ListenUp
Radiohead’s puppet short, Janet in black and white, Princess Nokia’s tomboy anthem and more in music this week
Radiohead: Burn the Witch
A puppet man tours a picturesque village, full of other seemingly benign puppet people—but something strange is afoot. Soundtracking this miniature movie (an homage to the 1973 cult film “The Wicker Man,” except perhaps for its ending) is the new Radiohead song “Burn the Witch.” From the start, violins are bowed unconventionally to create an unsettling, bouncing texture, slowly building into an ominous climax. Radiohead continues their campaign of asking us to open our eyes—can’t we see what’s wrong in this world?
Janet Jackson: Dammn Baby
Truly one of the best in the world, Janet Jackson has been blessing us with music since the early ’80s and isn’t showing any signs she’s slowing down (despite apparently halting the second leg of the “Unbreakable” world tour to start a family). Today she released the video for “Dammn Baby” and it’s classic Janet: all black and white, sharp choreography (with plenty of hair-flips), an awesomely diverse dance troupe, and a sexy break down. Ms Jackson stays sassy and classy, some 34 years later.
Princess Nokia: Tomboy
In the music video for “Tomboy,” Princess Nokia (the raw, progressive sound project fronted by New York native and one-time Calvin Klein model Destiny Frasqueri) shouts “My little titties and my fat belly!” over and over while slurping up cereal next to her abuelita (in front of all of her childhood photos) and flashing cars on an overpass. It’s a badass anthem that laughingly warps “norms” and the traditional male gaze. Princess Nokia’s infectious confidence has us hugging our awkward selves a lot harder.
Weaves: One More
In their newly released video for lead single “One More,” Toronto “bent pop” rock four-piece Weaves’ frontwoman Jasmyn Burke trounces through a desert landscape in a neon pink robe. There’s a sense of organized chaos, bursts of gold (pom-poms) and plenty of raucous, celebratory behavior. The visuals, directed by guitarist Morgan Waters, match the track’s vibrance making for something altogether fun and frenetic.
ListenUp is a Cool Hunting series published every Sunday that rounds up the music we tweeted throughout the week, also found in Listen. Hear the year so far via Cool Hunting Spotify.
