ALTER.NATiON
Karen O, Michael Kiwanuka, Mass Gothic, Art School Girlfriend, Nine Inch Nails, Unloved, Beach House, Gorillaz, George Benson, Hollie Cook, Shame, BC Camplight, Cherry Glazerr, Pangaea, Courtney Barnett
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| Karen O |
weekly favtraX
16-12-2018
Karen O/Michael Kiwanuka -
YO! MY SAINT
Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ Karen O returns for Korean soap opera inspired track with Michael Kiwanuka
The new track, ’YO! MY SAINT’, is released in support of fashion house KENZO’s Spring Summer 18 collection.
“For the music, I immediately wanted to do melodramatic and romantic and with lots of yearning and high stakes – all that good stuff that’s in any Korean soap opera.
“It just started owing through me.”
She added: “I wanted there to be something authentically romantic about it in some kind of slightly unconventional way. That’s where my head went with it.”
Mass Gothic -
How I Love You
Mass Gothic are tripping over themselves with whimsy in 'How I Love You'
...As you'd expect, 'How I Love You' is a pure love song, led this time by Jessica Zambri. Over spare guitar chords she expresses her simple but deeply personal feelings regarding her life partner, as she watches him leave for the day and feels the pain in her heart as he recedes from her. As drums and distorted guitar are added to the song, it only intensifies the feeling of the deep love that is being expressed in the song...
Art School Girlfriend -
Distance (Blank)
Art School Girlfriend Shares Crisp New Song 'Distance (Blank)'
The project is an outlet for Polly Mackey, a musician whose path from London to Margate has opened up possibilities both creative and personal.
New song 'Distance (Blank)' deals with this, the sub-zero electronics moving from crowded intensity to something a little more relaxed, pinned together by Polly's vocal.
"Lately I am in over my head," she comments, a testimony to the grinding penetration of London life, and a plea for something more.
Nine Inch Nails -
God Break Down the Door
Reznor described the writing of the song, stating
"Looking around the studio and seeing the untouched baritone tenor and alto sax that are sitting there ... they're there because they remind me that I can't play them as well as I used to be able to. There they sit taunting me in the corner. We pulled them out and we just started fucking around really, led with Atticus arranging. I was just kind of going, an hour performance kind of turned into this thing that felt like we hadn't been there before and that started to reveal a whole different character. The space changed and then we felt motivated. When it came time to sing I was really just trying things out, just to see. I never had the courage to sing like that, I didn't know I could sing." (
rollingstone)
Unloved -
Heartbreak
Comprised of vocalist and songwriter Jade Vincent, producer/composer Keefus Ciancia, and DJ/ producer/composer David Holmes, Unloved share a fondness for 60’s girl groups and classic film scores, to which they explored on their haunting, dramatic and evocative 2016 debut Guilty of Love.
Two years on and freshly signed to Heavenly Records, the trio have new single ‘Heartbreak’, the first taken from their forthcoming second album. ‘Heartbreak’ continues where the spellbinding Guilty of Love left off; a jaunty, defiant and richly atmospheric pop song tempered by a deliciously retro ’60s vibe and Vincent’s rich, smoky and evocative vocals. Possessed of an aching, rich-smoked tone, it is where the heart of the songs lie.
Beach House -
Lemon Glow
...Released late on Valentine’s Day, “Lemon Glow” is another entry in Beach House’s canon of makeout music; it’s a song about the thrill of intimacy, a breathless hymn to emotional connection. Atop a bed of the duo’s trademark organ and drum machine, Legrand sings about a lover with newfound rawness and lyrical clarity: “It’s what you do/This pulls me through/I come alive/You stay all night,” she sings. A metallic, strobing synth line constantly pushes the song forward; distinct and acidic, it adds a constant tension to the piece, a harshness that hasn’t felt present in the band’s sound before. As the song layers and builds, the synths become more urgent, finally reaching an ecstatic peak as a bass drum pounds. The song’s abrupt end comes as a shock; Beach House songs have always found beauty in a perfect synthesis of motion and stillness, but “Lemon Glow” is pure propulsion...
Gorillaz feat.
George Benson -
Humility
"Humility" is a single by English virtual band Gorillaz featuring American jazz guitarist George Benson. It was released on 31 May 2018 along with "Lake Zurich" as the first single from their sixth studio album, The Now Now.
Hollie Cook -
Stay Alive
A vocalist who calls her music "tropical pop," Hollie Cook's songs are a light but refreshing blend of modern pop and vintage reggae influences, ideally suited to Cook's supple, sensuous voice. Cook certainly has the genes for a career in music -- her father Paul Cook was the drummer for the Sex Pistols, while her mother Jeni Cook was a backing vocalist for Culture Club. (If that's not enough, Boy George is her godfather, and David Bowie once babysat her for an afternoon.) Born in 1987, Cook left school when she was 16 to study art and make-up design, but she got pulled onto a new career path in 2006 when Ari Up, leader of the iconic all-female punk/reggae band the Slits, re-formed the group and recruited Paul Cook to produce and play on their new recordings...
Shame -
One Rizla
The post-punk of London band Shame has a lot of heart
“One Rizla” is a punchy taste of their new album.
Beneath the sneering vocals and warring guitars, there’s a finely attuned sense of songcraft to the post-punk of south London band Shame. That’s evident on “One Rizla,” a full-throttle yet heartfelt guitar jam that’s the first single taken from their debut album, Songs Of Praise, coming January 12 on Dead Oceans.
Over email, Shame explained more about the song and video: “Embracing insecurity as a strength is what this song is about. It's the first song we ever wrote as a band and I think that's reflected in the simplicity of it. It's honest and raw, whilst attempting a stab at number one in the pop charts across the eastern hemisphere. We wanted to turn the album artwork into the video for ‘One Rizla,’ highlighting our vulnerability as individuals whilst paying homage to [U.K. cult movie] Withnail & I simultaneously.”
BC Camplight -
I'm Desperate
BC Camplight presents a hellish vision of Brexit Britain in his new song and video 'I'm Desperate'
...The title 'I'm Desperate' should be taken both at face value and with a pinch of salt; Brian Christinzio has had a tough few years of forced emigration and institutions telling him he's unwelcome, but he has managed to keep a wry and playful outlook throughout the tumult, and infuses his songs with that same charm. When it comes to the visual accompaniment for 'I'm Desperate' he takes both of these poles to new extremes. It sets up with Brian and his unwell wife watching the news (never a comfortable activity anymore), and as she drifts off to sleep we are sucked into her nightmare where the frenetic and tense 'I'm Desperate' is the frantic soundtrack to her warped visions of Brian and his band playing the song...
Cherry Glazerr -
Juicy Socks
Cherry Glazerr transitioned from their original lo-fi, garage rock sound to a more polished style on last year’s Apocalipstick. The Los Angeles band continues to showcase that evolution on their new single, “Juicy Socks”.
Influenced by ’90s era alternative rock like The Breeders, the new track gets off to an unassuming start with wispy melodies from lead singer Clementine Creevy accompanied by a catchy guitar riff. As the song reaches its climax, however, Creevy’s vocals intensify as more guitars enter the fold.
“‘Juicy Socks’ is about vocalization,” Creevy shared in a press release. “Using one’s voice as a strong weapon and needing to be heard in order to not feel like shit. Oh also, it’s about wanting to smash Donald Trump’s orange fuckin’ head into a brick wall!”
Pangaea -
Bone Sucka
You don't have to look very far to find old-school breaks in house and techno these days. They appear right at the beginning of Kevin McAuley's new track "Bone Sucka," and there's something almost comical about them. They stay back in the distance and waddle across the stereo spectrum, from left to right and back again. Before you figure out what's going on they slam into full-force, creating the pulverizing banger you never expected. An impish mood heightened by vocal gasps and bleepy noises makes "Bone Sucka" a classic Hessle Audio track, balancing hijinks with brute force like Joe's "Tail Lift" and Pev & Kowton's "Raw Code."
...A press release describes Barnett’s album-closing “Sunday Roast” as “an ode to friendship and the simple pleasures of sharing a dinner with loved ones.” Barnett’s atmospheric guitar playing and soft, heartfelt vocals result in a sweet and serene song, as the Australia native sings words of encouragement and acceptance: “I know it’s been a long week / And now you’re takin’ your time / Some kindness goes around / Some kinda backfires / It’s all the same to me.” The video is just as earnest and openhearted, with Barnett and her friends staging a charmingly simplistic instructional video on how to play the song...
Karen O, Michael Kiwanuka, Mass Gothic, Art School Girlfriend, Nine Inch Nails, Unloved, Beach House, Gorillaz, George Benson, Hollie Cook, Shame, BC Camplight, Cherry Glazerr, Pangaea, Courtney Barnett
