[Album Review] The Weeknd – Kiss Land

’The Weeknd – Professional’
’The Weeknd – Wanderlust’
’The Weeknd – Adaptation’

A modern day Michael Jackson may have been reincarnated into The Weeknd. Ok, maybe not as legendary but the artist, also known as Abel Tesfaye, embodies a darker, troubled, and more realistic version of the R&B singer for this generation. After dropping the 3-part mixtape series House of Balloons/Thursday/Echoes of Silence and building up a well-deserved following, the Toronto artist trades in sexual overtones for a more polished sound on his XO and Universal Republic Records debut, Kiss Land.

With minimal press and promotion, other than the slight drama with fellow Toronto labelmate Drake, The Weeknd lets his music speak for itself on Kiss Land. Considering that this is technically his 4th full length album, the 23 year-old singer has developed a signature sound of falsetto vocals, atmospheric synths, and innovative textures revolving around relationships, sex, addiction, intimacy, and drug-induced trysts with groupies or strippers just looking for a night with stardom. There is an undeniable sadness in his tones and lyrics that only a lack of love and true intimacy can evoke with a studio perfected sound that Universal Records brings.

Continue reading

Related items:

[MEGA SUMMER PLAYLIST] Volume 3 – Alternative

Summer might be nearing an end, and for some of you, that means the new school year is on the horizon. We at TMN though are here to remind you that as long as the weather’s still warm and the sun is still shining, there’s plenty of opportunities to enjoy yourself. As a tribute to our absolute favorite season of the year, we’ve assembled four Mega Summer Playlists for your listening pleasure. Last week we brought you over 130 tracks of pure Hip-Hop goodness, and the week prior, we kicked off our series with an awesome Indie Rock/Fock playlist. Next week, we’ll  close things out with the final edition, which will be a massive EDM playlist guaranteed to end your summer with a resounding bang. This week’s collection however, is all bout the Alternative hits. What exactly counts as “Alternative” you may ask? Well, really it’s anything that doesn’t fit in with our other three themes. In fact, this might be our most exciting playlist of all, because since it isn’t clearly defined, it means anything can go here.

With that being said, we really hope this makes the last moments of your summer that much more enjoyable. So press play, kick back by the pool, throw on those Wayfarers, turn your speakers to full blast and get ready to chill, HARD.

– TMN Staff

’Rhye – Open’
’Rhye – One Of Those Summer Days (Felix! Edit)’
’Washed Out – Don’t Give Up’
’▼ ▲ GEMS ▼ ▲ – All I Ever’
’Willow Beats – Blue’
’Lapland – Unwise’
’Shook – Summer Heat (Album Version)’
’Lorde – Tennis Court’
’We Sink – White Lies (feat. Eski Göten)’
’Flume – Insane feat. Moon Holiday’
’Candy Claws – Transitional Bird (Clever Girl)’
’Jungle – Drops’
’Sampha – Without’
’Kaytranada – ALL WE DO (FEAT JMSN)’
’Freeze Tag – Fall In Love’
’Sango – Here With Me’
’Bondax – Giving It All (Radio Edit)’
’Alpine
Gasoline’
’Moon Boots – No One’
’Woodkid – I Love You (Pharrell Remix)’
’Naughty Boy – La La La (feat. Sam Smith)’
’Disclosure – Latch ft. Sam Smith’
’Disclosure – White Noise ft. AlunaGeorge’
’AlunaGeorge – Attracting Flies’
’AlunaGeorge – Bad Idea’
’CLAIRE – GAMES’
’Cyril Hahn – Perfect Form ft. Shy Girls’
’Taku – Hey Justin Pt.II’
’Miguel – Do You… (Cashmere Cat Remix)’
’Snakehips – On & On (Snakehips Edit)’
’BANKS – Warm Water (Snakehips Remix)’
’SiNGULARIS – T H A T G i R L’
’Hippie Sabotage
Sunny’
’Blackstreet – No Diggity (Bondax Edit)’
’Dornik – Something About You’
’Kendrick Lamar – Bitch Dont Kill my Vibe (Moduloktopus reTwerk bootleg)’
’Fryars – Cool Like Me’
’Jessie Ware – Imagine It Was Us’
’CKSNL – Orlando (Instrumental Mix)’
’Le Youth – C O O L (Henry Krinkle Remix)’
’Summer Heart – Beat of Your Heart’
Delorean – Spirit’
’YOUNG GALAXY – New Summer’

’Club 8 – I’m not gonna grow old’

’Still Corners – Future Age’
’Kisses – Air Conditioning’
’Viceroy – Dream Of Bombay (feat Chela)’
’Azure Blue – Willows And Pines’
’CHVRCHES – Recover’
’TOKiMONSTA – Go With It feat MNDR’
’SURF – A320’
’Izzy Bizu
White Tiger (Hippie Sabotage Remix)’
’Pigeon Hole – June’
’Andrew Bayer – Need Your Love (Phonat Remix)’
’Bloc Party – Ratchet (Rustie Remix)’
’Lorde – Royals (RAAK Remix) feat. Gilbere Forte’
’MØ – Pilgrim’
’Fyfe – St. Tropez’
’alt J – Fitzpleasure (jim james apple C remix)’
’Thundercat – Heartbreaks + Setbacks’
’Summer Camp – Fresh’
’Free n Losh – The Best Is Yet To Come’
’Du Tonc – Darkness’
’Atlas Genius – Back Seat (Goldroom Remix)’
’Carousel – Another Day’
’Carousel – Dancing On My Own (Robyn Cover)’
’Call Me Señor – Begging For Trouble’
’Empire Of The Sun – Alive’
’Dan Black – Hearts feat. Kelis’
’CHARLI XCX – WHAT I LIKE (FT. DANNY BROWN)’
’Jessie Ware – Wildest Moments (Remix) Ft. A$AP Rocky’
’HAIM – Falling’
’Capital Cities – Farrah Fawcett Hair (Ft. André 3000)’
’Elliphant – Down On Life’
’Magic Man – Paris’
’Magic Man – Texas’
’Cosmo’s Midnight – Phantasm feat. Nicole Millar’
’Little Daylight – Name In Lights’
’Dive In – Let Go’
’stwo – Try to resist’
’Jay Sean Feat. Rick Ross – Mars (SiNGAM Remix)’
’Wave Racer – Rock U Tonite’
’Phoenix – Entertainment (Blood Orange Remix)’
’Work Drugs – Digital Girl’
’Carousel – Stay Awake’
’Ellie Goulding – Burn’
’John Newman – Love Me Again’
Related items:

[Gloom] Cross My Heart and Hope to Die – Rollercoasting

Cross My Heart
Rollercoasting

It’s been a while since we’ve featured something on the darker side. With summer coming to an end, we’ve heard plenty of warm sunny tunes. While we love those all the same, we’re excited to finally hear something a little on the macabre. Leave it to legendary experimental hip-hop and bass producer of Cypress Hill fame, DJ Muggs.

Amongst his many other projects this year, Muggs has teamed up with singer Brevi to bring us this cinematic hip hop tune under the moniker Cross My Heart and Hope to Die. The slow twangs of guitar create deliciously gloomy backdrop for Brevi to lay down some softly sung lyrics. It’s eerie, overwhelmingly rich in simplicity, and easy to sing along with.

Related items:

[Electronic] James Young – “Dark Star” + Milkman Remix

 Jaymes Young came across our desks here at TMN seemingly out of nowhere, but carried with him more credibility than many artists who have been playing together for years. As a first ever live performance, Young opened for a band who should need no introduction to any level of music consumer, The Rolling Stones, at the revered Hyde Park in London. Quite a way to introduce oneself to the world, and thankfully a glimmering dose of musical integrity is there to back up all of that deserved hype, at least that is how we feel about it. On August 20, James Young will release a mixtape of sorts featuring 13 original tracks including this juicy cut “Dark Star”. “Dark Star” mixes a dubstep drum pattern on a much more melodic and connective level, utilizing familiar instrumentation with guitar and piano stabs rolling the beat right along. A quick glance at Young’s Facebook, Soundcloud and Twitter reveals not much of anything, including a current location, which all feels like a move made to let the music speak for itself. It is becoming increasingly rare to see an artist emerge without the support of a giant P.R. firm maintaining their delicate image and interviews, so this was a release in which we were enamored with for that very reason.

In addition to Jaymes Young’s original version of “Dark Star”, we’ve also included an electro remix from San Diego’s Milkman. Milkman has gained notoriety playing main support already to the likes of Skrillex, Diplo and Dada Life, so it was a symbiotic pairing for TMN and this choice remix. Listen to both tracks below, and get your Monday night in order right now.

’Dark Star’
’Jaymes Young – Dark Star (Milkman Remix)’
Related items:

Zammuto – Need Some Sun

ZAMMUTO
Need Some Sun

While it has only been a few years since Nick Zammuto left his one-half of experimental-folk duo The Books in order to focus more on a fledgling solo project aptly named Zammuto, the ever evolving musician has released the first meaningful piece of music in an entire calendar year from the project, entitled “Need Some Sun”. As far as comparisons to The Books, and Zammuto’s self-titled debut long player from 2012, “Need Some Sun” is far more straightforward than his previous body of work would indicate. Immediately, an energetic, but subdued bass line takes its listener on a walk before Nick Z’s patchy vocal reverberations create a dreamy, but pop soaked vibe.

Zammuto’s second LP is being released through an Indiegogo campaign, which is essentially an avenue from which you can pre-order the record along with making donations in order to receive special items such as a sound sculpture (seen in the mini-documentary on Zammuto Shape of Things to Come), silk screened posters and more- similar to a Kickstarter campaign. You can read more and help be a part of finishing Zammuto’s sophomore LP, through the link here, and stream “Need Some Sun” above. Did we mention it’s available as a free download on Soundcloud as well? Well there you have it Ninjas.

Related items:

[TMN Premiere] Follow Me – Somethin’ Bout You (Inner Worlds Remix)

Follow Me
Somethin' Bout You (inner worlds Remix)

For the past few months, TMN favorites, Follow Me have been basking in the glory of their debut single “Somethin’ Bout You” and the slew of top-notch remixes that have followed. Today, it is our pleasure to premiere the final remix of their single from none other than the Brooklyn duo’s close friend, Inner Worlds. Supporting the original vocal sample with a lush background of dreamy, swelling synths, Inner World’s rather eclectic remix spins the original in a completely different direction. Pulling from a myriad of genres, Inner World’s rendition is nearly impossible to classify but still manages to make one thing evidently clear, his music and creative vision know no bounds. Grab the free download, this tune is a must have. Enjoy.

Related items:

[Remix] Drake – Girls Love Beyonce (SBTRKT Edit)

Drake
Girls Love Beyonce (SBTRKT Edit)

Since his debut album blew fans and bloggers away back in 2011, SBTRKT has been relatively quiet in terms of releasing new music. Today, the U.K.-based producer blesses the interwebs with his original take on Drake‘s “Girls Love Beyonce.” This brief rework departs refreshingly from the original with mesmerizing percussion and warped, incomprehensible vocals demonstrating the artist’s unique style and attention to musical subtleties.

This is the kind of track that will only grow on you with multiple listens as its intricacy becomes more evident and beautiful with every spin. See for yourself above and be on the look out for new music from SBTRKT.

Related items: