The Justin Bieber story took its inevitable step into hip hop last month with Kanye West’s remix of ‘Runaway Love,’ but it took a leap into the ultra-surreal earlier today when he premiered ‘Speaking in Tongues,’ the first glimpse of his rapping alter-ego Shawty Mane.
It’s entirely unclear whether this is a genuine musical statement or a pop culture spoof the likes of which the world hasn’t seen since Orson Welles dropped the radio broadcast of his namesake H.G.’s War of the Worlds in1938, but it certainly is… something.
Credit for this one goes to ATM on the hip hop forum.
Mere mortals like myself tend to be mesmerised by beatboxers at the best of times, but Los Angeles rapper Red takes it to a whole ‘nother level. This video, filmed when Red was homeless on the streets of LA, shows him in full G-Funk mode, mixing chest percussion, throat bass and insane natural vocoder action in what already ranks as one of the greatest things I’ve ever seen in my entire life.
There’s a hint of a commercial tie-in as Red wears a “Just Do It” shirt while dropping rhymes about Nike, but it could as easily be coincidence. The numerous references to Warren G, G-Funk Records and Snoop Dogg, not so much so. Sit back and prepare to just… wow.
James Blake is unstoppable. It’s gone beyond the point where everything he touches turns to gold… the man invents new elements to turn things into in the first place. Including this: a cover of Feist’s The Limit To Your Love, set to be the first single of his upcoming EP (yes, another one) and hot off the heels of the dazzling Klavierwerke EP. By now, he’s so far from his roots in dubstep that’s it’s only just perceptible in the deep sub bass horizon that takes this song – vocals and all – to a level I didn’t even know existed.
Shakira’s decision to cover the xx’s ‘Islands’ (originally retitled ‘Explore,’ now re-retitled ‘Islands’ again) isn’t exactly a huge shock, having been signposted in the summer with strategically leaked samples and a televised live cover at Glastonbury.
It is rather good, however.
Shakira’s cover is faster and less intimate than the original, laying a thumping club beat below the tropical guitar riff, but it does somehow manage to work.
Zola Jesus is Nika Roza Danilova, a classically trained vocalist and Julliard reject by the age of 10. With this re-recording of the massive “Sea Talk”, which features on the Valusia EP released just today, she continues her proclivity for creating huge, swelling pop songs with a gothic synth twist.
Before detailing the show itself, there is a intricately webbed story behind the recent movement of Glassjaw (most of the following details are with great help of the www.glassjaw.net message board). Back on August 8th, 2010, Glassjaw released the “All Good Junkies Go To Heaven” single and played a coordinating show in the United Kingdom. Soon after, Glassjaw secretly played a small Long Island venue (Vibe Lounge) on September 9th, 2010 that aligned with the “Jesus Glue” vinyl release date. Like the 9/9/10 date, Sons Modern put together a show at Maxwell’s in New Jersey on October 10th, the same date that the “Natural Born Farmer” single dropped. Keeping a consistent pattern, this show was named “Sons Modern Family Gathering feat. Tidal Arms/Happy Body Slow Brain and very special guest.” Once again, this led to mass speculation, specifically that Glassjaw would be playing the bill. Now, the previous three singles were labeled with the numbers 88, 89, and 90 respectively, and a short history lesson allows you to know that Glassjaw have attached themselves to the year 1993, the year the band formed (and a number they are likely counting up to). Putting the pieces together, the writing is on the wall of what is to come. On 11/11/10 and 12/12/10 there will be two more singles and at least two more shows, filling up 91 and 92 in their catalog. However, when Glassjaw play January 1st,…
Weezer laughed off an offer of $10 million to break up, but would it really cost that much?
It helped that it was a slow week, but there was an unusual amount of press attention last Wednesday when Seattle man James Burns boldly offered rock band Weezer $10 million to stop making music.
The concept of paying musicians to retire isn’t exactly a new one, but in this case it reflected a real long-held view among part of the band’s fanbase that, well, maybe retirement wouldn’t be the worst idea in the world. Having spent much of the ’90s and early ’00s as a solid ‘album every two or three years’ band, Weezer have released four in the past five years and the dramatic slide in quality has been noticed by all but the most easily-amused fan.
Whether the petition was intended as a joke or a genuine expression of frustration – more than likely both – the band were quick to laugh it off, with drummer Patrick Wilson joking that “if they can make it 20, we’ll do the ‘deluxe breakup’!” Frontman Rivers Cuomo rather missed the point entirely, reassuring fans that “no petition and no amount of money will stop us from being together!” In any case, spoilsport Burns has since shut the petition down.
It’s a pity – it would have been nice if Weezer had at least have pretended to entertain the offer…
Halloween is coming up in a matter of weeks (one of only 11 Irish festivals, so enjoy it while you can!)
This year, Insane Clown Posse – Michigan’s scariest, most grotesque rap duo since Kid Rock and Joe C. – have decided to mark the occasion with a brand new song entitled ‘This Halloween is Crazy.’ Well it certainly is that.
You thought rainbows were insane? Just you wait for this Halloween – it’s crazy. Magnets… confusing? Wait until it starts raining pumpkins up in this bitch. Spooky, spooky! A witch smacks into a tree? BOOM! Welcome to Detroit, bitch.
Insane Clown Posse – ‘This Halloween Is Crazy’
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In anticipation of their second album Helioscope, tentatively scheduled for February 2011, we’re proud to present the video and full-length stream for Vessels’ new single ‘Meatman, Piano Tuner, Prostitute.’
Vessels fans will notice one new feature on the band’s new single, ‘Meatman, Piano Tuner, Prostitute’: vocalist Stuart Warwick (himself a solo musician) is omnipresent on the track, making it about as close to a standard “pop” track as the Leeds post-rockers have ever made.
Vessels’ debut album White Fields & Open Devices was lauded on Sputnik for its unexpected twists and imaginative way of combining sounds, including a refreshing willingness to use vocals as an extra instrument rather than as focal point or (such is the case with most post-rock acts) just ignoring them completely.
‘Meatman’ is a bit of a departure, then, as Warwick’s singing is very much the central structure. However it’s very much a change that pays off as it allows the group to incorporate more non-rock effects, with shimmering, distorted sounds and corrosive piano effects jarring elegantly with Warwick’s fluid, almost violin-like vocals, and the inevitably explosive release of guitars and drums is all the more electric as a result.
The single is accompanied by a Kira Zhigalina-directed video that is as colourful and distinctive as the song itself.
Vessels — ‘Meatman, Piano Tuner, Prostitute’
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Gold Panda has made available his entire debut album Lucky Shiner for streaming. The album delivers on all the promise shown in singles such as Quitter’s Raga and You, carving out an enticing array of songs.
Lucky Shiner is available for purchase digitally at Ghostly International, with the physical copy releasing October 12th.
With the onset of daylight saving time a mere thirty hours away and a couple of relatively warmer days just gone, the mood of the punters entering Mebourne’s Festival Hall (not so affectionately known as Festering Hall) on this particular Friday night seemed just a little more jovial than usual. Those who arrived early would have been treated to Perth act The Chemist… For this attendee however, it was to be dinner and drinks that would win out, before arriving for the surprisingly well-known international supporting act; Los Angeles alternative rock quartet Silversun Pickups.
It says something about the progression of the Australian music industry when a local band – and not exactly one which the average Joe on the street would even know – can attract such an acclaimed international support. And while there could easily have been a case for this to be a true co-headline show, Silversun Pickups fans would be treated to their own headline slot (albeit at a smaller venue) three nights earlier. On an early trip to the men’s room for yours truly, urinal talk suggested the crowd were rather evenly split as to who they were there for. And even when one already inebriated man was at a loss as to who these “Pickups” were, all was ok when he was told they had a “chick” in the band.
Even on record, Silversun Pickups rely on a fuzzy, distorted sound, so it was a little overwhelming that
Ham SandwicH (there’s no real reason for that capital H – it doesn’t make it look any more symmetrical) released their second album, White Fox, last week (stream here).
To coincide with the release they went on Irish and recorded this oddly brilliant cover of Britney Spears’ slut’s anthem ‘Piece of Me.’
It’s Britney, bitch. Not really.
Ham Sandwich – ‘Piece of Me’ (Britney Spears cover)
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I don’t really know anything about Sound Set aside from what their Facebook and my rudimentary French tells me, which is that they’re a Franco-German trio of DJs and producers with a passion for new wave, house and “The Swedish touch.”
Whatever their influences, they’ve zeroed in on the most important one of all – Butch Walker – and unleashed this beefy remix synced to the original track’s Kung Fu-themed video. Enjoy.
