Rounding Down: Princess Nokia, Lady Saw & The Week’s Best FADER Premieres

A week of tunes for all your moods.

November 21, 2014

This week at The FADER offices, temperatures were dropping. Even though we mostly stayed warm indoors, we were still feeling the emotional ripples of the chilly seasonal shift. Lucky for all of us, this week's premieres contained a lot of emotional honesty. From a tribute to a lonely teen vampire to Silk Rhodes' gorgeous new full-length, there's plenty to fry your feelings here.

The Neighborhood ft. French Montana, "#icanteven"

"The song borrows the semi-satirical hashtag used to denote a state of speechlessness, often owing to a rush of inscrutable emotion—but the song actually draws inspiration from a moment when vocalist and frontman Jesse Rutherford was feeling particularly articulate."—Zara Golden. Read the full write up here.

Little Pain, "Marceline"

"Part Cartoon Network-inspired fantasy, part real life, part where-is-the-line-anyway, "Marceline" is a new sound for the Brooklyn rapper, who's so far stuck to Suicideyear-like electronic sludge."—Matthew Trammell. Read the full write up here.

Skrillex, "Ease My Mind (Jai Wolf Remix)"

"This one-ups the oomph of the intro, going in for intricate percussion and epic soundtrack-y synth swirls. I can see why Skrillex likes it."—Ruth Saxelby. Read the full write up here.

Silk Rhodes, Silk Rhodes

"The ghostly songs they make together creep under your skin; with minimal arrangements, achingly soulful singing and terminally mellow tempos, Silk Rhodes sounds like Motown on half-speed."–Patrick D. McDermott. Read the full write up here.

Princess Nokia, "Anomaly"

"Manhattan's Princess Nokia pulls off New Age digital girl well: this past spring's Metallic Butterfly mixtape was coated with shimmering nu-rave beats and sprite-like lyrics about dragons, Xanga profiles, and love."—Matthew Trammell. Read the full write up here.

Quarterbacks, "Center"

"Still, though, the trio maintains the unpretentious, offhand quality that makes rock music like this feel so immediate."—Patrick D. McDermott. Read the full write up here.

Garden City Movement, "Pont Des Arts"

"The single was initially debuted live when the band played a Boiler Room-affiliated gig—which makes sense, because the seamy, chopped-up dance track feels ideal for a club, or some other late-night setting where inhibitions are scarce."—Patrick D. McDermott. Read the full write up here.

Lady Saw & Estelle, "What Kinda Man"

"Thankfully, Saw offers up a spoonful of sugar with the harsh dose of reality she is doling out, and reassures her girlfriend with these sisterly pearls of wisdom: Don't lose yourself now / Please know your worth / Insecurity is all in your head."—Deidre Dyer. Read the full write up here.

Jazz Cartier, "Rose Quartz/Like Crazy"

"Over warm and driving production borrowed from Toro Y Moi, Cartier flexes his rising-star status in hopes of wooing a someone special until things sour in the woozy, down-tempo second act."—Zara Golden. Read the full write up here.

Kool John, "Next Day (ft. Iamsu!)

"But rest assured, what he lacks in delivery boy work ethic, he makes up for in bars and charisma."—Zara Golden. Read the full write up here.

From The Collection:

Rounding Down
Rounding Down: Princess Nokia, Lady Saw & The Week’s Best FADER Premieres