It’s Monday, which means it’s time for Flavorpill to forge bravely into the wilds of the Internet in search of five noteworthy and/or excellent records that you can stream for free all week. Here’s the result of our heroic quest — a grab bag that’s stuffed full of tunes, including the latest Kate Bush album, a sort-of-new album from the incomparable Saul Williams, the debut from Canyons (who are soon to become DFA lovers’ favorite new band), a couple of fine live records, and even some bonus links for your listening delectation. Click through and get a piece of the action. Read More »
Rising future-soul star Janelle Monáe is reviving the art of the concept album, citing influences that range from Stevie Wonder to Salvador Dalí.
Monáe’s debut full-length, The ArchAndroid, continues the tale of robot-on-the-run Cindi Mayweather, first introduced on her 2007 EP Metropolis. The wildly diverse album includes contributions from Saul Williams, Outkast’s Big Boi, and Athens-based indie rockers Of Montreal, echoing everyone from Prince to David Bowie on its immense 18-track journey.
From his groundbreaking models of online music distribution to outspoken views on role of the artist in the modern music industry, Trent Reznor and his band Nine Inch Nails have set a precedent for innumerable indie bands attempting to flourish in a broken industry. Reznor has also displayed a tireless work ethic and devotion to his music-making, incorporating influences that extend as far as arty synth-dance, classic rock, and Queen.
Recently-released videos showcasing a collaboration between Reznor and former Bauhaus frontman Peter Murphy demonstrate the extent of his diverse tastes and abilities. After the jump, we’ve collected some of Reznor’s most distinctive cross-genre performances (he has performed with people ranging from soulful Brooklynites TV On The Radio to metalheads Dilinger Escape Plan). Both Nine Inch Nails devotees and casual music fans should be surprised and impressed at the man’s range of collaborative expression.
“These are unique times to be living though,” declared a winded Saul Williams (aka Niggy Tardust) to a packed house at New York’s Blender Theater. Decked out in his signature silver face paint, with long blue feathers staked throughout his hair, Williams thrashed around the stage rhyming and wailing into his microphone as a mosh pit gathered below. The crowd was eclectic and the mood electric. Artists swirled paintbrushes across a mural on the floor as Williams sang songs from his Trent Reznor-produced album The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of Niggy Tardust, eliciting punk rock riffs passionate enough to rival the artists’ own famed slam poetry. Between songs, the crowd was treated to these poems; they roared back in unison when Williams proclaimed that “music is our alchemy.”
Flavorpill spoke with Williams as he relaxed with his daughter Saturn between stops on his national Afro-Punk tour.
. The wildly diverse album includes contributions from Saul Williams, Outkast’s Big Boi, and Athens-based indie rockers Of Montreal, echoing everyone from Prince to David Bowie on its immense 18-track journey.
