What's New(s)?

Gucci Mane drops two new mixtapes today

 























Gucci Mane is no stranger to a multi-album release day. Last year in August, the ATL rapper issued three mixtapes under the World War 3 Volume 1 banner and today the incarcerated artist saw the trend continue with World War 3D.

Two out of the three color-themed records (Purple Album and Green Album) appeared today, and White Album with Peewee Longway will be unveiled on iTunes sometime soon. The former features all new tracks from Brick Squad associate and general oddball Young Thug, while Green Album sees the appearance of slippery trio Migos. Though Gucci mostly sticks to the role of zany curator, the two tapes have more than enough of Guwop to last until the next project inevitably drops.

(You can stream the Purple Album & Green Album(s) here and here, and listen to "Panoramic Roof" from Purple Album below.)

Real Estate offer an acoustic cover of Weezer's "Say It Ain't So"

 

No that's not a misprint seen above. In a live, acoustic session for the French music site La Blogothèque remarkably laidback indie-pop band Real Estate covered Weezer's biting 1994 classic "Say It Ain't So". Granted Real Estate members Martin Courtney, Matt Mondanile, and Alex Bleeker largely defanged the ferocious power-pop standard with their acoustic guitars and mellifluous vocals, but they still maintain the song's undeniable replayability. 

You can see the band tackle the Blue Album cut at the 17 minute mark here, which is preceded by a story of Mondanile and a blue-haired Courtney meeting at Warped Tour. In addition, Real Estate play choice tracks like "Crime" from new album Atlas and  "Easy" from 2011's Days, along with the unreleased effort "White Light" which is set to appear as a B-side on an upcoming single.

(Follow AllFreshSounds on Twitter for updates throughout the day and check back in tomorrow for more of the newest in new.)

"Fade Into You"- Au Revoir Simone (Mazzy Star Cover)

Mazzy Star's breakthrough 1994 single "Fade Into You" has all the hallmarks of a song that shouldn't be covered. It's instantly recognizable for sure. The sort of tune that leaves little to no doubt in the mind of indie music fans who wrote it. But it's also an intensely personal number. One that has vocalist Hope Sandoval whispering her intent to give herself over to someone else entirely; to disappear without a trace. Set to David Robuck's leisurely sliding guitar, "Fade Into You" becomes a ghost story of commitment so cryptic that future retellings become nearly impossible.

I'm careful to say "nearly" because Brooklyn synthpop trio Au Revoir Simone has done a laudable job in narrating their own version of the 20 year old dream-pop standard. The group's been covering Mazzy Star's signature tune live for years now, so the move comes as no surprise to longtime fans of the group. To the casual listener though, it's something of a marvel. Aided by Strokes bassist Nikolai Fraiture, Simone's take simultaneously captures the haunted spirit of Mazzy Star's time while chugging along further into the past. Their luxuriating synthesizers call to mind 80s fare like "Take On Me" without the inherent cheesiness. Not unlike prime-era New Order, Heather D'Angelo's drum programming is unnerving in its metronomic quality. And then there are the vocals, which feel intentionally distanced. When they sing "you go in shadows" with a tinge of reverb, you can feel the darkness sinking in. Au Revoir Simone's well aware "Fade Into You" is an apparition and with their cover, they've conjured it all over again.

(You can listen to the band's studio version here and check out a live radio version of "Fade Into You" below.)

What's New(s)?

Miley Cyrus covers the Smiths 

No one will ever confuse pop megastar Miley Cyrus with indie pop pioneers the Smiths. At their best the Morrissey-fronted quartet cracked Number 2 on the UK Albums Chart and continues to exist as one of music's most adored cult acts. Cyrus meanwhile can lay claim to two of 2013's largest chart smashes and is currently in the midst of one the most written about tours since U2's Popmart Tour. 

Despite the ocean of difference between the two artists, Cyrus wasn't kept away from covering one of the band's all-time greats during the European-leg of the Bangerz Tour. At Belfast's Odyssey Arena on Monday night, the pop megastar offered up her reworking of 1986 Queen Is Dead cut "There Is A Light That Never Goes Out". Though it starts off with a bit of hesitant pop wavering, the end of the clip finds Cyrus fully committed to the chorus' doomed romance.

The cover comes on the heels of her performance of "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" with the Flaming Lips, which will appear on the Flips' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band tribute album.

 

Morrissey streams new song "Istanbul"

Speaking of the former Smiths lead singer, Morrissey has a new record entitled World Peace Is None Of Your Business out July 15 Harvest/Capitol and to promote the LP Moz is now streaming audio of album track "Istanbul". Spotify users can listen to the song below, but if not a member of the site, you can enjoy Morrissey's spoken word performance of "Istanbul".

RiFF RAFF has at last unveiled the tracklist for debut album NEON iCON

A release for rap weirdo RiFF RAFF's debut album NEON iCON has been promised for a while now, but now that promise has materialized with the announcement that the LP will drop June 24 on the Mad Decent label. And if the incredibly garish album cover weren't enough to lure you in, the exhaustive guest list may. Mac Miller, the Dirty Projectors' Amber Coffman, Mike Posner, and Childish Gambino will all appear, along with fellow Houston natives Slim Thug and Paul Wall.

To complement the overstuffed guest lineup, NEON iCON will feature production from DJ Mustard, Diplo, Harry Fraud, and DJA. The tracklist for NEON iCON is included below and apparently if you pre-order the album through RiFF RAFF's site you get a pair of exclusive tracks ("2 GiRLS ONE PiPE" and "TROPiCAL VACATiON"). In addition, RiFF RAFF's dropped the unsurprisingly bizzaro video for "How to Be Man “which is also viewable below.

 

Tracklist:

1. "iNTRODUCING THE iCON"
2. "KOKAYNE"
3. "WETTER THAN TSUNAMi"
4. "JODY 3 MOONS (SKIT)"
5. "VERSACE PYTHON"
6. "LAVA GLACiERS (ft. Childish Gambino)"
7. "TiP TOE WiNG iN MY JAWWWDiNZ"
8. "MAYBE YOU LOVE ME (ft. Mike Posner)"
9. "AQUABERRY DOLPHiN (ft. Mac Miller)"
10. "THE BLOOMiNGDALES AT WiNDSHiRE PALACE (SKIT)"
11. "TiME"
12. "HOW TO BE THE MAN"
13. "COOL iT DOWN (ft. Amber Coffman)"
14. "ViP PASS TO MY HEART"
15. "HOW TO BE THE MAN (ft. Slim Thug and Paul Wall) (Houston Remix)"

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)?

Arcade Fire cover "Roll Over Beethoven"

Continuing the cover trend that's become a fixture of their Reflektor Tour, Arcade Fire dove into a rock classic on Sunday night in St. Louis when the sextet took on Chuck Berry's "Roll Over Beethoven". Berry was born in St. Louis and continues to perform at the city's Blueberry Hill each month, so the move doesn't come as an Earth-shaking revelation. In fact the previous night in Kansas City, Arcade Fire performed a rendition of Kansas' "Dust in the Wind". That rendition though was "rudely" interrupted by lead-singer Win Butler, who reminded the group: "that’s a Kansas song and we’re in f***in’ Missouri. You f***ed up," he said. "That’s gonna kill when we play Lawrence, though."

While the covers may come as no surprise, the band's escalation of their "deadmau5 beef" raises a few eyebrows. The "feud" began during Arcade Fire's set when Win Butler flippantly praised "All the bands still playing actual instruments," which led to deadmau5 proclaiming "Arcade Fire needs to settle down." As though that weren't enough, deadmau5 barbarously declared "If I wanna watch real artists perform, I'd pick the opera before wasting a f***ing minute of my life with Arcade Fire." In St. Louis, Arcade Fire struck back by flashing deadmau5's trademark mask on-screen during "Normal Person". And if that weren't enough former Missouri Congressman Todd Akin made an appearance, a person you generally won't want to be associated with circa 2014. 

Rather than dive into any "beef" further, just enjoy the clip of Arcade Fire's playing some good "rock and roll music."

 

The Roots release new track "Tomorrow"

 

An idea that's been floating around about The Roots' upcoming 11th LP And Then You Shoot Your Cousin is that it's a violent record. Not necessarily that it commits violent acts, but the world it inhabits is one of extreme violence. "When the People Cheer", the first sampling of the album, proved this with an unflinching portrayal of rapper Black Thought permanently stuck in the trap and knowing there's nowhere to go.

 

New single "Tomorrow" heads in an entirely different direction. Bolstered by a ringing piano, the Raheem DeVaughan feature is "thankful to be alive." In a soft-croon, DeVaughan stops to "smell the flowers" and appreciate the small things. "9-5 jobs" no longer sound like hellish nightmares, but welcome escapes. "It's free to be yourself," DeVaughan testifies. However "violent" And Then You Shoot Your Cousin ultimately is, "Tomorrow" will offer a brief moment of tranquility. 

 

And Then You Shoot Your Cousin is out May 13 through Def Jam and you can hear "Tomorrow" now on 1200 Squad.

 

 

 

 

Stream tUnE-yArDs' Nikki Nack now

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

tUnE-yArDs' third studio-album, Nikki Nack, doesn't drop until May 6 in the U.S. but that doesn't mean you can't hear Merrill Garbus' latest effort now. Courtesy of The Guardian, Nikki Nack is currently streaming ahead of its release date and my initial impression of the LP is that its every bit as strong and infectious as Garbus' previous two albums.

tUnE-yArDs are currently touring the U.S. with the aforementioned Arcade Fire, but will also be logging stage-time with the National and Sylvan Esso before the summer is over. You can find the dates below along with the Pee-wee's Playhouse inspired video for the clamorous first-single "Water Fountain".

 

Tour Dates:
4/29 Columbus, OH - Schottenstein Center (w. Arcade Fire)
5/1 Nashville, TN - Bridgestone Arena (w. Arcade Fire)
5/2 Atlanta, GA - Aarons Amphitheatre at Lakewood (w. Arcade Fire)
5/5 Los Angeles, CA - Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever
5/7 Brooklyn, NY - Rough Trade
5/12 London, England - Village Underground (w. Sylvan Esso)
5/14 Berlin, Germany - Berghain (w. Sylvan Esso)
5/15 Hamburg, Germany - Nochtspeicher (w. Sylvan Esso)
5/16 Brussels, Belgium - Les Nuits-Cirque Royal
5/18 Amsterdam, Netherlands - Bitterzoet (w. Sylvan Esso)
5/19 Paris, France - Cafe de La Danse (w. Sylvan Esso)
5/23 Bend, OR - Les Schwab Ampitheater (w. The National)
5/25 George, WA - Sasquatch Festival
5/26 Boise, ID - Knitting Factory Concert House (w. Sylvan Esso)
5/27 Salt Lake City, UT - Urban Lounge (w. Sylvan Esso)
5/30 Dallas, TX - Granada Theater (w. Sylvan Esso)
6/1 Houston, TX - Free Press Summerfest
6/3 Phoenix, AZ - The Crescent Ballroom (w. Sylvan Esso)
6/5 Los Angeles, CA - The Fonda Theatre (w. Sylvan Esso)
6/6 San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore (w. Sylvan Esso)
6/13 Washington, DC - 9:30 Club (w. Sylvan Esso)
6/15 Philadelphia, PA - Union Transfer (w. Sylvan Esso)
6/16 Boston, MA - Royale Boston (w. Sylvan Esso)
6/18 Montreal, Quebec - La Tulipe (w. Sylvan Esso)
6/19 Toronto, Ontario - NXNE, Massey Hall (w. Sylvan Esso)
6/21 Dover, DE - Firefly Festival
6/22 New York, NY - Webster Hall (w. Sylvan Esso)
6/23 New York, NY - Webster Hall (w. Sylvan Esso)
6/26 Brighton, England - Concorde 2
6/30 Manchester, England - Gorilla
7/1 Leeds, England - Cockpit
7/2 Bristol, England - Trinity
7/17 Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue
7/19 Chicago, IL - Pitchfork Music Festival
7/20 Louisville, KY - Forecastle Festival
9/3 London, England - Brixton Electric 

 

 

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