Photo: Press
We've reached the end of another week and 2013 continues to impressive with another bumper crop of new music from the last seven days. Perhaps most exciting is the first glimpse of new music from Beyonce, which promptly split opinion at the start of the week (we'll leave you to make up your own minds on that one).
But beyond the Queen of pop, we've had new tracks from The Postal Service, Sigur Ros, Vampire Weekend, Juveniles and Noah And The Whale, meaning there's something for everyone in this week's collection.
Enjoy!
Sigur Ros - 'Brenisteinn'
Ahead of today's announcement of the release date for their seventh studio album, Sigur Ros premiered new single 'Brennistein', showcasing a darker, harder sound, which matches the panic-attack of a video that accompanies it. Hefty, sinister bass sounds grind throughout the track alongside industrial clangs of purcussion while frontman Jonsi's voice is haunted and ethereal above the wistful bowing of his guitar.
Juveniles - 'Strangers'
There's a slightly retro vibe to the steady stamp of Juveniles' 'Strangers'. The bassline bouces along below washes and fragments of synths. There's something incredibly bright and uplifting about the simple musical and lyrical structure, which never darkens and always reamins uplifting. The accompanying video is something truly bizarre, though, featuring - among other things - a woman with a stuffed toy dragon mounted to her crotch and breathing fire. Not going to attempt to work out what that means.
Noah & The Whale - 'There Will Come A Time'
In a savvy demonstration of multitasking within the creative arts, Noah & The Whale's new single 'There Will Come A Time' has video that doubles as a trailer for their forthcoming short film which accompanies the release of album Heart Of Nowhere. The track itself tells tales of friendship and interdependency in a touching and relatable manner. The video explains the concept behind Charlie Fink's short film, where teenagers are removed from society and banished to their own island called Teenland.
Vampire Weekend - 'Diane Young'
Returning US indie stars Vampire Weekend premiered two new tracks during their SXSW show, and this week saw them unveil 'Diane Young' online in full. The new track is driven by a snappy, upbeat rhythm that leaves plenty of room for guitar fuzz and vocals typical of the group. 'Diane Young' is taken from their forthcoming album Modern Vampires Of The City, which is due on May 6. The band announced their new album title via an advert in the 'lost & found' section of the New York Times.
Cillie Barnes - 'Brainwash'
About a year ago LA's Cillie Barnes was drawing substantial attention from the blogosphere thanks to her quirky piece of pop 'Indian Hill', but she's been fairly quiet since then. Making her reappearance now, at the brink of spring (hopefully), she offers up the sunny and revitalising 'Brainwash' as her debut single. Never taking itself too seriously, the track is wonderfully listenable even though it sticks fairly closely to the usual singer-songwriter formula. There's something about Barnes' voice and songwriting that seems to set her apart others utilising strummed guitars-piano melody formulas in their music at the moment. You can also grab 'Brainwash' for free from her Soundcloud at the moment. Ain't that nice?
Beyonce - 'Bow Down/ I Been On'
Rather unsurprisingly the first glimpse of new music from Beyonce brought joy, outrage and confusion in equal measures at the start of the week. 'Bow Down / I Been On' sees the pop queen indulging her trap fantasies, dismissing pretenders to her throne and revelling in confident swagger. OK, perhaps it's not what a lot of people were expecting, but it was never going to be another 'Single Ladies', was it? And it's just a first look. Who knows what else she might deliver in the months to come?
The Postal Service - 'Turn Around'
As with their last offering of new music ('A Tattered Piece Of String') 'Turn Around' was originally recorded during the initial settigs for The Postal service's one and only album Give Up, which is about to be re-released for its tenth anniversary. As with the previous track, 'Turn Around' features Jenny Lewis of Rilo Kiley. A gently chiming melody line introduces the track, which then shifts into the bleeping stacatto that the band became known for 10 years ago. A sturdy kick drum sound holds the track together, which seems more robust in general than the material that was in fact included on the original album.
Savages - 'She Will'
Savages are one of the up and coming bands we're all getting quite excited about at the moment, with their debut album Silence Yourself due at the start of May. 'She Will', taken from said album, is further vindication for the prevailing view that Savages might be the future of post-punk. Pulling no punches, the pacey track sees Jehnny Beth's vocals shrieking over the hurried clash of instruments while a lead guitar takes the listener by the hand and walks them through the track which builds to a thrilling climax.
Danny Brown - 'Kush Coma'
Lots of rappers smoke lots of weed, and they like to tell us about it. A lot. Detroit's Danny Brown has apparently managed to put himself in a coma thanks to his love for the herb. Subject matter aside, time after time Brown demonstrates a speedy lyical dexterity that puts his peers to shame, with a distinct knack for rhythm in his words and astute social observation. Each release from the rapper seems to show him developing and progress, and he's quickly rising to the top of his field. If he's managing to do that after 'blunt after blunt after blunt', well that's even more impressive.
Kendrick Lamar - 'Swimming Pools' (Blood Diamonds Remix)
Last week saw the original Sugababes, MKS, give Kendrick Lamar's 'Swimming Pools' a reworking, and this week sees yet another version emerge. But Blood Diamonds' remix sees the track given new life with an irresistible new groove crafted from gritty bass noise and a skipping hihat pattern. Given the rappers' laid back vocals a new energy, the remix would be easily at home at a club as much as an iPod. It seems that 'Swimming Pools' is the track that just keep giving. You can also grab this version as a free download from the Soundcloud page.
