JAY-Z and Pharrell Williams are two of the most successful business men in all of music, so it’s fitting that their new collaboration be called “Entrepreneur”. Coming as part of a new cover package for TIME, the track finds the two artists advocating for an equality revolution across all levels of the American Dream. “The intention for a song was all about how tough it is to be an entrepreneur in our country to begin with,” Pharrell told TIME. “Especially as someone of color, there’s a lot of systemic disadvantages and purposeful blockages. How can you get a fire started, or even the hope of an ember to start a fire, when you’re starting at disadvantages with regards to health care, education, and representation?” In the song itself, Pharrell raps, “Gravity on the black man/ With everythin...
In addition to mastering his own original creations, Four Tet knows how to transform a simple remix into something magically refreshing. We’ve heard Kieran Hebden do this for years, reworking everyone from Destiny’s Child and Rihanna to Radiohead and Lana Del Rey. (My personal favorite would be his take on The xx’s “A Violent Noise.) Four Tet has now turned his attention to Tame Impala and The Slow Rush single “Is It True”. Over the course of five minutes, the British producer manages to draw listeners further into Kevin Parker’s world. Here the swirls of psychedelia stretch on a little longer, their pulses slowed down a bit for maximum blissed out daydreaming. Stream Four Tet’s “Is It True” remix down below. Editors’ Picks Four Tet released a new album earlier this year titled ...
Whether you think Hinds are the Spanish CHAI or CHAI or the Japanese Hinds, there’s an undeniable kinship between the bands. So even though they live in different corners of the world, it was probably only a matter of time before the two bands joined forces. Today, they’ve released their oh-so-fitting collaborative single “UNITED GIRLS ROCK’N’ROLL CLUB”. The trilingual track (Spanish, Japanese, and English) sees the eight musicians reveling in the joy of collaborating with fellow female artists. “Because we have been fans way longer than in bands,” they sing together. “And now the music has more power in our hands.” In a joint statement, the bands said, “‘UNITED GIRLS ROCK’N’ROLL CLUB’ is a song that screams GIRL POWER. You might be from different countries, different languages, but at the...
After a brief pandemic-related delay, veteran rockers The Killers have released their new album. Stream Imploding the Mirage below via Apple Music and Spotify. The band’s sixth full-length overall and follow-up to 2017’s Wonderful Wonderful was recorded in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and Park City, Utah. Production was handled by Shawn Everett (Alabama Shakes, Julian Casablancas) and Foxygen’s own Jonathan Rado. Frontman Brandon Flowers spoke about the group’s sessions in Utah, telling NME, “That’s where I fell in love with music for the first time; so it’s interesting to be there again and hear some of that music with the geography matching the sensation.” Editors’ Picks In a separate interview with Rolling Stone, Flowers drew parallels between the recording of Imploding ...
Ms. Lauryn Hill (photo by David Brendan Hall) and Mariah Carey In celebration of the 30th anniversary of her self-titled debut, Mariah Carey has announced a new collection called The Rarities. Included in the 32-track compilation are a number of unreleased songs, including the newly revealed collaboration with Ms. Lauryn Hill, “Save the Day”. Due out October 2nd, The Rarities will include fan-favorite songs like “Always Be My Baby” and “Hero” alongside rare tracks (natch) and never-before-released recordings. The second half of the two-disc collection will feature a live album capturing Carey’s first-ever Japanese concert. The performance took place on March 7th at the Tokyo Dome during her “Daydream World Tour”, the first of three sold-out nights that were the fastest selling shows in the...
Chicago is being represented well this New Music Friday thanks to Vic Mensa. The rapper has dropped off a surprise EP called V TAPE, and it’s streaming below via Apple Music or Spotify. The unexpected collection consists of seven all-new songs. Among them are collaborations with SAINt JHN, BJ the Chicago Kid, Snoh Aalegra, Eryn Allen Kane, and Chance the Rapper associate Peter Cottontale. Meanwhile, Hit-Boy, Thelonious Martin, Keyon Christ, Stefan Ponce, and C-Sick provide production alongside Smoko Ono, SC, and TRAKGIRL. As to be expected from the always thought-provoking and outspoken activist-rapper Mensa, V TAPE weaves in themes of social justice and suffering. For example, lead single “MACHIAVELLI” and its corresponding “vignette” offer an intimate look at Chicago’s South S...
The Avalanches have released a new music video for “Wherever You Go”, their collaborative single with Jamie xx, Neneh Cherry, Mick Jones of The Clash, and CLYPSO. It marks the first time members Robbie Chater and Tony DiBlasi have ever appeared in a video in the band’s 23-year-long career. A collaboration with The International Space Orchestra, the clip is filled with fun space science, planets, and even musical spacecrafts. “We are forever grateful to Dr. Nelly Ben Hayoun [ISO director] and the International Space Orchestra for a truly magical, inspiring and connective experience,” The Avalanches commented in a statement. “During a hard lockdown, it has renewed our faith in music, humanity and the power of connection, science and love.” Watch below. For those...
Even during these dismal times, London Grammar have managed to find a little light. The British trio return today with the uplifting “Baby It’s You”, their first single in three years. Co-produced by George FitzGerald (Foals, Moby), the track is a soothing listen about the grounding power of love. “All these lights are changing/ See ’em everywhere/ In my veins like lightning/ I don’t even care,” sings Hannah Reid, her vocals robust and enveloping like a weighted blanket. “All these colors in me, but all I wanna see you/ And nothing else matters/ You, baby it’s you.” Between Reid’s soaring presence, the snappy percussion, and the song’s feel-good message, “Baby It’s You” seems like the ideal anthem to blast throughout an arena. Stream the new track below and get those lighters ready. Editor...
In our new music feature Origins, we asks artists to take a moment to reflect on the backstory of their latest single. Today, Brasstracks tell us how they cashed their “Golden Ticket” with Common and Masego. Rising from their jazz school backgrounds, Brasstracks have already accomplished more than most duos made of just horns and drums could dream of. Mark Ronson essentially has them on speed dial, they’ve got some GRAMMY shine thanks to their work on Chance the Rapper’s “No Problem”, and they’ve collaborated with everyone from Wyclef Jean to Anderson .Paak. Oh, and they only formed six years ago. But now Ivan Jackson and Conor Rayne are really ready to grab the spotlight with their debut album, Golden Ticket. Due out August 21st, the full-length follows their 2019 EP Before...
Open Mike Eagle has announced his first album in three years. Titled Anime, Trauma and Divorce, it’s expected see release this fall. Due out via his own AutoReverse Records label, the LP follows up on 2017’s Brick Body Kids Still Daydream. According to the 39-year-old rapper, it recounts the worst year of his entire life. “Before the world went to shit I was already in the middle of a few personal crisis,” OME explained in a statement. “Shit had gone haywire personally and professionally and my therapist had to remind me that I have an outlet to process some of my shit in rap music.” “So I made a bunch of painful rap songs and Jacknife Lee was kind enough to help me make good music out of them,” he continued. “Maybe it can help other people too. It probably won’t but maybe.” As noted, Jack...
“Levitating” remix featuring Missy Elliott, Dua Lipa, The Blessed Madonna, and Madonna Already one of our favorite albums of the year, Future Nostalgia had us up off the quarantine couch and bopping around in our pjs. But Dua Lipa isn’t quite done partying to that record — she’s actually just getting started. Later this month, the pop star will release a new remix album, Club Future Nostalgia, that will bring the original LP further into nightlife rotation. To tease this forthcoming project, Lipa is sharing a rework of “Levitating”, and it features some folks who pretty much grew up on the dance floor: Madonna, Missy Elliott, and The Blessed Madonna, the house/techno producer formerly known as The Black Madonna. Given this star-studded assemblage, it’s no wonder the new ve...