Thursday Music News

06/02/2016

Janice Headley

New Beck! Aside from his gorgeous collaboration with the Chemical Brothers, we haven't heard much from the once self-proclaimed loser since his 2013 Grammy Award-winning album Morning Phase. Stream the brand new single "Wow" below. In an interview on Zane Lowe's Beats 1 show, Beck says of the next album, "I mean, technically, I should have this record done by Friday. You know, it’s done when it’s done....It’s done when they pry it out of my hands." According to iHeartRadio, that hand-prying goes down October 21st via Capitol Records. [Pitchfork]

In sadder news, local musician Phil Elverum (of Microphones and Mount Eerie) shared the news that his wife, artist/musician Geneviève Elverum (nee Geneviève Castrée), is suffering from inoperable stage 4 pancreatic cancer. Both have been long active in the Northwest music scene, not only as musicians, but also as organizers of 10 years of What The Heck Fest and later the Anacortes Unknown Music Series. Elverum has set up a GoFundMe page to help the family deal with the devastating cost of treatments. You can donate here. [Stereogum]

Still no Seattle tour dates, but while we wait, PJ Harvey shares another new video from her latest, Hope Six Demolition Project. Watch the clip for "The Orange Monkey" below, which was shot in Afghanistan and directed by photojournalist Seamus Murphy. "There’s an underlying melancholy, which is leavened by the strength and energy of the Afghan people," Murphy said to UK media outlet The Guardian. "We know there is tragedy, but what we see is resilience." [Spin]

And finally, it's been 16 years, but Australian mixologists The Avalanches share their first new music since 2000's breakthrough debut Since I Left You: stream the single "Frankie Sinatra" below, which features guest vocals from MF DOOM and Danny Brown. The track will appear on the band's long-awaited sophomore release Wildflower, out July 8th via Astralwerks/Modular/EMI/XL. Additional guests on the album include Father John Misty, Toro Y Moi, Jennifer Herrema of Royal Trux, Camp Lo, Biz Markie, Mercury Rev's Jonathan Donahue, and Warren Ellis of the Bad Seeds/Dirty Three. We can't wait. [Pitchfork]

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