The Best of 2013: The Year In Music

We were gonna post our annual Best of list on Monday. But with the hurricane force winds and floodings (right outside our HQ) in Europe now is a good a time as any for some sweet beats! It's been another incredible year in music and we wanna say thank you for a true pleasure listening together with ya'll! Standouts for us has been the dreampop of Say Lou Lou, Sky Ferreira's debut album, the return of MKS, David Lynch working with Lykke Li, Blood Orange sending us into heaven and the return of both David Bowie and Annie. Well honestly, the whole list is a true statement of what we absolutely love with no particular ranking. We saw The Knife live front and center in May at their Copenhagen gig and have a memory for life. Sheer brilliance! The fact that M.I.A., Sky Ferreira and Annie shared links to this blog on Twitter is just nuts and amazing! Thank you so much! Last week we took part in the Digital Agenda for Music conference in Stockholm along with Robyn and representatives from the government, technology and music industry sectors. Eh, amazing! We cannot wait for what '14 has in store and continue to grow and bring you the most awesome beats around. Thank you and enjoy!

Full Album Stream: Lorde - Pure Heroine

New Zealand's finest Ella Yelich-O'Connor better known as Lorde to us all is having an incredible start to her career to say the least. She's mad hyped and has the skills and talent to back it the hell up! Considering she's only 16 and is having her infectious Royals currently at #3 in the US after hitting #1 in her home country, the stratosphere seems like the next stop. Her debut album Pure Heroine is out the 30th but already you can stream it in full below. We love the chilled minimalistic production and Lorde's distinctive voice leaving you no choice but to listen to her. Truly hypnotizing. Tennis Court could be the best album opener evah with the super slick attitude and beats to match, not to mention the sick lyrics playing like a badass high school movie. Buzzcut Season soars and is easily one of the best songs of the year. A lot to take in so press play gently and enjoy! 

Full Album Stream: Janelle Monáe - The Electric Lady

The booty don't lie! We're blown away by Janelle Monáe's The Electric Lady album from the very first listen. It's brilliant and definitely a contender for album of the year. Her gleaming collaborations with Erykah Badu and Miguel sound even better here and the extended version of the latter we adore. Janelle infuses her second album with soul, R&B, Motown, Jimi Hendrix vibes, disco and classic 70's film scores. It's sounds cohesive despite all the references and the over all production is outstanding. Big Boi and Sean Combs act both as executive producers and they're holding this album together beautifully. We love the radio interludes and the humour they bring to the project. Prince and his guitar solo kick start the album on Givin' Em What They Love and Solange lifts the title track to gloruous heights with her amazing voice and that horn section makes us wanna d.a.n.c.e! Album closer What An Experience is just so tender and makes us want to hit repeat instantly. Top marks! The whole album is booty drop amazing and when it's out on September 10th we're picking it up first thing. Listen to the full stream below! Thoughts?

Full Album Stream: Pet Shop Boys - Electric

Pet Shop Boys first album on their own x2 label, Electric, is out next Monday the 15th. Exciting times for lovers of electronic music and all things Chris and Neil! Luckily they just released a world wide stream of the whole album on iTunes. We're listening to it right now, and it plays like their 1988 album Introspective - 9 lengthy dance tracks with most clocking in at over 5 minutes. Head here for the stream and crank those speakers UP. Enjoy! 

Introducing: Alaskan Knight - Cabin Fever EP

Say hello to Tim Commandeur a.k.a Alaskan Knight and his debut EP Cabin Fever! This Sydney based insanely talented DIY musician blew us away just with the first bars of his music! The blend of organic and electronic plus that strong and flexible voice is really awesome. Actually it reminds us of Sydney - the hard and pulsating city life paired with the carefree and awesome beach culture. His background as a drummer in various bands really shines through as it's simply amazing. PLUS - he's a multi talent as he plays all instruments on the EP! The production is impeccable too and we have a hard time picking a favourite. Luckily we don't have to as the full EP streams below. If you're hot for bands like The xx, Phoenix and Miike Snow you'll love this! This is only the beginning of something really great for sure. Also, click here for the video to the lead single Cabin Fever. It's Lana Del Rey and Super 8 realness! Enjoy!