The summer of lo-fi music has come to a close — it’s getting cooler out, and we need to refresh our iPods with some new music. So give your fingers a little warm-up stretch and get ready to “Right Click, Save Link As,” because after the jump we present 10 essential downloads from our latest Viva Radio show that we consider required listening at Flavorpill HQ. Enjoy! Read More »

1. Speech Debelle has won this year’s Mercury Prize for her album Speech Therapy. [via NME] (Read our interview with her here.)
2. Why losing Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, and juicy election fodder might be too much for Saturday Night Live to handle. [via WaPo]
3. A new (possibly NSFW) episode of Between Two Ferns features Zach Galifianakis interviewing Charlize Theron. [via FunnyorDie]
4. A preview of what you’ll read in Malcolm Gladwell’s new book: What the Dog Saw. [via Kottke]
5. Warner Bros. has reached an undisclosed settlement over Lord of the Rings licensing agreements with J.R.R. Tolkien’s 80-year-old kids. [via LAT]

Bonus link: Next Tarantino Movie An Homage To Beloved Tarantino Movies Of Director’s Youth [via The Onion]

Featuring guest appearances from Roots Manuva and Micachu, UK rapper Speech Debelle’s debut has already garnered a Mercury Prize nomination.

An introspective, emotionally stark offering, Speech Therapy finds the young hip-hop artist exploring every facet of her own psyche, revealing the highs and lows that come from love, heartbreak, homelessness, and recognition. The album was produced by musical innovator Wayne Lotek after the two met at the offices of pioneering record label Big Dada. Read More »

Interviewers want to know about Speech Debelle‘s past. After all, it’s not every day that a kid from London goes from scrounging food and bouncing around youth hostels to being a Mercury Award-nominated rapper. But, after listening to her debut album Speech Therapy, her rise to stardom isn’t all that surprising. Peppered with organic, jazzy beats (instead of samples) and powerfully direct lyrics (instead of this), her music is a breath of fresh air in a genre dominated by auto-tuned dudes. Recently, Flavorpill got a chance to talk with Speech Debelle about the pressures of fame, what she has in common with Tupac, and, of course, her past. Read More »