ListenUp
Emoji Beyoncé, How To Dress Well, Shit Robot and more in the music we tweeted this week
Beyoncé feat. Jay-Z: Drunk In Love
Just when you thought a song featuring Beyoncé and her man Jay-Z couldn’t get any better, Austin-based filmmaker Jesse Hill proved the world wrong by creating an unofficial Emoji video for the power couple’s hit song “Drunk In Love.” Rife with everyone’s favorite way to pictorially express themselves, the video is the perfect pop culture complement to Beyoncé’s diary-like dance ballad. From the straightforward symbols like those for “cigars on ice” to the cleverly and intensely animated moments expressing the song’s title, Hill’s use of Emoji is as entertaining as it is spectacularly on point.
Bok Bok feat. Kelela: Melba’s Call
Joining forces with British producer—and founder of the record label Night Slugs—Bok Bok, Los Angeles-based singer Kelela again mesmerizes with her stunning vocals (which are reminiscent of a young Janet Jackson) on “Melba’s Call.” The song plays off moments of silence almost as much as it does its minimal, at times spacey, beats. It’s a track that ebbs and flows in a surprising way (without jarring), even after several listens. It looks like Kelela abandoning her degree in sociology and international relations at American University, to pursue a future in music, wasn’t entirely a gamble after all.
Marvin Sease: Candy Licker
Filmmaker, digital strategist and founder of Soul Aquatics (a freestyle jam session and participatory music experience), Philadelphia-based musician and creative extraordinaire Rashid Zakat brings us this week’s #PrivateJam. Picking an ever-so-slightly embarrassing favorite, Zakat has selected a live performance of a Marvin Sease classic. Explains Zakat, “Marvin Sease makes R. Kelly look like Bill Withers. His unapologetic raunchy southern soul sounds like line music, if it were written by Howard Stern. As over-the-top as his lyrics can be, ‘Candy Licker‘ is an incredibly catchy and nostalgic song for anyone that has parents or grandparents from the South.”
How To Dress Well: Words I Don’t Remember
It’s been a year and a half since Tom Krell released Total Loss, his second studio album under the moniker How To Dress Well. With his sensual, falsetto-style vocals set to simple beats, Krell lures listeners in track after track, and anyone who caught his intimate live act would only fall more entranced by his utterly passionate delivery. This week Krell dropped “Words I Don’t Remember,” which satisfyingly feels like he’s picked up right where he left off in 2012—only with a little more panache. Equal parts R&B and ambient, the song swirls around with mystical tones and mature reverie. Keep an eye out as he begins a North American tour mid-March.
Shit Robot: Do That Dance
After lending her voice (and synth skills) to tracks for The Juan MacLean and LCD Soundsystem, Nancy Whang sings a matter-of-fact disco hook on Shit Robot’s single “Do That Dance.” The track sees classic disco elements remain through a contemporary lens that integrates aspects of industrial house and acid funk—plus the video is completely visually captivating. Whang blends in and out of vintage, color-adjusted soccer footage that has us equally excited for the World Cup and the weekend. For more Whang and Shit Robot, check out their previous collaboration on the single “Take ‘Em Up.”
ListenUp is a Cool Hunting series published every Sunday that takes a deeper look at the music we tweeted throughout the week. Often we’ll include a musician or notable fan’s personal favorite in a song or album dubbed #PrivateJam.
