Last Friday, This Week In Records honoured Thanksgiving by offering you ‘Turkey On Wheels,’ a track from Kill The Noise and Dillon Francis that had crossed my SoundCloud feed that day as those across the pond from us tucked into their delicious feasts and plotted how best to nab a cheap telly. Last night, a DJ played it at our very own campus watering hole as a humorous interlude between karaoke maulings of festive anthems and it became entirely evident that it is one of the greatest pieces of music of our time. So great, in fact, that we managed to be an entire year late both in discovering and featuring it, for which we must apologise. Fortunately, today we have some totally new tracks that definitely haven’t been heard before anywhere far too much over the past few months. If you’ve got any suggestions for contemporary poultry-based bangers for the remainder of 2016’s columns, email us at [email protected].
Childish Gambino – “Awaken, My Love!”
Attempting to pigeonhole Donald Glover into a single discipline of this entertainment game would be, quite frankly, stupid. His breakthroughs came from writing on 30 Rock and starring as goofy converted athlete Troy Barnes in Dan Harmon’s cult NBC/Yahoo! show Community, yet his stint on the latter came to a premature end as his rap career under a moniker from a Wu-Tang Clan name generator began to rapidly take off following the release of Camp, his full-length debut. By the time he put out Because The Internet in 2013, some of the harsher rap had been swapped for a 72-page screenplay and a short film adaptation, and, if ‘Me And Your Mama‘ is anything to go by, this latest record merrily discards your expectations for to bare its perplexing soul with delectable James Brown tributes.
Sigala & Digital Farm Animals – ‘Only One’
The impending climax to 2016 has gradually made itself known in many ways over recent days, and none particularly more so than automated radio playout systems beginning to sneak The Killers’ Christmas-themed discography into rotation yesterday morning. With some even choosing to dust off their finest garish jumpers, could there be a better antidote (that also slightly cements this transition) than a pan-laced shot of mildly robotic joy, set for a proper “impact” in February? Courtesy of the friend of Craig David who hasn’t been dislodged from either charts or radios since a brace of merry melodies set up shop in the second half of last year and a regular collaborator with Dua Lipa, Galantis, and Netsky who was last heard chilling in riches with Nelly and Cash Cash, ‘Only One’ even nods to a track from The Life Of Pablo to really achieve peak levels of 2016’s pineapple-y flavour.
deadmau5 – W:/2016ALBUM/
Watch this, readers: you can actually pinpoint the second when deadmau5 stopped giving a crap about what he called his albums.
- Get Scraped
- Vexillology
- Random Album Title
- For Lack Of A Better Name
- 4×4=12
- > album title goes here <
- while(1<2)
- W:/2016ALBUM/
At least the effort that most would dedicate to naming is still being injected into the music.
Nicki Minaj & Mike WiLL Made-It – ‘Black Barbies’
Whilst I still cannot entirely fathom how Rae Sremmurd’s ‘Black Beatles’ and the mannequin challenge that made it a global chart hit are still rolling on, even that Honey G thing from The X Factor apparently couldn’t do it any harm over the weekend. Nicki Minaj’s contribution is rather more creative than just standing still and listening to a thoroughly irritating and uninspiring SremmLife 2 cut, at least: her version, credited as a collaboration with the track’s original producer, flips the focus from that crowd-pleasing girl into a hook that probably won’t make it to radio intact.
The Hamilton Mixtape
Pulitzer Prize? 11 Tony Awards? An upcoming West End opening? Three complaint tweets from the President-Elect of the United States? A compilation record that spins its music with star guests like Sia, John Legend, The Roots, Usher, and Chance The Rapper? Yep, Hamilton has it all.
Selected Other Releases
Albums
Adventure Club – Red//Blue
AJ Tracey – Little Tracey EP
Golden Features – Wolfie/Funeral EP
Grace VanderWaal – Perfectly Imperfect EP
Hare Squead – Supernormal EP
John Legend – Darkness & Light
Måns Zelmerlöw – Chameleon
Peter Doherty – Hamburg Demonstrations
The Rolling Stones – Blue & Lonesome
Vaults – Caught In Still Life
Singles
Alan Walker – ‘Alone’
Aston Merrygold – ‘Too Late’
Benjamin Francis Leftwich – ‘If You Give Me Fire’
C Duncan – ‘Other Side’
Cry Boy Cry – ‘My Heart So Heavy’
Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes – ‘Wild Flowers’
Imagine Dragons – ‘Levitate’
Jain – ‘Makeba’
Jessie J – ‘Can’t Take My Eyes Off You x MAKE UP FOR EVER’
Joe Goddard – ‘Lose Your Love’
Kaleem Taylor – ‘By My Side’
Kehlani – ‘Advice’
Laura Marling – ‘Soothing’
Mahalia – ‘Independence Day’
Military Wives Choirs – ‘Home For Christmas’
Newham Generals & Wiley – ‘Unruly’
Rebecca & Fiona – ‘Cold As X-Mas’
Riton & Kah-Lo – ‘Better Riddim’
Run The Jewels – ‘Legend Has It’
Sia – ‘Angel By The Wings’
Stefflon Don – ‘Real Ting’
The Lumineers – ‘Blue Christmas’
Toyboy & Robin – ‘Through My Eyes’
Train – ‘Working Girl’
XYLØ – ‘Get Closer’
