On Repeat: "Sunday Candy"

Chance The Rapper has proven himself as one of the most unique young voices in hip-hop. His music often crosses the line into other genres and never was that more evident than on one of his latest projects, The Social Experiment. Chance partnered with trumpeter Nico Segal, who performs as Donnie Trumpet, for the project and surprise-released an album, Surf, back in May. One of the stand-out tracks from the record is "Sunday Candy," a gospel-tinged song featuring vocals from Jamila Woods.

Surf was released (for free) on May 28 and can be downloaded from iTunes. Chance followed that up with another free release last week, a mixtape he recorded with Lil B, appropriately titled Free.

New Music Tuesday - September 2, 2014

Be sure to view a list of upcoming releases here!

New Full-Length Releases

Blonde Redhead - Barragán Four years after the release of Penny Sparkle, Blonde Redhead are attempting to reinvent their sound. Over their nine albums and 21 years together, they've moved towards a quieter, softer sound. This may be a disappointment for some fans, but I feel that most bands and musicians are more interesting if they evolve their sound over time. Listen: "Dripping" Listen: "No More Honey"

Earth - Primitive and Deadly Earth is a well-established drone metal band who released their first album in 1993. They separated for six years in 1997 and they've been pretty active since. Their latest features guest vocals from Mark Lanegan. Listen: "From the Zodiacal Light" Listen: "Even Hell Has Its Heroes"

Jeezy - Seen It All I've known the name Jeezy for quite awhile, but never been particularly interested in the music. While I'm exploring more hip hop artists and finding any that I liked, I'm also finding that they work with each other... a lot. I'm still not enthralled by his music, but his latest record includes contributions from Future, Rick Ross, and Jay-Z. Watch: "Me OK" Watch: "No Tears"

Sinkane - Mean Love Sinkane is the stage name of Sudanese musician Ahmed Gallab. He worked as a studio musician for such artists as Eleanor Friedberger, Caribou, and Yeasayer. He released a few EPs and albums starting in 2008, but broke out with the release of 2012's Mars. It was a great record, but he's recreating (even improving on) that magic. His music is a fusion of styles, influenced by the cultures that he grew up in, and the music he loves. Watch: "How We Be" Listen: "New Name"

Steven James Adams - House Music Steven James Adams has been performing for more than ten years and was a founding member of the Broken Family Band. This year, though, he's breaking out as a solo musician and enlisting some help from Emily Barker and The Vaccines. Watch: "Tears of Happiness"

The Vines - Wicked Nature The Vines rode in on the garage rock wave of the early-2000s and, like many of their contemporaries, faded into seeming obscurity for several years. It's been shorter than it seems, though, their previous record, Future Primitive, was released in 2011. This is still being pitched as a come-back record and is marked by a few big changes in the band. Lead singer Craig Nicholls takes producing credit for the first time and there's been some changes in the band's lineup. Watch: "Metal Zone" Listen: "Everything Else"

Zammuto - Anchor Nick Zammuto part of the duo The Books with Paul de Jong until the project ended in 2012. He released his first solo album following the disbandment, self-titled, in 2012. Anchor is the follow-up, recording with a full band. Watch: "IO" Watch: "Great Equator"

Zoot Woman - Star Climbing Zoot Woman is an electronic synthpop trio from England. They've been together for nearly twenty years, though this is just their fourth album. The band promises that this record is a departure for them, and has allowed them to incorporate all of their individual styles. Watch: "Don't Tear Yourself Apart"

Other New Releases

God Help the Girl: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack God Help the Girl has been a long-term project for Belle and Sebastian frontman Stuart Murdoch. The project was begun in 2009, when Murdoch brought together a group of female vocalists. That incarnation released a few singles, an album, and an EP; but he had larger sights set. He began developing a script for a movie that starting filming in 2012 and was released this year, starring Emily Browning as the main character. Watch: "God Help the Girl" Watch: Trailer

Julianna Barwick - Florine Reissue Julianna Barwick has become a bigger name in indie music over the past few years, but is not forgetting where she came from. She's re-releasing her first two EPs this weel. Florine was her second release, which originally came out in 2009. Listen: "Cloudbank" Listen: "Anjos"

Julianna Barwick - Sanguine Reissue Sanguine was the performer's very first release, coming out in 2006. It was where she first displayed her use of vocal loops and use of sounds over lyrics. It also serves as a show of how she creates music, allowing ideas to come to her spontaneously, rather than going through writing and re-writing processes. Listen: "Dancing with Friends" Listen: "Scary Cat"

Sam Smith - I'm Not the Only One Remix EP Sam Smith released his debut album, In the Lonely Hour, in June, riding in on a wave of hype created through early singles and guest appearances. He's releasing one of the songs, "I'm Not the Only One," from that record, with a few remixed versions. Watch: "I'm Not the Only One" Listen: "I'm Not the Only One" (Armand van Helden Remix)

Vaults - "Lifespan" Vaults were one of my newly-discovered favorites recently. I absolutely love their take on synthpop and, while they only have a few singles out as of yet, am looking forward to the release of their first record. Watch: "Lifespan"

New Music Tuesday - 06/24/2014

Be sure to view a list of upcoming releases here!

New Full-Length Releases

Ab Soul - These Days Ab Soul is a member of the Black Hippy hip hop collective along with SchoolBoy Q, Jay Rock, and Kendrick Lamar. He has been active in music since 2003 and this is his third studio album. His latest record features other members of Black Hippy, along with Rick Ross, Mac Miller, and SZA. Watch: "Closure" Listen: "Changes"

Circulatory System - Mosaics within Mosaics Circulatory System is a member band of the Elephant Six collective, which also includes of Montreal, Olivia Tremor Control, and Neutral Milk Hotel. The band even shares members with other acts on the label. This is the psychedelic band's third studio album. Listen: "If You Think About It Now" Listen: "Stars and Molecules"

How to Dress Well - "What Is This Heart?" When I first heard about How to Dress Well (aka Tom Krell), I was mostly intrigued by his name. Over time, though, I became a huge fan of his music, as well. Krell is able to create music that is immensely heartfelt and personal, all with his unique indie R&B style. Watch: "Repeat Pleasure" Watch: "Face Again"

Mastodon - Once More Round the Sun Mastodon is a progressive metal band out of Atlanta, Georgia. They've released six studio albums in their 14 years together. For their latest, the band sought to continue on their previous album, 2011's The Hunter, but also to advance their sound. Watch: "High Road" Watch: "Chimes at Midnight"

Peter Matthew Bauer - Liberation! Peter Matthew Bauer was the bassist for The Walkmen before the band went on an "extreme hiatus" earlier this year. Following Walter Martin and Hamilton Leithauser earlier this year, he is releasing his first solo album. It's his first foray as a primary songwriter and vocalist, but he doesn't sound like a newbie. The members of The Walkmen have all proven themselves to be as capable solo as they are together. Watch: "Philadelphia Raga" Watch: "Latin American Ficciones"

Strand of Oaks - Heal Strand of Oaks (Tim Showalter) is a bearded, emotional folk rocker who first came to prominence with the release of his 2010 album Pope Killdragon. His follow-up was inspired by a realization that he needed to heal following the break-up of a marriage and the pressures of being on the road for two years. Watch: "Shut In" Watch: "Goshen '97"

A Sunny Day in Glasgow - Sea When Absent A Sunny Day in Glasgow is a Philadelphia-based band who have been active since 2006. The band is led by Ben Daniels, but with rotating backing musicians. Sea When Absent is the band's fourth album, which I first became familiar with when the band was featured in a "best of the week" column on Stereogum! Watch: "In Love with Useless" Listen: "Bye Bye Big Ocean (The End)"

Other New Releases

22 Jump Street: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack 22 Jump Street is the sequel to the movie version of 21 Jump Street, which was released 2012. The soundtrack features new tracks from Wiz Khalifa, Duck Sauce, and Angel Haze. Listen: Angel Haze - "22 Jump Street"

Ghostface Killah - "Six Degrees" Ghostface Killah is a member of the Wu-Tang clan and a critically-acclaimed solo performer. For his latest single, he has teamed up with BADBADNOTGOOD and Danny Brown. Listen: "Six Degrees"

They Came Together EP They Came Together is a new rom-com starring Amy Poehler and Paul Rudd. A short soundtrack (just EP length) is being released for the film. Contributors include Craig Wedren, Amy Miles, and Norah Jones. Watch: Norah Jones - "It Was the Last Thing on Your Mind"

New Music Tuesday - 06/10/2014

Be sure to view a list of upcoming releases here!

New Full-Length Releases

First Aid Kit - Stay Gold For such a young duo, the Söderberg sister act hit the ground running. This is their third studio album; their first, The Big Black & Blue, in 2010, when the younger sister, Johanna, was just 17 years old. Stay Gold is their most personal album yet, perhaps influenced by a young adulthood spent on the road away from other family. Watch: "My Silver Lining" Watch: "Cedar Lane"

The Fresh & Onlys - House of Spirits The Fresh & Onlys create an interesting mix of genres, spanning from psychedelic folk to garage rock. They've been an incredibly prolific band, releasing five albums over the past six years. Their latest was written by frontman Tim Cohen on an isolated Arizona horse ranch. Listen: "Animal of One" Listen: "Bells of Paonia"

Jack White - Lazaretto Jack White had spent so much time in bands, it started to seem like it was his comfort zone. It's been four years, however, since the release of his last record in a band, The Dead Weather's Sea of Cowards. He released his first solo record in 2012 so I guess solo his his new milieu! Watch: "Lazaretto" Watch: "High Ball Stepper"

Stagnant Pools - Geist When I decide to check out a new artist, it's usually because I've heard a song that they were featured on or have heard a lot about them from a variety of publications. I only heard about Stagnant Pools once, on the AVClub, but the headline mentioned that there were an Indiana band. Reading the story, I discovered they were from Bloomington. I did actually listen to the music and really liked it, but Hoosier pride people! Listen: "Intentions"

Other New Releases

How to Train Your Dragon 2: Music from the Motion Picture Now, I haven't actually seen the How to Train Your Dragon films, though I did see snippets of the first and it looked cute. I'm including the soundtrack on my weekly list, however, due to a contribution to the soundtrack from Jónsi, lead singer for Sigur Rós. Listen: Jónsi - "Where No One Goes"

Pepsi Beats of the Beautiful Game As I'm sure everyone knows, the 2014 World Cup began this week in Brazil. To celebrate the world's most popular sport, Pepsi has put together a collection of songs (some new, some old) to represent the various cultures also present in the Cup. Listen: Santigold - "Kicking Down Doors" Watch: Janelle Monáe - "Heroes"

Poliça - Shulamith Deluxe Edition Poliça released one hell of an album last year. This year, it's getting its re-release with a few newer songs and an awesome cover of the Lesley Gore classic, "You Don't Own Me." Watch: "Raw Exit" Listen: "You Don't Own Me"

Real Estate - Spotify Sessions: Live at SXSW The band Real Estate performed at this year's SXSW Music Festival in Austin, Texas. The performance was a part of a series of Spotify Sessions and is now getting a release (exclusively through the music streaming service, of course) this summer. Listen: "Crime" Listen: "Had to Hear"

Check Out: Future Islands

As much as I try not to overwhelm myself with all the new music coming out in any given week, I still love discovering artists that I'm not already familiar with. Future Islands is the latest artist that I've decided to give a try and have loved!

I first heard of this Baltimore-based band during the run-up to their fourth studio album, Singles, released just last month. It seemed like I was seeing their name everywhere, but was hesitant to check them out. I caught a snippet of an NPR interview with the band about a month ago and, while I didn't hear a lot, what I did hear, I really liked.

At that point, the new album wasn't out yet, so I had to tide myself over with the early singles from the albums, their past three records and a new-infamous performance from the band on David Letterman.

Nearly since the album came out, it has been on repeat for me. All songs on the release are amazing, but there have been a couple of big stand-outs for me. "Sun in the Morning" is a fairly light and lovelorn song that shows off Sam Herring's crooner side. "Fall from Grace," by contrast, is the heaviest song on the album, with Sam showing off his ability to growl along with the hardest metalhead.

New Music Tuesday - 03/18/2014

Be sure to view a list of upcoming releases here!

New Full-Length Releases

Black Lips - Underneath the Rainbow Black Lips settled into a distinct sound early in their career and have not wavered much from it since. They are known for loose, frenetic punk/garage rock. While they maintain that "devil may care" sound, they always incorporate something a little bit different into each record. This latest release, the band's seventh, adds some country to the mix. Watch: "Boys in the Wood" Watch: "Justice After All"

Kevin Drew - Darlings Kevin Drew is primarily known as a founder and member of the Canadian indie rock collective Broken Social Scene. He, however, has also been performing as a solo musician, releasing his debut album, Spirit If..., in 2007. This is just his second solo record, but he does much to differentiate himself from the work he puts out with BSS, allowing the content and his image to be much more experimental. Watch: "Good Sex" Listen: "Mexican Afterparty Show"

Perfect Pussy - Say Yes to Love Perfect Pussy is the latest female-led punk band to make waves in the music industry. The band with the name you can't say at work has distinguished themselves with raucous and frenetic live shows since first gaining attention for their debut EP, I Have Lost All Desire for Feeling. Yes, they are the recipients of a tremendous amount of hype at the moment, but they don't seem poised to let it go to their heads. Watch: "I" Listen: "Driver"

Sisyphus - Sisyphus Sisyphus is the second release from the collaboration of Sufjan Stevens, Son Lux, and Serengeti (formerly known as S / S / S). They released their debut EP, Beak and Claw, in 2012. Since that first release, we've seen new releases from Son Lux and Serengeti, though not, unfortunately, from Sufjan. Sisyphus seems to allow its members to be a little sillier than they are in their main projects; it's great to see these great musicians let loose a little bit! Watch: "Calm It Down" Watch: "Alcohol"

Twilight - III: Beneath Trident's Tomb Thurston Moore has been very busy since the (likely) split of his most-known project, Sonic Youth, in 2011. In that time, he has put out a collaborative project with his ex-wife and Yoko Ono, released an album with his new band, Chelsea Light Moving, and a solo album is expected for later this year. He has also joined the black metal band Twilight for their third, and final, record. Yes...this band is also no more. Listen: "Swarming Funeral Mass" Listen: "A Flood of Eyes"

The War on Drugs - Lost in the Dream The War on Drugs released an incredible sophomore album, Slave Ambient, in 2011. The album was a critical success and triggered a nearly year-long tour for Adam Granduciel and his band. When finished, the tour (and a break-up of a major relationship) led to a period of depression for Adam. This drove the writing for the album, which still went through several rewrites. The result, however, is a release that manages to be even more critically-acclaimed than the band's breakout. Watch: "Red Eyes" Listen: "Under the Pressure"

YG - My Krazy Life YG (short for Young Gangsta) is a young rapper out of Compton, California. It's his first album, following a series of mixtapes, guest spots and singles, but he's making a strong name for himself right out of the gate. This record features guest spots from SchoolBoy Q, Drake and follow Compton rapper Kendrick Lamar. Watch: "Left Right" Watch: "Who Do You Love"

Other New Releases

Bob Dylan & Pete Seeger - The Singer & the Song Pete Seeger was a renowned folk and protest music singer who began his career in the late 1930s. During a revival in his career in the 1960s, he became a champion and backer for a young folk singer named Bob Dylan (you may have heard of him). Seeger passed away earlier this year, but the latest release bearing his name explores the influence of songwriting in folk music culture of the 20th century. Listen: Pete Seeger - "Turn! Turn! Turn!" Listen: Bob Dylan - "Baby Let Me Follow You Down"

Ex Hex - "Hot and Cold"/"Waterfall"/"Everywhere" Ex Hex is the new band of Mary Timony (formerly of Helium and, more recently, WILD FLAG). There's no word yet on a new album from her latest project, but we get a trio of singles to hold us over! Watch: "Hot and Cold"

Simian Mobile Disco & Roman Flügel - "Hachinoko"/"Ikizukuri" Simian Mobile Disco continues to put out new tracks related to their 2010 compilation Delicacies. The latest release has them working with German house producer Roman Flügel. The delicacies here are hachinoko (bee larvae) and ikizukuri (live seafood sashimi). Listen: "Hachinoko" Listen: "Ikizukuri"

New Music Tuesday - 03/11/2014

Be sure to view a list of upcoming releases here!

New Full-Length Releases

Aloe Blacc - Lift Your Spirit Aloe Blacc has been an active musician since 1995, but came to greater prominence in 2010 with the release of Good Things and the incredible single "I Need a Dollar." He contributed songwriting and vocals to Avicii's monster hit, "Wake Me Up," last year, which seemed to herald a shift in his career to even greater commercial success. This album, though, will be the first real test of his critical and commercial viability following his breakout. Watch: "Can You Do This" Watch: "Wake Me Up"

Metronomy - Love Letters A number of friends have been urging me to check out this band for several years. When the band announced the release of new album a few months back, I decided to take that plunge. I listened to some older music, primarily 2011's The English Riviera, as well as the early singles from this album. I've liked what I've heard and am excited for this latest release! Watch: "Love Letters" Listen: "Boy Racers"

Paloma Faith - A Perfect Contradiction I've been listening to Paloma Faith since the release of her debut album Do You Want the Truth or Something Beautiful? in 2009. She's been a prominent artist in her native UK since the beginning, but is only now beginning to see that success mirrored here in the states. It helps that she's getting the Pharrell treatment; he serves as a producer on this record. Watch: "Can't Rely on You" Listen: "Love Only Leaves You Lonely"

Other New Releases

Catch the Throne The fourth season of "Game of Thrones" will premier on April 6. To promote the upcoming season, HBO enlisted the help of a variety of hip hop artists to write and perform songs based on the shows themes and plotlines. It creates an interesting mix of geek media and hip hop culture, with a few stand-out tracks. Listen: Big Boi - "Mother of Dragons" Listen: Common - "The Ladder"

Chvrches - Recover EP I'm sure they don't mean any confusion by it, but this is the second EP that the Glaswegian band Chvrches has released with this name. The first, their debut EP last year, featured a number of unique tracks. This iteration, however, features a couple of remixes of the title track. Watch: "Recover" Listen: "Recover" (Alucard Sessions)

David Bowie - "Rebel Rebel" Reissue "Rebel Rebel," a track from Bowie's 1974 Diamond Dogs was initially released as a single in February of that same year. To celebrate the song's 40th anniversary, it is getting the re-release treatment with new cover art. Watch: "Rebel Rebel"

Divergent: The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Divergent is the latest film in the "young adult" category of novels-turned-films. Like many others, it takes place in a dystopian future. While I'm undecided on seeing it, the movie does come with a great soundtrack featuring new tracks from M83, Tame Impala and Kendrick Lamar! Listen: M83 - "I Need You" Listen: Tame Impala - "Backwards" (featuring Kendrick Lamar)

Mick Jones, Diplo, Paul Simonon & Frank Ocean - "Hero" The latest in Converse's singles series sees former members of The Clash coming together with producer Diplo and PBR&B singer Frank Ocean. It's an interesting mix of musicians, but creates some great output. Listen: "Hero"

Teenage: Original Music By Bradford Cox Teenage is an upcoming documentary on the subject of teenage culture as it's evolved over the past century. The film's score was put together by indie rock musician Bradford Cox (aka Atlas Sound). Listen: "VHS Dream" Watch: Trailer

Young Money: The Rise of an Empire Lil' Wayne's Young Money record label has established itself as a pre-eminent hip hop label over the past decade. It boasts such artists as Lil' Wayne (of course), Nicki Minaj and Drake. The Rise of an Empire collects new tracks by the labels musicians. Listen: Drake - "Trophies" Listen: Nicki Minaj - "Lookin' Ass"