I could not be more excited for Bobby Womack‘s forthcoming album The Bravest Man In The Universe, which represents the legendary singer’s first full record since 1994. This is the third track we’ve heard from the album, and it’s a slow, ruminative number, featuring none other than Lana Del Rey, who adds some of her faded film noir glamour to the proceedings. Based around a simple piano melody and dusty hip-hop esque percussion, this is just another reason to pre-order the album now, in advance of its June 11th release date.

THE 15 BEST LANA DEL REY REMIXES

Sunday afternoon in Calabasas, CA, Justin Bieber was at a mall when a photographer started snapping pictures. According to reports, the photographer was blocking Justin’s car so the Biebz got out and asked the guy to move. When he wouldn’t, a scuffle took place. Witnesses say that a lawyer walked up to the photographer afterwards and told him to call an ambulance and file charges. He complained of pain in his upper torso and was released from the hospital shortly after. By the time cops showed up to the scene Bieber was gone. Police are investigating the altercation as a misdemeanor battery.

Sounds a little sketchy.

(TMZ)

Willis Earl Beal was allegedly arrested last night in Utrecht, the Netherlands after kicking a man in the face during his show. According to accounts, a drunk audience member near the front of the stage was disturbing the show and Willis “kicked his face in.” Some reports are saying that the man was homeless and that Willis said something along the lines of, ”if you do not respect my music, I do respect your face.” Willis cut the show off early and was taken into police custody. No word on when he’ll be released.

UPDATE: According to someone who was there, it was a homeless man.

@PigsAndPlans Was a free concert on a public square. Bum started to drum on the stage with his hands. Willis threw a micstand & kicked him.

— Steven Stoffers (@stevenstoffers) May 28, 2012

Watch him end the show and apologize below:

(RTV Utrecht & Pitchfork)

TALKING TO WILLIS EARL BEAL, AND DISCOVERING THE LINE BETWEEN FAN AND MUSIC JOURNALIST

Continuing in the summery vein of things, it’s Summer Camp, who are currently working on an EP for one of the best independent record labels around – Moshi Moshi. “Always” (from a forthcoming EP of the same name) is a pulsating slice of synth-pop with a driving beat and duelling boy/girl vocals that combine harmoniously for a lovestruck, upbeat, 80′s indebted jam.

Memorial Day Weekend is in full effect. As anyone hosting a BBQ or gathering of friends should know, an entertaining music playlist is almost as important as constantly stocked coolers and a tasty spread. If you find yourself in this hosting position over the next day or two, and are scrambling to flush out a complete playlist, you may want to mix in a stream of this upbeat, fun new track from the Seattle quartet Beat Connection. “The Palace Garden, 4am” is the lead single off their forthcoming debut EP, Palace Garden, which will release digitally in the US on June 19th.

(P4k)

The blessing (and curse, for any would-be politicians reading this) of the Internet is its role as boundless history book, an open, unceasing record of culture both indelible and ultimately irrelevant. Because there’s so much information out there, it’s often difficult to parse and harder still to understand the connections between times and places that might not be linked by Wikipedia pages.

If you’ve listened to the music of ASAP Rocky and his mob, you’ve heard sing-song flows and sinister dust-caked beats aplenty. To a younger generation, ASAP may have come along and introduced brand new sounds unlike anything on the market, but the fingerprints of Bone Thugs-n-Harmony and early Three 6 Mafia are all over this resurrected style. No surprise—Rocky and his team have actively acknowledged their stylistic heroes.

This post is dedicated to the growing legion of ASAP Mob and Raider Klan fans who may not know that Juicy J was still trippy in 1994 or that you could meet Bone Thugs N Harmony somewhere other than the crossroads.

Enjoy a few tracks that every listener who’s got “Keep It G” on their iPod should know.

Click “next” or hit shift+right to read on…

Hey Nas, can you please share the fountain of youth with all of us bro??

I can’t even begin to tell y’all how hard this track hit me when I first heard it & the thoughts that were running through my head just now as I watched the video for the 1st time. I too have a [2 year old] daughter & I’m mentally preparing myself for alot of shit that will eventually pop up in the future. Check the visual out below for Nas’ “Daughters”. Life Is Good is on the way!

Don’t you love it when things just come together? Fixer’s “We’ll Be The Moon” skipped jovially into a cameo spot in our albums of the week a fortnight ago, and now the music gods themselves see fit to bestow upon us a stream of the entire album… for free? Suck it pirates.

This album pulls threads from a diverse cluster of influences, with gliding verses reminiscent of Foster The People and raw, brash and heart-filled choruses that whisper into the collective consciousness of Friendly Fires fans. The flitting shadows of Vampire Weekend and Beach Boys also cast themselves over most tracks, giving this assemblage a courageous and full summery vibe. Whilst the album unfortunately doesn’t quite reach the stratospheric bar set by early hype, it is still a solid and commendable effort that definitely deserves your close attention. For admirers of this style of ambitious, seaside music, this is repeatable ad infinitum.

Brooklyn four-piece Caged Animals will be releasing a new EP in June,  which will be aptly titled This Summer. Not only will it be released in summer, but the band’s gentle, wistful sound is the perfect accompaniment to sunny days in parks kicking back without a care in the world. The EP is out 11th June, but you’re not in the mood to think about anything but the present, so just press play and enjoy the wekend.

Sounding more lush and polished than ever before with the release of their most recent album, Bloom, Beach House takes the new music to Later With Jools Holland. Check out their performance of “Lazuli” below.

(Listen Before You Buy)