R&B
FKA twigs Wields a Mighty Sword in New Video for “Sad Day”: Watch
Last year we saw FKA twigs master the art of pole dancing in her “Cellophane” video. In today’s newly unveiled clip for MAGDALENE single “Sad Day”, she shows off a newly acquired skill: sword fighting. Clocking in at over seven minutes, the visual follows twigs as she powerfully yet nimbly engages in sword combat with a dancer named Teake. Their duel begins in a restaurant before eventually spilling out into the dark and empty streets of London. At one point, the R&B singer is caught off guard and wounded, but then things take a dramatic sci-fi turn that we wouldn’t dare spoil. Watch below. The “Sad Day” video comes from director Hiro Murai, marking his first such project since Childish Gambino’s acclaimed “This is America”. He also worked with Donald Glover on the FX hit series A...
India Shawn and Anderson .Paak Are “Movin’ On” with New Single and Video: Stream
One of the smoothest voices in Los Angeles has linked up with one of the smokiest: India Shawn has shared her new song “Movin’ On” featuring Anderson .Paak. It comes with a wacky music video that marks .Paak’s directorial debut. A former member of the Full Circle songwriting team, Shawn is a veteran ghostwriter with cuts for Akon (“Take It Down Low”), Monica (“Without You”), Diddy & Dirty Money (“Your Love”), Chris Brown (“Trumpet Lights”), Keri Hilson (“Way You Love Me”), and more. Now, she’s focusing on her solo career. “Movin’ On’” features production from D’Mile and a beat made up of staccato bursts of horns. Lyrically, the song is a self pep talk. “I’m in my bag, sometimes it’s like that,” Shawn begins, “Get yourself out of the blues.” For his part, .Paak contributes jazzy r...
Disclosure Recruit Kehlani and Syd for New “Birthday” Single: Stream
Syd (photo by Alex Crick), Disclosure (photo by Hollie Fernando), and Kehlani (photo by David Brendan Hall) Later this week, Disclosure will finally unveil their first album in five years, ENERGY. But today, the UK electronic duo are offering fans one more preview in “Birthday”, an icy collaboration with Kehlani and Syd of The Internet. In some ways, the song feels like a spiritual cousin to Ariana Grande’s iconic ex-partner appreciation anthem, “thank u, next”. It’s all about toying with the idea of calling up an ex on their birthday to check in and see how they’re doing. Kehlani lays it out nicely during her verse: “I think it’s been good for us to stay up out of the way/ But it can’t hurt to check up on an ex, not to flex/ But to put the hurt to rest, put maturity to the test.” There’s ...
Thundercat Remixes “Dragonball Durag” with Smino and Guapdad 4000: Stream
Guapdad 4000 (photo by Paul Middleton), Thundercat (photo by Parker Day), Smino (photo by Heather Kaplan) Thundercat has shared a new remix of “Dragonball Durag” featuring underground king Smino and rising star Guapdad 4000. The song was already a highlight of It Is What It Is, one of our favorite albums of the year so far. The remix features more to love, with new verses to expand on the song’s effervescent charm. Smino is already well known in these parts, and for “Dragonball Durag” he busts out a funky flow that combines smooth syllables with staccato bursts of emphasis, as well as plenty of punchlines. As for Guapdad 4000, he’s spent the last year like a bomb in space, quietly blowing up. Along with Smino, he’s in the supergroup Zoink Gang with JID and Buddy, and his 2019 deb...
Ms. Lauryn Hill Performs Six Songs for Louis Vuitton’s Menswear Show: Watch
Ms. Lauryn Hill Ms. Lauryn Hill has given limited performances during the pandemic, but her latest is a big one. Louis Vuitton called on the hip-hop icon to provide the musical accompaniment for their spring-summer 2021 menswear show in Shanghai, which took place earlier this month. The whole six-song performance was captured on video for an accompanying video presentation, which has now come online for all to behold. The black-and-white video finds Hill delivering half-a-dozen tracks, including her contribution to the Queen & Slim soundtrack, “Guarding the Gates”. With her band in full force around her, she also sings “Everything Is Everything”, “Lost Ones”, “Ex-Factor”, “Black Rage”, and the classic “Doo Wop (That Thing)”. Most of the July 31st shoot took place at New Jersey’s MLH St...
New Music Friday: 8 Albums to Stream
Every Friday, Consequence of Sound rounds up some of the week’s noteworthy new album releases. Today, August 21st, brings fresh music from Cut Copy, Guided By Voices, Awich, The Lemon Twigs, Bully, Duckwrth, The Front Bottoms, and Maya Hawke. Take a look to each of their new albums below. Also check out new albums from Nas, The Killers, and Bright Eyes, and new singles from Deftones, BTS, and Jay-Z and Pharrell. Cut Copy – Freeze, Melt <img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1058624" data-attachment-id="1058624" data-permalink="https://consequenceofsound.net/2020/08/cut-copy-like-breaking-glass-stream/cut-copy-photo-by-tamar-levine-2/" data-orig-file="https://consequenceofsound.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Cut-Copy-photo-by-Tamar-Levine-.jpg?qualit...
Mariah Carey Announces Rarities Album, Shares Lauryn Hill Collaboration “Save the Day”: Stream
Ms. Lauryn Hill (photo by David Brendan Hall) and Mariah Carey In celebration of the 30th anniversary of her self-titled debut, Mariah Carey has announced a new collection called The Rarities. Included in the 32-track compilation are a number of unreleased songs, including the newly revealed collaboration with Ms. Lauryn Hill, “Save the Day”. Due out October 2nd, The Rarities will include fan-favorite songs like “Always Be My Baby” and “Hero” alongside rare tracks (natch) and never-before-released recordings. The second half of the two-disc collection will feature a live album capturing Carey’s first-ever Japanese concert. The performance took place on March 7th at the Tokyo Dome during her “Daydream World Tour”, the first of three sold-out nights that were the fastest selling shows in the...
Brasstracks Share the Origins of New Single “Golden Ticket” with Common, Masego: Stream
In our new music feature Origins, we asks artists to take a moment to reflect on the backstory of their latest single. Today, Brasstracks tell us how they cashed their “Golden Ticket” with Common and Masego. Rising from their jazz school backgrounds, Brasstracks have already accomplished more than most duos made of just horns and drums could dream of. Mark Ronson essentially has them on speed dial, they’ve got some GRAMMY shine thanks to their work on Chance the Rapper’s “No Problem”, and they’ve collaborated with everyone from Wyclef Jean to Anderson .Paak. Oh, and they only formed six years ago. But now Ivan Jackson and Conor Rayne are really ready to grab the spotlight with their debut album, Golden Ticket. Due out August 21st, the full-length follows their 2019 EP Before...
Ian Isiah Channels His Inner Prince on New Song “Princess Pouty”: Stream
Blood Orange collaborator and alternative R&B artist Ian Isiah will release his upcoming record, Auntie, on August 31st via Juliet Records. For those who can’t wait a few weeks to hear what the project sounds like, he’s shared the latest single, “Princess Pouty”. Musically, “Princess Pouty” is a vibrant electro-funk number that sounds like Prince in his most sparkly outfit. Part of that tone comes courtesy of Chromeo, the nu-disco duo who produced the track (while juggling their own pandemic-era projects, mind you). It’s flashy, it’s retro, and it’s perfectly self-aware in its high-key indulgence. When sharing the track, Isiah revealed he’s proud of his vocal work here, and rightfully so. As it turns out, the single is a little bit of an I-told-you-so to the grown-ups from his youth wh...
Billy Porter & Steven Stills, Maggie Rogers, Leon Bridges Perform at 2020 Democratic National Convention: Watch
Maggie Rogers, Billy Porter, and Leon Bridges at the 2020 Democratic National Convention Michelle Obama’s powerful speech during the first night of the 2020 Democratic National Convention undoubtedly stole the show. However, there were also some bright spots from other supporters of Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, namely musical performances from Maggie Rogers, Leon Bridges, and Billy Porter with Steven Stills. Bridges came first, delivering a soulful rendition of his summer single “Sweeter”. Joined on a sun-set city rooftop by Terrace Martin, Joshua Crumbly, Paul Cornish, and Trevor Lawrence, the soul artist sang out for racial justice with lines like, “My sisters and my brothers sing, sing over me/ And I wish I had another day.” Next up was Rogers, performing on the Main...
Anderson .Paak and Rick Ross Pay It Forward on New Single “Cut Em In”: Stream
Anderson .Paak’s prolific summer continues today with “Cut Em In”, a new collaborative single with Rick Ross. Produced by veteran beatmaker Hit-Boy, the track is about paying back the buddies who supported you when you were at your lowest. “Sometimes you need a friend/ Not the ones that just show up and don’t put nothin’ in/ You know the ones that lend a hand and wanna see you win/ When you come up on a lick, make sure you cut ’em in,” .Paak advises while at the mic. The R&B artist also later drops a shout-out to mentor Dr. Dre, who helped launch his some career years ago. A number of bars throughout “Cut Em In” also emphasize the importance of knowing your own worth, such as this one from Ricky Rozay: “Distinctive destinations, all I wanna see/ Oceans from residences, it’s three ...
The Weeknd Unearths Kiss Land Outtakes, Plus a Lana Del Rey Remix: Stream
Seven long years after its initial release, The Weeknd’s Kiss Land reached the top of the charts this week. In honor of the surprise achievement, the R&B singer has now dug up “a few songs and ideas that didn’t” end up making the final tracklist of that 2013 album. Abel Tesfaye shared these previously unreleased songs and outtakes during episode 9 of his “Memento Mori” radio show on Apple Music on Friday. He called the reveal a “special thank you episode to the fans for showing so much love to kiss land this week.” Amongst the demos and alternate versions is a remix of Lana Del Rey’s Ultraviolence cut “Money Power Glory”, as well as a demo of “One of Those Nights”, a track which appeared on a deluxe edition of Juicy J’s 2013 album Stay Trippy. Other demos include “Angel Face”, “For You...
