Baltimore-based duo, Wye Oak, have shared a video from their new album, Shriek, which dropped yesterday. “Glory”, directed by Michael Patrick O'Leary and Ashley North Compton, plays with choppy editing techniques to give parts of the video an uneasy stop motion feel.
Hooray For Earth return to the scene today with the first proper taste of their forthcoming LP out in July titled, Racy. “Keys” falls in nicely with
the vibe the band was experimenting with on their 2011 LP and Onomatopoeia
favorite, True Loves, with its lush, bombastic production. Interestingly enough
if anyone out there has heard any of those Bleachers tracks floating around clearly someone else was a fan of the last
Hooray for Earth LP as well, minus the Christian undertones of course.
Durham duo Amelia Meath and Nick Sanborn first shared their captivating electronic number, “Play It Right,” last September but as we near the launch of their début LP under the name, Sylvanesso, we get some striking visuals to match to pulsating beat. The video was co-directed by Remedy and Sylvan Esso and see’s the two dancing in slow motion with the help of some friends. Look for the self titled LP to drop on May 13th via Partisan Records.
The highly anticipated new LP from Swedish songstress Lykke Li, I Never Learn, is out on May 6, but thanks to the
power of the internet and NPR, you can listen to it in full now. The final installment
to her album trilogy isn't as radio catchy as part two but no less memorable if
you are a long-time fan.
Tracklist:
1. “I Never Learn”
2. “No Rest for the Wicked”
3. “Just Like a Dream”
4. “Silverline”
5. “Gunshot”
6. “Love Me Like I’m Not Made of Stone”
7. “Never Gonna Love Again”
8. “Heart of Steel”
9. “Sleeping Alone”
Duck Sauce kill it with yet another super fun video, this time for the appropriately titled, high energy tune, “NRG.” The clip was directed by Dugan O'Neal and reminds me of a scene from the film Requiem For A Dream if it took place in a much happier world; A-Trak and Van Helden go from watching some late night TV infomercials to staring in them alongside actor Jon C. Daly.
By Such and Such
shared a 13-minute conversation with Supreme creative director Brendon
Babenzien who provides some insights into how he entered the industry and his
take on style versus fashion. Of course Brendon has a pretty well-known history
with Animal Farm/Pervert post Don Busweiler joining The Brethren cult so we are
going take advantage of history by making this a double post highlighting both
the interview mentioned and sharing a new extended preview for the captivating “How Can I
be Down” documentary.
This eight minute preview includes chats with Erik Brunetti,
Eric Haze, Rick Klotz, Alyasha Owerka-Moore, Shepard Fairey,Ian MacKay and many more. Obviously the parallels between the cult like fandom people have for their streetwear and an actual cult is not lost on me or the folks being interviewed which makes this documentary all the more interesting; but If you have no idea what in the world I’m talking about take some time to watch
the clips below and you should be all caught up.
Well here is some news that I am very much interested in and is arguably much more important to our audience than another Jamie XX single.
It would seem that LA band The Neighbourhood will be dropping a mixtape titled #000000 & #FFFFFF in the very near future. The news is noteworthy because in our current musical climate rock has had some trouble with its output when compared to hip hop and electronic music. I’ve had the conversation more than a dozen times over the last three plus years, “Why do you promote so much hip hop when compared to rock music?” It’s true, I do share a whole lot more dance floor oriented tunes, not because I prefer the genre, I don't, but because the output simply eclipses that of rock based recordings, especially with the mixtape movement. As music culture and access continues to grow with technology and the internet it’s up to the recording artists to adapt to our ever increasing appetite for immediate satisfaction and access.
With that being said the band shared a new track and video for “Lurk” that goes with the found footage format, (another trend that has stemmed from mixtape culture) it features footage of Russian figure skater Evgeni Plushenko performing one of his historic routines.
Look for the tune to appear on the tape which will be available through Live Mixtapesin the very near future along with past favorites like “Silver.” And for those who are worried that this release will be filled with remixes, B-sides, and leftovers from previous sessions fear not, these are new songs.
New material from Atlanta metal mainstays Mastodon by way of
new lead single “High Road” which will appear on the bands forthcoming sixth
LP, Once More Round The Sun, dropping sometimes in June. The song actually sounds
pretty retro with clear touches of a 70’s and 80’s poking through the 4 min tune.
Art work for the new LP is said to be done by Skinner who also did the poster
for the band you see above.
Converge have released a joint video for "Precipice" and “All We Love We leave Behind” from their 2012 album of the same name. The visuals were directed by filmmaker/animator Craig Murray, who utilizes both stop-motion and hand-drawn animation to tell the story of a man who seemingly loses everything. Note
the reference to Jake’s fallen and beloved canine friend at the start of the clip. If you like what you see and hear you can buy at-shirt that utilizes a screen grab from the clip with proceeds appropriately
going to the Northeast Animal Shelter in Salem, Massachusetts.
Childish Gambino released a video for “Sweatpants”, a standout tune from his 2013 album, Because The Internet. The video has an unsettling mood as the visuals continuously loop, each rerun introducing another copy of the emcee who eventually replaces everyone in the diner setting. Directed by Hiro Murai with a shout out at 2:23.
23-yeard-old Filipino producer, Eyedress, dropped a new mixtape titled, Hearing Colors, to follow up his début EP on Abeano last year. Idris’s work continues to be influenced by the times in the best way possible and this time round he enlists Skint Eastwood to provide vocals for six of the twelve hazy, spacey, electronic soundscapes. Listen below and grab it for free from HERE.
Banksy has shared some new work; the first piece REALLY speaks to me as I absolutely detest everyone’s current love affair with their mobile device. Try living in the moment and enjoying the company of those that you are actually surrounded by. I know we are all very busy in 2014 and need to be on call just like a doctor, you know because if someone can't reach you to ask where to file that report they might actually have to figure it out for themselves; and of course there is the constant checking of stock reports, fantasy league teams, Candy Crush and Instagram accounts that need your undivided attention but YEAH, NO, FUCK OFF ALREADY!
The second piece popped up in Gloucestershire, in close proximity to the U.K.'s equivalent of the NSA. and features three characters that look like old school spies listening in on a phone booth, not unlike big brother does in real life.
Aesop Rock surprised fans yesterday when he released a free beat tape called The Blob. He described it as a collection of “Beats, loops, bleeps, bloops, and crap that didn’t make it.” Make note of the young Ian on the cover and give it a spin and download via the player below...
I suppose this will be the most talked about set at this year’s Coachellafestival, as people really seem to love themselves some Outkast. Of course at this point the duo of Big Boiand André 3000 has announced many festival dates that will take them through most major cities and festival circuit’s this summer. Fans should be pleased as both these rappers have been doing this for years and are pro’s in their delivery. The hour and a half set includes selections from multiple albums with most of the radio hits present and guest emcee’s to boot. Of course these video’s are usually taken down super quickly so get you fix now while you can.
Former At The Drive-In/Defacto/Mars Volta heavyweights Cedric Bixler and Omar Rodríguez-López return to the scene with a new band called Antemasque. The project reunites the veterans with Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea, who of course has played on several Mars Volta records and other various projects with the duo. “4AM” is most certainly closer in sound to the work that has been heard post ATDI in that there is a strong 70’s psychedelic rock influence to it while "Hanging In The Lurch" probably has more in common with ATDI.
Here is some bonus video footage of the band during the creative process...
A-Trak and Armand Van Helden have been busy the last couple
of years building up a sound and fan base for their playful dance floor project,
Duck Sauce. The appropriately titled Quack,
which is out April 15th via A-Trak’s Fool’s Goldlabel, can now be streamed below
in its entirety. Get them dancing shoes out as this one is sure to please all
the filter-disco fans out there during those hot summer nights, highlights for myself include "Chariots Of The Gods," ""Radio Stereo" and "NRG".
I shared a stream of Lykki Li’s latest single “No Rest For
The Wicked” back in mid-March and you can also find a taste of the songstress’
new music on a certain playlist as well but if you missed it both those times
around now’s your chance to hear the song via the music video. The visuals come
from director Tarik Salehand deal with a subject matter apparently close to
the singer’s heart based on her body of work, love. Look for I Never Learn to drop on May
5th.
On June 9, Tri Angle Records signee and former Altar of Plagues frontman James Kelly (aka WIFE) will release his new album What’s Between. We have a first taste of the LP via lead single “Heart Is A Far Light,” a tune that is easily the most vocal heavy effort from the man so far but still maintain the ghostly atmospherics of past works.
I haven't really posted much from the XX camp in quite some time, and while Jamie xx’s latest tune has been floating around the internet for a moment now I waited until today to finally share it in the form of its new video. The “Sleep Sound” visuals were handled by London artist/poet Sofia Mattioli who found her inspiration in an unexpected way…
“I was on a train listening to music, getting deep into it, and this girl started staring at me. After a while I took my headphones off and she came up to me, started signing and then wrote me a note to say that she was deaf but could almost feel the music by my movement.
The relationship between silence and music is a big part of what I am trying to express with my work. The first kid in the video, Archie, was bliss—all of them were amazing. I hope this is a project I can develop further.”
Mattioli brought on-board thirteen members of the Manchester Deaf Centre, and together, they danced to “Sleep Sound.” The performers responded to the movement of Mattioli and the vibrations in the air given off by the song.”
Danny Brown shared a new video for Old track
"25 Bucks", which features Purity Ring's Megan
James. In the clip, directed by NORTON, Danny and Megan
interact with an environment frozen in time.
As previously reported mash up master Girl Talk returns after a long break with a new EP that acts as a collaborative effort with fellow hometown rapper Freeway. The Philadelphia duo gifts the 6-song Broken Ankles for free and it’s a high-powered, energetic affair sure to get the booty shaking as the weather gets warmer here in the East Coast. Guest spots include Waka Flocka Flame, Young Chris and Jadakiss. Forthe sample junkies out there such as myself here is a partial list of artists the Greg pulled from..
5th Ward Boyz, Add N to (X), Bob Azzam, Beyoncé, Ray Charles, DJ Khaled, Egg, Enon, Aretha Franklin, Jimmy Eat Worl,d Just Ice & KRS-One, Kansas, Cyndi Lauper, Lumidee, Mouse On Mars, Nine Inch Nails, Notorius B.I.G., OMG Girlz, Outkast, Pan Sonic, Freda Payne, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Esther Phillips, Ram Jam, George Russell, Swizz Beatz, The Temprees, The Temptations, Tubeway Army, Rick Wakeman, Dottie West, Iannis Xenakis, Ying Yang Twins
Queens of the Stone Agehave shared a humorous new video for "Smooth Sailing", from 2013's Like Clockwork. The clip was directed by a familiar face here at Onomatopoeia,Hiro Murai, and see’s QOTSA front man Josh Homme spending a night out with Japanese businessmen, inevitably things get dark by the end of the journey.
PartySupplies return with the new 80’s inspired "4 More Months
2 Go". Not sure if the duo are hinting at a sophomore album already but
the tune most certainly sounds like more than just a B-side. They had this to
say about the song…
“To make this song we started by slightly interpolating and
looping an instrumental section of Andrew Gold's 1977 hit song "Lonely Boy."
This loop became a platform for us to explore what is now this song. Please
Enjoy and all respect due to the songwriter Andrew Gold and his family. RIP
Andrew Gold.”
London’s TĀLĀshared a ghostly bass-heavy track called “The Duchess” taken from her forthcoming debut EP of the same name on Aesop label. So far she has remained somewhat secretive about herself but that doesn't matter because the tunes speak for themselves.
I’ve actually shared several tunes from London based multi instrumentalist, musician, composer and producer Cosmo Sheldrake but never properly introduced him by name here on the blog. He regularly performs on banjo, loop station, keyboards, double bass, drums, penny whistle, sousaphone, accordion and many more instruments, of which some you will definitely pick up on his début single.
“The Moss” is set to drop sometimes in April via Transgressive Records but truth be told I’m feeling the B-side more so that’s what I’m sharing with y’all today.
Cloud Nothings have shared a video for the lead single from their new album, Here And Nowhere Else, which officially came out today. The clip was directed by Ryan Manning, who has handled several of the bands previous videos and centers around a girl’s sleepover party.
