ListenUp
From Harold Burrage’s holiday-appropriate “Eat Too Much” to a new album from Theo Parrish, a look at the music we tweeted this week
Beyoncé: 7/11
It’s all in a day’s work for Beyoncé. In her new video for “7/11,” the popstar demonstrates how—with real talent and creative choreography—all you really need are a few back-up dancers, a sense of humor and a GoPro camera to make a music video that will get the world watching. The GIF-worthy vid shows Bey in an unusually candid mode, in which she spins around on a balcony, dances in airbrushed underwear, possibly downs a few drinks and genuinely has fun with her lyrics for this bonus track off her eponymous album. So throw your hands up and spin around, it’s as easy as that.
Portico: Bright Luck (feat. Jono McCleery)
Portico Quartet has reduced themselves to a trio and now makes music under the moniker Portico, but the allure of their jazz-inspired sound (which mostly revolved around an instrument called the hang) certainly hasn’t dwindled any. For “Bright Luck“—a new song off their Ninja Tune-produced LP Living Fields—they brought it back to a foursome by enlisting English label mate Jono McCleery. Together they have created an ethereal dreamscape anchored by McCleery’s vocals, which rises and falls like a mellifluous heartbeat. Slow and steady, “Bright Luck” captures the essence of Portico while offering fans something entirely new. Keep an eye out for their new album in March 2015.
Theo Parrish: Be In Yo Self
Music might be Detroit’s longest lasting export after all. As one of the shining stars of the Detroit Techno scene, Theo Parrish’s unique blend of funk, soul and deep disco cuts has won him devotees the world over. “Be In Yo Self” is an epic 13-minute techno track of the best kind: lulling vocal samples, complex melodies, layered samples and build up with an unexpected drop into minimalism. A strong showing of what is sure to be in heavy rotation through summer, Parrish’s full length American Intelligence drops early December 2014.
Harold Burrage: You Eat Too Much
‘Tis the season in the USA, when it’s time to gather around, give thanks and load up our plates. Holiday tunes of the Thanksgiving variety are in short order, but thanks to the Chicago blues and soul singer Harold Burrage, we have a track to toast a turkey leg to. “You Eat Too Much” is a bluesy homage to holiday feasting at its finest, replete with some serious saxophone. The smoky vocals round out the song and the lyrics—highlighting one lucky diner’s inventory for a meal—might be meant as an insult. But in our books, that kind of dining is a feat to be proud of. Feast on.
Hiatus Kaiyote: By Fire
Grammy-nominated Melbourne neo-soul quartet Hiatus Kaiyote describes their style simply as “multi-dimensional polyrhythmic gangster shit,” but from a listener’s point-of-view, their musicianship and respective talent leaves many speechless. Fans have been waiting feverishly for more music since the group’s debut LP, and they’ve been rewarded with the three-song EP By Fire, premiering on Red Bull Music along with an interview with vocalist Nai Palm. The highlight is the prog rock-esque single “By Fire,” a burial song for Palm’s father (who tragically died in a house fire). It’s the complete opposite of a slow funeral march, however, with energetic synth lines and shifting tempos.
ListenUp is a Cool Hunting series published every Sunday that takes a deeper look at the music we tweeted throughout the week. Often we’ll include a musician or notable fan’s personal favorite in a song or album dubbed #PrivateJam. Hear them all in our ListenUp playlist on Spotify.
