Hiatus Kaiyote is a contemporary quartet from Melbourne, Australia. Front singer Nai Palm’s gorgeous voice interweaves with the impeccability of the synthesizers, drums and bass. The above track is off of their debut LP, Tawk Tomahawk, which can be found here. In March, their new EP was leaked, which is scheduled to actually drop next week. The abundance of soul and happiness is all present in “By Fire” which you should definitely check out right here.
Headed by Yukimi Nagano, Little Dragon was formed in 1996 in Gothenberg, Sweden. This group of high school friends took their time getting started, but after their release of “Twice” in 2006, they were quickly recognized. Nagano’s voice is deep and mesmerizing, accompanied by beautiful piano lines and fresh beats. Check out more of their stuff here.
In this track Belgian Beauty Marie Daulne shows off her amazing harmonies which mesh with her wonderful world sounds. She combines some afropop with a little hip hop and swirls that together with jazz; a real recipe for perfection. Listen more here.
The second track of Badu’s 2000 album, “Mama’s Gun,” weaves Badu’s verses with a catchy bass line and some sweet percussion: a little R&B, a bit of hip hop and a jazzy touch. Erykah Badu is a flawless human that has served as inspiration for many artists and the general population. This singer, actress and feminist is truly incredible. More of her music can be found here.
A Zap Mama & Erykah Badu collab can be found here. Try not to freak out. It’s dang good.
If you’ve ever listened to Kooley High, you’ve noticed that beautiful background vocal that rocks some killer hooks and swings some fresh lines every now and then. Rapsody is that fresh killer. Rapsody and Kooley High both produce some great hip hop tracks that can be listened to here (Rapsody) or here (Kooley High).
Part 2 of this week’s Belgian Blowout is Selah Sue. Her self-titled album combined harmonious vocals with hip hop, slow and fast, soul and pop; she’s got it all. Guitar riffs? Beats? She’s got you covered. After her debut album dropped back in 2012, Selah Sue has remained pretty quiet, besides a single produced with Childish Gambino last year, until a few months ago when ‘Alone’ was released. This track stays upbeat and shows off Sue’s incredible voice. Listen to the rest of her first album here and “Together (feat. Childish Gambino)” here.
Sylvan Esso is arguably the coolest couple out there. Comprised of Amelia Meath’s vocals and Nick Sanborn’s production, they create clean, catchy tracks. Some notable tracks include H.S.K.T. and Could I Be , though the entirety of their self titled album is perfect and you should just listen to it all here or here.
Like their sound? They’re even better live. Check out their Tiny Desk Recording (at NPR) here and check out my review on them from their show last week here.
Notes: Hiatus Kaiyote Paradise Rock Club May 7th
Little Dragon House of Blues June 3rd (w/ ODESZA)** can’t miss!!!
Miss them the first time around? All songs can be found here.
