Bruce O Yates, Circe (Aeaean Paean)
We weren’t sure about this on on first listen. With its synth stabs and breathy, half-falsetto vocal it sounds, in all honesty, like a lot of post-Connan Mockasin stuff that seems to be doing the rounds at the mo. And yet. Stick it out until 2.48 and what you’ll be rewarded with is the most exultant use of backing singing: strings swell; drum fills fall down stairs and the vocal reaches its emotional and almost whispered climax. Well done, Bruce, We never doubted you for a second.
Jenny Hval, Period Piece
It’s not often you come across a song with the lyric, “speculum pulls me open”. Wonderful Norwegian Jenny Hval is normalising periods in music and beyond with her upcoming Blood Bitch album, an investigation of natural blood shed that ties together “the virgins, the whores, the mothers, the witches, the dreamers, and the lovers.” Don’t be afraid, it’s only blood.
Chrysta Bell & David Lynch, Night Ride
It’s handy that Chrysta Bell seems to have saved her most interesting material to coincide with her role in the upcoming third season of Twin Peaks. Night Ride packs all the noir-ish twangs you’d expect from the singer, aided this time round by a tighter sense of both production and melody. “Let’s rock,” as The Man from Another Place might say (via the magic of phonetic reversal).
Jay Purp, Star Ocean (Feat. Kay P)
Produced by Internet User, slip this into a Miyazaki movie with the vox down real low and it’d probably fit just fine. 1/6 of TTF The Gang, Toronto’s Yung Purp Lord is where it’s at.
Fake Laugh, I Made A Sound
Fake Laugh is Kamran Kahn. Having rather aptly named his forthcoming album Great Ideas, this lovely track is all about trying to get someone’s attention/win their heart. Kam, it’s yours.
Katie Gately, Lift
There’s a soundcloud comment about three and a half minutes into this that just says “THIS IS MAD” and we can’t really say fairer than that to be honest: a glorious racket of twists and turns from the Björk approved, New York producer Katie Gately that sounds a little bit like the Mission Impossible soundtrack as performed by a choir of robots (a comment we might leave on soundcloud right now).
Slaves, People That You Meet
Nice idea for a music video, this. As Laurie shaves his mate’s head in the middle of the kitchen, Isaac announces Beastie Boy Mike D’s feature on their new Take Control LP at 2:54. Great song to take a stroll to.
Helado Negro, It’s My Brown Skin
A laid back ode to brown skin paves the way for upcoming album Private Energy by Helado Negro. “The song is about self love,” says the Florida born singer. “It feels good to be brown and I want all the other people who live in the United States who might be fear that their brown skin brings them trouble to use this as a meditation or a mantra.”
Petshop Boys, Say It To Me (Real Lies remix)
We like it when things go full circle here at i-D, so it’s nice to see London’s Real Lies providing the remix treatment to one of their main influencers, the Pet Shop Boys, on new single Say It To Me. Taken from the Super album, in their hands it becomes a late night slow burner: both brooding and melancholic, pensive and euphoric. The circle of life is complete.
JABS, All Good
Lovely mellow tune from frequent Willow Smith collaborator JABS. It’s all good. Really good. If The OC was still going today, whoever picks the soundtrack would probably be hitting Jarah Aubrey up right about now to complete an emotional scene.
Credits
Text Frankie Dunn and Matthew Whitehouse