A new Frank Ocean song called ‘Voodoo’ has hit the interwebs – unsure where it comes from or when it was recorded but either way, it’s a bit of a smash. My favour fluctuates when it comes to Ocean, in many ways I see him to a promising artist, able to write fantastic songs, but then in other ways I find him to be inconsistent.
That said, ‘Voodoo’ is a dashing R&B interlude that not only shows off his lyrical strengths but his melodic and vocal as well. Less ‘alternative’ than some of his other records, this leans on a more traditional ledge – and in a good way.
“She was the one that cut right through my soul. So tonight, Etta, this song is for you” said an emotional Christina Aguilera before singing ‘At Last’ at Etta James’ funeral. The Pop singer, along with Stevie Wonder, paid her respects to James who passed away last week aged 73.
The funeral was attended by hundreds of family, friends and fans and a letter written by President Barack Obama was read by Rev. Al Sharpton during the service; It was James’ 1960 classic ‘At Last’ that Beyonce famously performed during the presidential inaugural ball dance.
I’ve been listening to Schoolboy Q’s new album Habits & Contradictions quite intensely since it dropped a couple weeks back. Part of the TDE crew, along side fellow wordsmith Kendrick Lemar, Q has crafted a impressive long player which is not only sonically strong but also lyrically engaging. His new video for ‘Nightmare on Figg St’ dropped a few hours ago and like his previous ‘Hands on the Wheel’ (Feat. A$AP Rocky) video, it too was directed JeromeD. A$AP Ty Beats on production duties.
Austin, Texas has never had a great shortage of musicianship, particularly by those who pride themselves on mastery of the organic. So it’s satisfying that a new band native to that area, Echocentrics, put out a six track tribute titled to that era defining, sonic route shifting boardsmith of our time – Timbaland.
Featuring sultry-voiced Brazilian Tita Lima, this is one of six cinematic reworks available on their EP Echoland which it’s recommended you stream in full here and if dug, buy here. I mean, Aaliyah’s ‘We Need A Resolution’ sung in Portuguese with a spaghetti western string section? Fresh.
Earlier this year JMSN (formally Christian TV) released his debut album Priscilla, it followed a video for his first single ‘Alone’. Now a compelling (and possibly uncomfortable for some) video for the LP’s second single ‘Something’ has been released.
Clutching a live octopus, JMSN becomes embroiled within it’s fleshy tentacles, while shots of disturbed children and tormented bathers interject – it’s rife with macabre imagery. However, despite it’s Marilyn Manson befitting visuals, the video doesn’t (or shouldn’t at least) distract from the fact that this is a great song (that damn hook).
For the most part I’ve been enjoying JMSN’s Priscilla, it is a bit of a mix-bag though – stand out tracks include ‘Alone’, ‘Something’, ‘Jameson’ and ‘Somewhere’.
Jacques Greene sparked our interest back in 2010 when he proposed marriage to Cassie via his ‘Must Be Love’ remix – after a string of reworks, guest mixes and odd ends, he returned earlier this year with two new singles and promise of a new EP. First dropped ‘Flatline’ a track featuring Koreless which combined Greene’s love for 2-step and Electronic music with classic R&B. Followed shortly after by ‘Arrow’ featuring Ango, a 9-minute production of lush House vibes.
Now ahead of it’s January 30th release comes a preview of Concealer, Jacques forthcoming 4-track extended player. Thankfully, it would appear there’s no let up, both previously unheard songs (‘There’ & ‘Clark’) prove themselves worthy – deep, thundering basslines and ghostly vocal samples scattered around Greene’s varied musical influences. Sexy stuff.
Last year one of our favourite, warped leftfield Hip-Hop outfits Shabazz Palaces proved a huge hit with indie audiences and their Sub Pop affiliation (a label associated with cult Rock) didn’t hurt. Our Toasty ran a heads up on another Seattle duo comprised of Stasia Irons and Catherine Harris-White, after they later became the label’s second only Hip-Hop signing ever – though that’s not hard to see why. In recent years, there’s been a notable reemergence in ‘Afro-Futurism’ (an art aesthetic combining afrocentric themes and science fiction/space) from Flying Lotus to Janelle Monae. And these ladies appear like they’ve fallen out of a Jamel Shabazz scrapbook and crash landed into their own musical wormhole of unstable, acid sonics and bucolic nuances. A bit like two B-Girls joyriding a UFO on methadone.
Check out these recent live performances over at PMOI and their most recent 5 track EP whilst we wait for their debut LP awE NaturalE in March…
We introduced you to Natalie Duncan back in early December, she impressed us away with her live rendition of her song ‘Devil in Me’. Currently recording her debut album The Sky is Falling, she’s just released a 3 track EP of live recordings. The first song is the title track off her forthcoming LP , the other two are reworks of Grizzy Bear’s ‘While You Wait for the Others’ and the Rolling Stones’ ‘Gimme Shelter’. These three songs reaffirm what we already suspected – Duncan carries a lot of promise.
A young lady with a bold voice beyond her years, playing the piano like her life depends on it (see: ‘The Sky is Falling’) – her talent is abundant and clear. There’s a lot of Soul in that voice, she sings with a love for Blues-Rock too – just listen to that Stones’ cover for example (hearing some early Aretha influence in there too). Hoping the studio versions of her material carry the same dexterity – really excited to see and hear more from her in the coming months.
I could lie and say we’re going to stop, but I can’t. As more and more videos from D’Angelo’s comeback show surface, so do our posts. Listen here as D performs a brand new song called ‘Another Life’.
Our D’Angelo coverage continues. And as the first batch of reviews begin to trickle in, we get to enjoy last nights rendition of ‘Brown Sugar’. Watch and listen as the messiah sings a Prince-sounding rendition of his 1995 classic.
