Eat. Drink. Design.

Founded in 2007

Eat. Drink. Design.

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Founded in 2007

The Fox is Black

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    André 3000 Goes Ambient with His New Record ‘New Blue Sun’

    We need to talk about André 3000 and his new album, New Blue Sun. Interviews starting ramping up last week about the album, with André saying, “there’s no bars,” that he won’t be rapping on the album. This is paired with the fact that he’s been seen wandering around the literal globe with a massive flute in tow. Clearly this record was going to be something different.

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    André 3000 - 'New Blue Sun' Record Cover

    From my perspective, it’s an ambient, new age, world music endeavor. It sounds like echoes of Alice Coltrane and Laraaji, Hiroshi Yoshimura’s Green, like a warm afternoon laying in the sun. To really help me understand this record, it was actually the Pitchfork review that gave me the most insight. I knew he had worked with some of the folks from Leaving Records, who I came across in the last couple months, but it sounds like it was truly a jam record, for lack of a better term. And I think it’s that variety of artits and sounds that really make this record something special.

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    Paul Thomas Anderson Directs Music Video for The Smile’s New Track, “Wall of Eyes”

    Combining the forces of acclaimed director Paul Thomas Anderson with musical royalty of The Smile (Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood Radiohead, plus drummer Tom Skinner) and you know you’ll get something great. They collaborated on the video for the song “Wall of Eyes,” the title track to the EP of the same name that’s being released 26 January, 2024.

    From my perspective, this feels like a good old fashioned music video, which I love. It’s beautifully shot, a lot of mystery and nuance into the meaning, or maybe it doesn’t mean anything and it’s just lovely to look at? Either way, I enjoyed both the song and the video immensely.

    Paul Thomas Anderson Directs Music Video for The Smile's New Track, "Wall of Eyes"
    Paul Thomas Anderson Directs Music Video for The Smile's New Track, "Wall of Eyes"
    Paul Thomas Anderson Directs Music Video for The Smile's New Track, "Wall of Eyes"

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    Purelink Releases ‘Signs,’ a Perfect Album for Calm Mornings

    One of my go-to waking up in the morning, soothing ambient chillness records has been the new record from Purelink called Signs. I tend to put albums on repeat, listening to them over and over to get a better sense of the overall narrative, and this one works great for that.

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    “Distilled from extended compositions prepared and performed across 2022 in Chicago, Kansas City, New York, and Los Angeles, Signs captures their chemistry at its most liquid and immaterial, mapped in mutating systems of glitch, glass, rhythm, and space. It’s music alternately subdued and subterranean, elevated and remote, attuned to the flickering sentience of outer spheres.”

    The other thing I’ll point out is the cover art by Ezra Miller (not that one) who has created what I would describe as a serene bathhouse vibe. This really comes to life in the video below for the track “4k Murmurs” where these inky washes of movement come to life, reminiscent of delftware plates, sumi ink, and weather patterns or fishes swimming in schools.

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    Eartheater Charts a Brutally Beautiful Path with Her New Album, ‘Powders’

    I first heard of Eartheater thanks to Kyle as he would play her singles throughout the day, her music and harmonies throbbing through the apartment. Now, her new album Powders is out and it’s such a fascinating evolution of her sound. For me, it’s somewhere between 90s pop and trip hop, with distinctive bass lines, floating strings, hints of acoustic guitar, and electronic drum beats that feel familiar in a comfortable way. Hints of Morcheeba meets Massive Attack, perhaps. Her distinctive vocal styling though makes this all her own, creating a beautiful sound that’s underpinned by a dark eeriness.

    I would highly recommend the single “Pure Smile Snake Venom” as well as and “Face in the Moon” to listen to first if you’re curious. And yes, there is a cover of System of the Down’s “Chop Suey” on the record, but I’ve gotta say, it’s not for me ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

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    'Powders' by Eartheater - Album cover art

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    Talking Robots Into Heaven, A Conversation Between James Blake & Brian Eno

    One of my favorite albums of the year so far is Playing Robots into Heaven from James Blake because of his decision to steer back toward the more odd, experimental side of music yet again. Fittingly, he sat down with ambient music pioneer Brian Eno and listened to the album together, with Eno sharing his thoughts on the record and Blake giving some insights into the making.

    It’s really interesting to be somewhat of a fly on a wall between these artists. I’m sure they’ve been friends for years but I think personally I would be very intimidated sitting their have Brian Eno listen to your new baby. I also loved the way they filmed this, it’s so lo-fi in the best way, filled with character and charm.

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    ‘Cloud Suites’ by Nico Georis

    Happy Monday, I hope your weekend was mostly relaxing, maybe some good wine or food. I’m not sure I’m ready for the week yet, though some good music can help you ease into most situations. I can’t quite remember how I came across Nico Georis and his album Cloud Suites, I believe it was one of those rabbit hole discoveries.

    Nico Georis is an LA-based “keyboard player, experimental composer & songwriter” who composed Cloud Suites in real-time to render specific clouds as music, each named after a particular formation. It’s an album filled with soft, melodic songs which augment your mood or surroundings. I’ve been writing to this album for the last couple weeks and I’ve found it to be so additive to whatever I’m doing, enhancing my mood and sharpening my focus. Hopefully you find Nico’s music equally as enjoyable.

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    Cloud Suites by Nico Georis

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    ‘Live at Spiral House’ by DARKSIDE

    Nicolás Jaar is a great example of a musician who continues to push forward into new territories. His seminal album Space Is Only Noise is a timeless record, and his work under Against All Logic has so many gems. It’s the music that he creates under DARKSIDE, alongside Dave Harrington and newly joined member drummer Tlacael Esparza, that seems to be his current passion.

    The now trio have a new record out titled Live at Spiral House, featuring material recorded during sessions at the band’s Los Angeles rehearsal space, Spiral House. The record does a great job of capturing that feeling you get hearing a band play live. The added depth that Esparza’s drumming brings is immediately noticeable. They sound like super rad jam band who plays electronic music, guitar solos replacing glitches and noise, a din of noise laying underneath the sounds, bringing a unified warmth to the record.

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    Live at Spiral House by DARKSIDE