Rae Morris is no newcomer to the UK music scene, and it’s incredibly evident through her refined musical stylings and talents. This track, Do You Even Know Me, is a solid and stunning pop song, accompanied by a thoughtful and fashionable video. The thing here is that Rae’s style is devoid of scene-isms. There is no edginess to her style- instead it’s classic and approachable. The hooks are a bit old school, much like the vintage furniture stop motion spinning in her video, but Rae herself, dressed in a stunning red piece, is evocative and emotional, honest and immersive. Check out the video below, followed by a remix of the track by Kaiotic favorite Oceaán.
Based in Valencia, Spain, Polock is currently working towards their second full-length, Rising Up, out on Nacional Records April 15th, and the material we’ve gotten so far is insanely promising. A Rock band with the perfect amount of 80s electroclash embellishments, Polock is to Spain what Phoenix is to France- a band with longevity poised for global recognition. The video for their latest single, Everlasting, is a noir film experience, hyper classic american masculinity is in the forefront, while the music harkens back to a rock sound that redefined the male figure- the 70s and 80s in NYC’s gritty downtown scene. The video is captivating and mysterious. It’s fashion, it’s West Side Story, it’s stamina against testosterone, and it’s beautifully shot. Paired with this incredible track, I’d say the US should be on Polock watch.
Flyte is a London based quartet playing with funk and Pop Rock, a la Talking Heads (or a more modern iteration would be Miniature Tigers). They released their debut EP last September to acclaim and followed with sold out shows, garnering the kinds of accolades that major bands inspired at their beginnings. Flyte had sparked in The Guardian’s Paul Lester the sense of wonder that is born when something fantastic is discovered, and promises longevity. The quality of Flyte’s music comes from nuanced and historically informed songwriting, playful and satisfying guitar lines, and a lead singer for the ages. They’ve returned with a new song and video, We Are The Rain, whose video is a playful 80s green screen game. It looks both unprofessional and raw, as well as completely stylized and well thought out. It matches the songs spright and billowing guitars and synths with stop motioned shots and floating nerds, and it matches the enveloping harmonies with digital era tack that is so hilariously bad it’s great.
Lady Gaga released her new video for G.U.Y. as part of an ‘epic’ 7 minute ARTPOP film on Saturday evening to a startlingly cotidian reception. For the most part no one is critically discussing the work itself, and instead a google search turns up aggregated new sources that simply state it was released, and gush over the predicted indulgence and “strangeness” of her newest visual production. It’s difficult to say if the work is a success. Is this lack of journalistic engagement the nail on the coffin of one of Pop’s most transfixing creations? Gaga’s career has been somewhat of an anomaly of late, and with a strange divide between her true experiences and the facade that we’ve all grown to understand, it’s an interesting direction for the ARTPOP conundrum.
G.U.Y. is Gaga’s first video release since August 19th’s rushed unveiling of the aptly prepared Applause, and the beginning of marketing and promotion for ARTPOP. Applause was an honest and revealing mantra from an artist whose career was built on the enigma of fame. It was also a phenomenal pop track, with incredible production and a stunning music video. There was a moment of excitement; a second of promise. But Applause was mostly unsuccessful, in comparison to Gaga’s previous sales records and contemporaries, and the single brought to light some disconcerting happenings in her career and within Haus of Gaga. Rumours circled about shady maneuvers to boost sales (especially in light of competing with Katy Perry’s unbelievably drab Roar).
Following Applause, Gaga began teasing tracks from ARTPOP. Among them the widely popular Do What U Want was teased on a Beats Headphones ad. It was brilliant product placement, for Beats and ARTPOP, and the ad itself made the song seem epic, intriguing, and poised for a commercial take over. But the release of Do What U Want was riddled with missteps. The song featured a controversial and tired artist (R.Kelly- whose latest record Black Panties exposed how entirely irrelevant he is), the video was never created, and the replacement of R.Kelly with Christina Aguilera read as desperate.
However, throughout this whole process, it’s important to remember that this is STILL Gaga. There are still amazing live performances, there are still gorgeous outfits, there are still fantastic pop songs. There was only one acoustic performance of Applause, and only one of Do What U Want, and both were absolutely mesmerizing and artful, a true iteration of the potential of ARTPOP.
A K U A (a-koo-ah) is Montreal based electronic soul artist Akua Carson. She’s stunning- a beautiful voice, meticulously produced tracks and an awesome sense of style. Being a part of a pack, and let’s face it, female electronic soul artists are sprouting up like weeds, is never easy. Standing out from that pack is even more difficult. But A K U A manages to do just that by incorporating old world style musings in the vocal delivery lineage of India.Arie or Corinne Bailey Rae while gliding over 80s world R&B (think Sade) production- it’s deceitfully and enticingly shallow before filling out into a romantic futurist soul fantasy. Like swirling rich colors, the sounds A K U A funnels through her debut EP are a sonic experience with visual manifestations. It jumps out of your speakers as her voice gently corroborates a glowing pattern of light and movement. It’s only fitting then that her video for One’s Company be like visual masturbation for electronic soul lovers. The video’s aesthetic is darkly humorous, cheeky in its cynical outlook, and delivering some of the best choreography I’ve seen in a video (well, since Haim’s latest). A K U A’s EP has been out for a minute, and she caught my attention back in the summer of ’13 with her track Monsters, but this video is a very immediate reminder of why we should pay attention to this girl. And we should. Just look at that gif.
Maxine Ashley, also known for being the ubiquitous Pharrell’s protégé, is exhibiting some pretty distinct hereditary traits on stand-out single and new video Perpetual Nights. Maxine released her EP Mood Swings back in October and it quietly buzzed away, lacking the pizazz to capture people’s attention during that season of pop diva releases. But it seems like now the market is primed- old school funk and R&B are practically commonplace in top 40 tracks, and sensual nuance has been made accessible by guys like Pharrell and Justin Timberlake. The video release has forced a more intentional listen to the EP and I keep finding more and more reasons to love this girl. Here is the video for Perpetual Nights, enjoy her fashionable restraint and soulful reverence to past greats. Check out her full EP here, and my favorite tracks below.
Ana Tijoux has gone from an unknown latin breakout in 2010 to a publicly underrated yet critically acclaimed crossover artist, earning accolades at the Grammy’s and from Thom Yorke. She follows up her successful debut 1977 (which was featured on Breaking Bad and Performed at The Grammy’s with The Roots) with a politically inclined cut, Vengo, from her upcoming third full-length. In Vengo Ana searches for the past of her ancestry, she uses her ideas as a shield to fight the present and shed light on the past. Her rhymes become a vehicle of inspiration of the ideal, the dream, the new man. She becomes a part of the earth, the sky, and the animals. But this is fierce, not gentle, and as she comes for you and for answers I’d bet she’s not taking hostages.
Look for Ana at SXSW this year, and check out the video clip from Breaking Bad that featured 1977.
Like Seinabo Sey‘s deep eyes, this video is a well of stories and emotions. It’s simplistic at its surface, but within that simplicity a million flittering moments exist that spurr my mind on a passionate journey through the condition of youth, its beauty and its challenges. Seinabo herself embodies a wisdom that contradicts her very message of youth proclaimed and defended. Just like the motifs that represent the dichotomy of youth and understanding- a dead squirrel, a moment of unexpected intimacy between two men, the liveliness of an abandoned home, the beauty of nature clouded by cigarette smoke- this song is anthemic for anyone who has ever wondered beyond the naivete of our blissful youth, and it’s the perfect imagery for an incredible debut track.
The Brazilian 3LW? Or should we fast forward a bit to Cheetah Girls? Either way this female trio, Pearls Negras, is KILLING it. You’ve got your sassy gap tooth, your lighter skinned lady girl, and your obvious lead sexpot. Is that Raven in the middle? No no… she can’t also be the one with the gap. I’m so confused! Does one of them have braces?
It’s all very playas gon play. And so very teen girl gone bad in the Favela. It’s kicking K-pop in the ass and taking the spotlight. I’m living for this. Can we talk outfits? #eatit
The beats hot as hell, clearly influenced by Brazilian trends today (including the band Banda Uó who actually turned me on to these gals). It’s like a modern iteration of Diplo and Reggaeton, and it should be blowing up your speakers.
Kaiotic Music 
