This may be the first time I’ve written about Tanya Tagaq on this blog, but it won’t be the last. It may not even be the last time this week. But on the song at hand: a collaboration between Tagaq and a Tribe Called Red was a matter of time and fate. On her own, Tagaq’s brand of inuk throat singing is mesmerising; transcendental. But against the backdrop of friends A Tribe Called Red’s colossal beats and production, becomes something even grander. Sonically, “SILA” is a force of nature. In every second of its 3:29, there’s a different texture to explore; a mesmerizing cacophony of beats and screeches and breaths.
“SILA” will be part of A Tribe Called Red’s third album We Are the Halluci, which drops on September 16th. But you can – and absolutely should – get this in your headphones right the hell now.
I wasn’t a hockey fan in 1995, so why did I ask my parents for a Bill Barilko Maple Leafs jersey for my birthday? I’ve been digesting the answer to that, and my greater relationship with their music since they announced Gord Downie’s terminal cancer diagnosis. Nobody would outright declare that the Hip were solely responsible for their understanding of Canadian geography, history or politics. Likewise, no one would say the Hip were the only ones exposing them to other important Canadian artists. But the Hip were the only ones who brought all of that into one package you could digest at 12, 16, 20 and 40. They grew up while I did. They learned life lessons while I did. They were kindred spirits. They were ours.
As a body of work, but also as a cultural experience, the Tragically Hip represent a series of life lessons that the passage of time, nor the agony of their loss cannot erode.
Columbus GA’s Tivory Geddie’s influences are clear: Southern Hip Hop legends UGK (in particular Pimp C), and the storytelling of Kendrick Lamar. That story? A man so driven to find his way in Atlanta’s scene, he lived out of his car and on the streets, “sold cars, drugs, CDs, blood and worked 9 to 5 to make this dream a reality”. “Want You” may not be his latest, but it’s one of the best examples of just how pro Geddie’s style is. It also features newly-minted R&B superstar Bryson Tiller.
There would be no Trip Hop without Massive Attack, but sadly new music from the Bristol duo has been scarce in recent years. But 2016 has seen a resurgence of new material from the group, with Ritual Spirit, an EP full of collaborations with Roots Manuva, Mercury Prize winners Young Fathers, R&B singer Azekel and longtime collaborator Tricky.
Last week, the group released The Spoils, a new EP featuring “Come Near Me” with UK vocalist Ghostpoet and the title track, a collaboration with Mazzy Star vocalist Hope Sandoval. Fans of both groups will tell you this collaboration is long in the coming. The haunting (and a titch terrifying) video for “The Spoils” matches its musical tone, as Cate Blanchett’s visage erodes from statuesque, to stone statue, to solid stone. It’s all masterfully executed by The Road director John Hillcoat.
Watch the video for “Come Near Me” (feat. Ghostpoet)
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