Watch BIG | BRAVE’s video for new single ‘Of This Ilk’

Photo: Mathieu Ball

BIG | BRAVE are ready to unleash their fifth studio record, VITAL, this Friday, and ahead of it, the trio have just released a brand new single. Titled ‘Of This Ilk’, the new track gives us another glimpse into their upcoming album and is offered with an accompanying video. Speaking about it, vocalist Robin Wattie remarked:

“This video and song is an ode to those that understand this all too well, all too deeply. There is a silent form of suffering that most do not share. It is a private shame that is very public. The percentage of the global population that take these painstaking, costly efforts in whitening, or rather more aptly, bleaching their skin is higher than a lot would understand, let alone, would ever consider. There is a billion dollar industry in injectables and cream-like products containing harsh and even life-threatening chemicals to lighten, clarify, and whiten one’s skin. This video is an ode to my younger self, and to all the other children, teens and adults of the past, present and future that have used bleach in every way possible, that withdrew from the sun, used clothespins on their nose, scraped their skin raw, buying every product available, in trying every means they can think of to achieve this exclusive coveted lightness, whiteness.”

Watch the video below.

VITAL is out on CD and digitally on April 23rd and on vinyl later in the summer through Southern Lord

Le Guess Who?’s Who 2017: Oiseaux-Tempête

There’s less than one week to go before Le Guess Who? takes over Utrecht. With over 150 artists set to perform, how do we make sense of such a monumental line-up? We made a list of the artists we’re most excited to see and asked them for their recommendations.

Oiseaux-Tempête

Official Website

Performing Thursday 9th November at De Helling, curated by Jerusalem In My Heart

Photo: As Human Pattern

French collective Oiseaux-Tempête, the core duo of Frédéric D. Oberland and Stéphane Pigneul, released AL-‘AN ! الآن (And your night is your shadow — a fairy-tale piece of land to make our dreams) earlier this year and we fell completely for the album. Partly recorded in Beirut last year, it radiates and reflects its cultural diversity and social and political atmosphere. Euphoric and tumultuous, beautiful and urgent, enigmatic and emotive, their rich soundscapes also draw from their improvisational energy and genres aplenty, from post-rock and free-jazz to Arabic music and electronica. Today Frédéric and Stéphane tell us which three acts they’re most excited to see at the festival.

 

“So hard to pick up three names in this killer line-up! We could have chosen the 12hours drone feat. Jessica Moss, Yann Gourdon, Lea Bertucci, Ashtoreth… – Dälek – Linda Sharrock – Matana Roberts – or Alanis Obomsawin performing ‘Bush Lady’… These are three acts we might be in the audience shaking heads:

 

BIG I BRAVE

Official Website

Performing Thursday 9th November at Pastoefabriek

“Theses guys get everything a power-trio should be: direct and ecstatic, loud and graceful. Their last album ‘Ardor’, recorded by the mighty Radwan Ghazi Moumneh (Jerusalem In My Heart) is a total blast! We will miss their tour in France in the upcoming weeks so we are delighted to be able to see them live at Le Guess Who?!”

 

Pharmakon

Official Website

Performing Sunday 12th November at EKKO, curated by Perfume Genius

“Behind the cure and poison oriented moniker and sometimes harsh sound, Margaret Chardiet questions the link between body, flesh and feelings.
It can be creepy, dark and scary, but it speaks also about hope and light hidden in the human nature.
We definitely won’t miss the fury and anger on stage, as we follow carefully her work recently.”

 

Ahmed Fakroun feat. Altin Gün

Ahmed Fakroun’s Official Website

Altin Gün’s Facebook Page

Performing Thursday 9th November at TivoliVredenburg

“The Lybian legendary crooner and multi-instrumentist Ahmed Fakroun meets the psychedelic vibes of Dutch-Turkish Altin Gün. Prepare yourself to dance.”

 

Le Guess Who? will take place 9-12 November. For the full line-up, tickets and more info visit leguesswho.com. And stay tuned for more artists we’re excited about picking their own Le Guess Who?’s Who.

Mixtape #71

We’re big fans of Suuns, the Montreal based quartet of Ben Shemie, Max Henry, Joe Yarmush and Liam O'Neill. Over the last decade they have released two excellent albums and a collaborative one with Jerusalem In My Heart which made it to our Album Picks of 2015. The band's entrancing, eerie and pulsating sound incorporates a multitude of elements and genres, from psychedelic and post-punk, to art-rock, electronic and krautrock. With their third album, Hold/Still, due mid-April, we've been itching with anticipation. So we asked the band to put together this month's mixtape, and Joe sent us this treat. Dig in.


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