SONG OF THE DAY: Bebe Black – “Deathwish”

Listening to an online radio station, I was instantly drawn to “Deathwish” and thought to myself ‘oh cool, La Roux is going more goth for the next album.’ ?Looking up the song, I realized that it’s not La Roux but Bebe Black, the voice of Benga’s dubstep track “Icon” which buzzed in the underground last summer. Listening closer, “Deathwish” is a darkly pretty fusion of classic Nine Inch Nails (“Down In It”) and Delerium (“Silence”) with elements of vintage 808 State. Yet with all the classic influences, the sound is modern and Bebe’s voice embodies not only La Roux and Florence and the Machine, but also Sarah McLachlan with a touch of raspy jazz. Looking for a remix online, I found Ejeca’s retro two-steppy garage take, which is quite a cool interpretation but makes me salivate for a darker, progressive take by someone like Arcader or tyDi, or even a big room trance/dubstep hybrid to meld the pretty and the dark.???

SONG OF THE DAY: Daniel Steinberg -? “Can’t Find My Baby”

You can always look to the Germans for something interesting and off-kilter. A 15-year veteran of the German club scene, Daniel Steinberg is set to release his second album ‘Treptow,’ previewed by the WTF track “Can’t Find My Baby.” Hard to describe in genre terms, my best guess would be lo-fi disco house. Imagine Fatboy Slim for 2013, melding a jazzy groove with both a ’70s album rock and swing feel (but not at all as cheesy as the swing house tracks that were big a few years ago) with a lo-fi glitchy sensibility and dueling vocal loops that are oh so familiar but can’t be placed.? It’s as if he built a cool track and just had fun dropping vocal bits on different lines of his Logic session.? The brassy horn section is quite a nice hook as well.? The overall effect is laid back, lounge-y, and sexy without being boring or expected. While the song is quite good on its own, I could imagine a creative writer like Imogen Heap or Esthero grooving to this at a German lounge and getting inspired to write a full vocal song around it.??

Image Courtesy of Arms & Legs.