Tracks - Pitchfork

Mutya Keisha Siobhan: "Lay Down in Swimming Pools"

Laura Snapes — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 12:38:00 -0500

"Just finished recording new music with Mutya, Keisha and Siobhan and the girls felt like having a bit of fun at the end of the last session - enjoy!!" That's Blood Orange's Dev Hynes, who has apparently been in the studio with the three original members of UK pop group Sugababes recording material for their forthcoming album. It's only their second together following 2000's One Touch-- each member left the band one by one over the ensuing decade.

Hynes' presence isn't obvious on this quasi-cover of Kendrick Lamar's "Swimming Pools (Drank)" and it's probably not going to appear on MKS' new album, but everything here clicks into place. The band's voices sound glorious together, and they've even given Kendrick's lyrics a personal touch-up, singing about pleasing themselves in life and music ("I have found where I wanna be/And all around where I tread/Are the sounds I found for the love of me")-- perhaps a delicate "fuck you" to the machinations that drove the Sugababes in their various forms into the ground. They also flip the original's gender pronouns to sing about how "the boys wanna play Baywatch" around their booze pool, reminding us just how good prime-era Sugababes were at showing how intimidating and dominant a group of women can be in a club.

Mutya Keisha Siobhan: "Lay Down in Swimming Pools" on SoundCloud.

Alpoko Don: "All I Know"

Jonah Bromwich — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 10:59:00 -0500

Last year, we featured a track from South Carolina rapper/singer Alpoko Don, which managed to demonstrate how modern Southern trap is a direct descendant of traditional Southern blues and soul. Now Don is back with more of the same for 2013. Last month he released The Ol’ Soul EP, an impressive collection of down-home rapping and singing over barely-there beats.

“All I Know” is a standout from the EP, epitomizing Alpoko’s sound with its mournful, low-key backdrop and containing raw, heartfelt rhymes about a threadbare existence in the South. “I dip my pen in plasma/write my rhyme in blood,” he raps, his gruff voice negating the sentimentality of his reflections on his everyday existence and his stark speculation about life after death. He sounds like a modern-day rap bluesman, combining the mundane and the serious into a powerful existential meditation on life as he knows it.

Caveman: "Over My Head"

Patrick Bowman — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 09:32:00 -0500

Caveman lead singer/songwriter Matthew Iwanusa recently described his band’s sonic objectives for their upcoming self-titled sophomore album as “a spaceship flying over the woods at night, [with] all the lights bouncing through the trees.” On the slowly cascading “Over My Head,” the New York-based quintet make good on their promise, launching a massive star cruiser of a post-rock aria that’s propelled by burned-off synth lines and hazy narcotic guitar riffs. Iwanusa surrenders to the track’s imposing inertia, performing in a beguiled falsetto that rises and falls with the flow of the group’s spaced out grandeur. The sheer tonnage of Caveman’s galaxy-sized sound allows “Over My Head” to possess an almost overwhelming sense of expanse and scale.

Caveman: "Over My Head" on SoundCloud.

[from Caveman; out 04/02/13 via Fat Possum]

Haim: "Falling (Duke Dumont Remix)"

Larry Fitzmaurice — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 09:17:00 -0500

One of the finest songs of the year thus far from one of 2013's most promising bands gets a remix from another one to watch this year: UK producer Duke Dumont hops on California pop outfit Haim's skyward-gazing "Falling", stripping the verses and most of the echo-laden drums for a gently skipping beat, gobsmacked synth loops, and distant "Hey!"s, making for a surprising and ebuillent take on the tune. Haim's Falling EP is out April 1 via National Anthem/Polydor/Columbia.

Haim: "Falling (Duke Dumont Remix)" on SoundCloud.

Flatbush Zombies / The Underachievers: "No Religion"

Jonah Bromwich — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 14:20:00 -0500

Beast Coast is the umbrella under which several New York crews are operating right now, including the Underachievers, Flatbush Zombies, Joey Bada$$ and Pro Era, and Phony Ppl. Though each crew has a different angle, they have enough in common to make collaborating with each other seem like an easy leap. On “No Religion,” the Underachievers' Ak ferociously speed-raps, dropping the new-age perspective that was so prevalent on Indigoism and referring to his crew as “Pharaohs” and himself as a “living God.” Meanwhile, Flatbush Zombies' Meechy Darko brings the corrosive dark energy we’ve come to expect from his crew, claiming that they've “run out of competition.” Ironically, anytime they find someone worthy of competition, they seem to just incorporate them into their own movement.

Flatbush Zombies and the Underachievers: "No Religion" on SoundCloud.

TEEN: "Carolina"

Patrick Bowman — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 12:00:00 -0500

TEEN’s debut LP, last year's In Limbo, featured an eclectic assimilation of influences, bouncing around from spaced-out psych rock to chilly post punk to expansive, percussion-driven pop experiments. It was an intriguing first release, and on “Carolina”, the group’s first single from their forthcoming EP of the same name, TEEN return to the foundations laid on In Limbo to create gorgeously prismatic art-pop. Densely composed but never showing its seams, the track is buoyed by a rounded guitar figure and Teeny Lieberson’s high vocal register. Her delivery is effective because it lets the air in, singing, “Babe...I’ll...hide...one more time,” with one breathy beat between the first three words as plinking synths and noodly riffing fill in the negative space. “Carolina” manages to be billowy and effervescent, but not slight, as TEEN continue to grow into their evolving sound.

TEEN: "Carolina" on SoundCloud.

[from the Carolina EP; out 05/28/13 via Carpark]

Stygian Stride: "Drift"

Nick Neyland — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 11:13:00 -0500

Stygian Stride harks back to an older New York era, a time when a trip to the Lower East Side would get you a glass in the face instead of a million dollar condo. It’s the chosen name of Jimy SeiTang, member of Psychic Ills, analog equipment fetishist, and someone who's clearly absorbed in the dollar store electronics of early Suicide and the cold wave scene. The instrumental "Drift" is well-named; it doesn't go anywhere in particular, instead staying locked in the same vaguely threatening place from start to finish.

SeiTang only borrows some of his aesthetic from Martin Rev, instead swapping out the Suicide man’s comatose pop tendencies for something more trash-strewn. This is the kind of muddied, down-at-heel soundtrack work you’d expect to see playing out over no-budget midnight movies like C.H.U.D. or Basket Case. “Drift” conjures a world no one in their right mind would want to live in, but one that proves strangely alluring anyway.

Stygian Stride: "Drift" on SoundCloud.

[from Stygian Stride; out 03/19/13 via Thrill Jockey]

Justin Timberlake: "Suit & Tie (Dillon Francis Remix)"

Puja Patel — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 10:38:00 -0500

While Justin Timberlake has been kinging the easy-listening hotel lounge market with "Suit and Tie", he's left room for bolder creative choices at the hands of his remixers. Four Tet turned the track into a hi-hat laden, bass driven banger, while Aeroplane opted for beachy disco vibes. Dillon Francis' take, however, gives the track a level of bump-n-grind that's worthy of Timberlake's sexier throwback moments-- we're talking about the smooth sultry vibes that won ladies over back during those "Senorita" days.

Bouncing bass and chopped vocals play strong roles here, as "I can't wait to get you on the floor, good lookin'" becomes a sentiment worthy of flushed swoons when it's stealthily slowed down to a drunken-eyed provocation, wherein the "floor" serves as a mattress meant for dirtying instead of a ballroom to sashay across in the arms of a dapper JT. If it's sex he was going for, Francis succeeds; this rendition makes a suit and tie sound best when it's taken off.

Justin Timberlake: "Suit & Tie (Dillon Francis Remix)" on SoundCloud.

DJ Rashad: "Let It Go"

Andrew Gaerig — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 10:16:00 -0500

Chicago's DJ Rashad is improving. It's a normal enough thing for an artist to do, but improvement and progression are funny concepts for a sound such as footwork, which is often content to spin in place, dizzying itself until it falls over. That loss of balance is what Rashad avoids on "Let It Go", the finest track from his upcoming Rollin' EP, which will be his first for the expansive UK electronic label Hyperdub. Footwork's signature vocal loops remain; three of them weave and echo, and they shoulder against a pulsing string sample that gives the track a cinematic, emotional flair. Rashad has shown a knack for this kind of melodic work before, especially on last year's impressive Teklife Volume 1: Welcome to the Chi.

It's the drums, then, that set "Let It Go" apart. No longer soundling like low-bit samples off a junked MPC, the drums here hopscotch between a riotous blast of snares and hi-hats and a half-time strut. The effect is like that of an old drum & bass track (an example), another genre that, at its best, was able to make an avalanche of rhythm sound dexterous and soothing. And that's "Let It Go"'s great trick: the track is the Tasmanian Devil masquerading as a ballerina. Rashad's newfound sense of refinement and composition only amplifies the wreckage. Footwork's samples have always shouted; here, they sing.

[from the Rollin' EP; out 03/19/13 via Hyperdub]

Her Parents: "Why Don't You Just Fuck Off?"

Laura Snapes — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 09:57:00 -0500

Normally when a band announces the tracklist for a forthcoming album, it's only notable to fans with a particular understanding of the relationship between the act's musical and overt vocabulary. But there's no two ways about the song names on Happy Birthday, the second album by London/Iceland's Her Parents: particular highlights include "Why Are You Just Hitting Yourself?", "Cunt Dinosaurs", "King of the Babies" and "Hollow Out a Horse".

For now, here's the sandwich-nightmare video for "Why Don't You Just Fuck Off?" (to be physically released in a limited run of 50 CD-Rs, with hand-drawn covers that piece together to spell "FUCK OFF"), full of snotty, cock-rocking duelling guitars, and a spitty, incoherent vocal somewhere between Wire's Colin Newman and Eddie Argos. If we're being pat about it, you could say it's almost Art Brutal: hard, fast, hilariously dumb, but excellently done. Who wants a fight?

[Happy Birthday is out on May 13 via Alcopop! and Her Parents' Bandcamp]

Fat Tony: "Hood Party" [ft. Kool A.D. and Despot]

Mike Madden — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 15:37:00 -0500

Houston’s Fat Tony might have plenty in common with most rappers who rely on blogs above all else to stay buzzing-- he’s young, prolific, and doesn’t seem to draw much from the traditions of his city-- but few of his peers place such a premium on fun. The first single from his upcoming LP Smart Ass Black Boy, “Hood Party”, is a total crowd-pleaser, and not just because it references the “Cha Cha Slide” and Drake’s hook from “I’m on One”. The track rumbles along at a high BPM and is rendered even more dynamic thanks to wobbling bass and coarse synth runs courtesy of Tony’s go-to producer Tom Cruz.

With all that going on the musical tip, it’s easy to miss that the song is about something: gentrification. Tony’s lengthy refrain cites “Ricky, Bobby, Ronnie, and Mike, who been living in this area like all of their life,” while ex-Das Racist member Kool A.D. and Queens barker Despot, though quirky as usual, keep aligned with the theme. “Hood Party” proves to be one of the more potent types of rap song, one that’s immediately pleasing on the surface but offers clustered, conceptual lyrics to be unwound over listen after listen.

Fat Tony: "Hood Party" [ft. Kool A.D. and Despot] on SoundCloud.

[from Smart Ass Black Boy; out 06/11/13 via Young One]

D. Vassalotti: "Swallow My Pride"

Jenn Pelly — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 14:54:00 -0500

Tampa's Merchandise have a decade of artful hardcore and experimental pop under their belts-- but the devastating solo output of guitarist Dave Vassalotti is their best kept secret. His home-recorded 2011 LP Book of Ghosts was ripped and expressive, like ecstatic Creation-era noise pop by a singer-songwriter with a penchant for the slowly ensconcing mutilation of Scott Walker. It surveyed an impressively frightening torrent of harrowed emotion; anger, deception, desperation, misery. There was a song called "Death Will One Day Rob Us All", and another in which Vassalotti is seemingly victimized by a hysteric ex-lover who fondles a knife under her own corset.

His new tape for Night People, Live in Infinity, is even darker and more austerely avant-garde with pronounced Walker touchstones. There is a song grounded by the slow, bleak sound of a sledge-hammer and whispered, quavering vocals, and one in which he regrets not following the voices in his dreams. On "Red Mirror", he revamps the oversized pop of Ghosts centerpiece "Mirror" into a noirish and vengeful song with shrill-as-fuck electric guitar antagonizing an eery foundation of placid acoustic strums. Closer "Swallow My Pride" is the tape's most accessible track; the unsettlingly calm aftermath of a merciless storm.

Xander Harris: "Vultures of Tenderness"

Larry Fitzmaurice — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 14:17:00 -0500

In just under four minutes, Xander Harris' "Vultures of Tenderness" takes the listener on a short but satisfying journey, opening with a cavernous boom-beat rhythm as it eventually hits a steady 4/4 groove, accumulating electronic detritus along the way as arpeggiated synths drop in menacingly. The Austin-based artist has made something is dark and chilly, not too dissimilar to kindred spirit and sometime split-release-sharer Dylan Ettinger-- only whereas Ettinger turned to brittle synth-flecked goth on last year's beguiling Lifetime of Romance, here Harris goes for something deeper and more sumptuous. The track's taken from Harris' new album, The New Dark Age of Love, which sees release on April 2 via Not Not Fun.

Xander Harris: "Vultures of Tenderness" on SoundCloud.

Earl Sweatshirt: "Whoa"

Ian Cohen — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 12:21:00 -0500

Until we hear Doris in its entirety, every Earl Sweatshirt track is going to feel like a comeback, or at least a reintroduction-- and as Tyler, the Creator helpfully reminds us at the top of "Whoa," Earl's last single was the unusually plainspoken and revealing "Chum", which makes "Whoa" on some "ol' 2010 shit about...fuckin' and fuck and all that." As usual, Earl makes good on that promise by maintaining a frightening stability that counterbalances Tyler, sounding simultaneously in love with the possibilities of rap and wearied, burdened by the demands of his talent. "Whoa"'s roots can be traced back to a time when Def Jux and Star Trak were assumed to be competing for hip-hop fans' attention. The influences are every bit as dense as Earl's macabre threats, but the larger context is that you really are hearing a guy who still maintains the original allure of Odd Future's 2010 output: straight-up rap-for-rap's sake intended to please no one other than the people making it, but too accomplished and unique to be ignored.

[from Doris; forthcoming via Tan Cressida/Columbia]

Web of Sunsets: "Fool's Melodies"

Lindsay Zoladz — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 11:31:00 -0500

Minneapolis trio Web of Sunsets are just getting started, but their twangy, wistful debut single hints at good things to come. "Fool's Melodies" undercuts its dream-pop atmosphere with a twangy texture-- as Sara Nienaber and Chris Rose's guitars tangle languidly, singer Sara Bischoff (also of the band Heavy Deeds) conjures Hope Sandoval day-drinking on a Southern porch. Web of Sunsets aren't the only band currently mining this sepia-toned color palette, but the songwriting here is strong and clear enough to suggest a distinct perspective. Its refrain is confidently simple but Bischoff makes it feel more devastating with each downcast intonation: "And I tried so hard," she sings, "Not to feel right."

Web of Sunsets: "Fool's Melodies" on SoundCloud.

[from the "Fool's Melodies" single; out 04/16/13 via End of Time]

The Appleseed Cast: "Great Lake Derelict"

Ian Cohen — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 11:18:00 -0500

There's no easy way into the discography of the Appleseed Cast; their most acclaimed record is 2001's Low Level Owl Vol. I & II, which sprawls backmasked instrumentals and math-y emo across two disks. Their eighth LP, Illumination Ritual, brings a label and lineup change into the mix, and yet somehow "Great Lake Derelict" sounds like a definitive statement for the band. You hear echoes of their earliest work in the polyrhythmic scramble of drums and clean guitar at the outset, which slowly evolves into the ascendant, post-rock that typified their more recent fare. Fittingly, Chris Crisci's softly worn vocals recall sleepless nights and endless searching, alluding to the yearning quality that defines "Great Lake Derelict," and by extension, the evolution of the Appleseed Cast itself.

The Appleseed Cast: "Great Lake Derelict" on SoundCloud.

[from Illumination Ritual; out 04/23/13 via Graveface]

Anthony Naples: "Busy Signal"

Andrew Gaerig — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 10:41:00 -0500

Anthony Naples and the Trilogy Tapes: two ships passing in the night, at high speeds, on fire. Both parties took a star turn in 2012: Naples, a young New Yorker who produces frank, uncomplicated house music, took the underground dance community by storm with the very first track he ever wrote and released, "Mad Disrespect". London-based boutique label TTT, which releases artfully packaged EPs, rose in prominence as tastemakers as they collaborated with Joy Orbison's Hinge Finger imprint.

Naples' new EP for the label, El Portal, is a meeting of two classicists: Naples' earthy, no-frills beats, and TTT's thoroughly DIY take on the outer edges of dance music. Naples remains green, so much so that El Portal's four tracks double his output to-date. His best skill is the ability to avoid overcomplicating things. The lackadaisical "Busy Signal" gathers a flurry of snare rolls and hissy hi-hats, churning them into a noisy wash. The pace is casual, so it's easy not to notice the acidity in the electric pianos that bathe the track, their stinging, overdriven corrosions acting as melody. Add an infrequent vocal whoop and you have a dance track, a smart one that helps you forget how simple it is.

Anthony Naples: "Busy Signal" on SoundCloud.

GEMS: "Pegasus"

Britt Julious — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 10:05:00 -0500

Washington, D.C.-based dream-pop duo GEMS exude sophistication. Reminiscent of similar-sounding hazy acts Mazzy Star and Beach House without sounding like a direct copy, "Pegasus" is a bittersweet song about the inability to turn away from the pull of deep love. Lush and atmospheric, "Pegasus"' instrumentation-- sparkling synths, a slinky and sensual bass line, icy guitars-- makes this music to fuel the heartbroken and hopeful. Here, GEMS have found a promising balance of gentleness and sorrow.

GEMS: "Pegasus" on SoundCloud.

Ciara: "Body Party"

Carrie Battan — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 08:46:00 -0500

Ciara's oozy new single "Body Party" may technically be about her courtship with rapper Future-- he co-wrote the song and coos in the distance-- but the mojo here is all Mike Will Made It's. Count this one as another triumph in the rising producer's crossover campaign, right up there with Rihanna's "Pour It Up" and Jeremih's "773 Love". He takes a familiar beat-- namely, Ghost Town DJ's' "My Boo"-- and rescues it from the throes of tired 90s R&B nostalgia by squeezing all the liquid out of it and letting it drip around his trademark shimmering coils. Call it a Loveeeeeee triangle.

Ciara: "Body Party" on SoundCloud.

Justin Timberlake: "Suit & Tie (Four Tet Remix)"

Jayson Greene — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 16:04:00 -0500

The original version of Justin Timberlake's "Suit & Tie" is a relaxed, fundamentally happy song, full of sounds that sound like they just returned from a particularly restorative stay at an Italian day spa. That entitlement was practically a character within the song, so it's particularly bracing to hear Four Tet rip all of that stuff out on his remix, scraping the sides for good measure. In his remix, "Suit & Tie" is a nothing but a thumping chassis, a little blip of Justin vocal tumbling like a red sock in the dryer at the bottom of the mix, punctuated by a Jay-Z "uh" that quickly blurs into a piece of percussion.

With the plush strings and horns removed, the song now finds itself in a slinky minor key, or at least hovering somewhere suggestively close. Timberlake's vocal take, isolated here, is a marvel, and a reminder of just how pliable and sensitive he is as a singer: He is nothing if not adaptable, a perfect vehicle for whatever material you give him. Here, the exact same vocal take that he used to glide effortlessly back into the pop spotlight turns sweaty, clammy, desperate.

Wavves: "Demon to Lean On"

Zach Kelly — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 15:38:00 -0500

The first proper single from Wavves' forthcoming LP Afraid of Heights, "Demon to Lean On", is a power chord-stacked anthem that, if it were 1995, would easily be found on any modern rock radio station's Top Five Countdown. Which isn't a bad thing: considering that kids weaned on Dookie and Smash can now legally drink, it's no surprise that Nathan Williams is proudly displaying similar influences. At this point, Williams comes off as the elder statesman of sugary, snot-rocket-fueled pop-punk, and his songwriting is increasingly more economical and punchy with each new turn. Like most Wavves songs, "Demon to Lean On" subscribes to a nagging insistence-- only, this time, the impulse is purely to please.

Wavves: "Demon to Lean On" on SoundCloud.

[from Afraid of Heights; out 03/26/13 via Mom + Pop]

Branko: "Waves" [ft. Roses Gabor]

Larry Fitzmaurice — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 14:41:00 -0500

Back in May of last year, Buraka Som Sistema's Branko (f/k/a J-Wow) dropped a single for Mad Decent's Jeffrees imprint, "Going in Hard", featuring Florida rapper Dominique Young Unique. On April 2, Branko drops a new mixtape, Drums, Slums and Hums, featuring guest appearances from Unique, Zebra Katz, Njena Reddd Foxxx, and SBTRKT collaborator Roses Gabor, who contributes to this sultry-yet-turnt-up club jam.

Branko: "Waves" [ft. Roses Gabor] on SoundCloud.

Young & Sick: "Continuum"

Renato Pagnani — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 12:15:00 -0500

For all the talk of asphyxiation and drowning in "Continuum", the latest from L.A.'s Young & Sick, it all goes down a lot smoother than you'd expect, especially from a song that swirls with such conflicted emotions. The tune begins as a plea for a partner to remain dedicated, gradually morphing into a mutual reaffirmation of commitment wrapped in pillow-soft synths and clipped chords. R&B this breathless, with a sensuality wrung from every part it contains, is the perfect setting for a bloodletting. "The way I found you is the way I'll have you," the vocalist sings, a disarmingly romantic line possessing a generous sincerity that would come off as cloying in lesser hands. Elsewhere, words like "eternal" and "faith" are tossed around like grenades with their pins pulled; for believers like Young & Sick, there's always a hope that eventually a few will turn out to be duds.

Young & Sick: "Continuum" on SoundCloud.

Hyetal: "Northwest Passage" [ft. Gwilym Gold]

Larry Fitzmaurice — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 10:34:00 -0500

Since breaking out with his glistening 2010 single "Phoenix", Bristol producer Hyetal's kept relatively busy: in 2011, he released his debut LP, Broadcast, and he's put out a few smaller releases with Julio Bashmore as Velour. On May 20, Hyetal follows up Broadcast with a new album, Modern Worship, via True Panther. The album features contributions from the Fauns' Alison Garner and UK singer/songwriter Gwilym Gold, who co-wrote three songs on Modern Worship, including this star-streaked nighttime cut.

Hyetal: "Northwest Passage" [ft. Gwilym Gold] on SoundCloud.

William Arcane: "Not the Only One"

Patric Fallon — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 09:29:00 -0500

William Arcane's "Not the Only One" is a wispy cut from his upcoming EP for Pictures Music. As the singer/producer works out a slow groove with little more than a beguiling synth loop, a three-sample drum kit, and brief flourishes of glimmering effects, the Londoner (who presumably takes his name after the Swamp Thing character) lets go of a cluster of broken syllables. Whatever it is that he's singing seems less important than the cloudy feeling evoked by the the piece as a whole, and that's precisely what gives its brief moments of articulation greater impact.

William Arcane: "Not the Only One" on SoundCloud.