One of my new favorite records is Machine Dreams from the electronic/soul band Little Dragon. Hailing from Gothenberg, Sweden (home to many a Death Metal ensemble), the band is fronted by the Japanese/American/Swedish singer Yukimi Nagano, a woman as uniquely beautiful as her lineage might suggest. The songs on this, their second disc, are groove oriented and often sonically sparse in a way that gives Yukimi’s small but soulful voice the room it needs to hit.

My favorites include My Step and Blinking Pigs. Have a listen for yourself.

Between this, The XX, and Kid Cudi, sparse grooves might be the new pop music zeitgeist. It’s a relaxing head-bobbing Ying to the Kelly Clarkson head-banging Yang.