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![[Watch] HUMANS - "333AM"](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61cb91c18cbd5c31ee4ab0fd/1671498509556-QIBAPJ9O8VYRBJ68ESIY/image-asset.jpeg)
[Watch] HUMANS - "333AM"
Love love love that I was literally just thinking about HUMANS this morning and then here they are in my inbox with a brand spankin new track!
Rounding out their series of singles that came before this latest track, "Water Water" and "Bout Chu", "333AM" is yet another vibey jam that is begging to be played in the darkest and sweatiest underground nightclub one can find.
In anticipation of the official release of their new track, HUMANS put together another sexy video of people in their dope ass bomber jackets roaming around New York, which you can watch below.
Oh oh and speaking of the dope ass bomber jacket in the "333AM" video, apparently they sold out of the "Water Water" design so now you can buy a "333AM" one which is still as hella tight as it is expensive. Bummer that these are going on sale now that summer is fast approaching, but I guess sometimes we suffer for fashion anyway, right?
ugh I neeeeeeddd it. who wants to get me a belated bday present? ;)
I am also happy to relay that the duo have prepped a series of EPs that will be released this summer courtesy of their freshly inked deals with Haven Sounds and Mom + Pop Music. More on those EPs once I have more deets.
I am going to do my best to ignore that somehow I missed their North American tour and that they were in Brooklyn 2 weeks ago otherwise I am going to get very upset. Good news for you folks in Canada though as they have some dates coming up in late May/early June with , so make sure you're a better fan than I am and hit that shit up.
More HUMANS updates coming soon!
Upcoming HUMANS tour dates:
May 29 - Vancouver, BC - Malkin Bowl w/ RÜFÜS DU SOL and Fakear
June 7 - Edmonton, AB - Union Hall w/ RÜFÜS DU SOL and Beach Season
June 8 - Calgary, AB - Palace Theatre w/ RÜFÜS DU SOL and Beach Season
June 24 - Toronto, ON - NXNE at the Portlands w/ Passion Pit, River Tiber, Yukon Blonde, etc.
![[Listen] VOWWS - "Heartbreaker"](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61cb91c18cbd5c31ee4ab0fd/1671498521884-0UQW30UNY3UD92XCHYF6/image-asset.jpeg)
[Listen] VOWWS - "Heartbreaker"
VOWWS @ AVIV days before it closed for good :(
WELL WELL WELL LOOK WHAT THE GRIM REAPER DRAGGED IN!
I don't want to hear about how your Tuesday feels like a Monday WE HAVE NEW MUSIC FROM VOWWS SO THAT'S JUST NOT POSSIBLE.
I feel like the last time I saw my little darklings at the second to last show at AVIV (RIP RIP RIP) that they previewed this new song, "Heartbreaker". Either way, uh... shit yes this is so good.
It's been more than a minute since the darkest duo released their debut album, The Great Sun, but you can tell from, "Heartbreaker" that while they've really dug their heels into this sound that they've carved out for themselves that from a lyrical standpoint they're continuing to trek out into deeper waters.
As Rizz explained to Blackbook (or unveiled in a press release that my ass has yet to receive),
"[Heartbreaker is] about cults of personality and the manipulation and control that goes along with them. Devoting yourself completely to someone else’s vision of the world can give a feeling of safety and protection; but it’s false, poisonous and ruins you from the inside. The world is now dominated by extremes that are pulling us further apart, unmooring us from anything real – we’ve created our own disease and are killing off the cure. We wanted to capture that in a song.”
Couldn't agree with you more, girl. KEEP THOSE TRUTHS COMING. We need y'all.
MORE WONDERFUL NEWS: these kids are heading out on tour in February in support of White Lies! I am especially excited that they will be playing Music Hall of Williamsburg on February 2nd because MHoW is stones throw away from the last venue they played at in NYC (Cameo Gallery) before they packed up and shipped off to LA and actually started getting the attention they so rightfully deserve!
We've come a long way, babykids <3
Which VOWWS show will YOU be at? It's okay if you say all of them. I'll just be jealous forever.
[2016 Recap] A Few Of My Favorite Things
bless Topsters for assembling this graphic infinitely easier than prior years
Surpriiiiseee!! I'm going to do my year end wrap up differently than most of the ones I've seen. Mostly because I have so many to share, but mostly because I like to let the music do the talking and help you get better connected to the artists themselves. Instead of recaps of each record, I'm going to point you to my favorite tracks so if any of these are new to your ears you'll have the best starting point I can give you.
Personal Observations for 2016
This was a weird year for me in terms of listening/discovery habits. Instead of fighting against music consumption trends, I decided to play along. I dove head first into my Discover Weekly playlist. I even followed some of my friends' in order to see what I would find and set up an IFTTT recipe to archive everything recommended to me so I could go back and reference it later if I wanted. I barely touched my SKOA inbox, which probably upset a lot of publicists. Anyway, according to Last.FM's data (since Spotify never ended up sending me mine), I listened to 1,919 new artists this year, which is ABSOLUTELY INSANE. But really when you think about how much music Discover Weekly puts in front of you, it's really less than what everyone had the potential to check out (which is 1,560 if you figure we get 30 new tracks a week for a year). I am in the 98th percentile in music listening per Last.FM (meaning I listen to more music than 98% of people who still scrobble to Last.FM) and I found myself panicky and overwhelmed by the sheer volume of music that Spotify thinks I can get through on TOP of the music I already love and want to enjoy, or the random rabbit holes I end up falling into that typically bring me great new baby bands. I guess most people approach Discover Weekly differently than I do, letting artists come and go as they please, but knowing the transformative power that music possesses, I'm always wary of passing on an opportunity to be affected and share those experiences with others.
It's crazy to think that 20% of what stuck with me this year was randomly generated by The Algorithm and not delivered to me by humans. I almost said that the human delivery was through cosmic forces, but really, if music finds its way to your ears/hearts by friend or by Algorithm, both are cosmic in a way, no?
This is my struggle at present. I value the connection that happens when a humans experience music together, whether it be by recommendation or attending shows together. I worry this experience will continue to be diminished the more we silo ourselves into our algorithm-based echo chambers. I really hope I'm just out of touch and someone will point me to where this is the opposite, but I can't ignore how self-serving shows feel now every time I treat myself to a Night Out. This has been on my heart/mind too much lately to ignore it, so expect some changes to how things go down on the site (starting with making more time for this now that my new job isn't crazy busy for awhile).
What music moved you this year? Did you like some of these records but different tracks? I'd honestly love to know so please drop me a comment. Also if you want more than favorite tracks out of me for these records, feel free to bug me on Twitter I am happy to share!
My Favorite Things Of 2016
![[Watch] Wrabel - "11 Blocks" (Lyric Video)](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61cb91c18cbd5c31ee4ab0fd/1671499183651-W4PZCSPDI9UO14U5LJJM/image-asset.jpeg)
[Watch] Wrabel - "11 Blocks" (Lyric Video)
stolen from Wrabel's Instagram, taken by the also incredibly talented Mr. Hudson
I was honestly getting worried for a moment there that we'd never hear from Wrabel again after his debut EP. Turns out fam just needed a moment to find himself.
As you recall from my live encounter with him almost 2 years ago, the kid's pipes and overall presence stuck with me more so than the EP I stumbled across on Rdio (RIP) on a random New Music Tuesday. That said, it's important to remember that just because you have excellent songwriting skills and a powerful voice doesn't mean you're a qualified producer, arranger, etc. Kid had to find the sound that was the most himself.
"I Want You" clearly taught him that he doesn't want his fans to sit still, but our friend with his small tuff of curly goldie locks knew that it wasn't *just right* yet.
Enter: "11 Blocks", which just dropped today. Not an EDM anthem, but not solely a piano pounder either. It's just right because it's finally him, all the way down to the hand written lyric video complete with his signature doodles one could find on his Instagram (or his body for that matter) at any given moment.
No more auto tune or chest rattling bass, just an authentic representation of his talents carefully crafted together with the help of some people who took the time to invest in his talents the way that we should be doing with every single artist we choose to get behind.
Every artist should be able to say, "it's me. it feels like me." with every single thing they put out. I'm very excited that you all are able to finally see what I was able to see for myself on September 10th, 2014 at Rockwood Music Hall Stage 2.
💖YAY WRABEL!💖
Now that you've fallen in love DON'T FORGET TO, YOU KNOW...
GO BUY IT.
(Also, you should follow him on Snapchat because his #content is 🔥🔥🔥🔥 I am just saying.)
#NewMusicFriday Guide - 04/29/2016
You Wont - Revolutionaries
My two new favorite goofballs put out an album today! You Won't isn't officially #SKOAfam yet, but don't worry, it will happen soon enough. Maybe at one of their two shows in NYC next week? Talk about being #blessed! Anyway, this record could not have come out at a better time. The winter is finally leaving us, it's getting warm out, and you'll find yourself reaching for this record when the sun is sittin' pretty on your face. It's got the right amount of twang that will make you shake your groove thang just like this:
Aesop Rock - The Impossible Kid
I have been thoroughly looking forward to this album since the second I heard "Rings" a few months back. The payoff for patiently waiting was certainly worth it, especially with last week's album stream, which was the most excellent of previews/"spoilers". ICYMI, it's a shot by shot recreation of The Shining and you absolutely have to see it for yourself if you haven't already because it's amazing.
I will be counting down the minutes till I get to hear this live at Irving Plaza on June 13th, that's for sure. Nice work, Aesop!
Brian Eno - The Ship
Our electro-lord has released more music today. Do I really need to tell you about this? You should know about this already. I am just making sure because our, um, Views are a little obstructed right now on the internet...if you know what I mean.
I really liked Ghost Culture's self-titled album from last year so I was pleasantly surprised to learn that he had a couple of new tracks out today. These just further confirm that I need to own the self-titled on vinyl. I thought micropennies were enough love for this record, but his craftsmanship on both releases shines through enough that this is worth the shelf space for me.
Calvin Harris - "This Is What You Came For"
The jury is still out for me as to whether or not this is going to be *The Song Of The Summer*. This is subtly very awesome. It's really quite lovely. Rihanna's vocal is great. There is a reason why Calvin has a messload of sales plaques on his walls and it shows in the production value for this track. People will certainly listen to this a lot this summer.
All that said, it just... ehhhhhhh. I don't think lightning is going to strike twice for him + Rihanna. I will probably listen to this to get ready to go out, but not trip over myself to make sure I dance to it.
Zedd (feat. Kesha) - "True Colors"
Okay we need to have a discussion about this. I have seen too many people say that they're disappointed by this track considering this is Kesha's big return post- Dr. Luke drama.
Seriously? Shame on you. That just further shows how real the struggle is going to continue to be for Kesha because she was launched into stardom courtesy of some party anthems. You really think she was going to step out with a banger the second she was able to legally open her mouth?
Sit. Down.
Please take a moment to reflect on what she is saying and be grateful that she was able to create her way through a lot of pain. Also, let us be thankful that Zedd knew better than to try to make this about him by going big on the production. Sure, her return is more understated than was anticipated, but she even says so herself: "I've escaped my captor and I have no master."
Kesha, I'm glad you're back, bb.
Man Power - Planet Cock EP
You should know by now that in addition to trying to not be completely crushed under the weight of what goes through my inbox that I also just like skimming AllMusic to see what might look interesting. The pairing of an artist called Man Power with an EP called Planet Cock... I am clearly a grown up who did not laugh to myself at all...heh. That's a lie, obviously.
Clearly I had to give this a spin just for the sake of my sanity and it's actually pretty great. I've since had a look around at his catalog and intend to check out more of it in the weeks to come. I will probably start with his 2014 EP, Flacid Trax....
Sorry, it's Friday. I can't be an adult today to save my life. lmao
Magic Sword - The Legend EP
Holy shit I forgot this was even happening and now it's happened and I'm just a wreck. Apparently there was a little bit of darkness in me because The Seeker and The Keeper aka Magic Sword just SLAYED ME with this EP. Wow. Wow. Wow. I really have zero chill about this right now, jfc. This is the first of a series of EPs that also will have a correlating comic to continue to tell the Magic Sword saga. You can find the first one for their debut album, Volume I over on their website.
Holy good #Sheezus in heaven the guitar solos on "The Curse" quite literally have me unable to do anything other than shout, "GOOD LORD!" at the moment. WOW.
These guys were still one of the most fun interviews I ever did for #SKOARadio (not to mention the most hysterical meetup arrangements for an interview). I should probably not leave that committed to audio indefinitely.
Matt Lange - Patchwork
#SKOAfam Matt Lange has followed up last year's Emphemera LP with another gorgeous heady string of dark dancey tunes. It would appear the mau5trap has continued to be good for Lange from the sounds of this EP. This is *ABSOLUTELY* a record you listen to first with your good headphones because the homey has very meticulously pieced this all together, so this is me looking out for your your first play through to be the best it can be.
(This is terribly awkward that I'm realizing that I just featured two artists back to back with interviews that I aired on #SKOARADIO but never transcribed and shared through. I guess I know what I'm doing over the weekend....)
Holy Ghost! - Crime Cuts
Holy! Ghost!! is! back! I almost forgot this EP was coming out today but Twitter fam is always lookin' out for my ears, which I guess means they're looking out for yours, too. Anyway, YAY Brooklyn bands! This EP is solid. I really wish that Panorama weren't their only upcoming show in NYC at present. That is kind of like saying you can only have hot dogs inside Yankees Stadium in the summer or something imo. I'm sure more dates will be announced soon. Fingers crossed anyway.
Panty Raid - After Glow
lol I know why this record is called After Glow. It's because the album is pure sex and by the end of it you will be feeling the afterglow of what it did to you. I guess you could say the overall theme that Panty Raid is going for is being executed well.
![[Listen] Special Q - Play A Part EP (Full Album Stream)](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61cb91c18cbd5c31ee4ab0fd/1671499201583-IVLCSA6QI4GSZXPAC4X3/image-asset.jpeg)
[Listen] Special Q - Play A Part EP (Full Album Stream)
Soundcloud submissions are always a crapshoot, but man did I hit the jackpot with Special Q!!! Yes, I just used three exclamation points! That's how excited I am about this!
When I was in college I have this distinct memory browsing around the Tower Records in downtown Nashville when I came across the first VHS or Beta record, Le Funk. The packaging was fairly low-key except for this sticker on the jewel case that said, "The French stole our disco and we stole it back."
That sticker is what came to mind the second I hit play on Special Q. It's been a hot minute since I've given anything nu disco a shot, but this Venice, Italy-based producer has sure as hell stolen my attention.
AND HE'S GINGER!
That feels like a unicorn to me. I can't think of any Italian redheaded producer/DJs off the top of my head, can you? I mean that's not relevant to the fact that there are some serious ass vibey disco jams going on here. I will likely follow up with more selects from his current catalog, but for now, you definitely need to check out his Play A Part EP that dropped earlier this month on So French Records. "Summer Love" is just BEGGING for Poolside to give it their own retouch. I am going to be spending some quality time with Special Q and I hope you do the same.
![[Night Out + Interview] Austere Magazine Issue #17 Launch Party featuring Sam Lao @ Roll Gate Studio (04/09/2016)](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61cb91c18cbd5c31ee4ab0fd/1671499210903-MUM47RVAJOG67UXGT15L/image-asset.jpeg)
[Night Out + Interview] Austere Magazine Issue #17 Launch Party featuring Sam Lao @ Roll Gate Studio (04/09/2016)
Remember that "not #squad but gang" I rolled with to Humans? The majority of those crazy kids were all Texans who are part of a really beautiful magazine called Austere. They trekked out to Bushwick all the way from Dallas to throw a party for the 17th issue called URL/IRL, which HELLO is kind a little too fitting for yours truly to attend. In addition to various pieces curated together by Baby Art Gallery, one of my (now) new favorite experimental hip-hop artist, Sam Lao, also from Dallas, performed that evening.
Do you know Sam Lao? You should know Sam Lao. Especially if you're the type at person that feels you should never take shit from anyone who tries to discriminate against you for your race, gender, sexual orientation, etc. and that we all should be treated equally as humans.
I'd say she champions for equality, but really she's a feminist warrior. I was made known of this within the first 2 minutes of her set when she opened with the first track off her latest album, SPCTRM, "Reminder (Bitch I'm Me)", when she shouted the chorus, "Bitch I'm me! Bitch I'm me! Fuck what you want me to be!"
Um, SWOOOON.
In addition to being a singer/rapper, Lao touts herself as an alchemist, artist, and an outlier. She started out doing slam poetry in high school, which soon ended after she started college for her BFA in Visual Communications. Unfortunately, during her last semester in college she was forced to drop out because she couldn't afford tuition. "I was a month into the semester," she recounted, "I had already done the first project and I was getting ready [to graduate] and they were like, 'Nope you gotta get out. You haven't paid for it.'" Frustrated by her financial situation, this setback would leave her depressed to the point that she removed herself from all of her creative outlets. "I was doing nothing creatively and it was just like soul wrenching and terrible".
It was through the help of her friends in the music community that Lao was able to pull herself out of her depression by turning to music. "I always had a love for music but I never felt like I was good enough to pursue it," she explained, "It was just one of those like, 'Oh I'll just keep this little hobby here for myself and it makes me happy." Through some persuasion, she agreed to start writing in the studio with her friends. "[My music] just sort of blossomed from there." she said. In 2013, she released her first EP, West Pantego, to further pull herself out of depression.
According to Lao, the city of Dallas really took to the EP. "Suddenly I was performing all the time, I had all these shows and people were stopping me at random places [while I was out] to tell me how much they loved my music," she recounted, "So when it was time to make [SPCTRM] there was suddenly pressure there that wasn't in the beginning. That was a process to overcome. There was a lot of perceived outside pressure."
Just as she was wrapping up SPCTRM last fall, an unfortunate event that happens all too often to musicians happened to her: she lost her entire album due to a hard drive crash. "We were in the final mixing and mastering stages when I lost all the tracks," she explained, "Everything was gone. All I had was my lyrics." Over the course of the next 4 months Lao would remake her album from the ground up, complete with new beats and new music.
While her music is deeply rooted in hip-hop, Lao experiments mixing in various genres of her choosing. She's sampled Carlos Santa, Coldplay, and other artists in her music. "I like to listen to all different genres of music, so experimental hip-hop is a good sphere/little bubble there [to create in]," she said. Lyrically, she writes mostly about the experiences of women and the situations that the majority of women frequently endure. Songs like, "Pineapple" defiantly remind men that women aren't entitled to womens' bodies with lyrics like, "Don't police my areolas!", while a track like "Gold Link" calls out the absurdity of how taboo it still is for a woman to hit on a man while out at a club. While the subject matter may be forcefully feminist, according to Lao, she typically receives an equal amount of praise from both men and women after her performances.
I'm not sure when Sam Lao will be back in New York City but you can be assured that when she's back that you will be the first to hear about it.
Have a listen to her latest album, SPCTRM, below.
You can have a look at the photos from my night out with the latest addition to the #SKOAfam, Sam Lao, below.
#NewMusicFriday Guide - 04/15/2016
I wish I could explain to you how my big beautiful brain works when it comes to digging around to finding music. Just be thankful that I'm not afraid to waste a few hours of my day muttering, "This looks interesting! Why not give this a whirl?" before putting random things in my ears. This was a bit of a slow week in terms of new releases. I'm assuming because of Record Store Day that they opted to keep the awesome on the light side of things for the week.
Don Diablo feat. Dave Thomas Jr. - "Silence"
On the heels of the announcement that his label , Hexagon, has joined the Spinnin Records family, the homey Don Diablo dropped his latest track, "Silence" featuring Dave Thomas Jr on vocals (no relation to the Wendy's franchise, lol). It's been awhile since Diablo released something this downtempo. If his tracks are normally referred to as "bangers", then this song is most definitely a "stunner". Oh yeah, go read my interview with him. It's very good if you want to get to know someone really dang awesome.
Logan Takahashi - NoGeo
If the name Logan Takahashi sounds familiar, it's because he's one half of Teengirl Fantasy. It may also be because I included "Reckr" on this week's diSKOAver weekly playlist. Anyway, I happened to stumble across a preview of the album on Hype Machine last week. This record is very lovely and suits being on Ghostly International based on its subtle elegance. Just play the damn record already.
Ours - "Stronger" (from the Transformers Roll Out Soundtrack)
After their last full length, Mercy...Dancing For The Death Of An Imaginary Enemy was released in 2008, I kinda fell off with Ours. I enjoyed Jimmy Gnecco's solo record The Heart a good bit, despite not hitting up any of his Rockwood shows that I've seen in emails in the past year. Speaking of emails, I didn't know that this was going to be on the Transformers Roll Out Soundtrack until I got one about 2 hours ago. It's funny that this is coming to me 2 days after I geeked out spotting him at The Kills show at Warsaw.
Anyway, hi everyone. Jimmy Gnecco has a voice that should make him a household name. This is a good song. I know he's got some shows coming up at Rockwood soon. Sounds like I've got some advanced plans to make.
Larkin Poe - Reskinned
Yay for Larkin Poe release day! Their single, "Trouble In Mind", was well received amongst those following along the diSKOAver weekly playlist. I haven't spent a ton of time with the record to tell you which songs are my favorite, but if you liked "Trouble In Mind", you aren't going to be let down in the very least.
Mock Orange - "High Octane"
If you are an aging emo kid like me, your brain is skimming over the name of this band and is going, "Wait, like that Mock Orange?" Yes, that Mock Orange. As a #teen I REALLY REALLY liked The Record Play. It would appear that with all of the constant reuniting happening that bands we loved a decade ago are feeling a little brave and are coming out of hibernation to see if the internet will help them relocate their old fanbases. I am not upset in the least about this with regards to Mock Orange. "High Octane" is super great and will get you all aboard the hype train for their upcoming album, Put The Kid On The Sleepy Horse, which is out on May 20th. ARE YOU EXCITED ABOUT NEW MOCK ORANGE? I'm excited.
Black Plastic - Black Plastic
Okay so I am going to do more reconnaissance after I wrap up this post, but this was a case of "awesome by association" because Kevin Grady aka Black Plastic is on Cleopatra, which is the same label as VOWWS. I'd actually be curious to hear what those kids would do if they all got together to work on things. Regardless, this has this twinge of industrial that sort of fills the void that Binary left when they broke up. I want to listen to this more before I give it a final verdict, but so far so awesome, you know?