Following the announcement of Sigur Rós' indefinite hiatus, the icelandic post-rock innovators returned with the release of Inni. The live filmdocumented the band's final pre-hiatus performance spanning over an hour. As a year end gift of sorts, Sigur Rós has allowed for the download of "Lúppulagið", the credit track for the film. Download the track for free below:
The much-anticipated final installment to Abel Tesfaye's (The Weeknd) mixtape trilogy finally released today, December 21st. Tesfaye ends this monster, hype and guest feature-filled year with the release of Echoes Of Silence. The mixtape was made available via Tesfaye's website, where you can also download the House Of Balloons and Thursday mixtapes. Download Echoes Of Silence below:
Thanks to another great rapper/producer pairing by FADER'S X Squaredseries, Clams Casino has remixed K.R.I.T.'s "Moon & Stars". Rather than being another spacious affair, Clams Casino strays away from his trademark hazy production to lay the southern rapper over a smooth, soulful beat. Hear it below:
Above is the video for James Blake's take on Joni Mitchell's "A Case Of You", which appeared on the Enough ThunderEP released earlier this year. TheSeb Edwardsdirected clip features actress Rebecca Hall (Vicky Christina Barcelona, The Prestige, Frost/Nixon). Watch it above.
Trevor Powers, better known as Youth Lagoon, stopped by the Sirius XMU studios to play a few songs. This includes Youth Lagoon's take on John Denver's "Goodbye Again". In true Youth Lagoon fashion, the cover features warm, reverb-ladened instrumentals. His voice sounds noticeable clearer than on 2011's The Year Of Hibernation, which comes as quite a surprise. What is not shocking is how well this track works. Hear the cover below (via Disco Naivete)
Common has put out the title track for his upcoming album The Dreamer, The Believer. Judging from the previously released singles, this is shaping up to be a great album. Sadly with a late release (December 20th), Common will likely be snubbed come grammy time and miss most year-end lists. Nonetheless, the forthcoming album could possibly belong in both those categories. Hear "The Believer" below, featuring a soulful hook by John Legend.
Watch The War on Drugs perform a cut from stellar 2011 album Slave Ambient. The above rendition of "Come to the City" was recorded at Brooklyn's Cameo Gallery thanks to Pitchfork.
The Roots have teamed up with NPR and streamed their upcoming album undun. The Roots' first concept album is an unsurprisingly excellent record. undun chronicles the fictional struggles of Philadelphian Redford Stephens. Hear their tenth LP below. undun will have an official release December 6th.
