Hey Gigantic gang,
Can someone tell me what happened to the summer? I’m sure it was blazing hot just a couple of weeks ago and today the Gigantic office seems to be surrounded by a million and one incredible soggy pigeons looking very sorry for themselves. While I nip out and to go get them all a little mac and pair of wellies (standard British summertime wear), you can enjoy all the hottest new tunes with the #NewMusicFriday blog and playlist.
And remember, Gigantic has the best selection of gig and festival (bring a brolly) tickets so you can hear your new favourite sounds being played live!
Video
OSHUN – ‘Blessings On Blessings’
Oshun are hip hop duo Niambi Sala and Thandiwe that you need to know. Following the release of their incredible debut album ‘bittersweet vol: 1’ last year – their first full length record in three years – comes the new video for their single ‘Blessings On Blessings’.
Connecting with the spirits of their past with cutting edge production, Oshun present the new sound of Afrofuturism which includes both digital and acoustic sounds, heavy use of drums and bass and their return to the scene has got everyone excited.
SAXON – ‘747 Strangers In The Night’ (Live In Helsinki 2015)
Taken from their forthcoming album ‘The Eagle Has Landed 40 (Live)’, Barnsely born heavy metallers Saxon have just released the video of their performance of killer song ‘747 Strangers In The Night’. The upcoming live album is to celebrate the hard rock stalwarts forty year career which has seen them conquer the globe as they still sell out packed out arenas worldwide having forever changed the sound of guitar music.
‘The Eagle Has Landed 40 (Live)’ is released on August 2nd. It will also be released as a 747 Signature Edition Boxset - limited to 747 copies of course!
MACHINE GUN KELLY, YUNGBLUD & TRAVIS BARKER – 'I Think I'm OKAY'
The biggest ever collab track ever has just dropped out of nowhere! Texan rapper Machine Gun Kelly has teamed up with Doncaster's rising alt-rocker YUNGBLUD and pop punk veteran drummer Travis Barker for the song 'I Think I'm OKAY' - a dark and introspective look at self sabotague.
Despite sounding so awesome, the track was largely spontaneous with YUNGBLUD joining in at the last second as KGK explains; “Fun fact about this song is that YUNGBLUD came into my studio 15 minutes before I needed to go to Travis’ house because we had a session planned. I was like, ‘Dude, I have this crazy song idea. I just need you to do something but I don’t have any time. I have to go to Travis’ house. I can’t waste his time. You just gotta get in there and do something.’"
'I Think I'm OKAY' is expected to appear on MGK's upcoming album 'Hotel Diablo', released later in the year.
Machine Gun Kelly tickets are currently available.
Albums
AURORA – ‘A Different Kind Of Human (Step II)’
Given the wonderfully odd nature of rising ethereal electronic star Aurora (Aksnes), it comes as little surprise that she would opt to surprise us once again by breaking down an album into two parts. ‘A Different Kind Of Human (Step II)’ follows last year’s precursor and sees her pursue even more experimental avenues that ever before in a bid to become more “explosive and noisy”.
While Aurora may have succeeded in meeting her aims in creating a louder noise, this second part is still delicate throughout and masterfully produced, striking a wonderful balance of power and revealing the new kind of humanity she brings to us through her music. And this new stage of evolution has reconciled its place with nature, seeking harmony rather than domination to end the current ecological crisis and avert the oncoming disaster which is currently inevitable. ‘Animal’ highlights that we cage ourselves as we try to trap nature; “You’re hunting for love, killing for pleasure/ Lost in a concrete jungle”, ‘The Seed’ rebukes our need to destroy which inevitably creates the conditions leading to our own annihilation; “When the last tree has fallen and the rivers are poisoned/ You cannot eat money, oh no”.
Through tribal beats, weaving melodies and an overriding euphoric feel, Aurora has created a beautiful yet defiant album – the soundtrack to the rising Extinction Rebellion youth movement to rally behind and hopefully move us far past the many disasters of global capitalism created by the previous generations.
Aurora tickets are currently available.
RICHARD HAWLEY – ‘Further’
Sensational Sheffield crooner Richard Hawley is back with his eighth album ‘Further’ and as ever, the South Yorkshire songwriter is talking politics, class and the North\South divide on his passionate new release.
With songs typically ending around the three-minute mark, Hawley has opted for a punchier feel on his latest record – seeking to get straight to the meat of the matter rather than drift off into his usual expansive wonderous sound. However, this in no way diminishes his music as has created eleven snappy tracks which immediate reveal his greatness: “It’s a deliberate attempt to be brief – in the title, musically, everything. If it was a piece of bacon it would have no fat on it at all. I’m obsessed with the three-minute song. It’s like an ideal of perfection in a way. To write something so concise but get so much across is very satisfying.”
Hawley’s undying sense of romanticism and perfect played out kitchen sink drama is all still here as heard on songs like ‘Emilina Says’, ‘Galley Girl’ and ‘Not Lonely’. He takes on the attacks on the NHS by Tory austerity in ‘Is There A Pill?’ which pushes cheap yet strong medication on the public rather than providing holistic healthcare and ‘Alone’ feels like an allegorical anthem for the strident BREXIT remainer.