New month, new jams! This first October week brought new singles from highly anticipated upcoming albums (Big Black Delta, Here We Go Magic, J Fernandez) and surprise tracks from unusual supergroups (WOKE, GØGGS, Moby and The Void Pacific Choir).
Check them all out below.
Big Black Delta, “RCVR”
The ’80s are back with a vengeance in the music world, and Big Black Delta has just raised the synth-pop stakes with “RCVR.” The track, which features an extra-funky bass line, a playful keys breakdown, and clutch warm and caramelly vocals by Debbie Gibson, is the first taste of Tragame Tierra—Jonathan Bates’ next LP as Big Black Delta. If this addictive four-minute number is any indication of a new, brighter BBD sound featured on the upcoming album, bring it on.
Here We Go Magic, “Tokyo London US Korea”
Here We Go Magic already shared the fantastic “Falling,” from their forthcoming Be Small. Now we’re being treated to “Tokyo London US Korea,” the album’s second single. Singer Luke Temple recites the titular geographical litany like he’s maneuvering the words around a particularly good cigarette to get them out of his mouth. The low-wattage collage of pulsing keys and organs and scrambled-signal acoustic guitar picking—and that assemblage of analog tape on the video—bring to mind the best of the mid-’90s Matador sound. Consider it Cornelius with better visuals.
J Fernandez, “Between the Channels”
Sadness can happen anywhere, at any time, for almost any reason. At least that’s the case in the new video for “Between the Channels” by J Fernandez. Recorded in his Chicago apartment, “Between the Channels” is a dreamy, understated odyssey. It’s a cut from his debut album Many Levels of Laughter, a title that seems even more fitting after watching the strangely hilarious video, directed by Jerzy Rose. Hey—haircuts can be awkward.
Moby and The Void Pacific Choir, “The Light Is Clear in My Eyes”
Now, with little in the way of warning and less in the way of explanation, Richard Melville Hall has dropped a mysterious, heavily processed YouTube single for the song “The Light is Clear in My Eyes.” The track is apparently a collaboration with The Void Pacific Choir, who have only one other recording under their belts—a bland electronic ballad with Robin Schulz called “Moonlit Sky” that shares no discernible aesthetic qualities with “The Light is Clear in My Eyes.” “The Light is Clear in My Eyes,” though, is far from bland. Its grimy, processed surface sits heavily on a ground-out beat, Moby intoning the lyrics in a flat chant. It’s sharper and smarter than the bratty Vatican Commandos tapes, and played with far more warmth than Animal Rights.
WOKE, “The Lavishments of Light Looking”
Flying Lotus, Thundercat, and Shabazz Palaces have joined forces as WOKE for the latest installment of the Adult Swim Singles series. The new track “The Lavishments of Light Looking” was produced by FlyLo himself, and also features vocals from the legendary George Clinton. Get lost in the psychedelic funk this weekend, and download the track for free at the Adult Swim website.
GØGGS, “She Got Harder”
“This is not a side-project, this is a necessity,” says Ex-Cult member Chris Shaw of GØGGS, his new band with the Fuzz-ians from outer space Ty Segall and Charles Moothart. The first track from the newly formed trio, “She Got Harder,” is as fast and brutal as you would expect—like Wipers fronted by Henry Rollins, featuring guitar from Ron Asheton. Go crazy, folks.
