Cat Power - Sun and Deerhoof - Breakup Song streaming at NPR Music

New albums ahead of release this week come from Deerhoof and Cat Power, who release Breakup Song and Sun respectively next Monday. Enjoy yourself with these links:

Cat Power - Sun
Deerhoof - Breakup Song

Neil Young & Crazy Horse to release second album of 2012

Earlier in the year Neil Young reformed Crazy Horse, a band with which he recorded some of his best and most popular albums of his career. They released Americana, an album made up of classic American songs of yesteryear, but now Neil has announced on his website that there will be a new Neil Young/Crazy Horse album of entirely original material. Psychedelic Pill will be released on double CD and triple LP sometime in October. In addition "full length videos for each of the songs will be available and previewed. A recommended high resolution 24/192 full fidelity version of the album Psychedelic Pill will be released on Blu-ray and will include all the videos". Now that's what I'm talking about!

Track all the info up to the release of Psychedelic Pill on the Upcoming Releases page.

Ab-Soul - Control System added to 2012 Recommended Albums

"Ab-Soul: abstract asshole". This warped line of self-promotion is a painfully accurate one. By far the most leftfield of the already ahead-of-the-curve Black Hippy, Ab-Soul also goes under nicknames like "Black-Lip Bastard". At a young age he was diagnosed with a rare skin condition called Stevens-Johnson syndrome which meant the skin "grew back darker than its original pigment". He always wears dark glasses due to photosensitive eyes. Even before his music Ab-Soul cuts one of the more interesting figures in rap, someone who's had an unimagnable dose of ups and downs. Like many I first encountered him on the eponymous closing to Kendrick Lamar's Section.80, "Ab-Soul's Outro", where his flow bore a closer resemblance to free jazz than anything out of the tome of hip-hop. Due to Kendrick's success with Section.80 last year Control System can't escape being the full-length indroduction to Ab-Soul, and its title hides nothing about its motivations.

Soulo is often considered the most lyrically gifted of the Black Hippy crew, which is a tall feat within itself standing next to Kendrick, but this would add up to little without suitable production from Top Dawg Entertainmant's unsung heroes. Right from the beginning we are told "This is a story about control" and the scene is set for the remaining 70 minutes. The production never feels too dark or too flashy; Ab-Soul is able to be topical yet retain a dry humor in places without the risk of falling flat. It may never turn your head in amazement but it's dependable and never off; consistent but varied enough to last Control System's runtime. I especially like how it twists its way around the other three Black Hippies who guest on the centre trimverate. ScHoolboy Q's presence on "SOPA" makes it a swag rap, Jay Rock's "Lust Demons" is more soulful, and Kendrick brings the album back to social commentary with "ILLuminate". It's an example of clever sequencing, something which all albums of this length need to have. And it also provides a break from the gloomier themes.

Most people however won't be here for the production, but to hear Ab-Soul's wordplay, not to mention his "story about control". Control System is more of a collection of seperate ideas surrounding Soulo's social and political views than it is the tightly-constructed concept album the intro leads you to believe it is, but that doesn't stop his lyrics from biting on the tracks that do reflect these ideas. In this regard the Danny Brown-assisted lead single "Terrorist Threats" leads the charge. "If all the gangs in the world unified/We'd stand a chance against the military tonight" is a pretty powerful call to arms, especially when you discover his target: "Dear Barack.../You're lying to the public like it ain't nothing". "Track Two" overlaps Ab-Soul's control system theory with his personal struggles, and comes across as a convincing leader in charge of the "Giving people what they need/You got some kind of disease" hook.

The story of Control System is also the story of Ab-Soul, and knowing what a fascinating one it could be we thankfully get to hear a good amount of it, as the more solemn, pessimistic tracks are for my money the best. Even when he creates a character who plots his own form of justice in "A Rebellion", its weight comes off the lines not being so clear cut. The album's second half slips in mood until the suicide-contemplating "Beautiful Death", but is all put into perspective with "The Book Of Soul", which tells the true story of the suicide of Ab-Soul's girlfriend Alori Joh. The most remarkable part of the album, and where Ab-Soul truly lives up to his name, as his voice chokes under the weight of its subject matter - it must be difficult for any listener to not feel some connection to it.

Of all of the rappers and groups crossing over into the mainstream, there are fewer that suggest they could bring something unique, even necessary than Ab-Soul and Black Hippy. Control System is powerful evidence for both. Mainstream rappers, criticized more frequently than ever for taking fewer risks, rarely attempt to put something like Control System together; that could only have someone with passion, humour and an unfaked quirkiness that have earned him a loyal fanbase, the Abstract Asshole.

Single of the Week: Swans - "A Piece Of The Sky"

The new Swans record The Seer happens to be two hours long, but it saves one of its best moments for its penultimate act. "A Piece Of The Sky" may not be The Seer's longest track (a brisk 19 minutes compared to the 30 or so of the title track), but it almost certainly is the prettiest. Opening with the sound of crackling flames and a low-end distorted rumble the track slowly evolves into an ambient mood piece highlighed with what resembles the percussive rattling of stringed instruments. At the ten minute mark it changes again into the steady roll of post-rock with slow guitar phrases over bells. In the final minutes Michael Gira reaches over to the microphone to record a solemn vocal over acoustic guitar. Somehow his usually jagged croon becomes the most moving part of the track, especially when almost doo-wop sounding backing vocals emerge. "A Piece Of The Sky" then fades gracefully with the twinkle of xylophone, leaving the memory of one of the most affecting of pieces of orchestrated rock you're probably ever likely to hear.

From The Seer. This track can only currently be heard as part of the album stream which you can find by following this link.

Les Sins - "Fetch" and "Taken"

Les Sins (better known for his work under Toro Y Moi) has a new single on the JIAOLONG label run by Daphni (better known for his work under Caribou, ugh), set for a "late [A]ugust" release. Luckily it caught my ear. Both sides below:

Stream Matthew Dear - Beams

It's time to hear what the album that features previous Single of the Week "Her Fantasy" sounds like. Matthew Dear's latest, Beams (artwork above), is released next Monday on Ghostly. Until then, stream below:

Swans - The Seer and Dan Deacon - America streaming at NPR Music

By now you've hopefully found time to sit down with Animal Collective's Centipede Hz - and reconciled with the fact it's not coming out for another two weeks. If you want to stream albums that are being released next Monday/Tuesday the I would point you in the direction of NPR Music who have both Swans' two-hour odyssey The Seer and the more compact-sized Dan Deacon album America streaming in full. Links:

Dan Deacon - America
Swans - The Seer

Stream the new Animal Collective album Centipede Hz

As part of the Animal Collective Radio series the band has just finished airing the premiere of their new album Centipede Hz (artwork above). If you missed it, or just want to experience it all over again you can still head over to the band's website myanimalhome where you can stream Centipede Hz at your leisure, accompanied by visuals created by Abby Portner. Altenatively listen to the last four weeks of Animal Collective Radio archived on the band's Mixcloud page.

AlunaGeorge - "Your Drums, Your Love"

Sultry R&B duo AlunaGeorge are moving up in the world. Following a vocal feature on a Rustie remix comes "Your Drums, Your Love", a single for Island which will see release on 7th October, with promise of an album in 2013:

Black Hippy members each release a track for "TDE Fam Appreciation Week"

The four members of rising hip-hop group Black Hippy are by far Top Dawg Entertainment's biggest signings, with each of them finding individual success, respect and acclaim. Over the last few days Kendrick Lamar, Jay Rock, Ab-Soul and ScHoolboy Q have released a song each in celebration of "TDE Fam Appreciation Week"; each one working with seperate TDE in-house producers. Kendrick Lamar also has a major-label album out on the 2nd October, good kid, m.A.A.d. city; his track "Westside, Right On Time" features Young Jeezy. Stream/download all four tracks below. I won't be including them in this month's playlist for the sake of equality, but it doesn't worth they're not worth your time:

 
 
 


Track all the info up to the release of (Kendrick Lamar's) good kid, m.A.A.d. city on the Upcoming Releases page.

The Flaming Lips announce new album The Terror

If an interview Wayne Coyne did with Rolling Stone is to be believed, the Flaming Lips hope to release a new studio album, for now called The Terror, later this year. It follows a set of collaborations the band released on this year's Record Store Day called The Flaming Lips And Heady Fwends and succeeds 2009's Embryonic. Speaking to Rolling Stone Wayne told of some disturbing news surrounding longtime Lips guitarist Steven Drozd's drug addiction (possibly related to his 2010 hospitalization). Thankfuly however Wayne says that Steven is "better now than ever".

Track all the info up to the release of The Terror on the Upcoming Releases page.

Lunice - "Believe Dat" (music video)

In the video for the new Lunice track "Believe Dat", directed by Shot by JFK, we see our eponymous hero swagging out on his MPC and generally making a lot of noise. Now that his TNGHT project with Hudson Hohawke has wrapped up there's talk of a solo album. More news as of when:

Liars - WIXIW added to 2012 Recommended Albums

I'm not quite sure what it was, but there was something off about a veteran dance-punk band that I had previously barely spent time with releasing what had reportedly been boiled down to an "elecronic record". Perhaps it had to do with the nature of the last few Liars records in particular. After the sprawling art-rock masterpiece that was 2006's Drums Not Dead (considered by many to be the band's magnum opus) the trio pared back their sound over their next two records Liars and Sisterworld. Which is a fine idea in principle, however the divided opinions of both those albums and obvious lack of adventure was enough to suggest that the party was rapidly reaching a close. Liars' seemed to have run dry. Next, an electronic record?

All the reports of the WIXIW sessions suggested that the album took nothing other than painstaking amounts of time and effort to create. Videos of the band in their recording space saw the trio at the absolute end of exhaustion. Even if they were partially or entirely acting, the sound of WIXIW itself is tense, brooding and claustrophobic; in short the exact result of a band using their previous experience to venture into unknown depths. It's one of those albums that can sound either entirely boring or utterly compelling depending on the mood it catches you in, made even more astonishing considering that it was mostly made up of instruments and software programs deliberately chosen by Liars because of their unfamiliarity and relative complexity.



WIXIW opens with "The Exact Colour Of Doubt". Angus Andrew sings beautifully to the listener that he'll always be their friend, his voice between methodic analogue synth. Next "Octagon" increases the pace significantly; tight drum machine patterns punching the way. Then we get to lead single "No. 1 Against The Rush", one of Liars' most accessible songs period and one of the few of WIXIW's to feature guitar. Andrew's vocal changes for a third time, now altenating between deeper verses and choruses that appear stretched in their note lengths. Despite its abillity to capture a singular mood the album shows Liars refusing to stay in one place, changing up not only from one track to the next but during individual moments. It never feels as though you're getting the same thing twice.

More than ever the influence of Radiohead looms over Liars; now not only in Angus Andrew's distinctive vocal style but in their approach to album craft. WIXIW could easily be seen as a Kid A moment for the band, as both capture a completely different angle of electronic music. Liars have not made a Caribou album. Instead they have dug out their own ground using Krautrock, early synthesizer music and the aforementioned Radiohead as shovels. And the buzzing bass textures of "Flood To Flood", the gorgeous layers of title track "WIXIW" and oddly 90s-reminiscent force of "Brats" show that this is something which the band have a clear knack for. WIXIW can be fun, serious, haunting and romantic; wiith Liars switching from straighforward to complex whenever the mood takes them. It knows that life is never black-and-white, and through the detail it displays it stands as an accurate testimony to one, long, deflating, inspiring recording process.

Flying Lotus - "See Thru To U" (feat. Erykah Badu)

Straight off the back of the Earl and Captain Murphy-featuring "Between Friends", the first single from the new Flying Lotus album Until The Quiet Comes. "See Thru To U" features the vocals of Erykah Badu (spoiler: it's awesome):

Stream Jessie Ware's debut album Devotion and JJ DOOM's KEYS TO THE KUFFS

I've posted enough Jessie Ware tracks to prove that I've been looing forward to hearing her full-length debut Devotion for a while. Now in time for its release next Monday it's here, available to stream below courtesy of the Guardian:



UPDATE: Also streaming on the Guardian is the new JJ DOOM album, KEYS TO THE KUFFS, featuring collaborations with Damon Albarn and Beth Gibbons (Portishead). I decided to include it in the same post. Click here to listen.

Deerhoof - "Fête D'Adieu"

If you want to hear the second track to be taken from Deerhoof's upcoming album Breakup Song, the "Keith-Richards-joins-ABBA" of "Fête D'Adieu", you'll have to go to Rolling Stone. Also head here for first single "The Trouble With Candyhands".

Swans - "Mother Of The World"

Here's a ten-minute taster of he new Swans record The Seer (artwork above), out next week on Young God Records. The album features collaborations with Akron/Family, Karen O (Yeah Yeah Yeahs), Grasshopper (Mercury Rev) and Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker (Low) amongst others. "Mother Of The World" is streaming at Pitchfork.

King Krule - "Rock Bottom"

New single on the way from King Krule, whose self-titled EP was an easy 2011 favourite. Here's "Rock Botttom", which has the ginger Rick Astley look-a-like singing part of the Streets' "Empty Cans" during its frenetic climax:

Himanshu announces new mixtape, download "Killing Time"

Das Racist's Heems is readying a new mixtape called Wild Water Kingdom, the second this year following the 2012 Recommended Nehru Jackets and the fourth this year total from the Das Racist camp. Below download the Echo and the Bunnymen-sampling "Killing Time", and stick with it. It's worth it:

*Heems - "Killing Time"

Track all the info up to the release of Wild Water Kingdom on the Upcoming Releases page.

Single of the Week: Mac DeMarco - "My Kind Of Woman"

The problems with retreading not only a familiar style of music but also subject matter are many. At worst it can sound kitsch, insincere, lazy and uninspired; not to mention there's always going to be someone else doing the same thing, especialy nowadays. Up and coming singer-songwriter Mac DeMarco, who plans to release a debut album, 2, on 16th October via Capured Tracks, sidesteps all of these problems by doing what his chosen genre does best (in this case 50s rock & roll). On "My Kind Of Woman" DeMarco plays it straightforward, letting his guitar ring out cleanly behind his lovelorn vocals, noticeably higher than his usual baritone. It's obvious that DeMarco is leaving behind the lo-fi, often jocular nature of his earlier recordings as Makeout Videotapes and heading for the big time.



Track all the info up to the release of 2 on the Upcoming Releases page.