Future Brown’s highly anticipated self-titled album Future Brown was released late last week to mixed fanfare. The album, loosely centered around basketball, aimed to create a surreal reflection of club and street music around the world eliciting help from artists such as Timberlee, Tink, Rico Dan, Shawnana and Sick Mob. Despite initial excitement, the album was criticized for its obvious art school aesthetic and high-mindedness. Journalist Alex Macpherson went as far to call some of the album “appropriation”. In response, artist and producer Fatima Al Qadiri called theses articles, “hostile” and attacks” in a Facebook post. She defends, “Writers who see fit to assert a theory or thesis on behalf of an artist when there isn’t one, or posit a privilege or claim of appropriation without access, proof or knowledge, create a hostile environment for artists and readers who demand credible journalism, filled with genuine criticism and facts, good or bad.†[Stereogum]
Purity Ring’s album released their sophomore album Another Eternity earlier this week. The album is the Canadian synth-pop duo’s latest album since their genre-shattering debut Shrines with familiar hits such as “Belispeak” and “Ungirthed” in 2011. However, despite anticipation, many critics fear that their new album might fall to close too the pop side of the spectrum and has strayed from its futuristic roots. [Pitchfork]
The Bjork retrospective at New York’s Museum of Modern Art will begin this week following the January leak of her new album Vulnicura. The Icelandic singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer has been well know for straddling the high and low art line bringing avant-garde to MTV. The Guardian refers to the exhibit curated by the museums chief curator, Klaus Biesenbach as, “one part Rock and Roll Hall of Fame exercise, one part science lab, one part synesthesia experiment, one part Madame Tussaud’s parody”. The public awaits the exhibit of the if-not-anything-else “weird” exhibit. [The Guardian]
American Rock Band Sleater-Kinney released their eight studio album on SubPop last week. The acclaimed trio is know for string the Northwest’s riot grrrl scene and was once lauded as “America’s best rock band” in Time Magazine. The group will land in Los Angeles for their US leg of their tour at the Hollywood Palladium on April 30. [SubPop]
Occidental’s radio station KOXY has booked Michael Quattlebaum Jr., better known by Mykki Blanco for a concert this coming March 20th. Blanco is an American rapper, performance artist and poet that is known for a persona started on youtube in 2010. The artist has since become an icon in the music and entertainment work opening for acts such as DJ Rashad and ARAABMUZIK. For tickets, non-Occidental students may RSVP to [email protected] with the subject line “Mykki Blanco RSVP. Tickets are $5.
