Jai Paul – BTSTU

Posted on by santiago

jai-paul

Jai Paul is the elusive British artist who signed to XL Recordings (Jungle, Radiohead, Vampire Weekend) in 2010. Since then, only two singles have been officially released — his debut being “BTSTU.” In 2013, the London producer was the victim of a BandCamp leak, and a collection of unfinished recordings were published (and later retracted), confounding the blogosphere amidst varying reports regarding the source of the leak.

Nonetheless, the false-alarm LP made it to number 20 on Pitchfork’s Top 50 Albums of 2013 list, and was sampled by both Drake and Beyonce, to give you a better idea of this guy’s potential. The brilliance of “BTSTU” is the abrasively bold lyrics, contrasted with the ghostly falsetto and masterfully inventive production. Stream the song below – available for purchase on iTunes here .

According to XL manager Rodaidh McDonald, Jai Paul has been tinkering around in the studio working on his new album, and has been for years. Although not one to adhere to any timetable, let’s hope the withholding artist decides to share it with the masses soon.

Spoon – Do You

Posted on by poetryinanemptycokecan

spoon1

Most music followers are aware by now that Spoon, the beloved indie rock band from Austin, Texas released their first album in four years this August. After the hiatus — in which the individual members pursued various solo projects — they came together refreshed and reenergized to create the critically acclaimed new LP, They Want My Soul. Collaborating with two major producers, Joe Chiccarelli (My Morning Jacket, Morrissey, The Strokes), and later Dave Friedman (Neon Indian, MGMT, Tame Impala), the band manages to achieve a sound that is classic Spoon with a modern, synth-coated spin.

Their track “Do You,” with its infectious melodies, catchy guitar riffs and gritty chorus is probably the most immediately accessible on the album. Listen below, along with two of our other favorites, “Outlier” and “Let Me Be Mine.”

And in case you missed the memo, Spoon is playing not one, not two, but THREE sold-out shows at Lincoln Theatre in DC this week (9/2 – 9/4). Hope you didn’t slack on this one!

 

And just for fun, some vintage Spoon. We summon you to let us know your favorite Spoon track in the comments!

RMX ROUNDUP: Fink + Kulkid / Lorde + Terace / Slow Magic

Posted on by poetryinanemptycokecan

kulkid1

Labor Day weekend is upon us, and so is another Remix Roundup! We’ll make this quick so we can all get back to our regularly scheduled, end-of-summer activities.

This week’s edition begins with French producer Kulkid‘s fresh house remix of Fink‘s “All Cried Out.” On his SoundCloud page, Kulkid discloses that he made the mix for fun and is giving it away for free. Very kind indeed. Next is Australian producer Terace‘s take on Lorde‘s cover of “Swingin’ Party” — the melodic B-side track off the star’s Tennis Court EP (originally sung by The Replacements). Terace takes the track to new house heights in a comforting rework that feels like a warm hug.

And lastly, we couldn’t help but share another one from Slow Magic, whose single “Girls” was featured in last week’s Roundup. This past week the mysterious producer dropped another new track, “Waited 4 U” and it’s too good to hold off on. Stream the magical mid-tempo number below as you wait for his EP to drop September 9. It may be his best yet.

Panama – Stay Forever

Posted on by poetryinanemptycokecan

Panama

On the heels of their debut North American tour, Panama have released another dreamy pop song as a free download for all of the support they’ve received. The three minute anthem from the Sydney outfit is a shimmering synth-soaked track with a minimal sound that is reminiscent of M83. If you need something to bliss out to during Labor Day weekend — or accompany your beach ambitions — then look no further. Stream below and pick up the track on SoundCloud today.

Tennis – I’m Callin’

Posted on by poetryinanemptycokecan

Tennis

As Tennis get ready to release their third album, Ritual in Repeat, the husband-wife duo have dropped a couple of tracks in anticipation, including “I’m Callin'” and “Never Work For Free.” Although both songs exhibit the usual effervescent dreampop characteristics we’ve come to love about the Denver-based pair, they sound more ebullient than ever on the new tracks. The springy chorus of their single “I’m Callin'” recalls the early pop sensibilities of Madonna’s first album (so what’s not to like)? Heck, even their website is a super fun exercise in nostalgia (involving an interactive spray can that reminds me of digital design software from the 90s).

The forthcoming LP — produced by Patrick Carney (The Black Keys), Jim Eno (Spoon), and Richard Swift (The Shins) — is due out September 9 via Communion. Listen to both new tracks below.

Tennis embark on their fall tour next month, making a stop at DC’s Black Cat September 25.

Beatenberg – Rafael

Posted on by poetryinanemptycokecan

beatenberg1

Something tells me the new indie pop outfit out of South Africa, Beatenberg are not too keen on the fact that Rafa is out of the US Open this year. The Cape Town trio — Matthew Field (vocals/guitar), Ross Dorkin (bass), and Robin Brink (drums) — have a distinctly South African sound that falls somewhere between Vampire Weekend and Paul Simon circa Graceland. Although all classically trained musicians, Beatenberg believe that pop music can be serious too. On the subject, lead vocalist Matthew says: It’s about emotions, images and fleeting senses of things: the mad stuff that everyone feels and almost understands.

Watch the official lyric video for “Rafael” below as you ponder whether to place your bets on Federer or Nole this year. Also worth viewing is a live taping of the melodic song “Scorpionfish.” Lastly, listen to a collaborative remix of “Pluto” (Remember You) with DJ Clock for a preview of the highly infectious original (my favorite track, available for streaming only at HD).

The new album, The Hanging Gardens of Beatenberg was released in South Africa August 15. Here’s hoping we won’t have to wait too long for the international release.

RMX ROUNDUP: Cyril Hahn + Ryan Ashley / Disclosure + TEEMID / Slow Magic

Posted on by poetryinanemptycokecan

CyrilHahn

So many remixes, so little time. Which is why every Saturday, we serve up the latest and greatest electronic offerings in a segment called Remix Roundup.

This edition begins with the new one from Swiss producer Cyril Hahn, whose sophomore EP Voices is due to be released via PMR Records (Disclosure, Jessie Ware) any day now. While the now Vancouver-based artist has built a name for himself remixing greats like “Say My Name” from Destiny’s Child in his unique production style, as of late he’s been working on his own material with the help of guest vocalists. Enter Ryan Ashley, who lends his luscious vocals to Hahn’s latest track, “Open,” a house track that splices two recorded sentences over swelling synths, a pulsing beat, and an undercurrent of vulnerability that seems to suggest an open wound. If you’re in the NY area, catch Cyril Hahn spinning TONIGHT, August 23 at Brooklyn’s Output Club.

Next is a reinterpretation of the ubiquitous Disclosure track, “Latch,” which gets a unique makeover from French producer TEEMID. Technically a cover, TEEMID reunites with Canadian singer Daniela Andrade to produce one hell of a deep house rework that’s a complete departure from the original. Listen below and latch on to a free download on SoundCloud.

Lastly, vibe out to the soothing all-instrumental track and recent single from Slow Magic, “Girls.” We were first introduced to the enigmatic producer through his dreamy remix of Delorean’s “Destitute Time.” Since then he’s signed to hit label Downtown Records (Chet Faker, Miike Snow), and is getting ready to drop his new LP How To Run Away September 9. Stream below — local folk can catch Slow Magic live September 23 at DC9.

Lauryn Hill – Black Rage

Posted on by poetryinanemptycokecan

laurynhill

In the wake of unrest in Ferguson, MO, Lauryn Hill has shared an old demo and unsettling tribute to these tragic events entitled “Black Rage.” Rendering the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic, “My Favorite Things,” into a raw, emotionally-charged piece on racial injustice, never has Hill’s musical prowess been so on point.

Although she’s been performing the song live since 2012, MLH tweeted the track earlier this week, calling on peace for the people of Missouri. Stream the simultaneously macabre and magnificent cover below.

“An old sketch of Black Rage, done in my living room. Strange, the course of things. Peace for MO.” – MLH

THROWBACK THURS: Broken Social Scene – ‘You Forgot It in People’

Posted on by Jon

21.-Broken-Social-Scene-You-Forgot-It-In-People

Along with myself and ketchup chips (yes), Broken Social Scene’s 2002 release You Forgot It in People is high in the running for the best thing to ever come out of Canada. The big band Arts & Crafts collective’s sophomore release unveiled their notoriously huge roster long before Arcade Fire or even The Polyphonic Spree got around to it, boasting talents like Leslie Feist and Emily Haines along with frontrunners Kevin Drew and Brendan Canning.

It’s a hard album to describe considering the sonic and tonal shifts the album manages to maneuver through. At once it recalls Yo La Tengo, Nick Drake, and a bit of Interpol but the diversity of these comparisons paint an incomplete picture of the album, and serve only to show the variety on offer. Make no mistake, the songs should be consumed together to be fully appreciated, lest the marked shift in styles and tone lose their weight.

A major inflection point occurs towards the end of the album’s first single “Cause=Time,” as the horn section’s languid outro veers the record from catchy rock into more solemn territory. The dour last half of this record, in stark contrast to its opening, presents what are arguably its strongest tracks – chief among them being the diptych of “Late Night Bedroom Rock for the Missionaries and Shampoo Suicide.”

 

Whereas the first half of the album sports spritely vocals and plucky bass lines, by the time BSS have made it through the eighth track they seem to be grappling with a weightier sense of both mood and rhythm. Between the plaintive vocals lacing “Shampoo Suicide,” the funereal pianos treading through “Lover’s Spit,” and the dirge-like melodies of “I’m Still Your Fag,” the record seems to somberly redden and drop away like the last weeks of summer.

This album came out when I was too young to understand it but I listened to it anyways. Eventually, I grew into and experienced what these songs were trying to express and found myself returning to it time and again. You Forgot It in People endures because in its honesty and richness, it has the unique ability to remain consistently evocative without subsisting on mere nostalgia.

Stream the album in its entirety on Spotify.

Shannon Saunders – Sheets

Posted on by poetryinanemptycokecan

sheets

Listening to the debut track, “Sheets” from Shannon Saunders, you would never guess that the rising young artist from Oxford got her start from YouTube. She joins the likes of other British stars such as Ed Sheeran, who climbed the ranks using the social wizardry of the internet.

With “Sheets,” Saunders achieves an accessible and yet sophisticated torch-esque pop track, backed by a house production. The song also hit number 1 on the HypeM charts this week, so it’s probably safe to say she won’t be relying on self-promo much longer. Stream below.