Radiohead Provoke Immense Sorrow on 'A Moon Shaped Pool'

Chameleons of genre, icons of self-redefinition, dealers of some of the bravest decisions made in music history; the qualifications that reify Radiohead’s legacy are more than laurels upon which the band can rest, they are also the embodiments of character traits that have allowed the band to not only endure time, but claim it, and then redefine it. A Moon Shaped Pool serves to show that these impressive shows of ingenuity, as detrimental as they may potentially be, are still re-deployable in 2016.

On A Moon Shaped Pool Radiohead has demonstrated a mastery of their idiosyncratic approach to alternative music, doing so on the most sonically spare and lyrically provocative platforms of their career while simultaneously drawing upon the subtleties of their best work. The album features the minimalist electronic motifs of Kid A alongside the nimble guitar picking and understated riffs of In Rainbows, without negating its innovation. The album’s lead single “Burn the Witch” offers Radiohead at their most orchestral, while the ensuing single “Daydreaming” reemploys the band’s dichotomy of subtle instrumentals and paining vocals. Though this contrast may evoke comparisons to Kid A’s “How to Disappear Completely,” the song is a pivotal transitioning point into A Moon Shaped Pool’s most unexpected and most challenging material. The new album deals heavily with loss on a soundscape that is even more minimal than Kid A’s ambient tracks. But while the band has curtailed its complex instrumental layering in favor of isolated pianos and finger-picked guitars, the decision has resulted in an emotionally reductive listening experience.

Lyrics such as “Dreamers / They never learn / Beyond the point / Of no return” repackage the warnings of Radiohead’s signature doomsayers’ message with more consequential and permanent subjects such as hurt, regret, love, and longing. Paired with characters like those introduced in “Identikit," “Sweet-faced ones with nothing left inside / That we all can love… Pieces of a rag doll mankind / That you can’t create,” Yorke’s lyrical content offers a scathingly futile, yet beautiful message. His vocals vary between a soaring falsetto and an unembellished delivery; sometimes offering levity to weighty material and other times presenting disheartening scenarios straightforwardly. The latter is the perfect pairing for “Identikit"’s antagonistic guitar-riff – a palm-muted baritone melody teeming with attitude.

The shifts A Moon Shaped Pool takes between moods are noticeable, but not coarse. The piano arpeggios and trills of “Decks Dark” and “Glass Eyes” have a very secluding effect, though their background orchestration attributes a certain grace to the songs which yields an air of peaceful helpless, exemplifying the careful balance found in the pairing of lyrics and instrumentation and the selection of songs as well. The acoustics of “Desert Island Disk” and the dissonant synths of “Ful Stop separate “Decks Dark” and “Glass Eyes,” allowing listeners to shift between the various mental spaces these songs inhabit. It is the transitions made between moods, instrumentation, and lyrical content that allow songs such as “Ful Stop” and “True Love Waits” to coexist and help create one of the most unique Radiohead albums.

A Moon Shaped Pool is an album that may find some fans flat-footed. Those not expecting to deal with themes of loss and the fulfillment of love may find themselves either uncomfortable on occasion or dissatisfied. But if allowed to thrive past any initial sock, A Moon Shaped Pool will knock anyone on their ass and place them in the grips of an existential dilemma. But maybe “existential” is an inappropriate term for this album. It is modernist, as evidenced by details as spare and as fleeting as Thom Yorke’s buzzing background vocals. These droning and abruptly cutting falsettos provide the most succinct and holistic summations of what A Moon Shaped Pool offers: impressionistic whirs of pain and restraint, and a heart-hollowing sense of loss.

Burn The Witch.

Devon Welsh's First Solo Release: Out of the Cloudz and 'Down the Mountain'

Majical Cloudz may have sadly dissipated, but as promised Devon Welsh has not slowed, and on his first solo release (not an “album,” but merely a “collection”) since, Down the Mountain, he proves that even in tracks deemed excess he is capable of smoothly tapping into your synapses with a softer pierce and purer honesty than most would-be crooners could ever hope to achieve.

Welsh explains,

“This is a small collection of songs that were written at different times over the last two years. Some of them were written during the same time as ‘Are You Alone?’ but did not end up on that album for one reason or another. Others were written and recorded for fun last summer.

I want to release all these songs because I like them a lot and since I am working on new music, my attention will inevitably go to that new music and these songs will be forgotten, and forgotten songs are sad.

So this isn’t an album, and it isn’t an album of ‘new music’, but it’s a collection of older songs that I like and that I feel deserve to be released.

Note: The recordings might sound a bit rough, I mixed and mastered it myself and am in the process of learning how to be better at that..”

The titular track consoles a friend over the loss of their mother with the belting of “It’s alright" willing its soothing empathy to eclipse the darkness through volume as we’re treated to Welsh’s boldest vocal injection in recent memory. This gives away to a bouncy piano trot paired with lyrics as light as you’ll hear from the Montrealiant; “Every month is a pleasure / Enjoy this love with me.” “I want to sing to a room full of strangers just for fun / Oh what could be stranger,” Welsh admits in “I Won’t Let You Down,” hopefully hinting at solo performances to come, signature white shirt and all, the blankness of which always served as the perfect canvas for his soliloquies.

It’s fitting that his last tweet before the release was, “I hope I'm alive to see close-up images of other habitable planets, or even any planets outside our solar system…” Welsh’s music has always started with the bare-bones necessities - a rock, an atmosphere - and seemingly welded them together a galaxy away before gently beaming them back closer to home than you could have ever anticipated at first glance.

Collection closer “Dreams” ends with, “I will help you dream / I am your friend,” a sentiment not many could get away with in any meaningful way as he does, but with a steadily ebbing earnestness the heavy space inherent between Down the Mountain’s airy melodies and sedative vocals trawls the deepest veins of feeling such minimalism can mine. The hum and quiver of synthesizers are the breath and pulse while Welsh’s murmurs are the consciousness dancing upon them, but in a way altogether more beautiful than the sum of the parts. Words fail to quite describe such flawless liquidity.

“I don’t know why we’re born and we die,” “Starlight” ponders. It may be the mystery for the ages, but one thing is for sure: Welsh’s continued creative output into this world gives it just a little more meaning to hold on to.

Julianna Barwick's 'Will' Wanders Into the Furthest Recesses of Sound

Ambient artists, post-rock bands, and noise performers have a rough go of carving out a name for themselves in music. On one hand, being that the music is almost wholly composition based, most listening masses ascribe an immediate “cerebral” rank to any and all releases (which, if you’re an egoist, can be both of great benefit and detriment). The inverse of the scenario is that being any sort non-lyrically driven artist can relegate one to the realm of conceptualism and/or performance art (not that either is necessarily an arena of “relegation,” perhaps just to the less exploratory masses) that would be viewed to many as a piteous endeavor. It is for that exact reason that I believe the noisemakers and ambient ascendants who are forced to push the bounds of sound conception without the assistance of lyrical direction are some of the most vital assets in the continued progression of sound as a whole.

There’s many a noise artist that has received considerable accolade for their efforts in sustaining the pioneering nature of their ambient, post, and cacophonous predecessors – Explosions in the Sky, Mogwai, Xylouris White, SUNN O))), Phantom Orchard, Faust – all of whom deserve their celebratory credit where such credit is due, but one artist who has quietly and quite consistently continued to challenge and progress the ambient arena on both large and small scale is one Ms. Julianna Barwick.

Perhaps one of the more ethereal ambient artists (such a description may be akin to calling a fuzzy rabbit soft, but I digress) having debuted in the past decade or so, Barwick has charted a course in music that is centered firmly upon her voice. I understand that this review was prefaced under the guise of ambient artists and post-rock albums are devoid of lyrics etc, but Barwick’s incantations are virtually indiscernible, like an atmospheric Wurlitzer manipulated and warped in a variety of manners to propel her music. A brief look at the Brooklyn transplant by way of Louisiana’s songbook, and its evident that despite having one or two repeated lines of lyrics in some of her songs, they are merely vessels for her to layer and loop the tracks in the name of ambient sounds.

Its been three years since Barwick released her astounding Nepenthe, an album which served as a secondary debut bringing larger appeal and admiration from the atypical music listening crowd. Barwick’s ability to juxtapose the confinement of being a soloist with the congregation of sounds of one voice is moving and more emotive than most lyrically based efforts. Where the soaring tones of Nepenthe helped elevate the listener to a higher plane, Barwick’s newest release, Will manages to do the same, but by eliciting heavier synth to most tracks, which in turn brings a darker, seemingly introspective gravity to the record. Will is more mature - both in the Gregorian sense of time, as well as sonically – as Barwick manages to effortlessly exude a tonality of crisp and clean, yet unpolished melodies that were at times overwrought on Nepenthe and previous efforts.

Rather than waste the reader (and listener)’s time giving the typical track-by-track review, rundown, etc. it may be of more benefit to the reader/listener to interpret Will as a whole, without dissection or individual critiques. Will is an exercise in rumination, stripped of any expressive production than might obfuscate Barwick’s innermost workings while crafting the album, in turn presenting a body of work that is wholly humble and fragile, at times even worrisome. Spirals of emotion and synthesizer help transport Barwick and the listener onto an almost lunar-like plane, which prohibits any mental impairment when it comes to digesting Will, as there are no clever production tricks or snippy lyrics to distract the listener from the album’s core principles – the sweet cafard that is being alone. Its spacious enough to peer into the furthest recesses of sound, in turn coaxing out the purest form of emotion and meditation for both Barwick and listener alike. Will is a heart-searching odyssey of observation and reflection navigated by Barwick’s deft ambient touch.  

'Captain America: Civil War' is Pure Comic Book Bliss

After a fairly stagnant summer of mixed to positive reception to Marvel’s two artistic gambles that were Age of Ultron and Ant-Man, the Russo brothers return to the Marvel universe to once again shake it to its foundation after the triumph that was Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and what results is undoubtedly the greatest achievement that a shared universe like this can offer.

Eight years ago, when Tony Stark strapped on that hot-rod red ‘n' gold metal suit for the first time in Iron Man, something like Captain America: Civil War could’ve only been imagined as a glint in Nick Fury’s good eye. The phrase “the Avengers initiative” sounded like goofy nerd nonsense to most audiences in 2008, but it has become almost as ubiquitous as something like “Agent 007” or “May the Force be with you.”

And now after eight solid years of films and universe-building pieces locking into place, finally Marvel feel they don’t have to spend too much time introducing new ideas or characters because by now we’re so familiar with this universe and its inhabitants that it’s no longer necessary. The introduction of characters like Wakandan prince T’Challa (better known as the Black Panther) and Tom Holland as our third Spider-Man in 15 years feels so assured and effortless, it’s strange to recognize this is the first time we’ve met them in Marvel’s cinematic universe. Civil War operates like a true comic book event—a massive, multiple-issue arc that brings in characters both new and familiar to tell an expansive story that somehow maintains both coherence and intimacy in the midst of so much bombastic action.

After the disaster in Sokovia averted by the Avengers during Age of Ultron’s climax, Captain America and the rest are still galavanting around the globe, stopping the bad guys with little to no government oversight. That is, until an honest mistake by newbie Scarlet Witch forces the Avengers to finally face the scrutiny that’s been building among the people of the world since Loki and the Chitauri touched down in New York. Cap feels that the new “Sokovia Accords” will only hinder the team’s ability to do good since they’ve always proven to have the people’s best interests at heart, while his counterpart Tony Stark, plagued by the horrors his creation Ultron caused in Sokovia, thinks the Avengers need some accountability after the mayhem they’ve caused since he took up the mantle of Iron Man.

Like any compelling debate, both sides have great points, and one of Civil War’s greatest strengths is giving both Cap and Iron Man equal reason to righteously feel the way they do. With Marvel’s diligent planning out of the arcs each film should take, the seeds of this diametric opposition have been sown since Iron Man 3 showed us Tony’s post-traumatic reaction to New York and Winter Soldier turned Cap’s trust of the government completely on its head.

Civil War may boast the cast of an Avengers follow-up, but the film’s emotional crux is undoubtedly Cap and his relationship with comrade-turned-communist Bucky Barnes, a through-line begun in Winter Soldier that becomes the heart of Civil War’s conflict. Bucky is all Cap has left of his past life and he’ll do anything to protect him, even at the cost of abandoning his ties with Tony and his counterparts. Luckily for him he isn’t alone, and the various superheroes start forming along party lines, ultimately leading up to a direct confrontation where Cap and Iron Man’s teams have to decide if they really want to punch each other after all they’ve been through together.

The resulting decision to come to blows is where things start to ascend into jaw-dropping spectacle. The showdown of Team Cap and Team Iron Man on the abandoned tarmac is something comic book geeks could’ve only imagined in their wildest fantasies a few years ago, but here it is as the zenith of pure popcorn entertainment. Spider-Man zips around, popping off quip after quip, while Black Panther locks claws with the Winter Soldier; it’s sheer bliss even if we don’t want to see anybody seriously hurt.

Ultimately this desire is what makes the face-off that follows it infinitely more compelling. The long-teased slugfest between Cap and Iron Man is exciting on paper but absolutely devastating to witness, as two friends come to blows in an absolutely heartbreaking moment that shifts this cinematic universe for good.

Captain America: Civil War is an achievement only hinted at in previous Marvel movies, and to see it come to glorious fruition is absolutely mind-blowing. Robert Downey, Jr. turns in his best performance since the first Iron Man, as he’s asked to run an emotional gamut from his standard cocksure, quippy playboy, to a resigned, guilt-ridden participator in the Accords, and ultimately into a wounded child who can only lash out in frustration at the betrayal he’s been faced with. It’s not perfectly paced and has some seriously bad shaky cam/action choreographing in its opening moments, but it’s ultimately the film’s compelling characters that steer Civil War into “best ever” superhero film territory.

'The Colour in Anything' Expands James Blake's Emotional Spectrum

2016 is on a fast track for the most GOAT-worthy 365(ish) days of music this decade, from immortal icons passing on to musical Valhalla, to an inordinate number of “surprise” releases. First there was Rihanna, then Yeezy’s TLOP shenanigans, Beyonce putting Jay-Z on blast in cinemascope, and Drizzy Drake releasing an un-essentially long collection of Toronto woe-odes last week. Needless to say, there is a glaring trend amongst the artists who elected to forgo the mundane predictability that typically coincides with name brand artists – with many of them even going as far as debuting on the god-forsaken lost cause that is TIDAL – and it appears the taste for purposeful inconsistency has grown more pervasive outside of hip-hop and pop now as well.

James Blake, one quarter of the 2010’s indie Mt. Rushmore – Justin Vernon, Ezra Koenig, and Win Butler being the other of the four stone heads – released The Colour in Anything this past Friday, unannounced, but not totally unexpected – two singles were released leading up to the album’s release, creating a sort of pseudo promotional calendar.

The Colour in Anything, has been long overdue in the minds of critics and Blake fans alike. Blake had canceled extensive tours in order to capitalize upon creative whims and fancies, which in turn developed a capricious grapevine of rumors and hearsay regarding whether Blake was merely taking extended measures to forge LP3. In 2014, Blake originally announced that this new release would be titled Radio Silence and was slated for release in early 2015, but as you're now reading this over a year past that date, it's quite apparent something got in the way, and whatever it was, Blake’s reticent nature certainly did not lend itself to buoyant reverie amongst fans (though it did, ironically, lead to literal radio silence).

Blake had entered the Frank Ocean (a collaborator on the album) territory (but without the over zealous opining – WHERE ARE YOU FRANK?) in terms of hotly anticipated releases, and there was nothing but confusion and perplexity for some time. Apparently, during the interim that was Blake’s Radio Silence announcement and the eventual release of Colour, Blake had managed to write two tracks on Beyonce’s Lemonade (full circle!) – “Forward” and “Pray You Catch Me” – along with heading out to Shangri La Studios to finish the record with much needed vigor from Duck Dynasty doppelganger Rick Rubin.

Colour came out of nowhere, but it wasn’t without excitement. It’s an offertory record that showcases a side of Blake that has long been underdeveloped – the Enfielder’s most expressive and innermost musings – subsequently breathing new life in Blake’s career (not that it was ever really without it). Colour opens with a “what might have been” in “Radio Silence,” and the once eponymous track turned solitary lead off exudes a singular glance into the now defunct direction that was Radio Silence, instead enacting a startlingly apologetic new Blake.

The production is as tight as ever, but somehow feels more fragile and wavering than quietly confident, a la Overgrown. In comparison to Blake’s previous releases, many are likely to accuse the Londoner of wearing his heart on his sleeve, when in reality, it’s a more mature comfort with his songwriting process, unabashed, but polite, like the production on a track like “Points,” in which Blake warps his "No longer" hook over trap and dubstep afrobeats that build and swell with momentum in alarmingly smooth fashion. “Points” along with “Love Me in Whatever Way” establish Blake’s most singer-songwriter intentions with little to no pretense over the forthcoming nature of Colour as a whole, with lines like "Where you lead me I will go," and "Tell me when I have to go / And then love me there." It's gut wrenchingly frail, as if Blake has only just begun to come to grips with his emotional capacities, but just like that, he shuts himself off on “Timeless,” featuring wild “sound the alarm” synth wandering, as if to indicate to Blake that the time has come to shut oneself off from this strange new world of open opining. Interesting side-note about “Timeless”: Kanye West was originally slated to appear as a feature on the track, however, according to Blake, the verse from Mr. West “didn’t materialize.”

The record bounces back with the fully transparent “F.O.R.E.V.E.R,” a ballad that features only Blake and keys, as his voice infectiously wavers over simple chord structures speaking on his time alone while “you” were away. An interesting line in “F.O.R.E.V.E.R” – "I notice I can still ghost the streets" – a seemingly innocuous phrase, but when juxtaposing Blake’s reclusive tendencies with his abnormal level of public interest, it highlights an intriguing dynamic with which Blake (and those closest to him) undoubtedly struggles with. “Put That Away and Talk to Me” is the mandatory millennial musing over the use of phones and technology and the schism they cause, but the name itself provides more enjoyment than the creepy lullaby that is the track itself. Colour feels increasingly morose as the album progresses, all the while maintaining some mode of hope in the interim on tracks like “I Hope My Life” with opening refrains of, "I hope I’m right / When speaking my mind / I hope my life is not a sign of the times," as he struggles to distinguish and relate at the same time. “My Willing Heart” embodies such struggles by narrating a sort of out of body experience for Blake, a narrative that resembles – get ready for a stretch – an Icarus fell type of story, except Blake’s sun is love, which makes him altogether too vulnerable for his liking. It should be noted that “My Willing Heart” has a co-write feature with one Mr. Frank Ocean, who didn’t necessarily lend any lyrics, but certainly lent a spiritual boost for Blake when it came to "Making a record on your laptop…”

Halfway through the record at this point, Colour really comes into its own once “Choose Me” comes along, a production whirlwind that has clever nods to Blake songs passed – “A Case You” – all the while asserting a new domineering side to the fully transparent Blake that’s become so prevalent on Colour – "You don’t owe me anything / What could I want back from you?". To this point, “Choose Me” is the best standalone track; a nice confluence of Overgrown and Enough Thunder. Colour finds its footing on “I Need a Forest Fire,” the album’s second single featuring fellow indie-demigod, Justin Vernon. His influence is felt immediately, as the airy organ noises lead in a Vernon yell and a muffled loop. Vernon leads off the first verse, and in all reality, the track itself feels like a Bon Iver song a la Eaux Claires 2015 more than anything else, but hearing both Blake and Vernon trading verses and harmonizing over pastoral Ralph Waldo Emerson sentiments is a truly beguiling experience. According to Vernon, the track came from “wonderful accidents and good friendship,” which echoes the same warm sentiments Blake expressed about working with Vernon, that the two seemed like they were “separated somewhere down the line.”

Colour’s final third issues the close of a hesitant love manifesto from Blake, with “Noise Above Our Heads” expressing Blake’s desire to connect with an unidentified suitor – “I’ll find no peace until I know” – as Connan Mockasin’s wandering bass leads the meandering thoughts of Blake along. The eponymous track features a soliloquy with Blake addressing a significant other as a last ditch effort to preserve an already fast fading love; it's “classic” James Blake, with elegant vocals over keys, and elevated pitches thanks to his preferred double tracking takes. “Two Men Down” takes a left turn elementally, as Justin Vernon’s production injects a livelier demeanor to the track that centers on Blake’s prospective outlook over competing with another man in order to gain a lover’s hand. “Modern Soul,” the premier single for Colour back in February 2016, Blake expresses his disdain for being overwrought with social interaction – “What I didn’t see was I was talking to so many people at once / I had no idea…” – and the interminable confusion of whether one’s interest in Blake is over his personal being or “because of a few songs.” The penultimate track of the album, “Always” features one of the most devastating ideas on Colours, in which Blake enters a dreamlike state where he can control and manipulate every aspect of his world to mold it into its most ideal form. “Meet You In the Maze” closes Colours in a sanguine yet indeterminate state – Vernon’s influence can be felt heavily on the acapella (except for a vocoder) track, a la Bon Iver’s “Woods” – as Blake assures the subject of his rendezvous request that “music can’t be everything.”

The Colour In Anything is most definitely Blake’s best record to date, despite the album’s first half struggling greatly with the themes of transparency and love within Blake’s purview. The trials and tribulations of James Blake in love make for an apparently personalized record that’s all too unfamiliar to Blake’s previous modus operandi, but has subsequently bolstered his songbook and production tactics. The album receives a giant assist from Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon, whose production on a handful of tracks really manages to stretch Blake past his former boundaries. While the album did not feature the fated 20-minute track that he had once hinted at in the past, The Colour In Anything distributes his muted sensibilities and elicits a more forthcoming Blake that will hopefully continue to open up in the future. 

Atlanta's Malachiae Warren Talks Background, Beginnings, and 'Heard U Was In My City'

Starting at the age of just 12, R&B crooner Malachiae Warren began his singing career through YouTube and school talent shows before moving on to recording at 14. Coming from a family with an extensive musical background provides its advantages, and the now 20 year-old talent is currently taking huge strides in leaving his mark on his home city of Atlanta, bringing fresh life into a scene that so craves the new talent. Warren - better known as Chiae - continues to develop his skills in writing, producing, and singing with his creative partner, Jasper Cameron, and released his major label debut EP, Heard U Was In My City, via Universal's Motown Records on March 25.

We met up with Chiae to discuss his background, beginnings, and the new EP.

TRANSVERSO: Tell us about Heard U Was In My City.

WARREN: [The single] “Minute Made” is a new sound from me, coming all the way from my first single “Thank Yo Momma (feat. Migos)” that came out a few years earlier. For this record, you know, a bad seed came through town and didn’t know what she wanted, so this new music is just a way to express that feeling from me personally.

What's the story?

The way it went was this girl - an ex girl of mine - would come and kick it with me in Atlanta, but she wanted more out of the relationship than I wanted to give at the time. She ended up coming back to the city, but she didn’t call me when she did. So my mind was racing, thinking, “Who’s she with, who’s she talking to?” That sort of thing. I just felt that regret kicking in. So the EP takes little pictures, moments, and feelings from that time in my life, and I just made what I was feeling.

How has coming from Atlanta and being a product of that culture and vibrancy affected your music?  

First and foremost, I love Atlanta. I was born and raised here, so of course I have to always represent. It’s just a great place to be, especially in the entertainment field. You meet a ton of like minds down here; it’s just really easy to connect to people. The only downside is that there’s just a ton of competition to face, but when you find your sound and you stand out, that’s what people pay attention to. That’s what people will gravitate to. You just have to find yourself and run with it.

From whom do you pull inspiration?

Gotta shout out to Atlanta, so Monica, Ludacris, Usher, and people of that nature. But I listen to a lot of other stuff too. I’m a big hip hop fan, so I got a lot of love for Future and Drake - even the greats like Jay Z and Tupac. I get a little bit of influence from every genre.

Have you considered working with other artists similar in style like The Weeknd or Travis Scott?

Yeah, absolutely. Right now though, I’m focusing on finding myself and my sound - the thing that will make me unique and stand out. But I would love to branch out and work with other artists that have the same vision as I do for their music.

You mix a lot of different styles in unorthodox ways, like inserting an almost '80s hair metal / anthemic sounding guitar into hip hop. How and why do you experiment with these different generations and cultures?

That’s crazy that you noticed that. I’m just into music, man. I really just do what I feel and put in what sounds right, no matter what I’m doing. I’m not here to follow trends or fit into standards, that’s just not me. I put passion into anything I do. We bring live bass players into the studio to bring that extra feel into the sound, bringing the old school back to the new stuff, that kind of thing.

Since I’m so young, I look at my generation, and I see how easily influenced we are. So I try to strike a balance that can find all of those different listeners. And that’s not to say that I won’t do the turn up songs, I just feel like you have to have that balance. I might do those types of songs, but I’m going to keep doing songs about love, songs that make people feel good in general. You’ve gotta have fun, but you’ve gotta have the downtime too. It’s a balance. If you turn up for too long, you’re gonna crash after a little while.

You’re only 20 years old. How does it feel being such a young artist at this level in the music industry?

It feels great, man. I just count my blessings and just do my best to remember why I’m here and who got me here. It’s just another way to prove to people my age that dreams do come true, so never listen to that negativity in your life. Keep on moving forward.

What brought you to music in the first place?

[It’s] crazy, man, because I was doing a whole lot before music. I was acting a little bit, actually. But this whole thing started with me doing some comedy sketches on YouTube. I’d add some singing at the end there, just a little snippet of a song, not anything serious, just to maybe show some viewers that I could sing. When I woke up the next day, the comments were just going crazy. Girls were going crazy over it, so I thought why not, and started singing more. I actually played my school’s talent show and the same thing happened, girls went crazy over it. That’s what made me want to pursue music a little more from then.

You've also gone on to start a brand called LoveLife.

It’s just something that we do to present a message— loving life, loving your music, loving yourself. We need more positivity in this generation, in this genre, everyone’s gotta love their life, you know, go forth and don’t be afraid to follow your passion. It’s nobody else’s life, and nothing’s holding you back, so go chase it.

So what's next?

We’re really just focusing on this EP that I just put out and the focus of that release, “Minute Made.” I’ve just been running around Atlanta, getting my name out and talking to the clubs and the DJ’s, all of those guys, just grinding it out. I really wanna see my fans up close and personal, so I will definitely be hitting the road in the next few months. Right now I’m just working on getting my name out down home, but when I hit the road, I’m gonna be hitting those cities hard.

Watch Radiohead's "Burn the Witch" Music Video, Their First Release in Five Years

Following their much discussed social media cleanse, Radiohead have finally released their first new content in nearly five years with music video, "Burn the Witch." The lead single builds upon pulsating strings, a croaking low-register vibration with drum kits, a light violin melody, and Thom Yorke's airy vocals.

The claymation visual depicts a town being investigated by an inspector who is eventually trapped in a giant wooden statue and burned alive, evoking images from The Wicker Man. While the song's visuals offer a grotesque illustration of cynicism, collusion, and cultural disdain, the song's balance of orchestral levity and weight, along with the chimes of its spattering violins and Yorke's soaring falsetto, make it awe-strikingly beautiful. Paired with lyrics dealing with a society oppressed by a superstitious culture, the song provides an accessible entry into an uncomfortable conversation on political scapegoating.

"Burn the Witch" has been a longtime project for Radiohead; renditions of the song appeared in the band's 2006 and 2008 touring campaigns and its earliest form has been dated to the Kid A era.

'Views' Reveals Drake is Just as Cold as The 6 Itself (In More Ways Than One)

Hide your exes, hide your tears, cause Drake’s making everyone feel up in here. Views has finally arrived, in an equally morose and grandiose fashion that’s come to be expected of Mr. OVOXO. Views continues 2016’s string of high octane hip-hop paragons releasing long awaited records – Yeezy, RiRi, Queen Bey – by “surprising” means, though the disarmingly pensive Champagne Papi manages to distinguish his opus from his hip-hop compatriots.

Outside of the obvious tonal differences – sullen, brooding rap from Drizzy versus empowered gotcha hip-hop from Beyonce – Francisco Mandarin is the only super-surprise release of 2016 not to debut on that godforsaken streaming service of the stars, TIDAL. Instead, Views’ exclusive release on iTunes acts as an analogue for Aubrey Graham’s atypical, enigmatic hip-hop presence – a rap demigod (supposedly) relegated to chasing reminiscent thoughts, rather than indulging in the more expressive pleasures of an ascribed deity of hip-hop.

It’s a magnificent modus operandi that Aubrey Graham has managed to carve out in the opulence applauded era of hip-hop – muted, restrained, atmospheric – all the while managing to remind hip-hop heads every once in a while that Wheelchair Jimmy can still beat the shit out of Meek Mill and turn around to consult the Toronto Raptors on their newest jersey design. I know DJ Khaled owns the airspace surrounding “Mogul Talk,” but mogul talk is something Shopping Bag Drizzy does better than the next wave – those following Ye, Jay, and Bey - of hip-hop. So keeping with the theme of atypical presences in hip-hop, music etc (and because the album is 20 tracks deep), I intend to take a slightly different approach to this review than reviews past (apologies to any devoted readers, and congratulations to the haters – you won). So without further ado, lets draw the blinds as we silently sip Moet from our Grammy award while wearing our favorite Prada robe and contemplate texting our exes – existent or not.

“Keep the Family Close”

Toronto is cold in the winter; meteorologically, that is a fact, but Drake wants you to know that its even chillier when you go from playing up on Degrassi to “Mr. He Ain’t Coppin That is He?”. The track is totally atmospheric, bringing the listener into a trance of undue disconnect that Drake has suffered amongst lovers. It’s a “blood runs thicker than water” concept by orchestral means – quivering strings, brash timpani and brass hits – all subverted by Young Frankie Geechi Liberace on his unabashed opener. “Keep the Family Close” takes the 50-60-person guest list to your birthday party and slices and dices it down to one.

“9”

This is one of those beats that hints at Heartbreak Drake’s ability to morph into The LeBron James of the Rap Game – it goes hard, but we only get glints of mixtape Drake; a Views Easter-Egg of sorts. Drake opines his only true purpose in life – as a bastion to Toronto – and how things in Toronto are beginning to get so out of hand. A rap game Robert Frost, he’s left at a benefactor’s crossroad – stop the handouts or give his entire self to the city. Guess which path the 6god chose… “Turned the 6 upside down / It’s a 9 now / I made a decision last night that I would die for it.” [INSERT TEARDROP EMOJI HERE] He truly is October’s Very Own.

“U With Me?”

A seamless transition from “9” into “U With Me?” shifts the third tracks predecessor into a sort of Toronto call to arms, for the best of the city – Daniel Caesar, The Weekend, Tory Lanez, Kardinal Offishall, and Roy Wood$ - to assume their place at the right hand of the 6god. Ironically enough, “U With Me?” was co-produced by Kanye West, despite the 6 related pride, but then again, when you get a chance to have Yeezy cut a track, why would anyone ever say no? Yeezy and 40 Shebib’s decision to sample DMX’s “How’s It Goin Down” is incredible when considering the muted call to action of the entire track from Mr. CTV himself.

“Feel No Ways”

Ah, well this is different, I suppose – a sensuous moody track that doesn’t go much of anywhere, wholly devoid of any and all rap bravado – in other words, a Drake track through and through. The production is spacey and saccharine, with the only startling standout being one of the most 80s-fi snares in recent Majid Jordan memory. Realistically, the song itself is as passive as the name implies - whether or not that works to Bottega Don’s benefit is less than likely. It feels like filler. Being as unassertive a track as it is, it might be within the listeners’ best interest to wait for the inevitable string of covers that will surely stem from such a distinctly un-6man track (I suggest listening to Vicktor Taiwo’s excellent rendition).

“Hype”

Hey! This might be a Meek Mill diss track – because the name says hype – oh man! This is what everyone was waiting for! Eh… not quite, just a general blanket statement diss, it appears. Throughout the track, the OVO Don Dada honors Rihanna, Michael Jackson, and (possibly) Goofy of Disney fame. The track hits the expected rap bravado as the Young Money Millionaire counts his money, assures his detractors that Views is already a classic, and that he’s done all he could possibly do as Hookah Papi, with effortless flow. The ominous beat sounds reminiscent of “Father Stretch My Hands, Pt.2,” and if you listen closely, you might hear Desiigner whisper "I’ve got broads in Atlanta…"

“Weston Road Flows”

Drizzy Drake Rogers is kind enough to inform the listener that “Weston Road Flows” is in fact "one of them ones," a true hip-hop throwback to the days of Biggie and Pac, looking back upon The Kid with the Motor Mouth’s body of work. The track is the first Easter Egg laden track when it comes to pop culture references, alluding to everyone’s favorite sneaker subversion meme, Eddie Murphy, TLC, Kevin Durant, Mo’Nique, and Vince Carter. The sample is straight '90s – literally – coming from Mary J. Blige’s “Mary’s Joint,” as we see Drakkardnoir at his most nostalgic while revisiting his 6-side hometown. Best line of the album thus far, "I’m happiest when I can buy what I want / Get high when I want" is so simple, and yet so indicative of Drake’s preferred economic standing.

“Redemption”

Judging from the song title, I would imagine this is going to be a slow burn. Luckily, it's more “Weston Road Flows” than it is “Feel No Ways,” with Frostbite Drizzy doing what he best when it comes to reassessing the past to win back some unnamed lover. He slips in and out of rapping and singing about the pettiness of ex-lovers moving on. Sometimes the track ventures into a creepily misogynistic possessor of women realm, and then proceeds to call out three women by name, geez, Drake, I know you’re super successful, but get over that shit dude. And before you know it, the track is poignant once more – "Who’s going to save me when I need saving? / Since Take Care, I’ve been caretaking." Okay, to this point, “Redemption” is by far and away the realest and most dynamic track of Views.

“With You (feat. PARTYNEXTDOOR)”

Oh no. Not PARTYNEXTDOOR. Everything about them is seemingly insufferable, ever since “Tuesday,” but as the track opens, things start out tastefully. Surprisingly tasteful, in fact. All of a sudden, OVO’s signing of PARTYNEXTDOOR doesn’t seem quite as ridiculous (outside of the homerism), though there are some truly cringeworthy lines – "Mixing vodka and emotions / Tapping into your emotions / Dry cause I’m hopeless." Ugh man, Young Papito, let’s steer clear of elementary metaphors about alcohol. Also, Jeremih sighting on the song’s hook.

“Faithful (feat. Pimp C & dvsn)”

Hold up, hold up, hold up – Pimp C!? This is something I can get behind. Talk about one of the more gloriously unexpected features on an OVO record. THE DIRTY SOUTH IS BACK BABY! Its really only a few bars from Pimp C, but he calls out to Bun B and thus I am content. The hook is a little, well, wimpy, as ’91 Dan Marino takes the cue from Pimp C and substantiates his love for whomever (RIHANNA, ITS RIHANNA) his muse is. The doting lyrics and sentiments further add to the Marvin’s Room vibes of the album. Except for "Let’s do the things that we say on texts" - I can’t decide if this is a great line or an awful one, but that’s The Chris Paul of this Fall for you.

“Still Here”

Alright, things are beginning to feel a little more musically malevolent, and when the bounce comes in, Aubz’s perverse intentions become apparent, but aren’t necessarily felt. He continues the (occasional) narrative braggadocio of the 6’s devotion to him and only him, as well as the astounding wealth of his compatriots. Oh to be friends with Drake, it must be lovely.

“Controlla”

If there’s one recurrent theme that I (or anyone) manages to gleam from Views, it's that when Drake is not good at expressing his admiration for women. In fact, I’m not really certain whether or not he even likes women. “Controlla” expresses not only in name but demeanor as well – Voodoo Child opens the track with "My eye just changed," only to revert his vindictive and menacing purview towards women, all under the guise of smooth bedroom talk ("I made plans with you / And I won’t let them fall through). Ack, Drake, let’s stop reminding women how much “control” your music affords you. Also, Popcaan is noticeably absent from the leaked version of the track that dropped a couple weeks ago – Caribbean musicians shed a tear.

“One Dance”

 Looks like Drake is really into this Afropop trend, and will likely pay off for him in some form, but the slow build to “One Dance” almost discounts other afropop tracks from earlier in the album. The hook samples Kyla’s “Do You Mind” pretty heavily, but nothing really seems to grab the listener’s attention other than the continued quiet cooing of Young Sweet Jones, altogether continuing the dilution and confusion that is Drake’s intention on Views.

“Grammys (feat. Future)”

With the half-assed bedroom afropop that Drake seems hell-bent on pulling off, it sure would be nice to hear a classic rap braggadocio track, and if ever there was an instance to inject some life into a snooze inducing string of petty bedroom romps, now would be the time. Well lookie here, will Future rescue the listener from the yawn causing bedroom yarns to this point? Sort of? Drake’s verse feels like a sleepwalking microcosm of his standing in the hierarchy of rap entities – "OVO we a goldmine," and "Top five, no debating" – but it all just feels… empty. Future’s verse is preceded by his scoffing at the track’s unnamed subject of collective ire, and then proceeds to repeat “They think we done won a Grammy,” or something to that effect – as we all know, the gentleman from Atlanta is virtually indecipherable.

“Child’s Play”

The track opens with an intriguing PSA for all men about their women – "If your girlfriend is watching any season opening basketball game, best believe she’s fucking [someone] on the team…" - is it paranoid and misogynistic? Of course it is! Is it absurdly comedic? Yes! Should one condone such chauvinistic conspiracies? Probably not! Outside of the sad paranoia of the intro, the Little Nicky (To the Devils of Rap) manages to call out three corporate brands – Disney, Camry, and most humorously, Cheesecake Factory – "Why you got to fight with me at Cheesecake? / You know I love the gold here…" and "This a place for families / That go to Disney / And drive Camrys.” Oh man, oh man, Drake unwittingly let us in on his secret to extreme wealth – corporate name drops! Fun New Orleans Bounce sample if you listen close enough.

“Pop Style”

Nice! This was one of the singles – the one with Yeezy and a sliver of a Jay Z verse! Oh wait… The Throne got nixed from Views just like Popcaan. All of a sudden, Pimp C’s feature is becoming more and more impressive – Drake is not only the God of the 6, but a H-Town connoisseur it seems. Its exactly like the single, with the exception of the sans-Throne feature, so as protest, that’s all I have to say about the track.

“Too Good (feat. Rihanna)”

Here we go, this is the track where everyone finally learns the nature of Drake and Rihanna’s personal relationship! Are they lovers or just an uber-rich hip-hop hookup? Speaking of hooks, don’t expect an infectious, ensnaring, or hot one here, because there isn’t one, period. The track does continue the trend of RiRi/Light Skin Keith Sweat collabos that center on a fictional (or not-so) warring couple as Drake reminds Trinidad’s prodigal daughter that he is, in fact "way too good for you." Despite Drake’s purported assertions, it is Rihanna who is in fact too good for him, as her lovely vocals relegate the Drizzmaster to the friend zone.

“Summers Over Interlude”

It's an interlude that tries to act like The Roots meets Andra Day meets “not only is Drake a fine rapper, but he has great taste in compositions, too.” Unfortunately, it misses its mark, and just sort of agitates the winter-to summer-back to winter again transitions The King of 1st Quarter suggested as a heavy handed thematic element of Views.

“Fire & Desire”  

The track title sounds like George R.R. Martin’s next novel – who are we kidding, it's never coming (Silicon Valley is better anyway; come at me) – but it turns out it’s a Brandy-sampling, triplet laden hi hat slow jam to the nth degree. This sounds like Aubrey Graham making a heartfelt apology to Nicki Minaj – their relationship has spoiled considerably, per Drake – "They throwing dirt on my old name / You don’t see the perks of this whole thing." He expresses his admiration for Nicki being a "real ass woman" as he openly questions her commitment to her current fellow. Are you trying to appeal to Nicki or further irritate her, Drake?

“Views”

Oh Lord, there’s a Winan sample, and it IS BEAUTIFUL. The former tour intro for many a VIETBRAH tour, “Question Is” makes “Views” one of the first hard hitting tracks on Views – seems ironic it’s the penultimate track. Drakestrodommus offers a thought provoking line in the first couple bars – "A lot of pent up aggression coming out of my section" – yeah, I don’t know about that, Drake. Pent up, sure. But, "aggression," not so much, more like pettiness. It's basically one final glory to the OVO track with allusions to days in The 6, and shouts out to Kobe; all in all, this should have been Views’ eponymous closer, but alas, the hubris of the Cash Money Running Back seems to have gotten the best of him.

“Hotline Bling”

Yeah, not reviewing this one. No need to. If you want my opinion on the track, just listen to Bill Burr’s take on the song:

Good gracious, Views is a long album, and at times, a monotonous one, to be perfectly honest. For all the uncertainties surrounding The Reason That We All Getting Faded’s future, and overall legacy, Views should have been the first cornerstone body of work in solidifying the 6God’s standing. Instead, it winds up revealing his truest insecurities, and own insufferable pettiness when it comes to any and everyone that crosses him. There are certainly some standout tracks on Views – “Keep the Family Close,” “Weston Road Flows,” “Faithful,” “Views” – but when the number of self-ascribed nicknames outnumbers the amount of solid tracks on your album, its certainly going to be difficult to secure one’s place amongst the gods of rap, no matter how many assertions of being the 6God incarnate one makes.

Local Natives Return to the Present With New Single "Past Lives"

"Save me from the prime of my life," Local Natives plead at the start of their first track in three years, gliding into their signature vocal harmonies before mounting percussion crescendos in some tight glimpses of guitar.

The LA favorites' new single "Past Lives" is officially released today, though it's been performed live in the past and even appeared in Will Arnett's Flaked. In a press release vocalist and bassist Taylor Rice says of the song,

“The world is not static, it’s made new over and over again. But we tend to live the same patterns in a loop, loving the same way, wrestling the same demons, the same dynamics playing out around us again and again. Untangling every moment and decision that led us to where we are now can make fate feel concrete, inescapable. But our world is not fixed, it’s constantly reemerging, and we can change it into whatever we want. ”

It's the newest and most convincing of a recent string of hints pointing towards a new LP on the way following a revamped website and a few scheduled summer shows including Lollapalooza; we'll probably be seeing a lot more of "Past Lives" in the future.

Past Lives http://localnatives.com

Watch Cage the Elephant Get Into "Trouble" in New Music Video

Cage the Elephant's Tell Me I'm Pretty single "Trouble" now has a flashy new video, complete with a wild west duel, a lot of baroque royalty fanning themselves, and some of the best costumes the Kentuckians have been seen in yet. It's a little difficult to grasp just exactly what is happening through all the dramatic jump cuts, but it looks good. Frontman Matt Schultz earned his directorial debut in the process, describing it as something like “John Wayne... in a [Jean] Cocteau play.”

It's also not the first time they've performed in this sort of setting; this video brings back memories of the band ambling through the desert to the tune of "Ain't No Rest For The Wicked" during their humble beginnings, though it's clear they've evolved quite a bit in the interim (just look at the change in production value!). It's appropriate, then, that the deceptively sunny sounding "Trouble" gives a lyrical nod to the track, alluding, "You know what they say, yeah / The wicked get no rest." Whoever it is who shot the bearded guy does look rather rattled.

The video comes at the dawn of an extensive summer tour, which you can find below the embed.

Get "Trouble" from the New Album 'Tell Me I'm Pretty' Now!

Read our review of Tell Me I'm Pretty here.