In a recent cover story, Grimes unveiled a new and exciting collaboration on a track called SCREAM for her fourth upcoming album. The collaborator is none other than Aristophanes – also known as 貍貓 – a Taiwanese rapper who has been an integral wordsmith on Taipei’s hip hop scene for a while now. Unfortunately, I do not speak nor understand Mandarin Chinese, but my friends who do, exclaim that her vocal slicks and flips are effortless and clean. I can hear it too though, the range and rhythm of her wordplay is an otherworldly thing to experience (especially for an English speaker). The production is always surprising. It varies from stuck-in-a-gramophone jazz to glitch pop experimentalism to relaxed lounge-hop. In some of the songs she whispers in an almost clandestine, lets-take-down-the-government fashion, and then suddenly groans as if in pain. In others, she is barely heard as her nimble voice slides amongst an industrial-noise soundscape.
She interprets Chinese folktales into syncopated word-rhythms, references Gabriel García Márquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude (which is my favourite book), and navigates the violent intersections of democracy and capitalism. She even has a song about an imagined meeting between Chinese philosopher Laozi and German philosopher Nietzsche (Don’t even. I’ve already mailed my soul to her). Basically, her lyrical content is so marvellously on point that we might as well call her a rapping revolutionary, or, perhaps, a prating prophetess.
So make sure that you give this gal a listen.
Despite the Australian government’s assertion that musicians are largely filthy, abhorrently rich, the reality is that we live in a world where illicit downloading means that artists are no longer enjoying anywhere near the sweet, nourishing scrilla that album and single sales have traditionally brought them. They are instead forced to turn to other means to increase their revenue stream and get those reasonably attainable government tax benefits.
“We gotta thicken our fuckin’ stream”
To that end, artists have cranked it up in other avenues such as touring and advertising, as well as their music merchandise, to make up for the cash they’re missing out on. Some nail that last one. Others, as we’ve delved into briefly before, fail in ways that push outtheydamnmindedness levels to dizzying new heights. Like:
5: Grimes – Pussy Rings
Aaaaaand we’re off. Canadian singer Grimes usually peddles in a largely inoffensive brand of ethereal electro-pop that indie girls seem to all really enjoy but that I simply don’t get. What I also don’t get is her blatant disregard for both good taste and also Jesus with her attempt at starting a jewellery line back in 2012.
‘Three rings for the Tumblr girls, under the tagged/me sky’
These look like trivia prizes that would get passed around at a hen’s night in Hades. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy a good old-fashioned vagina as much as anyone, but jeeeeez there are much more subtle ways to promote female liberation and your love of Grimes than this. I’m certainly not looking at anyone crass enough to wear one of these and thinking ‘oh look, there’s a Grimes fan!’, I’m looking at them and thinking ‘oh look, there’s someone with very awful taste. In everything!’.
Not only that, but wearing even one of these just looks unnecessarily impractical, let alone running with three as whoever that is above is living dangerously enough to try.
Elrond knows what to do with these.
4: Keane aprons (with lyrics)
This one isn’t quite as over the top outrageous as the rest of this list, but it just blew me away in cosmic fashion in the ‘who on the fucking planet would even buy this?’ category. Are there really people who are enamoured this much with Keane, just one of England’s many, many contributions to cardboard-boring, mediocre wuss rock?
I’m sorry, England, I’ve just really had it in for you ever since that first Ashes test.
If Buzz Killington put together a mixtape, it would be Keane’s greatest hits album. Their fanbase would have to be the most non-descript, stuffy people imaginable, which is probably why they’re able to, in all seriousness, hawk them crap like this and describe it as ‘natty’.
What better way to tell your dinner party guests that the food they’re about to eat has been prepared by somebody who doesn’t love themselves enough. Honestly, who do you buy an apron with handwritten Keane lyrics (from a song so bland and English-y that it’s about a cafe) on it for? People who have lost the will to live?
This is a gift that would destroy friendships and sever family ties alike, because you would just know that the person giving it to you secretly hates you and doesn’t think you worthy of experiencing any kind of joy, ever, but chances are that you are also a Keane fan and were probably never destined to anyway.
3: Deadmau5 cat headphones
Ugh, I already couldn’t stand Deadmau5. Nothing shits me worse than artists who intentionally spite-fuck my beloved spelling and grammar in the name of their music, and that ‘5’ instead of a simple fucking ‘s’ is so deeply, unshakeably irritating. That he’s also a terrible practitioner of utterly soulless house music, possibly one of my least favourite genres ever to assault my ears, makes this even worse
Cat headphones, because you’re a nut.
I hate cats. They’re creepy little gits who lie around doing nothing all day and then have the stones to be irritable about everything. They’re dicks, but even I wouldn’t do this to one of them. Not that I even could really. There’s absolutely no chance that cat up there hasn’t been stuffed and mounted already in order to capture that moment. There’s simply no feasible way you could get a pair of headphones on a live one, let alone then blasting music directly into its ears, without being murdered in a flurry of claws and hissing.
Only ten ‘Meowingtons’ as they’re dubbed were ever made and they retail for the fuck off immediately price of $999, but the sad thing about psychotic cat people is that there would be well over ten of them out there shitrat insane enough to spend that kind of money on a new way to make their pet hate them unconditionally.
Although supply and demand is going to be a little skewed when most people that insane already own over ten cats.
Apparently all of the proceeds go to the ASPCA, but the absurdity of raising money for animal cruelty by perpetuating more animal cruelty can’t have been picked up by only me, right?
2: U2 ‘Achtung Baby’ condoms
U2 are probably your dad’s favourite band (if your dad is terrible) and Achtung Baby was one of their more mediocre albums of the early 90s. Aside from One, which Mary J. Blige turned around and straight swagger jacked from them, there weren’t many memorable songs on this album at all.
Apparently though, someone’s hilarious father in marketing heard the title of the album and decided to come up with a corkingly good dad joke of a product.
Nobody with a soul has ever had sex involving anything U2, let alone removing and donning a raincoat from a box with weird robot infant faces covering it and a phrase on it that roughly translates to ‘Warning! Baby’. It doesn’t even make sense as a joke. Are U2 warning us that these condoms are so ineffective that they will result in an unplanned baby? I’m not willing to risk it.
They could have just gone the obvious route and called them ‘Bondoms’ but anything sexual involving Bono’s likeness is sure to result in her screams being the exact opposite of pleasure.
‘Bono’d, for her terror’
This is not how normal people have sex. At all. If you took an Achtung Baby condom out and suggested using it in the middle of a one night stand, you deserve every one of the zero phone calls you’ll ever be getting back from the person whose sex drive you have just permanently murdered. People would probably rather have sex with actual, decrepit 2015 Bono while he shouts about starving children than with someone possessing the kind of miserable sense of humour required to spend money on dad joke birth control.
1: KISS Kaskets
KISS, those Juggalos before Juggalos were a thing, have been emblazoning their greasepainted faces onto obscure products since before you were conceived in the back of a Kingswood to Love Gun. Bladed weapons, Babushka dolls, bike shorts, toilet seats, these crafty bastards know exactly how unhinged the KISS Army is and know that they will buy literally anything with their likenesses plastered on it in some way.
ANYTHING. Even if it puts them on a list of sex offenders immediately upon purchase.
The most exorbitantly awful of all the KISS merchandise you can buy though, and there is a butt-ton of it out there, are KISS goddamn Kaskets.
I/Wanna rock and roll all night/And scream in hell for eternity!
What kind of life has someone lead where their last wish is to be interred in one of these? They’ve either lived such a full one that they’ve simply run out of earthly shits to give or, the sad and probably more likely alternative, KISS are their entire lives.
Just $3000 of your dollars (that you can’t take into the grave anyway) will get you one of these, including exactly none of the subtlety or gracefulness that should come with a casket, only poorly photoshopped flames and everybody getting douche chills at your funeral.
Not to mention the Four Horsemen laughing so hard at you when they haul you out of it on Judgement Day.
Worse was Gene Simmons low-key plugging these things by revealing that Pantera guitarist and all-around no-fuck-giver extraordinaire, Dimebag Darrell, was buried in one after his tragic onstage murder.
Damn KISS, just learn some chill and stick to merchandise that isn’t this creepy.
You know what, maybe… maybe just stop altogether
Statik Selektah – In The Wind Ft. Joey Bada$$, Big K.R.I.T and Chauncy Sherod
We were getting a little impatient in the lead up to the release of Statik Selektah‘s Lucky 7 album, but thankfully this week, that wait is now over. In The Wind is another track taken from that record, and like its predecessors, is another shining example of just how incredible Statik is. Blending so many elements and whipping them into a groovy, blissful, hip hop storm is no mean feat, but Statik goes about about it in such a way it looks almost easy.
Youngs. – Serasan Shakes
Slow but fast, gentle but powerful, Melbourne band Youngs. have dropped a doozy with Serasan Shakes. Hypnotic in the way it soars and crashes, it’s a promising release from a very promising band. The frenetic beats are reminiscent of acts like Seekae, but the vocals and melodies distance the band from too strong a comparison, and put them in a league of their own.
LIR – Chasing
Melbourne and Tel Aviv are pretty different I would imagine, but the best of both worlds have combined in the new duo, LIR. Chasing is their debut single and as far as debuts go, this one is very special. The layered vocals, the frenzied loops, the dulcet tones of Liron Tru and the fed up lyrics swirl together to create a glitchy, unpredictable but totally enthralling track that I just can’t get enough of.
HANA – Avalanche
Having received support from Lorde, Grimes and Lana Del Rey before releasing your second ever song is no mean feat, but when it comes to HANA, you can understand why. It also helps that Blood Diamonds is your boyfriend as well as your producer. The two clearly work superbly together, with this track really speaking for itself. Crisp but muffled drum beats, the intricate production and HANA’s feather soft voice – Avalanche is a total dream.
cln – Found
Cln is definitely an up and comer that deserves your attention – and with tracks like Found, he’s bound to get it. One of the better producers to pop up in this post-Flume world, Cln’s work is delicate, meticulous and considered, and it’s this thought and care that he takes with his tracks that make them what they are. I’ve got both my eyes on this guy!
The Ocean Party – Guess Work
In my opinion, The Ocean Party are one of the best bands in Australia right now, so any new music from them is pretty much guaranteed to be good. Guess Work marks their return to the scene after dropping one of the best albums of last year, Soft Focus. With lyrics that sing of “feelings of guilt and disenfranchisement of living in an age of globalization and drone warfare,” and such precise guitar leads, poignant keys and a drum beat that carries the track, Guess Work is one hell of a way to mark their return.
Major Leagues – Someone Sometime
Brisbane darlings Major Leagues are definitely not wasting any time accumulating a loyal fan base with their dreamy tunes, and rightly so. The serene vocal harmonies, the fuzzy guitars and hard hitting drums might seem like something you’ve heard before, but there is something special about this band that keeps them separate from the pack. They’re about to go on tour as well as performing at BIGSOUND later this year, and I insist you go along to see them in action!
Ta-Ku – Down For You Ft. Alina Baraz
It’s basically a given that any song that Ta-Ku releases will end up in many a “Best Songs” playlist, and this one is no exception. Down For You is taken from the prolific producer’s latest EP, Songs to Make Up To, and it makes us want to do more than that! The gorgeous vocals from Alina Baraz and Ta-Ku’s exceptional as always production make for another outstanding track.
Coda Conduct – Paint it Gold
Canberra/Sydney hip hop duo Coda Conduct have only just come onto my radar recently, and I am so glad they did. Sally and Erica can rap, and they can rap really good. Sally makes their beats too, and their EP released in March Butter Side Up is one of the better releases I’ve heard this year. Paint It Gold is so much fun, delivered with high energy, dynamic production and a spotlight on just how much these two ladies have going in. I am predicting very big things to come from these two!
It’s no secret that the entertainment industry has been predominantly male-centric since it began. Women have had to do what they can to survive amongst the sea of testosterone, often required to showing a bit of skin just to rise up and stay in the limelight.
Ariana Grande has recently voiced her frustrations on Twitter, focusing on the double standard that is still exercised in today’s society. But Grande isn’t the only artist voicing her opinion on sexism. There have been many musicians, men and women alike, who have revealed the struggle of female singers to be recognised for their talent, rather than other things.
The Icelandic queen of pop, Björk has struggled to get recognition for her music for years. “It’s tough. Everything that a guy says once, you have to say five times. Girls now are also faced with different problems. … But it’s an ongoing battle. I hope it doesn’t come across as too defensive, but it is the truth.”
When it was reported that Arca was the sole producer of latest album Vulnicura, she was quick to set the record straight:
“It wasn’t just one journalist getting it wrong, everybody was getting it wrong. I’ve done music for, what, 30 years? I’ve been in the studio since I was 11; [Arca] had never done an album when I worked with him. He wanted to put something on his own Twitter, just to say it’s co-produced. I said, “No, we’re never going to win this battle. Let’s just leave it.” But he insisted,” she revealed.
Though he is a man who is notorious for complaining about things, it may surprise you that Jack White has also spoken out about the connotations given to women in the music industry. In an interview with Spin, he said, “It’s a real shame that if a woman goes onstage with an instrument, it’s almost a novelty. Like, ‘Oh, isn’t that cute.’ It’s a shame that in 2014 that’s a little bit of what’s going on in the perception in the room.”
The main idea that ‘if a woman is successful, there must be a man involved’ is a common one, as Lily Allen pointed out in an interview. “You will also notice of the big successful female artists, there is always a ‘man behind the woman’ piece. If it’s Beyoncé, it’s Jay Z. If it’s Adele, it’s Paul Epworth. Me? It was Mark Ronson and the same with Amy Winehouse. You never get that with men. You can’t think of the man behind the man.”
For the record, here’s what a bunch of other artists have had to say about sexism in the industry:
Grimes: “I don’t want to be infantilized because I refuse to be sexualized,” she wrote on Tumblr. “I’m tired of men who aren’t professional or even accomplished musicians continually offering to ‘help me out’ (without being asked), as if I did this by accident and I’m gonna flounder without them. Or as if the fact that I’m a woman makes me incapable of using technology. I have never seen this kind of thing happen to any of my male peers.”
Taylor Swift: “You’re going to have people who are going to say, ‘Oh, you know, like, she just writes songs about her ex-boyfriends,'” she said to Time magazine. “And I think frankly that’s a very sexist angle to take. No one says that about Ed Sheeran. No one says that about Bruno Mars. They’re all writing songs about their exes, their current girlfriends, their love life, and no one raises the red flag there.”
Meredith Graves: “Women are called upon every day to prove our right to participate in music on the basis of our authenticity — or perceived lack thereof,” she wrote in Pitchfork. “Our credentials are constantly being checked — you say you like a band you’ve only heard a couple of times? Prepare to answer which guitarist played on a specific record and what year he left the band. But don’t admit you haven’t heard them, either, because they’ll accuse you of only saying you like that genre to look cool. Then they’ll ask you if you’ve ever heard of about five more bands, just to prove that you really know nothing. This happens so often that it feels like dudes meet in secret to work on a regimented series of tests they can use to determine whether or not we deserve to be here.”
Neko Case: 
Solange Knowles:
The fact that so many female artists feel the need to speak out against sexism is in itself, a testament to its overwhelming prevalence.
Why is this still such a huge problem? This is the 21st century, people.
Many of the complaints point to the media as the main source of the problem. It seems to be the race to get the juiciest scoop and the most views and shares that causes these assumptions. Many publications feed on gossip and controversy as the main types of stories concerning female artists to get their readers talking.
But is the media to blame for the lack of female executives in music companies? Are they the reason why we still need categories that are restricted to men and women at award shows?
There is so much more to the problem at hand than what we read. The lack of representation is something that needs to be a focus if we want to close the gender gap in the world of music for good. As Janelle Monae says in the interview below, the best way to deal with this issue is to rebel against the ideals of what women need to do to gain popularity and just do what they think is right for them.
There needs to be more people in the industry talking about this. Women need to share their experiences instead of simply ignoring them or going with the flow. Those stories can change the future of the industry and how female musicians are perceived.
Americana Chanteuse Lana Del Rey has revealed that her new album will be released sometime around September. The Summertime Sadness singer, in the throes of her The Endless Summer Tour alongside Courtney Love and Grimes, is reported to have shared the news of her release date during a gig in Washington on Friday night.
Believed to be called Honeymoon, it will be the Del Rey’s third album and the follow up to 2014’s Ultraviolence.
“It’s very different from the last one and similar to the first two, ‘Born to Die’ and ‘Paradise’. I finished my last one in March and released it in June and I had a follow-up idea. It’s growing into something I really like. I’m kind of enjoying sinking into this more noirish feel for this one. It’s been good,” said Del Rey in January.
Although a track list hasn’t be released yet, Del Rey reportedly already has nine original songs and a cover ready, rumoured to be Nina Simone’s Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood, as well as featuring the production of Rick Nowels and some serious studio time with Mark Ronson.
Lana Del Rey fans have also apparently uncovered images of the singer on set filming a music video for her upcoming album. The purported photos are described as “Lana Del Rey on set of a new music video for her upcoming album Honeymoon,” and were allegedly taken in San Pedro in April. Have a squizz here.
Meanwhile, lend your ears to Lana’s latest song Big Eyes, a song she recorded for the Tim Burton film of the same name.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Col9Av1ydS4&w=560&h=315]
Woohoo! It’s giveaway time.
Ministry of Sound have just dropped their latest compilation, FUT.UR.ISM 3.0. As always, it’s been impeccably curated, featuring a range of familiar and fresh beats from all over the globe – with a seriously healthy dose of homegrown talent.
From Kaytranada and Vic Mensa to Basenji, from Chet Faker to Paces, Duke Dumont, Caribou, Hudson Mohawk, Purity Ring, Childish Gambino, Jamie xx, Maya Jane Coles and more, WOW! This is one incredible two-disc set. I guarantee it’s going to be playing in my car for the foreseeable future.
Want a copy? Fear now – we’ve got FIVE copies to give away to YOU!
It’s easy to enter:
1. Like and share Howl & Echoes on Facebook
2. Email giveaways@howlandechoes.com with “FUTURISM” as the title, and your name in the email.
Note: You must be living in Australia to enter
We will be drawing the winners at midday on Wednesday May 13. Get on it!
Here’s the full track list for the album. It’s amazing.
DISC 1
1. Kaytranada feat. Vic Mensa – Drive Me Crazy
2. Hermitude feat. Young Tapz – Through The Roof (Kilter Remix)
3. Flosstradamus & TroyBoi – Sound Clash
4. Rustie feat. Danny Brown – Attak
5. Alison Wonderland feat. Wayne Coyne – U Don’t Know
6. Hudson Mohawke – Chimes
7. Grimes feat. Blood Diamonds – Go
8. Carmada feat. Maribelle – On Fire
9. Purity Ring – begin again
10. Brenmar – Hula Hoop feat. UNiiQU3
11. Tkay Maidza – Finish Them
12. Spank Rock feat. Amanda Blank – Assassin
13. Childish Gambino – Retro [Rough]
14. Touch Sensitive – Teen Idols
15. Jamie xx – Girl
16. Slumberjack – Horus
17. Basenji – Heirloom
18. Flamingo feat. Hunt – Drip Away (Nick Lynar Remix)
19. GodWolf – Resist
20. Paces feat. Kučka – Nothing’s Forever
21. HWLS feat. Noah Breakfast – 004
22. Kilter feat. Ngaiire – Coward (Naderi Remix)
23. Knife Party – Boss Mode
DISC 2
1. Andras & Oscar – Looking Back
2. Cosmos Midnight feat. Wild Eyed Boy – Snare
3. Hayden James – Something About You
4. Porches – Horses
5. TCTS feat. Aniff Akinola – Coup Da Ville
6. Roland Tings – Pala
7. Chet Faker – 1998 (ReShaped by Homework)
8. Jungle – Time (Joe Goddard Remix)
9. Jack Ward – Yoghurt
10. Sam Smith – Leave Your Lover (Motez Remix)
11. Duke Dumont – Slow Dance
12. Shiba San – I Can’t Remember
13. Nadastrom – Falling Down (Justin Martin Remix)
14. Caribou – Our Love
15. Maya Jane Coles feat. Moggli – From the Dark
16. Acaddamy – I’ve Been Waiting
17. Hot Since 82 feat. Alex Mills – Restless
18. GotSome feat. Wiley – Vibe Out
19. Tiga feat. Pusha T – Bugatti
20. Will Clarke – The Goog
21. Waze & Odessey & R. Kelly – Bump & Grind 2014
Finally, the weekend is here, and it’s a long one at that! Thankfully, we have once again pulled through to bring you the top 10 new tracks that have dropped this week. There is a really good mix here, from sultry pop to delicate piano numbers, peculiar electro, shoegaze, late night club jams and – of course – some Killer Mike. TGIF!
1. Sofi de la Torre – Lovers Work Late
Lifted from her forthcoming EP Vermillion, this is one rising pop star that isn’t messing around. She’s already had nods from Paramore and Grimes, as well as a lot of Internet love. If you listen to her tracks, you’ll know why. Her honeyed voice and sultry lyrics paired with pop styled production makes for an incredibly enjoyable experience.
2. Adria – Falling
Perth singer Adria has just dropped her debut EP, Shell, and Falling is her latest single. Beautiful and delicate piano is juxtaposed with her incredible vocal range, as it soars with incredible passion before dropping to a faint whisper. Wait ’til you get to the end and try not to melt. Stunning.
3. Late Night Hysterics – Moondance
Following on in our Perth love this week is the new track from local heroes Late Night Hysterics. Labelling it as “Atmospheric Electronic”, they’re not too far off the mark with this new track. Epic, sprawling and captivating, Moondance is one massive track that I was enthralled in from the first listen.
4. Fieldings – A Pleasant Stutter
Sydneysider Fieldings has been kicking around for about a year under this current moniker (she was formerly known as The Understudy), but her simplisitic, less-is-more approach makes her sound like she’s been doing this since forever. A Pleasant Stutter is understated cool, featuring sounds from a Dulwich Hill thunderstorm and a car safety PSA from the 70s, wicked vocals, thumping beats and what sounds like a wall of fuzz descending on your ears.
5. Left. – Liquor Lip Loaded Gun (Sticky Fingers cover)
I’m not the biggest fan of Sticky Fingers, but I could be if they started sounding like this! Intricate, experimental and sweeping, this cover is a tremendous effort and has been on repeat for quite a while now. I really love artists that completely overhaul the track their covering to make it their own, and Left. has done this and more with Liquor Lip Loaded Gun.
6. Sea Moya – Do Things
Psychedelic beat trio hailing from Germany Sea Moya make some of the most interesting sounds I’ve heard in quite some time. Do Things is one of those tracks that makes you sit up and listen, with it’s originality and fresh take on electronica that I just can’t get enough of!
7. MNDR & Killer Mike – Lock & Load
We also have a separate post on this bad boy, but it’s just too cool not to cover. Two of my favourite artists in the game teaming up for one of the most bad ass songs to be released this year, MNDR and Killer Mike both shine on Lock & Load (I actually think it’s impossible for Killer Mike NOT to shine). The gangsta beat with the echoing, almost creepy synth lines provide the perfect bed for MNDR’s sexy as hell vocals and Killer Mike’s epic verse.
8. Phosphene – Be Mine
US rockers Phosphene are back with another killer track in Be Mine. Sticking to their guns, this shoegaze number shines a great light on their lead female vocalist and features a pretty killer guitar solo. This is tipped to be included on their new EP coming out later this year, which has us very excited indeed to hear what’s still to come.
9. LUCIANBLOMKAMP – Help Me Out (Rat & Co Remix)
I fucking love LUCIANBLOMKAMP. He is one of the most exciting electronic artists in the Australian scene, and he continues to deliver excellent tracks. Help Me Out has featured heavily in my most played tracks lately, so it’s pretty awesome to see fellow local electronic heroes Rat & Co jumping on remix duties. Bringing jazz into the fray, they give this twisted, dark track some soul with it’s hip hop backbeat. Also that breakdown is what dreams are made of.
10. The Completely Boys – Hard 4 U
This is the collaborative project of Sweat It Out! Music alum Frames and his friend from bass lords B.O.O.M.A. As someone who is no stranger to late nights in the club, this is the kind of music that speaks to me on another level. The perfect tracks for those 3am times when your body is aching from the heaving bass you just experience and you don’t want to go home just yet, these guys are the new kings of late night club jams.
It’s only been three short months and we’ve already seen some phenomenal new music this year. This post is not dedicated to the tunes however, but to the video clips that go with them. Some of them have been chosen for their content, others because they are technically stunning, and some because they are simply hilarious.
1. Childish Gambino: Sober
At the end of last year Donald Glover (Childish Gambino) wiped all of his social media accounts. He made no explanation. On January 7 he broke his online silence with a link to a website that contained a countdown clock. When the clock struck zero, the timer revealed the new music video for Sober.
Speculation has led to a lot of different theories for the meaning of the clip, which portrays a zombie-like, Michael Jackson-esque Gambino attempting to woo a lady in a diner with dance moves and magic tricks. Perhaps the film is a comment on online racism, and the white privilege that Gambino still sees as prevalent on social media platforms. Or perhaps he is mocking the public perception that he had gone slightly mad, because of his online behaviour, by presenting himself as high in the film clip. Whatever your take on it, there is an undeniable darkness to the video that makes it truly engaging to watch.
2. FKA Twigs: Pendulum
FKA Twigs had already released some epic music videos in 2014, but this is one of her most exciting films so far. The clip starts with an extreme closeup of Twig’s lips and gradually moves backwards, twisting slightly to reveal that the singer is in fact being suspended by her hair.
The film is incredibly engaging to watch, and gives the song, which on its own is a little bit of a yawn, a sense of purpose and anticipation. The only criticism I have for it is the slight bondage theme that it carries. FKA Twigs is a beautiful, powerful female icon. She doesn’t need to rely on her sexuality to engage her fans. Here the shots with her wrapped up tightly in black ropes, with her breasts pushed up towards the camera seemed more like a bizarre distraction than a necessary part of the film.
3. Grimes: RealiTi
Grimes’ new video clip for RealiTi, which she directed and edited herself stands in complete contrast with Twigs. The film uses a gorgeous colour scheme of oranges, pinks and blues, and has an amateur, almost childish nostalgia to it.
Also in contrast to Twigs, Grimes in no way sexualises or objectifies herself. She dances with a mesmerising youthfulness, giving the sense that she would dance in exactly the same way if the camera was not there. Female artists that are brave enough to make music videos that don’t draw attention to their sexuality are so important, as they give the young girls who watch them permission to act the same. Grimes and artists like her should be celebrated.
4. Rihanna, Kanye West, Paul McCartney: FourFiveSeconds
Rihanna’s FourFiveSeconds may be one of the more random songs that she’s produced in her career, but that hasn’t stopped her from releasing a hilariously awesome music video to go with it.
The director of FourFiveSeconds, Vinoodh Matadin, made the intelligent decision to keep the clip stripped back and simple. Opening with a black and white closeup of a glistening, tormented RiRi, the film hooks you in an instant. We’re thinking why does RiRi look like she has a drug addiction? Moreover, why is she decked out head-to-toe in denim?
The film is a surprisingly appealing hot mess, somewhat like the song. You may think it’s tacky, but try to get through the entire song without singing along to the chorus. It’s not easy.
5. Sia: Elastic Heart
If you haven’t already seen Sia’s film clip for Elastic Heart, you’ve been living under a rock. The music video sparked an enormous amount of controversy over whether it should be considered paedophilia, which you can read about here. We need not get into that discussion again, so lets just suffice to say that it should not.
It’s a shame though that such a futile argument took the attention away from what is a truly interesting film clip. The film features retired actor Shia Labouef, and the 12 year-old female dancer from Sia’s previous clip, Chandelier, Maddie Ziegler.
The two characters challenge traditional gender roles and the sense of imprisonment that people feel when they aren’t able to express themselves. That’s what we should have been talking about. Not whether Shia Laboeuf is a bloody paedophile.
Tear Council, Anywhere
I recently wrote about this excellent song, a new collaboration between Matt Van Schie and Michael Di Francesco (aka Touch Sensitive). The video clip has just come out, and it’s really entertaining. It’s very retro, kinda film noir, and really hilariously creepy. Highly recommend watching the whole thing. Really looking forward to seeing more from these guys!
Donny Benet & Kirin J Callinan, The Edge
You can’t go wrong when something involves these two. Like Tear Council these guys have fully embraced the ’80s retro revival. This is an excellent synth-pop track with a driving beat and a video that wouldn’t have been out of place on early 1990s MTV – and that’s a good thing.
Loon Lake, Surfin’
And now for something completely different. Loon Lake’s new song is frantic and fun punk rock.The video features a series of skater clips, alongside cruisin’ in the car, sweaty live gigs and generally having A LOT of fun. Short and sharp at 2 min 35, this makes me wanna go and jump around a mosh pit.
Future, Just Like Bruddas.
Fresh off his recent Beast Mode mixtape, Future has dropped the video for this deliciously nasty-yet-soulful track. It’s pretty much your run-of-the-mill hip hop video: clubs, homies, limousines, bling. All in all a big loved-up bromance celebration. Ohh, that piano. I love this track. PS download the mixtape here.
Grimes, REALiTi
Apparently this was considered a “scrapped” track – never meant to see the light of day. But it obviously has, alongside a lovely little video clip. Self-directed and edited during a 2013 tour, the angelic electro-pop track is set to trippy visuals, gorgeous scenery and lots, and lots, and lots of bright colours. The track itself is fucking lovely. Lets hope we’ll be finally hearing more new Grimes soon!
Scarlett Johansson has always had been drawn towards music. She’s done a few covers here and there, as well as a few collaborations. She even released a full album of Tom Waits covers in 2008 called Anywhere I Lay My Head.
Here is she performing with Pete Yorn about five years ago.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCx5sOj7SlA
Recently, we haven’t seen much of her musical talent as she’s been focusing on acting. Until now, that is.
She has formed an electro-pop band with HAIM’s Este Haim, along with Holly Miranda, Julia Haltigan and Kendra Morris, known as The Singles.
In a press release, Johansson says, “the idea was to write super-pop dance music written and performed by girls.”
Johansson cites past successful girl groups like Grimes, the Bangles and the Go-Go’s as the inspiration for this project. “I wanted it to be like those bands: ultra pop but also a little ironic, a little in on the joke,” she said.
The group has recorded their first single together with TV On The Radio and Yeah Yeah Yeahs producer Dave Sitek. You can listen to their upbeat, flirty-sounding track, Candy, here.
If you like what you hear, you can pre-order the single here.