In recent years, technology has opened the door to endless musical opportunities, allowing basically anybody with a computer to create sounds that were previously inconceivable; and in this age of great sonic control, it's easy especially to overdo it electronically. However, the balanced part of the spectrum still exists, and you now see a handful of musicians who are able to blend the old with the new, the acoustic and the electronic, and achieve an equilibrium that hits an absolute sonic sweet spot. Young War, a Manchester-based singer, conveys this delicate balance through his newest release, "Darker Love". Nothing more than a kick, clap, shaker, and smooth guitar plucking opens the song, and while some bore with the minimalistic approach, Young War pulls off what he wants brilliantly, further expanding on the base instruments with additional layers of guitar, synths, and his own serene vocals. His chorus hits in infectious fashion, too, with powerful bass and slightly more percussion adding to the effort's ability to ride out in wrinkleless fashion. There's something beautiful about the blending of simplicity and modernized sonic injections, and "Darker Love" embodies it all here in the most splendid stripped-down form.

Written by Cole Ryan