Let’s not begin to think about the fact that the month of April is half over, let’s just think about the end of this week as Coachella being half over. Isn’t that better? Well, either way you want to look at it, this week brought fantastic stand-alone singles (Ratatat, Evan Voytas), tour-only exclusive songs (Sufjan Stevens), innovative covers (Sean Rowe), and a great lead single (Vaadat Charigim) to the airwaves.
Check them all out below.
In the middle of their Coachella weekend one set, Ratatat busted out a brand-new jam entitled “Cream On Chrome.” The nearly five-minute instrumental track features a steady swaying beat (complete with an infectious disco bass line) that continues to be built upon and torn apart by fuzz-drenched guitar riffs and dramatic synths.
Sufjan Stevens, “Exploding Whale”
Earlier this week, a track exclusively featured on Sufjan Stevens tour-only 7″ made its way onto the Internet. While the track still features Stevens’s gossamer voice, “Exploding Whale” consists of syncopated beats and digital glitches—a stark sonic contrast from the gorgeous Carrie & Lowell. You also have to give it up to an artist who can seamlessly throw the phrase “embrace the epic fail” into a track and still make it beautiful.
On Tuesday, as part of his newest project the Her Songs EP—a collection of stripped-down cover songs written by women—Sean Rowe took on Sade’s “By Your Side” and nailed it with a beautifully subdued rendition. Of the song, Rowe notes, “Nobody sounds like [Sade]. And it just felt really natural to me because I’ve always been drawn to emotional soul music. That ’s what came first for me even before folk music. Music you don’t have to think about. You just feel it.”
Vaadat Charigim, “Hashiamum Shokea”
In anticipation of the release of their sophomore album Sinking as a Stone in May, yesterday Vaadat Charigim released the LP’s lead single, “Hashiamum Shokea.” The Israeli shoegaze trio effortlessly creates a full and vibrant soundscape within the track, full of echoey harmonies, driving guitars drenched in reverb, and faint, but effective, backwards looping audio. Turn it up and melt into the sound.
https://soundcloud.com/hit-city-usa/evan-voytas-disappear-into-the-stars/s-MzZ20
Evan Voytas, “Disappear Into The Stars”
It’s been a while since we’ve heard any new music from Evan Voytas (three years to be exact), but after the digital release of a slow burning stand-alone single this week, it’s clear that the ultra-smooth electro-crooner’s groove-making game is still up to snuff. “Disappear Into The Stars” is an understated, mesmerizing bit of throwback falsetto pop that you can download for free right now. The track’s colorful video is worth a watch, too.
