What's New(s)?

tUne-yArDs debuts "Wait for a Minute"

Last month Merrill Garbus, better known to the music world as tUnE-yArDs, released the infectious stutterer "Water Fountain" as the first taste of her third LP Nikki Nack. Today she's followed up that sunny crowd-chant with the far-more subdued "Wait for a Minute". Garbus rides muted drum-machine beats and curving synthesizers with a soft coo for most of the tracks runtime, only once breaking into her battering-ram shout. When she mentions a "haze" you understand exactly what she's talking about.

Nikki Nack is out May 6 in the U.S. through 4AD.

 

Queens of the Stone Age stay up late in "Smooth Sailing" video

What if Bill Murray just drank his nights away and hung-out in malls while he was in Japan during Lost in Translation and never met Scarlett Johansson? That's roughly what you get in Queens of the Stone Age's video for the molten-hot "Smooth Sailing", albeit with more cocaine and public beatings. Throughout the clip, QOTSA-frontman Josh Homme wanders through dark locales with business-people and aggressively drinks with them at every turn. Like Lost in Translation there's also plenty of karaoke to be found, though it's surrounded by ties on heads and bottle-smashing. Everyone seems to lose their mind by the time the clip is up, looking at ease as a body is being buried. They're all "in flagrante."

Queens of the Stone Age have added a series of U.S. shows that you can find below along with "Smooth Sailing".

Tour Dates:

4/12 Indio, CA - Coachella
4/15 Portland, OR - Keller Auditorium
4/19 Indio, CA - Coachella Valley
5/6 St. Paul, MN - Roy Wilkins Auditorium
5/7 Milwaukee, WI - The Riverside Theater
5/9 Chicago, IL - Aragon Ballroom
5/13 Kansas City, MO - Starlight Theatre
5/14 Tulsa, OK - Brady Theater
5/16 Gulf Shores, AL - Hangout Music Festival
5/17 Gulf Shores, AL - Hangout Music Festival
5/18 Gulf Shores, AL - Hangout Music Festival

Bikini Kill unearth "Girl Soldier"

As previously mentioned on the blog, riot grrrl pioneers Bikini Kill are in the midst of a reissue series that started last winter with the re-release of the group's self-titled debut EP. Next week the series continues with Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah, a 12" that was originally split with British riot grrrl group Huggy Bear. For the upcoming reissue, Bikini Kill has taken their half of split and added 7 previously unheard tracks to the equation. Today they shared one of those unreleased tunes, "Child Soldier". A stagnant calamity the group played early in its career, the track moves at a snail's pace with feedback and Kathleen Hanna's lacerating screams blocking it in at every turn.

You can read an interview with Bikini Kill bassist Kathi Wilcox through Rookie and find "Child Soldier". 

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

What's New(s)?

Panda Bear gets high on new release

Anyone that's heard Panda Bear's monolithic 2007 release Person Pitch has undoubtedly felt like they're on drugs. Echoed vocals and sampled chatter would loop endlessly like a perpetually cresting wave. Getting caught up in the pure auditory spectacle of it all was as simple as letting go. 

"Marijuana Makes My Day" is a logical continuance of that detached, druggy feeling. Soft humming and chants that wouldn't be out of place on the savannas of Africa fill the background. Bubbles of water can be heard floating to the surface and immediately popping. For his part, Panda Bear repeatedly mutters the titular phrase to the point of it becoming a mantra. The first time I heard it unfurl, I pictured Paul Simon's Graceland fed acid and thrown to the bottom of a crystal-blue lake. Whatever vision it generates, it's a powerful one.

The Animal Collective drummer is working on a new album to be released this year, entitled Panda Bear Meets The Grim Reaper.

 

Bikini Kill reissues continue

Last year to honor their 25th anniversary, Bikini Kill, the most well-known band of the riot grrrl movement announced a series of reissues through the recently established Bikini Kill Records. In addition to releasing their discography through Bandcamp, the Kathleen Hanna fronted group reissued their debut self-titled EP in November to warm-reception.

Next up in the series is, Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah, the group's 1993 split effort with British riot grrl act Huggy Bear. The expanded edition of the LP will feature seven new live tracks, in addition to unearthed photos and liner notes from the band members themselves. You can find the tracklist below along with a clip for 1993's "Rebel Girl" from the Pussywhipped LP.

Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah:
1. "White Boy"
2. "This Is Not A Test"
3. "Don’t Need You"
4. "Jigsaw Youth"
5. "Resist Psychic Death"
6. "Rebel Girl"
7. "Outta Me" 8. "George Bush Is A Pig

9. "I Busted In Your Chevy Window
10. "Get Out
11. "Why"
12. "Fuck Twin Peaks"
13. "Girl Soldier"
14. "Not Right Now"

Rick Ross, Kanye West, & Big Sean get "Sanctified" on Arsenio

Regardless of the middling album it comes from, Mastermind centerpiece "Sanctified" is an absolute embarrassment of riches. DJ Mustard's 'Ye-inspired soul beat, Rick Ross' beautifully restrained bark, Kanye's rabid Quavo-aping flow, and Big Sean's pinging paper-chase chorus all blend together so well you can't help but wonder how much editing time was committed to this effort.

Last night any studio-tinkering was forgone for an absolute showstopping performance on Arsenio. After a long absence from late-night, Kanye has seemingly been everywhere in the last few weeks and months, and that is firmly felt in the clip. The entire crowd goes next-level crazy when West comes giddily running out on-stage. From that point forward, everything becomes icing on an extremely rich cake.

 

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