Listen Up
Remixes and R&B, emotional instrumental, collaborations and more music from this week
Jazmine Sullivan feat. Anderson .Paak: Pricetags
From Heaux Tales, Jazmine Sullivan’s just-released album (her first in five years), “Pricetags” features a verse by Anderson .Paak that’s punctuated by swirling ad-libs. Simultaneously laidback and bold, the tune incorporates plenty of ’90s R&B and neo-soul elements. Heaux Tales—which also features cameos by H.E.R. and Ari Lennox, as well as production from Dev Hynes, Key Wane and DZL—is a welcome return for the wildly talented Philadelphia artist.
L’Impératrice: Peur des filles
French disco-pop sextet L’Impératrice’s cheeky new single, “Peur des filles” (which translates to “Afraid of Girls”) provides sharp, sarcastic social commentary with an underbelly of dark humor. In the Aube Perrie-directed video, killer women (led by frontwoman Flore Benguigui) invade a distant destination (called the “manaxy”) and upend the power imbalance until a gaggle of men appease them to avoid execution. In total, the slasher-themed video required “180 meters of Kodak film, 10 fingers as dips, five heads cut off, 100000 liters of fake blood,” the band jokes. The single will appear on their forthcoming album, TAKO TSUBO, due out 26 March.
Future Islands: For Sure (Dan Deacon Remix)
Developing over nine minutes, Dan Deacon’s remix of the Future Islands’ track “For Sure” begins with frontman Samuel T Herring’s signature vocals over pretty piano and escalates with fluttering, symphonic support. “When the guys released ‘For Sure,’ it really brought me back to memories of when we lived together and I could hear them practicing in the basement,” Deacon says in a statement about their shared ties to Baltimore. “I kept listening to it over and over and wanted to hear it ‘more,’ if that makes sense. I wanted to hear the individual parts, and I wanted to hang out with them and interact with them.” Deacon’s work underscores the track’s grandeur and intensifies its emotionality.
Moodoïd + Stephanie Lange (of Saâda Bonaire): Puissance Femme
French indie-pop act Moodoïd (aka Pablo Padovani) taps Stephanie Lange of iconic ’80s German duo/concept band Saâda Bonaire for “Puissance Femme.” Both the track (which celebrates the power of women) and its music video (directed by Padovani and shot at night in the fog of Bremen, Germany), embrace a dreamlike, 1980s film noir aesthetic. Padovani reached out to Saâda Bonaire via email for the collaboration. Though the resulting output basks in nostalgia, a contemporary undercurrent enchants, too.
Visionist: The Fold
South London recording artist Visionist’s “The Fold” hails from the experimental producer and vocalist’s forthcoming third album, A Call To Arms (due out 5 March). The track’s instrumental soundscape buoys lyrics stretched and saturated with emotion. Visionist (aka Louis Carnell) brought in Haley Fohr of Circuit Des Yeux for additional vocals, as well as improvisational pianist Matthew Bourne for keys. The accompanying video lives within the world of artist Jonathan Schipper’s installation “Cubicle” from Rice University Art Gallery in 2016. It lends even more emotional weight to the artistry.
Listen Up is published every Sunday and rounds up the new music we found throughout the week. Hear the year so far on our Spotify channel. Hero image courtesy of Visionist
