Beautiful jazz cover of the Thom Yorke song by Christian Scott. Taken from his album Yesterday You Said Tomorrow.
Lovin’ this tune from Janelle Monae’s new album featuring Big Boi of Outkast to boot. It’s a fitting collaboration as Monae is pretty much a female version of Andre 3000 – all sharp suits, retro style, just cool all round. ‘Tightrope’ is a funky soulful number with subtle “classy” brass and HANDCLAPS! You can buy it from her official site.
Her forthcoming album(s) Metropolis Suites II & III: The ArchAndroid will also feature Of Montreal, Saul Williams, Deep Cotton and the Wondaland Arch Orchestra. It’s out May 18th. A short film/music video of Monae is below.
Badu tweeted this song earlier today. It’s the first official single from New Amerykah Part II: Return of the Ankh which drops in late March. This is the Badu laidback as you know her well with Questlove on drums and co-produced by Badu and James Poyser.
MP3: Erykah Badu – Window Seat
Official Site | Photo via.
Danish band Quadron specialise in soulful silky-pop with an emphasis on the soul and pop. They are Robin and Coco and if you dig Lykke Li’s brand of Scanadavian pop you may very well dig these guys too.
Producer Robin Hannibal was worked with Aloe Blacc, Buraka Som Sistema and Omas Keith of Sa-Ra Creative Partners while 21 year-old Coco has sang for the producer collective Boom Clap Bachelors of which Hannibal is part of.
Their recent self-titled record was released in Europe last year and it’s getting a Stateside release in March on LA label Plug Research. Soul Clap!
MP3: Quadron -Sippin’
Just had my first listen to Gil Scott Heron’s new album I’m New Here. It’s been 16 (or 13?) years since he released an album and 40 years since his debut Small Talk at 125th and Lenox and the era-defining ‘The Revolution Will Not Be Televised’.
The album was made with XL Recordings boss Richard Russell. As you’d expect it’s a mix of spoken word, futuristic blues, dark-stained socio-political life poetic ruminations. What you might not expect is that the man above still sounds as inspired and god-damn urgent as ever.
I’m New Here is out on February 5th in Ireland (UK & Europe -8th / US – 9th) in the everywhere else. You can get a free MP3 from gilscottheron.net. More..»
I love how nerdy this guy is. In the video, he can’t handle one glass of Absinthe and goes a bit loo-laa. I also love the Classixx remix of this tune. Look out beloooow. Mayer Hawthorne plays Ireland in a few weeks. Full details below.
I wrote about Q-Tip’s shelved yet brilliant jazzy / hi- hop album album back in 2006, and it’s finally been released this week through Battery Records.
You can listen to it on Tip’s Myspace. or on Spinner.
My interview for State with Q-Tip where he discusses Kamaal The Abstract.
In the video below, he discusses the making of the album:
More..»
Another tip featured back in April, Mayer Hawthorne is due to release his album A Strange Arrangement in September on Stones Throw. The video for ‘Maybe So, Maybe No’ is a straight-up U.S. of A skate and sunshine jam.
Stones Throw also gave away an album track from the album which is pretty much a solid modern soul and R&B album albeit from a bespeckled cardigan-wearing white boy. Not many of those get to play with The Roots though. I’m going to need this album on vinyl.
MP3: Mayer Hawthorne – Your Easy Lovin’ Ain’t Pleasin’ Nothin’
A quick heads up to fans of head-nodding beatmakers, hip-hop, soul and proper R&B, Radio 1Xtra DJ Benji B is DJing in Solas, Wexford Street tonight from 8:30pm. It’s FREE in. I’ve only been tuned into his show for the last few months really but he always plays a great mix of the above. Stuff like Gaslamp Killer, Flying Lotus, Hudson Mohawke, Sa-Ra, J Dilla, Madlib, Georgia Ann Muldrow, Bullion and Joker always gets a run out.
His Radio page is here (listen to the latest show) and his Deviation blog is here.
Here’s a tune he’s been playing lately out on Hyperdub on July 24th:
The sun is blazing today, there are blue skies galore and the Dublin boyos are out in the park incubating their pale raw skin with a mild form of skin cancer. Aah, summer in Dublin. ‘F Kenya Rip’ is a perfect soundtrack to a walk in the park or along the canal after work. From Highlife, the brainchild of Sleepy Doug Shaw of the band White Magic comes this Spencer Krug-fronting Dirty Projectors covering an afrobeat band vibe of a tune.
Shaw told Pinglewood and their NME blog that the song is inspired by an African highlife band called F. Kenya’s Guitar Band so at least Shaw is upfront about the influence. Indeed, the repeating phrase of ‘F Kenya Rip’ is taken from one of the band’s songs ‘Madame Zehae Ala (Just As I Am)’ and the guitar lines are similar too. (Listen to a short stream of that song on this page). Great tune all the same. Perfect for a day like today.
Barber shop quartet. Nice. Video by Ross Harris. Previously by Mayer Hawthorne.
We’re on our way to Australia now. You can follow our trip on Twitter or with the hashtag #ozblogtrip. Another post is scheduled for tomorrow. We’re going to see Deerhunter and two Aussie bands Songs and Beaches on Friday night so I hope to blog about it shortly afterwards.
