Yeasayer Announce New LP 'Amen & Goodbye', Release First Single and Video "I Am Chemistry"

Yeasayer are officially following up 2012's fantastic Fragrant World with their 4th full length record, Amen & Goodbye, via Mute on 4/1. The Brooklyn band have been teasing quite thoroughly with several small snippets being sprinkled around the internet in past days, but have now revealed the first full taste with a music video for leading single "I Am Chemistry."

Featuring an unholy marriage of sci-fi and psychedelia, "I Am Chemistry" appears to be a faux-claymation computer animated hellscape in line with the captivatingly bizarre digital aesthetic first introduced circa Odd Blood. Deformed incarnations of the trio dance among undulating orchids to the sound of freak synth grooves and a curious choral interlude. 

The post-apocalyptic foreign world depicted even seems to contain a severed Trump dictator statue head rotting in the background at the 1:12 and 1:35 marks, which would be their first political foray since "Reagan's Skeleton."

EDIT: Yeasayer has confirmed:

@TransversoMedia first one to comment on the severed dictator head. Kudos!!

— Yeasayer (@Yeasayer) January 7, 2016

A press release describes the forthcoming release as “a collection of strange fables from the Bible of a universe that does not yet exist," which, after viewing the tracklist, seems to be the only possible explanation.

Amen & Goodbye

1. Daughters Of Cain
2. I Am Chemistry
3. Silly Me
4. Half Asleep
5. Dead Sea Scrolls
6. Prophecy Gun
7. Computer Canticle 1
8. Divine Simulacrum
9. Child Prodigy
10. Gerson’s Whistle
11. Uma
12. Cold Night
13. Amen & Goodbye

Amen & Goodbye

You can preorder Amen & Goodbye here.

Hear David Bowie's Second Haunting '★' ('Blackstar') Single "Lazarus"

Following the chilling and bizarre ★ title-track and video released last month, David Bowie has revealed another lengthy glimpse of his forthcoming LP, which is looking set to be one of the most challenging and progressive works of 2016.

Woozy yet deliberate, the former Thin White Duke twists prog rock and jazz in "Lazarus," a six and a half minute track previously featured in the new off-Broadway play of the same name. Saxophonist Donny McCaslin's brass wails back Bowie as he laments, "Look up here / I'm in heaven / I've got scars that can't be seen." Lazarus, being the subject of biblical reincarnation, has hope though: "Oh I'll be free / Just like that bluebird."

"Lazarus" will have its official video premiere 1/7, with ★ coming out in its entirety the following day via Columbia.

Watch a Basketball Team Gorilla Mascot Steal Your Girl in Tame Impala's "The Less I Know the Better"

Seeing the girl of your dreams holding hands with some guy, or basketball team gorilla mascot, named Trevor may not be "the greatest feeling ever," but watching the new music video for Tame Impala's "The Less I Know The Better" might well be one of them.

You can't really go wrong when directed by delightful Spanish collective CANADA, who have been making some of the most brilliant music videos in recent years from El Guincho's "Bombay" to Battles' "Ice Cream," and their work with this Currents classic is no exception.

CANADA drench the Australian indie darlings' groovy bassline wallop and sultry croons in their quintessentially quirky and colorful aesthetic for a trippy and stimulating experience bound to rival preceding music video "Let It Happen" in those near-encroaching year-end lists.

This love triangle tale of man and ape is a particularly sexual and surreal short film even for them, and it's safe to say the more you watch the better.

No Signs Of "Trouble" With Cage the Elephant's Second 'Tell Me I'm Pretty' Single

We've already heard "Mess Around," the first single from Cage the Elephant's forthcoming fourth LP Tell Me I'm Pretty, and now the Grammy-nominated rockers have graced us with the second.

"Trouble" is a deceptively wistful tale of woe spun over breezy woos just begging to be sung along to, complete with a lyrical nod to their magnum opus with "You know what they say / Yeah the wicked get no rest."

An immediately catchy tune, there seem to be no signs of trouble for the listeners, at least. All signs point to Tell Me I'm Pretty being Cage's most polished effort yet, but you can't deny they're wearing it well.

Tell Me I'm Pretty is out 12/18 via RCA

David Bowie Reveals Bizarre ★ ('Blackstar') Title Track and Short Film

David Bowie's forthcoming record ★ (pronounced Blackstar) has been shrouded in mystery for some time now. Its title track and the Johan Renck-directed short film accompanying it were released today, but the mystery remains.

The 10 minute video opens with a long deceased astronaut having his bejeweled skull stolen by a tailed woman for ritualistic worship under the gaze of a massive eclipse. One can't help but wonder if they've just witnessed the fate of Major Tom himself in what would be one of the single most brilliant full-circle moments in music history.

Bowie himself seems to stand as a sort of cult leader presiding, Blackstar bible in hand, over some possessed individuals convulsing along with the stuttering percussion and avante-garde jazz saxophone.

It's clear the fairly straightforward and cheerful days of "Let's Dance" are long gone as the eerie single continues to meander through several ambient highs and lows guided by incantations of "I'm a Blackstar" over visuals of scarecrows wracked by haunted gyrations and a looming, otherworldly fortification that evokes a certain classic Labyrinth shot.

"Take your passport and shoes and your sedatives, boo," Bowie snidely requests. It's not quite clear where we're going yet, but we can't wait to find out.

★ will be released via Columbia Records on David Bowie's 69th birthday, January 8, and you can preorder it here.

Cage the Elephant Don't "Mess Around" on First 'Tell Me I'm Pretty' Single

Everyone's favorite crowd-surfing Kentuckians have returned with "Mess Around," the first single from forthcoming record and Melophobia follow-up, Tell Me I'm Pretty, which is due out December 18 via RCA.

Launching off with a fuzzy riff paired with an instantly infectious hook, "Mess Around" perfectly wraps up the band's dirtier feel in a tight 3 minute package, and is sure to masterfully continue their appeal on both sides of the alternative / mainstream border.

Produced by The Black Keys' Dan Auerbach, the track sounds heavily influenced by the blues rocker, particularly in the chorus, with Auerbach even contributing the guitar solo. According to an interview with Consequence of Sound, "Mess Around" was also inspired by OutKast's melodic deliveries.

The music video is a curious collage of French illusionist Georges Méliès's films, and you can watch it below.

Preorder Tell Me I'm Pretty and other exclusive merch in their PledgeMusic campaign here.

Chance the Rapper Reconciles Heaven and Hell on “Angels”

Chance the Rapper might have the least fitting moniker in hip hop. It’s not that Chicago’s Chancelor Bennett isn’t a rapper; as his new single attests, he can rap his ass off, packing complicated rhyme schemes with references and wordplay in a voice both urgent and effortless. But Chance the Rapper does so much more than his name implies, and “Angels” manages to pack it all into one song.

Chance premiered the single in an incredible The Late Show with Stephen Colbert performance that might be the best late night showing since Future Islands took Letterman by storm in 2014. It’s yet another accomplishment for Chance in a year that’s already seen him tour the country, release an album with his band Donnie Trumpet & The Social Experiment, and become a father. “Angels” finds Chance assessing his responsibilities in the aftermath of his success, touching on his roles as an independent rapper (“Only ever sold merch”), a father (“Clean up the streets so my daughter can have somewhere to play”), and a community figurehead. In fact, his hometown’s DNA is a crucial element of the song’s alchemy, from Chicago rapper Saba’s regional slang on the hook to Chance’s heartbreaking cry, “There’s too many young angels on the South side.”

“Angels” is the rare song that mixes joy and devastation, pride and disappointment, Steve Jobs and Chief Keef, boiling it all down into an infectious footwork banger. And Chance the Rapper is the rare artist who can pull it off.

EXCLUSIVE PREMIERE: Explore the Dark Side of Veneto in Zebra's "Blanco" Video

Venice-based trio Zebra have premiered a beautiful new music video to accompany "Blanco," the single from their debut EP Homo Habilis released late last year.

Opening with a steady firecracker of driving percussion the track then layers on some gentle harmonizations before delving into crunching guitar jabs as the lens flares over an odd dream sequence of events shot across Italy's Veneto region. Flirting with some math rock and grunge elements, Zebra prove sometimes the most dynamic developments in independent music don't always come from the most predictable of places.

The video itself, directed by Italian cinematographer Andrea Calvetti, was shot entirely on 16mm film with only available light and two neon bars. Combining a series of seemingly disjointed experiences from a lonely fairground jaunt to an eerie cave with strange inhabitants, the visuals form a captivating story companion to frontman Luca Zambelli's longing to "Turn this gray into gold."

Zambelli told Transverso,

“The video portrays our character as artists, emptied from creativity and lost in a world where time has no dimensionality, a world of passion and art, but also futility and melancholy.”

Check it out below.

You can buy Homo Habilis here.

Go on an Eerie Fairy Tale Adventure With We Roll Like Madmen's New Music Video "You Thought You"

South Carolina's self-described "cry dance" duo We Roll Like Madmen have reemerged with new single "You Thought You," a jarring, beat-driven track accompanied by a beautifully eerie paper animation music video created by puppeteer Lyon Hill.

"You Thought You" finds the Madmen at their most imaginative and existentialist, with Jordan Young's soft croons of "When you're left alone / What is there?" soaring thoughtfully over Chris Tollack's alternately soothing and jolting soundscapes as the colorful fairy tale visuals depict a young boy stumbling upon much more than he bargained for on an innocent night of camping.

Young told Transverso,

“This project was conceived about a year ago when we were approached about collaborating with the Spork in Hand Puppet Slam, an amazing event that brings together a ton of incredible puppeteers from across the Southeast. Lyon Hill, one of the core organizers, is a literal puppet master—he made every figure, puppet, and background in the video by hand, and all of the movement and effects were performed physically. The song and visual weave a storybook nightmare in which civilized innocence is abandoned in chase of the unfamiliar.”

Blurring the lines between dream-state and reality, WRLM and Hill combine masterfully to give us a taste of the band's forthcoming record AF due out early next year via Post Echo. AF will follow 2014's Hermetic Vol 1. EP and The Kids Must Die, both of which can be streamed here.

Majical Cloudz Release New Music Video "Downtown," Announce Tour

Following the music video for "Silver Car Crash," minimalist emoters Majical Cloudz have released a similarly DIY, black and white music video for the new second single from forthcoming sophomore album Are You Alone?, "Downtown."

The playful home video-esque production and the unusually optimistic nature of the track itself ("Is it really this fun when you're on my mind? / Is it really this cool to be in your life?") is in stark contrast to much of the Montreal duo's previous discography, though the gorgeous depth of synth and simple yet beyond powerful vocal deliveries that they've come to be known for are still there, if not even stronger than before.

Oh, and we finally get to see him blink, even if only briefly, around the 2:09 mark.

Are You Alone? comes out next Friday via Matador, and it can't come soon enough. Watch "Downtown" and check out the new tour dates below.

Majical Cloudz Tour Dates

10/17 – Toronto, ON @ Smiling Buddha
10/21 – Brooklyn, NY @ National Sawdust
10/22 – Halifax, NS @ Halifax Pop Explosion
10/23 – Montreal, QC @ Phi Centre
11/07 – Middlebury, VT @ Middlebury College
11/18 – London, UK @ St. John on Bethnal Green
11/20 – Paris, FR @ L’Archipel
11/23 – Brussels, BE @ Botanique Rotonde
11/25 – Berlin, DE @ ACUD
01/15 – Toronto, ON @ The Garrison
01/16 – Detroit, MI @ TBA
01/18 – Chicago, IL @ Schubas Tavern
01/22 – Vancouver, BC @ Cobalt
01/23 – Seattle, WA @ TBA
01/24 – Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios
01/26 – San Francisco, CA @ The Chapel
01/29 – Los Angeles, CA @ TBA