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La Roux - Let Me Down Gently

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London-born pop-synth royalty La Roux have finally returned after a 5 year hiatus since their self-titled, Grammy Award-winning album.

Following their dancefloor anthem, Bulletproof, vocalist Elly Jackson confided “unless we manage to write a record in two weeks I don’t think there will be anything in terms of a second record for a while.” Well, we've waited long enough and the time has finally come for them to drop their first single in half a decade, Let Me Down Gently.

The mood is first set with Elly's breathy ad-lib & synth washes, creating an almost morose atmosphere divergent from their last album.

Bringing us in ever so gently with her desperate crooning, the song crescendos into a steady electronic beat before plunging us into silence. A brief moment is lent for us to gather our thoughts, before the breakdown turns the song on its head with synths-galore, a sax solo & the classic Elly Jackson we know and love.

It's a delicious taste of what's to come.

Let Me Down Gently is the first release from La Roux's upcoming album, Trouble in Paradise, due out July 7th.

[soundcloud]https://soundcloud.com/la-roux-official/let-me-down-gently[/soundcloud]

Trouble in Paradise Tracklist:

1. Uptight Downtown
2. Kiss and Not Tell
3. Cruel Sexuality
4. Paradise Is You
5. Sexotheque
6. Tropical Chancer
7. Silent Partner
8. Let Me Down Gently
9. The Feeling

 

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Stream new albums from Lily Allen, Lykke Li and Tune-Yards

Kermit Cintron vs Walter Mathysse

There was a time when avid fans of an artist would wait outside a record store on the release day to be the first to listen. Well now thanks to the internet, everybody wants everything free, apart from when they don't know they want it and it falls on their lap (#Beyonce). To cater for Generation Now, albums are streamed to stop people downloading illegally, or on the downside, convince people the album is good enough to download illegally. Today, the album streams for some of the most anticipated artists have dropped and we've presented them below for your disposal.

Lily Allen- Sheezus

So far the songs released off Sheezus have taught us it's hard out here for a bitch, that we all get periods and that it's far more peaceful in an air balloon than on earth. With that in mind, Sheezus will naturally be a pretty educational listen. It's her first album since her short-lived retirement and venture into vintage clothing and is full of Lily's trademark quick wit and smut. It seems like all we've spoke about in the past week is Ms. Allen and we're sure to be talking about it a whole lot more following a quick listen to Sheezus.

Listen on iTunes radio.

Read our lessons learnt from Sheezus here.

Lykke Li- I Never Learn

Poor Lykke Li is a bit down in the ditches. Previous to the creation of the album Li said, "I've immersed myself in trying to figure out what actually is going on inside of me when the lights go out and the music stops". What has emerged from that soul searching is a collection of nine ballads featuring a seemingly troubled Lykke Li. It's not guaranteed to be an easy listen but given Li's track record it's not likely to disappoint.

Listen on NPR.

Tune-Yards- Nikki Nack

Merrill Garbus is pushing the boundaries on her third albums. Her first two albums, Bird-Brains and whokill were critical darlings but it looks as if Nikki Nack will push her forth to a wider audience. Speaking of the album, Garbus told Fact that she had to "push myself in new directions and trust that my audience would come with me. And that was a terrifying leap.” That has been seen so far on the colourful Water Fountain and the RnB flavoured, Wait For A Minute. If you're feeling a little down after listening to Lykke Li, pop on this one for a colour explosion of loops, experimental instruments and playful melodies.

Listen on NPR.

Read our review of Wait For A Minute in Musical Speed Dating here.

Movement- Movement EP

If you're strapped for time, listen to this shortie from Aussie boys, Movement. The trio is signed to Modular (Cut Copy, The Presets, Tame Impala) and have been a real hot topic overseas of late. Their song, Us, was labelled best new music by Pitchfork as was their latest, Like Lust. If you're looking for some steamy, after dark music there isn't a better place to look than right here.

Listen on Soundcloud.

Read our review of EP track Ivory here.

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Lily Allen - Sheezus

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Lily Allen has been running her mouth a lot lately about how her latest material is not up to scratch and that her record label has prevented her from releasing the real stuff. After the polite Air Balloon and the party-anthem Our Time, it was looking unlikely that Lily's quick wit and spite was ever going to make a reappearance. Thankfully, the title track to her forthcoming album, Sheezus, dispels that fear. The song is littered with Allen gold, but we've fished for five of the best nugs.

"RiRi isn't scared of Katy Perry's roaring"

Lily's astute observations of the celebrity world are insightful, but is anyone scared of Katy Perry's roaring? Isn't it more like a cat’s meow? Badgal RiRi once proclaimed that she was "yeah, yeah, yeah, so hard" so surely she'd be even geared up to take on Perry's new beau Diplo.

"Lorde smells blood, yeah she's about to slay you. Kid ain't one to fuck with when she's only on her debut"

Out of all the divas mentioned on Sheezus, it looks as if Lily wants to recruit Lorde as her 2IC. She's obviously impressed by her post-goth look and badass teen vibe, but we're not sure Lorde would be too keen to be associated with the 'queen' given her sentiments in a little ditty called Royals.

"Queen B's gone back to the drawing Lorde"

Lol. She replaced board with Lorde. Great use of poetic license. But seriously, don't mess with B. One minute, you're sitting comfortably on the throne and the next Yonce drops a surprise the size of an atomic bomb.

"Give me the crown bitch, I wanna be Sheezus"

Kim Kardashian may have something to say about this but we think Mr and Mrs Yeezus would make a great couple. Both have skipped any sort of media training and run their mouths as much as, well, Jesus. The only problem is, Kanye has his sights set on being a God, while Lily wants to be a queen. Surely at 88 years of age, Queen Lizzy would be an easy one to knock from the throne.

"Periods, we all get periods. Every month, that's what the theory is"

This is more than I could've ever learnt in sex ed. Thanks Lily. Got it.

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Tourist (feat. Lianne La Havas) - Patterns

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British producer Tourist has flooded the internet with remixes of HAIM, London Grammar and Chvrches over the past year, but now it seems he's ready to deliver some original material with the same pop-potential. Patterns is off his upcoming EP of the same name and features fellow Brit Lianne La Havas. It's everything you'd expect from an all-British affair. He lays La Havas' voice over a Disclosure-esque voice and peppers it with a choir-driven chorus. Despite the grandeur of the chorus, Patterns maintains a steady level of subtlety before ramping up the bass and subsequently taking it to the club.

[soundcloud]https://soundcloud.com/soulblime/tourist-patterns-feat-lianne-la-havas[/soundcloud]

 

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tUnE-yArDs- Wait For A Minute

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tUnE-yArDs has a penchant for taking a trend and turning it on its head. And that’s exactly what she’s done on, Wait for a Minute, the latest track from her forthcoming album Nikki Nack. She’s undoubtedly heading down the lane of RnB but she’s swung a left, crashed through a fence and found herself at an anarchy-stricken kids party. It may sound messy, but it’s a beautiful thing. It’s smooth and effortless but at the same time it chops and changes whenever it pleases. tUnE-yArDs may have traded James Brown soul (Bizness) for How To Dress Well-flavoured RnB, but it still sounds undeniably like Merrill Garbus on her A game.

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St. Vincent- Lithium (Nirvana Cover)

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Listen Up! is the(in)terns way of giving a song the isolated attention it deserves. It's the track that says stop what you're doing and slow dance, grind or head thrash immediately. Our first Listen Up! is from the incomparable Annie Clarke, otherwise known as St. Vincent. April 5th marked 20 years since Kurt Cobain's death. In memorandum, St. Vincent took on the ballsy task of covering Nirvana's Lithium at a show in Chicago. It's a far cry from the left-field, brassy pop of her latest self-titled effort, but she slays. The chorus is one that even Courtney Love would be pleased with. It's everything it should be: angst-driven, angry and anxious. Clarke sticks close to the original, taking the beast on head-first and wins. The recording is low-quality but it adds a certain lo-fi charm.

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Shura, Young Franco, KLO & Sway Clarke II

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"I'm new here", sang Gil Scott-Heron on the title track to his penultimate record. Newbies gives us the chance to introduce those that are just beginning to scratch the surface of the music-world. It's our chance to introduce them to you and hopefully light the flame to a beautiful and fulfilled musical relationship.

Each week, we'll bring you four up and comers. It's your job to tell us: unsubstantiated hype or glorious potential. As always, first impressions count. Meet this weeks Newbies below.

youngfranco

[soundcloud]https://soundcloud.com/yfrnco/sets/futurefunk-ep[/soundcloud]

This 19 year-old producer from Brisbane has been making waves for almost a year but a new EP and a few stellar remixes have moved Young Franco to the tips of many peoples tongue. He dropped his debut EP Futurefunk this year and is joining Alison Wonderland on her mostly sold-out Australian tour of warehouses. His soundcloud reveals an impressive resume including remixes of Broods and Major Lazer and his own nu-disco-inspired, bass-throbbers. Australians are eating up this brand of summery, groove-infused production and he’s likely to have a big year ahead of him. He joins a host of young Australian DJs transforming the national dance music spectrum alongside Wave Racer, LDRU and Motez

For fans of: Motez, Todd Terje, Classixx

Avoid if: The Flume revolution is driving you towards insanity

What’s next: A national tour with Alison Wonderland. Catch dates here.

Shura1

Often all it takes to captivate is one songs and that’s certainly the case for young Brit, Shura. Touch has been out for under a month and it’s already captured the hearts of all/98 per cent of people that met ears with it. It’s also being played on Radio 1- the holy grail of British radio. And how? Purely on the merit of the song. It’s a slinky, soulful pop track that is instantly infectious. The video emulates the theme of intimacy that permeates the song with grace and style. In other words, if you like watching people smooch- hit play.

A quick google of Shura lead me to find out that it means ‘consultation’ in Arabic- I’ve racked my brain for how or why that relates to their sound and have turned up nothing. The moral: I need to quit Google.

For fans of: How To Dress Well, Blood Orange, SZA

Avoid if: you’re not a fan of up close and personal

What’s next: Hopefully a second track as buttery as this

swayclarkeII

[soundcloud]https://soundcloud.com/sway-clarke-ii/idnm[/soundcloud]

Still salivating from Miguel’s delicious cover of Bennie and the Jets? Then this Toronto-born, Berlin-based soul-man may be just the remedy. Two tracks down, he’s impressed both times with a Franck-Ocean brand of sporadic R&B. His latest track, Secret Garden, powers along with a hard-hitting piano line in the same vein as Bennie and the Jets. He cites his influences as everything from Peter Gabriel to Deadmau5 to Jay Z and it shows. He sounds like an old-soul operating in the contemporary realm, similar to what Damon Albarn did with Bobby Womack on The Bravest Man In The Universe. His dark reworking of Kendrick Lamar’s Swimming Pools is proof that Sway Clarke’s capabilities are potentially endless.

For fans of: Frank Ocean, Miguel, Solange

Avoid if: You’re still hurting from Frank Ocean’s Splendour In The Grass cancellation

What’s Next: He’s just done and handful of shows with HAIM but there have been no extensive tour announcements yet. Hold tight, I say.

klo

[soundcloud]https://soundcloud.com/klomusic/make-me-wonder[/soundcloud]

Like Shura, Klo are likely to extend to a mass audience off the back of one song. Make Me Wonder was released last week and it has already amassed close to 20,000 plays on Soundcloud. And rightly so. It’s an impressive debut built from dazed beats and crawling vocals. Make Me Wonder is one of those sleepy growers that charms with every listen, slowly infiltrating.

Klo are another notch in the belt of Aussies likely to take over the world. Hopefully the Melbourne duo hurry up and tour their homeland before they run of overseas to please a growing mass of fans.

For fans of: SOHN, Tinashe, SAFIA

Avoid if: You have chronic fatigue

What’s next: Only a week has passed since track one. We’ll have to wait and see.

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