New Music Daily
Childish Gambino – We Ain’t Them
So Donald took to Twitter about half an hour ago and just started a Kanye-esque rant. Well okay, “rant” is a harsh word. Donald basically felt the need to explain himself–what’s he’s doing with his rap career, how he’s trying to improve, why he goes out of his way to mention kids like Trayvon Martin, and much more. The fact that he feels like he has to defend himself is ridiculous, but the things he said were insightful into the mind of one of the most talented young artists around today. He is ambitious, but he doesn’t think he’s the best (even when he says it all the time). He’s grateful for the many good things that have happened in his life but also remembers the bullshit he had to grow up with. A lot of people don’t realize that he’s paid his dues; he’s faced the same sort of hardships that many iconic rappers have faced. He’s just as “hood” as they are. After talking about how Childish Gambino started as an inside joke and has now become a legitimate rap career and how he has accepted that, he dropped the link to his newly redesigned site, featuring the picture above and the realest Big Ghost review of it. “We Ain’t Them” was first heard live at The Switch, which streamed online late last month. My favorite part of the song is when Gambino talks of reminiscing about Whitney Houston with Questlove. That’s royalty.
MP3: “We Ain’t Them” – Childish Gambino
Bonus!
This one dropped yesterday on Funkmaster Flex. I hate radio tags but love the song and the Schoolboy Q feature.
MP3: “Unnecessary (Radio Rip) (ft. Schoolboy Q)” – Childish Gambino
We don’t wife ‘em like Khalifa, we just party then we leave ‘em
-
Reptar – Three Shining Suns [Music Video]
Reptar‘s new album (Body Faucet) is phenomenal, but I think my favorite song from it is “Three Shining Suns.” It captured my attention from the first time I got to stream the album, and to this day it hasn’t lost one bit of its touch. I’m a bit late on this one, but the music video has been released, and though it’s a bit odd, what else can be expected from Reptar? It reminds me a lot of that scene in Now and Then when they went into the graveyard at night. That always scared the shit out of me when I was younger. This might even be scarier.
I don’t want to lose you, don’t want to let you go. We fit together so well, fold in to folds.
California Wives – Marianne
California Wives is a four-piece from Chicago (Joe O’Connor, Jayson Kramer, Dan Zima, and Graham Masell) who self-released an EP in 2010 entitled, Affair, which quickly garnered attention from the press. They just signed to Vagrant Records, which for any band these days, is likely a sign of rainbows, ice cream on summer days, sleds in the snow, and candy on Halloween. Okay, maybe that’s weird, but basically I’m trying to say it’s a good thing. Vagrant Records does an incredible job picking a lineup of artists that have incredible talent (think: Reptar, James Vincent McMorrow, Benjamin Francis Leftwich, Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, and many more). From the sound of this song and the news of their new label, California Wives seems to have a very bright future.
[Brenton Duvall Remix] The Knocks – All We Got ft. One Room & Kardinal Offishall
Our guy Brenton drops this brand new joint, remixing The Knocks song with Kardinal Offishall, All We Got (original), and he adds in one of our favorites, One Room.
Two favorites in one song? Yeah, we’re kind of excited about this drop. Lydia should be too. Two people in this song crush on her! Chris (of One Room) and Brenton…I see you both!
Kardinal Offishall used to be my shit back in the day.
Brenton Duvall – All We Got Remix ft. The Knocks, One Room & Kardinal Offishall
Noah – Sexy and I Know It (LMFAO Cover)
LMFAO’s “Sexy and I Know” is dead is buried. The radio killed it. Then Bruce Springstein buried it. Then Madonna took it out of the grave and killed it twice over. Fuck, even Nicholas Cage has reminded of us of how annoying this song can be.
But then there was Noah.
Noah took every notion that’s ever been constructed from this song and threw it out the window. He produced a cover to end all covers.
By now many of you may have seen this viral cover of the transcendent LMFAO song, but I’ve also included an MP3 for your enjoyment. Thank you Noah. You’ve showed the world that even the most commercial of songs can be oh so soulful.
ft. Celeste – A Monarchs Mixtape
I came across this mixtape in my inbox today called ft. Celeste by Monarchs. Celeste Griffin traditionally performs under the name Monarchs, but today she’s taken a path away from her typically alt-soul and folk-rock singing styles and instead toward hip-hop, a genre she loves. This tape features the results of Celeste writing, singing and rapping over hooks by some of today’s best hip-hop producers, including J. Dilla, Jake One, Reggie Coby, Javelin and MF Doom. Put together, we’re left with a 10-minute mixtape called ft. Celeste – a Monarchs Mixtape. I’m not sure I’m feeling the whole compilation, but am totally loving these two, “Loose in the Knees” and “Make Some.”
MP3: “Loose in the Knees” – Monarchs
Hit the jump for the link to listen to the whole mixtape.
[Mixtape] Aylen – The Remixtape II
When Aylen first really caught my eye, he was releasing his first Remixtape. Now, he’s on his second of his Remixtapes, and his progression as an artist is apparent–I’ve said it again and again, the kid just keeps getting better.
One thing I really love about his music is his ability to cover such diverse ranges of music. It’s not often that you see an electronic artist whose remixing repertoire spans the likes of Regina Spektor to the Red Hot Chili Peppers to Ellie Goulding. He puts a very unique twist on each song–every record he releases is thoroughly reimagined and reworked, and I have to credit him for that. It’s truly impressive to be able to flip such a wide range of genres, infusing your own unique sound into every track.
This is the kind of tape you can play continuously throughout without skipping any songs–through this on at a party this weekend and see how well it works. Trust me, you’ll be killing it on the DJing and you won’t have to change the song even once.
Enjoy, and show your friends. Let’s get Aylen the recognition his music deserves.
The Temper Trap – Sweet Disposition (Axwell & Dirty South Remix) (Aylen Re-Fix)
Regina Spektor – Us (Aylen Remix)
Red Hot Chili Peppers – Around The World (Aylen Bootleg)
Len – Steal My Sunshine (Aylen Remix)
College Ft Electric Youth – A Real Hero (Aylen Remix)
Head over to Aylen’s Facebook page to Download “The Remixtape II”
—–
Dream Big
ANTHM – Polaris (ft. Blu)
ANTHM sent me a preview of this track a couple months ago and I was sworn to secrecy about it and the feature on it. Listen to this song for yourself and keep in mind that Blu (one of my favorite rappers) is featured on a track with my buddy, and imagine having to keep that to yourself for a significant period of time. Oh, and it samples James Vincent McMorrow. Let’s just say shit was hard. And on that note, ANTHM and Blu both go hard. I absolutely love this track.
Shouts to 2DBZ for the premier!
Flight Facilities – With You (ft. Grovesnor)
Everybody who is anybody knows who Flight Facilities is–at least from their massive global sensation “Crave You,” which came out two whole years ago. Since then, the Aussie duo has kept busy, releasing another international smash, dropping tons of big name remixes, and touring around the world.
Yesterday, they released a brand new single, which features “something darker, something deeper, and something more mature” and vocals from Hot Chip drummer Grovesnor. I’ve had this on repeat since last night. The music video is really cool, too. Sexiest song of the year right here. LET’S GO!
Take a risk, well that’s all you keep on saying / And the point that I’m relaying is it shouldn’t be like this
-
The Tallest Man on Earth – 1904
Kristian Matsson is The Tallest Man on Earth, and he just released a new track from his upcoming album There’s No Leaving Now, which will be released June 12th. There has always been a raw and unflinching quality about Matsson’s music. What has drawn me to him in the past is his distinct vocal twang and the abstract images his lyrics manage to paint in my mind. With “1904″ he maintains this unique aesthetic, which results in the most pleasant thing you’ll hear all day.
MP3: “1904″ – The Tallest Man on Earth
-
Kishi Bashi – Tiny Desk Concert
Kishi Bashi is one of my favorite new artists. I have to thank Arjun for introducing me to his mastery of music. I believe Arjun had to work at convincing me that Kishi Bashi is actually an artist, not a type of cereal. It’s whatever, he got the job done, and now I’m obsessed.
Here’s a clip of Kishi Bashi performing at NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert series. This song is mostly an improvisation, and as you’ll see as you watch the performance, Kishi Bashi is a one-man show, combining his violin loops with layered vocals and even some beatboxing. With this much talent and such a beautiful voice, this is how you make a name for yourself these days.
Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros – Mother [VIDEO]
Edward Sharpe, known at birth as Alex Ebert, has one of the most magical, timeless voices of the singers of our day. I’ll stand behind the statement, and I think you will too as you listen to “Mother.” I introduced you guys to this song a couple weeks ago, but now the band has released a video to go with the vocal recording, and it’s beautiful as well. It features motherhood at multiple stages, and its rawness matches perfectly with Ebert’s voice. After Mother’s Day yesterday, I think it’s only fair to say that if you’re able, spend some time with your mother and thank her for all she’s done for you.
To refresh your memories, here’s a bit about “Mother.” “I wanted to explain to her that taking her for granted for so much of my life was less a function of my admitted selfishness and more a function of her unwavering love for me. Her unflinching steadiness I took to be immovable fact — I took her for ‘granite,’ as the poem goes, to make my stand upon. [...] As it stands it is one of my favorite pieces of ours, and I am very grateful that it has found a place to live and give in this album,” Ebert wrote.
