We spent a lot of this week time-traveling to 1970s Dakar, awash in the lost tapes of forgotten Sengalese heroes. But there was still plenty of new music to dig in to, even if we’re still preoccupied with what exactly Kanye is going to call his new album. This week, we’ve got some new dreamy Swedish sounds; a duet between an indie pop starlet and Scottish legends who’ve been killing it for a decade longer than she’s been alive; a new single from a British dance duo; and contemporary post-punk that somehow sounds fresh. But first, an eerie score from a genius producer who keeps pushing his own boundaries:
Flying Lotus — “FUCKKKYOUUU”
Only the second film from budding talent Eddie Alcazar, “FUCKKKYOUUU” just screened at Sundance, and is sure to fuel nightmares in any brain that watches it. It’s not technically a “song,” but Flying Lotus’ score for the eight-minute film is both dark and haunting, and will probably stay with you longer than the disturbing images of the creepy woodland creature shooting up under a tree. Watch it at night, with the lights out; cuddle buddy recommended.
Fontän — “Babylon”
The Swedish duo of Johan Melin and Jesper Jarold have been making sweet electronic sounds together for the past seven years. They caught a break when they moved into a practice space and their sounds bled through the walls, to the ears of Rasmus Hägg of the electronic duo Studio, who asked them to put out an LP on “Information.” “Babylon,” released by Höga Nord Rekords, pulses frenetically over eight minutes, and hints at a sound equally at home on a wintry road or an chic lounge.
Primal Scream and Sky Ferreira — “Where the Light Gets In”
As we wrote when this track premiered earlier this week, Sky Ferreira is no stranger to the hodgepodge of musical styles that Scots Primal Scream have tried on over their four-decade career, so a 2016 collaboration isn’t so bizarre. What’s surprising — as we watch Ferreira strut in hot pants and metallic boots to the Scream’s jingle-jangle tunes — is that it works so well. The duet certainly succeeds on a level that her guest appearance on DIIV’s Is The Is Are does not, and feels like it wouldn’t be out of place on an actual Sky Ferreira record. Here’s to hoping it’s not the last collaboration between the two.
AlunaGeorge — “I’m In Control (ft. Popcaan)”
Aluna Francis and George Reid have been relatively quiet since their breakout 2013 debut “Body Music,” with only a DJ Snake non-album single and some guest appearances, though they did make a splash by signing to Interscope last year. There’s no word on a new album, but for now we can hold ourselves over with this highly danceable jam featuring Popcaan, the ascendant dancehall artist who recently scored a hit with his guest appearance on Jamie xx’s “(There’s Gonna Be) Good Times.”
Eagulls — “Lemontrees”
The gloomy post-punk sound has been rehashed many times since its emergence in 1980s Britain, but Eagulls somehow manage to make it sound both beautiful and exciting, 30 years later. Their pop sensibilities are on full display on “Lemontrees,” a bright, rolling jam about bittersweet nostalgia and dreams. Details on their new record are scant, but we suspect there will be more new material on the way soon.