NxWorries, the duo of Anderson .Paak and Knxwledge, have announced their sophomore album: Why Lawd? arrives on June 7 via Stones Throw. It follows their 2016 debut Yes Lawd!. Lead single ’86Sentra’ comes with an animated visual by Rhymezlikedimez, which you check out below.
Album Review: Vampire Weekend, ‘Only God Was Above Us’
Vampire Weekend might be the last band of the mid-’00s indie boom you’d expect would open an album with the words “Fuck the world.” The first song on Only God Was Above Us, ‘Ice Cream Piano’ – “In dreams, I scream piano,” the chorus goes – is by no means an attempt to come off as fatalistically youthful or hardcore, despite the purported influence of the Minutemen on a new offshoot Ezra Koenig and his bandmates Chris Baio and Chris Tomson have been teasing. Koenig sings the line softly, from the perspective of a careful observer – “You said it quiet/ No one could hear you/ No one but me.” Yet there’s no doubt he, like most of us, have at some point related to the sentiment, even if you’re more prone to cursing under your breath than screaming at the top of your lungs. Koenig, who turns forty this month, isn’t embracing maturity by distancing himself from the characters he embodies – he does it by leaning in and zoning out at the same time, neither vindictive nor defensive, not quite impersonal but never actually confessing. He’s been that “angry child,” of course, but that’s only the start of the journey, and he’s got a limited time frame to relay it.
He’s waited, though, and for good reason: “If all you’re doing is making music, what’s the music about?” Koenig has said, explaining why, beyond the obvious burnout, he’s no longer intent on releasing albums back to back. Since Vampire Weekend’s last album, 2019’s Father of the Bride, Koenig has lived in New York City, Tokyo, London, and Los Angeles, and he wrote and recorded parts of the new album in all those cities. Only New York creeps into its lyric sheet in any tangible way, however, but more as a reference point, a temporary home base, the ghost of which is more fascinating than the reality Koenig currently faces or even grew up in. ‘The Surfer’, for instance, references Water Tunnel No. 3, a water-supply tunnel that has been under construction since 1970 and is expected to be completed in 2032; ‘Prep-School Gangsters’ takes its title from a 1966 New York magazine cover story about, according to its subheading, “some of New York’s richest kids join[ing] forces with some of its poorest.” Koenig isn’t digging up these stories for thematic commentary so much as he is drawn by their cross-generational appeal: “Somewhere in your family tree/ There was someone just like me,” he sings on the latter.
If Koenig’s lifestyle has informed what the album’s about, it’s in the feelings he conveys. The songs careen between restlessness and a kind of hazy solitude, both states that either distract or force us to ascribe meaning to our lives. At first glance, the lead singles ‘Capricorn’ and ‘Gen-X Cops’ exist on opposite ends of the spectrum. The first is meditative and expansive, capturing the oddly particular tone of a line like, “Sifting through centuries/ For moments of your own.” Though it arrives early on the album, a sense of exhaustion has already set in, steering the protagonist away from rage and towards an alternative path: kinder, more genuine, and above all effortless. Even on ‘Gen-X Cops’, the buzziest, most driving song on the album, Koenig sounds doomed, not energized, by the pace at which everything moves: “Forever cursed to live unrelaxed” is definitely a line a guy whose “passion in life is chilling” would sing. (Rock stars: they’re just like us.) But the song that’s most direct and solemn in its vulnerability is ‘Connect’, which sees Koenig pondering, “Is it strange I can’t connect?/ It isn’t strange but I could check,” as if he simply is talking about a technical connection. “I need it now,” he sings, accompanying himself in a high-pitched voice that can be misheard, just as affectingly, as “I need to know.”
An older Vampire Weekend might have left the song at three minutes, but just as it winds down, the band picks it up again, as if rearranging it from broken pieces and muffled memories. Making up for the gap between albums, 2013’s Modern Vampires of the City and Father of the Bride were both stylistic swerves: one darker and strangely haunted, the other sprawling and casually vibrant. But Only God Was Above Us is the band’s first album since Contra that’s more interested in merging and retaining qualities from different eras; though lyrically and thematically, strongest are the echoes of Modern Vampires, and there’s even a beautiful ballad, ‘Mary Boone’, that feels like a descendant of ‘Hannah Hunt’. The record is focused yet loose, joyful and noisy, anxious yet curiously unfazed. It finds a definition of “alternative” that’s entirely contingent on the band’s own trajectory and musical language, which it unsettles mainly by playing with two elements: distortion – whether sputtering through ‘Ice Cream Piano’ or abrading the bright touch of ‘Classical’ – and space.
The album ends with Vampire Weekend’s longest song to date, the eight-minute ‘Hope’, which might seem like an obvious conclusion to a record beginning with “Fuck the world.” But it’s bolder in stretching that sentiment out, the refrain of “I hope you let it go” simply threading each verse rather than necessarily growing in conviction. In an interview, Koenig described optimism as fatalism taken to the extreme, rather than its opposite: “There’s fatalism – the world is a chaotic place and isn’t that terrible? And then there’s optimism – the world is a chaotic place, and you gotta surf that wave.” Only God Was Above Us not only illustrates this point, but makes it easier to surrender to that hopeful resolve, even if you’ll have to let it go, too.
Charli XCX Releases New Songs ‘Club Classics’ and ‘B2B’
Charli XCX has dropped a pair of singles, ‘Club Classics’ and ‘B2B’, that will appear on her upcoming album Brat. The Crash follow-up, which was led by ‘Von Dutch’, now also has a release date: June 7. Listen to the new songs and check out Brat‘s tracklist below.
Brat Tracklist:
1. 360
2. Club classics
3. Sympathy is a knife
4. I might say something stupid
5. Talk talk
6. Von dutch
7. Everything is romantic
8. Rewind
9. So I
10. Girl, so confusing
11. Apple
12. B2b
13. Mean girls
14. I think about it all the time
15. 365
Finom Unveil Video for New Song ‘As You Are’
Finom – the Chicago-based band formerly known as Ohmme – have dropped ‘As You Are’, the second offering from their forthcoming LP Not God. Following lead single ‘Haircut’, the song comes with a video shot by Jake Saner on Super 8 film. Check it out below.
“‘As You Are’ is about getting lost in the creative imagination of childhood,” the band’s Sima Cunningham said in a statement. “It’s about the profound and almost obsessive love you have for your first best friend.”
Not God will be out on May 24 via Joyful Noise Recordings.
Iron & Wine Releases New Song ‘Anyone’s Games’
Iron & Wine has unveiled the third single from his forthcoming album Light Verse. ‘Anyone’s Game’, which follows previous entries ‘You Never Know’ and the Fiona Apple-featuring ‘All in Good Time’, arrives with an animated visual directed by Callum Scott-Dyson. Check it out below.
“I used card cutouts in terms of the stop motion style, hand drawing the elements before cutting out and animating them,” Scott-Dyson explained in a statement. “I wanted the video to explore themes of evolution, the cyclical nature of life, falling in love and break ups, as well as life sometimes feeling like a game of chance.”
Light Verse, Iron & Wine’s first proper album in seven years, is due April 26 on Sub Pop.
Pet Shop Boys Share New Single ‘Dancing Star’
Pet Shop Boys have shared ‘Dancing Star’, the second single from their upcoming album Nonetheless. Following lead offering ‘Loneliness’, the song was inspired by ballet dancer Rudolf Nureyev, who defected from the Soviet Union in 1961 and became a global star. Check it out below.
Nonetheless, the follow-up to 2020’s Hotspot, is set to arrive on April 26 via Parlophone.
Draag Announce New EP, Share New Single ‘Orb Weaver’
Draag have announced a new EP, Actually, the quiet is nice, sharing the lead single ‘Orb weaver’ along with the news. Following the Los Angeles band’s 2023 debut Dark Fire Heresy, the EP arrives on May 17, ahead of a run of dates supporting Wednesday. It marks their first release on Julia’s War, the Philadelphia label run by They Are Gutting a Body of Water. Listen to ‘Orb weaver’ below.
“Jess and I go on night walks in our neighborhood often, probably because there’s no one around and we are obsessed with the eerie nostalgic quality of empty neighborhoods,” Adrian Acosta said in a statement. “One summer, it was very hard to walk without running into a big orb weaver web. I have a severe fear of spiders. I used the night walks as a form of therapy but it got me in a fearful state instead and dwelling on dark thoughts.”
Actually, the quiet is nice EP Cover Artwork:
Actually, the quiet is nice EP Tracklist:
1. Your light
2. Orb weaver
3. The day has come
4. Recharge
5. Microgravity tank
6. My hell
4 Most Iconic Watches Used in Movies
You can guess one or two things about a character in a movie based on their excellent wardrobe choices. While you might not notice a watch on a character even with a good wardrobe sense, they have a subtle way of influencing your thoughts. Here’s a short exploration of the most iconic watches used in movies.
Omega Seamaster Co-Axial used by James Bond in Casino Royale
Casino Royale is among the long list of James Bond movies, and the Omega watch featured is the most iconic in the 007 collection. The watchmakers created the watches to honour the James Bond movie franchise, which starred Daniel Craig as 007. The two watches worn by 007 are a Seamaster Planet Ocean 600M co-axial and a Seamaster Diver 300M with a co-axial chronometer. The 300M co-axial is a masterpiece dive watch featuring a prominent blue dial and wave patterns to give an aquatic feel.
In the film, James Bond puts on this watch while he plays poker with Le Chiffre in Montenegro. While at the table, he uses the Omega watch to detect cheating and then wins back his money from the villain (Le Chiffre). Apart from the watch, the game of poker also gained more popularity due to this franchise, as many poker variations have been created ever since. This is prevalent at online casinos like Nordis Casino which offers a vast library including slots, table and other card games. Players also benefit from some bonus offerings that enhance gameplay.
TAG Heuer 1000 by Jordan Belfort in Wolf of Wall Street
This movie portrays Jordan Belfort’s character as affluent, using the same language this Swiss watch speaks. Swiss watches are likened to wealth and success. In the movie, only Belfort wore this brand, unlike most of his investors.
Leonardo DiCaprio is an ambassador for the TAG Heuer brand. He wore a real, but less expensive version as an imitation of the actual one owned by Jordan Belfort.
Orfina Porsche Design Chronograph 1 by Maverick in Top Gun
Swiss watch manufacturer Orfina designed this watch in collaboration with the movie. The watch’s maker’s motto was ‘speedometer on the wrist’, so they wanted a watch with crystal-clear readability.
Tom Cruise’s portrayal of Maverick, the main character, expresses his precision flight style through the Orfina Porsche Watch. Years after the movie, the Pilot Chronograph Top Gun IW389101 was released based on inspiration from the one worn in the film. The manufacturer designed the Pilot version to withstand changes in pressure and rapid aerial manoeuvres in the air, making it suitable for pilots.
Omega La Magique by Tony Montana in Scarface
Al Pacino played Tony Montana, who doesn’t play by the rules. He put on this watch with a gold face and strap, illustrating his ambition and taste for great taste.
The watch face is almost entirely transparent, with a rectangular case that distinguishes it from others. Also, the design achieved a clever engineering finish, which places the quartz movement off-centre from the dial. The Omega La Magique had a premium effect on Tony Montana more than a traditional luxury would.
Revealing Resistance: The Art of Protest in Claire Zou’s Mask Creations
In times of turmoil, artists have often found solace and strength in their craft, channeling their creativity into forms of expression that resonate with the masses. Claire Zou, a visionary artist, and her copy partner Marty Allen have harnessed the power of art to protest and provoke change, particularly amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Through a unique blend of design, messaging, and activism, Zou and her team spearheaded an art project that not only adorned faces but also amplified voices during a critical period in history.
The project, aptly titled “Speak Up Mask Up”, emerged from the cacophony of voices yearning to be heard during the pandemic. Zou, in collaboration with her partner, embarked on a journey to infuse meaning and significance into the ubiquitous accessory of our time – the face mask. Recognizing the dual purpose of masks – as a protective barrier against the virus and a canvas for expression – Zou set out to create designs that would not only shield wearers but also convey poignant messages of dissent and solidarity.
At the heart of Zou’s designs lay a thematic thread woven with threads of resistance, resilience, and justice. Each mask bore striking visuals and punchy slogans, drawing inspiration from the socio-political climate, including excerpts from the rhetoric of then-President Trump. Through a fusion of illustration and type design, Zou transformed mere fabric into powerful statements, encapsulating the zeitgeist of the moment.
One particularly poignant design featured the word “enough,” with the letter “O” crafted into a screaming mouth, symbolizing the collective outcry against injustices. This creative amalgamation of form and function imbued wearers with a sense of agency, allowing them to amplify their voices without uttering a single word. Moreover, the act of donning these masks became a symbolic act of protest against the Trump administration’s dismissive stance towards the pandemic, further fueling the fervor of dissent.
However, Zou’s project transcended mere symbolism; it was a call to action. Through the sale of these artfully crafted masks, Zou and her team raised over $500 for Act Blue, a political fundraising platform supporting progressive causes. Additionally, they leveraged digital platforms by creating Giphy stickers, enabling individuals to virtually try on the masks and join the movement from anywhere in the world.
The impact of Zou’s project reverberated far beyond the confines of art galleries or protest rallies. It sparked conversations, challenged norms, and empowered individuals to reclaim their voices in a time of uncertainty. Furthermore, it underscored the transformative potential of art as a catalyst for social change, transcending linguistic barriers and uniting diverse communities under a common cause.
As inquiries poured in even after the masks were sold out, it became evident that Zou’s project had struck a chord with people yearning for avenues to express their dissent and solidarity. Through “Speak Up Mask Up,” Claire Zou not only adorned faces but also emboldened voices, leaving an indelible mark on the canvas of history. In a world where silence can be complicated, her art stands as a beacon of resistance and resilience, urging us all to speak up and stand together in pursuit of a more just and equitable society.
Rare Carat: Best Diamond Website
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