Dig These Discs :: Owl City, Years & Years, Class Actress, Emily King, Collabro

Born and bred in New York City, Emily King drops her third studio LP, "The Switch." Synthpop artist Elizabeth Harper, aka "Class Actress" releases her six-song EP this month, a follow-up to her studio debut album, "Rapprocher." British electronica trio Years & Years bring their '90s house/electropop band to a head with their first full-length debut. Electronica artist and multi-instrumentalist Adam Young, aka Owl City, blends pounding club hits with songs about his love of Jesus in his new album. And Collabro goes for a second hit album, fresh from their "Britain's Got Talent" win.

"The Switch" (Emily King)

Born and bred in New York City, Emily King is a tiny piece of excellence, with her R&B and funk mix and her brilliant vocals. This Grammy-nominated vocalist is the daughter of jazz duo Marion Cowings and Kim Kalesti, and music is clearly in her blood. Proof positive is her new album, "The Switch," her second studio debut. The understated hip-hop sounds of this title track perfectly sum up the fare that King dishes out for us. Her feathery vocals pop in 11 songs, from 2008s "Off Center," the first she wrote after her album "East Side Story" to her psycho kids cut, "Animals." It's a slow, deliberate tune that brings to mind early Prince cuts, with a more toned-down sexuality. "It definitely feels like a reintroduction. Kind of like I can finally go outside and play after staying indoors for so long," said King, who also released "The Seven EP" in 2011. "I had a lot of time to write and re-write songs and sort through material, which was great and also drove me a little crazy. Patience was a challenge, because every day I felt the urge to share the music but the songs just weren't developed enough." She includes her early songs "Distance" and "Good Friend" on the album, singing, "If there's something I need I don't already have, I know I get it from a good friend." She sings sultry "I gotta hold you" over an R&B beat in the cut "Sleepwalker" and merges into the slow ballad "Already There." She teases in "Distance," promising to "maybe get dressed up wear real pretty in something you ain't never seen." A circus calliope rings up under soft vocals in the playful track "Out of the Clouds" and gets that kicky sensuality in "Believer." She caps off the album with her sunny guitar and bongo-drum ode to her mother and father, "For Them." She may have made some tradeoffs, but "The Switch" isn't one of them. King will spend July hitting concert venues in Atlanta, DC, Baltimore, Philly, New York and Boston.
(Making Music Records)

"Movies EP" (Class Actress)

Synthpop artist Elizabeth Harper, aka "Class Actress" drops her six-song EP "Movies" this month, a follow-up to her studio debut album, "Rapprocher." This Brooklyn-based artist used to perform indie rock, until she heard a cover of one of her songs remixed by Mark Richardson, and loved the electronic much better then her acoustic version. She teamed up with him, and became "Class Actress," after her former choice to become an actress in LA. She sings about New York City in "More Than You." A hodge-podge of electronica effects launches the fast-moving "The Limit," with its disco sound. Inspired by the return of disco icon Giorgio Moroder (and her own secret dream to be Donna Summer) she teamed up with the pioneer to create an EP inspired by the films of the '80s, and their excess, glamour and self-discovery. "Class Actress comes from this whole world he helped create, and it just makes sense to me to have him part of this fully energetic process," she told Billboard. Fast-moving drums pepper "High on Love," as she admits, "I just can't get high enough," and sings about being "girlfriends tonight" in "GFE." The slow drums add a sultry feel to "Love My Darkness," like Donna Summer's "Love to Love You." She takes this sultry tone into the title track, singing, "please forgive me, I just need a reason to stay in the movies... These sleeping pills are destroying me, maybe I'll just stay awake in the movies." Harper has an interesting voice, and teaming with Moroder makes her presentation even richer. Catch her while she's just getting started.
(Casablanca/Republic)

"Mobile Orchestra" (Owl City)

Electronica artist and multi-instrumentalist Adam Young is Owl City. Or at least, Owl City is one of his many projects. At any rate, the genius behind the six-time platinum single "Fireflies" and the music from "Legend of the Guardians," "The Owls of Ga'Hoole" and "Wreck-It Ralph" is dropping his very secretive fifth studio album. His lead single "Verge" features artist Aloe Blacc and his fine, strong voice. It is an anthem of youth empowerment, with the refrain, "Out on the verge of the rest of our life." He sounds like an ing�nue when he sings "I Found Love" guilelessly. He gets help from Sarah Russell on the excellent track "Thunderstruck" and followed it with the single, "My Everything," singing of his "light in the dark" in this ballad full of "Hallelujahs." As CCM's Magazine's Andy Argyrakis notes, "he has never been shy about his faith, which continues alongside the mounds of sugary sounds that permeate 'Mobile Orchestra.'" He sings about being a kid, playing with C3PO and Nintendo in "Unbelievable," featuring Hanson. He's a lone survivor in the tune "Bird With a Broken Wing" and gets a country sound with an acoustic guitar when Jake Owen adds his touch to "Back Home." He moves back to electronica in the 'missing you' song "Can't Live Without You" and bookends it with a spiritual track featuring Britt Nicole on "You're Not Alone." (It's an odd juxtaposition, for sure, like those pro-Jesus heavy metal hair bands.) He ends with "This Isn't The End," the saddest song ever about a man who leaves his daughter behind. Maybe it's just a beginning. These 10 tracks of electronica-driven goodness are another successful project for Owl City.
(Republic Records)

"Communion" (Years & Years)

British electronica trio frontman Olly Alexander on keyboards, Mikey Goldsworthy on bass and Emre Turkmen on synth make up Years & Years, the '90s house/electropop band. And after a few years of making singles, they're ready to drop their debut album, "Communion." They released their first single, "Shine" in May, a dance track with driving beats and R&B harmonies. "The metaphor of 'shine' and 'shining' comes from the way somebody can make you feel totally brand-new and special and re-made in the light of their love, but how that can feel incredibly unstable and overwhelming and make you want to destroy yourself," explained Alexander. Their other single, "King," hit No.1 on the UK Singles chart. The album starts with the deep vocal strains of "Foundation," singing, "you used to work me out but you never worked it out for me." The effect is eerie and otherworldly. They follow it with the powerful track "Real," with its excellent combination of clap-track percussives and hollow synth reverbs. "Take Shelter" is a fast-moving song with a Latin beat, and "Worship" is an R&B-influenced track with the refrain, "You're all I need to survive... and you'll be my sacrifice." "Eyes Shut" is a ballad with excellent piano accompaniment, and "Ties" is a funky cut. "King" is a pop song with excellent drums and synth, and "Desire" asks, "is it desire or is it love that I'm feeling for you?/ I want desire, because your love only gets me abused." They rock in "Gold" and "Without," and finish the album with the cuts "Border" and "Memo," a slow R&B track.
(Polydor Records/Interscope Records)

"Act Two" (Collabro)

Collabro, the winners of "Britain's Got Talent," release their new album "Act Two," the follow-up from their debut number one album, "Stars." Michael Auger, Richard Hadfield, Jamie Lambert, Matt Pagan and Thomas Redgrave only became Collabro at the start of 2014 and it's been a steady stream of incredible moments since then. The album includes some surprising re-interpretations of recent pop music's finest moments including Kodaline's smash "All I Want," as they sing melodiously, "If I could see your face once more/ I would die a happy man I'm sure." They follow with an appropriately operatic rendition of "I Won't Give Up" by Jason Mraz. As a pop song it's bouncy, but with a classical interpretation, it's a tearjerker. Christina Perri's hit ballad "A Thousand Years" follows, complete with violins. There's also a rendition of The Rembrandts' world-famous "I'll Be There For You," which the boys debuted on their tour at the start of this year, and has quickly garnered a following by Collabro fans around the globe. The slowed-down pop tunes are one thing, but this ditty, known better as the theme song from "Friends," elicited both a chuckle and a scoff from this reviewer. From the world of film and musical theatre the band takes on the likes of "Music Of The Night" from "The Phantom of the Opera" (selected by their Facebook fans from a poll of songs for the band to perform), "I Dreamed A Dream" from "Les Mis�rables" and "The Circle of Life" from "The Lion King." Being a great singer is a good skill to have, but if they really want to impress people, it's time for these men to 'collaborate' on some original tunes and show fans what they're made of. The band will make their U.S. debut in July with performance dates in New York and Los Angeles.
(Portrait Records)