Raye and Disclosure

Today I have a really smooth song for you by the artist Raye. She is definitely more of an underground artist, but I like that she is able to maintain that low key status for the sake of her music. Because let me tell you, her sound is really good. Raye is that weird transition from being melodic dubstep and R&B. Which is a strange combo, but somehow the two work really well together. When I hear this song, I am not immediately pulled into the R&B mindset, and I am not immediately drawn towards the electronic music ear. It is a nice tug from both ends, telling me that the song is really well balanced between the two. In a way, the feeling I get when I listen to this song is how I feel about a lot of songs by The 1975. They both have that ambient kind of sound, but Raye takes a little bit more of a sensual route. I mean I cannot deny that there is a dash of sexiness in this song, from the way she uses her breathier vocals and R&B style combined with the slower percussion beat. It just works! This song also has a little bit of a tropical intro, which is another genre to add to the mix. The song actually starts out with a happier and more bubbly kind of sound. But then it turns into a more minor scale, giving the song a little bit more depth and darkness. But that darkness is more like the "lights out with candles lit up" kind of feel. It is so weird to describe a song that way, but that is the best thing about music. You can relate it to so many situations and feelings that you get in those situations. That can sometimes be the only way to describe something. Like the way Raye layers her vocal harmonies during the ending of the song. I mean that creates this intense sensual intimacy that can actually be found in certain kinds of electronic music. Raye has these emotive lyrics and when you combine that with the mix of rich, powerful vocals and the breathier, airy ones, the song seems mind-blowingly perfect. I honestly have not been able to get enough of this song. It is very well produced, performed, and I can't wait to see all the remixes that are to come. I have heard a couple, but I know there are even more to come. To the future! Today's instrumental song is by Disclosure and features Lorde. Now this song has a lot of similar elements to the first song. Both begin with slightly tropical percussion, and then segue into something darker and more dangerous. Neither song is happy nor sad, rather they are a livelier version of smooth R&B. I wish I knew exactly which genre to place the two in, because that would make identifying everything that much easier. I hope you enjoy the music and please feel free to comment!