogen isn't already an international star. The foundation for a flourishing career seems firmly in place, and beyond that lies untapped potential. Regardless, I really hope she continues to create art.

The Black Keys recently dropped a fresh track titled “This Is Nowhere,” and let me tell you, when it comes to tunes outside the realm of Pop, these guys nail it. Their tracks aren't just catchy for the sake of it; they strike a perfect balance, avoiding any hint of annoyance or overproduction. Instead, they're the kind of tunes that make you nod along, filled with just the right selection of sounds.

Laufey has recently dropped her latest track, "Goddess." In recent years, she's ascended like a shooting star. Back in 2020, she shared her aspirations of gracing NPR's "Tiny Desk Concert" concept, and now she's fulfilled that dream. From social media sensation to releasing full-scale albums, Laufey has garnered serious attention from music aficionados. Her newest track has been met with widespread adoration from her fans. It's a velvety piano ballad, intertwining her soulful vocals with the elegant simplicity of timely arpeggios in the background. The track unfolds beautifully, with a mesmerizing culmination that I'll leave for you to experience firsthand. Needless to say, the ending ties everything together seamlessly. Laufey's vocal style is enchating and evocative, drawing listeners in with its allure.

Artists Fred Again.., Lil Yachty, and Overmono have just dropped an absolute gem of a track. One of the standout features of this tune is how distinctively each artist's voice shines through. If there were a way to quantify the sheer "vibe" a song exudes, this one would be off the charts. It's almost like it boasts dual hooks, with Yachty's mesmerizing "You've got a life, stay in it" refrains and Fred's infectious drops. The instrumentation is incredibly fresh, drawing inspiration from a myriad of electronic music subgenres from both the UK and US scenes. The synergy between Overmono and Fred is palpable in this collaboration, leaving listeners eagerly anticipating more from this dynamic duo.

Cigarettes After Sex have just released a new dreamy banger titled “Tejano Blue.” The track is low-key, with soft, sultry, whispering vocals. I would say the track is very much in line with what the band is already known for, with their signature ambient and emotional style. Someone who is used to conventional pop might comment on this and say it sounds dull or lifeless. In the eyes of a fan, however, that is part of the charm. The lead vocalist of Cigarettes After Sex (CAS) says the track was inspired by his upbringing in El Paso, Texas. Also, as for musical influence, he mentions artists like Cocteau Twins and Selena. If you go listen to the album “Heaven or Las Vegas” by Cocteau Twins, for example, you might find some similarities in the sound.

Faye Webster has released her fifth album, “Underdressed at the Symphony.” This album is a great new project for her, and the overall shift in sound compared to her previous works marks a more naturalistic sound. I think Faye has thought about the fact that people seem to be craving these acoustic sounds. The tracks were all produced by Faye Webster and Drew Vandenberg. Now, Drew does not have a lot of info about him online, which he might want to keep that way. In any case, we can say that he and Faye have created one heck of an album, together with the other contributing acts, of course. "Underdressed at the Symphony" features collaborators such as Wilco’s Nels Cline (guitar solos) and Lil Yachty, singing on “Lego Ring.” I think Lil Yachty is particularly interesting in this case because he is really doing some pure wizardry. Not just with this song but if you look over how diverse his catalog is, it is really amazing how well it works every time he collaborates with someone. The track “Lego Ring” is infused with his greatness.

A new track has been released from Charli XCX, titled “Von Dutch”! This song is happily blending genres and influences. It has elements of hyperpop, bloghouse, electroclash, pop, and club. I mean, with any list regarding genres, you can add 50 words that don’t really mean anything; this is just to give you a gist, but best to have a listen yourself. The production is done by “Easyfun”, a producer Charli has worked with before. One thing that I personally love doing is that if you find a track you really like by a popular artist, see who produced it and look into all the other tracks they have produced. It might actually be a more direct way of finding the particular sound that you’re after. In any case, Von Dutch is a really cool track.

Justin Timberlake, one of the absolute kings of music, has released a new track titled “Drown.” This track follows the release of his previous single “Selfish” and is set to be part of his upcoming album “Thought It Was.” This whole album is set to be released on March 15, 2024, which, to a lot of people's happiness, is very soon. The mood of the track is an absolute pre-bedroom banger. It has a lot of dark sounds with modern R&B/Pop elements and Justin Timberlake’s ever so catchy vocal lines. Reaching for a certain sound, his latest single “Selfish” did not do as well on the billboards as one would expect. However, does this really matter? For the artist it might, but as the audience it is better to just listen to the tracks for what they are. Something that is interesting is that if you remember some of the absolute great hits from Justin like “Mirror,” for example, you still hear a very similar choice of melody in his song. He has found his way to greatness and managed to stay in that zone for so very long.

Jacob Collier, known for being one of the great virtuoso musicians of our time, has also become well known for releasing really solid solo-written tracks. This latest release is a cover of the classic Simon & Garfunkel song "Bridge Over Troubled Water."

Donny Benét just released a new 3-track single titled “Forbidden Love” with previously released tracks "American Dream","Multiply," and the new track being "Forbidden Love." To many indieheads, Donny Benét is sort of a godfather figure. He is not on the same level of popularity as many other indie acts; some would argue undeservingly so. I think so too. As for his fans, I think they are a very dedicated bunch.

Ramati is an artist who, in just two years, has gathered over 100k monthly listeners on Spotify. Remarkably, she's achieved this without relying heavily on collaborations, with only 9 singles under her belt. What's more intriguing is her minimalist online presence—no artist website to boast of, just a modest footprint on Tumblr and Twitter. It's evident she isn't pouring resources into heavy marketing campaigns. This serves as a testament to the belief that an artist's true success lies in their raw talent, and Ramati is living proof of that.

Jizue's newest single got released a few days ago and it kicks off with a mallet instrument shaping a theme so annoyingly overused and recognizable, akin to a “perfect life in New York before the apocalypse” movie scene. The initial statement is not other than the iconic opening bars of Pachelbel's Canon in D. But wait in your seat, because what follows is an eclectic musical roller coaster with sugar levels reaching diabetical proportions. Imagine this: math-rock intricacies collide head-on with jazzy harmonies and improvisation, sprinkled with stereotypical motifs from a Japanese TV melodrama, alongside occasional quotes from Pachelbel's Canon.

Adrianne Lenker has released a drumless and bassless banger titled "Fool." This track would go well over the melting winter snow and a cup of tea. Along with the track follows a video—an extremely wholesome video. The video captures a group of people in cowboy hats dancing weirdly and freely to the track. It also has dogs living their best life. The video goes very well with the song. If you are a regular fan of Adrianne Lenker, you might find that her voice and melodic soul are very well represented in this song, but the instrumentation is a bit different to what you have heard before. Anyhow, it all comes together very well.

Jacob Collier's eagerly anticipated "Djesse Vol. 4" album release is now just days away, and the avant-garde virtuoso excites us with a final preview, this time in collaboration with the acclaimed Colombian pop sensation Camilo.

The platinum-selling artist, Jordan Davis, brought his pop-country vibe to a sold-out show in Manchester on Sunday night, supported by the emerging talent Ashley Cooke, as part of their ongoing Damn Good Time World Tour across Europe.

Dua Lipa is back with another banging hit titled 'Training Season.' Dua Lipa is continuing to push for her title for Queen of Pop, and I would say if she isn’t there already, she is getting closer every day. Following the release of her hit 'Houdini,' she continues in the same fashion with extremely catchy love-themed songs with a little bit of a twist to them. The track 'Houdini' was perfectly simple, like so simple and catchy that you can’t even imagine how much work went into making it that way. The theme of 'Training Season' is that of Dua Lipa searching for the right partner. She is stating her needs and requirements and seems sort of fed up with the whole process of trying to find someone who can truly appreciate her. The featured music video goes hand in hand with this, and I highly recommend you to watch it. It basically shows a lot of men trying to get Dua’s attention, but it seems all of them fail.

Girl in Red has just dropped her latest track, titled "Too Much". The accompanying video portrays a couple ensnared in a silent conflict, one desperately seeking attention from the other but failing to garner it, leading them to feel overwhelmed by their own presence.

The artist Caity Baser has just released a new track titled “I’m A Problem”, and long with the track follows a music video. The song is a poppy, anthemic tune about not adhering to what anyone is trying to think you should be. Caity is showing that she is her own artist and throughout the whole song, she is swinging little jabs at internet trolls etc. I think that this trope is something that most artists explore at some point. However, most people do it a bit more low key, where they don’t expressively make whole songs about it with such blunt language. This is why Caity’s rendition is actually really refreshing, straight to the point. It seemed like I was going another direction, but I appreciate the bluntness here - more power to her. 

Owl City releases a new track titled "Boston". This track is about love and starting over in a different town. What is more satisfying than listening to a one-man band where that one-man has absolutely mastered the art of making satisfying synth sounds and catchy melodies? Well, I can think of a few, but it is pretty darn high up there. The song "Boston" sort of starts in a “classic” Owl City fashion, from what I can remember, with the cute synths modified to perfection and an overall bubbly feeling. It is an interesting track because the sonics really follow along with the story. The first part, being more of a lament about how one part in a relationship feels left out and unloved. When the narrative breaks over and the character starts considering the freedoms that go along with moving to another city, all the musical elements change. We introduce distorted guitars, rebellious pop-punk vocals, and much more. I would say this switch-up makes sense, and it is appreciated that someone put so much thought into their song. Just like how getting up and moving to a new city all of a sudden would be a bit shocking, the rock elements kick in at the same time as that lyric starts supporting that shocking feeling.

Lizzy McAlpine releases a heart-clenching piano ballad titled “Older”. The soundscape is incredibly full even though it is only piano and voice. This is the type of track I would put on in the late night or in a long car ride to really gain some introspection. Currently, it is 6 am and I just woke up. This song is too sentimental and beautiful to listen to right now, for me at least. But I will indulge.

Madison Beer releases a sensual pop banger with lo-fi elements and a steady house beat titled “Make You Mine”. This track was produced by Leroy Clampitt and Madison Beer. Leroy is less known, but if you look into it, he is also, just like Madison, a known bop maker. This track very much feels like something that belongs in a dimly lit room or late-night party. That is because none of the sounds really pop out in the high register; everything blends together in a low-fi sort of way. Now, this could be something very bad, but in the case of Make You Mine, the blend is very nice. A lot of producers who lack experience will make a low effort track and call it lo-fi just because it sounds better than low quality. Then, there are a lot of producers and songwriters like Madison Beer and Leroy Clampitt who have mastered the art of blending lo-fi sounds together to release that comforting energy that lo-fi brings.

Little Simz just released a new track titled “Mood Swings.” This track has impeccable production and vocal flow; let’s dive into it. After a few seconds, I can personally say with great confidence that I am going to enjoy this tune a whole lot. The track starts off very minimalistic with dark alien percussion, really hard-hitting 808s, and Little Simz doing what she does. The mix of everything together is very good. The percussive elements are clacky in just the right way, the vocals are naturally fitting where they need to be, and the low end with kick/bass is quite satisfying. The track gives a pretty hypnotic mood, even though it keeps switching up, alluding to the theme of “mood swings.” If you look at the little visualizer that came with the track, it enhances the whole futuristic sound pretty well. If I am not careful, I think I’ll listen to this track 240 times.

Bella Poarch, in collaboration with 6arelyhuman, released a new track titled “Don’t Like Anybody.” Both artists have a really interesting path, which if you explained to a musician 30 years ago, would sound made up. But they are both prestigious within their certain genres and branches. Bella Poarch used to be just an enormous TikTok star, but the following she has amassed on streaming services also gives her a lot of validity for being a musical artist in the eyes of the public.

BADBADNOTGOOD collaborated with Houston musician Reggie to make this latest 70’s soul-inspired smooth listening song. The song is titled “Take What’s Given,” and a little insight reveals that the song was first brought into this world in 2022 when Reggie happened to be present in the music studio. During that time, even though Reggie was a much smaller artist, he played the band some songs, and they really took to liking something special about Reggie. Be it his energy, unique musical mind, or just his great voice, we don’t exactly know. But this collaboration made for a really nice track.

The artist 24kGoldn releases a new track titled “Clarity.” For the most part, I think the song discusses 24kGoldn trying to stay healthy and happy, away from temptation, and focusing on what is good in his life: “I try to keep my heart pure but I’m damned if I don’t, damned if I do.”

The UK dub/DnB/Garage artist Burial has recently released a two-piece single titled 'Dreamfear.' The two songs on the record, titled 'Dreamfear' and 'Boy Sent From Above,' are both really cool and each trying to break their own ground. They are a hazy mix between Jungle, DnB, vocal samples, and overall make it sound like the best fever dream you ever had. Burial is known for his reclusive nature, which is kind of ironic. Anyway, this latest release is supposedly made for raves. I love that longer pieces are accepted, and even though these two tracks have more of a dark/unsettling tone than you would imagine your average party-goer to have, I think they will still fit very well over some nights. Also, just listening to the tracks home alone is a fun experience. I think that if you are not familiar with the genre, this is one of those times I would plead for you to just give it a chance. Don’t turn it off if you think it sounds strange in the first few seconds. Let it cook, as they say.

Billy Joel releases a new soft piano ballad titled 'Turn The Lights Back On.' This is a beautiful song that was also delivered by the iconic singer during a performance at the Grammy Awards stage. This performance was accompanied by a live orchestra which really supported his already amazing vocals very well. Just before the performance, Joel talked a bit about why he took a break from songwriting and, most notably, why he returned. He talked about a dedicated fan, Freddy Wexler, who actually convinced him to re-enter the creative realm. I think this is pretty cool and shows that fan-artist relationships sometimes bring positive things. I think in general if you think about the relationships that artists and fans have, they are like two lanes on the highway going in opposite directions. It is like the artist has one parasocial relationship going one way with the fans, and the fans have their own parasocial relationship going the other way with the artist. I am not saying this is all bad though. Like most things, it carries with it both bad and good aspects.

Ash Grunwald releases a new track with a lot of soul titled “Life Without You”. The song has twangy guitars, decisive steady drums and benefits a lot from Ash Grunwald's vocals. I think the obvious choice would be to suggest this track goes into the main theme of a western movie. The track comes with a pretty cool visualiser that thematically fits really well with the song. The guitar solo is also pretty tasteful, really displaying a good use of the rule “less is more”. By many people, Ash Grundwald would be described as sort of a modern Blues legend. I think he is a hot contender for that status. He is an Australian musician and from what there is to gather, he is about as down to earth of a character as his music sounds. 

As we draw the curtains on the initial month of 2024, the undeniable truth of time's finitude looms over us. Regrettably, it's impossible to cover all the abundance of exceptional music that exists out there. Thus, our aim here is to compile a roster of noteworthy albums and singles that graced our ears in 2023.

The artist Cate just released a pop-country, two-track single with the tracks 'Rocket Science' and 'You Don’t Love Me.' I think a lot of people are craving a fix of that pre-808 and trap drum Taylor Swift sound, and there’s a good contender right here. Both tracks are mixed, recorded, and performed excellently for this genre. None of the sounds are really demanding a lot of attention, and all come together to create a slightly groovy but mostly beautiful soundscape.

If you've landed here without knowing who Suzanne Ciani is, a quick search of the name will unveil a lengthy career in sound design, composition, and even logo creation. She's worked on notable sound design commissions for Coca-Cola, designed logos for over 500 companies, and her innovative compositions have earned her 5 Grammy awards throughout her career.

@ In their short tenure, spanning just a single and an album, with the debut album dropping last year, they've managed to amass a listener base of 126,577 per month on Spotify — an impressive feat in a music landscape where their genre isn't pop (And for a group whose name makes them incredibly hard to search on the web). While certain tracks may evoke the experimental pop vibes of the UK scene, the rest meanders through an eclectic fusion of rock, folk, classical strains, and prog rock.

Just days ago, I found myself at The Town Hall in New York, immersed in an interview with the visual maestro Ai Weiwei, delving into the depths of his latest memoir, 'Zodiac.' In the discourse, he asserted that 'art is about losing control,' dismissing the notion that correctness defines artistic expression. Correctness, he contends, is the domain of machines, particularly formidable AI, which masters the craft by replicating and remixing already perfected works from other artists and writers.

There is no doubt that Bruce is a legend. Not just in the satirical sense that a group of frat bros would throw around the word legend. An actual legend. But let’s separate our emotions from the legend and look at “what used to be” and “what is right now” as two separate points to be discussed. I know it sounds like I am setting up for a complete roast of this project. But this is just the springboard. I haven’t even listened yet, let us dive in.