Listen: Action Bronson - “Strictly 4 My Jeeps”

Action Bronson enters 2013 with “Strictly 4 My Jeeps” featuring some bangin’ production courtesy of Harry Fraud. I’m sure we will be haring a lot more of these looseys before his debut album drops later this year, check it out below…

Video: Kool A.D. – “Eroika”

We got something new from former Das Racist emcee, Kool A.D.. “Eroika” is the second tune we have now heard off of Kool’s upcoming mixtape 19. Apparently the prolific rhymer will actually be releasing two mixtapes this year, 63 being the second.   In the song below Kool pokes fun/name drops Madonna, Garfield, Pitbull, Sammy Sosa and Justin Bieber’s over the Steel Tipped Dove beat. Check it along with the complete track listing’s for the forthcoming project…

19
01 Knowledge Born (prod. Kool A.D.)
02 Eroika (prod. Steel Tipped Dove)
03 New World (prod. Plinio Trujillo)
04 Marine World Africa U.S.A. (ft. Issue) (prod. Issue)
05 Vendedores (ft. Tray 57) (prod. Young L)
06 Beautiful Naked Psychedelic Gherkin Exploding Tomato Sauce All Over Your Face (ft. Haji Springer and Bill Ding) (prod. Bill Ding)
07 Wow (Bay Shit) (ft. Trackademicks) (prod. Trackademicks)
08 Hawaii 510 (ft. Cuzzo Fly and Citizen Chance) (prod. Mac Mean)
09 Fresh Prince (prod. Skywlkr)
10 Jaleel White (prod. Young L)
11 Jenny Holzer (ft. Chippy Nonstop) (prod. Ryan Marks)
12 Kriss Kross (prod. Steel Tipped Dove)
13 NPR (prod. Ad-Rock)
14 Cheeba Cheeba (ft. Spank Rock) (prod. Ghostdad)
15 Attitude (ft. Cult Days) (prod. Pictureplane)
16 All Skreets (ft. Dada Powell) (prod. Keyboard Kid)
17 Finally Every Dimension of the Skreets (prod. Kool A.D.)

Video: H∆SHTAG$ Episode 1 - “Don’t Call It AltRnB’” Documentary

In the first episode of a new Red Bull produced series called H∆SHTAG$ we are treated to a short film on the origins and makeup of the new R&B sound that’s emerged in the last several years.  The filmmakers gather some of “indie R&B’s” most well-known artists including Zodiac, Miguel, How To Dress Well, and get a little history on how the genre has grown over the years, and how it has used the Internet to differentiated itself from past forms of mainstream R&B. We also hear directly from the artists how they feel about terms like “PBR&B” and “hipster R&B.” The whole thing is about twelve minutes long and most certainly worth your time if you have any interest what so ever in the genre.
 

Video: "A Gun for George"

A couple years ago Matthew Holness (Garth Marenghi's Darkplace) wrote & directed a short 20-min film with Warp Films & Film4 titled "A Gun for George".  In it, Holness plays Terry Finch, the author and main character of the schlocky Reprisalizer pulp fiction series in which he is urban vigilante cleaning up the streets.  In reality he is a failing author whose career is going nowhere all the while being haunted by the death of his brother. The thin line between his fiction and reality slowly becomes blurred each day.

Much like Darkplace, the main appeal of this film is that it attempts to recreate the horrid films and TV's shows from the 70's with its film stock look as well as cheesy storytelling.  A Gun for George is more serious in tone, relating more to the "Deathwish" and various vigilante movie series of its day.  My only complaint is that it is too short.  As soon as you start to become attached to Terry Finch the film wraps itself up.

You can watch the film here on the Film4 website.  Once we figure a way to embed the the video directly on this site... we will.

Video: Soundgarden - "By Crooked Steps"

Soundgarden released their latest video today for "By Crooked Steps", the 2nd single off of their new album, King Animal.  The video is directed by former fellow Seattle-scene-ite Dave Grohl and follows his sort of sense of humor and sensibility, having the band ride around on segways and pick on laptop DJ's.  That being said, the joke kinda spurs off and gets old leaving the video feeling kind of dull.  Scenes are filled with overly excited hot-hip "youth" rocking out like it was a Sprite commercial and contains a confusing cameo at the very end by DeadMau5.  I am not sure if there is any connection between DeadMau5 and Soundgarden or if Grohl thinks most people would be able to recognize him (guy whose career is made wearing a giant mask) but it feels very thrown in, as if he was doing a favor for a buddy.  Any EDM or DJ references near Soundgarden starts making me think of the ill-faded and blasphemous Chris Cornell / Timbaland team-ups ... which I have tried to put behind me.

But with my gripes comes a feeling of overall happiness to see Soundgarden not only playing but making good new music and material and seemingly enjoying it.  They are not yelling at each other nor taking themselves too serious and in the end seem to be having a good time.

 Behind the scenes clip...

Listen: Autre Ne Veut - "Play By Play"

Autre Ne Veut‘s forthcoming album Anxiety is due out on February 12th. We have already had a taste of it via “Counting” and now we get a more up beat selection of what to expect from the bedroom producer’s project. “Play By Play” is also rooted in R&B but has more of a pop vibe to it, Autre production of snapping percussion and melodic synthesizers are pretty top notch giving a lot of seasoned veterans in the game a good run for their money.

Video: Animal Collective - "Applesauce"

Gaspar Noé continues his streak of working in the medium of music videos having recently completed the latest set of visuals for the Animal Collective. “Applesauce” is meant to be viewed in complete darkness and might make you hungry.

Listen/Download: The Avalanches – DJ Set @ Splendour in the Grass 2006

A "new" mix popped up today on the Avalanches mix tape club, the mix isn’t actually a new mix in that it was recently recorded but rather in that it was made available to members of the club. This one hails from 2006 and was performed live at Splendour in the Grass in Belongil Fields, outside of Byron Bay, Australia. The mix is somewhat 80’s centric in it’s vibe but features artists from artists beyond the 1980’s including Prince, Def Leppard, Daft Punk, Gnarls Barkley, Salt N’ Pepper, The Gossip, David Bowie, Midnight Juggernauts, Bon Jovi, Mylo, The Rapture, The Rolling Stones, The Sound Of Music and more. The 45-minute mix is a total blast and is yet another reminder of why we desperately need a new LP from the collective, maybe 2013 will be the year.

Download the mix below and check out two short clips of footage of the set being performed at the festival.

DOWNLOAD

Video: Tame Impala - "Mind Mischief"

Tame Impala's video for Lonerism's "Mind Mischief" is a take on the age-old student/hot teacher fantasy with an animated psychedelic twist. Both British director David Wilson and the band are no strangers to the genre having both gone the animation route before.

Video: Grizzly Bear – “Gun Shy”

In Grizzly Bear’s latest video director Kris Moyes has the guys  undergoing a series of bodily extractions, their blood, skin, hair, and nails are removed with a wide range of  tools including razor blades, scissors, knives, IV tubes, and more in the Shields track “Gun Shy.”

The band shared a statement from the director on Tumblr.

“The idea came from a question:- if the creative energy of any living organism could be seen, what would it look like? Ed, Daniel, T and Bear demonstrate where their creative energy is located. This is an invitation for a very rare glimpse of what creative energy could look like on a molecular level, if it could be seen.”

So there you have it, this is an experiment for extracting creativity."

Video: The Knife – “Full Of Fire”

What a treat, about 48 hours after we got new music from The Knife a video has surfaced for “Full Of Fire” The first taste of the Swedish siblings forthcoming LP, Shaking The Habitual. Of course this being The Knife you know you can expect something out of the box, the clip(short film) comes courtesy of "feminist porn" director Marit Östberg and features all kinds of atypical sexual scenarios being played out in public spaces. Karin Dreijer Andersson and Olof Dreijer appear in the video(in disguise of course) Karin plays the woman in the black wig in the apartment, while Olof plays the man in the scarf.

Listen/Download: The Strokes – “One Way Trigger”

After some time away from the spotlight The Strokes will be releasing an album later on this year and here’s what may possibly be our first taste of said album. “One Way Trigger” is a real catchy affair that pretty much gets stuck in your head from the first listen, the vocals are a tad more on the falsetto side of things then I am used to from the band but it works very well in my opinion.  Stream the track below and click on the download link to save a copy for your self in exchange for your email address.

Video: The Dirty Projects – “Climax” (Usher Cover) live on triple j tv

Dirty Projectors stopped by triple j tv for the “Like a Version” series and took on Usher’s “Climax”. Chamberland and  I were pretty obsessed with this song trying to find the vocals a good home in a mashup, we found that nothing did it justice so we just let it be.  The Dirty Projectors don’t really do much to change the tune either but they are known for their vocals and harmonies so it makes for an alright cover, I think a studio version handled by Amber could be something I could get behind. There is also a quick Q&A about Coffman's collaboration with Major Lazer on their stellar “Get Free,” which of course made our year end best of.

Listen: The Haxan Cloak - "The Mirror Reflecting (Part 2)”

Back in October we previewed some very dark and moody music from Tri Angle Records artist The Haxan Cloak. Now, the full piece has emerged, and for fans of the label and genre you won’t be disappointed. "The Mirror Reflecting Part 2" is equal parts dense and intense captivating the listener from its introduction and keeping you interested throughout its seven minute run time. Look for the album, which is entitled Excavation, to drop on April 15th.

Go Buy These: Replaceface Portraits

Replaceface has released a series of prints of popular celebrities posing as dapper soldiers that are pretty darn fun.  The series takes George Dawe portrait’s and incorporates celebrities into the paintings using photoshop.  The designs come on matte white, 100% cotton rag, and have a 1" border for framing. Sizes range from Mini (8" x 9"; $24.95) to X-Large (28" x 32"; $55.95). The portraits are also available as stretched canvases, iPhone/iPod cases and skins, and throw pillows and include such people as Bill Murray, David Bowie, Bruce Lee, The Rock, Brad Pitt, Frank Zappa and many more. Purchase them HERE.

Listen: Dream Koala - "Ocean"

We got something new from French producer Yndi Da Silva, aka Dream Koala. “Ocean” continues down the same path Koala has been carving for himself in the chillwave genre with it’s hazy and mesmerizing tones and feel living up the the dream” part of his moniker. As Yndi himself states below this is the first track we have heard from the producer where his vocals are prominent. Give the track a listen below and look out for more smoky journey’s from the Parisian to premiere in 2013.

 “Kind of excited to share this one with you. This is the first track where we can clearly listen to my voice so… Hope you’re going to enjoy it, maybe it will sound weird at first.”

Listen: The Knife - "Full Of Fire"

The Knife have released some of my favorite music of all time, it’s been 6 years since their last proper full length, the unstoppable Silent Shout, but as luck would have it The duo’s first single from their new record, Shaking The Habitual is out next week and you can steam it in its entirety now. Coming in at 9 minutes, “Full of Fire” builds upon the organic sound the Sweds created with their opera, Tomorrow, In A Year  while capturing the darkness found in Silent Shout  and popyness of Deep Cuts. Frankly they could have recorded a toilet flushing and I would have been happy as any new material from this brother and sister team is welcomed.  Shaking The Habitual is out April 9th through Brille/Mute, check out the stream below along side some LP info...

Shaking the Habitual is a 13 track, 98 minute long double CD/triple LP.

01 A Tooth for an Eye 6:04
02 Full of Fire 9:17
03 A Cherry on Top 8:43
04 Without You My Life Would Be Boring 5:14
05 Wrap Your Arms Around Me 4:36
06 Crake 0:55
07 Old Dreams Waiting to Be Realized 19:22
08 Raging Lung 9:58
09 Networking 6:42
10 Oryx 0:37
11 Stay Out Here 10:42
12 Fracking Fluid Injection 9:54
13 Ready to Lose 4:36

Listen: MS MR – “Fantasy”

I first caught wind MS MR when they opened for HAIM last year, the duo began as somewhat of a side project between Neon Gold co-founder Lizzy Plapinger and producer Max Hershenow. 2012 was about gaining some steam with their very memorable EP, their debut album, Second Hand Rapture,  is on the way and our first taste comes via “Fantasy. The tune could be compared to Florence + The Machine in its style which isn't a bad thing,  keep your eyes and ears open on May 14th for the album's release.

Video: Evil Nine feat. Danny Brown - "The Black Brad Pitt"

Back in August of last year we shared a fantastic tune which was the result of a collaboration between U.K. bass music duo Evil Nine (Tom Beaufoy & Pat Pardy) and Detroit’s Danny Brown. “The Black Brad Pitt” now has an equally intriguing video to go with the music that you can stream below…

Listen: TNGHT – “R U Ready”

Some more music from end of the year favorites, this time it comes from powerhouse duo TNGHT. Apparently the producers uploaded this song to their Soundcloud a couple weeks ago, then Kanye West bought it from them and used it in a Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show.  The beat is absolutely massive and features some horns that resemble those from their hit track “Higher Ground” Check it below…

Listen: The Purist - "Jealousy" (ft. Danny Brown)

UK producer the Purist  shared “Jealousy” which features some top notch vocals from our favorite Detroit spitter, Danny Brown. The track will appear on an EP called TR-ill that also includes spots from Sean Price, Havoc of Mobb Deep and Big Twins.  The EP is scheduled t drop on Feb. 4^th via Believe Digital and King Kong Holding Co.

Video: RYAT - "Owl"

Having just made an appearance on our top albums of the year post, Los Angeles-based (by way of Philadelphia) producer RYAT dropped a new video for her track "Owl" from 2012’s Totem LP (where every track is a representation of a different spirit animal.) Strangely enough there’s a lack of actual owls making an appearance in the clip, what we do get is an abstract mix of CGI landscapes, kaleidoscopic effects and artsy poses from the songstress. 

Onomatopoeia's Best Music of 2012

Welcome to Onomatopoeia’s year-end best of 2012. This is our second year of producing a

best of list and we are sticking with the same formula as 2011. What’s that mean to anyone

reading this right now? We have come up with individual lists of 13 rather than one communal

list; we figured one choice per month at twelve months in the year with an extra 13th choice

thrown in for good measure.

For myself 2011 was a mixed bag for music, the merging of underground culture with the commercial trends of the mainstream was very apparent (The Weekend) and if you were into a very specific subset of electronic music, namely dub, it was a great year. But for my money it was honestly the worst year for music in well over a decade and while there were some truly stellar releases some of us here at Onomatopoeia had trouble even coming up with thirteen records that felt worthy of calling out as one of the best in the year. 2012 was a little more varied and exciting for me but as a whole probably belonged to the genre hip hop.

That being said here is what we thought were the best albums of 2012…

Video: Heems - "Soup Boys (Pretty Drones)" Alternate Video

Heems decided to release a second video for the Lushlife produced “Soup Boys (Pretty Drones)”. Make no mistake that this was intentionally released today on President Obama’s inauguration as Himanshu does his thing in front of footage of drones blowing up various military targets around the world.

Video: Crystal Castles – “Sad Eyes”

Here’s the new video for Crystal Castles‘ “Sad Eyes,” off their recently released III album. The VHS-tape like effect visuals were directed by Rob Hawkins and Marc Pannozzo and features live footage of the band filmed in Berlin and Toronto. 

KAWS : The Close Of The Shop And Company OriginalFake

There have been rumors flying around the internet over the past week that KAWS will be closing down his OriginalFake brand and store this year. Brain decided to release a statement last night addressing the rumors first hand and has indeed confirmed OF's closing to move on to bigger and better things.

“May 2013 marks the seventh year anniversary of OriginalFake, and it is at this time that Medicom Toy and I have chosen to close the shop and company. It's been an amazing opportunity to work with Medicom Toy on this project as well as working with Masamichi Katayama of Wonder Wall to create the interior of the shop and Konno of Nexus7 who's incredible talent really added sophistication to the clothing that we produced. I really want to thank the staff in production as well as in our shop. If you ever entered our shop you already know how awesome they are! I would also like to thank all the companies that collaborated with us, your friendship and support has always really meant a lot, and to everyone who has supported OriginalFake,THANK YOU! and I hope to see you all in the next chapter!”

Listen: Pillowfight – "Pillowfight" (Full LP Stream)

Today we have a full LP stream of Pillowfight’s debut.  As previously reported the project consist of Dan The Automator, multi-instrumentalist and singer Emily Wells, Kid Koala and David Choe. For fans of Dan’s past work (particularly Handsome Boy Modeling School and Lovage) there will be obvious similarities between projects but that’s ok because Dan pretty much created that whole trip hop that marries jazzy vocals with down-tempo beats or if you prefer, lounge-funk, that was popular in the late 90’s to mid-2000’s. Some might even say that there is a similarity to the Gorillaz but Dan also produced their debut LP so once again it’s a sound you know but coming from someone who has always done it right. Stream the twelve track self-titled LP below…

(Stream via)

Listen: Tomahawk - "Oddfellows"

We have already shared the stream and video for “Stone Letter” from super group Tomahawk, the musical project consisting of Duane Dennison, Trevor Dunn, Mike Patton and JohnStanier and today we got a stream of the title track from their forthcoming LP, Oddfellows. Likening this song even more than “Stone Letter", some great riffs from Duane has got me excited for more.

Video: Baroness - "March To The Sea"

The epic third track from Baroness' Yellow & Green gets the video treatment. “March To The Sea” sticks with the concept of tour footage that “Take My Bones Away” did and was filmed before the horrific bus crash that sidelined the band for the later half of 2012.

Video: Ty Segall - "Thank God For Sinners"

Ty Segall has been keeping very busy in the last 12 months with his various releases and projects; to add to it all he just dropped a new video for “Thank God For Sinners” from his latest album Twins. The Matt Yoka directed video is a feast for all those foot and hand fetish people out there.

Listen: Deltron 3030 - "Pay The Price"

Deltron 3030, the trio consisting of Del the Funky Homosapien, DJ Kid Koala, and producer Dan the Automator, are back. They plan to release Event II, the follow-up to their 2000 debut, sometime in 2013. The album has been in the works for almost a decade with rumors of its impending release having surfaced mid 2012. Last night, they debuted the first taste of that album, a song called "Pay the Price" which you can hear over on their Facebook page but take note it's only supposed to be up for 24 hours.

Listen: Youth Lagoon - "Dropla"

It’s been a very long while since we heard any new material from Trevor Powers, aka Youth Lagoon. A new LP entitled Wondrous Bughouse is scheduled to drop on March 5 in the U.S via Fat Possum and we got the first taste from the album, the six-minute track "Dropla". 

Download/Listen: Four Tet – “0181 LP”

Yesterday Four Tet dropped a free album called 0181 featuring 38 minutes of unreleased music and rarities that he produced from 1997 to 2001. Hebden promises that a vinyl release will also come later this year.

Listen: Lunice – “BBC1 XTRA Mix”

Lunice put together an hour-long mix for BBC1 Xtra that features a mixture of hip hop, trap beats, electronic, pop and more dropping a TNGHT remix of “Clique” at around the 56-minute mark to end things off with a bang. 

Video: Big Boi - "Mama Told Me" (featuring Kelly Rowland)

Previously we brought you the video for "In the A" from the new Big Boi album, Vicious Lies and Dangerous Rumors. Today we got "Mama Told Me" featuring Kelly Rowland, which is a spacey symmetrified vid directed by Syndrome Studio.  Big Boi requested something "trippy and colorful" and the video definitely contains that, looking influenced by old 70's blacklight designs.

There has been some confusion regarding this track because while Kelly Rowland performs this track on the album, Big Boi has recently been performing it live with Little Dragon's Yukumi Nagano.  The story is the track originally was recorded w/ Nagano but due to "label disputes" was replaced with a version with Rowland.  Below is the original to compare....  which one do you like better?


 

Video: SBTRK – “Trials Of The Past”

Well this is a pleasant surprise. Generator, Northern Film& Media, and Dustfarm teamed up with Young Turks and XL Recordings for this new “Trials of the Past” video for SBTRKT. I say pleasant because the tune has always been my favorite track on the London Producer’s LP and not because of the subject matter seen in the video, I'd use awesome to describe this fun and gory sci-fi inspired treat.

Video: WK Interact Speaks Sbout Project Brave

Back in September of 2011 we shared some photos of a WKInteract project which focused on a large series of wheatpastes in New York City that paid tribute to the first responders of 9/11. He called this Project Brave. Last week, a video popped up online with WK and others explaining the project plus some shots of it coming together. Directed by Luigi Comandatore.

Video: Pinback - "Proceed To Memory"

Watch the creation of a Pinback mural inspired by the album art work created by Daniel Danger on a wall in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, for the San Diego bands video for Information Retrieved track, “Proceed to Memory.”

Listen: Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – “Jubilee Street”

The new Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds album, Push the Sky Away, is out February 19. We've already heard "We No Who U R" and seen its video and today we get a second cut in "Jubilee Street" via a lyrical video.

Sunday Matinée - Celebrating Sunday's With A Live Clip: Yeah Yeah Yeahs Perform Two New Songs in Pamona

It’s been a while since we have heard anything new from the Yeah YeahYeahs but luck would have it that the trio are set to release a new album in the spring and this week performed some new material from the new record for a lucky crowed in Pomona, California. Reportedly, the first of the two videos below is titled "Suck Young Blood".

Video: Lushlife - "Magnolia"

After a number of mixtape releases in 2011, self described Philly "bedroom composer" Lushlife(aka. Raj Halder) released his debut LP Plateau Visions.

One of the stand out tracks, "Magnolia" recently got a video directed by duo Nik Harper & Jesse Lamar High (LAMAR+NIK) and does alot with what can be guessed as a limited budget.  The concept is really cool and probably was a bitch to pull off.  Kudos...