The adorable (see above) and seemingly recluse (see here) multi-instrumentalist Sufjan Stevens dropped a surprise EP on everybody today, titled All Delighted People. It’s been a while since we’ve heard new stuff from him, so this is quite the Happy Friday Treat. You can purchase it for 5 bucks at bandcamp and/or stream it below. It’s pretty freakin’ sweet if you ask me.
Also, the Sufmeister’s going on tour this Fall. Get yr tix!
Now, we’re going to use the words “new music” loosely here as “Repercussions” by Ms. Lauryn Hill has just surfaced on YouTube. There’s not much information attached to it other than “never heard before by the public” in the description of the upload.
The song itself sounds a bit dated, so it’s probably a track that was meant for The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, but didn’t make the final cut. Pretty ironic hearing Ms. Hill sing the verse “repercussions, things can sure come back to you.” While the song is pretty bland in comparison to much of her stellar work, it’s still great to hear her voice. Wish she’d make an album already…
The flash intro to Interpol’s website plays like the opening credits to a Michael Bay movie, with the font of a throwback hair metal band. Neither is what I think of when I think of Interpol, and neither really seems to fit the sound on the new album. This based on the track “Barricade,” included below, and the music video for “Lights.”
“Deep within the inner chambers of the Three-Horned Rhinoceros Beetle, a closely-guarded pheromone harvesting ritual is about to begin.” << Also not what I think of when I think of Interpol. In fact, though I really do like both of these songs, it’s hard to tell whether the ominous thump present in both is honest or just grandness taken into some sort of parody.
M.I.A. drops two new tracks on fans with just one week to go until the official release of her upcoming album, / \ / \ / \ Y / \ (July 13). The first, “Teqkilla” a six-minute ode to partying starts with a robotic chant of “down the drink” and progresses into dizzying effects of bleeps, horns, hand-claps, and an echo-tastic M.I.A. The track also features Nicki Minaj who provides a tipsy verse as only the industry’s currently most sought after rapper can do. Listen to “Teqkilla” (Remix) and grab a download at Pitchfork.
Want more? Head on over to M.I.A.’s MySpace page to listen to another one of her latest releases in “Tell Me Why.” The Diplo production features a killer marching drum beat with hypnotic melody. Love.
Back with this week’s Mini Millah Mix and, let me tell you, this one is definitely a keeper. Don’t be scared off by a few unrecognizable names, cos I guarantee you’ll love every track. For example, I knew the second I heard Magic Kids‘ beautiful and aptly titled “Summer” (two weeks ago, via Gorilla vs Bear) that I had to share with y’all. Same goes for TRT fan favorite (and our first ever March Madness winner, natch!) Ashley Arrison‘s “California”. Arrison’s flawless Nashville-lite delivery and the ivory tickling counter melody speak to me like few songs have in a while, making it a fantastic nugget of pop with staying power. Then there’s “Made Of”, the new track from The Teenagers, which they’ve decided to release after you promote it on Twitter. Also included is another seemingly-random-yet-incredibly-excellent reinterpretation of a little-known indie folk song, by late night TV’s best backing band, The Roots. The Millah Mix from a few weeks back included Monsters of Folk‘s “Dear God [2.0]“, but this time we have a ‘remix’ of an even deeper cut from Joanna Newsom‘s debut album: “[The Book of] Right On” off Milk-Eyed Mender. And maybe I know very little of Murder Mystery, but the Human League-ness of “I Am (If You Are)” makes me want to know it all.
If those descriptions don’t sound promising to you, a) you’re crazy and b) check out the other tracks, cos here’s the latest Mini Millah Mix!
Thank god my boyfriend’s Latino, otherwise I may have completely definitely would’ve missed out on this new Belinda track, “Egoísta”. It’s just replaced “California Gurls” as my front runner for Summer Jam 2010, and easily put Belinda on track to replace Fergie forever in my mind. With her dance-pop/hip hop-lite vocal delivery, it’s no wonder Belinda’s been dubbed Mexico’s Pop Princess.
Download the MP3 here and head over to YouTube to watch the nonsensically awesome video. I challenge you to not have the chorus stuck in your head, regardless of what language(s) you speak.
Belinda’s third album, Carpe Diem, is out now on Capitol Latin.
To refresh yr memory, a new Millah Mix drops every Wednesday. It’s a sampling of whatever music I’ve been rocking out to recently –generally somewhere between 6 – 10 tracks worth. This week’s is chock full of good stuff, too. We got a great new Christina Aguilera track featuring M.I.A. (but since M.I.A. wrote the track it sounds more like her feat. Xtina), another deep cut from Robyn‘s just-released Body Talk Pt. 1 (read our review here), a perfect mashup of Dr. Dre, Snoop & Starfucker, Mark Ronson‘s new single with Q-Tip & MNDR (check out the video), plus a collabo track from the minds behind MF Doom and Borat.
And if that doesn’t sound awesome/weird enough, it’s only the half of it… (more…)
Maybe it’s cause I’m still blaring Sleigh Bells‘ debut album, Treats, with the same fervor from the first listen –or maybe I’m still kind of obsessed with this Usher song (and a few remixes, natch) –or maybe The Hood Internet is just chugging along as normal, churning out the best genre-spanning mashups of recent pop music. It’s probably all three. Either way, we win.
Last night, Sheryl Crow premiered the first single “Summer Day” off her forthcoming album 100 Miles from Memphis for fans to hear on her official website. In order to listen to the song, fans must log-in to Ms. Crow’s official site using their Facebook account.
“Summer Day” is a slight departure from what we’re accustomed to hearing from the veteran rocker. The song has slow jam, 70′s soul appeal written all over it with beautifully layered vocals and laid back horn section. Let’s just say it’s the perfect song to chill to as we ease our way into the summer months.
According to press materials, we can expect more of this sound from Ms. Crow on 100 Miles From Memphis. The album is titled after the distance between Memphis and the singer’s home town of Kennett, Missouri where she grew up idolizing the sounds of soul singers like Otis Redding, Wilson Picket, Booker T, Aretha Franklin, and Al Green (just to name a few).
Ms. Crow recently described her new work in a letter to fans by saying, “I feel artistically revitalized and the music feels fresh and at the same time very familiar to what I do. Many of my past songs such as “Run Baby Run,” “My Favorite Mistake,” “Now That You’re Gone” and others are already steeped in this style.” (more…)
The new single from Beat Radio, entitled “The Best and the Brightest,” is a shimmering exercise in perfect pop music, supported by chugging percussion and a repeated, but interesting, keyboard scale.
Surprise? Not so much.
Beat Radio making amazing music has become almost as predictable as the shame invariably felt after watching a True Life marathon. Even so, it’s continually surprising just how varied the 2010 singles collection is.
Going from tracks like “Cold War” to “Lonely from the Rock and Roll” and now “The Best and the Brightest,” it’s amazing just how many formulas Brian Sendrowitz is creating from the talented elements that make up Beat Radio.
We started as a three friends having conversations about music during lunches together at the office. Since then we have expanded to seven members, including a Chi-town native, and the conversations have gotten bigger and better. The Round Table has grown into a casual setting where music aficionados can gather to discuss all things music. Topics include (but not limited to) artists and bands, new music releases, concerts, recording industry news and concerns, and the occasional nugget of entertainment gossip. We have tastes that cover the entire music spectrum and love to share them (and our opinions) with each other. We are The Round Table! Come join the conversation!
The adorable (see above) and seemingly recluse (see here) multi-instrumentalist Sufjan Stevens dropped a surprise EP on everybody today, titled All Delighted People. It’s been a while since we’ve heard new stuff from him, so this is quite the Happy Friday Treat. You can purchase it for 5 bucks at bandcamp and/or stream it below. It’s pretty freakin’ sweet if you ask me.
