by Andrew Sacher

Drake at Made In America 2012 (more by Dana (distortion) Yavin)

Drake has been talking for a few months about releasing a new album called Nothing Was the Same this year (though still no release date), and he's already revealed some pretty great singles, "Started from the Bottom" and "5AM in Toronto." Still no more word on that album, but he did just announce a tour with R&B crooner Miguel following Miguel's appearance at Jay-Z's Philly festival Made In America (which Drake played last year). The tour hits the NYC-area on October 26 at XL Center in Hartford, October 27 at Prudential Center in Newark and October 28 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Auto-tune dude Future is on the tour as well (after dropping off the Lil Wayne/T.I. tour). Tickets for the Prudential Center show go on sale Friday (6/21) at 10 AM and tickets for Barclays Center/XL Center (same link) have no on-sale date announced yet. All tour dates are listed below.

UPDATE: There were rumors that Drake is also playing this year's Made In America fest, though he's not listed on the festival's site and there's no confirmation that he will be there.

It's still been wayyy too long since Miguel played a proper headlining gig in NYC, and dropping off Governors Ball didn't help that matter, but even though he's only opening on this run, it's still a much better way to see him than opening for Alicia Keys.

Meanwhile, speaking of Jay-Z, following the leak of Kanye West's Yeezus, he announced a new album of his own via a commercial that aired during game give of the NBA finals. The album's called Magna Carta Holy Grail and we only have to wait a few weeks to get it (due July 4). The commercial makes it look like it's going to feature contributions from Pharrell, Timbaland, Swizz Beatz, and Yeezus producer Rick Rubin. And what's more: it's already gone Platinum. Samsung has already purchased 1 million copies of the album to release to Samsung Galaxy users for free 72 hours ahead of the release date. Now that's what I call marketing!

All Drake/Miguel/Future dates are listed, along with the videos for "Started From the Bottom" and "5AM in Toronto," and the Jay-Z album commercial, below...

Continue reading "Drake and Miguel announce tour (Barclays Center included); Jay-Z announces new album (which already went platinum)"

TNGHT

Production duo TNGHT (aka Hudson Mohawke and Lunice), who are playing this year's Pitchfork Festival, are about to kick off their North American tour this month, which surrounds their appearances at Coachella. That tour was initially supposed to hit NYC for shows at Webster Hall on April 16 and 17 but TNGHT have cancelled the April 16 date. They're still playing on April 17 though and tickets for that show are still available. Updated dates are listed below.

TNGHT also produced the track "Lay It Down," which appears on Lil Wayne's new album I Am Not A Human Being II. Nicki MInaj is also on that track and you can stream it below.

Wayne is supporting that album on a huge tour with T.I. (who recently played NYC at Best Buy Theater) and Future. That tour hits the NYC area on July 19 at Jones Beach and July 24 at PNC Bank Arts Center. Tickets for those shows are not on sale yet but you can check ticketmaster for updates.

All dates are listed, along with that song stream, below...

Continue reading "TNGHT cancel one of their NYC shows, produced a track for Lil Wayne (who is touring with T.I. & Future)"

Cadence Weapon @ MHOW, June 2012 (more by Dominick Mastrangelo)

Some of you may recall that before he became known as Cadence Weapon, Rollie Pemberton spent time as a music critic, having penned a number of reviews for Pitchfork in the early '00s. So chances are he knows his way around making year end lists, and we've got his best of 2012 list right here in this post. While it includes year-end regulars Kendrick Lamar and Jermih (and fellow Canadians Mac DeMarco and TOPS), his top spot is a bit of a surprise.

Rollie's pick for #1 release of 2012 is Captured Tracks' reissues of '80s low-fi indie cult band Cleaners from Venus whose cassette-only Blow Away Your Troubles (1981), On Any Normal Monday (1982), and Midnight Cleaners (1982) saw the light of day via Captured Tracks. The vinyl sold out but you can still get them on CD and digital, and stream them via Spotify.Captured Tracks will reissue Cleaners from Venus' next three albums (1983's The Golden Autumn, 1984's Under Wartime Conditions, and 1985's Songs for a Fallow Land) plus a disc's worth of rarites in February 2013.

Meanwhile, if you haven't heard Cadence Weapon's 2012 Polaris Prize-nominated album, Hope in Dirt City, you can stream that below too. Rollie's Best of 2012 LP list is below...

Continue reading "Cadence Weapon lists his favorite LPs of 2012 which includes Captured Tracks' Cleaners from Venues reissues"

Today Pitchfork posted the first half (well, first 30 albums) of their Top 50 Albums of 2012 list. There are some surprises on it, like Peaking Lights and Sharon Van Etten, who seemed more likely to end up on their Honorable Mentions list due to their relatively lower scores and the fact that most of the albums on this list were awarded Best New Music throughout the year. Cat Power and Hot Chip also make it, both of whose new albums seemed to have received less love from Pitchfork than previous releases by those artists. A Rustie Essential Mix also makes the list even though his actual album which came out last year didn't make their 2011 list. And of course the expected ones end up there too like Purity Ring, Julia Holter, Schoolboy Q, Miguel, and more. The remaining 20 will be revealed tomorrow (Friday, 12/21).

Check out their 50-30 picks below...

Continue reading "30 of Pitchfork's Top 50 Albums of 2012"

by Bill Pearis

Pitchfork just posted their much anticipated list of the top 100 tracks of 2012. The #1 slot went to... Grimes! Whether you thought the whole of her album Visions was good or not, it was hard to deny the charms of "Oblivion." (Having that great video didn't hurt either.) Do you think it deserved to top the list? If not then what song should've?

You can check out P4K's entire hot 100 of 2012 below.

Continue reading "Pitchfork's Top 100 Tracks of 2012 (Grimes' "Oblivion" is #1)"

by Andrew Sacher

FACT is still one of the best sources for cutting edge electronic music, and I always look forward to their top 50 albums of the year list, which they've just published for 2012. As usual, it doesn't only contain electronic albums.

This year's list has a good deal of indie rap (Haleek Maul, Schoolboy Q, Le1f, Main Attrakionz, Spaceghostpurrp) and it's the only non-metal list I've seen so far with Black Breath's Sentenced to Life (!). And of course, to compliment the dancefloor records, it's got its fair share of electronic-tinged indie pop, forward thinking R&B, and outsider experimental music.

Check out the full list below.

Continue reading "FACT's Top 50 Albums of 2012"

by Andrew Sacher

SPIN have revealed their list of the top 50 albums of 2012. It continues SPIN's trend of giving love to crossover punk and metal (which they've been pretty consistent with since naming Fucked Up's David Comes to Life their top album of 2011) with the inclusion of Baroness, Torche, Pallbearer, Cloud Nothings, and Japandroids, but rather surprisingly excludes the SPIN Essential'd Ceremony - Zoo and The Men - Open Your Heart, in favor of popular blowouts by Taylor Swift, fun., and Nicki Minaj. The list also shares its #1 and #2 with the two highest Pitchfork-rated albums of the year. And no Grimes.

The list begins with the Kanye-cribbed disclaimer, "Most critics' taste levels ain't at our waist level. Ain't nobody fucking with our clique." Check out SPIN's Top 50 LPs of 2012 list below.

Continue reading "SPIN names their Top 50 Albums of 2012 (Frank Ocean is #1)"

by Andrew Sacher

Chicago rapper King L (fka King Louie) hails from the same burgeoning Chicago scene that produced Chief Keef and Lil Reese (but so far he hasn't given us a reason to believe he might end up in jail) and though he might not have a party starter like "I Don't Like" under his belt, he does have some pretty promising singles out at the moment. The best of those, "Val Venis," which you can watch the video for below, at the very least has more lyrics than "I Don't Like," if not arguably better ones, and for better or for worse it's got enough gun shots in the beat to hearken back to the days when rap was scary. That single, and the recently released "My Hoes They Do Drugs" (feat. Juicy J and Pusha T), which you can also stream below, will both presumably end up on L's forthcoming official album (he's got a bunch of mixtapes), Dope & Shrimp (release date TBA).

Maybe you caught King L in NYC during CMJ when he played FADER Fort, where he brought out Katie Got Bandz for her first NYC appearance. He'll be making his way to NYC this month to open for Future and Ace Hood at Highline Ballroom on November 30 with Cash Out. Tickets for that show are on sale now. It's his only announced date at the moment.

Video and streams below...

Continue reading "King L releasing LP, playing NYC w/ Future (video & streams)"

Ghost and Rae at Rock the Bells 2011 (more by Dana (distortion) Yavin)

Wu-Block -- the new project of Wu-Tang members Ghostface Killah and Raekwon and D-Block/The LOX members Sheek Louch, Jadakiss, and Styles P -- are set to release an album this year. It will be performed live at Rock the Bells, whose lineup recently expanded to also include DMX, Eve, Mix Master Mike, Pusha T, Future, and still more TBA. As mentioned, the fest comes to the NYC area on September 1-2 at PNC Bank Arts Center. Tickets are still available. The updated flier is below.

Ghostface and Sheek Louch will be heading out on the Wu-Block Tour with Saigon surrounding Rock the Bells. That tour hasn't been announced in full yet but we know that it includes a show in NYC at Highline Ballroom on August 8. Tickets for the Highline show go on sale Friday (6/15) at noon.

You can catch Ghostface in NYC even sooner at his free Celebrate Brooklyn show at Prospect Park on June 23 with Camp Lo, Astro, and more.

Speaking of Raekwon, he just announced a Best Buy Theater show (7/26) with Tyler, the Creator and Earl Sweatshirt.

A list of all currently known Wu-Block tour dates, some videos, and the updated Rock the Bells flier below...

Continue reading "Wu-Block (Ghost, Rae & The LOX), Pusha T, Eve & more added to Rock the Bells; Wu-Block touring w/ Saigon (dates)"

Georgia rapper Future released his official debut album, Pluto, on Epic Records last month, following a series of mixtapes, including 2012's Astronaut Status. Pluto features guest spots from R. Kelly, T.I., Drake, Snoop Dogg, Juicy J, and others. Check out videos of "Tony Montana" [Ft. Drake], "Magic (Remix)" [Ft. T.I.], and "Same Damn Time," below.

Future will be embarking on a two month long tour of the US in support of the album, which kicks off later this month with support from Pusha T. The tour hits NYC on June 4 at Irving Plaza. Tickets go on sale today, Friday (5/11) at 10 AM.

All dates and videos below...

Continue reading "Future announces dates with Pusha T (dates & videos)"