50% Hipster: Frank Zappa

Showing posts with label Frank Zappa. Show all posts

Sunday, June 4, 2017

New Music Friday - April 21, 2017

Be sure to view a list of upcoming releases here!

Essential Full-Length Releases

The Raveonettes - 2016 Atomized

Last year, The Raveonettes undertook a different kind of music release project. They released one track, each accompanied by a lyric video, once a month throughout the year. They considered the project to be their Anti-Album. Although the project was attempt to subvert the album, all of those tracks are combined for this more formal release.

Watch: "Fast Food"
Watch: "Choke on Love"

Ray Davies - Americana

I recently learned that Davies' last name is pronounced like "Davis". I had always assumed the slightly more interesting sounding "Dave-ees" and was slightly disappointed by the information. Anyways, the former co-frontman for The Kinks embarked on his solo career a little over 20 years ago. Americana is his fifth solo record, and serves as a bit of a love letter to this land on the other side of the pond.

Watch: "Americana"
Listen: "Poetry"

Shamir - Hope

After releasing his well-regarded debut, Ratchet, in 2015, Shamir had expressed some reticence about continuing his career. However, he had a spate of inspiration a few weeks back and wrote, recorded, and released his second album. He released the album himself, with no label support and no prior promotion.

Listen: "What Else"
Listen: "Hope"

Other Full-Length Releases

Cotillon - The Afternoons

Listen: "Alex’s Room"
Listen: "Black Sea"

Joe Goddard - Electric Lines

Watch: "Home"
Watch: "Music Is the Answer"

Maxïmo Park - Risk to Exist

Watch: "Get High (No I Don’t)"
Watch: "Risk to Exist"

Real Life Buildings - Significant Weather

Watch: "No News"
Listen: "Cold"

Singles, EPs, Soundtracks, etc.

Cream - Fresh Cream Reissue

Listen: "Sleepy Time Time"
Listen: "Dreaming"

Exhibition - Last Dance EP

Listen: "No One There" (featuring Julian Casablancas)

Föllakzoid - London Sessions

Listen: "Earth" (featuring J. Spaceman)

Frank Zappa - Roxy by Proxy Reissue

Listen: "Echnida’s Arf"

GRLMIC VOL1

J Dilla - Motor City

Listen: "Motor City 1"
Listen: "Motor City 2"

The JuJu - Exchange

Listen: "We Good" (featuring Jamila Woods)
Listen: "Glide"

Woods - Love Is Love

Watch: "Hit That Drum"
Watch: "Politics of Free"

Monday, September 5, 2016

New Music Friday - July 15, 2016

Be sure to view a list of upcoming releases here!

Essential Full-Length Releases

Jamila Woods - Heavn

Jamila Woods is perhaps best known as the female voice on Donnie Trumpet's and Chance The Rapper's "Sunday Candy." The track is not the only time the Chicago-based poet has collaborated with Chance; she also appeared on his recent mixtape, Coloring Book. Her debut solo album sees her working again with these past collaborators, as well as Kweku Collins, Noname, and Saba.

Watch: "Blk Girl Soldier"
Listen: "Holy"

Michael Kiwanuka - Love & Hate

Kiwanuka made a big impression with his 2012 debut album, Home Again. The album, with its 70s throwback style and honest lyrics, was a hit both with critics and fans (especially in Europe). For his follow-up, he worked with Inflo, Paul Butler, and Danger Mouse. Critical praise is still high, time will tell if the commercial love remains.

Watch: "Love & Hate"
Watch: "Black Man in a White World"

Other Full-Length Releases

Clams Casino - 32 Levels

Watch: "Ghost in a Kiss" (featuring Samuel T. Herring)
Watch: "All Nite" (featuring Vince Staples)

Jack & Amanda Palmer - You Got Me Singing

Watch: "1952 Vincent Black Lightning"
Listen: "You Got Me Singing"

Steven Tyler - We’re All Somebody from Somewhere

Watch: "Love Is Your Name"
Watch: "We’re All Somebody from Somewhere"

Singles, EPs, Soundtracks, etc.

Abra - Princess EP

Watch: "CRYBABY"
Watch: "COME 4 ME"

Charlotte Cardin - Big Boy EP

Watch: "Faufile"
Listen: "Big Boy"

Frank Zappa - The Crux of the Biscuit

Listen: "Cosmik Debris"
Listen: "Apostrophe’" (Mix Outtake)

Frank Zappa - Frank Zappa for President

Listen: "If I Was President…"
Listen: "Overture to “Uncle Sam”"

Lindstrøm - Windings EP

Listen: "Algorytme"
Listen: "Foehn"

No Joy - Drool Sucker

Listen: "A Thorn in Garland’s Side"
Listen: "Theme Song"

Saturday, August 8, 2015

New Music Tuesday - June 23, 2015

Be sure to view a list of upcoming releases here!

New Full-Length Releases

Desaparecidos - Payola

Conor Oberst has had a lot of projects. He's best known for his work as Bright Eyes, but has also been a member of the supergroup Monsters of Folk (with Mike Mogis, M. Ward, and Jim Jones), and guested on numerous artists' songs; he has been focused on a solo career lately. He was a member of Desaparecidos in the early-aughts, though the band was on hiatus throughout much of the 2000s. They reunited in 2012 and are releasing their first album in more than a decade this year.

Watch: "City on the Hill"
Listen: "Backsell"

Everything Everything - Get to Heaven

This band with the kitchen-sink sound just get better and better with each album. Though they didn't have much praise for their sophomore album, Arc, is was one of my favorites in 2013. The quick turn-around on the new record is meant as a "fix" on something the band considered "broken," but I'm still excited for a new record.

Watch: "Distant Past"
Watch: "Regret"

Frank Zappa - Dance Me This

Frank Zappa may have passed away more than 20 years ago, he's been just as busy in death as he was in life. There have been over 30 albums released since his 1993 passing; sadly, this looks like it may be the last. The record comprises the last material he worked on before his death.

Listen: "Dance Me This"

Son Lux - Bones

2013's Lanterns was a beautiful, haunting, and overall incredible album from Son Lux. The album, which was the band's third, was recorded as a solo record for Ryan Lott. This time around, he gets some help from drummer Ian Chang and guitarist Rafiq Bhatia. He's a great collaborator (see his work as Sisyphus with Sufjan Stevens and Serengeti, as well as the rerecording of "Easy" with Lorde), so I hope that more musicians make things even better.

Watch: "Change Is Everything"
Watch: "You Don’t Know Me"

Other Full-Length Releases