Procrastination is not the business. Until it is. And being that I still need to knock out this 10-page paper, it seems like the ideal time to drop a handful of tracks on the Bowties. Jesse already knows, but the real gem in here is the Jose James. Trey Songz goin in over Gucci’s “Lemonade” is a highlight too. Folks out there are grinding too, so if I can distract them from something “important” for a minute, I think I’ve done my job for the day. For all the things we try to do here, we can’t really claim to be helpful as far as homework goes. My apologies.
The folks looking for an easy, party-friendly follow-up to say, “Kids” or “Electric Feel”, might want to find a new trendy band to follow. The first two tracks let loose from MGMT’s sophomore album, “Flash Delirium” and “Congratulations” find the indie sensations rebelling against the instant pop appeal of the singles from Oracular Spectacular. “Flash” is a dense and exciting psychedelic pop song that recalls recent Flaming Lips and late-’60s Beatles, while “Congratulations” is more of a stripped down, acoustic slow jam. Congratulations is due out April 13, and will feature a grand total of zero singles. Interesting to say the least.
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Last month, Max, Danny and myself had the privilege of being among a small group of folks who witnessed the first live performance of Broken Bells, the collaborative project put together by Danger Mouse and James Mercer. With a capacity that couldn’t have been more than 200, the show was a firsthand, intimate look at exactly what it was these two had in store. When this particular joint dropped, Max and I could already tell it was bad. In other words, it’s good. And “The Ghost”, like this song and this song, is nothing if not good. The album drops today, and to say I’m giving it a cosign would be a serious understatement. Cop that.
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Cole asked me if this was going to become a regular thing. The short answer is yes, it is. I love music, and consequently, I like to blog about it. But folks like say, Talib Kweli & Hi-Tek, U-N-I or Sharon Jones (look below) just aren’t really sensitive to the fact that we like to post songs one at a time. We’re inspired by a lot of things at once. So my hands are pretty much tied here. For the record, Gorillaz kinda stole the show this week. Plastic Beach drops next week, so get you a copy.
For lack of better words, this album is about to be on some other shit. If the guestlist (Lou Reed, Little Dragon, Snoop Dogg, Bobby Womack) didn’t cue you into that, this should. Taking a unique approach to promotion for Plastic Beach, Gorillaz dropped this 8-minute collection, featuring a preview of some of the project’s most interesting cuts. Included in the mix are the single, “Stylo” and the De La Soul-assisted “Superfast Jellyfish” which has been making the rounds on the blog circuit over the last few days. The official release date is March 9th. Until then, we got the album mix.
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Sometimes all it takes is one song. Sometimes it doesn’t even need to be a song you wrote. In Barbara’s case, both are true. The L.A. electro-pop trio recently dropped their acoustic take on Cudi’s “Pursuit of Happiness”, instantly landing them on a handful of blogs. The point being that a great song doesn’t really have boundaries. Apply the same chords and words to some new instruments and you can turn a song into something that’s your own. I feel like I should be slapping this by a campfire or something. Anyways, Barbara caught my attention with this one. So now it’s up here.
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Some cats are up too late. I guess a few are just up way too early. Either way, the dope new music just doesn’t stop. The internet is a beautiful, beautiful thing. So here goes the first Cudi & Snoop collab, some brand new Devin, Janelle’s second single, and a handful of other quality shit that folks should be hearing (just don’t sleep on the TiRon). Speaking of quality shit, I had the privilege of being in the house for two incredible musical experiences this weekend, courtesy of Broken Bells and Strong Arm Steady. So thanks to all those involved in pulling those nights together. Don’t be surprised when you see both Stoney Jackson and the Broken Bells record on damn near everybody’s “best of” lists come December. As always, thanks for the love and support. Max already told you. Bowties is for the people.
As a rule, I’d say that when a previously unreleased set of Hendrix tracks drops, you should probably listen. Recorded at the peak of his career, between 1968 and 1970, the upcoming Valleys of Neptune will give listeners a chance to hear seven tracks of previously unreleased Jimi material. I’m not always a fan of the posthumous releases, but for obvious reasons, this seems like it’s worth looking into. Anything Jimi was doing in the studio around the same time as Electric Ladyland probably just needs to be heard. The title track, “Valleys of Neptune” is the lead single. Super settled.
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I think it was Will that put me up on the BSS. In fact I know it was. Getting on a spliff to “Anthems For a Seventeen Year-Old Girl” in the den. Broken Social Scene is kind of a reimagined concept of what a band means. Ranging anywhere from six to nineteen members, depending on the day, the massive Canadian collective includes Feist, Metric and a handful of other members who make music on their own. BSS is set to drop their first album in five years with Forgiveness Rock Record. The 7-minute build that makes up “World Sick” is the first song to drop. We’ll keep you posted on the rest.
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Somehow, even with the gang of tracks I’ve thrown up from Vampire Weekend in the past few months, “Giving Up the Gun” didn’t find it’s way onto the Bowties. Nonetheless, the track is a gem, and probably the most accessible song from Contra. Needless to say, when Pitchfork dropped the news that the video would feature cameos from RZA, Jake Gylenhaal and Lil’ Jon, I was already juiced. Apparently there’s a Jonas Brother in there somewhere too (shrug). Why exactly the video takes place during a weird tennis match is beyond me. But by now, you should probably have enough reasons to press play anyway.
Yeah, that Bob Dylan. From now up until April 10, the Halcyon Gallery in London will be running an exhibition of Bob’s second most popular artistic medium. The paintings, from a collection he calls The Drawn Blank Series, are based on hand-drawn sketches, mostly done on tour from 1989 to 1992. These are dope, and it’s always cool to see folks that try new things and exercise their creativity in different ways. The more ways, the better, really. Check below for the collection, and Bob’s artist statement.
On paper, pretty much everything about this movie sounds dope. When You’re Strange, directed by Tom DiCillo is made up of archival footage, documenting the legendary band from their rise to stardom up until Jim Morrison’s death in 1971. With narration by Johnny Depp, the film will give its audience a chance to see live performances and studio footage not seen anywhere else. When You’re Strange is an official selection for Sundance, as well as the LA film festival, and will be making its debut this June. For now, peep the trailer above.
It’s a beautiful morning out in LaLa today. For the record, Tha Boogie and Breezy Lovejoy did their thing at the Little Temple last night. Keep an eye on those cats. Anyway, I woke up feeling like it was time to sprinkle the front page with some new shit once again. Like most weeks, this one brought with it a handful of quality music. And as usual, it’s more than we can really drop on day-to-day basis. Not to mention it’s been a crazy week. The four-year anniversary of Jay Dee’s untimely passing on Wednesday, and the shocking and tragic death of fashion icon Alexander McQueen really put things in focus. Life is too short, so we really do have to live for today. Danny, thanks for the valuable perspective. My dude Matt will be celebrating tonight. I suggest you join him. We got a lot to celebrate.
This is just a pretty ass song. Over the second half of the last decade, Hot Chip became one of the most buzzed-about indie bands, and with good reason. Tying together a pretty diverse range of influences (as far as I know, they’re the only indie band to cover “Sexual Eruption”), the London-based outfit was responsible for some of the most forward-thinking electro-pop in recent memory. One Life Stand is the latest from Hot Chip, led by the two singles “One Life Stand” and “Take It In”. While the singles are both dope, “Alley Cats” is a little more of a departure from their signature sound, building off subtlety more than anything else. The album’s out now. So cop it here.
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“When I sit and close my eyes,
A gentle thought comes in my mind,
My love is burnin’ brightly
My moon and stars shine nightly…”
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