Hello! Due to moving house and having no internet connection, I am totally out of touch with what’s happening in music right now. So, I was thinking — if everyone writes about the rad new music they’ve heard in the comments section, we’d end up with a really interesting / diverse music fix. Are you in? Please be in. Here are a few new tracks and videos to kick off.
New Video From Amanda Palmer – “Want It Back” (NSFW)
Like most of the internet, I love Amanda F*cking Palmer so hard. Her creativity and flair for theatrics continually leave me gobsmacked; she just keeps coming up with these brill concepts that surprise and delight so frequently that you’d think the shock factor would’ve faded long ago.
Her latest project, Amanda Palmer and The Grand Theft Orchestra, has turned out the new clip for “Want It Back.” I’m just gonna go ahead and call this the best thing that AFP has produced to date. Do you agree? Disagree? The clip features boobs and pubes, so if you’re in a public space then you may wanna save this for later.
This song comes from the forthcoming album, Theatre Is Evil (Sept 10) which is available for pre-order right now. Interesting fact: Early this year, AFP fans donated over $1 million via Kickstarter for the creation of this record. One. Million. Dollars. Just think about that for a second.
Shortly AP & The Grand Theft Orchestra will be hitting the road – check out the US, Canadian and European tour dates here.
Bloc Party Return With “Octopus”
Fans who were concerned that Bloc Party’s four-year hiatus meant that the band were done ‘n dusted can take a breath. Kele and co. are back, and back to form – evidenced by yesterday’s release of their new hit “Octopus.” The Party appear to have ditched the electro and made a return to the indie rock sounds we fell in love with on their 2005 debut, Silent Alarm.
“Octopus” is from Bloc Party’s forthcoming album Four, which is out on Aug 20 and available on pre-order.
Clinical Trials “Whip It”
Last month Brooklyn-based duo The Clinical Trials released a new video for “Whip It,” the lead track from last year’s Bleed Me EP which I wrote about once and highly recommend.
Clinical Trials’ frontwoman Somer Bingham – who you may also be familiar with from those Real L Word Season 3 promo trailers I know you’ve got bookmarked – describes it as a “lesbian samurai picnic battle allegory for what it’s like to fall in love.” (note: contains a little bit of bloodshed).
Also!
P!nk has released a lyric video for “Blow Me (One Last Kiss).” Long-time readers will know that I take P!nk very seriously, and therefore need more time to process my feelings about this new single.
A newly-released (unauthorised) Mick Jagger biography, Mick: The Wild Life and Mad Genius of Jagger, claims that Mick and David Bowie ‘were really sexually obsessed with each other‘. It may or may not be true but may be worth reading nonetheless.
What have I missed? What have you been listening to lately? Tell me in the comments.
I was hoping you’d post Amanda Palmer’s new clip! I’d been pretty disappointed in most of her music since her solo album but this new song has been growing on me and yeah the video is definitely one of the best things she has done. I’m really excited for her new album.
Found a fantastic new *free* EP yesterday called ‘Wild Country’ by Wake Owl. Get it free here (or give what you want):
http://wakeowl.bandcamp.com/
The first three tracks are particularly good.
I have become totally addicted to ‘Forrest Gump’ by Frank Ocean, it’s super catchy. Plus it’s a bonus that he’s so openly singing about his love for another man.
Per Sebastian’s 8/2011 post, I started listening to Hannah & Maggie. Last night I saw them live in Northampton and, lady-lovers, y’all should TOTALLY check them out! Sebastian wasn’t kidding – these ladies are adorable and their music was great.
Also, also – you should definitely stay and chat with them after the show. Did I mention how adorable they are?
Here’s Sebastian’s post – thanks Sebastian!
http://www.autostraddle.com/hannah-maggie-are-cute-lesbians-that-make-good-music-105789/
Hannah & Maggie near you – very possibly a no cover/free show:
http://www.hannahandmaggie.com/shows/
1. Run-D.M.C. is reuniting for Fun Fun Fun Fest in Austin, TX, Nov 2-4!
Against Me! will also be playing the festival with frontwoman Laura Jane Grace.
This is all exciting and it makes me want to spend more money than I have to go.
The full lineup is here: http://funfunfunfest.com/artists
that looks amazing. i want to move to austin just for its festivals. really great to see the Jezebels on there.
I love that Amanda Palmer video! And I’m really liking the sound of her new material.
New experiment: maybe if I listen to Amanda Palmer’s music without ever looking at her, I can enjoy it without feeling rage? Because I love the concept of that video, but seeing her face still kind of makes me see red. (I know lots of people have made peace with her more problematic elements, and that’s totally fine! But I… can’t.)
So far (the length it took me to write this comment) the answer is no, can’t do it. But we’ll see. Because I do miss loving her music. Getting divorced from your absolute favorite band when you were a teen is hard [and when I say band, I refer to the Dresden Dolls].
Yay for the Amanda Palmer video! When I first watched it I was in no way expecting pubes & boobs, despite the content restriction warning on Youtube (when has that restriction actually meant anything, anyway?) and then WOAH. In a good way, but still. Woah.
Side note about the AFP Kickstarter project — and all kickstarter projects, actually — no one donated anything. Everyone who put in money is getting something in return. Pre-order/crowd-funded is a more accurate description of the process. I think the distinction matters because donate implies some kind of charity rather than a purchase, if that makes sense, and if this is going to be the way that a lot of albums & art are funded, then it’s useful to know how the process works a bit more accurately.
And Clinical Trials/Whip it! Loving the song, not sure how I feel about the video.
yes that is true! i have given money to kickstarter in exchange for some very nice things, so i knew this and therefore ‘donation’ was a poor word choice. thanks for picking up on it. over $1 million dollars in 30 days, even in exchange for goods, is mighty impressive.
Silent Alarm is a great album so I’m excited for Bloc Party getting back to that kind of sound. I’ve also heard that they were influenced by Nirvana’s Bleach which is one of my all time favorites, so needless to say, I’m looking forward to it.
I know it came out a little while ago, but I’m really into Orangefarben by Sea of Bees right now. I love her voice and she’s got an ear for song construction that reminds me of T and S.
I’m going to check that album out, thanks for the suggestion!
Also Azealia Banks’ new mixtape has been released! It’s called Fantasea and you can download it here.
Isn’t the whole Bowie/Jagger thing kind of old news? I mean, Angie Bowie had been talking about them for years, and how she found them in bed together once, and lots of people basically accept that if anything, Jagger was probably crushing heavily on Bowie, even if it was a little one-sided. I always think it’s funny when this stuff comes out as being brand new information. xD
Also, someone just sent me Ima Robot’s “Lovers in Captivity” video and I kind of want to buy all their music now… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpQVXOBNU5E
Yeah it is, i think it’s just the first time that someone has really put a great deal of effort into researching/writing about their relationship. i might be mistaken.
okay so true story i accidentally hit play on this video at work and thank fuck no one was near my computer at the time and i was able to rapidly X out. BUT now that i am home i have watched it 3x in a row because holy fucking shit amanda fucking palmer i think this is one of my favorite music videos of all time.
that’s all i have to contribute because i am really bad at listening to new music and tend to keep ani difranco’s entire discography on repeat on my ipod all day every day forever and ever.
Love, props and more love to Frank Ocean, I’m running out to get Channel Orange tomorrow but I’ve more or less had Swim Good on repeat for the past week (only time it hasn’t been coursing through my eardrums is when his other hit, Thinking of You has been playing.)
If you think about the song w/r/t to the fact that it’s about Frank being heartbroken over a guy who wouldn’t return his deep, serious feelings then you’ll really get it. For me, listening to it again since his coming out, it was like listening to someone sing your soul, like all of those tricky unrequited queer love feels~ that you had as a babygay being immortalised in lyrical and melodic form.
Really good stuff – http://youtu.be/cKkZIcnjhJY