It’s Monday, and if like us you spent the last few days indulging the American penchant for celebrating a general unspecified spirit of thankfulness by inflicting righteous vengeance on your digestive tract, then you’re probably feeling about as enthusiastic about being back at work as we are. Well, anyway, let us ease your transition back into the real world with our regular start-of-the-week round-up of some noteworthy — and, ideally, listenable — records that are streaming for free over the internet this week. Get a piece of the action after the jump. Read More »
Sometimes you’ve gotta rock, and sometimes you want to just do something else–preferably something as not-rock as possible. That’s where a lot of alt and/or indie rock musicians have found themselves over the years, whether or not they actually act on the impulse. Here are nine artists who did just that.
We rejoiced at the news, earlier this week, that VH1 is bringing back Pop-Up Video, which we’ve missed ever since it went off the air in 2002. In addition to the pop and rock videos the original provided fascinating factoids about, the new version of the show will feature hip-hop videos for the first time. After the jump, check out our list of wonderful, bizarre, and downright baffling post-Pop-Up- Video-era music videos that we hope to see the show explain — and be sure to leave your own suggestions in the comments.
Yes, it’s 4/20, which means that stoners the world over are rejoicing over having a vaguely legitimate reason to get colossally baked this afternoon. There are plenty of songs out there about weed (we’re looking at you, Snoop), but they don’t necessarily make the best soundtrack for celebrating the herb -– so we’ve thoughtfully composed a psychedelic stoner mixtape that moves through a range of genres in the hope of providing a fine old soundtrack to some extracurricular pursuits this afternoon. (We’ve tried to go for selections that aren’t blindingly obvious –- with one exception -– so no Bob Marley, or Grateful Dead.)
New York-based rapper Theophilus London is on a roll. After dropping his first EP, Lovers Holiday, last month, he’s putting the finishing touches on his debut album and getting ready to take on the world. Not that he hasn’t been noticed already. His early remixes and mixtapes (Jam! and This Charming Mixtape) brought him to the attention of artists including Mark Ronson and Damon Albarn and led to guest turns with Ronson’s Business Intl, Gorillaz, and Dave Sitek’s Maximum Balloon.
Lovers Holiday, which includes guest appearances by Solange Knowles and Tegan and Sara’s Sara Quin, is a perfect taste of the genre-confounding music that London makes — a mash-up of hip-hop, pop, old-school funk, and soul. For an artist who cites Michael Jackson, the Smiths, and Arthur Russell among his influences, it’s hardly surprising he stands out from the crowd as much as he does. In our exclusive interactive interview, London reveals what to expect from his first album, what it’s like becoming the face of two brands at once, and why he still feels like a fan around some of his friends. Plus: an impromptu music video for a previously unheard album track!
Christmas is over and done with, which means that the insufferable barrage of carols is over for another year and you’ve probably got a few days off to sit and devour some new music. If Santa didn’t fill your stocking with a bunch of new tunes, never fear — plenty of artists are giving away free stuff in a display of seasonal altruism. Or clever digital marketing. Or something. Here’s a round-up of the best action to be had.
With Some Place Simple, trip-hop icon Martina Topley-Bird revisits her solo material in stripped-down arrangements that spotlight the versatility of her inimitable voice.
The album is her first for Damon Albarn’s Honest Jon’s label, recorded at the Blur and Gorillaz leader’s studio at his own request. Combining reinterpretations of tracks from Topley-Bird’s two solo albums — Quixotic and the Danger Mouse produced The Blue God — with a handful of new songs, the record shows why Tricky’s former muse has been the voice to call on for everyone from Massive Attack to Common for well over a decade now.
Whether photographing adult swim stars or vinyl Gorillaz, Brian McCarty transforms real backgrounds into imaginary scenarios and make-believe characters into lifelike subjects.
By capturing art toys in realistic settings, McCarty creates multimedia tableaux based on constructed narratives. The effect is disarmingly spontaneous, with colorful creatures becoming engaged storytellers in a practice that redefines the meaning of play.
Last weekend marked the eleventh time that the folks at Goldenvoice have produced the Coachella Music and Arts Festival, bringing together over one hundred acts of disparate musical genres and throwing them all together in the desert heat to see what sticks and what melts away. This year’s Coachella had its fair share of legends (Sly Stone, Public Image Ltd.), indie darlings (She & Him, Vampire Weekend), titans of their genre (Jay-Z, Faith No More), and once-in-a-lifetime acts with production that you’ll never see anywhere else (Plastikman, Fever Ray, Orbital, and Gorillaz). It also had its fair share of snags: parking was a nightmare, huge crowds created gridlock, and there was a surprising lack of fantastic art other than an enormous white paper crane.
After the jump, read our power rankings for some of the acts who we saw at the festival, based on each band’s buzz points coming into their performances and cred gained or lost after the fact. You might be surprised by some of the results; if you were there, let us know who you saw at the festival and whether you agree with our judgments.
We love Gorillaz, so we couldn’t help but be a bit disappointed by the recent rumor of the group’s uncredited music stealing borrowing. (Seriously, is there something in the water?) Reggae artist Eddy Grant claims the electronic keyboard riffs from his song “Time Warp,” were used in the new Gorillaz song, “Stylo,” without any due credit. Although both Grant and the Gorillaz are signed with EMI Publishing, the label refuses to get involved and is letting the artists settle this dispute themselves.
In a properly configured relationship I would have gotten a call from EMI to say, ‘Damon wants to use ‘Time Warp.’ What arrangement can you guys come to? Would you claim 100% would you claim 60%, or 70% of whatever it is?’ That phone call never came.
Although nothing has been resolved, we’re curious to hear your take on songs that borrow. After the jump, compare Grant’s “Time Warp” to Gorillaz “Stylo,” and check out our roundup of other musical “homages.”
