[SONG OF THE DAY] Beck - "Saw Lightning"

Photo Credit: Citizen Kane Wayne

lol of course you knew I was going to excitedly smash into my keyboard about this.

My most favorite person in the entire world blessed us yesterday with a brand new single and the delightful news that his 14th studio album, HYPERSPACE, is coming FROM THE FUTURE (press releases actual words).

Technically, aren’t all albums coming from the future? I guess technically for this one it’s all the more accurate because per Beck’s conversation with Zane Lowe yesterday on Beats1 that the record isn’t actually done yet.

I don’t think this is going to be another “Dreams” situation. When that was dropped in 2015 there was no naming of an upcoming album, etc. We had to wait 2 damn years between that dropping for him to release Colors. Even still, it would be very polite of him for us to have more than one new song to lose our minds to on this upcoming co-headlining tour of his with Cage The Elephant.

At any rate, “Saw Lightning” is warming up all the cells in my body that tingle for Midnite Vultures, Odelay, and Guero. THE SLIDE GUITAR AND HARMONICA ARE BACK!!! Makes yer girl wanna go out and get a black cowboy hat much like the one he wore in the “Devils Haircut” video, but maybe bling it out a fuckload.

The track was produced and written by Beck and Pharrell, a collaboration that apparently was 20 years in the making. Pharrell is also credited on the track for drums, keyboards, and…..mumbles.

Mumbles. This is probably my favorite credit of all time.

As can be expected, I will now be spazzing every time dad breathes on Instagram or anywhere else hints of HYPERSPACE may surface.

Beck & Cage The Elephant The Night Running Tour 2019 Dates:

07/11/19 - Ridgefield, WA - Sunlight Supply Amphitheater *^
07/13/19 - George, WA - The Gorge Amphitheatre *^
07/16/19 - Mountain View, CA - Shoreline Amphitheater *^
07/17/19 - Irvine, CA - Five Point Amphitheater *^
07/19/19 - Las Vegas, NV - Park Theater *^
07/20/19 - Chula Vista, CA - North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre *^
07/21/19 - Phoenix, AZ - Ak-Chin Pavilion *^
07/23/19 - Denver, CO - Fiddler's Green Amphitheater *^
07/26/19 - Austin, TX - Austin 360 Amphitheater *+
07/27/19 - Dallas, TX - The Dos Equis Pavilion *+
07/28/19 - Houston, TX - Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion *+
07/30/19 - St. Louis, MO - Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre *+
07/31/19 - Chicago, IL - Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island *+
08/02/19 - Cincinnati, OH Riverbend Music Center *+
08/03/19 - Detroit, MI - DTE Energy Music Theater *+
08/04/19 - Indianapolis, IN - Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Center *+
08/11/19 - Toronto, ON - Budweiser Stage *&
08/12/19 - Saratoga Springs, NY - Saratoga Performing Arts Center *&
08/13/19 - Darien Center, NY - Darien Lake Amphitheater *&
08/15/19 - Mansfield, MA - Xfinity Center *&
08/16/19 - Gilford, NH - Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion *&
08/17/19 - New York City, NY - Forest Hills Stadium *
08/20/19 - Holmdel, NJ - PNC Bank Arts Center *&
08/21/19 - Camden, NJ - BB&T Pavilion *&
08/22/19 - Columbia, MD - Merriweather Post Pavilion *&
08/24/19 - Raleigh, NC - Coastal Credit Union Music Park *&
08/25/19 - Charlotte, NC - PNC Music Pavilion *&
08/27/19 - Birmingham, AL - Oak Mountain Amphitheatre *&
08/29/19 - Tampa, FL - MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre *&
08/30/19 - West Palm Beach, FL - Coral Sky Amphitheatre *&

* - w/ Spoon
^ - w/ Starcrawler
+ - w/ Wild Belle
& - Sunflower Bean

[SONG OF THE DAY] Wrabel - "love to love u"

photo credit: Yazz Alali

Holy wow wow wow wow wow y’all bae-bel made a BOP!

The evolution of Wrabel since stumbling into his Sideways EP in 2014 has been one of my absolute favorite things to witness to date. These days though it feels like the more he’s taken ownership of who he is as both a human person and an artist that he’s able to fully realize and harness his musical superpowers. As he told the folks at Idolator in a recent interview, “I’m just taking really deep breaths, and doing whatever I want.” As it turns out, since last we checked in on the lil cutie crooner he parted ways with Epic, started his own label, Big Gay Records (!!! yes bb!! 😍), and just released his first track on his own, a bop that absolutely won’t stop, “love to love u”.

Favorite quote from the interview where he talks about the song:

“[…]I think I started opening my mind to the thought that, ‘Ok, maybe you don’t have to sit at the piano and write a sad song.’”

Bruh 😂😂😂

Growth looks so good on my dude. I’m so happy he’s happy.

[SONG OF THE DAY] Miss Eaves - "Exposure Kills"

Just in time for the sun to start coming out and ridding folks of their seasonal affective disorder Brooklyn badass Miss Eaves dropped her latest EP, appropriately titled SAD, which actually stems from her personal struggles with the disorder. Worry not, the internet, for in true fashion for the multimedia artist and rapper, she’s packaged up her experience with her signature witty lyrics and playfully catchy beats.

I can’t get over how perfect this EP is. Like really, I have mad kindred spirit vibes with Miss Eaves on this from start to finish. Opening track, “Exposure Kills” is the ultimate anthem for freelancers everywhere and is essentially the dancetastic way of saying “fuck you, pay me”. While I don’t consider myself to be an introvert by any means, I was definitely the embodiment of “Homebody” on more occasions this winter than I’d like to admit. Then there’s “Left Swipe Left”, which I will be spamming to every one of my girlfriends who are as fried on dating apps as I am.

Today marks the kickoff of her month+ long tour along the east coast before hopping over for some dates in Europe. Def go out to catch her live and grab a Thunder Thighs pin or 20.

MISS EAVES ON TOUR

April 10 Philadelphia, PA at Bob & Barbara’s
April 11 Pittsburgh, PA at Mr. Roboto Project
April 12 Guelph, ONT at Kazoo Fest
April 13 Chicago, IL at Caliwaukee
April 14 Madison, WI at North Street Cabaret
April 16 Forth Wayne, IN at The Brass Rail
May 3 Portland, ME at Space
May 4 Winooski, VT at Walking Windows
May 5 Boston, MA at Once Lounge
May 9 Manchester,UK at Soup Kitchen
May 11 London,UK at Hope & Anchor
May 16 Wrexham, WAL at Focus Wales
May 22 Dresden, DE at TBA
May 23 Berlin, DE at Badehaus
May 24 Munich, DE at Orangehouse (Feierwerk)
May 26 Frankfurt, DE at Kunstverein Familie Montez
May 29 Amsterdam, NL at Vrankrijk

[SONG OF THE DAY] Miro Shot - "Boston Dynamic"

Last week global digital utopian artist collective Miro Shot released “Boston Dynamic”, the followup to their debut single, “Leaders In A Long Lost World”. As lead singer Roman Rappak explained, “‘Boston Dynamic’ is a song about online communities, gaming culture and being committed to a cause. It’s about all the good and bad things that come with being part of something.” The song features the 65-piece Macedonian Symphonic Orchestra to perform on the track, arranged by BAFTA winning composer Alexander Parsons, because of course it does. This project continues to be like, “Oh Kibbe you thought THAT was cool? Hold my robot’s beer.”

The accompanying music video for the song is another showcase of the eclectic collaborative efforts of the collective, this time around featuring contributions from NASA and the University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies Dynamic Systems Lab alongside emerging filmmakers from Buenos Aires, Brooklyn-based graphic designers and technologists from Wales, as well as established artists including Beeple (who has worked with the likes of Flying Lotus and the NFL) and illustrator/artist Oliver Harud. There are little tidbits peppered throughout the blend of mixed media where the themes of the song are further driven home. The CGI interface imagined in certain snippets displays a variety of information, from shoe size and browser history to “there are 4 racists on this floor” or “everyone on this floor has heard domestic abuse and done nothing”, calling out the lack of cohesion and opportunities to improve humanity with groundbreaking technologies.

Don’t forget you can be part of the collective by signing up over on their website.

[SONG OF THE DAY] Holy Ghost! - "Escape From Los Angeles"

photo credit: Harry McNally

Holy Ghost! are finally done being a tease and have announced that they will be releasing their third album Work on June 21st on the iconic West End Records. Fun fact: Work will be the first full-length LP to drop on the iconic label in more than 30 years. Kind of a big deal. Get it, fellas!

On the heels of the announcement the duo have shared a new track, “Escape From Los Angeles”. As is the standard with Holy Ghost! songs it’s one of those smooth as hell floor filling nu-disco numbers that you could dance all night to, literally. Even with it clocking in at a good seven minutes and change it’s basically the perfect tempo so you could effortlessly dance into the wee hours of the morning if someone decided to get weird and do like a 20 minute extended edit of the track, which tbh I’d fuck with.

To make things even more wonderful, the band has announced a handful of dates, including an album release show at my all time favorite venue, Bowery Ballroom. Bet your buns imma be there wearing a hole in the dance floor.

Upcoming Holy Ghost! Live Shows:

04-26 San Francisco, CA - The Independent

04-27 Los Angeles, CA - Globe Theatre

05-03 Washington, DC - U Street Music Hall

05-09 Guadalajara, México - Corona Capital at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez

06-21 New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom (Album Release Show)

[SONG OF THE DAY] Hot Chip - "Hungry Child"

photo credit: Ronald Dick

Oh happiest of happy days, internet family!!! I am happy to disclose that Hot Chip have announced that they will be releasing a new album, A Bath Full Of Ecstasy on June 21st, which you can pre-order here. On the heels of the announcement the band have shared the lead single, “Hungry Child” from said album along with the accompanying hilarious music video starring Martin Starr and Milana Vayntrub.

If that wasn’t enough excitement for your Thursday, the band has also unveiled a slew of tour dates as the cherry on top. Fun true story: you should have seen/heard me on the street this morning when I got the Bandsintown announcement that they were coming to Brooklyn Steel. I….might have startled people. Whoops!

Hot Chip On Tour:

04-04 London, England - Village Underground
04-05 Brighton, England - Concorde 2
04-06 Bristol, England - Trinity
04-08 Paris, France - Trabendo
04-09 Brussels, Belgium - Botanique Orangerie
04-11 Cologne, Germany - Luxor
04-12 Hamburg, Germany - Mojo
04-13 Berlin, Germany - Columbia Theatre
04-14 Amsterdam, Netherlands - Paradiso Noord
04-29 Brooklyn, NY - Elsewhere
05-01 Los Angeles, CA - El Rey Theatre
05-02 Pioneertown, CA - Pappy and Harriet’s
05-04 San Francisco, CA - August Hall
05-24 London, England - All Points East Festival
06-01 Egeskov Castle, Denmark - Heartland Festival
06-08 Helsinki, Finland - Sideways Festival
06-14-18 Mannheim, Germany - Maifeld Derby Festival
06-28-30 Somerset, England - Glastonbury Festival
06-04 Catalonia, Spain - Vida Festival
06-05 Six-Fours-les-Plages, France - Pointu Festival
06-11 Lisbon, Portugal - NOS Alive Festival
06-11-13 Bilbao, Spain - Bilbao Live Festival
06-19-21 Macclesfield, England - Bluedot Festival
06-19-21 Biarritz, France - Biarritz en été Festival
06-26 Aulnoye-Aimeries, France - Les Nuits Secrètes Festival
08-02-04 Waterford, Ireland - All Together Now Festival
08-04 Glasgow, Scotland - Playground of Sound Festival
08-16 St Malo, France - La Route du Rock Festival
08-16-18 Hasselt, Belgium - Pukkelpop Festival
08-30 Vlieland, Netherlands - Into the Great Wide Open Festival
09-03 Brooklyn, NY - Brooklyn Steel
09-04 Brooklyn, NY - Brooklyn Steel
09-07 Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
09-08 Philadelphia, PA - Union Transfer
09-09 Boston, MA - Royale
09-10 Montreal, Quebec - MTELUS
09-12 Toronto, Ontario - Phoenix Concert Theatre
09-13 Chicago, IL - Riviera Theatre
09-14 Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue
09-17 Vancouver, British Columbia - Vogue Theatre
09-18 Seattle, WA - The Showbox
09-19 Seattle, WA - The Showbox
09-20 Portland, OR - Roseland Theater
09-24 Santa Cruz, CA - The Catalyst
09-25 Oakland, CA - Fox Theater
09-27 Los Angeles, CA - Shrine Auditorium
10-17 Dublin, Ireland - Olympia
10-18 Birmingham, England - O2 Institute 1
10-21 Bristol, England - O2 Academy
10-22 Nottingham, England - Rock City
10-24 Norwich, England - LCR
11-30 Milan, Italy - Alcatraz
12-02 Amsterdam, Netherlands - Melkweg
12-03 Berlin, Germany - Columbiahalle
12-04 Luxembourg City, Luxembourg - den Atelier
12-05 Lausanne, Switzerland - Les Docks
12-07 Paris, France - Elysée Montmartre
12-11 Hamburg, Germany - Docks
12-14 Stockholm, Sweden - Vasateatern
12-15 Oslo, Norway - Rockefeller

[SONG OF THE DAY] Mtbrd - "Wanna Be Your Lover"

Today in The Algorithm™ Moves In Mysterious Ways: a couple of years back I stumbled into Cheshire, UK future funk producer Mtbrd and upon hearing the track, “Give You” was quickly enamored with their 2013 album BΞΛTΛPΞ. From the looks of things across their internets we have a diamond in the rough slowly transitioning from casually releasing music exclusively on Bandcamp and Soundcloud to making a valiant leap into taking their craft more seriously.

And they should.

With the move to properly release “Wanna Be Your Lover”, a track that’s been lingering on Soundcloud for a couple of years now to streaming services, I finally broke down and slid my way into their DMs and I am happy to confirm that this is a signifier of more music to come from them in 2019. There is a new full length album coming (details TBA) but this throwback track won’t be included on said album.

Don’t fret, I intend to coax more info about this elusive groove machine in the coming months to share though. 😎

[SONG OF THE DAY] Saro - "Nothing Remains"

I think the thing I love most about Los Angeles singer Saro is the way that he can articulate the deeply seated pain he's clearly felt into such breathtaking ways. With his approach to this latest track, “Nothing Remains”, he faces the debilitating anguish of heartbreak head on, showcasing the varying levels of intensity that one can feel individually or simultaneously. The chorus alone is its own moment of emotional purging, depending how deep your wounds are. If you’re not careful this song will crack your chest cavity wide open, find any lingering heartache, and REALLY make you feel that shit. I guess to an extent that’s not the worst thing because “what you reveal you heal” and all of that. Still tho. OOOF. As with most of Saro’s songs if you’re not adequately prepared you will receive a swift kick to the feels basically immediately.

Speaking on the track, Saro shared via Instagram, “‘Nothing Remains’ is an embracement of pure heartbreak—the unfathomable feeling of hopelessness, loneliness, and regret you didn’t know existed until it took you over; the inability to eat or sleep for days because the loss stole bodily function from you; the recurring thought that if only i had the right words to say, maybe things would be different.”

He also shared a fun fact about the artwork for the single that gives a very thoughtful nod to the notion that the song is able to act a bit like a cleansing by fire: the charred tree that he’s hanging from is one that barely survived the fires in Malibu last year.