Music News

Watch the Silver Lake Chorus sing Justin Vernon-written “From the Snow Tipped Hills”

Justin Vernon, when he is not writing music for Bon Iver or working with Kanye West at Glastonbury or working on his other endeavors, writes songs for Los Angeles indie-choral ensemble, the Silver Lake Chorus. This summer, the group released their self-titled album, which features songs written by indie-rock pioneers such as Tegan And Sara, Ben Gibbard, Wayne Coyne, and Vernon, whose song now has a music video. “From The Snow Tipped Hills,” in a typical fashion for Bon Iver, is airy and floaty, with Vernon’s songwriting getting enhanced by the group’s vocals. The video is shot with drone technology overlooking a California sunset and the nature of the whole performance is enchanting. Watch here.  

The Silver Lake Chorus is out now through Six Degrees Records. 

Stephen Colbert and Chance the Rapper are currently making a song together

Stephen Colbert in 2011 worked with Jack White and The Black Belles for a two-song collaborative single that was released through White’s label, Third Man Records. It seems as though Colbert is finally willing for his follow-up, but this time with a vastly different act, Chance the Rapper.

In an interview with Hot 97 recently (via Pitchfork), Chance announced the exciting  news. “Me and Stephen Colbert have been working on a song together, and it’s gonna be released very soon,” he said. “He’s amazing. I can’t get that deep into it, but he’s amazing.”

Listen to Colbert and The Black Belles’ track “Charlene II (I’m Over You).”

Adele makes her comeback with video for “Hello”

It has been nearly five years since the release of Adele’s 21 and now, the pop sensation is finally making her comeback with her latest album. 25 will officially be here on November 20th, but she has released the LP’s lead single, “Hello” today along with the video for it, directed by Xavier Dolan.

Adele has described 25 as a make-up album, which is especially prevalent in “Hello.” The song is allegedly about rekindling with her estranged father. The lyrics are especially emotional, crooning “Hello, it’s me/ I was wondering if after all these years/ You’d like to meet, to go over everything/ They say that time’s supposed to heal ya/ But I ain’t done much healing.”

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart announce new EP Hell, cover “Laid” by James

New York indie pop band, the Pains of Being Pure at Heart, have announced their new EP. Named Hell, it will be out on November 13th through their own label, Painbow. They have also released the first track off the EP, a cover of “Laid” by James. Listen to it below and check out the track listing below and cover art above, which was made by Manuel Bujados.

They are also playing dates in London and Asia. Check those out below.

The band’s Kip Berman wrote in a press release:

A couple months ago I posted a demo for the song “Hell” and some people said, “why don’t you record that for real?” So we went over to my friend Danny’s studio (House Under Magic) and recorded the track along with two cover songs – “Ballad of the Band” by Felt and “Laid” by James as a way to mark our forthcoming tour of Japan. The latter has lead vocals by Jen Goma, who sang on our last album and also performs with the excellent pop contortionists, A Sunny Day in Glasgow. The Felt song is really the UR-Felt song, the wry articulation of what Felt is most famous for – not being an eighth as famous as they ought to be.

The song “Hell” is about how insufferable performances of sensitivity are when there’s a good song playing and someone you want to dance with.

Hell:

01 Hell
02 Ballad of The Band (Felt Cover)
03 Laid (James Cover)

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart:

11/06 London, England – The Oval *
11/10 Tokyo, Japan – Club Quattro
11/11 Osaka, Japan – Club Quattro
11/28 Hong Kong – Cockenflap Festival
11/29 Singapore – Neon Lights Festival

* with the Pastels

SXSW Music announces initial lineup

SXSW Music will take over Austin next year from March 15-20. Today, the initial lineup of participating artists has been announced.

Crystal Castles, Micachu and the Shapes, Alex G, Mr Muthafuckin eXquire, Yuck, Beverly, Downtown Boys, Har Mar Superstar, Guerilla Toss, Hinds, Joan of Arc, Into It. Over It., Jahkoy Prince Rama, and Pure Bathing Culture are among the artists that have been announced. It has also been announced that Talib Kweli will participate on a panel named “What It Means to Start a Label in the Digital Age.” Find the current lineup here.

Hot Chip releases studio versions of “Dancing in the Dark”, “All My Friends” covers

While on the road in support of their latest record, Why Make Sense?, Hot Chip has been able to incorporate cover songs into its sets, especially Bruce Spingsteen’s “Dancing in the Dark” and LCD Soundsystem’s “All My Friends.” The electronic outfit even performed both with David Byrne at Webster Hall in New York City in August. Hot Chip has now released a studio version of both covers blended into one amazing track.

The track is presented through a video that mixes found ’80s footage of concert clips and adds a frentic energy to the Springsteen classic track thanks to the synthesizers. It gets more and more energetic as it transitions into “All My Friends” at about the 05:00 mark. Listen to it below.

Hot Chip’s version of “Dancing in the Dark” is available through iTunes now, with a four-track EP coming out on October 23rd. As well as the cover, the EP will have an alternative version of “Cry for You,” and remixes of “Huarache Lights” by Soulwax and A/Jus/Ted. The cover will be on the October 24th deluxe edition of Why Make Sense? as well.

The National debut new song “Roman Candle”

The National have been busy with the work on the follow-up to Trouble Will Find Me from 2o13. Last night, fans were given what could be the first taste of their new album, debuting a new song named “Roman Candle” at a benefit concert in Los Angeles. Watch footage of the performance below.

Frontman Matt Berninger announced in August that the band already has sketches for 3o new songs, with plans to meet in the studio while in Los Angeles.

Last night’s benefit concert was in benefit of the nonprofit Cooperative for Education which was co-founded by frontman Matt Berninger’s cousins, Joe and Jeff Berninger. The are hoping their new campaign, Thousand Girls Initiative, will help improve education for girls in Guatemala.

M83 to release new music in 2016

Four years since the release of Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming, the sixth album from Anthony Gonzalez, also known as M83, he has worked on the soundtrack for the film Divergent and collaborated with HAIM and Jean-Michel Jarre.

Fans will have to wait not much longer for a follow-up apparently. According to an official statement, the Grammy-nominated musician is in the studio currently “working on new material, which is due for release in 2016.”

Gonzalez, in the meantime, is bringing back a few out of catalog albums. Saturdays = Youth and Digital Shades, originally released, respectively, in 2008 and 2007,will be rereleased on both CD and LP on November 20th. At the same time, Saturdays = Youth Remixes and B-Sides, a collection of “long-unavailable tracks,” is out today in digital formats on Mute. All the tracklists are below.

Saturdays = Youth Remixes and B Sides Tracklist:
01. Couleurs (Jori Hulkkonnen Remix)
02. Graveyard Girl (Yuksek Remix)
03. Graveyard Girl (Parkerlab’s Dusted Remix)
04. We Own The Sky (Maps Remix)
05. Kim and Jessie (DatA Remix)
06. Kim and Jessie (Montag Remix)
07. Je Vous Hais Petites Filles

Saturdays = Youth Tracklist:
01. You, Appearing
02. Kim & Jessie
03. Skin of the Night
04. Graveyard Girl
05. Couleurs
06. Up!
07. We Own The Sky
08. Highway of the Endless Dreams
09. Too Late
10. Dark Moves of Love
11. Midnight Souls Still Remain

Digital Shades Tracklist:
01. Waves, Waves, Waves
02. Coloring The Void
03. Sister (Part 1)
04. Strong and Wasted
05. My Own Strange Path
06. Dancing Mountains
07. Sister (Part 2)
08. By The Kiss
09. Space Fertilizer
10. The Highest Journey

Watch Small Black’s video for “No One Wants It To Happen To You”

Dream pop band, Small Black’s new album, Best Blues, will be out tomorrow (which can be pre-ordered here) and in preparation, the shared an introspective, watery video from a track off the record named “No One Wants It To Happen To You.” The video was co-directed by Small Black and William Colby. Watch below. 

Chairlift premieres new song “Chi-Ching”

Chairlift has premiered a new song called “Chi-Ching” today on Zane Lowe’s Beats 1 program, the first taste of their follow-up to Something from 2012. Sprinkled with synth, brass, and a trap-style beat, it is a gem topped with Caroline Polachek’s vocals.

Listen to it through Apple Music.

More details about the duo’s upcoming yet-untitled album is yet to be revealed, but a music video for “Chi-Ching” will be released on Friday.

 Since the release of Something, Polachek put out her debut album under Ramona Lisa. Patrick WImberly has worked on albums by Wet, tUnE-yArDs, and Heems.