ListenUp
Feist partners with Jarvis Cocker, Forest Swords remixes Bjork and more new music this week
Leon Bridges: River
For those of us living in the wake of HBO’s profound female-powered series “Big Little Lies,” the program lives on in its soulful soundtrack, now available online. Among the many standout tracks, Leon Bridges’ gorgeous “River” truly captivates. The song originally closed out Bridges’ Grammy-nominated album Coming Home. It was written as a message of light and hope for those involved in the 2015 Baltimore uprising. And its depth and beauty holds strong now.
Anna Lunoe + Sleepy Tom: Stay Awake
Equal parts spoken-word poem and ravenous dance track, “Stay Awake” by Anna Lunoe and Sleepy Tom throbs and oscillates forward with force. There’s an entire party in one track, with its own emotional arc. This is the second collaboration between the two, but much more conceptual than the first. Lunoe is about embark on a national tour (which will include a stop at Coachella). If you aren’t familiar with her name yet, she’s certainly up to a lot, including producing music, DJing and hosting a Beats 1 Radio show, “Anna Lunoe presents: HYPERHOUSE.”
Feist feat. Jarvis Cocker: Century
It’s been six years since Feist released an album. Fortunately, on 28 April she’ll be dropping her fifth full-length, Pleasure, and today she’s offered up a second track to tease the upcoming record. “Century,” an almost six-minute-long song, chugs forward on a prominent bass-line and jangling guitars with Feist’s vocals skipping above. Pulp’s Jarvis Cocker makes an unexpected contribution midway through, accompanied by a mood shift to the music. There’s a welcome eeriness and abruptness to it all.
Forest Swords: Dazed Remix
From its haunting ANOHNI opening to a conclusive 45-minute-long rumination on Björk’s “Stonemilker,” a Dazed Mix of remixes by Forest Swords (aka producer Matthew Barnes) delivers a stark sonic landscape with a topography declared by emotional states. There’s haze, introspection, curiosity and adventure bound together across the two hours—with experimentation and concise composition as the through line. Forest Swords’ new album, Compassion, is out 5 May.
Frankie Cosmos: Fool (Live)
Greta Kline, lead singer of NYC-based indie darlings Frankie Cosmos, stopped by Melbourne’s Balcony TV for a live performance of “Fool” while on the band’s first Australian tour. Beautiful, earnest and delicate, the song’s live translation conveys a stunning depth of talent. Kline follows up the performance with an interview, complete with charm and a bit of new information fans of the band will appreciate.
Yelle: Interpassion
French duo Yelle just debuted “Interpassion” and it’s a bilingual love letter back to fans, written directly after their “Complètement Fou” global tour. With pop vibrance and a catchy melody and bridge, the song glows on the surface level. Underneath, however, they aren’t just touching upon the openness they witnessed as they traveled from country to country, but Yelle places it into the context of today’s political unrest.
ListenUp is a Cool Hunting series published every Sunday that rounds up the music we tweeted throughout the week, also found in Listen. Hear the year so far via Cool Hunting Spotify.
