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Just when you thought Kanye couldn't be anymore of a tit...
Poor Taylor Swift. Poor Beyoncé.
True story: when we were young and were first exposed to 'Mmmbop' by Hanson we were pretty sure it was a rather large black woman doing the singing. Just imagine our surprise when we found out it was actually three little blonde kids with scraggly hair and ruddy cheeks. Something similar happens when you listen to Mayer Hawthorne, who describes his sound as Otis Redding meets J Dilla and looks like this:
This is his recently released, limited edition single 'Just Ain't Gonna Work Out', which was released as a heart-shaped vinyl. If you look very closely (i.e. not very closely at all), you'll see said vinyl make an appearance in this here video:
It doesn't look like that sound could come out of his mouth does it? Perhaps Derren Brown is involved somehow.
We've always like Weezer, probably since MTV used to play 'Buddy Holly' on a loop back in the mid-nineties. One of our favourite albums is Pinkerton and although they've not scaled those heights in a long time, we're still mildly excited by their new album, the brilliantly named (if you're fifteen) Raditude.
This is the "totally rad" new album cover featuring a dog doing what looks like a triple lutz with a half axel (yeah, so we're excited about Dancing On Ice):
While we're at it, this is their new single, the pretty brilliant '(If You're Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To':
Apologies in advance for just throwing a video on here in lieu of any actual content, but this isn't just any old video. No, it's actually a new video with an old woman in it. It's by Fever Ray, it's called 'Seven' and there's something deeply disturbing about it all.
Interesting fact - this video was directed by Johan Renck, who also directed Beyoncé's 'Me, Myself & I' video. Imagine Beyoncé dancing around a barn with some demonic cows...
Who remembers the good old days when you could buy a commercial hip-hop album and be safe in the knowledge that all you'd hear is some mindless rhymes about money, bitches and bling with a chorus sampled from a recent hit single, usually sung by a young female singer? Now it's all MGMT this and Ratatat that (hey, that rhymes!), with all these experimental production flourishes getting in the way of all the pimpin' and braggin'.
One recent exponent of this phenomena is Kid Cudi. Fresh from working with Italian dance producers The Crookers on 'Day 'N Nite', he's back with a new single called 'Pursuit of Happiness'. Produced by Ratatat and featuring MGMT on the chorus, it's a brilliantly stoned, skillfully executed fusion of rap and OTT guitars.
Lovely stuff.
Not to be outdone, Raps elder statesman Jay-Z has gone and employed a certain Luke Steele from Empire of The Sun fame on his Blueprint 3 album.
It's got a similarly spaced out beat, this time provided by Kanye West and No I.D. Perhaps it's the start of a whole new genre; Prog-Hop anyone?
So, The Horrors were robbed! Unlike most crimes, this was sanctioned, filmed by TV cameras and universally acclaimed in the national press. Another example, dear reader, of what the Daily Mail call 'Broken Britain'.
Anyway, they're not ones to dwell on disappointment. Instead they've decided to release a new single from the brilliant Primary Colours album...only, er, it's not from the brilliant Primary Colours album. Or at least it's not on the UK version of the album. 'Whole New Way' was previously only available on the Japanese version, but will be released as a single in October. Unsurprisingly, it's amazing, all Joy Division-esque basslines, keyboard flourishes and Faris' delightful croon.
If you can explain what happened on Tuesday night do get in touch. The Music Crimestoppers number is 0800 whatthefuck.
As with a lot of new bands these days there's a very interesting story behind how The Very Best came to be. A few years ago European producers Radioclit were browsing around a second-hand furniture shop when they bumped into Malawian singer Esau Mwamwaya. (It's weird, we were in a second-hand furniture shop this afternoon and all we bumped into was a mounted deer head - true story).
Anyway, their chance meeting has lead to creation of a very interesting trio, whose new album (out next Monday), entitled Warm Heart of Africa, is a wonderfully sprawling mess of steel drums, big beats, synths and Mwamwaya's distinctive vocals. Guests include fellow lovers of all things African M.I.A and Ezra Koenig from Vampire Weekend.
This is the M.I.A collaboration, 'Rain Dance':
We're not going to call it 'world music', because all music is for the world...ha, ha, can you believe we actually wrote that!?
