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Live Local Music

Music for the Waning Summmer Days

Posted by Christopher Will on 08/01 at 12:14 PM

Just because the summer days are fading, doesn’t mean you can’t still add to your summer soundtrack.  Here are 10 fantastic new songs that have dropped recently, all viable summer tunes even as fall is just around the corner.

“Finale” by Madeon

Dance prodigy Madeon (who I’ve profiled before), released his new single titled “Finale,” featuring Nicholas Petrrica of indie-alt outfit Walk The Moon.  The track is a huge, brooding, dance track, building stadium-sized drops and cataclysmic synths around Petrrica’s prophetic vocals.

“How To Be A Heartbreaker” by Marina & The Diamonds

When up-and-coming pop songbird Marina & The Diamonds dropped the US version of her sophomore effort Electra Heart, she added a few new tracks to it.  One of them, called “How To Be A Heartbreaker,” shimmers with thick, crunchy synthesizers and filtered guitars.  Marina takes her time revealing her method to breaking a man’s heart, and lays out her devious plan with such effervescent melodies that it’s near impossible to despise her shallow romanticism.

Reaching For The Floor by Breathe Carolina

When Breathe Carolina dropped the deluxe edition of their critically acclaimed album Hell Is What You Make It, they added three new cuts of slick and shiny dance pop.  One cut, “Reaching For The Floor,” is an emotionally charged club-banger that effectively balances the heavy lyrical themes with disco-fed, bouncing house production.

Roll The Dice by the Cataracs

Production masterminds and electro duo The Cataracs dropped their EP Gordo Taqueria, and to be blunt, it’s one big dance party.  One standout track is the potential hit “Roll The Dice,” featuring a LMFAO-styled breakdown, and the production talents of producers Stargate (who composed Katy Perry’s “Firework” and Wiz Khalifa’s “Black And Yellow”).

Pilot Jones by Frank Ocean

Frank Ocean launched a tidal wave of both praise and criticism due to his debut album Channel Orange.  This off-kilter collection of innovative R&B is a true musical delight, and one record that sticks out is “Pilot Jones.”  Kicked off by a strangely blasé spoken-word verse, the song soon settles into a fog of gently pulsating synth beats supported by Ocean’s heavenly vocal range.  “Pilot Jones” spins a surreal tale of twisted, drug-induced affection.

Express Yourself by Diplo

Diplo compiled a spattering of delightly scatterbrained, shell-shocked dance tracks into one EP, adorned with the name Express Yourself.  The title track of the EP is a mind-boggling cacophony of vocal effects, smashed together with dubstep burps and cosmic 808 drum beats.  Raw, steely, and just all around outlandish, some would say that “Express Yourself” is less music than it is just noise.  But then why, oh why does it sound so good?

Still Young by Neon Trees

Top 40 electro-rock band, Neon Trees, always had a touch of The Killers in their brawny orchestration.  For their track “Still Young,” off of their sophomore album Picture Show, they dive in and envelop themselves in the sound of Brandon Flowers and company.  Yearning, lovelorn lyrics are lit ablaze by the thick vocal harmonies, burning electric guitars, and glitzy 80’s synthetics.

Runaways by the Killers

Speaking of The Killers, they recently dropped the first single from their upcoming album Battleborn, titled “Runaways.”  To call “Runaways” epic would be a painful understatement. The single rumbles with unprecedented, gorgeous power.  Brandon Flowers’ voice packs more of a punch than ever, and it erupts into a sturdy wail in the chorus, backed by war drums, flowering synth loops, and roaring guitars.  I don’t know about you, but “Runaways” has me shaking in my seat in anticipation for Battleborn.

Sleep Alone by Two Door Cinema Club

Indie rock trio Two Door Cinema Club released the first single, titled “Sleep Alone,” from their upcoming album.  The single combines the band’s signature skittish guitar-work with a hammering drumbeat. Vocalist Alex Trimble sounds a bit more reserved, focusing inward on his introspective lyricism.

Get Money by Matt Toka

Matt Toka may be a relatively new face in the music world, but expect to hear this green-haired rocker on the radio soon.  He’s bringing back old-school pop punk with his cutting juvenile hooks, and loud, in-your-face sound.  His single “Get Money” leans a little more towards the musical realm of Hollywood Undead, adding flourishes of electro to Toka’s satirical, angst-ridden rapping.