Mat Kerekes, frontman of Citizen, will be releasing 'Luna & the Wild Blue Everything,' a solo project 8/26, and the newest release (and video) is 'My Lucky #3.' I thoroughly enjoyed 'My Lucky #3' and also appreciated the story behind it. The song is catchy, catchier than I expected. I also adore the album art. I have a lot of issues with the music video. Kerekes collaborated with Ryland Oehlers, guitarist in Citizen. I didn't feel as though the video fit the vibe I got from the song, and I think it's only getting under my skin as much as it is, because the song is honestly really good. The video is creating this weird dissonance in my head that I can't shake, but I don't think entirely in the way it might have been intended. Overall, I'm quite excited for 'Luna & the Wild Blue Everything,' and I see a lot of great things ahead for Kerekes.
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Stream Dinosaur Jr.'s new album 'Give a Glimpse of What Yer Not' below via Spotify. 'Tiny' is definitely my favorite, but in all honesty, it's more of the same. It's exactly what I was expecting, and though solid, and technically very well done, I was kind of hoping to be surprised.
Check out the lineup for Tyler the Creator's Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival below. Highlights include Kehlani, Flatbush Zombies, SZA, Lil Wayne, Erykah Badu, Schoolboy Q, A$AP Rocky, Tyler the Creator, Chance the Rapper, Taco, Leftbrain, Domo Genesis, The Internet, Joey Bada$$, A$AP Ferg, and Sleigh Bells.
The 'Carnival' will run from November 12-13th in LA
I have a giant soft spot for Tove Lo, and I was more than excited to see she had a new release. 'Cool Girl' was inspired by the film/book 'Gone Girl' and the monologue talking all about the sacrifices the protagonist had to make in order to be a cool wife. Tove Lo wrote a great commentary on that situation, and I think introducing these ideas into fairly mainstream house beats will do the world a lot of good.
In an interview with Rolling Stone, Tove Lo discusses all of this: "She's gone full psycho, and she's sitting there talking about 'He wanted a cool girl, so I ate pizza. I drank beer. I made a size two. I didn't give a fuck that he checked out other women.' I was thinking about it, and it's really true. Why do we try to be someone we're not to make someone love us? Would you want to fake yourself for the rest of your life? That's fucked up. Even though she's creepy, I kind of thought it was funny that it's just very common to see that."
I'm really hoping this message isn't lost on the world and I'm really glad Tove Lo latched on to this. I'm so sick of seeing girls muffle their personality of not speak up when stuff bothers them, just so they can seem accommodating and cool and low key. Fuck that. Good for Tove Lo, and let's all hope she keeps it up with sweet songs with killer messages.
Turnstile released the A Side of their new EP titled 'Move Through Me.' The two songs, 'Come Back For Me' and 'Harder on You' are true to what we're used to from Turnstile, and like Stereogum notes, they're hardcore alright, but they're also certainly melodic. I'm hoping Side B will maybe show something different, some growth, rather than more of the same, but I'm sure Turnstile's fans will embrace it, even if it's just more of the same,
The record is out 9/16 and you can stream Side A below via Soundcloud. In the light of canceled shows and rumors of personal issues, I have been very concerned about Mac. But my hopes have been restored with this song and an even more recent album release date announcement via Instagram. “Dang!” has a very funky, borderline jazzy vibe.
The combination of Anderson .Paak’s soulful vocals and Mac’s ever playful rhymes is perfect. The song is obviously about a girl, but it still retains Mac’s light upbeat mood. The single art and video feature very colorful flower, potted plant, gold chains, an umbrella, cherries, and what looks to me like a vintage white Volvo convertible. I absolutely love the playfulness of this track, and I hope that this is foreshadowing of Mac’s return to his Best Day Ever and Blue Slide Park days, and that we have moved out of the equally as good, but darker Watching Movies with the Sound Off and Live from Space days. As a fan I am happy to see something upbeat coming from a reportedly clean Mac, positive activity on social media, and the promise of a new Album Dang Malcolm on September 16.
Kehlani released 'Gangsta' for the Suicide Squad film soundtrack and can be streamed below via Apple Music. According to Pitchfork:
The Suicide Squad soundtrack also features a collaboration from Action Bronson, the Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach, and Mark Ronson. There are new songs by Grimes, Kevin Gates, Eminem, and more. Panic! At the Disco cover Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” for the film.
Though there's been a lot of mixed buzz about Suicide Squad, this track is haunting and beautiful and almost reminds me of a more modern soulful version of Destiny's Child's Soldier.
Without any buzz, Earl Sweatshirt released a new instrumental to Apple Music titled 'Pelicula.' There isn't too much to say here, other than speculation. Was it accidental or is new music coming? Who knows. According to Noisey: Titled simply "Pelicula" - which is Spanish for movie - the track is a one-minute beat that seems to be more fitting for Sweatshirt's production pseudonym "randomblackdude", because it is just sounds without any words. Perhaps what's more confusing though is the release has arrived without any information. Is it from a new album? Will Earl share it on Twitter? Was this uploaded early by mistake, like last year's details for I Don't Like Shit, I Don't Go Outside? Earl, if you're awake and reading this, is it too late? Whatever the case, the track itself, however short and sweet, shows the progress Sweatshirt's been making with his production. There's a hella flawless transition, some vibes that recall DOOM, and those stanky-ass chords that made early Odd Future tracks so irresistibly smooth. Listen below via Youtube:
I found Noname Gypsy from her verses with Chance The Rapper ages ago and always found her tracks super well thought out and interesting, so I was pumped to see she had a new mixtape out. The mixtape's tone is very sunny and summery, and though I would criticize releasing with so much buzz around Frank Ocean's (lack of) shenanigans, this is the perfect time of the year for these tracks. I also adore the album art, which feels not only very genuine but also, again, summer.
A write up by Consequence of Sound gets a lot right: This fusion of life and death, purity and destruction, acceptance and struggle recur, even symbolized on the tape’s cover, as the child-like portrait of Noname is paired with both flowers and a skull. Death rings too close to home for black youth in America, taken from playing in parks joyfully to a funeral home without any warning.
Stream below via Soundcloud.
Thom Sonny-Green of alt-J is releasing a solo LP 'High Anxiety' with Sudden Records/ Canvasback. The album is weird and melancholy, and leaves listeners in a bizarre reflective place. The press release notes the track's haunting synths and that cathedral-esque organ melody that flows through the second half of the album. According to Mass Appeal:
"it sounds like what would be playing in the distance if you were to walk through a swamp at dusk. The mix of electronic synths with hip hop rhythms sprinkled throughout are unsettling and welcoming at the same time." - MASS APPEAL
'High Anxiety' will be out August 19. Stream 'Oslo' and 'Preach' below via Youtube below, and note that it has Miley Cyrus' approval...
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