James Blake's video for his new single "Retrograde", taken from his forthcoming album Overgrown (out on April 8 through Republic), matches the track's mysterious, forlorn feel-- with an added apocalyptic touch. Directed by Martin De Thurah, it captures what seems like an asteroid attack on earth.
Watch Blake perform "CMYK" at the 2011 Pitchfork Music Festival:
As promised, Beck has covered David Bowie's Low classic "Sound and Vision" for the car company Lincoln's "Hello, Again" campaign. He collaborated with the director Chris Milk on a multi-media, interactive video of his performance, which can be viewed below.
Beck performed the track live at Fox Studios in L.A. earlier this week, backed by over 160 musicians, including the Dap-Kings, a string orchestra, a gamelan ensemble, members of the USC marching band, a Peruvian charango group, choirs, guitarists, a musical saw player, a harpist, and a Theramin player. Beck's dad David Campbell was the conductor.
The set-up involved the musicians surrounding the audience with Beck in the center with an acoustic guitar, a fedora, and a sparkly jacket. The sound was recorded using this terrifying-looking bianural head-- a recording device "sculpted into the shape of a human head and surrounded by lifelike ears." And the visuals were recorded with "three 360-degree cameras." The result is intended to "allow viewers of the digital experience to feel as if they're actually there."
Before the big awards get announced live on TV tonight, the Recording Academy gives out a ton of Grammys during a pre-telecast ceremony.
During this ceremony, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross won the Grammy for Best Score Soundtrack for The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. Björk's Biophilia picked up a Grammy for Best Recording Package. Jay-Z and Kanye West won for Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song for "Niggas in Paris". Drake won Best Rap Album for Take Care. Dr. John won Best Blues Album for Locked Down, produced by the Black Keys' Dan Auerbach. Usher's "Climax" won Best R&B Performance. Miguel's "Adorn" won Best R&B Song. Beyoncé won Best Traditional R&B Performance for "Love on Top". Skrillex won Best Dance/Electronica Album for Bangarang, Best Dance Recording for "Bangarang", Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical for his remix of Nero's "Promises", Rihanna and Calvin Harris' "We Found Love" won Best Short Form Music Video; read our interview with director Melina Matsoukas here. The Black Keys won the Best Rock Song Grammy for "Lonely Boy" and the Best Rock Album Grammy for El Camino. Gotye beat M83, Fiona Apple, Björk, and Tom Waits for Best Alternative Music Album. Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys won Producer of the Year, Non-Classical.
Reznor, who wasn't at the ceremony, Tweeted, "Why thanks, y'all". Miguel was busy preparing for his performance during the televised awards, so he didn't accept his award. But he did Tweet, "OH SHIT!" Drake, Beyoncé, Jay-Z, and Kanye were also not there. (Kanye is apparently in Brazil.)
UPDATE: His upcoming album is called Nothing Was the Same and is due out this summer, according to a press release.
The Little X-directed clip for Drake's "Started From the Bottom" is pretty much exactly what it should be-- a video that shows his gradual climb to stardom. It starts out with small victories-- winning soccer games, becoming the night manager at a drug store-- and ends with him hanging out on his private plane. Watch it below (via MissInfo.tv).
The 55th Grammy Awards just wrapped up. The show featured performances from Frank Ocean, Jack White, Justin Timberlake with Jay-Z, the Black Keys with Dr. John, Miguel with Wiz Khalifa, and Rihanna with Mikky Ekko. Watch them below.
Frank Ocean (via Mr. World Premiere):
Jack White (via Consequence of Sound):
Justin Timberlake featuring Jay-Z (via Mr. World Premiere):
The Black Keys with Dr. John and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band (via Mr. World Premiere):
Miguel and Wiz Khalifa (via Mr. World Premiere):
Rihanna and Mikky Ekko (via Mr. World Premiere):
Photo by Erez Avissar
A bunch of awards were handed out prior to the actual televised event, but during the 55th Grammy Awards, Frank Ocean took home the prize for Best Urban Contemporary Album for Channel Orange.
Best Rap/Sung Collaboration also went to Ocean, The-Dream, Jay-Z, and Kanye West for the Watch the Throne track "No Church in the Wild".
Also, The Black Keys won Best Rock Performance for "Lonely Boy".
Watch Frank Ocean's acceptance speech for Best Urban Contemporary Album:
Big night for Justin Timberlake. Following his Grammy performance of "Suit and Tie" (with Jay-Z) and "Push Your Love Girl", he has debuted another new track, "Mirrors", from new album The 20/20 Experience, out March 19 via RCA.
The eight-minute album track "Mirrors" is available now via the iTunes pre-order for The 20/20 Experience. Listen to it below via Miss Info.
Also, as you already know if you saw the ads during the Grammys, Target is selling a deluxe edition of the album with two extra tracks, "Dress On" and "Body Count".
Oh, and Justin is also selling hilarious "Suit and Tie" T-shirts on his website that look like those fake tuxedo shirts you can buy at the mall. Available in "Dressed Up" or "Dressed Down".
"Mirrors":
"Suit and Tie" lyric video:
Drake has settled a lawsuit with his alleged ex-girlfriend over her contributions to his song "Marvin's Room". Last February, it was reported that Ericka Lee was seeking credit as a co-writer of the song, along with other damages, as recompense for Drake using a sample of her voice asking, "Are you drunk right now?"
Drake originally released a statement saying that he "[looked] forward to being vindicated in court." TMZ reports that the pair came to an agreement and settled the case on February 2. It's not clear if there was money involved.
Last night, Drake announced that his new album, Nothing Was the Same, will be released this summer. Watch the clip for his new single, "Started From the Bottom", followed by the video for the song that started all the bother.
Philadelphia's constant hitmaking longhair guitar hero is back. Kurt Vile has detailed the follow-up to his excellent 2011 album Smoke Ring For My Halo. Wakin on a Pretty Daze is out April 9 on Matador. That's the nine-minute album opener "Wakin on a Pretty Day" above. (Yes, the track is "Wakin on a Pretty DAY" while the album title is Wakin on a Pretty DAZE.)
Vile has also shared a visual for "Pretty Day", which isn't a music video, but includes footage from the short documentary on the album's cover. The artwork (above) is a mural made by artist Stephen Powers, aka ESPO.
He's also announced a tour, which will take him to Coachella and Primavera Sound. It includes dates with the Fresh & Onlys and Angel Olsen.
Wakin on a Pretty Daze:
01 Wakin on a Pretty Day
02 KV Crimes
03 Was All Talk
04 Girl Called Alex
05 Never Run Away
06 Pure Pain
07 Too Hard
08 Shame Chamber
09 Snowflakes Are Dancing
10 Air Bud
11 Goldtone
Kurt Vile:
04-14 Indio, CA - Coachella
04-21 Indio, CA - Coachella
05-04-05 Atlanta, GA - Shaky Knees Festival
05-07 Los Angeles, CA - Echoplex *!
05-08 San Francisco, CA - Independent *!
05-10 Portland, OR - Doug Fir *!
05-11 Vancouver, British Columbia - Biltmore *!
05-12 Seattle, WA - Neumos *!
05-14 Chicago, IL - Lincoln Hall !
05-16 New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom !#
05-17 Boston, MA - The Sinclair !#
05-18 Philadelphia, PA - Union Transfer !#
05-24 Barcelona, Spain - Primavera Sound
05-25 London, England - Field Day
05-26 Brussels, Belgium - AB
05-27 Amsterdam, Netherlands - Paradiso
05-28 Hamburg, Germany - Knust
05-29 Copenhagen, Denmark - Amager Bio
* with the Fresh & Onlys
! with Steve Gunn
# with Angel Olsen
Here's Kurt Vile doing "Jesus Fever" on Pitchfork.tv's "Don't Look Down":
Photo by Josh Darr
Youth Lagoon: "Mute" on SoundCloud.
After sharing "Dropla" last month, Trevor Powers, aka Youth Lagoon, is giving up another track from Wondrous Bughouse, his new album out March 5 through Fat Possum. Listen to "Mute" above.
Powers also just announced a spring tour, which ends with his opening slot for the National at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Find his full itinerary below, and read our recent interview with Powers about the making of the album here.
Youth Lagoon:
02-25 Spokane, WA - A Club
02-26 Missoula, MT - Badlander
02-27 Bozeman, MT - Filling Station
02-28 Salt Lake City, UT - Kilby Court
03-01 Denver, CO - Larimer Lounge
03-06 New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom
03-13-16 Austin, TX - SXSW
03-22 Boise, ID - Treefort Music Fest
04-12 Indio, CA - Coachella
04-19 Indio, CA - Coachella
04-21 Phoenix, AZ - Crescent Ballroom
04-22 Tucson, AZ - Club Congress
04-24 Austin, TX - Mohawk
04-25 Dallas, TX - The Loft
04-26 Houston, TX - Fitzgerald's
04-27 New Orleans, LA - One Eyed Jacks
04-28 Birmingham, AL - The Bottletree
04-30 Orlando, FL - The Social
05-01 Atlanta, GA - Terminal West
05-02 Nashville, TN - Mercy Lounge
05-03 Asheville, NC - The Grey Eagle
05-04 Carrboro, NC - Cat's Cradle
05-07 Northampton, MA - Pearl St.
05-10 Philadelphia, PA - Union Transfer
05-11 Columbia, MD - Sweet Life Festival
05-13 Toronto, Ontario - Great Hall
05-14 Columbus, OH - A&R Bar
05-15 Chicago, IL - Metro
05-16 Madison, WI - Majestic Theater
05-17 Minneapolis, MN - Fine Line
05-22 Portland, OR - Wonder Ballroom
05-23 Vancouver, British Columbia - Venue
05-24 Gorge, WA - Sasquatch! Fest
06-05 Brooklyn, NY - Barclays Center *
* with the National
Watch Powers perform "Afternoon" at the 2012 Pitchfork Music Festival:
Photo by Will Deitz
Terius Nash, aka the-Dream, has shared new details of the solo album he's been talking about for years now. He tells Billboard that it'll be called Fourplay rather than Love IV, and it'll be out on May 7. The new single, "Slow It Down", will be out on Thursday, aka Valentine's Day. Related: It seems impossible that Nash has yet to release a song called "Slow It Down".
Nash also tells Billboard that he's been working on Beyoncé's new album and he has plans to contribute to Kanye's, too. That won't give him much time to visit the swap meet and buy new hats. "[Jay-Z] was just digging on me, we do that," the-Dream told Billboard about Jay-Z's Grammy wisecrack. "B had just said, she wanted both of these hats."
Relive the Grammy highlight of the-Dream, Jay-Z, and Frank Ocean on stage accepting the award for "No Church in the Wild":
Watch the-Dream in an episode of Pitchfork.tv's "+1":
Leave it to Prince to release a new music video and charge the completely arbitrary price of $1.77 to watch it. The clip for his new single "Screwdriver" is available for purchase over here. Prince is famously strict in ensuring that his image and his work don't appear online without permission, so chances are you're not going to find too many illegally ripped/uploaded copies of the video that are around very long.
"Screw Driver" loosely tells the tale of an underestimated girl rock band that gets beckoned by His Royal Princeness to join him for a lo-fi rock performance that inspires a floor full of dancers. The production values are similarly rough around the edges, with a purposeful grainy b/w video grade, and a structure that includes a "boys vs. girls" narrative interlude and an ending sequence that's scored with horror movie cues.
Consequence of Sound also points out that there's a new Prince song available for purchase called "Breakfast Can Wait". It's a response to Kreayshawn's "Breakfast", haha, just kidding.
Watch Prince unexpectedly strut out on stage to award the Record of the Year Grammy to Gotye and Kimbra last night:
Next week, Danish punks Iceage will follow up 2011's killer debut New Brigade with You're Nothing, out via Matador. Today, we're streaming the record in full on Pitchfork Advance, our new immersive music streaming platform designed to emulate the classic album experience. Listen to the record here. It's available until February 18.
Pitchfork Advance showcases an interactive listening environment featuring pre-release albums streams with dynamic graphics and a host of tools that allows fans to engage with album art, lyrics, credits, track listings, artist info, and more while they listen.
Here's Iceage's video for "Ecstasy":
Boston-area singer-songwriter Marissa Nadler has shared a video for "Wedding", from her excellent self-titled record, released in 2011 via her label Box of Cedar. The clip, directed by Derrick Belcham and set inside of a dance studio, features dancer Emily Terndrup, who writhes expressively on the floor and in front of a mirror. Nadler stands nearby, dressed in black, feeling distant.
Subscribe to Pitchfork.tv on YouTube here.
The Postal Service never followed up their 2003 debut Give Up, but the record's upcoming reissue features two previously unreleased tracks. Today, we finally get to hear one, "A Tattered Line of String". The track was premiered on Steve Lamacq's show on BBC 6 Music. Listen to it below, via a video directed by Justin Lapriore / LetsMakeMedia.com. UPDATE: The track was also premiered by Seattle's 107.7 The End.
Jenny Lewis sings on this track, as well as the reissue's other new song, "Turn Around". (She sang backing vocals on the original Give Up, too.)
The Give Up reissue is out April 9 in the U.S. and April 8 in the UK via Sub Pop.
Watch a 40-minute live Postal Service set from 2003 on KCRW:
Photo by Roger Erickson
J Dilla: "Anthem" on SoundCloud.
Ever since J Dilla's death in 2006, a steady stream of posthumous material has been released, with varying degrees of legitimacy. But this one is particularly huge, and totally legit: The Diary is a lost vocal album Dilla completed in the early 2000s. It's set for release via Dilla's own Pay Jay imprint (which is now managed by his family and estate) this spring. The first single, "Anthem" b/w "Trucks", is available to pre-order now, out on 12" vinyl April 15. Check out the previously unreleased A-side above.
The Diary is a collection of Dilla's raps over production by Madlib, Pete Rock, Nottz, House Shoes, Karriem Riggins, and more. However, both "Anthem" and "Trucks" feature production by Dilla himself.
According to a press release, multi-track masters of both tracks were found on two-inch tape just after Dilla's passing in 2006. They were finished by Dilla collaborator Dave Cooley for this release. The 12" features Dilla's original mix of "Trucks", which includes an extra verse and alternate vocals.
Anthem 12":
01 Anthem
02 Anthem (Instrumental)
03 Anthem (A Cappella)
04 Trucks
05 Trucks (Instrumental)
06 Trucks (Dilla's Original Mix)
My Morning Jacket frontman Jim James has shared the video for "A New Life" off his recent solo debut Regions of Light and Sound of God. The clip begins with James performing the tune on an acoustic guitar in the dark. As the song blooms, James goes outside, where he performs for a woman wearing a pink dress...with a buffalo head.
Read our recent interview with James here.
Subscribe to Pitchfork.tv on YouTube here.
The latest Black Cab Session presents Solange's "Bad Girls" from a particularly gorgeous vantage point. Watch her perform a stripped-down, acoustic version of the True song in the back of a cab, alongside her creative partner Dev Hynes:
Foals have announced they'll hit the road in support of their new album Holy Fire, out tomorrow through Warner Bros. After they finish their current route throughout the UK and Europe, they'll headline dates across North America beginning in April at Coachella. Surfer Blood will open most of the shows.
After the dates, watch the new video for "My Number".
Foals:
02-11 London, England - Rough Trade East
02-28 Dublin, Ireland - The Academy
03-01 Dublin, Ireland - The Academy
03-02 Manchester, England - Manchester Academy
03-04 Liverpool, England - O2 Academy
03-05 Glasgow, England - Barrowland
03-06 Birmingham, England - HMV Institute
03-08 Norwich, England - UEA
03-09 Leeds, England - Leeds Metropolitan University
03-11 Bristol, England - O2 Academy
03-12 Nottingham, England - Rock City
03-13 Portsmouth, England - Pyramid Centre
03-15 Brussels, Belgium - AB
03-16 Amsterdam, Netherlands - Paradiso
03-18 Hamburg, Germany - Markthalle
03-19 Berlin, Germany - Astra
03-20 Cologne, Germany - Live Music Hall
03-22 Zurich, Switzerland - M4 Music Festival
03-23 Villeurbanne, France - Transbordeur
03-25 Paris, France - Olympia
03-26 Lille, France - Aeronef
03-28 London, England - Royal Albert Hall (two shows) +
04-10 Reno, NV - Knitting Factory #
04-11 San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore #
04-12 Indio, CA - Coachella
04-13 Las Vegas, NV - House of Blues #
04-18 Tempe, AZ - Marquee Theatre #
04-19 Indio, CA - Coachella
04-20 Sacramento, CA - Ace of Spades
04-22 Mexico City, Mexico - El Plaza Condesa
04-25 Houston, TX - Fitzgeralds ^*
04-26 Dallas, TX - House of Blues ^*
04-27 Austin, TX - Emo's ^*
04-28 New Orleans, LA - House of Blues ^*
04-30 Atlanta, GA - Goat Farm ^*
05-01 Charlotte, NC - Neighborhood Theatre ^*
05-03 New York, NY - Terminal 5 ^*
05-04 Philadelphia, PA - Electric Factory ^*
05-05 Washington, DC - 930 Club ^*
05-06 Albany, NY - Upstate Concert Hall ^*
05-08 Providence, RI - The Met ^*
05-09 Boston, MA - House of Blues ^*
05-10 Montreal, Quebec - Club Soda ^*
05-11 Toronto, Ontario - Koolhaus ^*
05-13 Cleveland, OH - House of Blues ^*
05-14 Cincinnati, OH - Bogarts ^*
05-15 Columbus, OH - Newport Music Hall ^*
05-17 Indianapolis, IN - Deluxe ^*
05-18 Chicago, IL - Vic Theatre ^*
05-19 Milwaukee, WI - Turner Hall ^*
05-20 Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue ^*
05-29 Portland, OR - Crystal Ballroom ^*
05-30 Vancouver, British Columbia - Commodore ^*
05-31 Seattle, WA - Neptune ^*
06-03 Salt Lake City, UT - The Depot ^*
06-04 Denver, CO - Ogden Theatre *
06-05 Lawrence, KS - Granada ^*
06-07 St. Louis, MO - Pageant ^*
06-09 Pittsburgh, PA - Mr. Smalls ^*
06-11 Baltimore, MD - Ram's Head ^*
06-12 Asheville, NC - Orange Peel ^*
08-23-25 Reading, England - Reading Festival
08-23-25 Leeds, England - Leeds Festival
11-12 Paris, France - Zénith
+ with Efterklang
# with The Neighbourhood
^ with Surfer Blood
* with Blondfire
Don't worry, single people: we've got you covered. This Thursday night, Valentine's Day, Pitchfork.tv will webcast performances by Laurel Halo and Teengirl Fantasy live from Manhattan's Le Poisson Rouge. Tune in to Pitchfork.tv at midnight Eastern time to watch Laurel Halo's set and 1am Eastern time to watch Teengirl Fantasy's.
Teengirl Fantasy's 2012 record, Tracer, featured a collaboration with Laurel Halo.
Check out a teaser for the webcast below:
Watch a Pitchfork.tv interview with Laurel Halo.
Watch Teengirl Fantasy perform "Dancing in Slow Motion" live at the New Museum on Pitchfork.tv: