Thursday Music News

01/03/2013

Katherine Humphreys

The beautiful/transfixing/addicting/"reverb-abusing" Beach House have a homemade video out for their track "New Year" off 2012's Bloom. Featuring Victoria petting a cat in the sun as well as video of Beach House recording, and filmed at Sonic Ranch Studios in Texas, the video will make help all us in the north remember what the sun looks like. All while listening to a track that reminds us that "you are getting wiser" - happy 2013 from Beach House! [Stereogum]

Seattle's ever-charming Chastity Belt released their new single "Seattle Party." I'm not going to speculate that it is written about any of the parties I've personally run into them at, but it seems to be pretty accurate about most parties in cities. Julia, the group's vocalist, sings "I think they're having fun" in a post-mournful howl over glittery guitar progressions - this is a piece of pop that's unmistakably the best we've heard from the already quite great Chastity Belt.

Azealia Banks released a new song yesterday much to the joy of fans who can't get enough of her joyous curse/expletive/nasty filled raps. In 2013, you can't quite call her a diva, you can't quite call her a bad bitch -she's really somewhere in between both. Beautiful and bad, dramatic and sarcastic, trap and rap - she's ready shapeshift at any moment. Hew new track is bass heavy and low, "#witch-hop" - "BBD". [Pitchfork]

Local Natives have a new track, "Heavy Feet" from their upcoming album Hummingbird. Featuring the same emotive vocals/harmonies and hand clapping beats (also some of the same language - you hear them singing about being "left in the sun shivering" this time around) but with a fuller sound than previous albums, the single will make Local Natives fanatics endlessly happy while providing new listeners with good reason to give Gorrilla Manner a listen.

If the Local Natives track made you want more easy/heavy pop, Born Ruffians also have a new track - similarly they use drum beats on top of vocals and alongside guitar and synths to create "With Her Shadow." It's indie at its finest, with slightly warbling vocals and slightly cute lyrics, without becoming overwrought.

22-year old Ryan Hemsworth was the subject of much buzz in the electronic community in 2012 for his album Last Words. Now the impressive and slow track "Colour & Movement" has an official video, made with outtakes from a Black Keys video by Yoni Lappin. This video starts in mirrored fires, mesmerizing, before turning into smoky blondes smoking cigs. Add to this video the new track that Hemsworth just dropped - "BasedWorld" - and I think we're up to our necks in talent. Catch both below. [Stereogum]

Japanese indie pop master Shugo Tokumaru has a new album, In Focus?, coming out and has released the first single, "Katachi." Mastered at Abbey Road and including over 20 instruments, all played by Shugo of course, per track, the pop piece is both beautiful and affirming. He'll also be on tour in February, starting off in Seattle at The Crocodile. [Stereogum]

Finally: just found some footage of Father John Misty singing "I Believe I Can Fly" on SS Coachella. He stands on the stairs and sways, while nailing the tricky number. Unfortunately there's less hip shaking in this video than there was during his performance at Block Party.[CoS]

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