Perfume Genius

We’ve been listening to the new Perfume Genius album, Put Your Back N 2 It, for the last few days and it is stunning, even better than 2010′s heavily praised Learning. ‘Hood’ has already become something of a standout for us, so it’s great to see that Mike Hadreas has released a video for the song – and the first proper Perfume Genius video at that.

The video undercuts the lyrics of the song with a bit of humour – there’s Hadreas in a string vest and some make up alongside gay porn star Arpad Miklos. It’s short, sweet and you can watch it below.

Dot Rotten

Dot Rotten found himself on the BBC Sound Of 2012 the other week – while he didn’t make the top 5, it was still a fairly big achievement for a grime MC, even in a post-Dizzee and Wiley world. In interviews, he seems refreshingly unconcerned with what his underground peers are going to make of his move overground – and the sheer number of mixtapes he released between 2008 and last year is testament to the work he’s been putting in. He’s just released the video for new single ‘Are You Not Entertained’ and its neither a retreat to his roots nor a Tinie Tempah style crossover – plenty of grime MCs have got lost in the space between the underground and the mainstream, and it’ll be interesting to hear where Dot Rotten’s album lands between those two worlds.

Azari & III

Canadian house-revival four-piece Azari & III released on of our favourite albums this year outside of the UK – their self-titled debut has only been available over here on import or limited edition vinyl since earlier this year. The group are lining up a full release on Island Records on February 19, and a ‘Reckless With Your Love’ single will precede the album a week earlier.

‘Reckless With Your Love’ is one of the standouts from the album and now has a suitably camp/odd new video, which you can watch below.

Cass McCombs

Cass McCombs‘ second album of 2011 – Humor Risk – follows April’s WIT’S END on November 7th in the UK, and a day later elsewhere. In an era when our musicians and pop acts share so much of themselves with us, Cass McCombs’ good old-fashioned fondness  for the enigmatic (particularly in interviews) is actually kind of refreshing – it also allows you to focus on his music. You can do just that below – Humor Risk is now available to stream in its entirety. It’s a fuller, more musically-varied LP than the sparse and frail WIT’S END. Additionally, you can also take a look at the video for Humor Risk track ‘The Same Thing’ below.

Cass McCombs – Humor Risk by DominoRecordCo

Breton

Visual experimentalists Breton have released a powerful and emotive short film for their forthcoming debut single ‘Edward The Confessor’, due for release on 21st November 2011.

The track’s lyrics are based on a field recording of a conversation taking place between two unknown men, the subject matter of which is immigration and the frustration of surviving in a foreign country. It’s a similar frustration that’s echoed in the young faces of the disaffected youths featured in photographer and film-maker Niall O’Brien’s recent ‘Anger’ exhibition – four kids on a council estate in London, shot at 1000 frames per second and capturing anger in its most undiluted form.

These affecting images, interspersed throughout the video, sit somewhere between photography and moving image, contrasting with Breton’s frenetic and indefinable music, yet somehow expressing the same helpless anger of the lyrics. The result is an exciting and visually captivating piece of work – the beauty, clarity and preciseness of Niall’s photography highlighted by the deliberate hazy lo-fi vibe of Breton’s live performance.

Breton’s debut album ‘Other People’s Problems’ will be released in March 2012. Breton are currently touring with Ghostpoet.

Dates with Ghostpoet are as follows:

8th November – Mine – Leeds, UK

12th November – Digital – Brighton, UK

Breton will also be playing the following festivals:

21st October – SWN Festival – Cardiff, UK

11th November – London Calling, Paradiso – Amsterdam, Netherlands

2nd December – Trans Musicales – Rennes, France

Rihanna - Talk That Talk

You may have heard a thing or two about Rihanna‘s video for ‘We Found Love’ – a farmer in Northern Ireland didn’t take too kindly to her cavorting around in her pants on his land, as you may recall – and now you can view the finished clip. Click through below to view it. There’s drugs, poor cockney accents and topless frolicking – if this video’s anything to go by, she’s combining the trancey, carefree singles and “Ain’t sex good?” attitude of her previous album, Loud, with some of the “I’m very serious, let’s tackle issues” posturing and imagery of Rated R. Fair enough. Rihanna’s new album, Talk That Talk, is out in November.

Rihanna on WhoSay

Stephen Malkmum & The Jicks

What can be said about the new video for Steve Malkmus & The Jicks’ already infamous Senator single? You just need to watch it…. here.

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Tasseomancy is a continuation of what was a bare bones neo-folk duo. Formerly known as Ghost Bees, Canadian twins Sari and Romy Lightman have found a heavier, more ambient sound, ripe with dreamy, dissonant vocals, influenced by eastern song, drone music, phonography and myth.

As touring members of the electronic outfit, Austra, they return to their ancestral side with their second full-length album, Ulalume, co-produced and accompanied by Taylor Kirk and Simon Trottier of Timber Timbre, out now on Turf Records.

Tasseomancy have expanded its scope to move beyond earlier acoustic arrangements, combining the rhythmic soundscapes of Popol Vuh and Comus with the dream-like state of Julee Cruise. The outcome is both terse and expansive, haunting and resonant in the manner of early soul music, with a smoke ribbon shape and full peal all it’s own.

And to top it off, they’ve just released their new single ‘Diana’, to be found on this album. And you lucky readers can see the video exclusively here…

Tasseomancy – Diana from Tasseomancy on Vimeo.

Sophie Barker, the voice behind Zero 7, follows up her solo album Seagull released earlier this year with new double AA side single ‘A Forest’ (a rework of the classic original by The Cure) and ‘Say Goodbye’. And you can exclusively listen to them both below.

Sophie says herself: ‘I felt that the two songs revealed perspective of love from two ends of the spectrum. The sweet, sad but light ‘Say Goodbye’ voice to the deeper more edgy sharp sound of the voice in ‘A Forest’ expressing two very parts of the same woman of the same soul both dealing with their fears, hopes, illusions and trying to find some peace once out of the emotional darkness. A cathartic dualistic musical relay!’

Sophie Barker – A Forest by Cannonball_PR

Washed Out

‘Amor Fati’ is one of the highlights of Washed Out‘s debut album Within And Without and it’s getting a single release in November. It’ll be available digitally and on 12″, backed by previously unreleased track ‘Call It Off’ and remixes by Au Revoir Simone and Clams Casino. Meanwhile, we have the dreamy, hitch-hiking video for you below and Washed Out’s UK tour dates in November.

12-Nov: Bristol – Motion
13-Nov: Manchester – Sound Control
14-Nov: Leeds – Brudenell Social Club
15-Nov: London – Heaven