Video: Frank Ocean – Pyramids

Frank Ocean - Pyramids

An official video’s emerged this weekend for one of the many standouts on Frank Ocean‘s Channel Orange – the exquisitely overblown nine minute centrepiece ‘Pyramids’. Don’t expect to hear the track in full in the clip below – it’s a cinematic and suitably over-the-top take on the song that focuses on the track’s spaced out, slow-jammed second half. We get shots of Frank on a motorcycle and looking a little hysterical in a strip club, as well as a guest appearance from Channel Orange guest John Mayer. It’s pretentious, odd and enigmatic, and pretty much underlines why so many people have fallen for Frank’s fractured stories from his new album. Have a watch below. … Continue Reading

Hear an Aaliyah song featuring Drake, ‘Enough Said’

Aaliyah ft Drake - 'Enough Said'

There have been murmurings and murmurings and not very subtle hints from the man himself recently that Drake is involved in the imminent arrival of an album of unreleased Aaliyah material. Tonight, while the majority of the world were watching Usain Bolt run very fast, a song was posted on Drake’s OVO blog – it’s called ‘Enough Said’, it features Aaliyah’s unmistakable vocals alongside a verse from Drake and production from Noah ’40′ Shebib.

In a post-2Pac hologram world (there’s six words we never thought we’d write), you wouldn’t be blamed for feeling a little uncomfortable as musicians re-appropriate the music and image of artists who have passed away. However, after a few initial listens to ‘Enough Said’, it’s hard not to feel excited about this particular project – Shebib’s production is stunning, respectful, haunting and gorgeous. Drake also manages to reference Balotelli in the first lines of his verse halfway through the song – Manchester, stand up. Have a listen below. … Continue Reading

Hear a new Bat For Lashes song, ‘Laura’

Bat For Lashes - The Haunted Man

Back in 2009, Natasha Khan – Bat For Lashes to you and me – released her excellent second album, Two Suns – it was one of our favourites of the year. On October 15, she’ll release the follow-up, The Haunted Man – you can see the slightly dodgy album artwork to the left.

As a teaser, she’s made a track from the album available to stream – you can listen to ‘Laura’ below. It begins as a sparse, piano-led track, reminiscent of some of the more muted material on her debut Fur And Gold. It’s hard to remember a time when Khan’s voice has sounded so strong and confident, leaping through octave as she sings “Your name is tattooed on every boy’s skin/Oh Laura, you’re more than a superstar”. If you pre-order The Haunted Man on iTunes you’ll get ‘Laura’ as an instant download – in the meantime, have a listen below. … Continue Reading

Hear a new track from Dawn Richard, ‘Pretty Wicked Things’

Dawn Richard - 'Pretty Wicked Things'

Earlier this year, Dawn Richard caught a lot of people’s attention with her Armor On EP – we loved it - and yesterday, a new song called ‘Pretty Wicked Things’ premiered to begin the campaign towards her new album Goldenheart. As Dawn explains:

“Goldenheart is the fusing of new sounds with R&B/soul. We are introducing the setup to Goldenheart with the release of ‘Pretty Wicked Things’. This isn’t a single. It’s a setup. We have a lot of surprises for the hearts. Grow with us.”

‘Pretty Wicked Things’ was produced and co-written with Armor On collaborator Druski and brings dance and electronica elements to a more straightforward R&B melody and structure, a bit like previous tracks ‘Black Lipstick’ and ‘Faith’. In fact, ‘Pretty Wicked Things’ works a lot like ‘Faith’ as it takes up something that has become fairly ubiquitous recently – the EDM drop/wobble here – and makes it new, strange and unique. Take a listen below, it’s streaming via Rap-Up, and it’s available to buy at iTunes. … Continue Reading

Frank Ocean – some thoughts

Frank Ocean - Pyramids

Waking up this morning, we were greeted with an announcement from Frank Ocean that he is bisexual. Rumours about Ocean’s sexuality had been circulating for a little while – a few journalists have been given the chance to hear Ocean’s forthcoming Channel Orange album ahead of its release and it emerged that it includes a number of love songs addressed to men. Despite the speculation, the announcement still hit with a fair amount of force – for a man operating within the R&B world (though Ocean would describe himself simply as a songwriter) to openly identify as anything other than heterosexual is, to date, unheard of. … Continue Reading

Four Tet to collect vinyl releases together for new album, Pink

Four Tet - Pink

Yesterday, Four Tet hinted on Twitter that an announcement about a new release could be imminent, and here it is, via his own blog. On 20th August, he’ll release Pink on his own Text label – a release on CD in Japan via Hostess Entertainment will follow two days later. All of the tracks, bar two (‘Lion’ and ‘Peace For Earth’) have been released over the last year or so on vinyl. So this isn’t entirely new material, but for those who missed out on the 12s as they came out, Pink could be a vital catch-up opportunity. … Continue Reading

Hear a new Cat Power song, ‘Ruin’

Cat Power - Sun

Cat Power is back. Six years after her last album of original material, The Greatest, and four years after Jukebox, her second album of covers, Chan Marshall will release Sun, her much anticipated new album, on Matador on 3rd September.

As a taster for the new record, she’s made ‘Ruin’, a track from the album, available to download – you can do so here. After an initial few listens, ‘Ruin’ brings to mind some of the more lively songs on 2003′s You Are Free, with Chan’s vocals double-tracked, zipping with the kind of energy and personality we’ve been missing. You can take a look at Chan introducing the new song below. … Continue Reading

Listen to a new track from Julio Bashmore, ‘Troglodytes’

Julio Bashmore

Just over a month ago, UK producer Julio Bashmore announced that he’d formed his own label, Broadwalk Records. To commemorate the occasion, he presented us with a new track, ‘Au Seve’. Over the weekend, Bashmore gave us more new material with the free-to-download single ‘Troglodytes’. ‘Troglodytes’ is built around a tongue-in-cheek sample about ‘going back’ to the prehistoric era, and unfurls gradually, patiently, continuing Bashmore’s brilliantly skewed take on house that’s brought him so many admirers. You can stream and download ‘Troglodytes’ below, alongside ‘Au Seve’. … Continue Reading

Hear Brenmar’s remix of Javeon McCarthy’s ‘Precious’

Javeon McCarthy by Elle Sheriff

Bristol’s Javeon McCarthy recently released a new single – ‘Precious’ – a track that combined the still-very-much-in-vogue elements of ’90s R&B with an attention to dance textures on the production that places him firmly in the lineage of his current hometown. On a new remix of the track, Chicago producer Brenmar drags McCarthy into the club, daubing lurid shades of 2-step and rave across the original – it sounds a bit like what Usher’s new album probably sounds like in Usher’s head, and it’s very good. Have a listen below. … Continue Reading

The XX announce their new album, Coexist

The XX bu Jamie-James Medina

The XX have announced the first details of their second album – it’s called Coexist and will be released on Young Turks on 10th September in the UK and a day later in the US. It’s the follow-up to their Mercury Prize-winning self-titled debut album. … Continue Reading