"Skin Song"- Bat For Lashes

Listeners who thought Space Project, which utilized recordings from the Voyager spacecraft, wasn’t strange enough will now have a new compilation to pique their interest. Entitled Body of Songs, the collection will explore the deepest parts of the human body instead of the coldest reaches of outer space; in the name of science of course. In his initial appeal to artists 8 months, Professor Hugh Montgomery said he had no doubt "exposure (to the human body) will change you. It's changed me. It's changed everyone I know that deals with patients and it will change you." Changed by the exposure, artists like Ghostpoet and Goldie have already contributed to the cause with the unnerving ambiance of "A Plateful of Liver" and "Electric Abyss"'s frantically building drum and bass.

Now Natasha Khan, under her Bat For Lashes stage name, has contributed to the medical endeavor. And while this project hasn't changed her musical approach, it's given us a remarkably evocative piece of dream pop. Though it's titled "Skin Song" to fit in with the anatomical theme, a better name would be "exhumation." Khan's digging up the corpses of past relationships, "I've blushed and I have bruised, felt the passing of you, I've bled, and I have healed." Hearing her dispirited moan plied to muted drumbeats and reverberated guitar is crushing. It's a reminder that there are some things time can't bury in the sand. That sometimes we're stuck wishing for the best, "I hope he's an old, good friend of mine." What Khan's forgetting though is our bodies are constantly replacing withered cells with new ones. Red blood cells turn over about every four months. White blood cells begin again every year on average. And the skin cells Khan's whispering about are shuffled off in two to three weeks. While we don't become a new person, we're given a fresh start.

(You can hear "Skin Song" now through Pitchfork and watch a teaser trailer for the project below.)

What's New(s)?

Beck shares a new song

 


After teasing a new song in the trailer for his upcoming album Morning Phase on Friday, Beck has released the first taste of his upcoming 12th studio LP with "Blue Moon". The record has been touted as a "companion piece" to 2002's lush Sea Change and the carefully strummed first single confirms the reports. Beck's voice hovers above the acoustic and orchestral strings, resonating "don't leave me on my own" during the chorus.

Morning Phase, Beck's follow-up to 2008's sorely under-appreciated Modern Guilt will be released February 25th through Capital Records.

Death Grips working on a new album

Experimental-rap/punk group Death Grips can be accused of being many things, but lazy isn't one of them. Since the three-piece's clamoring debut in 2011, they've released three LPs, including two in 2012 and the phenomenal 2013 manifesto Government Plates.

According to drummer Zach Hill, the group doesn't have any intent to slow down in 2014.

Taking to Facebook, Hill writes "starting to record the new Death Grips album right now," and adds "hope to tour a lot this summer." And while the band's touring record has been "spotty" at best, there's nothing to suggest their output will suddenly taper off in 2014. Even if they fall into old show routines, I'm willing to bet that by late-Summer/early-Fall all will be forgiven with the release of a new album.

 "Whatever I want (F*** who's watching)"

Damon Albarn unveils a video for "Everyday Robots"

 

It's almost impossible to believe that in the incredibly prolific three-decade career, Damon Albarn of Blur/Gorillaz/The Good, The Bad, and the Queen fame has released exactly one solo LP, 2003's largely underwhelming Democrazy. That all changes with the release of Everyday Robots, which Albarn tells Rolling Stone is a sort-of "folk soul project."

Now the project has an accompanying CGI-heavy video for the title-track. The hauntingly skittish "Everyday Robots" which features clanking percussion and scratchy orchestral strings blurs together with cranial scans of Albarn to create an intensely personal video. Director Aitor Thorup calls the piece "a unique digital portrait of Damon" and you can see the artist discuss the making of the clip courtesy of Dazed.

As for the album, a press-release reveals the record will feature contributions by electronic-music luminary Brian Eno and Bat for Lashes' Natasha Khan. Featuring production-work by XL Recordings head Richard Russell, Everyday Robots arrives in the U.S. April 28.

Check back in tomorrow for more of the newest in new(s) and follow @AllFreshSounds on Twitter for updates throughout the day.