In March, Detroit-born singer-songwriter Sufjan Stevens released Carrie & Lowell, a welcome return to his folk roots featuring sparse instrumentation, brutally honest, introspective lyricism, and the sort of haunting melancholia that leaves you shaken long after you’ve finished listening to the album. Now Stevens’ has released a new version of the album’s final…
It’s only been a couple weeks since Jamaican Queens released a video for “Don’t Call Me Up,” and they’ve now shared some visuals for another Downers cut — “Never Felt Love.” It seems like both the band and director Brenton Bober are eager for Halloween weekend to arrive. The video calls to mind…
First, NYC-based emcee/producer El-P and Altanta rapper Killer Mike came together to bring us Run the Jewels, which was followed a year later by a sequel — aptly named Run the Jewels 2. Then they promised and delivered Meow the Jewels, a cat-sampling remix version of their sophomore album. And now, this unlikely but…
Danny Brown’s 2011 album, XXX, is still being rinsed out on speakers around the world. As proof, earlier this week the track “Lie4” received a scathing remix from new duo SHADES, which comprises Belgian drum’n’bass savant Alix Perez and Bay Area hip-hop producer Eprom. This unlikely partnership has yielded a unique blend of gritty,…
This fall the Detroit Institute of Arts presents 30 Americans, a multimedia tour de force showcasing the work of 30 of the most important African-American artists of the last 30 years. The exhibition, which draws from the Rubell Family Collection, runs the gamut of emotions and themes — from funny and captivating to tragic…
In 2013, Elzhi launched a Kickstarter campaign to finance the follow-up to 2011’s exceptional Elmatic. The campaign was incredibly successful and supported by 708 fans who contributed a total of $37,382, but we’ve heard little from the talented Detroit rapper since, much to the dismay of all of those anxiously awaiting his newest endeavor….
The looming inevitability of death and destruction animates Detroit quartet Protomartyr, as befits their name. Their sound is knife-edged post-punk, as played by a local dive bar band whose low-key demeanor belies a serious set of musical chops. Protomartyr’s breakthrough, 2014’s Under Color of Official Right, built upon the framework established by their debut,…
In the world of Jeff Mills, Space Is the Place. That phrase comes from a 1974 film directed by John Coney, written by Joshua Smith and Sun Ra, and featuring the latter jazz musician. Although Mills is most readily associated with the second wave of Detroit techno, the many threads of his work and…
Steve Mackay, best known for playing saxophone with The Stooges and Violent Femmes, has died at the age of 66 after a battle with sepsis. Mackay was born in Grand Rapids and attended the University of Michigan’s art school in the 1960s, where he played in a band called Carnal Kitchen. Iggy Pop…
