Los Angeles-based band Archer Black has released the first video from its upcoming album Forgiveness Is A Weapon, which is set for release through Post Planetary Records on January 3, 2012. The clip for “Onward & Down” was directed by Scott Cronan, a longtime friend and fan of Archer Black leader Dustin Morgan’s other band The Autumns.
“Scott helped me refine the vision to come up with something cinematic,” says Morgan. “Everything you see was done in camera without post production effects. For the water shots, Scott even swam out into the ocean with a waterproof camera at 5AM.”
“Onward & Down” stars actor Luke Barnett and Archer Black violinist Jen Thomas. “Luke was an absolute professional,” says Morgan about Barnett’s role as a soldier in what Morgan characterizes as a “death dream.” “We had a bag stuffed with bricks to make it look authentic and he must have dragged it up and down the beach a hundred times.” Of his band mate, Morgan confides “Jen is gorgeous. She’s married to one of my closest friends though and I’m not sure what he’s going to say when he sees that romantic sunset scene.”
“Onward & Down”’s lyrics, like most of Forgiveness Is A Weapon, uses some facet of war as a metaphor for a human relationship. Morgan explains, “The song was inspired by the fact that, prior to Vietnam, very few soldiers would discharge their weapons in combat. This is one of those facts that just stuck with me, screaming, ‘this is a profound statement about what it means to be human.’”
Check out this video from Class Actress for “Journal of Ardency” — a single from last year on Class Actress’ EP Journal of Ardency on Terrible Records. Class Actress is Elizabeth Harper and when she set out on her glam-rock adventure, she decided to have a REAL early 80s feel to her music by using vintage drums and analog synths.
Have a listen at “Weekend” from her debut album, Rapprocher, out now through Carpark Records.
“sweetly spectral vocals over lush ’80s synths and beats.” – NYLON
“New York is no stranger to disco-influenced electro-pop, but there’s always room for another addition to the party….cool and collected vocal hooks from [Elizabeth] Harper’s sultry croon floating atop a straightforward dance beat rife with shimmering synths and bouncing basslines.” – XLR8R
Tracklist:
1. Keep You
2. Love Me Like You Used To
3. Weekend
4. Prove Me Wrong
5. Need To Know
6. Limousine
7. All The Saints
8. Bienvenue
9. Missed
10. Hangin’ On
11. Let Me In
As he gets ready to put on an unforgettable performance of his album Lillian at NYC’s Le Poisson Rouge on October 25th, Ben Lear is sharing a free mp3 of one of its tracks, “Scuba Lessons.”
Lillian is a compelling tale of love, loss, and an underwater adventure with sea creatures and an island made of floating trash. An activist who has performed at events for the United Nations and TEDx, Lear was inspired to make Lillian a parable about pollution in our oceans after learning about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch – a giant gyre of plastic bottles, tires, and other debris floating in the ocean between California and Japan. Activism runs in the Lear family, as Ben is the son of activist and TV legend, writer/producer Norman Lear (All in the Family, The Jeffersons, Sanford and Son).
The October 25th performance of Lillian will bring Lear’s vivid story to life with an ambitious staging that includes plastic bottle light sculptures (designed and built by Ben himself), costumes, a 15-piece band and orchestra, gospel choir, and projected animation.
Click here to watch Ben construct Lillian light sculptures for NYC show
Lillian is the story of a young man kept awake by the fear that he’s watching his lover, who sleeps soundly in bed, drift away from him, becoming one of the many things he’s lost in his life. He determines that all the things we lose in our lives end up in an island of trash floating in the Pacific Ocean. And, in a desperate attempt to reclaim these things, he sets off on a scuba-diving journey to that island.
Lear elaborates, “During ‘Scuba Lessons,’ the diver remembers when he and Lillian learned to dive on a family trip to Hawaii. It’s a bit of an aha moment when he realizes that’s how he’ll rescue her from sea, by diving to the Garbage Patch.”
Gigamesh’s debut self-titled EP is available through all digital retailers starting today, through Our Label International. Additionally, fans can buy the extended version of the single “When You’re Dancing Ft. Induce” exclusively on Beatport. Gigamesh has received considerable attention and support from DJs as diverse as DJ AM and Brodinski to Busy P and Fare Soldi for his bootleg remixes of artists like Animal Collecitve, Lykke Li and Radiohead, the latter two of which hit #1 on the Hype Machine. In celebration of the EP release, he has released the new “It’s So Intense” (Fare Soldi Enrico Pallazzo Remix) MP3.
Gigamesh opens the EP with disco-infused single “When You’re Dancing (feat. Induce)” with a hook that commands you to move. “It’s So Intense” lives up to its name as a hazy synth-driven club banger. EP closer “People” shows the melodic side of Gigamesh, lead by melodic vocals from Nicole Godiva while still incorporating bass guitar and synths.
Known for pushing the boundaries of dance music, Gigamesh has been making his mark for several years in dance clubs around the world. He has garnered widespread success with his own popular blend of remixes, as well as his work with remix group DiscoTech, and his role in Señor Stereo, a disco influenced live-electronic group. Gigamesh was hired to remix Mike Posner’s “Cooler Than Me” in late 2009. Ultimately chosen to be the first single on Posner’s debut album, the Gigamesh version went on to sell over 2.5 million copies.
Gigamesh Tour Dates
10/29: Minneapolis, MN @ Kitty Cat Klub, Record Release Show
11/4: Toronto, ON @ The Gladstone
11/5: New York, NY @ Juliet Supperclub
11/18: Vancouver, BC @ Post Modern
Outasight’s first official single, “Tonight is the Night,” was selected by Pepsi for their new “Music Icons” TV ad campaign which celebrates Pepsi’s rich music history and features superstars Michael Jackson, Britney Spears, Kanye West, Ray Charles and Mariah Carey. “Music Icons” captures the essence of Pepsi and The X FACTOR‘S search for the next pop-music star.
“We chose the song “Tonight is the Night” because it perfectly captures the spirit of music today,” said Simon Lowden, Chief Marketing Officer, PepsiCo Beverages Company. “This spot is about re-igniting the timeless connection between Pepsi and iconic pop music and also about celebrating our partnership with THE X FACTOR. Now we’re more excited than ever to ask the question: who’s next?” he continued. Outasight is excited about the opportunity. “This is a truly amazing campaign” Outasight aka Richard Andrew explains, “It’s a dream come true to work with a culturally relevant brand such as Pepsi and to be a part of such a rich history of artists is an honor.”
The “Music Icons” campaign will run nationally on FOX for the duration of THE X FACTOR. Hosted by Steve Jones, THE X FACTOR made its highly anticipated debut last night and continues its two-night series premiere event tonight (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. THE X FACTOR judges Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, L.A. Reid and Nicole Scherzinger begin their search for undiscovered talent 12 years old and over – both solo artists and vocal groups – who are worthy of the largest prize in television history: a $5 million recording contract with Syco/Sony Music and to be featured in a Pepsi Super Bowl commercial.
Yonkers, New York native Outasight is putting the finishing touches on his debut full length. “Tonight Is The Night” serves as the forthcoming album’s lead single. His recent Figure 8 EP is available for purchase on iTunes or available as a free download in exchange for an email address. The video for the title track, Figure 8, was shot in Brooklyn and can be seen here. XXL says it well – “Brief, bright and poppy, Figure 8 is an equally ideal listen for the new-age hip-hop fan as those with Top 40 tastes. The release will help to build momentum and bodes well for Outasight’s forthcoming major label debut.” Outasight will head out on tour with Gym Class Heroes and The Dirty Heads in October. A full list of confirmed dates is below.
Outasight On Tour With Gym Class Heroes and The Dirty Heads
10.09 Dallas, TX @ Prophet Bar
(w/The Dirty Heads only)
10.10 Houston, TX @ Scout Bar
(w/The Dirty Heads only)
10.12 St. Petersburg, FL @
Jannus Live!
10.13 Ft. Lauderdale, FL @ Revolution
10.14 Orlando, FL @ House Of Blues
10.16 Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade Music Park
10.18 Charlotte, NC @ Fillmore
10.19 Baltimore, MD @ Ram’s Head
10.20 Philadelphia, PA @ Electric Factory
10.21 Sayreville, NJ @ Starland Ballroom
10.24 Boston, MA @ House Of Blues
10.25 Albany, NY @ Northern Lights
10.26 Long Island, NY @
Paramount Theater (w/The Dirty Heads only)
Jamaican dancehall artist, Daniel “Chino” McGregor, unleashes his second video “Driving Me Insane,” off his debut self-titled album released May 24, 2011 on VP Records. As the son of reggae icon Freddie McGregor and brother of acclaimed producer Stephen “Di Genius” McGregor, Chino is not only part of a reggae dynasty, but poses a new formula in reggae and dancehall music. His first video and single “From Mawnin’ (Never Change),” was recently chosen asNPR’s Song Of The Day , stating thatChino has a “sexy-yet-sweet persona” and “smooth sing-jay vocals.” He was also awarded Best Male Sing-jay at Jamaica’s 2010 Excellence in Music and Entertainment Awards (EME) and gained numerous corporate sponsorships in Jamaica, including the spokesperson for Coke Zero and Nestle Supligen.
Pajama Club, the new band from Crowded House and Split Enz frontman Neil Finn, are getting to release their self-titled debut album this Tuesday September 13th on Lester Records/Redeye. For a taste of what to expect check out the band’s eye-popping video for opening track “Tell Me What You Want.” The track is a tete-a-tete between singers Neil and his wife Sharon Finn, who coyly blend heaving breathing and falsetto vocals.
Like “Tell Me What You Want,” the rest of the album, the song is anchored by a massive rhythms and quirky electronics, topped off by Neil and Sharon’s back-and-forth vocals. The pair have an alluring natural chemistry that forms the core of the band. Pajama Club has a wonderfully spontaneous feel to it, which stems from the way in which it was recorded. The skeleton of the songs were formed when Neil and Sharon began jamming together just for fun at home, drinking wine, wearing pajamas and realizing they had something going on, bigger than just raw grooves.
Eventually Neil added additional layers of guitar, keys, and other melodic lines to the bare-bones songs while he toured with Crowded House in 2009. The final piece of the puzzle came when Sean Donnelly began rounding out the tracks with electronic loops and texture, in a similarly independent, creative, and organic fashion that Neil and Sharon had first begun.
Pajama Club’s debut bursts with a joyous, free spirited energy at every turn. However it is Neil and Sharon’s impeccable melodies that bring it all together – burrowing in the listener’s brain while giving each song an immediate likeability.
Mick Jagger has teamed up with Eurythmics founder Dave Stewart, soul singer Joss Stone, Slumdog Millionaire soundtrack composer A.R.Rahman and reggae star Damian Marley to form a band cooperative project called SuperHeavy. This diverse and eclectic line up who share eleven Grammy Awards between them, have been recording together in various studios around the world, with the majority of the tracks on the project laid down over three weeks in Los Angeles earlier this year.
It’s little wonder that Stewart refers to SuperHeavy as, “A mad alchemist type experiment”. Fusing the talents of one of the greatest front-men of all time, a two time Academy award winning Indian composer, a soul vocal prodigy, a three time Grammy winning reggae star, and one of the most sought after producers in the world, you would expect the explosive results to defy categorisation.
SuperHeavy came together after Jagger and Stewart considered what a band comprising of musicians from different genres would sound like. Jagger explains, “Dave really wanted to make a record with a different group of musicians, in other words, with different backgrounds of music. Instead of everyone being a rock musician, or a blues musician, or some other genre, he wanted to get as many genres together that would fit. I said it sounds like a good idea, I never thought it would actually happen.”
Despite their disparate backgrounds, they instantly connected and hit the ground running, writing twenty-two songs in the first six days. Stone was thrilled with the results, “That’s what you need, all these opinionated people who have been brilliant in their own field, shove them together and see what comes out. It’s really unexpected, it’s mind blowing,” she enthuses.
However, despite the free flow of creative juices and the easy rapport they established, getting the band together in one place became very difficult, as Stewart explains, “It’s the most complicated record ever made. Imagine, some of it’s recorded in LA, some of it’s recorded in the South of France, some of it’s recorded off the coast of Cyprus, some of it’s recorded in Turkey, some of it’s recorded in Miami, some of it’s recorded in the Caribbean, and some of it’s recorded in Chennai, in India.”
The project needed a name. Marley had been riffing the term “SuperHeavy”, inspired by Muhammad Ali being the super heavy weight champion of the world and the phrase became the band’s catchphrase, “It was Mick who said, ‘Why don’t we call it SuperHeavy?”, recalls Stewart, “We all thought about it for ages and then it sort of stuck.”
Back to that alchemical experiment, Jagger, Stewart, Marley, Rahman and Stone appear to have created a new genre. It’s a new kind of music, it’s a new genre, one that cannot be placed” says Stone. Yet, Jagger is keen to point out the music is accessible, “It’s very approachable. If you’re a Rolling Stones fan there’s definitely stuff you can relate to.”
As far as the future of SuperHeavy goes, “We haven’t planned to do a tour or anything, but if people really like it maybe we will. We’d love to get out and play some of it live,” says Jagger humbly. “As soon as we started playing together in the studio it gelled, and all these different styles didn’t seem to be a problem to make them fit together… I hope people will like it….”
I know I like what I’ve heard so far…and can’t wait to hear the rest! The band’s self-titled album will be in stores September 20, 2011.
Theophilus remains a busy man. He’s currently on the road with Big Boi in Australia. When he gets back, he’ll be performing and DJ’ing all over NYC’s Fashion Week and at Austin City Limits, then heads off for a short tour of South Africa and a few dates in France, including a week long “album of the week” engagement with Canal +. In October, he tours the US with Friendly Fires.
On September 13th on The CW, Theophilus London will be perform “I Stand Alone” on the season premiere of 90210. He’ll be featured in the October issue of GQ and the November issue of Vogue. Theophilus is representing his hometown on the cover of the Fall issue of Brooklyn Magazine and will also appear on the cover of the next issue of reputable hip-hop lifestyle magazine Wax Poetics.
Back on August 20th in Austin, Theophilus London kicked off Dell and Intel’s Special Engagements, a new global concert series on Noisey.com. This once in a life time show was beamed to fans live around the world. Leading up to the event fans took to Facebook and Twitter to call the shots, including voting on a never-before-released remix Theophilus would premiere during his set. The winner was “I Stand Alone (Gigamesh Sunlight Remix).” To watch the Director’s Cut of Special Engagements with Theophilus London go to: http://www.Noisey.com/SpecialEngagements
Upcoming Tour Dates:
09/12 – Boston, MA @ House Of Blues (w/Lupe Fiasco)
09/16 – Austin, TX @ Austin City Limits (12:3pm set time)
The recording of New Zealander Miles McDougall’s debut Pikachunes album came about after he fractured his ulna while skateboarding, an injury that required reconstructive surgery. At the time, McDougall was majoring in Jazz performance on drums and the injury left him unable to play. Instead, he created Pikachunes, a first person account of the turmoil of moving to a new city to build a name as a musician. “All you have to do is write a bass line and then everybody wants to know your name,” McDougall sings in the single “Nervous,” sounding like he may know plenty about the US music scene already.
Producing and performing pulsing electro beats that are both groovy and awash with heavy club thuggery, Pikachunes makes a splash with songs that make you move, think and laugh with their stinging social commentary.
The self-titled debut album is available today from Lil’ Chief Records. Click here to preview and buy Pikachunes.
Musically Amusing 