Today's Top Tune

It’s Friday and we’re heading into the home stretch for 2023, so let’s kick-start December with a banger from Quantic. For his disco-leaning ten-song album Dancing While Falling, recorded in his Brooklyn studio, Quantic lets rhythm meet-and-mingle with soul on “Stand Up.”

Jazz vocalist, pianist, and composer Sarah McKenzie teams up with Brazilian guitarist Romero Lubambo, cellist Jacques Morelenbaum, and drummer Peter Erskine (known for his work with Weather Report) on her new album Without You, spotlighting her performance at The Blue Note jazz club in Rio where she met Jacques and Romero. The album shines a light on a batch of Antonio Carlos Jobim songs and a few original compositions, including her song “Quoi, Quoi, Quoi.”

Conjuring a classic yesteryear sound, the formidable whistler Molly Lewis had an equally formidable 2023: She was featured on the soundtrack to Barbie, lent her talents to fashion houses including Gucci and Hermes, and supported Weyes Blood on tour.

Today we are celebrating songwriter and guitar wizard Christone “Kingfish” Ingram’s latest Grammy nomination, this time in the Contemporary Blues category, for his stunningly recorded new double live album Live In London. A career-defining release, the record culls from his Grammy Award-winning record 662 and his Grammy-nominated debut Kingfish. We choose the head-melting vocals and tasty soulful undulations of “She Calls Me Kingfish.”

A prolific electronic pioneer based in Los Angeles, and half of the duo Wajatta with Reggie Watts, John Tejada just released his 15th solo album, Resound. The record marks a new direction in Tejada’s sound, taking a noisier, lofi route to express his emotion. This sonic destination weaves screens of feedback and dirty, delayed textures with classic analog drum machines. A tight 36 minutes of essential tracks, “Simulacrum” is the lead single serving as a prelude to the compositions that follow.

Meet CELEBS, a sibling trio hailing from a town of less than 300 on the northern tip of the West Fjords of Iceland. In the dead of winter, after an intense discussion about their love of live music back in 2019, they made a pact to start a party band. Their aim was to offer a place of refuge from everyday worries and forget your troubles at the door; once inside, fans surrender to the experience of euphoria and fun. They’ve stayed true to their aim.

A rising star on the Icelandic music scene, singer-songwriter Bríet creates most of her work with her longtime musical partner, writer, and producer Ásgeir. Their sexy duet “Venus” took years to perfect and revolves around the idea of waking up after an intimate evening to realize you are in love.

A pioneer in New Classical music, Hauschka, whose score won him an Oscar for All Quiet On The Western Front this year, doesn’t restrict his solo experimental work to the confines of piano keys, but rather plays within its frame and strings. You can hear how playful yet heady his sound is on “Invention” from his recently-released album Philanthropy.

You may be familiar with Marketa Irglova from her work with Glen Hansard in the film Once, or from their collaboration as the Academy Award-winning duo The Swell Season. Over a decade ago, Marketa relocated to Iceland and now calls it home.

A young and talented singer/songwriter, KÁRI, began studying classical piano at the age of seven and branched out to jazz and improvisation by the time he turned 10. After graduating from Reykjavik College of Music and attending Berklee College of Music in Boston, Kari became an award-winning artist with an uncanny sense of melody and style, incorporating pop elements and arranging every instrument on his tracks. “Something Better” brings the heat on a cold day.

Shaina Hayes grew up in the Gaspé region of Quebec, where her parents encouraged her to take on a music career — so for her, rebellion came in the form of a degree in agricultural science. But she also took part in the music scene of Montreal while attending school there, singing in country and blues cover bands and studying jazz.

With their big guitar sound, Britain’s Bombay Bicycle Club are on tour spreading joy by playing songs from their new album, My Big Day, throughout Europe as they prepare to return stateside.

Buzzy band Brigitte Calls Me Baby’s frontman grew up in Southeast Texas listening to Roy Orbison records at his grandparents’ place next door, only to return home to hear the New Wave bands his parents liked listening to. When you catch “Impressively Average,” you can hear how it all resonated in the band’s newfound sound.

Derwin Dicker, the human behind Gold Panda, released his fourth full-length album late last year, titled The Work. Not only does the title reflect his heady mix, but it captures the six years it took to make the recording and the work it took to get him there — the vital inner work he’s done on himself to make life better. Featured on the album, “Swimmer” is a whimsical track that's been freshly remixed by Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith.

Hailing from Auckland, the soul-tronic collective Leisure usher in a new season with their album Leisurevision, planted around the calming and harmonious color green, synonymous with growth, renewal, and rebirth. “Back In Love” is for all the new parents out there, who are exploring/experiencing the ups and downs of modern parenthood with their partner.

A founding member of The B-52’s, Cindy Wilson is synonymous with the New Wave movement that redefined the sound of the ‘70s and ‘80s. This time around, Wilson brings her distinctive voice and emotive power to her new solo album Realms. “Midnight” has its finger on the pulse of dance music.

Adam Dorn, better known as Mocean Worker, lays down a thick bass line on his tenth LP, BOOMBOX, which he calls “a love letter to the bass.” Though his career began with the instrument, Dorn shied away from showcasing his virtuosic bass chops on his first eight albums, instead focusing on hyper-detailed mini-sampling, digital production, and synthesizers. That’s no longer the case on BOOMBOX, where Mocean Worker balls out on “Shammy Davis Jr’s.”

They’re formidable and they are funky; they are the French duo Souleance. Their new album Beautiful is just that from top to bottom. And they’re not alone, traversing the world with sonic stops all over. On “Feliz,” or Spanish for “happy,” the microphone is in the hands of Joao Selva for an idyllic, carnival-inspired bop.

Let’s step into the world of LA shoegazing trip-hop trio untitled (halo), who have recently issued their debut EP towncryer and have been known to shape their sound by reading each other poetry to kick start their honey jams. “spiral” is a perfect cut for walking around a new neighborhood with earbuds in.

Dynamic pop/hip-hop duo Charlie Vettuno’s passion for music took hold as kids in their high school garage, where the two brothers began tapping into their sonic journey. Their distinctive style offers quick-fire verses over high energy house music on “Ase.”