It’s one thing to draw praise from The New York Times (who lauded his “considerable talent”) or NPR (who wrote that he, “elegantly bridges the seemingly disparate worlds of classical music and pop R&B”) but when your music is drawing praise from Beyonce, people start to take notice. That’s what’s been happening to Marques Toliver, a Florida-born, UK-based artist who is making waves with his debut album, “Land Of CanAan,” due out this week.
Toliver’s music is smooth and confident, a mix of classic R&B with the spirit of an indie rocker. His music is so good in fact, that it was spotlighted by Beyonce on the London edition of her members only BEYHIVEBLOG. The new album was inspired by the autobiography, ‘My Bondage My Freedom,” by abolitionist Frederick Douglass. It was while reading the book that Toliver would come across the refrain found on the album’s opening title track. “Oh CanAan, Sweet CanAan, I am bound to the land of Canaan…” The song sets the tone for the rest of the album, which is sure to land Toliver on more than a few “best of” lists this year, and possibly get him another celebrity shout-out or two very soon.
Check out Marques Toliver’s single, “Control” below:
Here’s an interesting video for you this weekend: it’s for the single, “Drops,” by Chuck Inglish of The Cool Kids. “Drops” is off of Inglish’s upcoming mix tape, “Droptops,” which will be released on May 23rd. The mixtape will precede his upcoming full-length album, “Convertibles,” out later this year.
While the video and song are both tailor-made for lazy summer days and cruising the streets (Inglish says: “It’s sound is very bass-heavy and, the chorus stays with you all day. It’s going to kill at the summer parties), what’s cool about the clip is that it was co-produced by Myspace. Yes, that Myspace. Along with TV On The Radio’s Dave Sitek, this is the first of many upcoming collaborations between Myspace and musicians. It’s just one of the ways Myspace is hoping to re-invent itself and once again be a go-to outlet for artists and their new music. Check out the clip below and let us know what you think of the “new” Myspace.
Coachella may still be going on this weekend, but everybody’s talking about last weekend, when R. Kelly took Indio by storm with his surprise appearance during Phoenix’s headlining set on the second day of the festival. Kelly and Phoenix frontman Thomas Mars gave the crowd an exhilarating mashup performance of Kelly’s smash hits “Ignition” and “I’m a Flirt” and the performance instantly lit up all over the web and social media, with #RKelly trending globally on Twitter.
Check out the performance and behind-the-scenes footage below, and click after the jump to see more photos from one of the most buzzed-about moments of Coachella 2013.
Forget about Taylor Swift or Ke$ha, our nominee for song of the summer is “Fantasy” by New York-based duo, MS MR. Ridiculously catchy with a sing-along hook that’s guaranteed to get stuck in your head on first listen, the song – and video – preview MS MR’s new album, “Secondhand Rapture,” due out May 14th.
The duo (Lizzy Plapinger and Max Hershenow) just finished touring with Jessie Ware and are set to launch their own headlining tour in support of the album, which was produced by Hershenow. In addition to “Fantasy,” the album includes the track “Bones,” which was featured in the recent Game Of Thrones trailer for the new season.
We’re loving MS MR’s blend of Florence and the Machine-type choruses and rollicking pop, mixed with an indie rock ethos and attitude to match. We think you’ll like them too. Check out the video for “Fantasy” below:
This weekend, get to know LA-based dance artist, TOKiMONSTA. Her unique fusion of indie rock and electronica is rooted in vintage sensibilities, but with progressive beats and production. Her latest single is “Go With It” and it’s off of her new album, “Half Shadows,” due out this week. Featuring MNDR (a.k.a. Amanda Warner), the video – like the song – is dramatic, curious and insanely addictive. Check it out below:
