Stream: Julian Casablancas, “River Of Brakelights”
- story Peter Macia
For everyone worried that Julian Casablancas’ new album Phrazes for the Young would sound like a bunch of Strokes songs made without the actual Strokes, “River of Brakelights” is the first song we’ve heard that proves Jules (do people call him that?) might be up for a little experiment, especially if you consider proggy bass and weird time signatures experimental. Us? We would’ve liked to see what dude would do on a Merzbow steez but he’s still young. After listening, make sure to check out former FADER editor and current GQ editor Will Welch’s interview with Casablancas from their November issue.
Stream: Julian Casablancas, “11th Dimension”
- story Peter Macia
People will inevitably compare this new Julian Casablancas song and the album it comes from to The Strokes, and they should because it sounds exactly like The Strokes. If you think that’s a good thing, you’re going to have a good next year because you’ll have Julian’s Phrazes for the Young, and several months from now a new Strokes album, just as soon as Albert Hammond gets back on track and back in the studio. If you think it’s a bad thing that we’re going to have essentially two Strokes albums this year, we probably shouldn’t hang out.
Stream: Julian Casablancas, “11th Dimension”
World Premiere Freeload: Nickel Eye f. Wale, “Brandy of the Damned (Ronson Remix)”
- story THE FADER
Ronson played this a couple weeks ago on his EVR show just as we were leaving ours and we had to pull a heel pivot to ask him what it was. As he told us then and we tell you now, it’s his remix of one of our favorite songs on Nikolai Fraiture’s Nickel Eye album, mellowed even further by some gentle hornery, shuffling snares and an almost whispered verse from Wale. If we know Ronson like we think we do, this was probably recorded in a sunken living room in front of a fireplace surrounded by models wrapped in fur drinking hot buttered rum while Nikolai stared out of the panoramic glass walls wondering when he’d get sick of being blessed (never) and Wale spit rhymes into a mic made out of frozen champagne. Or they just emailed each other. Get it here or get it nowhere!
Download: Nickel Eye f. Wale, “Brandy of the Damned (Ronson Remix)”
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posted on Feb 27, 2009 in MP3 / STREAMS tags freeload, Mark Ronson, Nickel Eye, rock, The Strokes, Wale
Exlusive Stream: Nickel Eye (Nikolai Fraiture of The Strokes), “Another Sunny Afternoon”
- story THE FADER
It’s been a good year for those Strokes fanatics among us dismayed by the band’s committment to not record new music until 2009: Fab is in nineteen different California bands, Julian made an appearance in that Converse ad that subsequently put his face on every billboard in NYC, Albert put out his best solo album yet, Nick is cultivating an ill hair style, and now Nikolai has a new album of his own ready to be released in January. On The Time of the Assassins — either a reference to Henry Miller/Rimbaud or a samurai video game, you pick — Fraiture aka Nickel Eye is joined by the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s Nick Zinner, Regina Spektor and South, who you might remember from the salad days of Mo’ Wax, or not. We know what your first question is going to be already: That dude is not mute? He is not, in fact, he sings pretty great, like Rufus Wainwright on lots of pills, and the songs are unsurprisingly catchy Strokes-ian jams of varying bounce and mostly acoustic guitar. What is surprising is ol’ Nik’s gift with the pen. All those years of standing silently onstage, he’s been coming up with some real poignant zingers, especially on this FADER exclusive, “Another Sunny Afternoon,” in which he breaks down the good life. You can hear a few more songs on his MySpace, including the first song Ronson played for us last summer, “Brandy of the Damned,” a total jam. Time of the Assassins will be out on Ryko on January 27th.
Nickel Eye, “Another Sunny Afternoon”
Freeload: Pharrell, Santogold & Julian Casablancas, “My Drive Thru”
- story THE FADER
Just the other day, we made up a song about one of our editor’s shoes. It went Yo dude, please go work from home/Your feet smell bad. It was pretty experimental. Julian, Santi and Moneybags P went a little more populist than we did and made this catchy little joint to celebrate their mutual love for the Chuck Taylor. As far as we can remember it’s Julian’s first foray outside of the Strokes, it’s produced by Pharrell, and Santi kills the hook (as usual). We’re definitely biased since we gave all three their first magazine covers, but this song is growing on us, which, to be honest, is not the reaction we thought we’d have to such an endeavor. Stay tuned for the making-of and a real fancy music video starring all three.
Download: Pharrell, Santogold & Julian Casablancas, “My Drive Thru”
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posted on Jun 10, 2008 in MP3 / STREAMS tags electronic/dance, freeload, hip hop, Pharrell, rock, Santogold, The Strokes
FADER 50: New York Rock
- story THE FADER
To celebrate and complement The FADER’s 50th issue, we are putting up a bunch of extras, cutouts, bonus cuts and never-before-seens on TheFADER.com. The first is Colin Lane’s Warholian film of Julian, Fab, Nick, Nikolai and Albert from their nascent days in New York, which you can watch after the jump along with the reprinted New York Rock story from FADER 50.
