Roundin’ Up The Raves: Elle King, Khalid, Your Smith, Twenty One Pilots

I do not know which to prefer,
The beauty of inflections
Or the beauty of innuendoes,
The blackbird whistling
Or just after.

— Wallace Stevens

You can enjoy it all right here! Inflections and innuendoes. The beauty of losing yourself in the music, and the beauty of the memory of having lost yourself. The symmetry of sounds, and the allure of echoes.

Let’s round ’em up.

Elle King – Shake The Spirit

King proves her debut was no fluke with this rockin’ and reelin’ sophomore set. Get your spirit shaken … and stirred.

Khalid – Suncity EP

Heartfelt, alternative R&B from a rising (lone) star, deep in the heart of Texas.

Your Smith – Bad Habit EP

At only four songs, I probably shouldn’t call this an EP, but the four songs are stronger than most full-length albums I’ve listened to over the past month.

Your Smith is the new nom de musique of Caroline Smith, who released a fantastic pop/R&B album five years ago and then went quiet. If this is what she’s been doing with her time, it was worth the wait. [“The Spot” is obviously indebted to Sheryl Crow, but good luck getting it out of your head.]

Twenty One Pilots – Trench

The band continues to blend rock, pop, and rap but now have a more unified sound and add some sweet 70’s soul sounds to the mix.

 

 

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