While we’ve gotten “Flavors,” “Under Construction,” and the Boards of Canada infused “Left Side Drive,” (read our review and catch up if you haven’t heard it) it’s been four years since Solange Knowles’ proper album Sol-Angel and the Hadley Street Dreams was released. Now? She’s back and evolving the sound crafted on the 2008 release with a new song called “Losing you”.
Armed with a beautifully shot video by director Melina Matsoukas (who also directed “I Decided” and the latest confessionalChristina Aguilera video), “Losing You” continues Knowles’ exploration in combining hard hitting, easily accessible and emotional lyrics with Electronic experimentation while staying true to rhythmic R&B roots.
And how lovely is the song’s content? The groove is absolutely everything! Reverberated claps carry on the track’s subdued vibe, every portion of the song has it’s own equalized niche to thrive into and we’re not sure where the yelping on the right channel is sampled (if from anywhere) but it subtly drives the track and enhances it in the sort of way that the female sample in Junior M.A.F.I.A.‘s “Player’s Anthem” remains a classic staple in the genre of Hip-Hop in general.
Lyrically, it’s hypnotic with just a few phrases within the verse changing and altering while Solange’s perception of a confused love transpires. “I knew you waiting for the rest that you can’t get from me. Just chew me good and baby i’ll give you the rest of me” she confesses in the first verse, before transitioning toward a lament “There’s something I know you taking it away from me. I gave you everything and now there’s nothing left for me.”
Regardless, each verse ends with the confrontational and heartbroken line “I’m not the one that you should be making your enemy” which segues into the questionable chorus, asking a lover if she’s losing him for good.
One thing’s for sure, Solange is definitely not losing us any time soon.
Purchase “Losing You” & it’s B-side “Sleep in the Park” over at iTunes
Less than stellar album sales from major label recording artists can have haunting after effects. Madonna is still catching flack for having one of the biggest drop in second week sales for MDNA (2012), and while record sales aren’t particularly a determining factor in staying power in the digital era of music, they can have quite a nightmare-esque effect on an artist in the hands of one of the big three music companies.
Today, we take a look at two examples of artists who released albums on September 25th, 2012 to negative selling results: Kreayshawn and Nelly Furtado.
Columbia Records:Somethin’ ‘Bout Kreay is the debut release from California female rapper Kreayshawn and debuted to estimated sales of around 3,900 on it’s first sale week, placing the ironically electronic-pop/rap genre hopping album at 112 on the Billboard Top 200 albums. Known for her web series on her official YouTube channel and underground hit “Gucci Gucci,” it’s come as a surprise that she has the second lowest opening week sales by a major label artist ever. The lowest? MTV VJ’s Jesse Camp – Jesse and the 8th Street Kidz.
One of the most important facts to consider is that Kreayshawn’s internet presence is still very large. 2011’s “Gucci Gucci” has racked up over 38 million YouTube views and the 2012 promotional singles for “Breakfast (Syrup),” and “Go Hard” hold a combined total of over 3 million. Also, as chronicled through light-hearted video tour diaries, she’s been toured all over Europe and Japan to large crowds.
However, if you look passed the paragraph above you’ll find almost no other large promotional means for Kreayshawn, especially not domestically.
Does Kreayshawn care about sales? Her Twitter says no.
Interscope Records: Also released this week was the supposedly anticipated release of pop veteran Nelly Furtado’sThe Spirit Indestructible. However, with a debut at number 79 on the Billboard Top 200 albums chart with sales only slightly higher than Kreayshawn, with sales below 6,000.
Nelly Furtado has always been an underdog on the music scene. Her sophomore record Folkloresucceeded internationally but was hardly embraced by the U.S. music scene and it seems as though her fourth English studio album is falling in the Folklore footsteps. It features production that’s primarily pop, but strays for a hard, minimal sound with stomping rhythmic structures and Furtado’s compressed, crass, unique vocals. It’s clear that Nelly’s style isn’t always fit the mold of the current popstar and because of it, radio unfortunately didn’t seem to pick up on “Big Hoops (The Bigger The Better)” and follow up title track single.
Like Kreayshawn, outside of YouTube videos, a few shows and radio interviews, Furtado’s U.S. marketing efforts were almost nowhere to be found. In fact, it’s almost as though they were hoping to bank on the success of her mega-hit Loose (which debuted with 200,000+ in it’s opening week) as it was mostly mentioned by journalists that The Spirit Indestructible is her first proper album in over six years.
This wouldn’t make sense though, as anyone could see that the return of Nelly Furtado would need more in terms of marketing. Her featured vocals on “The Morning After Dark” by Timbaland and “Who Wants To Be Alone” by Tiesto, as well as “Night Is Young” from her 2010 Greatest Hits collection came to critical liking, but not as much commercial success.
Summary: It is quite strange how these two projects have been handled. Kreayshawn is debuting her first full length album, while Furtado is a reigning veteran in the music industry at this point. To see two albums not succeed in terms of sales seems to split the blame on music, label, and the evolving industry that music seems to forever be caught in.
Regardless, the two artists will continue working properly and it’s not the end of their careers or world. Neither of them seem bothered, but it’s sadly been a hot topic in the media world for both individuals. 2020k enjoys examining the music business structures, especially for popular artists as the marketing campaigns can normally be pretty elaborate. It is going to be interesting to see how the major labels are going to handle their album (and possibly future albums) from here on out.
Topic to think About: Is sound to blame? What we’re interested in is if the loudness war also had any effect on driving listeners away. While we’re unsure of both of these albums dynamic range ratings, it’s quite clear upon a listen of any song off either album that the records are mixed incredibly hot. There hasn’t really been that much study on how the mixing of a record weaves itself into the psyche of a listener. In fact, it’s always been perceived by the labels that louder is better.
We’d like to see some psychological studies in the future on the effects of compression and limiting to a master track and the emotional effects it could have on the listener. Anyone out there willing to take on the task?
While 2020k favorites Origamibiro released their album Shakkei Remixed months ago, we’ve been waiting for fans of the band and readers of the blog to let the information on the album bombard their brain before we offered this one up…
2020k is giving away five copies of Shakkei Remixed by Origamibiro!
Yep! All you have to do to win a copy is send an email to cras.rkozain@gmail.com and let us know your favorite Origamibiro track, along with your name and location! It can be something off the remix album, Shakkei, or any other endeavors the band has involved themselves in. Don’t be shy, you can write more too! Let us know anything you’d like about 2020k or Origamibiro!
In case you’re unfamiliar with this trio, we first featured them last year, had an interview with them the first quarter of 2012, and reviewed both records to glorious acclaim. They’re organic, electronic goodness with a knack for creative live performance. So, we recommend you get researching: starting here and then venturing over to their official website.
Shakkei Remixed features glorious reworkings from their studio album from Set in Sand, Leafcutter John, Aus, Plaid, K-Conjog, Umin, Calika, ISAN, Low in the Sky, Proem, Phylum Sinter, The Remote Viewer, Offthesky, Upward Arrows, Ghost & Tape, Melodium, and Last Man on Mars.
Contest starts today: September 23rd, 2012 and runs through October 31th, 2012! (Because we love Halloween). Submit your emails and check out a stream of some of the tracks below!
Remember that time when we were going to post the video to Esthero’s “Never Gonna Let You Go” but didn’t? Well, that’s because we were too busy tweeting back and forth with her about the time my best friend ripped the head off of my Geri Halliwell Spice Girl doll because it was staring at me too much so I thought it was possessed. So whatchu think about that? Now you know how I feel…
Don’t judge me…Esthero used to paint their faces like Alice Cooper, chop off their hair, and hang them from the freaking ceiling. It’s true, it’s true, you can read the hilarious exchange if you click here.
In digression, the pink pirate has decided to go completely independent with her newest release Everything Is Expensive (save for Canadian distribution through Universal Records) and in true life imitating art fashion she’s politely asked the fans for a bit of financial support by opening a page through Pledgemusic.com.
There’s a cheeky video at the top of the page followed by a ton of fantastic rewards Esthero has set up for individuals who donate a certain dollar amount. Do you want a signed CD? Do you want Esthero to play Uno with you in an LA coffee shop? Or, maybe you’d want her to call you and sing a lullaby?! Well, you can have all of those dreams come true and more with a simple donation in helping support the release of her third full length album. The funds also go toward getting together a band and rehearsal space for an upcoming tour.
Part of the proceeds also go to The Van Ness Recovery House.
C’mon. If you’ve followed my musical career you’ll see that I just released an EP via CD-R format and put together two budget live shows in an ironic sort of art imitating life fashion, so you understand this struggle (if you’re tardy to the party please click here). I’ll be throwing some funds over to one of my favorite musicians, though it won’t be much, but she deserves it! She’s brought us the classic Breath From Another album for God’s sake!
Also, if you read down the right side of the pledges it looks like “How Do I Get You Alone” is confirmed for Everything is Expensive. Awesome!
Zane Lowe’s BBC Radio 1 premiered the much anticipated track “Telemiscommunications” off Deadmau5‘s record >Album Title Goes Here<. The song has been circulating amongst the EDM community and elsewhere because of its tentative feature with Imogen Heap. The two tweeted what seems like decades ago about the song and has officially come to fruition.
As expected, it’s the vocal feature of talent Imogen Heap that allocates the closing track off of the upcoming release with it’s stunning debonair. Her signature ad-libs push their way through already delicately produced instrumentation as a way to add a silky outline of vocal vulnerability and are reverberated and automated for an extra silky sense of space.
Lyrically, a one-sided cell phone conversation with a lover is heard from the streets of what is presumably a busy area. “Hey, babe, how’s your day been? No, you first. Oh, what? The delay’s quite bad. Yeah, sorry. Where are you? I can’t really hear you, a taxi distracted,” she begins before lashing up a quick bit about being tired, having to go, and asking if she could call back. The chorus emits lethargic melancholy within the situation. “This is just so unlike us,” she says. “Cut back to horizontal-isms. If we could win just one small touch..contact vs telemiscomunications.”
It’d be impractical to not relate “Miscommunications” to the days where Imogen was one half of the duo Frou Frou. The release contains an Electronic background the group lavished in, while harboring solemn ownership of sounds which could sit quite nicely beside the bulk of introspective songs that came from the Details album sessions.
In addition to the melodic Heap offerings, we have the classic piano samples Deadmau5 has come to admire in his compositions. They’re crisp, clean chords that are compressed into the mix as a way to delegate beautiful direction into which the track flourishes and panned in a conservative way of lower notes being presented more into the left channel, and higher octaves placed more in the right portion of the stereo image. Aside being reversed at the chorus, they’re uninvolved in structural movement, but demanding in meaning and deliver an overall expressive impact of rainy day, album closing euphoria.
Otherwise? It’s an atmospheric vision of electronic bips and samples that give way to to simplified, rhythmic backdrop. Various synthesized pads mold their way into the foreground of the song and allow for something expected to lash out toward a four-to-the-floor, progressive world to remain
“Did I tell you I loved you today? Kiss kiss..” let’s out Imogen as the vocal layers build up, circling around the mix through both channels until it ceases with a long sustain on a last piano note, background vocals remaining at whole note, and the sampled percussion leading the track outward, to it’s end.
Disconnected while connected. It’s the perfect 21st century, technological love song that both Joel Zimmerman and Imogen Heap can relate to. Amongst their online connections with their fans through UStream and Twitter interactions, it’s a management of life outside of the technological advancements, while remaining in tact with them. A catch 22, an outlet that can enhance or destroy a social setting with one another. Telecommunications, while wonderful, can easily become frustrating, frigid, and a confusing way of connecting.
Listen to “Telemiscommunications” via BBC Radio 1 by clicking here and navigating to 56 minutes & 30 seconds. We’ve included an instrumental version of the song below, as a YouTube video uploaded to the official Deadmau5 account.
>Album Title Goes Here< will be released September 24th, 2012
In every single article written about Erykah Badu, we’ve mentioned the eager anticipation of the collaboration she’s done with Warp Records’ Flying Lotus. A month ago, the first of a few tracks the two apparently worked on, called “See Thru To U” has been released! It’s a short track, but a great one nonetheless and it will appear on Lotus’ upcoming Until The Quiet Comes, which is due out October 2nd.
“See Thru To U” is organized chaos presented in the best way possible. A lot of intricately placed symbol and hat instrumentation pave the way for a rushed, darkly played out rhythmic section, while bass and guitar compositions carry the bulk of the melodic structure.
Badu’s vocals take the track to an even jazzier platform and, heavily treated in the mixing process, they swirl and guide the track down tripped out avenues. “I know, let it go. I can’t make it grow.” she laments before exploding into a frenzy of “bom, bom, bom, bom” adlibs. Sounds just like something that would fit within the track listing of her Nu Amerykah series, while maintaining the fresh experimentation Flying Lotus is known for. An ace track!
Rumors of the two working on songs for Erykah’s project have also been abundant over the last year or so, but who knows if they’ll see the light of day. We’re certainly crossing our fingers and toes. We want these two collaborators to grow..
Along with this release, we’ve received snippets of every track off of the album and a great three minute long video, which you can see via Vimeo in promotion for the project.
We first wrote about Kinesthetiac in April of 2012 when he released his record Fields of Thought a few months prior (review). It was a stunning collection of Electronic tracks by a young fourteen year old Indiana native named Jared VanMarte. In fact, as an artist, I decided to incorporate one of the songs from the record “Transends” into my live shows (read more) and even edited together a video for the song (YouTube).
As a follow up to this well crafted release, we received a four track EP Cout Miny Candy and now, at fifteen and in the same year as the aforementioned releases, we have a second full length album, this one titled Is It A Kind Of A Dream.
From the start of the record, it’s smart nostalgia trickles in on “Peripheral (Introduction)” with manipulated audio snippets seemingly taken from the snapshots within his own life. “Hello, Jared. Happy Birthday” repeats one individual twice amongst a pad with a slightly delayed attack in its envelope. It’s main melody swells through its stereo width before extremely live sounding percussion samples create their climax. At just under a minute, the introductory track creates the tone of the album quite elegantly.
Is It A Kind Of A Dream segues into the album’s second track “Gateway,” through the laugh of children, before various reverberated and programmed synthesized pads make their way into the main mix. What makes this track one of the standout moments of the entire record is the stutter effect created through the song’s entirety. It never lets up, weaving in and out of the mix quickly, giving way toward a sort of futuristic style that recalls Electronica at its finest. Various panned elements help guide “Gateway” through what feels like a tunnel vision through a Ghostly International fans haven, particularly a breakdown which comes midway through the song, that contains a realm of space perfected by Tycho, amongst other Electronic contemporaries. A synth bass and subtle bass drop also appear through this track quite frequently, smoothing over a bottom end for the mid-kick, hi-hat, and snare to thrive with. Overall, it’s melodic perfection and a force to be reckon with in Kinesthetiac’s furiously growing discography.
“Bless to Go” contains subtle, coy hip-hop influences with a signature “yo” on the 2 & 4 while a later song entitled “Cling” throws itself into an ambient, piano based melody that recalled VanMarte’s previous full release. The majority of the tracks on this follow up are shorter songs, but lovely vignettes at that.
Throughout this release, there’s a collection of short tracks called “Memory Stimulation” that take themselves through experimental elements and unconventional placement of sounds and soundscapes. Nirvana’s “Something In The Way” makes their way into the first part of the trilogy, while jazz music works its way in and out the second, leaving the third and final aspect of these related tracks being a more straightforward ambient approach , leading into a more stripped down, minimal electro-pop inspired track called “26.”
“Not Feeling Like You Used To” contains various panned vocal elements that are the closest this record comes to a Boards of Canada feel, but it’s rhythmic melody that is panned to the left channel of the mix gives the song interesting throwback appeal, and once it all comes together, you feel the build up of the track. Build ups and breakdowns also seem to be an ongoing theme through this dreamscape of a record. It’s nice to hear the prog element coming out a bit more through these collections of tracks. While the songs are short, they do seem to all evolve quite a bit!
It Is A Kind Of A Dream ravishes through a brighter mixing technique than what we’re compared to hearing from the EDM community as of lately. In a world where low frequency bass and kick drum mixing and mastering seem to take over the full frequency range in a lot of mainstream releases in the passed few years, Kinesthetiac maintains a balance of being progressively melodic, without relying too much on simple four to the floor rhythmic patterns to fall back on. It’s a bit hard to understand, sonically, at first, but is more intelligent after a few listens in regards to what is being accomplished in the technical terms of the record.
“Arrows (Ending)” contains no percussion. It’s fragile, almost broken and contains elements of heartbreak. The end fade is reminiscent on something you’d hear on Moby’sHotel Ambient record, though refreshing and unpredictable.Emotion pours throughout it, but still comes across as letting the listener wander if this is reality or if this is all a kind of adream..
Three releases in under a year is a feat in of itself, but to keep releasing gold? Kinesthetiac is one strong, driven force and one to keep looking out for.
Miaou is a collective of musicians from Tokyo, Japan that formed in 2001 and became well versed in sophisticated song structure, dipped in dream pop sounding guitar melodies, clean and crisp percussion, minimal electronica inspirations, and manage to span across versatile soundscapes to form a solid affiliation of song and emotion. Comprised of Tatsuki Hamasaki, sisters Mayumi and Hiromi Hasegawa, and touring musician Yoichiro Hashimoto, the studio trio have put together four main studio releases, with the most current one drawing the optimistic title of The Day Will Come Before Long.
What’s interesting about independent music coming from Eastern countries is their vast attention to detail. Miaou is in someways reminiscent of Korea’s Donawhale (see “Echo“) in that stylistically the number of tracks in a given song don’t seem to span at too high of a number, but the precision in regards to the mixing process of each song give way to paint a vivid image that can span from omitting a vision of sunshine or even an emotion of a humanistic version of melancholy as opposed to melodramatic instances of demonstrative feeling. In a way, the mixing of Miaou’s music compliments the bands sound in the best way possible and maintains extreme amounts of noble integrity.
The opening track “notnotnot” is Miaou’s most abrupt track and introduction to this piece of art and begins with a filtered voice that states it’s all right because it’s all wrong. From this opening, which is the most electronic-infused offering on the album, it’s quite possible for perception to steer focused toward quite an intense listening experience. However, while this work of art does drift toward gloomy atmospheres, especially when it infuses bells with swelling synthesizers and warm bass lines, those same bass lines that project an anxious underlying turn out to be friendly and fearless. Quite often, it’s the bass lines that remains the glue inside of this record, and it’s apparent from the beginning track “Small Dream” all the way to it’s finish.
“Own Your Colours” and “Endings (which features Epic45)” continue this wide approach to sonic coloring, with their ever changing composition and melodies that barrow greatly from acoustic guitar and percussive instrumentation. “…Colours” shows off a more spacious mixing technique, with great use of traditional panning techniques which gives the songs more time to breathe and expand as opposed to a claustrophobic sound that a more mono oriented recording may suffer from.
While most of The Day Will Come… compacts bright sounds, it’s “Lost Souls,” which features vocals from Radical Face that causes the album to take a detour through a more somber attitude, with a mid-tempo that ironically contains lyrics about summers and winters, comparing and contrasting in a way, the essence of what Miaou has accomplished with this release: a natural, flowing guide enthralled with changing moods, blossoming melodies, and the build ups and break downs of what makes an exceptional album.
Jonna Lee and Claes Björklund have been quite the productive people since the last mentions of them on the 2020k blog. For starters, we now have confirmation on the biggest speculation of the entire Iamamiwhoami saga: it’s a joint project between Bjorklund and Lee. So, those background vocals we hear from time to time? Probably Claes. In addition to this reveal, we’ve found that the stunning visuals that accompany all of the duo’s music so far isRobin Kempe-Bergman. Agustin Moreaux provided the gorgeous set, costume, and make up aspects, and John Strandh aided in still photography and cinematography.
A slew of interviews have been released by The Guardian, Intro, DIY, Notion Magazine, Clash Music, Wired, Dazed Digital, that have shed light into the creative process behind the project, which basically involved Jonna blocking out any outside sources in order to concentrate fully on the artistic vision and creative outlet that Iamamiwhoami had become. Still at large are the full meanings behind the BOUNTY and kin series, but, sometimes things are best kept hidden. Jonna speaks freely about this in almost every article she’s been involved in thus far, noting that there are, of course, specific reasons and meanings to herself behind every single aspect of the Iam.. project, but she has left those definitions undefined in order for each individual to interpret the art as they wish. An encouragement of the imagination, if you will.
Jonna Lee/Iamamiwhoami interview highlights from various sources:
“I would say I’m the same person, but I guess I’ve found other sides of myself. I’m a happier person. I mean, I don’t separate myself from what I do because I’m living it. Hmm, yes.” – on her alternative rock releases 10 Pieces, 10 Bruises, This War EP, and This is Jonna Lee.
“It was just the way it had to be, I’m sorry to say. Now may he rest in peace.” – On YouTube member Shootupthestation’s involvement in the “In Concert” special.
ForsakenOrder.com was mentioned in the Intro Magazine article.
“At the core I’m a musician, and the growth of ‘Kin has developed into something that can stand on its own legs – musically, visually and as a whole” – on kin
“It was necessary to work in the quiet for iamamiwhoami to be able to continue to have a life. My identity was not hidden but neither articulated by me because what is relevant is the work we have done and the audience reflection of my identity.” – on the mystery
“There is no need for over articulation. Our audience is clever and I know their capacity. Their interpretations of what we do shape the course of the story.” – on the followers
“The name speaks for itself, it came from the whole project which is it’s own entity in some ways. There needs to be no creative boundaries to do what you have to do and to be that free. It was just a natural continuation of how to share what we are doing. We had to challenge ourselves to see what we could do with very little.” – on releasing through the To Whom It May Concern record label
In conjunction with this, there are kin screenings that have been put together by collectives in various places of the world and Iamamiwhoami have played at the Popaganda festival, as well as the Stockholm Music and Arts festival.
(Apparent setlist from the Popaganda and Stockholm festivals (please correct us if we’re wrong): N + Drops/Good Worker/In Due Order/Idle Talk/Clump/Sever/Play/Y/Rascal/T/Goods)
With two more performances coming up (one at Queen Elizabeth Hall in the United Kingdom and another at the FreeFormFestival in Poland), it’s pretty safe to say that the project is out into the world, thriving in full force, and staying busy representing its life to their designated audiences and beyond.
And I have been too. Recently, I released my debut EP titled 2020k EP under the moniker of 2020k to lovelyreviews, performed two live shows in the Pittsburgh area, and am steady streaming through a backlog of articles that need to be written in displayed, as well as steaming ahead on the future. These have been some of the reasons why kin hasn’t been reviewed thus far and you can read about the entire process via a retrospective article that was posted here.
However, the biggest reason of the tardy article is that I wanted to sit with the album. I wanted to get even more engrossed into he world of Iamamiwhoami and to understand it from all formats. Currently, I’ve consumed the iTunes MP3 releases, the CD/DVD, and as of two hours ago the vinyl copy of the record has been purchased.
In opposition of this task, it was a goal to distance myself from the hype and immediate attachment that the songs and videos grasped upon me as they were initially released.
Also, although the album is currently available through the towhomitmayconcern website, its official release date is September 25th, 2012. So, technically if you go by this detail, we’re not late. That’s our story and we’re sticking to it!
Oddly enough, but something we picked up on, is that the Iamamiwhoami store is currently a sort of statement of material consumption. Along with semi-pricy versions of the physical CD+DVD/Vinyl+DVD combination packs, there are expensive underwear, socks, and shirts that can also be purchased through the outlet. No mention of the band, no mention of anything involving the music, just a black box on each product. While it’s a no-brainer that the music has been bought from the webstore, it’d be interesting to see how this case study matched up with the actual sell of apparel.
For now, 2020k hopes you’re enjoying all of the treats this project has been treating us with over the past year, just as we have ourselves. A proper review will be posted up as soon as possible and for now we ask that you revisit what we’ve written previously. A little preview? There’s an appreciation for “In Due Order” and we’re still fascinated after all of these months of listening and exploring.
Purchase kin individually over at iTunes, buy the record through the band’s website, or just wait for the $8.99 version to be unleashed over at Amazon.
While we’ve gotten “Flavors,” “Under Construction,” and the Boards of Canada infused “Left Side Drive,” (read our review and catch up if you haven’t heard it) it’s been four years since Solange Knowles’ proper album Sol-Angel and the Hadley Street Dreams was released. Now? She’s back and evolving the sound crafted on the 2008 release with a new song called “Losing you”.
2020k 
