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Just when you thought 80s nostalgia was played out...

Getting more and more excited for Londoner Shura's debut LP with each new single.

Run them jewels fast. When I dream at night K-M and El-P are my friends.

THIS.

It's impressive how much this band has grown in only a little more than three years. As of 2011, Dyaln Baldi's Cloud Nothings were a dime-a-dozen band churning out sugary garage-pop that, while nice enough, was entirely forgettable. There was potential though. Even on the band's earliest material Baldi showed he could write some damn catchy melodies, and that's a start.

Fast forward only one year later and the pieces really started to come together on 2012's Attack on Memory. The hooks were still there, but (thanks no doubt to the helping hand of producer and punk pioneer Steve Albini) the songs now had more teeth and more maturity. They felt like something was at stake rather than breezing by unnoticed. It was a shot across the bow and far and away one of 2012's best rock albums.

So, now Cloud Nothing's are back and getting ready to release their new LP Here and Nowhere Else. From the tracks released to date, including "Psychic Trauma", it looks like the new record is going to be a perfecting of the direction that started in 2012.

There were a ton of great albums released in 2011 but my personal favorite is still "super" group Wild Flag's self titled debut. It was their debut, and, after announcing their split last year it looks like it could be their last. That's a bummer, but, it means I've been on the lookout for the individual member's new projects. Carrie Brownstein is a little busy with Portlandia and hinting at a Sleater-Kinney reunion, but, Mary Timony has a new project title Ex Hex so that's good news. The even better news is, from first sneak peak "Hot and Cold" it actually sounds like she's picked up pretty close to where Wild Flag left off.

For a few years now the promise of JoJo shedding the baggage of her younger pop-princess days and moving on (and up) to bigger and better things has been buzzed about. The verdict is still out, but the thought that JoJo could follow the footsteps and artistic trajectory of someone like Robyn is an exciting one. In the meantime she's back with a quick, free Valentine's Day EP featuring this fantastic cover of a Phil Collins classic.

One more from Sky Ferreira's Night Time, My Time, because I'm pretty much obsessed with the record right now and the track I posted earlier ("Boys" below) is only the tip of the iceberg.

In related news, Ferreira is slated to open for Miley Cyrus this spring on Cyrus' Bangerz tour...I mean, I get it, but honestly that's backwards and really funny.

Dev Hynes recently released his latest LP Cupid Deluxe under his Blood Orange moniker and it's really snuck up on me. First single "You're Not Good Enough", featuring Friends' Samantha Urbani on vocals, is a great introduction to the record, one that really does function as a complete album from top to bottom. Well worth the time.

So...I've been off the grid for awhile now but over the past few weeks I've had a little time to play catch up. Tons of amazing stuff has been released recently. 2013 has been a pretty rock-solid year. One album I really want to call out and recommend is Sky Ferreira's long, long awaited debut Night Time, My Time. It's been getting decent press but still a bit under the radar. And it's stellar.

I was really looking forward to Charli XCX's debut full-length True Romance this year but was a little let down by that album. Night Time, My Time is pretty much the exact record I was hoping XCX would release. So in the end I guess I got it!

Night Time mostly sets aside the glittery, sweet synth-pop that started Ferreira's career a few years back. Instead she and producer Ariel Rechtshaid (who, interestingly, also produced True Romance) made the very, very smart move to dirty-up the productive big time - and the move gives the album a far more distinct and rewarding sound versus the Katy Perrys and Icona Pops of the world. The beat in "Ain't Your Right" could pass as a sample from seminal proto-punk band Suicide or even a chopped-up Minor Threat track. It's not either, but I actually checked because the similarities were strong enough that I had to investigate. Other spots wouldn't sound out of place on a Raveonettes ("Boys", above) or Sonic Youth album. If anything the album is actually under-produced, in a good way. The tendency to draw influence and inspiration from punk, garage rock and noise pop gives the album more muscle and maturity - and ultimately makes a pretty big and successful statement in the face of high expectations (at least among her current fans) and when compared against the rest of the pop landscape today that's increasingly being dominated by bastardized EDM.

There are so many other highlights here - "Heavy Metal Heart", "Kristine", "You're Not The One", "I Blame Myself", "I Will", "Love In Stereo", "24 Hours"...pretty much EVERY other track. It's loaded from top to bottom and may be the best, or at least my favorite, pure pop record of the year. Highly recommended.

Yes.

Factory Floor's debut is one of the more eagerly awaited album releases of the year and it finally hits the pavement one week from now. If you only spend five minutes with these guys it's easy to write them off as a rehash of old house or industrial. That would be too bad. Chicago house may be at the core of what these guys do but they actually reach even further back in time drawing on post punk aesthetic. The results are pretty amazing if you're willing to invest a little time.

Upstarts San Fermin will release their gorgeous self titled debut on September 17th. The album is a chamber pop masterpiece and you really should buy it. That is all.

More...

Lorde is the Anti-Miley in a post twerking world. If you haven't already heard of her you probably will very, very soon based on the deafining hype she's been getting as of late. This usually isn't my cup of tea but I 100% approve because A) she's clearly a talented vocalist and songwriter and B) she has taste, as exhibited by this recording of the 16 year-old Kiwi covering Kindness covering The Replacement's "Swingin' Party" (get that?). Aaaand it's all kind of perfect:

I've been a little lukewarm on GvB darlings Haerts, but their latest single Wings is pretty damn good. I'm getting a serious T'Pau vibe from this, and in no way is that a criticism.

Over the past five years White Denim have quietly become one of the more impressive rock acts out there. What is probably most impressive about these guys - and difficult to pinpoint - is how they've managed to so clearly nod to 60s and 70s rock trends in their sound while still sounding completely modern and relevant. It probably comes down to a combination of great songwriting and knowing how to separate inspiration from imitation. The band will release Corsicana Lemonade in late October and it will most likely be one of the best albums of 2013, because every album these guys have released has been among the best of their respective years. Catch first glimpse Pretty Green above.

one more? sure!

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