Fresh into the New Year, our ears are finally recovering from the music we heard in 2013. We suffered through Robin Thicke’s travesty “Blurred Lines”, Miley’s game changing “We Can’t Stop”, Fall Out Boy’s attempt to reclaim relevance, and many other blunders. In the end we were rewarded with the arrival of Lorde, a Justin Timberlake comeback, new Daft Punk, Beyonce’s latest masterpiece, and of course, Yeezus. All in all, 2013 was a great year for music but here’s to hoping 2014 will bring even better. I’ve curated a list of artists and albums from various genres to start your year off right.
- Artist, BANKS
The self-taught pianist and singer from LA, BANKS, is making huge waves this year already. Following her touring season opening for The Weeknd in 2013, BANKS is quickly becoming a hot new artist. She was also nominated for the Sound of 2014 award by BBC. On her Facebook page she even gave out her phone number, which I’ve never tried calling, but she says, “If you ever want to talk call me,” now how cool is that!? Her first EP, “LONDON”, released in 2013 carried the sensual single “This Is What It Feels Like.” When asked by Glamour UK how she would describe her sound to an alien who had never heard music before she said “It is dark bluish black with smoke and chants and fire and heart.” Take a visit to BANKS’ YouTube Channel to check out her unique ambient sound.
- Artist, G-Eazy
G-Eazy has been touring across the United States while finishing school to build a fan base without the direction of a label. Whilst listening to Skizzy Mars’ latest mixtape, Phases, I heard him featured on the catchy song “Pay For You” and looked him up. To me, G-Eazy represents a new class of rappers bridging the gaps between artist/production team and admiring fans. He’s not screaming in your ear about the girl he was with at the club and how big her butt was, he’s only telling you subtly that he can rap about other things too. G-Eazy’s mixtape “The Endless Summer” is up for free download on his SoundCloud as are his latest singles “Tumblr Girls ft. Christoph Andersson”, “Sleepless ft. NYLO”, and “Last Night ft. Devon & KYLE.”
- Album, Mind Over Matter by Young the Giant
Young the Giant released their sophomore album, “Mind Over Matter”, this month to incredibly eager fans. Their self-titled first album had two singles to reach the top five of the US Alternative Songs chart. I first heard Young the Giant when they played at the MTV Music Video Awards in 2011 and was obsessed instantly. The lead singer, Sameer Gadhia, has vocals that could probably put you in a trance if he tried. This California band has an easy-going and melodic sound that you won’t want to stop listening to once you start.
[pagebreak]
- Album, High Hopes by Bruce Springsteen
Springsteen released his 18th studio album this January entitled “High Hopes” following the single of the same name. The album is different in that it’s composed entirely of cover songs, out-takes, and re-imagined previously released tracks. It was Springsteen’s 11th #1 album in the United States and his 10th #1 album in the United Kingdom. Although some critics are saying that “High Hopes” lacks unity and message, I personally think it’s interesting to see how Springsteen’s style has adapted over the years.
- Album, Youth by Wild Cub
Based out of Nashville, this five-man band has already performed at SXSW, Bonnaroo, CMJ, and other music festivals before reissuing their first album this month. The tracks from “Youth” are a perfect addition to any study playlist as they provide the perfect amount of calm background sound that’s easy on the ears. You may have heard their lead single “Thunder Clatter” (or any of the numerous remixes) on a recent Late Night with Jimmy Fallon episode. If you’re in to upbeat synth-pop give them a listen on their Spotify page.