SOHN “Lessons” Lessons (out 9/23) It’s always a good day when this mysterious Austrian singer bequeaths another moody, slow-burning new single on the blogosphere. Like its scintillating predecessor, “Bloodflows,” “Lessons” is a carefully crafted, expansive track that unfolds slowly before presenting its true beauty near the end. There’s still no official word of a debut LP, but as long as the singles of this standard, I’ll be listening.
How to Dress Well “i think life might be elsewhere (hungover mix)” I was walking home from dinner on Saturday when longtime TP-favorite Tom Krell dropped this mixtape on his Twitter. I didn’t really sit down to listen to it until I got to work this morning, but goddamn, it was well worth the wait. Krell has a ridiculous track record of crafting artful mixtapes, and this one is no different. The Koreless/Keef remix is impossibly dope. Tracklist: hard to … →
Black Orange Juice “Started in Paris” 3 Started Alone (out September 23 on True Panther) While drinking black orange juice isn’t normally recommended, listening to it is fucking delicious. The group consists of rising, UK deep house producer Ossie and the increda-slick twin vocals of Paul Black and Tilz, and it’s a hell of a combo. Ossie’s rock-solid house stylings are the perfect foil for their urbane, sultry, R&B vocals. My only wish is that 3 Started Alone had more … →
Blood Orange “Chamakay” Cupid Deluxe (out this fall on Domino) Devonte Hynes has officially entered CAN’T FEEL MY FACE mode. The 27 year-old Brit has written and produced four or five of the best tracks of this year, and now he’s getting into the act himself. “Chamakay” is the debut single from his follow-up to 2011’s super-underrated, Coastal Grooves, and if God exists, it will be the album that catapults him into the pop music stratosphere. “Chamakay” is everything I … →
Cass McCombs “There Can Be Only One” Big Wheel and Others (out Oct 15 on Domino) Throwback, Americana singer-songwriter, Cass McCombs, is the rambli-est of ramblin’ men — spending most of his adult life leading a nomadic existence. His perpetually itchy feet are a constant of his dusty, freewheeling sound, weaving road tales as ambiguous and complicated as the man himself. As I’d imagine he’d be in person, his music is wildly inconsistent. And like all successful ramblers, when he’s … →
After a bit of a slow summer, we’ve got a handful of huge releases coming in the next two months. Let’s check out the best of September. The Weeknd Kiss Land Sept 10 (XO, Republic) Toronto, ON Giddy-O-Meter: 8/10 Sure to be one of the most divisive albums of 2013, Sad Abel’s back with 10 more emo/slimeball sex jams for all of us to over-analyze. It’s going to be misogynistic, creepy, juvenile, disorienting, and maybe even a little bit boring, … →
Kingdom “Bank Head” (f/ Kelela) Vertical XL (Fade to Mind) One of the sexiest tracks of the year gets a fitting video. Kelela, the LA-based vocalist looks incredible over a shadowy, evocative backdrop. If you missed this track (and the excellent, Vertical XL), it’s not too late to hop on the bandwagon.
Jens Lekman “If You Ever Need A Stranger” When I Said I Wanted to Be Your Dog (Secretly Canadian) I’ve been away for a week or so, mostly because I flew back to California for two of my best friends’ wedding (they married each other). Without going all LiveJournal on everyone, it was a sensational, moving weekend where I saw a lot of my closest, oldest friends. For that, I wanted today’s HJOTD to be my favorite wedding song — … →
Aaliyah “One in a Million” (Visionist Remix) Digital Single 12 years on from her tragic passing, Aaliyah’s footprint on pop music is as indelible as ever. This creepy, evocative remix from the forward-thinking Londoner is another worthy tribute to the late visionary. Visionist handles one of her most important songs with paramount care, keeping the intoxicating vocal in tact, while twisting the arraignment into a darkly delicious slice of future pop.
Darkside First 11 Minutes of New Album Untitled New LP (out ???? on Other Lives) A couple years removed from their impeccable debut EP, NYC/Chilean production wonderkid Nicolas Jaar and Dave Harrington are at it again. Their forthcoming LP was announced in a typically cryptic, out-of-the-blue manner, with Jaar tweeting that they would be playing it in its entirety last Tuesday on the Lower East Side. After that, the duo released the disc’s first 11 minutes online, and while little else … →
