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Tuesday, September 08, 2015

SPOTIFY SAYS: Mel's #DiscoverWeekly with Scavenger Hunt, Grace, Kat Graham, Max & more


If you are #TeamSpotify like I am, you're probably aware of their Discover Weekly program that rolled out back in July -- offering up "curated" playlists for each user on a weekly basis with a focus on new and underground music tailored to your likes. While initially I was super impressed with how on the money Spotify had me pegged, the weeks that followed were relatively lackluster with me saving only a handful of faves on a week to week basis.

Here's a look at my favorite picks I've been handed since that exceptional first week, as well as a smattering of good 'uns worth checking into if you're so inclined.

Aussie old-school vocalist Grace (last name: Sewell) got her big break while performing a cover of Jessie J's "Do It Like A Dude" for DropOut UK. Since then, she's signed with RCA, began working furiously with Quincy Jones, and dropped her first EP, dubbed Memo. The first single from the project was "You Don't Own Me", a modernized remake of Lesley Gore's 1963 hit. However, it's the rest of Memo that intrigues yours truly. Her 60's girl group sound coupled with her fresh teen aesthetic reminds me of when Pixie Lott first perky-popped her way onto the UK pop scene, but Grace has a decidedly urban bend.

Sure, I was plenty familiar with The Vampire Diaries actress turned potential popstar Kat Graham. Her jam "Put Your Graffiti On Me" was my ish a few years back. Now an independent artist, Kat continues to play with different genres and sounds. "1991" is an homage the best decade for dance music with plenty of TLC "What About Your Friends" samples and freshness. 

No, it's not my #1 bias in KPOP this time. MAX (last name: Schneider) is just 23 years young but has been around the proverbial performance block from modeling to songwriting for Disney's Shake It Up to acting on Nickelodeon (How To Rock; Rags). Don't let the latter two color what you'd expect his own music to sound like -- "Gibberish" is Bruno Mars meets Nick Jonas, slick pop at it's finest, and Max delivers a rollickin' vocal performance to boot. In addition to his own music, he's also concurrently a vocalist for the group Witchita. Their single "Mrs. Magoo" is a lot of fun as well.
BONUS: New Gal Group Sweet Suspense (on the road with The Fooo Conspiracy and After Romeo) covered this song and it's just as fun. 

This dreamy electro-synth band hits the 80's Berlin meets Roxette dynamic on the head with this one. It's appealing enough to make me want to jump in head first into the rest of their fab catalog.

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...and here are some choice picks to look into...



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