THE WEEKND
So what that it's Monday?! I like to think of Mondays as a good day. Mainly because my first thought every Monday is that my life may drastically change (in a good way), and that I had an entire weekend to discover new music. With that said, the playlist for this week is dedicated to cover songs! Sure, these songs are already killer in their original form but we've rounded up some seriously talented artists that put a new spin on each song. You'll hear an amazing mix of melodic Dubstep and Trap, RnB, and overall, just straight up good music.
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HELLO PHILADELPHIA! With the warm weather looming and festivals impending, we know you're in the mood for some musical love in the coming weeks. Youll be glad to hear you have a seemingly endless list of musical options happening soon, including Steve Aoki, The Weeknd, Bassnectar, John Legend, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Death Cab for Cutie, Acid Mothers Temple (which is obligatory), Andrew Bird, Spriritualized, M83, and tons more. Also, the Spring Edition of the Punk Rock Flea Market is coming up on May 13, which is always a great time, so don't miss it! As always, if we forgot a show or you want something listed, comment below.
Thank goodness some of the best performances were available via live streaming coverage this year at Coachella. For all you poor souls unable to make it this year, we got ya covered. If you missed our Part I coverage go here. Otherwise plow forward for our Part II highlights.
Day 2 included coverage of the epic Snoop Dog and Dr. Dre set from Sunday night featuring a hologram performance by the departed Tupac Shakur! So eerily real it sent shivers down our spines. Eminem, 50cent, Wiz Khalifa, Kendrik Lamar were also some of the best performances.
While the hype regarding The Weeknd’s identity of Canadian recording artist and producer, Abel Tesfaye, has subsided, there is still a mysterious air around this musician and his ethereal sound.
The initially unknown alternative R&B project leaked a free, nine-song album “House of Balloons” in March 2011. The album was the first in a three-part trilogy which also includes “Thursday,” released August 2011, and “Echoes of Silence,” released winter this past December. Under the label XO (which can mean kisses and hugs, or Ecstasy and Oxycontin, depending on your interpretation), “House of Balloons” was nominated for the 2011 Canadian Polaris Music Prize and won the 2012 Sirius XM Indie Awards for Urban artist of the year as well as the Stereogum Award for Top 10 New Acts of 2011.
The official lineup for this year's Lollapalooza Festival has been announced! Taking place on August 3 - 5 in Grant Park, Chicago, this year's festival is sure to be one for the record books.
Artists include The Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Black Keys, a recently reunited Black Sabbath, Jack White, Florence + the Machine, At the Drive-In, Bassnectar, The Shins, Avicii, Justice, The Weeknd, Sigur Ros, a recently reunited Afgan Whigs, M83, Frank Ocean, Nero, Die Antwoord, Tune-Yards, SBTRKT, The Walkmen, Sharon Van Etten, The War on Drugs, Twin Shadow, Toro y Moi, Wale, Zed's Dead, Childish Gambino and many more! For the full lineup, click here.
Get your tickets here, but hurry up, they'll sell out quick!
Anna Love: "NGAT"
Ghost Champagne is Anna Love's debut EP, out on Texas label Freshmore. DJing is a male-dominated field, but Love is doing well for herself. Her beats are shimmery and vivacious, supported by aggressive bass. She uses tension well, pulling the beat an inch off-kilter before letting it slam back into place. Available now are two songs, "NGAT" and "Skip A Beat," as well as a couple remixes of each.
Mosca: "Eva Mendes"
London based DJ and producer Mosca just released the title track off of his upcoming EP, Eva Mendes. It's subtle dancehall, smooth and nimble. "Eva Mendes" could easily settle into the background - and then you'd be left wondering how it got stuck in your head.
If you just heard your neighbor exclaim “Oh yeah” or “No way,” it's simply because he or she heard some mind-blowing news; Drake and The Weeknd are doing not one, not two, not three, but four songs together on Drake’s upcoming album, Take Care.
Although the album was originally set to be released today for Drake’s birthday, the album was yet again pushed back, presumably to fine-tune and add some tracks to the still unreleased track list for the record.
According to Uproxx, Drake told MTV that the rising star, also hailing from Drake’s hometown of Toronto, would be included on the album for sure. The collaboration, as Drake puts it, is happening because of a mutual respect that the two artists have for each other.
The American dream, radio- killa R&B King is preparing to drop his free album, 1977 on August 31st. This is his special preview present to us before he releases The Love, IV (Diary Of A Mad Man) album later this year.
1977 will be released under his real name, Terius Nash, not The-Dream. He’s said this is one of his most personal albums to date and after leaking a track from the album earlier this week, it sounds as if he’s been getting his been riding the Prince/Weeknd/Frank Ocean wave.
The-Dream has always been on another level when it comes to tapping into his crooning greatness and singing in a titillating falsetto. His first two albums were absolute panty-pleasers, not to mention the fact that the production was on-point as well. Only high expectations for both forthcoming albums.
Abel Tesfaye, famously known as The Weeknd, has been sending out unique R&B vibes and luring the attention of hopeless romantics and troubled, twisted souls ever since the release of his first mixtape, The House of Balloons. There’s a mystery and intrigue that surrounds his seductive croons and the same bizarre ballads of love, lust, and drugs found on House of Balloons parallel The Weeknd’s highly anticipated Thursday album.
Thursday fully satiates your darker, racy side, inviting you to indulge is your wildest and most twisted fantasies. You can’t help but become hypnotized by The Weeknd’s downright sexy sonic flow and raw lyrics. Track 4, “The Zone,” says it all: “So let me sip this slow/I’ll give you what you called for/Just let me get in my zone/I’ll be making love to her through you/So let me keep my eyes closed.”
Abel Tesfaye, also known as The Weeknd, is apparently done toying with the Internet through a series of mysterious mp3 releases and video postings. Last night he finally broadcast his magic into the open with his first ever gig in Toronto at the sold-out Mod Club. While the quality of these videos isn’t exactly up to par, you can still tell how well his music translates to a live setting. It is obvious that the one-man-band has incredible vocals and a loyal fan base, as the audience seems to know every word to every song.
The Weeknd has taken the music industry by storm with his lingering mixtape, House of Balloons. And with his fellow hometown buddy Drizzy Drake working closely with the R&B crooner, you can expect these two to be releasing new material in the very near future.
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