ListenUp
A dizzying glitchy music video for Danny L Harle and Caroline Polachek, plus new BADBADNOTGOOD, Sampha and more of our favorite music this week
Danny L Harle (feat. Caroline Polachek): Ashes of Love
PC Music ambassador Danny L Harle’s collaboration with Caroline Polachek of Chairlift, “Ashes of Love,” brings out both of their unique strengths: melodies that unfold like a labyrinth, reinforced by Eurovision-level HD production and Dance Dance Revolution flashbacks. But its new music video by artist Sam Rolfes is what’s swallowed us up whole. Rolfes (who’s made visuals for Kingdom, Oneohtrix Point Never, Nicopanda and more) has constructed a jittery, constantly moving first-person view of a glitchy world that’s breaking down. Fight through the headache and be rewarded with one of the craziest music videos we’ve seen all year.
Sampha: Timmy’s Prayer
London R&B singer and producer Sampha emerges from a long period of rest after his 2013 EP Dual—with collabs with SBTRKT, Drake, Jessie Ware, Lil Silva and even Kanye scattered along the way—with the heartfelt new song, “Timmy’s Prayer” (it samples “The Coldest Days of My Life” by Timmy Thomas). “It’s been a while,” he reveals in a Twitter photo. “I’ve had a lot of process these past couple of years, as we all do, and it’s hard to articulate sometimes… I’m looking forward to sharing my music with you again.” It’s good to hear Sampha’s saintly voice once more.
BADBADNOTGOOD: Time Moves Slow (feat. Sam Herring)
The enterprising, beat-loving jazz musicians of BADBADNOTGOOD announce their next LP, describing it as “an exploration in post-genre virtuosity.” The simply titled IV comes out this July: tracks feature prolific fire producer Kaytranada (who just released his debut album 99.9% this month), bass saxophonist Colin Stetson, rapper Mick Jenkins and emerging singer-songwriter Charlotte Day Wilson. The lead single “Time Moves Slow” perfectly describes itself: sensual, unhurried and cognizant. The band buttresses Sam Herring’s husky, lovelorn vocals (of Future Islands) with plenty of thinking space in one of the strongest collaborations so far this year. Check our their free upcoming show at House of Vans in Brooklyn 9 June.
The Lines: Single Engine Duster
There’s plenty of intrigue surrounding The Lines’ recently released album hull down and of which “Single Engine Duster” is the lead single. The Lines are not a new band. They released a few albums in the late ’70s and early ’80s, and once shared a stage with The Cure—before disappearing from the cultural conscious. Hull down is billed as the band’s “lost” album, and it’s a true gem of post-punk tracks with experimental electronics. “Single Engine Duster” offers up a drifting, atmospheric structure, filled to the brim with exciting and danceable flourishes.
Baby Alpaca: Can’t Find My Way
Off of dream-pop band Baby Alpaca’s album Under Water, “Can’t Find My Way” makes for another sweet, soulful single—especially when complemented with the shifting, surreal visuals of their latest music video. Frontman Chris Kittrell strolls across an imagined landscape, singing among wisps of smoke, clouds and rippling water. The video—directed by Kittrell and his boyfriend, visual artist Benjamin Staker—delivers another transportive experience tinged with both exploration and melancholy, all in the face of beauty.
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.
