Thanks for following my blog this semester, and thanks for all the thoughtful comments! I really enjoyed talking about the artists this semester, especially the ones I saw on campus, and I hope you might have discovered a new artist or rediscovered an old favorite over the course of this PL►YList.
To wrap up and round up this PL►YList, I’ve got a few more artists to share.
Going back to EDM, The Two Friends and The Cataracs are definitely worth a listen. The Two Friends are an up and coming duo from Los Angeles. They’ve got a great sound that seems to draw upon today’s massive builds and tremendous bass and the calm energy of earlier trance to create chillstep-like songs, exemplified by tracks like Your Song and Sedated. I really like Your Song (SirensCoel Remix), which has a faster electro feel along with the chill atmospheric bits of the original. I mentioned The Cataracs last semester, but since then, Niles has been busy producing songs like Krewella’s Ring of Fire, Selena Gomez’s Undercover, and I’m A Freak from Enrique Iglesia’s latest album, released earlier this month. Niles has also got some original work ready to be released and a reunion with Campa is still very possible.
A few more notable hip-hop artists are Hodgy Beats from Odd Future and Hoodie Allen. In addition to collaborations and groups within Odd Future, Hodgy has produced two Untitled EPs with songs like SALE and Karateman. Hoodie Allen is fairly well known with his popular songs, You Are Not A Robot (sampling Marina and the Diamonds) and No Interruption.
Lastly, you’ve probably heard the double Platinum single, Pompeii by Bastille. The rest of their debut album, Bad Blood, features more reasons to get excited about this group, like the title track, Bad Blood.
Thanks again, and be sure to keep an ear out for great music. The rest of this year is already packed with great upcoming releases. Personally, I’m most looking forward to Adele’s next album. Bye!
Good job on this blog this semester, Joe. I enjoyed reading your posts and am very impressed by your diverse range of music tastes and expertise. Also, I’m glad you covered artists who came to Penn State, as chances are they stop by again. Next time, I’ll know who all of them are. I am not familiar with The Two Friends, but I’ll check them out. As to The Cataracs, I already know and like them, so I will continue to listen to them. Hodgy is definitely the third-best rapper in Odd Future (which makes him pretty solid) and I have seen Hoodie live, so I already know he’s got some talent. Speaking of which, you do seem to have a good eye for up and coming talent. Anyways, Bastille is good and I really like their sound. I have listened to their album a few times and it is great. Finally, I did not know Adele was coming out with a new album, but I am super pumped for that. She is so talented and has really brought back pure vocal talent, without auto-tune or synth, to mainstream music. Overall, I’m glad I followed your blog and good luck in the future!