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Iceland's Answer to Aloe Blacc-helmed Soul-Funk Revival, Júníus Meyvant Unveils Rollicking "Neon Experience" (Floating Harmonies Live On KEXP)

" Westman Islands singer-songwriter Júníus Meyvant [Unnar Gísli Sigurmundsson] has recently caused big waves in Scandinavia after being the star of the Icelandic Music Awards -winning Best Newcomer and Best Song , as well as being nominated for Best Male Singer and Best Song this year," read the opening of Mystic Sons' "Neon Experience" -accompanying press release. While his music has already been compared to the works of "Wake Me Up" Funkateer Aloe Blacc , Ben Howard, Lucy Rose , Benjamin Francis Leftwich, and Graffiti6 , I would personally liken Meyvant's unique throwback sound to that of an Icelandic Rod Stewart backed by a Mark Ronson -produced rendition of Smokey Robinson & The Miracles or even something to the effect of critically-acclaimed Stones Throw New-Wop crooner, Mayer Hawthorne . Ahead of his forthcoming July LP, Floating Harmonies , Júníus Meyvant has honed in on a trademark sound that's been described as a rath...

James Franco's Art School Band, Daddy, Recruits The Smiths' Bassist Andy Rourke for "This Charming Man" (VICE Records?)

Actor, comedian, author, director, painter, scholar, cell phone salesman, and apparent sleep-less human, James Franco has seemingly decided to add yet another "notch to his belt;" he's currently finishing up a full-length album with his art school band/multi-media project, Daddy . Franco formed daddy with fellow forward-thinking Rhode Island School of Design classmate Tim O'Keefe around 2011. Daddy 's formative Motorcity EP and companion "Love In The Old Days" Remix EP were recorded on location in Detroit during the making of James Franco 's 2013 Wizard of Oz prequel, Oz The Great & Powerful and featured a Polaroid of his scantily-clad Spring Breakers co-stars on Motorcity 's cover. Franco and Tim O'Keefe even went as far as to recruit local golden-voiced legend and Motown founding father, Smokey Robinson for additional vocal duties on early video-single, "Crime." "We took a 10-poem sequence called "The B...

Winnipeg's National Treasure: Remy Shand - "Where Are We Going?" (Remy Records)

Suddenly re-invigorated Winnipeg Soul-Funk crooner Remy Shand has been largely and mysteriously in-active for the past 11 years; Although he recently re-emerged, quietly forming a "Remy Records" YouTube channel , and slowly uploading new/unreleased music. "Where Are We Going?" seems like the most fully fleshed out and complete-sounding track from Shand's recent batch of self-made videos, which also includes: "Mark Gonzales," "ROLLERGIRLS," and "Lust." Remy Shand 's recent stream of output's supposedly culled from an immense back catalog-worth of music that includes, but isn't limited to the CANARY cassette (1996-97), a ready-for-remixing bedroom jam... and finally, "Where Are We Going?," a lesser known Blue Note era Donald Byrd nugget (later re-recorded by Marvin Gaye ). It's attached video description briefly details that 100% of the track's instruments and vocals were recorded/mixed by Remy...