Hi, Dean Carlson here, trying to select just 3 songs from 2019 to feature on our blog is like torture, a process of elimination that involves repeated listens and a bit of homework, but here are several examples of what I fell in love with/streamed the most over the course of the last 12 months.
LISTEN TO THIS MONTH’S PLAYLIST >
Artist: Michael Kiwanuka
Track: Hero
Twitter: @michaelkiwanuka
Michael Kiwanuka is one of those artists who stop you in your tracks and demand to be listened to, a genuine, down-to-earth singer-songwriter who observes the world around him and creates songs that are timeless and immediately modern at the same time.
Artist: Mallrat
Track: Nobody’s Home
Twitter: @lilmallrat
Mallrat is 21-year-old Grace Kathleen Elizabeth, a young singer-songwriter from Brisbane, Australia who made a big splash on her local radio station, Triple J, with a little single titled “Groceries” which landed in the Top 10 last year. I was hooked the moment I heard this first single, her straightforward, off-the-cuff style coupled with uncluttered instrumentation and intimate delivery feels like a friend is singing to you in your living room.
Artist: Frameworks
Track: Coming Back
Instagram: frameworks_uk
Frameworks is Manchester-based DJ/Producer, Matthew Brewer, who keeps his audible paintings in the downtempo/hip hop/chill pallet, often working with vocalists that range in style and vibe. Already a fan of his instrumental work, which draws you in and envelopes you track by track, but his latest single features vocals from fellow Manchurian, Ben P. Williams, and it ended up being my Most Streamed song of the year.
