The best songs of the week

Follow the Nialler9 New Music playlist on Spotify. This week’s additions include new songs from Lil Silva, Bonzai, Hundred Waters, Whitney, Barq, Asa Moto, Jessy Lanza and Anna Of The North.

Hit the last page for the full Soundcloud playlist.

A collaboration that raises up Shadow back to where he belongs.

Last week, DJ Shadow returned with news of an new album The Mountain Will Fall prefaced with a title track that came across like serene trap music. That is to say, it doesn’t give much away for what is to come on the album.

Along with guests Nils Frahm, Matthew Halsall and old-school MC Ernie Fresh, it’s Run The Jewels which piqued the interest of many, myself included. RTJ can’t really do any wrong and their presence on ‘Nobody Speak’ adds some vitality and focus to Shadow’s still able and nimble production.

‘Nobody Speak’ is part of the Run The Jewels’ Record Store Day release out tomorrow. ‘VRTJ’ is a Virtual Reality cardboard viewer that comes with a download code for the collaborative track.

Wonky electronic day-glo rave style

Most tracks that employ old-school rave breaks and samples feel like period pieces or homages. Matt Cutler aka Lone has a unique style of his own that he can bend into different existing shapes. For this once-off online release, his penchant for day-glow wavy synths are a great match for some old school rave-to-your-grave snatches and rhythm. The last minute of the track are the bones of the operation but it’s the suitable nod to the past that makes this a winner.

An organically unfolding single of Afro soul.

Emma Garnett makes music under the name Feather, sometimes with friends Ben Bix and RiZA and sometimes with her sister Loah.

On ‘Like No Other’, the Sierra Leonean Garnett introduces her Feather vibe from a forthcoming solo EP due in the summer. That sound is Afro neo-soul, jazz and hip-hop funk, played by an able eight-piece live band.

The song has a wonderful organic feel to it cross-pollinating genres: from hushed gospel-style soul to an electronic African oriental-leaning sound that is rich throughout. It’s a nice promise of things to come…

Feather plays The Workman’s Club tonight.

A blunted beat match.

Kaytranada has linked up with man of the moment Anderson Paak on a new track from his forthcoming debut album 99.9%.

Paak is having some year. From his album of 2016 contender to vocal contributions to tracks from Snakehips, TokiMonsta and NxWorries, he’s killing it.

His smoked tones are perfectly suited to Kaytranada’s bumping productions as you can hear on ‘Glowed Up’, a return for Kay’s production work on ‘Lite Weight’. 99.9% is out on XL on May 6th and features Craig David, Karriem Riggins, Alunageorge, Goldlink, Vic Mensa, Syd and Little Dragon.

The Fader interview with Kay a good read, with him talking about the thought process around coming out as gay and how it was/is affecting his life.

A fresh side to the songwriter’s craft from his forthcoming 2nd LP Let Bad in..

With the forthcoming release of Let The Bad in and a productive and eventful SXSW Festival behind him, Ciaran Lavery has revealed the second single from the album due on May 27th.

‘Okkervil River’ adds a fresh perspective to Lavery’s craft, moving from ambient folk pop with digital beats to brass-lead crescendo swirling around his breathy vocals.

Lavery says Let Bad In is an album based on the naivety of childhood & the loss of that innocence with age. It all started as his uncle handed him an old VHS tape with home video footage of a family trip when he was seven.

Listen to the first single ‘Return To Form’

Sophisticated English earworm pop.

Arthur Beatrice are a UK-band that I’ve cheering on ever since their stunning ‘Midland’ track a few years back.

The band’s forthcoming album Keeping The Peace, sounds like a promising one from the three songs we’ve heard thus far including ‘Since We Were Kids’ and ‘Real Life’/

‘Every Cell’ is my favourite of the three, a sophisticated indie pop featuring extra support from The Children of Kingdom Gospel Choir.

Keeping The Peace is released on 27th May through Open Assembly Recordings/Polydor Records.

The song is released tomorrow as a Record Store Day release on vinyl.

That’s only some of the best music of the past week. Plenty more in the new music section as well as Soundcloud and Spotify per below.

Here’s this week’s Soundcloud playlist with some extra new music tunes:
https://soundcloud.com/nialler9/sets/songs-of-the-week-april-11-16

More new music? Follow the Nialler9 New Music playlist on Spotify. Updated with the best in new music.

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