For BJ

My friend died two weeks ago.

I’d never had a friend die before. The day I found out (The day he died), I called Diana. I sobbed into the phone. She said some things to calm me down, and she also said what I needed to hear most.“This isn’t about you.”

I went home and I did what I needed to do to get my feelings in check. I wrote this, for one. Since then I’ve grappled with whether or not to make this rumination public. BJ’s death wasn’t about me, and it isn’t about me still. It is about him, and those who survive him. I worry about trivializing a family’s suffering by posting my own unsolicited feelings on my mostly-defunct music blog. (What is the protocol here?) But BJ always seemed to care about LL; he always asked about it, was ever eager to share a new song he’d fallen in love with, and even let me feature his photography (pictured here) a few times. He was one of its first and best supporters. So I think this is ok. At least, I hope it is. (But how can you be sure? The dead don’t talk.)

BJ fought cancer for over a year. During that time he asked that I make him a playlist, just of things I’d been listening to recently. I put it on my to-do list and put it off perpetually. He asked if we could catch up on the phone, said he appreciated my friendship and wanted to stay more regularly in touch. I got busy and never called. He finished a round of treatment, and I asked for his address so I could send him a card. I never found the perfect card and so I never sent one.

My mom was diagnosed with early stage breast cancer this winter. Within an hour of hearing the news, BJ sent me a veritable essay on chemo tricks and tips. (You didn’t even have to ask.) Months went by. I didn’t make a playlist, I didn’t call, and I didn’t mail a card.
When he died I felt a lot of things, but mostly crushing guilt. (This isn’t about you.)

It may sound trivial. Indeed, in the grand scheme, a playlist, a phone call, and a post card don’t add up to much. But it’s the little things that matter. It’s the little things that get us through the day, that help us live with ourselves. It’s the little things that set friends apart from acquaintances, loves apart from lovers, and memories apart from the haze of the quotidian. Can I call myself a friend if I can’t or won’t make time for the little things? (You can’t be sure. The dead don’t talk.)

I don’t believe in God. I don’t believe in a higher power, or heaven, or hell, or spirits, or the afterlife. I believe that we have the time that is given to us, and that is all. So I sit with the fact that my friend is gone—to dust—and in the time that mattered, I didn’t give him time.

Even if I am completely wrong (Often, you hope you are), and there is in fact something past death, I sincerely doubt the departed are checking the internet. (Post-mortem Facebook posts are the saddest exercise in futility.) So posting this is little recourse. But I think I owe it to him to at least pretend. Or hold out hope that maybe, just maybe, there’s something else out there…
And they have wifi.

My friend’s death isn’t about me, but through it I’ve learned some thing about me: the relationships I want to cultivate, the little things on which I want to concentrate. This is late, it’s not enough, and I am truly, deeply sorry for not giving you time when we had it.
But hey BJ, here's your playlist.

While we're here:

I know this is the opening track on the playlist, but I want to make double-sure you listen to it. I've cried at least 4 times while doing so. Also of note, the lyrics include the word "asunder," which is something you really don't see every day. (Check out Allies For Everyone on Facebook.)

Montréal -40C

I’ve been sitting here for half an hour staring at the screen, telling myself I am better than writing about the weather.

Talking about the weather has always seemed like a kind of gateway drug—the first step towards an adult life doomed to small talk and banality. With that in mind, writing about the weather feels unforgivably pedestrian. So I’ve been rehashing and revising, trying to think of a better introduction, but have ultimately come to an unfortunate conclusion: I am not better than writing about the weather.

I’m going to try to self-rationalize this now by noting that weather is currently the number one cause of emotional tumult in my life (no I don’t have a lot going on ok). I have been having intense visceral responses to it, and have even been moved to angry tears on a handful of mornings while walking to work, blasted by -5F degree winds. So if you’re still humoring me, I’d like to take a second to get my feelings out on proverbial paper and say, YOU WIN, WINTER. I HATE YOU.

I’m in Chicago and the weather has been so bad that I dread getting out of bed, even on days when I’m well-rested. On mornings when it’s below zero, and I know icy tears on my work commute are a real possibility, I need something especially enlivening to help jump-start my day. Enter: Malajube.

I discovered this band when I was in high school, boarded away in the frozen tundra of northern Michigan. They’re from Montréal so they know a thing or two about the cold. In fact, they have an entire song dedicated to it. Montreal -40C was their breakout ‘indie hit’ in 2006, a bouncing piece of indelible pop rock, off-the-wall but hardly amateur. A upbeat musing on the sometimes harsh reality of a frozen city as one’s cruel mistress, this was my go-to winter alarm clock song throughout high school. When I reintroduced it to my musical rotation in 2015, I was delighted to find that not only could I still relate, but sonically it still felt fresh. My apologies if you came here expecting new music, but sometimes it’s best to stick with what’s tried and tested. Montreal -40C is one of the few things that can get me going on a snowy morning. Try it on for size.

Oh, and you might notice that this song isn’t in English. They say music is a *universal language*, and I don’t think that holds more true than when we unite against a common enemy. In this case: Elsa.

Montréal -40C - Malajube

See Me

Have you ever had the perfect concert experience? Doors are early, the opening band is great, you can see the whole stage, your favorite beer is on tap, and the headliner plays the obscure b-side you hoped against hope they would? Ok. Now allow me to one-up you.

Are you familiar with The Wild Honey Pie? They’re a music blog/video production company based out of Brooklyn, and several times a year they organize group trips with a twist. Two months ago I was lucky enough to attend their second annual On The Mountain, a snow & music extravaganza held at a ski resort in Vermont. It took place over three days, and was attended by roughly 70 strangers, 6 bands, and TWHP production team. Think all the camaraderie of the Real World, with the activity and travel component of Road Rules. I guess it could best be described as the Read World/Road Rules Challenge of Music, minus the challenges. (Though, skiing was a real challenge for some. Hi Nick.) Over the course of the weekend, in addition to sloping, drinking, and hot tubbing, guests got to sit in on live sessions from each of the bands present. Yeah, it was as cool as it sounds.

But we’re here to talk about the perfect concert, and I’m not going to be a generalizing cheat who claims a whole weekend as her one moment. That perfect moment—singular—came the first night of the trip, when Tei Shi performed in a candelit, wood-paneled room, in front of a roaring fire. The audience sat on blankets on the floor and held votive candles. If you’re thinking “This sounds campy,” remember we were literally at adult summer winter camp. And besides, it made for beautiful ambiance. But all that setup would have been for naught had Tei Shi not been such an able performer.

Tei Shi was an act I had heard of but neglected to explore on account of broad generalizations I’ve made regarding a certain style of hyped, female-fronted mellolectro¹ outfits. You know what they say about assume(ptions). The R&B-influenced instrumentation and fuzzy production does feel familiar, but her beautiful, unaffected soprano sets her apart from the pack. While many of her peers rely heavily on auto tune and vocal effects—resulting in lackluster live performances—Tei Shi shone in a stripped down environment, showcasing a vocal purity that only comes from a mature understanding of one’s instrument and respect of its limitations. Nothing in Tei Shi’s music feels forced: it’s like a warm blanket covering you on a snowy night. To be able to experience that in such a close, intimate space was truly the perfect musical package.

Check out a recording of said session below, and be sure to explore the rest of TWHP’s On The Mountain footage. There are some gems. You can get Tei Shi’s debut EP here, and keep an eye out for her in the future.





^{1. [Term trademarked by me, just now.]↩}

Wicked Waters

High—maybe number one—on my list of “new artists you should know” is Benjamin Booker. Baby, he’s a firework. A force of nature. Fantastic.

The Florida native purveys a mishmash of blues, soul, and garage rock with sprinkles of punk on top. His sound harkens to a point in musical history when rhythm & blues connoted heavy kicks and jazzy guitar licks, before it morphed into the watered-down, vocal-run driven R&B we hear on the radio today. But while his influences are firmly rooted in the past, his delivery is wholly 21st-century. Booker’s inflection reminds me of a harder-rocking Connor Oberst: angry and angsty, spitting across story lines about starting families and skipping town. Like Oberst, his voice can hardly be called beautiful, and many of his lyrics are spoken on-key rather than truly sung. But like Oberst, the garbled timbre of his voice allows him to effortlessly translate raw emotion into song. When he really wants to drive a point home, he wails—as though he’s moments away from bursting into angry tears. It’s grating; it’s glorious.

The roughness of Booker’s voice and overall sound is what makes him such a delight. This isn’t one of those “revivalist” records meticulously crafted in a Nashville studio….looking at you Auerbach. It’s the kind that could have been hurriedly taped in the back of a car for a next-day release. (Indeed, Booker recently told Aquarium Drunkard that he cut his latest cover on an iPhone in a hotel bathroom.) Take the rollicking Wicked Waters as a shining example. A plugging organ crafts a vintage feel, but the frantic, relentless rhythm guitars lend the song a tightness that’s decidedly more rock n’ roll than blues ditty. It’s raw and urgent, and that urgency is what makes Booker’s music indispensable. So when he howls “I am what I am, I’ll make it on this run,” I’m quite inclined to believe him.

Booker is currently on a world tour, fresh off a string of dates opening for Jack White. I skipped his set when he opened for White in Chicago. I’m the worst. Don’t be me. Don’t be the worst. Catch Booker when he comes to a city near you, before he blows up and starts playing mainstages at every music festival from here to Australia. Listen to Wicked Waters below and BUY or stream his debut self-titled album NOW.

Wicked Waters - Benjamin Booker

Pre Game Chillout

As summer winds to a close, we’re all struggling to find a way to hold onto the dream. Suff Daddy makes it a little easier with this little number, Pre Game Chillout.

The Berlin native captures the sound of 90s West Coast rap oh-so-perfectly A straightforward beat, simple synth melodies and jazzy bassline makes a man want to cruise around in his 6-4. The guitar riffs only add to mixture, a throwback to a simpler time when a producer only needed a few instrumental tracks to cook up something special. It’s refreshing to hear such a minimalist approach to beat making, and it goes hand in hand with the song’s title: chill out.

Check out more of Suff Daddy’s instrumental hip-hop on his Souncloud.

Shine A Light

Hello again. After a three year hiatus from LL, I’d like to re-introduce myself via an indispensable track.

As LL’s primary purpose is to promote Goldroom and Flight Facilities, I thought I’d maintain the status quo by promoting the upcoming Flight Facilities album. Doing this without reposting Two Bodies for the millionth time proved to be difficult, however, so I thought I’d delve into one of my personal favorites from Oz, their remix of the C90’s Shine A Light

It’s hard to believe three years have passed since this gem was released. While it was ultimately lost in the buzz surrounding Crave You and Foreign Language, I would argue this as the quintessential FF track. No matter what’s happening in my life, this is one of those tracks that makes my problems melt away. Beautiful lyrics, a catchy chorus, and an introduction that grabs you in with cascading synths and simple, steering piano.

Kudos to Grand Theft Auto V for featuring this song in-game… during a mission where your character takes acid and jumps out of a plane. Well played.



Photo Via

Red Eyes

I’m seeing The War On Drugs this weekend.
I needed to get that out first and foremost, because I’m so stupid excited about it. You know who else is excited about it? My dad. Yes, my dad and I are going to see The War On Drugs together this weekend, and that’s amazing.

It should be noted that this isn’t a common occurrence. At least, it hasn’t been for a decade. In the early 2000s my dad came to concerts with me — I needed a ride, and he thought it kept him hip. (He still pats himself on the back when he recognizes an Interpol song.) But I grew up, moved away, and could drive myself, so my dad and I haven’t had reason to see a concert together in ages. But The War On Drugs are special. Really, really special.

You’ve probably heard at least some of Lost In The Dream—the band’s marvelous third album—by now. If we’re friends, you better have. It is the rock album of the year. (And yes, I’ve already listened to the new DFA1979 album.) You’ve heard of a road movie, right? Well, this is a seminal ‘road album’ if I’ve ever heard one. It’s the musical equivalent of Easy Rider for the millennial set, with the heartbreak to match. Adam Granduciel has woven the ultimate soundscape of disappointment and longing, at once expansive and deeply personal.

Granduciel hasn’t set out to reinvent the wheel; he’s polished it. Indeed, this album could have been released any time over the last four decades and would have held up just as well. Granduciel has spent a lot of time absorbing the influences of his idols, from Dylan to Springsteen to Stewart, and it shows. While he pays tribute, he exalts himself to their level by doing it just as well. That’s what makes this album so special, and why it translates across generations. Many artists play homage to their influences; few are able to capture their essence so completely that they could be counted as contemporaries. This is an example of stylistic mastery—take note.

But anyway, dads should love this shit. Mine does, at least. You know who else will love it? You will. I promise. Just listen to the single Red Eyes. Or go a little deeper, and listen to the album's 9 minute-long opening track, Under The Pressure. You'll get it.

The War On Drugs play the AV Festival this Saturday in Chicago (with a slew of other great acts including Valerie June, Empires, and Mac DeMarco). Look for me; I’ll be the adult woman rocking out with her dad.

Not Your Mom's BBQ

This week’s post was supposed to be a little thinkpiece on Chicago’s suburbia / a love letter to The Orwells, but I got really caught up in making a playlist, so you’re getting that instead. Plus, it’s a holiday weekend, and who wants to read anything of substance over a holiday weekend? Not I. We’ll tackle suburbia next week. In the meantime, here’s a playlist meant to soundtrack your long, lazy weekend. Not Your Mom’s BBQ compliments the type of Labor Day that involves a small group of friends, grilled meats, and a lot of weed.

Pay special attention to the Angel Olsen track Forgiven/Forgotten, which I think encapsulates that atmosphere perfectly (and whose lyrics really spoke to me this week). Her latest album, Burn Your Fire For No Witness, strikes me as a kind of working girl’s stoner rock: atmospheric but contained, raw yet pointed. With clever, often devastating lyrics, she has just the right amount of girl power without being campy. A better Best Coast, if you will. Check out and download the song, and stream it in the context of the playlist on Spotify, below.

Forgiven/Forgotten

Time (And Time Again)

LOOSE L!PS' 10 STEPS TO BECOMING A
SUCCESSFUL NEO-FUNK PRODUCTION DUO
AND THE TALK OF THE BLOGOSPHERE

1. Shroud yourselves in “mystery”
2.Release music videos starring other people—namely, black dance crews—causing the media to jump to the conclusion that the stars of the video are in fact you, despite the fact that you have never stated such. Not to mention, loads of music videos star actors or dancers rather than band members.
3. Release single artwork featuring aforementioned dancers that aren’t you.
4. Let the media assume you really know what you’re doing, genre-wise, because you are a POC.
5. Design sweet bomber jackets emblazoned with your super sweet logo; put them up for sale months before your full-length LP is even a whisper.
6. Start playing shows. As yourselves.
7. Have media realize you are actually skinny, pale, white guys.
8. Let them be chuffed about it. Chuckle at all the ‘cultural appropriation’ grumbling
9. Start giving interviews as yourselves. Suffer through a billion “WHY” questions about your identity and initial presentation.
10. Have it all not matter because your music is really, actually, completely awesome.

I present you: Jungle, with the sounds of summer 2014. Stream their debut album.
Or just make one yourself; you now know all it takes.

Wish they would have released this as their first video so the media assumed they were grandpas.

Subtle

Big industry awards often frustrate me. Be it the Oscars, the Emmy's, or the Grammy's, the nominees for these types of shows often feel all-too-predictable, seeming more the result of bureaucratic processes than true appreciation. But every once in awhile, a gem of an underdog gets the recognition they deserve in the form of a nomination. This year, we're cheering for Mikky Ekko, the Tennessee songwriter who's duet Stay with Rihanna (perhaps you've heard of her) received a nomination for Best Pop Duo Performance. But while Stay is an undeniable smash, it would have been cool to see his more recent collaboration with Active Child, the incredible Subtle get a nod, too. But hey, baby steps.


Subtle (feat. Mikky Ekko) - Active Child



While I gush away about his collaborative tracks, I have to note that Ekko is a formidable performer in his own right, evidenced by his summer single Kids, which you definitely need to check out.

Habits

I've gotta stay high all the time to keep you off my mind.

The year's most stressful month has arrived. While you're busy buying Christmas presents and spending too much money on plane tickets trying to get home for the holidays to family you not-so-secretly distain, music writers everywhere are wracking their brains and arbitrary ratings systems to create their all-important Best Of The Year lists. I probably won't do a "best of" list this year; mainly because I haven't listened to more than 5 albums all the way through.^* But that doesn't mean I won't preach to you at least a little bit.

Before you inevitably read other, more legitimate publications' lists, I want to tilt your bias by presenting you with what I think know to be the best pop song of the year, no contest. (Well, barring Titanium, but that is a contentious topic, and also I'm pretty sure it was released in '12, and also also we're here to promote music's little guy, not its Guetta.) Obviously it was written by a Swede. Tove Lo's Habits is such a perfect sad girl power ballad you'll probably know all the words without having heard it. Swedish girls just get it, after all. While Habits has already been used for background on every MTV show produced this year, it has yet to go double platinum, and I think we should rectify that before 2014 rolls along.
Looking forward to seeing y'all -- and Tove! -- at the top.

Habits - Tove Lo


^{* [I realize this makes me the problem, not the solution.]}

With The Winds Of Despair

While yesterday's topic was the phenomena of avoiding a band based solely on their name, today's is the antithesis of that. When a certain "Tiger Forest Cat" showed up in my rarely-checked (sorry) submissions inbox , I downloaded the promo immediately. Normally to make it on to my precious hard drive a strict vetting process of internet streaming occurs, but I went out on a limb here because I just knew that any band with a name like that was going to be amazing. You may think I'm sounding silly and arrogant but you know what? I was so right.

Turns out in addition to having a great name, Tiger Forest Cat is from the greatest country - Sweden. So it's no wonder that his whimsical, breezy pop single With The Winds Of Despair seems destined to soundtrack the next great commercial spot -- Swedes are built and programmed since birth to make hits. This is fact. Even if you're skeptical of my sources, once you get to the chorus you'll agree with me. That run on "little darling of mine" is the stuff that dreams are made of. Kudos to me for finally checking a submission email, kudos to TFC for having the best name ever, and kudos to you for telling all your friends about him. I just knew you would.

With The Winds Of Despair

Real Slow

While our government is crumbling under the weight of its own idiocy, in world news, Australian musicians are still killing it. At least everyone is being consistent, right?

As far as consistency goes, Miami Horror could very well have their picture in the dictionary in under the word, as their brand of sunny, feel-good pop rock never fails to disappoint. With this in mind, we had good reason to be excited when our buds at Neon Gold announced that they were releasing the band's new single, Real Slow. While Real Slow has a bit more of a dance groove to it than the name might suggest, its breezy chorus is everything we needed to help ease our begrudging transition from summer. You can cop the single here, stream it below, and -- GREAT NEWS -- see it in real time tonight, if you're in NYC.


While we're on the subject of Australians, another formidable group are making their way to the big apple, and various cities across the country. Gold Fields have been tramping around US for the past month, bringing their blend of hybrid power pop with them. They'll be in NYC on Thursday for NG's monthly Popshop installment. Check it out, as its sure to be all koalas and rainbows and sparkles. Best kind of party.

Treehouse (GLOVES Remix) - Gold Fields


Gold (Gold Fields Remix) - Sir Sly

Embrace

Our man Goldroom is back with his first EP in two years. Luckily, it doesn't feel like it's been that long what with the steady stream of remixes and one-off originals he throws our way...but it's still cause to celebrate. The EP showcases a string of female-fronted pop singles released over the past couple years, and includes the brand new Embrace. It seems Goldroom has saved the best for last, as Embrace is probably his catchiest original to date. And that's really saying something. We might credit that superlative in part to the co-writing credits from Australia's George Maple (a chick you should get to know immediately), but seriously - just try to get this shimmering chorus out of your head. Stream the tune below, and support the man by buying the full EP on iTunes.

PARTOFME

Is it wrong to make you love me?
Is it wrong to make you stay?
It breaks my heart to see you watching.

About once or twice a year I absolutely freak out over a new band. I listen to their every song on continual repeat (we're talking like 20 plays per song per day), and lament their obscurity to anyone who will listen. NO CEREMONY/// is one such a band. The Manchester trio craft the most perfect electrically-inclined music, and I hope they become the biggest group in the world. They excel in a specific brand of dark, driving pop: it's kind of dancey, kind of proggy (full disclosure: I love prog), and filled with a sense of urgency marked by growling crescendos and an always perfectly-timed drop. The use of two vocalists (of different genders) helps ensure that nothing sounds too "samey," though if every song in the world sounded like FEELSOLOW it would probably be an okay thing.

NO CEREMONY/// just released their debut album in England. You can't yet get it in the US but you can stream it here. If you're in Europe, you also have the chance to see them live. I missed them at this year's SXSW due to an unfortunate traffic situation, so someone please go and report back how awesome it was. As for the rest of you, have a couple teasers and welcome to your new obsession.

FEELSOLOW - NO CEREMONY///



You know I don't normally do YouTube streams but this is their new single and you need to hear it.

HURTLOVE - NO CEREMONY///

Somebody Loves High Society

We're high society.

By this point, it should be well-known fact that LOOSE L!PS is a huge fan of Neon Gold. It's one of our favorite labels, and some of our favorite people to party with. So when I received an invite to the latest and greatest Popshop (their monthly bi-costal dance party/live music extravaganza) and saw an artist on the bill I was unfamiliar with, I immediately did a Google search -- cause if NG is booking it, it's bound to be good. Betty Whoturned out to be the kind of playful, synth-driven power pop the Goldies are so good at cultivating, and I was hooked. Scrolling through Google Images I had a nagging sense of "I swear I know this person", and after some sleuthing realized why: Betty Who and went to school together. So, internet: Root for the LL Home Team and check out Betty Who. Grab some songs below and if you're in NYC, catch her next Friday at Brooklyn Bowl. It would be rude not to.



Somebody Loves You - Betty Who


High Society (The Soundmen Remix) - Betty Who

Where Have You Gone [Cause This Is Not Enough]

If I say I want it back, would you meet me with the same eyes?
These days seems long, where have you gone?

A year or so ago, Soundcloud underwent a huge interface revamp. They introduced a shuffle feature, and whenever the song you were listening to ended, the site would shuffle you to a random "related" song from any one of the thousands of accounts they hosted. The only problem was 99.99% of the time this random song was completely unlistenable. An accidental case of "where is that open window playing music I have too many windows open AGH" led me to discover that it seems they've finally figured out their algorithms, and instead of shuffling me to nu-jazz flute recordings, Soundcloud has started delivering gems.

Today the site read my mood/mind as it started playing a dreamy pop song from a band called Carousel. Turns out these guys are from LA and the shuffle couldn't have come at a more serendipitous time, as their new EP, Palms, is set to be released just around the corner, on August 5th. With breezy melodies and that circa-2008-Dreamwave vibe, Carousel gets an immediate addition to my list of indispensable poolside tunes. A round of applause for Soundcloud, everyone, and lend your ears to Carousel.

Old Single:
Where Have You Gone - Carousel


New Single:

Be Cool (EMiL Remix)

You know what's really hit-or-miss? Remix videos. And by that I mean they usually suck. It's one thing for a remix to be able to stand alone as a piece of music, but for it to be worth its weight in jpegs as well? That's a veritable unicorn. So it seems fitting then, that the thing to inspire LL out of the figurative ashes of the internet is one such figurative unicorn.

Our friend EMiL (of Emil & Friends -- yeah he's pretty popular) just dropped his remix of Phoenix's Be Cool, and whipped up a whole video from scratch to go with it. We're not talking your typical indie "boy meets girl and they go on a road trip" type shtick, but something fun and summery and colorful and--dare I say--magical. Don't take my word for it, watch for yourself below.

Phoenix - Be Cool (EMiL remix) from Emil on Vimeo.

Be Cool (EMiL Remix) - Phoenix


Bonus:
Be Cool (Breakbot Remix) - Phoenix

Bad Habit

I'm a bad habit, one you cannot break.

Two weeks ago, we returned to Texas for the annual music pilgrimage that is SXSW. Sparing the gory details, (if you want them you can check the twitter back catalog) let's just say that you missed a good - albeit aggressive - time.

Absolutely in no way related to the events that transpired in Austin are Foals. Foals are an English quintet formed in 2005, and no doubt they've already been around the festival block. Rather than head to good ol' Texas, the boys prepped for their upcoming North American tour - which will be kicking off with a pretty-high-up-on-the-lineup-poster spot at Coachella. This tour comes on the heels of their just-released third album, Holy Fire.

While the song Bad Habit hasn't been released as a single, its my favorite song of right now. With a kind of cinematic drama, it speaks to a phenomenon to which we all fall prey. I know I'm currently nursing a couple bad habits I can't seem to break…not that I'm trying.

Bad Habit - Foals

Harlot

She's got a lot of affection in her thighs
And the way that she might look at you could turn you into ice

Akin to romantic relationships, band love is a fickle thing. Some obsessions creep up on you - you don't pay them much notice until one epiphanic moment when you realize they're the greatest thing you've ever come across. Others are more forward in their approach - it's love at first listen (sight). Misun fall under the latter category. The first time they shuffled onto my iPod I scrambled to see which of my favorite bands' new material I had been ignoring. But my assumed old companion turned out to be a group I had never heard. Misun are a DC-based trio poised for greater things than one-off 60s throwback pop songs. I mean have you listened to their first single, Harlot? Really listened? No? Well do so below, and make sure everyone knows I told you so.
Have I found my new favorite band? Maybe.

Stream and download their debut single below, and then you can download most of their debut EP for free HERE, which is beyond awesome.

Harlot - Misun


Bonus: Their second single. No sophomore slump here.
Battlefields - Misun