It must be Jamie Woon week. Here goes his official video for ‘Lady Luck’, taken off his forthcoming album mirrorwriting out April 18th.

Previous: Jamie Woon – ‘mirrorwriting’ (review)

Man, I love Exile’s production. This track comes off his album Radio AM/FM which dropped last year.

Singer/songwriter Marsha Ambrosius performed the title track off her debut solo album Late Nights & Early Mornings live on Good Morning America yesterday. Peep her  performance after the jump. Her voice is too much.

Marsha’s Late Nights & Early Mornings is out now.

Read more…

Cool little video from Aloe Blacc – you can never go wrong with cute dancing kids. ‘Loving You Is Killing Me’ is off Blacc’s most recent album Good Things.

Massive.

Radiohead front man Thom Yorke has just announced he will be releasing a new 12″ single featuring production from Burial & Four Tet. The tracks will get their first airing tonight (Tuesday 15th) on Rinse FM at 11pm during Four Tet Vs Floating Points 2 hour back-to-back. The project will be available from next Monday (21st)  via bleep – they’re advising you sign up to their mailing list to be made aware when they have an allocation.

Excited much?? Can’t wait to hear this tonight.

So, here’s a Pop record, called ‘Fuck Me’, with girls spouting one of our favourite London colloquialisms, “pussy’oles”. Oh & they’re sitting on public lavatories. New wave of feminism?! Demise of fragile femininity?! UK Girl Gang Power 2011?!

Dunno. Guess Wino really left the bleedin’ floodgates open.

Weather it’s a little contrived or not, entertaining enough to receive a few gunfingers in the office this afternoon. Let’s see how this new group follow up…

Shouts to Kev Nimoh for drawing my attention to this.

Oddisee teams up with Toine (of DTMD) on a track called ‘Different Now’ which appeared on the Mello Music Group’s Helpless Dreamer compilation. Peep the Zack Schamberg directed video up top…

This is real nice. Download for free below…

Watch Janelle Monae get her freestyle on with Canadian rapper Shad after their show together at the Royal York Hotel in Canada…

I find it refreshing to see Monae like this. Relaxed, having fun etc. She has mad flow too! Lol.

Solange (Knowles) recently teamed up with Twin Shadow & Chris Taylor (of the Grizzy Bears) to write and record a charity song called ‘Kenya’. Aimed to generate awareness of the World’s water crisis, the proceeds from which will go towards establishing clean water standards in African countries such as Rwanda, Uganda, Cameroon and others.

Peep the ‘making of’ after the jump…

Read more…

Jamie tweeted that HudMo was taking care of the ‘Lady Luck’ remix – we smiled, nodded in approval. Easily one of my (our) favourite UK producers, Hudson Mohawke is well and truly a beast. I knew he’d take care of it and he did, but I can’t lie – I was expecting a little more… ‘Fuse’ like action. Nonetheless, it bumps. Press play, listen to what he’s done…

I wrote a review of Woon’s debut album (now due out April 18th) – read it here.

New track from J. Cole, but not off his album – instead this is a reference track. It’s real nice though, Cole has a distinct style – it works.

Download: J. Cole – ‘Killers’

Dark and obscure, ‘Night Air’ serves as a brilliant encapsulation of the type of artist Jamie Woon is. That somber post meridiem ode is systematic of what can be found on mirrorwriting, Woon’s debut set. Painted over the course of three years mirrorwriting is stocked with enigmatic lyrics, reverberating vocals and exceptional productions.

Crafting what can only be described as futurist Rhythm & Blues, Woon delves deep into his influences spanning Folk, Gospel, Prog and 2-step. These sophisticated compositions are bound together by mournfully beautiful lyricism carried by a quivering, introverted voice that steers clear of ad-lib excess. Woon’s ability to write poetics – often drawing on symbolic, nocturnal imagery and the elements – enable him to create emotive worlds of fear, anxiety and longing that can be as consuming on the listener, as they evidently are on the singing sufferer.

Darkened 808′s, off-beat kicks, ghostly percussives/handclaps, heartbreaking guitars, soul stirring synth chords and vintage bass riptides create the unique atmosphere that Woon has delicately carved around himself. Yet unlike his contemporaries (and/or any trendy journo perpetuated contingents), Woon is proud to inject the one thing that will set him apart from the other 3am inspired poe-faced breed: his channelling the power of Funk. Yet clearly inspired by ‘Night Air’ co-producer Burial, he has somehow merged Funk with the gothicism of Untrue-era 2-step and developed a new breed of R&B. So, all low frequency oscillation aside guys, real basslines are back. And even then, if William Bevan was a singer, this is probably the album he could have produced. But that’s not to insinuate Woon has carbon copied, far from it – in fact, he has (maybe inadvertently) created something distinctly original, something that couldn’t have existed without that which had come before it – but something that until now, hadn’t been propagated.

Song for song Jamie shines, from the lonely call of ‘Street’, to the regretful musings of ‘Shoulda’ – illuminating a path through his visceral, psychological fog. His sense of melody on tracks like ‘Lady Luck’ and ‘Middle’ further proves the strength of his songwriting. The aphotic spirit of ‘Echoes’, with it’s crashing drums and haunting effects, sees Woon singing his most soulful falsetto. The near-Detroit swing of ‘TMRW’, the agony of ‘Gravity’ (my personal favourite) and the simplicity of ‘Waterfront’ help bring what can only be described as a completely original body of work to the light at the end of it’s tunnel.

All of us here at PinBoard strongly believe Jamie Woon has produced an album which not only innovates, but also holds important significance as to where we have been and where we have arrived. mirrorwriting is intelligent, truthful and at times even devastating; it’s a yardstick for how R&B (stagnant and regressive as it’s been these past 5 years) can evolve to a higher cerebral plain. Representing a generation who’s musical minds were forced open by the obscure sounds of Timbaland, The Neptunes, Burial, MJ Cole, Radiohead, etc. – Woon has delivered an LP which I for one have been waiting a very, very long time to hear. Here’s to hoping the world is open enough to understand what this really is and that they (you, we) give it the attention and respect it deserves.

mirrorwriting is out April 11th 18th 2011.

New visuals for the Common assisted ‘Sorrow, Tears and Blood’ created by videographer Michael Sterlin Eaton. From the awesome (still unreleased) longplayer Love For Sale… If you haven’t got it already, dig a hole.

Get that screwface ready… This is some next head nod grimey ish from Jean Greeeeeazzzy. I love this women… She always comes with the next hype and this track is no different, big up Styles P and Kweli also coming correct. From the upcoming mixtape Cookies Or Commas set to drop anytime now. Download using the arrow on the player below as my comp is not playing mediafire games with me tonight. Download added. Shouts to Hypetrak for this one.

Download: Jean Grae Feat. Talib Kweli & Styles P – ‘R.I.P’

Salut! Here is some dopeness from French beatsmith Dela. Featuring that West Coast G also know as Blu… From the upcoming Translation Lost long player released March 31st. These are my kind of beats right here, real laid back jazzy ish. Make sure you check out his previous Atmosphere Airlines Vol 1′ tape too… Real Hip Hop goodness. I look forward to the new album.

Download: Dela Feat. Blu – ‘WhatUWanna’