In Revue- Surf (Chance the Rapper, Donnie Trumpet and the Social Experiment)

I owe my current music writing to Chance the Rapper. That sounds weird to say, but it's true. I was in a bad way before I heard his squawking juke cut "Good Ass Intro" from Acid Rap in May 2013. Depression was gripping me because I had real doubts about continuing to write. I was convinced that I had nothing creative left to say, the worst problem any writer could have. Of course that sort of fear only worsens depression because your future seems to fall apart. Chance's track pieced things back together. I won't soon forget mashing my laptop keyboard during a chemistry lecture, the words flowing as quickly as he does on the song. It wasn't a great review by any means, but dammit it got me to believe again.

I share that personal anecdote to show the inspirational effect a 22-year-old kid from Chicago's music has on people. I say "has," indicating the here and now, because Surf, his brilliant follow-up to the equally brilliant Acid Rap, will inspire people. It's too bright, warm, soulful and unapologetically upbeat not to motivate. You'll want to call and thank your grandma after hearing "Sunday Candy," the de jure closer which details Christmas dinners and rent payments made by an impossibly good-natured human. Hell it makes communion sound both lovely and sensual, which isn't easy considering it involves stale wafers (at least in my experience).

In the material world, KYLE's verse on the hybrid electro-jazz/stuttering barbershop quartet number "Wanna Be Cool" pushes me to go buyout a Payless. "Nobody f****ng cares, so why don't you just be the you that you know you are?" he asks us. Don't worry about the label, all that matters is if it's comfortable. Chance and his collaborators Donnie Trumpet & the Social Experiment hammer home the "be you" idea on follow-up "Windows," though it's in a minor key. "Don't you look up to me; don't trust a word I say," Chance warbles in his most sobering voice since he sang about Chicago murder rates on "Paranoia." Synthesizers gently fade up, horns shimmer, drums patter like morning rain, guitars are delicately plucked and organs pipe in from a desert island. Between the music and Chance's weary tone, you realize how important finding your own path is.

The music of Surf consistently inspires through its warmth. I don't know how much direct input Chance had in Donnie Trumpet & the Social Experiment's playing, but I feel like he at least said "I want to feel like I’m swaddled in wool blankets with the Sun beaming down on me." All of the album’s components fit into that aesthetic. The kitchen percussion of "Slip Slide." "Warm Enough"'s tweeting birds. Every palm-muted guitar chord in "Rememory." Migos member Quavo's pitch-shifting vocals on King Louie team-up "Familiar." They all tickle your innards enough to move you off the couch (Side note: Quavo needs to use more Autotune; he has a weird bluesman quality with it.)

Some listening to Surf will be tempted to say this album needs less guests and more Chance, but we get the Goldilocks amount of Mr. Bennett. Just when his voice might risk grating you, he disappears into brass ether. He’s perfectly comfortable with having entire tracks be instrumentals and he's doesn't seem to bat an eye when guest rappers go for his jugular. I echo Stereogum's resident music scholar Tom Breihan in saying I've never heard Big Sean or B.o.B spit the way they do on "Wanna Be Cool" and "Slip Slide." Big Sean cuts the s*** with his corny jokes long enough to illuminate the legal struggles of a younger brother, while B.o.B remembers when his roof used to leak. Had he been so candid on 2010’s The Adventures of Bobby Ray, I can imagine he would have a lot more critical cache. It's almost frightening the singular focuses he displays.

Without question that is Surf's greatest strength: Chance's ability to get others to see his vision. It's akin to what Beyoncé did on her self-titled LP. His name doesn't appear anywhere in iTunes credits, but you know it's him. No one working in rap, not even King Kendrick, could create something so endearingly goofy and seriously reflective at the same time. Whatever is inspiring Chance is inspiring anyone who is listening. 

 

"Wonderful Everyday" ('Arthur' Theme Song)- Chance the Rapper

(From: Freshness Mag)

Even when Chicago spitballer Chance the Rapper is at his most crushingly bleak, discussing the personal hell of a lonely night eating days-old pizza or the horrifying rise in shootings when summer hits, there's unmistakable beauty in his work. Chance's way of phrasing, "It just got warm out, this the s*** I've been warned about," combined with his inimitable squawk, tugs at your heartstrings. I'll freely admit when I was in Chicago in the middle of the month, I was tearing up as the aforementioned "Paranoia" drifted out of my car speakers. It wasn't just crushing sadness causing it; there was an odd element of joy. It's clear he had seen the worst in people, but still he managed to care for them. Hearing someone remain strong essentially made me weak.

The joy in Chance the Rapper's "Wonderful Everyday," a reworking of the Arthur theme song "Believe in Yourself," isn't hidden at all. From the stately piano keys that open the track to the initial cymbal washes and Chance whispering "it could be wonderful every day," joy abounds in this take on the Ziggy Marley original. Chance has been performing the familiar tune live for a few months now, but the release of the studio track renders prior versions obsolete. Now he's got a phalanx of vocalists from Wyclef Jean to Jessie Ware and Elle Varner to back him up. They closely follow him "walking down the street," and finish the messages that come from the heart. And then, as if climbing a rainbow, the entire group lifts their voices up in dazzling unison to "work and play." Drums pound and horns bellow without raining on the parade one bit. Nothing can hold something so heartfelt back.



Chance the Rapper is playing a hometown set at Lollapalooza on August 3, which you can see here.

"I Am Very Very Lonely"- Chance the Rapper

(From: Freshness Mag)

Last month while reviewing Chance the Rapper's "Home Studio (Back Up In This B****)" I couldn't help but use the word giddy to describe the track. With Chance namechecking Yogi Bear over goofy synth-organ and strutting funk guitar, it was near impossible to hear the song and leave without a smile. 

Yesterday to celebrate the 1 year anniversary of his breakout release Acid Rap, the Chicago-native released "I Am Very Very Lonely". If you can gather anything from the title alone, the track is a seismic market correction from "Home Studio"'s sunny vibes. For starters, the sonic cupboard is nearly bare here. Produced by Chance's touring band Social Experiment, "I Am Very Very Lonely"'s constitution is penned with a timid keyboard figure and hobbled drum beat. Other than the occasional "huh" or brief bit of "harmonizing" they're all a subdued Chance has to keep him company. So instead, he wearily croons about staying in to smoke "la cucaracha" and munch on cold pizza topped with Sriracha. It's the type of night where you get all dressed up just to post up on a couch and flip through channels until you find something to hold your attention. A weary night where you'll do "lots of activities" like "fix the dishwasher" or "file the cabinets" not to get ahead, but to avoid the present. In Chance's case he's trying to avoid dwelling on someone he severely neglected. "Shoulda had ya when I had ya, now I wish I gotcha tonight," he warbles in a tone so defeated he later manages to make Lion King sound more depressing. When the chorus finally floats away, you hope he's finally dug himself out of the couch and gone to bed. Sometimes it's the only way to push disappointments past you.

(Last week Chance the Rapper was sidelined with a case of tonsillitis and the flu, so it's great to see his back out now.)

"Home Studio (Back Up In This B****)"- Chance the Rapper

(From: Freshness Mag)

How is it even possible for someone to be so unswervingly giddy in a song? It's a common question I ask myself anytime I come across one of Chance the Rapper's sun-soaked celebratory tracks. Not every moment on last year's stellar Acid Rap tape was rife with unmitigated joy, but when a song was upbeat in the slightest it was the rap equivalent of "walking on sunshine."

Released early this morning through his Twitter account, "Home Studio (Back Up In This B****)" continues the sunny traipsing act. Courtesy of The Social Experiment, the beat employs a warm synth-organ that's quickly joined by noodling soul guitar and steady drum-pats. It's the sort of instrumental you could put on repeat and easily nod off to, not intrusive in the least. But when Chance's vocals are appended to it, there's no way you could catch any amount of z's. While it's now meant to describe engaging on Twitter, the verb "twittering" is a near-perfect descriptor of his rap style. He's harried, but focused. One second he's bizarrely riffing on Yogi bear before offering the sagely advice "just don't catch your sheep before they hatch." Even when his voice is strained, his mind can deliver the detail-laden "in a '04 Ford Taurus on a spare with a wax finish." No matter how wide-eyed Chance gets, he'll never lose his masterful eye for detail.

There's no album attached to "Home Studio" yet, but a new Chance release would be a wonderful thing.

What's New(s)?

Tame Impala releasing live EP

Record Store Day has become a virtual holiday for music fans in the last few years. With long lines and short supplies of must-have items, it's Christmas for people who lack holiday cheer. One band helping ring in that cheer this year is Australian psych-rock outfit Tame Impala. On April 19th, the Kevin Parker fronted group will release Live Versions, an EP of live tracks recorded during a 2013 show in Chicago. According to Parker, songs were included based on "how different the live versions are from the album version." 

Below you'll find a tracklist of those "different" live versions, along with the video for Tame Impala's "Mind Mischief" which made AllFreshSounds' list of the "Top 10 Music Videos of 2013." 

Live Versions:
1. "Endors Toi
2. "Why Won't You Make Up Your Mind"
3. "Sestri Levante"
4. "Mind Mischief"
5. "Desire Be Desire Go"
6. "Half Full Glass"
7. "Be Above It"
8. "Feels Like We Only Go Backwards"

Chance the Rapper/James Blake releases alternate version of "Life Round Here"

On no uncertain terms, the "Life Round Here" remix pairing Chicago spitballer Chance the Rapper and post-dubstep/R&B artist James Blake together was one of the great music triumphs in 2013. On paper what seemed like a mess of styles played out as a meeting of two old acquaintances. Chance hopscotched into Blake's sullen landscape at just the right moment, imbuing it with a melange of bright colors. 

Yesterday, Chance shared "Save Yourself First", the long-promised second remix of "Life Round Here". While the first remix was an eye-popping arrays of color, "Save Yourself First" drifts back to weary black-and-white of the original. Chance doesn't even try his hand at right, instead he depressingly bleats, yelps, and generally moans over a disembodied Blake vocal. It's an engaging listen to be sure, but there isn't much "life" to be found.

Blake and Chance were reported to be rooming together in Los Angeles and are supposedly working on a full album together.







Neil Young delays reissue of Time Fades Away boxset

Time Fades Away is the great lost Neil Young album. Albeit not in the same sense that Toast or Homegrown is a "lost Neil Young album." Both of those efforts never saw the light of day. They were scrapped at various stages, Homegrown very near the last minute, and their tracks were siphoned for future records.

Time Fades Away meanwhile was actually released. It dropped in 1973 and kickstarted Young's famed "Ditch Trilogy", a challenging collection of records that upended the sunny folk that had made Harvest a run-away hit. And though it was the catalyst for two of Young's greatest works, he never felt much fondness for the release. Over the years he's repeatedly called it "the worst record I ever made" and it's one of two albums (along with Journey Through the Past) that Young has never re-released. 

That egregious error was set to be corrected this year with the issuing of Official Release Series Discs 5-8 Vinyl Box Set. The latest in the Archives Series would not only include Time Fades Away, but fellow "Ditch Brethren" On the Beach and Tonight's the Night as well as Zuma. Now that April 19 release date has been shuffled to an unspecified date in November. According to Pitchfork's reporting, a press release claims the move was made, "due to several other projects that Young has in the works that he wishes to focus on." The massive Pono Music project is certainly one of those works, not to mention a new album released by Jack White's Third Man Records and another memoir. 

Whenever the boxset does arrive via Warner Bros. it will be limited to 3500 copies and the individual albums will be pressed on 180-gram vinyl. While you wait for that unforeseen date enjoy a clip of "The Bridge", the penultimate track from Time Fades Away.

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

What's New(s)?

Justin Bieber teams up with Chance the Rapper

If Chance the Rapper's partnering with British post-dubstep singer James Blake for "Life Round Here" wasn't head-scratching enough for you, maybe this will do. Last night, pop-megastar Justin Bieber posted a new slinky new track entitled "Confident" featuring none other than the Chicago spitballer. Bieber drifts further into futuristic R&B territory, crooning about lip-stained shirts over a wonky bassline and wah-wah guitars. For his part, Chance rattles off a seemingly stream-of-consciousness verse where: twerk lessons are taught, Thanksgiving/Christmas classic Plane, Trains, and Automobiles is namechecked, and doctor's note are loosely handed out. In other words, it's a typical Chance verse and one that puts an exclamation point on a breakout year.

 

Macaulay Culkin has a pizza-themed Velvet Underground tribute band

Continuing today's unintentional child-star trend, Macaulay Culkin (of Home Alone/Pagemaster/Richie Rich fame) has a new Velvet Underground tribute band. But as you can see from the headline, this is no ordinary tribute. Culkin's group has lovingly taken VU classics like "All Tomorrow's Parties" and "I'm Waiting for The Man" and recrafted them as pizza-obsessed tracks, appropriately dubbing themselves "The Pizza Underground". So instead of "Femme Fatale" we get "Pizza Gal" and "Walk on the Wild Side" is reheated as "Take a Bite of the Wild Slice" where Culkin breaks out into a kazoo solo. The whole thing is pretty incredible and likely to cue up more than a few Home Alone pizza jokes. 

The band's demo is out on Bandcamp now and you can check out the tracklist below along with the demo.

The Pizza Underground Demo:

1. "Papa John Says"
2. "I'm Beginning to Eat the Slice"
3. "Pizza"
4. "I'm Waiting for Delivery Man"
5. "Cheese Days"
6. "Pizza Day"
7. "All the Pizza Parties"
8. "Pizza Gal"
9. "Take a Bite of the Wild Slice"

Nicolas Jaar creates hour-long John Lennon memorial mix

 
Yesterday marked the 33rd anniversary of John Lennon's tragic death outside of the Dakota Hotel in New York City. To honor the music-legend, electronic music producer and one-half of Darkside Nicolas Jaar dropped a mix entitled Our World through his Other People imprint.

The hour-long set splices vocal drones, sweeping film pieces, and meandering piano lines together with John Lennon's appearance on Monday Night Football, Howard Cosell's breaking news update of his passing, and concludes with a Jaar remix of the Imagine cut "Oh My Love". Almost 21 minutes in, Jaar also manages to incorporate a Black Friday clip into the mix. The entire thing is touching and a fitting tribute to the fallen Beatles member.

 


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

"The Worst Guys" ft. Chance the Rapper- Childish Gambino

 

I'll never fully understand the constant criticism that swirls around entertainment polymath Donald Glover's Childish Gambino project. Does he frequently trade in corny punchline rap? Unquestionably, but so does human-joke-machine 2 Chainz and he's widely lauded for it. If it's a matter of authenticity, Rick Ross' impressive rise to rap royalty rode on the coattails of a grandiosely fictionalized gangster persona. Even complaining that Gambino cycles through other rappers styles widely misses the mark. Rap was built on re-appropriating what's come before you and sampling depends on the very same. Though it’s worth mentioning, much of this is a moot point. Gambino just happens to rub some rap fans the wrong way and there’s little to be done about it.

Childish Gambino seems to realize that on the recently leaked “The Worst Guys” and he’s better off for the realization. He sounds relaxed here, shuffling in-and-out of a goofy Schoolboy Q snarl over a wonky carnival synth sound. He brags about sitting courtside not for a Lakers game, but to see the Clips. A wonderfully nuanced joke and confirmation that at least for now the Clippers are no longer playing second banana in the Staples Center. The bass knocks lend Gambino extra heft, though they're temporarily traded for bright xylophone strikes. Similarly, what begins as a chest-puffing sex-story concerning a threesome warps into a painful admission of not "getting it up" and being "awkward as f***". Just when you thought he'd run wild, he pulls in the reins. A guest appearance from Chance the Rapper is surprisingly restrained as well. The Chicago spitballer is perfectly content to hiccup the simple chorus of "all she needed was some". In short, Gambino simplifies everything here and if you still don't understand it, it's no longer his problem.

Listen to the new track here and look for Gambino's album Because the Internet to drop next week via Glassnote. 

What's New(s)?

Chance the Rapper covers Coldplay

Chance the Rapper's affinity for all things British began during his odd-couple partnering with James Blake on the dizzying "Life Round Here" remix and it continues today courtesy of his "Fix You" cover. At a show in Syracuse, the Chicago goofball slowed down the show to perform a no-muss no-fuss take on the X&Y track. Chance incorporates drums and the signature piano into the tune, and the only thing missing is that signature Coldplay swell. It's far from the greatest performance of the song ever delivered, but it's genuinely endearing.

Chance is currently out on the "Social Experiment Tour" which still has a month left before wrapping up in Miami. Check out tour dates and his low-key cover below.


11/8 Oxford, OH - Brick Street Bar
11/10 Lawrence, KS - Liberty Hall
11/12 Boulder, CO - Fox Theatre and Cafe
11/14 Tucson, AZ - Rialto Theatre
11/17 Los Angeles, CA - El Rey
11/19 Tempe, AZ - Club Red *
11/20 Albuquerque, NM - Sunshine Theater *
11/22 Dallas, TX - Tree's *
11/23 Houston, TX - Warehouse Live *
11/25 Atlanta, GA - The Loft @ Center Stage *
11/26 Nashville, TN - Cannery Ballroom *
11/29 Chicago, IL - Riviera Theatre *
12/03 Oberlin, OH - TBA
12/4 Indianapolis, IN - TBA
12/5 Columbia, MO - TBA
12/7 Miami, FL - TBA

"Fix You"

See Lou Reed's final interview

During a photoshoot for Parrot ZIK headphones in late September, Velvet Underground frontman blessed director Farida Khelfa with what would prove to be his final interview before his passing on October 27. In the six minute clip, an incisive 71 year old Reed recounts buying his first guitar, rhapsodizes on the link between Beethoven and hip-hop, and his lifelong exploration of sound. Near the beginning when asked "why do you do music?" Reed wryly jokes "I love it...you do what you love or you get arrested".
 

You can also read Laurie Anderson's brief but touching obituary for her late husband place in the couple's local paper here.

Check back in Monday for more of the newest in new(s), and visit the AllFreshSounds Twitter account for additional news updates.

"Tweakin" ft. Chance the Rapper- Vic Mensa

It's almost impossible to talk about Vic Mensa in any context without mentioning fellow Chicago-native and collaborator Chance the Rapper. Mensa and Chance mine similar aesthetics, often opting to deliver stream-of-consciousness verses over wonky jazz samples. Chance is one of rap's break-out stars in 2013, and his presence on a track like Mensa's "Tweakin" threatens to overshadow the MC at every turn.

But part of the reason Mensa's solo effort is getting this kind of pub is because he has the goods and he delivers here. Mensa stretches out on a lax churning beat that could've soundtracked a late-stage level of Megaman were it not for the frequent skipping. Mensa makes the most of it, hopscotching from "slapping a paraplegic with a pair of crutches" to "porkin the stork" with canyon-clearing jumps. The hook hardly holds together as he interrupts every line to deliver the frantic cry "I'm tweaaakin". Chance revs up with a string of "na na na's" and starts off conspiratorial "I think the Illuminati is real" and burning down "loony bins" in a warped act of Lloyd Dobler devotion. Like the hook he comes unraveled by the end and trails off, no longer able to trace the strings back to the start. At first listen it registers as lunacy from two hip-hop waifs, but Chance summarizes it perfectly "they say a smart man looks like a mad man to a dumb man."
  
Vic Mensa's Innanetape featuring: the aforementioned Chance the Rapper, Ab-Soul, Thundercat, and others can be downloaded here.

What's New(s)?

Chance the Rapper and James Blake unveil new video

James Blake and Chance the Rapper's dizzying remix of Overgrown stand-out "Life Round Here" has rapidly become one of my favorite collaborative efforts of the year, and now the pairing has produced a video. The black-and-white clip maintains the dour nature of the Blake original, featuring Blake and Chance rolling around an overcast Hertfordshire, England in a low-rider. Along the way the two encounter: a misplaced priest and nun, a dissolving horse, pirates, and quarreling old men; but mostly it's about the unlikely duo just "wondering" and "wandering" looking for no place in particular. 

 "Life Round Here" (Remix)

Flying Lotus teaming with Kendrick Lamar

Kendrick Lamar's supporting spot on the Yeezus tour doesn't begin for a few more days, and already he's receiving some assistance. Earlier today LA-based Flying Lotus took to Twitter announcing: "Been helpin out w the new @kendricklamar show for the yeezus tour. It's gonna b so amazing." 

FlyLo has yet to reveal if he'll be DJ'ing on-stage for Lamar or if he'll be playing in an auxiliary role, but the possibility of a Kendrick Lamar/Captain Murphy collabo is more likely than ever before. Check out the nocturnal video for FlyLo's "Tiny Tortures" below, which stars floating iPhones, an unplugging Dreamcast, and a severely confused Elijah Wood.

 "Tiny Tortures"

Swans crowdfund new album

 

Swans are currently prepping their follow-up to 2012's mammoth The Seer, and as part of that preparation the band is selling a new live-album entitled Not Here/Not Now to fund the recording process. Recorded live during 2012/2013 tour dates, the release will be made in a limited run of 2000 with hand-drawn designs by frontman Michael Gira and feature previously unrecorded live tracks and acoustic demos from the forthcoming studio album.

If that weren't enough, the Young God website mentions a variety of rewards for purchasing the album, including the $500 option to have Gira "record and send to customer a video of a simple, short, original song, acoustic guitar and voice, with customers’ name in the song,  praising the customer, his or her ancestors, thoughts, dreams, and future or past lives, forever." 

As for their next record (out some time in Spring 2014), Gira is promising it will be "OVERLY AMBITIOUS" and soberly realizing "THESE DAYS, EACH RECORD FEELS LIKE IT COULD BE THE LAST. OUR HOPE IS THAT IF THAT TURNS OUT TO BE THE CASE, IT WILL BE JUSTIFIED. 

The tracklist for the Not Here/Not Now can be found below, and the apocryphal blast of "No Words, No Thoughts" after the jump.

Disc 1:
1. "To Be Kind"
2. "Just a Little Boy"
3. "Coward"
4. "She Loves Us!"
5. "Oxygen…"

Disc 2:
1. "The Seer"/ "Bring the Sun"/"Toussaint L’ouverture"
2. "Nathalie Neal"
3. "Kirsten Supine" (demo)
4. "Screen Shot" (demo)

"No Words, No Thoughts"

What's New(s)?

Yeezy sits down for an interview

Kanye West engagements with the media haven't always seen the greatest results from his paparazzi skirmishes to diatribes masking as blog posts, but he was able to set some of that contention aside when he said down for a four-part interview with the BBC Radio's Zane Lowe. In part 1 of the illuminating interview (out now), West discusses his duty to go against the grain of radio and "f*** s*** up". Yeezy also finds time to state his intentions for Yeezus, what Michael Jackson's success means to his own career, reterms his infamous "rants" as motivational speeches, abd  proclaims rap "the new rock and roll". The monster's come alive again and you can check him out below. 

Look for parts 2-4 to appear throughout the rest of week and catch Kanye West on tour with Kendrick Lamar starting in October.  

Chance the Rapper announces North American Tour

 

Chicago spitballer Chance the Rapper's ecstatic Acid Rap mixtape remains one of the most dizzying releases of the 2013 and now Chance is taking that potent high-octane concoction out on the road. Out on the "Social Experiment Tour" Chance will be accompanied by fellow Chi-town natives DJ Rashad and DJ Spinn. Check out the concert dates below (tickets go on sale tomorrow), which Chance says he's "changing the rules for". And while you wait, listen to his head-spinning verse on James Blake's "Life Round Here" remix.

Tour Dates:

10/25 Champaign, IL - University of Illinois
10/26 Pittsburgh, PA - Altar Bar
10/27 Washington, DC -The Fillmore
10/29-30 New York, NY - SOB's
11/3 Montreal, Quebec - Club Soda
11/4 Toronto, Ontario - The Danforth Music Hall
11/7 Buffalo, NY - TBA
11/8 Oxford, OH - Brick Street Bar
11/10 Lawrence, KS - Liberty Hall
11/12 Boulder, CO - Fox Theatre and Cafe
11/14 Tucson, AZ - Rialto Theatre
11/17 Los Angeles, CA - El Rey
11/19 Tempe, AZ - Club Red *
11/20 Albuquerque, NM - Sunshine Theater *
11/22 Dallas, TX - Tree's *
11/23 Houston, TX - Warehouse Live *
11/25 Atlanta, GA - The Loft @ Center Stage *
11/26 Nashville, TN - Cannery Ballroom *
11/29 Chicago, IL - Riviera Theatre *
12/03 Oberlin, OH - TBA
12/4 Indianapolis, IN - TBA
12/5 Columbia, MO - TBA
12/7 Miami, FL - TBA  

"Life Round" (Remix) ft. Chance the Rapper

 

The National wrote a song for the Hunger Games

Taking a page from Coldplay, the National recently announced in NME that the band penned a track for the forthcoming Catching Fire soundtrack. The still unheard "Lean"  was originally entitled "Dying Is Easy", but as frontman Matt Berninger told NME, "the song almost didn't make it because it was too dark for the Hunger Games soundtrack, which I thought was sort of funny because it's about killing kids, I don't know how a song can be darker than that?" 

There's no official tracklist yet, but look for Coldplay's "Atlas" to make an appearance along with "Lean", and check out the tie-loosening video for Trouble Will Find Me highlight "Graceless" below. Also the band's Dessner brothers have begun recruiting the likes of Vampire Weekend, Bon Iver, and Kurt Vile for a Red Hot charity album covering the Grateful Dead. 

Check back tomorrow for more of the newest in new(s).

The song almost didn't make it because it was too dark for The Hunger Games soundtrack, which I thought was sort of funny because It's about killing kids, I don’t know how a song can be darker than that?
Read more at http://www.nme.com/news/the-national/72808#cXeAumdCAxW90XSk.99

The song almost didn't make it because it was too dark for The Hunger Games soundtrack, which I thought was sort of funny because It's about killing kids, I don’t know how a song can be darker than that?
Read more at http://www.nme.com/news/the-national/72808#cXeAumdCAxW90XSk.99

The song almost didn't make it because it was too dark for The Hunger Games soundtrack, which I thought was sort of funny because It's about killing kids, I don’t know how a song can be darker than that?
Read more at http://www.nme.com/news/the-national/72808#cXeAumdCAxW90XSk.99