This weeks releases are Funky, Imperfect, and Superpowered. Shall we?

Its been a good couple of weeks for the ladies of soul. Elle Varner‘s debut full length record is a wonderful mixture of old school R&B with today’s pop stylings and production values. Varner’s soulful voice gives each tune heart and pathos, even when she’s singing about less than emotional matters on the ‘What did I do last night?‘ anthem “Oh What A Night”. The track could have been a novelty throw away tune to bad out the record, but instead it remains just as compelling as album highlights “Only Wanna Give It To You”, “Refill” (shown below), and the sultry, funky “Sound Proof Room”. Perfectly Imperfect resonates with all the hooks and beats to light up today’s Hip-Hop charts, but its minimalist production hearkens back to a mix of 70’s funk and early to mid 90’s R&B. With so many influences in the mix, you really need to check this album out.

There is certainly no better title to this record than Funky Was The State of Affairs. Fergus & Geronimo take a lot of chances on this album, and I am all for it. A mixture of music and spoken word, this seemingly crowded sixteen track disc may look intimidating in your Spotify window, but the whole piece clocks in around thirty-two minutes. Fake accents and absurdest whimsy can distract the casual listener from the crunchy riffs and solid bass lines that make up the Ramones style post-punk attitude of the music. Think Pixies meets a Portlandia influenced sensibility. I took a chance on this record this week, and you should too.

Most people have such a love/hate relationship with Dubstep that I’m sure you just had a reaction to me mentioning it right now. Whatever your preconceived notion, if you love any kind of electronic music you need to check out The Polish Ambassador, the brainchild of David Sugalski. On his latest release, the EP Superpowers, Sugalski uses samples, synths, and big beats to create laid back grooves and melodic playscapes. Your first reaction to hearing this EP may be that the music seems very Sci-Fi inspired, but if that isn’t your cup of tea don’t let that description deter you. Sugalski’s ability to take that world and mesh it with today’s David Guetta style production is tremendous. Check out the Sci-Funk (thats how genre’s are born) for yourself on “Flesh Prayers” embedded below, then head over to The Polish Ambassador’s website. There you will find not only a free download of this magnificent EP of spaceman baby making gems, but also a free download of everything The Polish Ambassador has ever done. That’s seven albums and 30 remixes of songs by everyone from Bon Iver and Local Natives to George Michael and Next for FREE.