Frank Wu
Lost In The Sound Sessions: Nocturnal Me – “Love Is A Lie”
Dave Melillo of Nocturnal Me performed his band’s new single “Love Is A Lie” acoustically for us in a brand new Lost In The Sound Session. In his take of the song, Dave strips down the electric and funk influences of the original, leaving only his guitar and voice. It’s strikingly honest and a very personal take on the original track. Nocturnal Me’s new EP Two Faced will be released on July 19th via Apparition Records. You can preorder the EP here.
If you enjoyed this session, be sure to check out Nocturnal Me’s website, Twitter, and Bandcamp. Dave is also scheduled to perform the entire new EP live via Stickam tomorrow (the day of the EP’s release) at 9pm EST.
Video: Chiddy Bang – “Mind Your Manners”
Mind your manners and check out Chiddy and Xaph’s latest offering, a brand new lyric video for their summer-time single, “Mind Your Manners”. Chiddy Bang‘s Iconapop-sampling jam (produced by Xaphoon, of course) was first released to the world a few weeks ago to generate buzz for the Philadelphia duo’s highly-anticipated debut album, Breakfast, which will be released later this summer via EMI/Parlaphone.
The video features animated lyrics to the single and a wide assortment of breakfast foods in the background. Check it out after the break and remember to show your support for the two when the single drops on iTunes on the 19th. Another music video will be released for the song in the near future. Swelly!
Listen: Red Hot Chili Peppers – “The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie”
If blink-182‘s return wasn’t nostalgic enough for you, we now have “The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie”, the lead single from the Red Hot Chili Peppers‘ new album. I’m With You, out August 30th via Warner Bros. Records, will be the band’s tenth studio album and the first since Californication without John Frusciante on guitar. Nevertheless, Josh Klinghoffer’s guitar lines on the new single carry Frusciante overtones and the entire song sounds like a modern spin on the classic Chili Pepper funk. Welcome back, Chili Peppers.
You can listen to the song after the break, courtesy of KROQ.
Recommended: Nocturnal Me
When the original Cute Is What We Aim For lineup disbanded in 2009, bandmates Dave Melillo, Jeff Czum, and Mike Lasaponara joined together to form Nocturnal Me, a band with an incredibly varied, but surprisingly catchy music style. After adding bassist John Viavattine to the mix, the four-piece released two EPs and are currently gearing up for the release their third, a brand new EP entitled Two Faced. Blending a wide range of musical genres, Nocturnal Me produce pop music with funk, hip-hop, and rock roots to blur traditional boundaries with their own unique spin. Despite the variety of styles fused together in each song, Two Faced is an incredibly cohesive record of distinct-sounding tunes; one that shows plenty of promise for a band that is still refining their sound. With the band’s steadfast do-it-yourself mentality in mind, Nocturnal Me should continue to improve and grow in the near future.
Their new EP, Two Faced, is scheduled for a July 19th release via Apparition Records. You can listen to lead single “Love Is A Lie” below.
Listen: blink-182 – “Up All Night”
Pop-punk legends blink-182 have just premiered “Up All Night”, the first single from their upcoming sixth studio album and the band’s first in eight years. “Up All Night” has actually existed in some form since 2009, but was never actually released because the band never finished recording it.
Two years later, the song has finally been released in its full form, with the band posting it on their official website and debuting it on Los Angeles radio station KROQ. “Up All Night” sounds like classic Blink — not the energetic, fun Blink you hear on their other lead singles — but that’s forgivable considering the fact that the band has already been around for nearly two decades. Times have changed, and we’re okay with it.
What do you think? You can listen to the single after the break.
Listen: Wale – “Bad Girls Club (feat. J. Cole)”
If you remember Wale‘s debut album, the DC rapper was completely outdone by guest feature J. Cole on “Beautiful Bliss”. Mr. Folarin obviously wasn’t that embarrassed, as “Bad Girls Club”, the first official single from Ambition, once again features J. Cole. This time, however, Cole doesn’t completely outrap Wale, with pretty lackluster verses all around. Check it out for yourself below.
Ambition, Wale’s first album on Maybach Music Group, is set to be released this fall.
Video: Cults – “Go Outside”
I love Cults. Not in a creepy way, of course. More in a “this song is my jam” kind of way. So when I saw that “Go Outside”, the same song that launched the duo onto everyone’s radar last year, finally received a music video, I was incredibly excited to check it out. The video was directed by Isaiah Seret and contains footage from Jim Jones’ religious cult, Peoples Temple. For the first time, the band’s name and the word “cult” merge, and it’s awesome. Check out the video below.
Download: Wugazi – ’13 Chambers’ (Wu-Tang Clan x Fugazi)
Wugazi, the mashup project of Cecil Otter (of Doomtree fame) and Swiss Andy, have just released their album 13 Chambers. Wu-Tang Clan acapellas from their legendary Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) album are paired with Fugazi tracks from fan-favorite 13 Songs, resulting in thirteen fantastic mixes.
I know what you’re thinking: you’re tired of all these Wu-Tang mixes. This isn’t the first mashup of the Wu and I can guarantee you that it won’t be the last, but the unique pairing of punk-rock and rap make this album a must-listen. Check out “Sleep Rules Everything Around Me”, “Sweet Release”, and “Forensic Shimmy” below for a preview.
Download:
Direct
Listen: Theophilus London – “I Stand Alone”
Timez are indeed getting a bit weird as Theophilus London‘s debut album approaches its release date of July 19th. When a snippet of a brand new Theophilus track was included in the HBO trailer for season two of How To Make It In America, we were all eager to hear the full version. Now, first single “I Stand Alone” has debuted in its full form… on Wired.com?
It’s certainly an odd place for the Brooklyn rapper to debut his first single, but nevertheless, check out the jam below.
Video: Shabazz Palaces – “Bop Hard (Live at KEXP)”
Sub Pop-signed avante-garde rap group Shabazz Palaces unleashed a brand new song, “Bop Hard”, while making a stop at Seattle’s KEXP radio station the other day. The song features lush instrumentation and Palaceer Lazaro’s thought-provoking rhymes. If you aren’t already familiar with the group’s catalog, now would be a good time to check out their newly-released debut album, Black Up, out now via Sub Pop. It’s been hailed by many to be this year’s greatest rap album.
Check out the live performance of “Bop Hard” below.
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