As far as postmodern hip-hop goes, the New York foursome Anti-Pop Consortium are in a league of one. The boundary-pushing experimenters reunited a few years ago. The blazing "Capricorn One" is the first fruits of their fall recording Fluorescent Black. The highly-antcipated LP is the crew's first full-length since 2002's Arrhythmia. Big Dada is releasing the 17-track black hole on October 13th. South London rapper/labelmate Roots Manuva (Rodney Smith) spits some verses on "NY to Tokyo." Check out the spacey album artwork to the right; and here's the tracklist.
Fluorescent Black:
01 Lay Me Down 02 New Jack Exterminator 03 Reflections 04 Shine 05 C Thru U 06 Volcano 07 Timpani 08 The Solution 03 Get Lite 10 NY to Tokyo [feat. Roots Manuva] 11 SuperUnfrontable 12 Born Electric 13 Apparently 14 End Game 15 Capricorn One 16 Dragunov 17 Fluorescent Black
The Knife
“Colouring Pigeons” (from Tomorrow, in a Year) Video
Swedish brother-sister duo The Knife are scoring an "electro-opera," inspired by naturalist Charles Darwin. It's set to premiere in Copenhagen September 2nd but here's a truncated sampler. "Colouring Pigeons," assumably a segment from the larger stage piece, Tomorrow, in a Year. Par the course, it sounds like a hollowed-out Knife track. Karin Dreijer's wordless, clipped vocals bound back and forth sort of like Atari's PONG. Jungle drums and spectral snyths interplay in the background. I can't wait to hear more. Karin aka Fever Ray was featured in our Spring '09 issue.
Remember those amoeba-y dancers that flailed around Animal Collective during their Letterman performance in May? Well, they're back and they brought veiny plastic bubbles with them. The official video for “Summertime Clothes,” is a strobe-lit wonder, with a creepy ice sculpture overseeing the proceedings. Get prepared to have your mind blown folks. The amoebas are from the Brooklyn-based FLEX dance troupe, and the video was directed by longtime AC conspirator Danny Perez. Panda Bear, Geologist, and Avey Tare aren't in the clip at all but the Collective were featured in Under the Radar's Winter '09 issue. If you haven't listened to Merriweather Post Pavilion yet you should be ashamed of yourself! It's out on Domino now.
Neko Case
“This Tornado Loves You” (Live on “The Tonight Show With Conan O’Brien”) Video
First things first, I love you Audio Perv! Last night on Conan O'Brien Neko Case performed Middle Cyclone's "This Tornado Loves You." She was accompanied by two backup singers and her touring sextet. I have to say that O'Brien's got a swanky setup for live performances and it especially suits Case's particular strand of Americana. Stay for Case's impressive vocal finish. Middle Cyclone is out now on ANTI-. Case and her crew are finishing up the last leg of their U.S. tour, which includes a stopover at Bonnaroo this Sunday (June 14th).
Wye Oak
The Knot Stream MP3
Jun 11, 2009
The sophomore LP from Baltimore lovebirds/two-piece Wye Oak is now streaming at Merge Records. The Knot finds Jenn Wasner and Andy Stack unspooling more hazy Americana soundscapes. The new albumarrives July 21, but you can hear it by clicking right here. (via Idolator)
While Depeche Mode successfully battled with sickness on the road, the new video for "Peace," takes a similiar war-torn aesthetic. The Sounds of the Universe track follows a female soldier coming to grips with civilian life. As she washes dishes at a grimy diner she's haunted by what's she's seen on the battlefield. The video was filmed in Romania with actress Maria Dinulescu. Depeche Mode was one of the Detection bands in our Spring issue. (via Stereogum)
Here's a recent Dead Oceans signee that could pass for Akron/Family's little brother or cousin or a really cuddly version of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah perhaps. Portland's Nurses craft hooky psych pop on their new longplayer, Apple's Acre (out August 4th) but "Caterpillar Playground" is the true standout. Songwriting twosome Aaron Chapman and John Bowers orbit a great Rhodes piano line around koo-koo clock-like whistling and the occasional outburst of chimes. It's playful in all the right ways. I'm sure this lil' guy would dig it.
Canadian electronic group, Faunts, get a summery tropical techno remix from Lemonade on the delicious title track off Feel.Love.Thinking.Of. We featured Faunts in our Spring issue's Pleased to Meet You section.
As far as postmodern hip-hop goes, the New York foursome 
