In a little preview of what will end up being one of my top EPs of the year, MS MR’s musically dreamy horn-laden masterpiece, Ash Tree Lane, gets today’s Song-a-Day honors.

MS MR is a duo based in NYC, comprised of lead singer, Lizzy Plapinger and Max Hershenow. And that’s about all we know. They’ve kept any details about themselves private, for the most part, and forced the music to do the talking for them; which, in this case, is a wise choice.

Their debut EP, Candy Bar Creep Show, is a lyrically dark, beautifully produced collection of 4 songs which, while not new to my ears, remind me of why I’ve been so anxious for these guys to get noticed. Musically, I’m most often reminded of Siouxsie & The Banshees’s epic cinematic production, especially on songs like Bones. But, in my mind, the real attraction here lies in Lizzy’s STUNNING low voice. Her approach reminds me of a 1950s jazz singer without sounding jazzy, if that makes sense. It’s deep, powerful and one of the best voices on a female artist I’ve heard in the last few years.

I’m pretty sure MS MR are still unsigned, as they self-released “Candy Bar Creep Show” last month. Are A&R people fucking deaf?! Somebody needs to fund a full-length release for these guys ASAP. Wake the fuck up.

Have a listen to “Ash Tree Lane” below.

http://www.msmrsounds.com/

MS MR “Ash Tree Lane”

Brooklyn’s The Ice Choir have just released their debut album Afar and, if you’re a fan of 80’s British music, you are going to fall in love.

The Ice Choir is comprised of lead singer, Kurt Feldman; Patrick South, Raphael Radna and Avery Brooks. Like most of my favorite musical discoveries, I found these guys totally on my own; without the aid of any PR firms or anyone of the sort.

Their sound features quite possibly the best cornucopia of 80s infused production and sounds that I’ve heard in years. If you need a reference point, consider the eargasm that’d happen upon placing elements of George Michael, Siouxsie & The Banshees, Erasure, A-Ha, Soft Cell, Janet Jackson, and Tears For Fears into a blender and somehow placing its contents inside your iPod. (Yes, I’m aware that those are pretty lofty comparisons to live up to. However, their music combines so much nostalgia and awesomeness into their production, that I’m having a difficult time believing that they’re wonderful debut, Afar, wasn’t released in 1986.)

In a nutshell, to say The Ice Choir have created one of my favorite albums of 2012 would be like saying I only kind of want to have sex with Wentworth Miller.

Favorite tracks include the perfectly romantic, I Want You Now And Always, and (eponymous track), The Ice Choir. Listen to the first two tracks below.

*The Ice Choir’s debut album, Afar, is out now via Underwater Peoples.

http://www.icechoir.com/

The Ice Choir “I Want You Now And Always”

The Ice Choir “The Ice Choir”