Remember Equador? I certainly don’t. Regardless of my shoddy memory, here is an earlier collaboration that Henry Binns (of Equador and Zero 7) did with Bo Bruce (of Equador and… Bo Bruce). It certainly has the feel of a Binns track, what with it being all dreamy and downtempo-y and stuff, but this one has a hint of mid-90s pop sensibility in those drums. It’s all brought together by Bruce’s incredibly lovely vocals, which just goes to prove that not all things connected to The Voice are terrible.

Into the 80s we go! Figuratively, that is. Never go back, people. Anyway, take a healthy dose of synth drums and a gloriously sexy bass line and mix it with some more laid back, electronic tones and sultry singing and you’ve got yourself a winner! For Esmé has evidently followed this recipe with aplomb with a tune that simply begs to be listened to at night.

Trying to lock down specific musical influences for artists these days is an inherently difficult task. I submit that this is an awesome thing: it means we’re all getting the equivalent of a musical menagerie with every new song that’s released. Not that we’re getting stuff that’s jam-packed with a thousand different styles and origins, but more that there’s a whole lot of interestin’ experimentin’ goin’ on.

With that, here are Methyl Ethel (so much fun to say), hailing from Australia with their blend of 80s electro-pop and darker synthetic tones and composition. It is all kinds of interesting and tingly, like a good coffee pared with an even better coffee.

A touch of the downtempos? A touch of the David Bowies? Yes please! At least, that’s the kind of feel I get with this track from Toronto-based rockers, The Smoking Bells. And as we all know, my musical similes are 100% TOP NOTCH AND ACCURATE.

All that aside, this is a tremendously slick tune that sometimes feels like an amalgamation of a whole bunch of songs and styles you’ve heard before, and other times a completely unique experience. Regardless of how you feel about it at any given time, it damn sure isn’t going to put you to sleep.