Some new niceness from Kieran Hebdan aka Four Tet. Set to be dropping on his new label ‘Text Records’…Vinyl only release like the good ol’ days. No date as yet.
This dude has been one of my favourite artists of the past year and some change. Another K.Price video to add to his stellar list of visual creations for the IWWMG collective. They go hard… Khrysis went in on the beat.
I am looking forward to this new Raekwon album, from what I’ve heard / seen drop from it so far has been a smash. ‘Rich & Black’ featuring Nas is no exception. Took 16 years, but it’s great to hear these two together again.
Shaloin Vs. Wu-Tang is out March 28th.
Download: Raekwon Feat Nas – ‘Rich & Black’
New visuals (more of a commercial, then video) from the always impressive Pharoahe Monch, taken off his new album W.A.R (We Are Renegades). The album is due out March 23.
In an interview with complex.com, Lupe Fiasco admits his true feelings about his forthcoming album L.A.S.E.R.S, saying: “One thing I try to stress about this project is, I love and hate this album. I listen to it and I’ll like some of the songs. But when I think about what it took to actually get the record together and everything that I went through on this record—which is something I can’t separate—I hate this album“
Strong words for an artist just about to release their new project. However, he goes on to explain: “I don’t like the process behind Lasers. The music is dope but I just don’t like the process. We were literally at the point where all this music was done except for a couple songs that we did after the protest. So the bulk of the album was done. And we were talking about shelving the album and going to another label, that’s where we were like, ‘If you put the record out, put it out. Either move on to another album or can it and we’ll do other records at another label.’ The business of it got solved. I’m happy for the fans, this is their album. This is the album that they fought for and that’s what made me do songs like ‘Words I Never Said’ and ‘All Black Everything“.
Fiasco also speaks candidly about his treacherous relationship with Atlantic Records, claiming they force fed him songs and even told him what to say on them. Speaking on the LP’s first single ‘The Show Goes On’, Lupe said: “There’s nothing really to tell about that record, to be honest. I didn’t have nothing to do with that record. That was the label’s record. That wasn’t like I knew the producer or knew the writer or anything like that. That was one of those records the record company gave me, [they even gave me] stuff they wanted me to rap about“.
Astringent words, but ones I find rather refreshing. It’s not often you hear an artist speak so honestly about their label situation or about the unease they have with the music they’re about to put out. Admittedly, it doesn’t fill me with utmost confidence about the project but, still – I admire his candor.
Having already heard a couple songs off the new album at his London playback a couple weeks ago, I can’t say my expectations were very high. I didn’t really like what I heard, but I decided to reserve my full judgment until I heard the LP in full. But this pretty much says it all, really.
It would seem the best thing for Lupe & Atlantic Records to do at this point is to part ways and move on. I imagine this will happen sooner, rather than later.
Read the full interview over at complex.com.
Not exactly the most exciting ‘viral’ video I’ve ever seen, but it’s good to see Missy & Timbo back together again.
But for me, it’s not just about them being back together, heck, I never really knew they were ever apart – it’s about them capturing that magic they once created. That sound that influenced an entire generation. I would go as far as saying that these two are among the most influential musicians in my life, they without doubt shaped and molded my ears and my perception of what music can sound like. Saying they ‘raised the bar’ would be a gross understatement, without Timbaland’s production – I’m confident a lot of the music we listen to today, would sound very different. His influence is wide spread (from Burial, to James Blake, Ramadanman, The Neptunes – the list really does go on) and it’s easy in 2011 to underestimate that.
But, with that said – my hope is that Timbaland and Missy recapture that audile voodoo they once innovate and bring us back to the future. (note: recapture, not regurgitate!)
I still lovin’ Cee-Lo’s album The Lady Killer and this song actually. Peep Mr Green’s performance of ‘Bright Lights Bigger City’, live on Jimmy Kimmel.
Gaga just debuted her new video for ‘Born This Way’ and well, it’s interesting enough for me to deem fit to post. The song sucks, but her vision, however warped (and seemingly sycophantic now) is something I continue to admire. This might be her strangest video yet.
Kanye West was forced to re-edit his ‘All of the Lights’ video after the orignal version got banned from YouTube and UK television amidst fear it could cause harm to those suffering from photosensitive epilepsy. The new version, still lackluster as it’s predecessor (in my opinion), is noticeably ‘toned down’.
Shouts to TGJ
I keep telling about Apollo Brown’s new album, Clouds, and how necessarily it is to join the ranks of your digital music collection. Well, Mello Music Group have offered another track (in addition to these two here & here) off the album for free to further wet your curiosity.
‘Never In a Million Years’ with it’s rustic brass section, knocking beat and elusive string arrangement enable you to understand the concept behind the title of the album. Listening to this does conjure up images of flight, clouds and generally of being somewhere else. I like this, it’s not my favourite track off the album (trust me, it gets so much better) but is another great example of the vibe Apollo Brown is bringing.
Up top is a mini-video to accompany the track. Download and listen to the song via the bandcamp player below.
I was debating whether or not I should post this track. As I’ve stated before, I’m a fan of Willow Smith’s potential. ‘Whip My Hair’, was for all intents and purposes a great (pop) record. She displays something that many child-stars fail to – genuine charisma. So, for that alone I think she’s worth keeping an eye on.
So, with that said and with the success of ‘Whip My Hair’ in mind, it’s no wonder I (we) had such high hopes for the second single. You can imagine my disappointment then when this morning I pressed play on the 10 year old’s new single ’21st Century Girl’ and heard that all too familiar Euro-pop madness that all too many American artists are delving into. Ergh. It’s such a shame.
But, we must keep it in context. She is only 10 years old. Presumably, she’s making music she, as a 10 year old, enjoys to listen to. Either that, or Roc Nation and the rest of the Illuminati (I kid, I kid) are force feeding her concepts of commerciability. I’m sure Will.I.Am and/or David Guetta had some part in this, even if they’ve never met Willow Smith before. Lol.
The thing is, if Willow debuted herself with this type of song, I wouldn’t have been so disappointed – I would have expected it, she’s 10! But, when you begin your career with such an impressive first single, I guess you need to keep that up. Still looking forward to seeing her progress nonetheless.
Have a listen…
PB friends & PB family, first time it’s ever been done like this in blog history and we’re part of it.
Proud to announce PinBoardBlog has been invited as one of only three UK sites to voyage deepest Brazil by one of the most vigorous and hard-working international charity organizations today, Action Aid. We’ll be doing our bit for their powerful Bollocks To Poverty campaign under the Equals coalition spearheaded by legendary artist Annie Lennox in light of the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day, March 8th.
The idea is simple: we’re partnering up to fight against gender inequality & promote women’s rights amongst some of the poorest areas on Earth.
Now, we are a music outlet so our beloved patrons could easily wonder where the relevance to philanthropy and socio-political pamphleteering comes in (unless we began doing a sh*t-load of random Bono coverage)? However, we’ve always seen ourselves as children of culture, eclecticism, free-will & free-thinking: basic human rights. So given a chance to re-enforce that, raise awareness for a cause we believe in and perhaps even inspire a siren call in our own sector of the online community, PB will travel over the next 10 days of carnival season from developed cities into shanty town favelas and right up to the Amazon basin exploring the rhythm to which Brazil’s heart beats and the metronome to which it’s people’s mind’s tick.
Yes, the PinBoardFilm gear is ready in the bag for customs!
Keep it locked for our special PinBoard x Action Aid in Brazil posts as more is revealed. You can also stay instantaneously updated via Twitter: @PinBoardBlog + @PinBoardFilm
PinBoard takes flight tomorrow. Be with us.
Bryan Cogshell was commissioned by Hidden Beach to remix some Jill Scott songs for her BBC / HBO series ‘The No. Ladies’ Detective Agency’, however amidst the (now settled) law suit between Scott and her former label, they got lost and until now, remained locked up.
Thankfully though, Cogshell decided to liberate his six (R&B) remixes by giving them to our friends over at SoulBounce as an exclusive (free) download. Remixes include: ‘Whenever You’re Around’. ‘Hate On Me’, ‘Not Like Crazy’, ‘Talk To Me’, ‘I’m Not Afraid’, ‘Not Like Crazy’ & ‘Cross My Mind’.
So while Jilly from Philly continues to work on her (much needed) new album, lets appease our impatience with some kinda-new-but-still-kinda-old… New music…
Download: Bryan Cogshell x Jill Scott – ‘No. 1 Lady Remixed’
I’ve been a fan of Mansions on the Moon for a while now, I enjoyed their Paradise Falls mixtape which dropped a few months ago.
This cover of ‘Walk on the Moon’ by Aurthur Russell is the bands new single – it’s a mellow, somber affair – proving their sonic diversity once again. I like this.
Download: Mansions on the Moon – ‘Walk on the Moon’
Last night J.Cole took to his uStream to connect with his fans and to spit a couple freestyles. The first goes in over Beanie Sigel’s ‘Nothing Like You’ (prod. by KanYe West) – take a listen…
Download: J.Cole – ‘Nothing Like You’ (Freestyle)
