#NewMusicFriday Guide - 04/29/2016

You Wont - Revolutionaries

My two new favorite goofballs put out an album today! You Won't isn't officially #SKOAfam yet, but don't worry, it will happen soon enough. Maybe at one of their two shows in NYC next week? Talk about being #blessed! Anyway, this record could not have come out at a better time. The winter is finally leaving us, it's getting warm out, and you'll find yourself reaching for this record when the sun is sittin' pretty on your face. It's got the right amount of twang that will make you shake your groove thang just like this: 

Aesop Rock - The Impossible Kid

I have been thoroughly looking forward to this album since the second I heard "Rings" a few months back. The payoff for patiently waiting was certainly worth it, especially with last week's album stream, which was the most excellent of previews/"spoilers". ICYMI, it's a shot by shot recreation of The Shining and you absolutely have to see it for yourself if you haven't already because it's amazing. 

I will be counting down the minutes till I get to hear this live at Irving Plaza on June 13th, that's for sure. Nice work, Aesop! 

Brian Eno - The Ship

Our electro-lord has released more music today. Do I really need to tell you about this? You should know about this already. I am just making sure because our, um, Views are a little obstructed right now on the internet...if you know what I mean. 

I really liked Ghost Culture's self-titled album from last year so I was pleasantly surprised to learn that he had a couple of new tracks out today. These just further confirm that I need to own the self-titled on vinyl. I thought micropennies were enough love for this record, but his craftsmanship on both releases shines through enough that this is worth the shelf space for me. 

Calvin Harris - "This Is What You Came For" 

The jury is still out for me as to whether or not this is going to be *The Song Of The Summer*. This is subtly very awesome. It's really quite lovely. Rihanna's vocal is great. There is a reason why Calvin has a messload of sales plaques on his walls and it shows in the production value for this track. People will certainly listen to this a lot this summer.

All that said, it just... ehhhhhhh. I don't think lightning is going to strike twice for him + Rihanna. I will probably listen to this to get ready to go out, but not trip over myself to make sure I dance to it. 

Zedd (feat. Kesha) - "True Colors"

Okay we need to have a discussion about this. I have seen too many people say that they're disappointed by this track considering this is Kesha's big return post- Dr. Luke drama. 

Seriously? Shame on you. That just further shows how real the struggle is going to continue to be for Kesha because she was launched into stardom courtesy of some party anthems. You really think she was going to step out with a banger the second she was able to legally open her mouth?

Sit. Down. 

Please take a moment to reflect on what she is saying and be grateful that she was able to create her way through a lot of pain. Also, let us be thankful that Zedd knew better than to try to make this about him by going big on the production. Sure, her return is more understated than was anticipated, but she even says so herself: "I've escaped my captor and I have no master." 

Kesha, I'm glad you're back, bb. 

Man Power - Planet Cock EP

You should know by now that in addition to trying to not be completely crushed under the weight of what goes through my inbox that I also just like skimming AllMusic to see what might look interesting. The pairing of an artist called Man Power with an EP called Planet Cock... I am clearly a grown up who did not laugh to myself at all...heh. That's a lie, obviously. 

Clearly I had to give this a spin just for the sake of my sanity and it's actually pretty great. I've since had a look around at his catalog and intend to check out more of it in the weeks to come. I will probably start with his 2014 EP, Flacid Trax.... 

Sorry, it's Friday. I can't be an adult today to save my life. lmao 

Magic Sword - The Legend EP

Holy shit I forgot this was even happening and now it's happened and I'm just a wreck. Apparently there was a little bit of darkness in me because The Seeker and The Keeper aka Magic Sword just SLAYED ME with this EP. Wow. Wow. Wow. I really have zero chill about this right now, jfc. This is the first of a series of EPs that also will have a correlating comic to continue to tell the Magic Sword saga. You can find the first one for their debut album, Volume I over on their website. 

Holy good #Sheezus in heaven the guitar solos on "The Curse" quite literally have me unable to do anything other than shout, "GOOD LORD!" at the moment. WOW.

These guys were still one of the most fun interviews I ever did for #SKOARadio (not to mention the most hysterical meetup arrangements for an interview). I should probably not leave that committed to audio indefinitely. 

Matt Lange - Patchwork

#SKOAfam Matt Lange has followed up last year's Emphemera LP with another gorgeous heady string of dark dancey tunes. It would appear the mau5trap has continued to be good for Lange from the sounds of this EP. This is *ABSOLUTELY* a record you listen to first with your good headphones because the homey has very meticulously pieced this all together, so this is me looking out for your your first play through to be the best it can be. 

(This is terribly awkward that I'm realizing that I just featured two artists back to back with interviews that I aired on #SKOARADIO but never transcribed and shared through. I guess I know what I'm doing over the weekend....)

Holy Ghost! - Crime Cuts

Holy! Ghost!! is! back! I almost forgot this EP was coming out today but Twitter fam is always lookin' out for my ears, which I guess means they're looking out for yours, too. Anyway, YAY Brooklyn bands! This EP is solid. I really wish that Panorama weren't their only upcoming show in NYC at present. That is kind of like saying you can only have hot dogs inside Yankees Stadium in the summer or something imo. I'm sure more dates will be announced soon. Fingers crossed anyway. 

Panty Raid - After Glow

lol I know why this record is called After Glow. It's because the album is pure sex and by the end of it you will be feeling the afterglow of what it did to you. I guess you could say the overall theme that Panty Raid is going for is being executed well. 

[News] Record Store Day 2013 Reveals Full List of Releases

Record Store Day 2013 is nearly upon us, with less than a month until the vinyl-loving celebration commences. This year's crop already looks fantastic, with rarities, reissues and unreleased material from the likes of The White Stripes, The Flaming Lips, The Black Keys, MGMT, Tame Impala, At the Drive-In, Deftones, Ryan Adams, Dan Deacon, The Hold Steady, Built to Spill, Stephen Malkmus, and more. There's even a little treat for fans of South Park, with a 7" vinyl of "San Diego" / "Gay Fish" making the list. As for the rest of the releases, take a look at a few notable names below or head to the Record Store Day website for the full list.

- The Black Lips/Icky Blossoms
- Bob Dylan
- Brian Eno, Grizzly Bear, and Nicolas Jaar
- Daniel Johnston
- David Bowie
- Gil Scott Heron and Brian Jackson
- Grizzly Bear
- GZA
- Jamie xx
- John Coltrane
- The Notorious B.I.G.
- Phoenix
- Portugal. the Man
- Rhye
- The Rolling Stones
- Sigur Rós

Record Store Day 2013 takes place on April 20th.

[Listen] Stream Two New James Blake Cuts, "Voyeur (Dub)" and "Digital Lion"

The past twenty-four hours have seen not one but two new James Blake tracks surface, and if that's not enough to get you excited than I don't know that is. The first is "Voyeur (Dub)", which premiered on BBC Radio 1. While technically a "dub version" of the Overgrown song "Voyeur", it's enough to get a sense of what the album version will sound like. The second comes in the form of "Digital Lion", the song that features contributions from none other than Brian Eno. Trust me when I say that both of these tracks are superb. 

Overgrown, Blake's sophomore album, is set to release on April 8th.

[News] James Blake's New Album to Feature Brian Eno and RZA

James Blake got us excited enough for his sophomore album Overgrown when he dropped the lead single "Retrograde", but a press release issued today revealed some tantalizing possibilities. What was simply a tracklist and artwork (pictured above) reveal proved to be much more than that, given the tracklist has both Brian Eno and Wu-Tang Clan's RZA as featured guests.

Gahhh!!! I don't know what to expect from these collaborations, but I'm very excited to find out. It's also worth noting that Blake recently spent some time with Kanye West and Jay-Z. While he did indeed hit the studio with Ye and Hov, it's not clear whether the three managed to record something worhtwhile together.

Below, you can check out the tracklist for Overgrown, as well as the video for "Retrograde". Overgrown is out on April 8th.

Overgrown Tracklist:
01. Overgrown
02. I Am Sold
03. Life Around Here
04. Take A Fall For Me feat. RZA
05. Retrograde
06. DLM
07. Digital Lion feat. Brian Eno
08. Voyeur
09. To The last
10. Our Love Comes Back

[Watch] St. Vincent Covers Brian Eno's "Some Of Them Are Old"

Elvis Costello's keyboardist Steve Nieve recently hosted a house party where none other than Annie Clark of St. Vincent fame covered Brian Eno's "Some Of Them Are Old." Obivous Films filmed Clark performing the cover of the 1973 classic and superimposed it with footage of a barren desert to create an evocative and effective music video. Check it out above, courtesy of Listen Before You Buy.

[Contest] Win An iPad + $50 iTunes Gift Card!!!!

Alright, US residents, have we got a contest for you! 

Coca-Cola recently launched Crammer Keeper, an online tool that helps students of all ages remember their notes in a fun and interesting new way. 

Since we at SKOA are all students at the School of Rock(heh), we figured you might be interested in an opportunity to give the Crammer Keeper a whirl and win an iPad plus a $50 iTunes gift card in the process!

Here's how you enter: 

Head over to CrammerKeeper.com and create a note/song for "Music Class". The note must be a fact about any musician/producer listed below. It can be a fact about anything in their career (awards, chart positions for singles, etc.), but it must be ACCURATE, you can't just make up anything. Once you've finished your note, you can either post it on our wall on our Facebook page or post it in the comments section of this post. 

You have until Monday, January 17th at noon EST to enter. Once we have gone through the entries and verified both accuracy and awesomeness, a winner will be selected at random and notified on Wednesday, January 19th. 

Check out the complete list of musicians/producers plus the fine print for the contest after the jump! Good luck! 

You may write notes about any of the following musicians/producers: 

Beck

Brian Eno

Danger Mouse

Terry Date

Ross Robinson

Calvin Harris

Damon Albarn

Dan The Automator

RJD2

Mike Patton

Mark Linkous

 -------------------- 

The Fine Print:

The prize was provided by The Coca-Cola Company.  The Coca-Cola Company is not a sponsor, administrator or connected in any other way with this giveaway. Winners are responsible for paying taxes on their prize and will be requested to submit a W-9 form to The Cola-Cola Company prior to receiving the prize.

Apple and iPad are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries and had zero involvement with this contest.

The artists listed above have no affiliation with The Coca-Cola Company or Apple and were selected at random by Some Kind of Awesome.