This week’s most talked-about tracks come from Pussy Riot and Animal Collective
We get a lot of records sent to us here at The A.V. Club. Fortunately, we end up liking some of them. That’s why we launched Playlisted, to share our latest recommendations of tracks music fans have to hear.
Pussy Riot, “жжет путинский гламур” (“Putin’s Glamour Burns”)
The most talked-about band among music-heads this week isn’t Green Day or Bon Iver or whatever else nerds like to rag on; it’s Pussy Riot. This anonymous Moscow-based feminist collective formed in 2011 to protest Vladimir Putin’s conservative rule. At any given time, there are as many as 40 women involved in the group, though anyone’s invited to join—including foreigners who just happen to be in Russia. This spring, three women from the group—Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, Maria Alyokhina, and Irina Loktina—were arrested for participating in a “punk prayer” at a Moscow cathedral. They’ve been held in solitary confinement ever since and, if convicted, face a seven-year prison sentence for “hooliganism.” Earlier this week, the Moscow district court started considering their case, and, in turn, the international music community has come out in full force in support of the trio. Everyone from Sting to Bikini Kill has been calling attention to the cause, both online and in concert.
Pussy Riot is more than just a cause, though: It’s an excellent band. No record has been released, but the group has uploaded several tracks to YouTube, mostly to soundtrack videos of its political actions. They’re all well worth checking out, but “жжет путинский гламур,” or “Putin’s Glamour Burns” is especially ripping, with its fuzzed-out guitars and classic Riot Grrrl chants.
Flosstradamus, “B⚠NNED”
Not so much a track as a 31-minute-long mixtape, “B⚠NNED” emerges from a similar sense of protest, though one that’s not nearly as dire. After Flosstradamus’ set at a Chicago street fair earlier this summer got a little too rowdy, the police came down hard on the group, refusing to let it perform outside again anytime soon. In response, the dance-music duo dropped the “B⚠NNED” mixtape this week, which features artists like M.I.A., Major Lazer, and 2 Chainz. It’s not the best music for a march on Washington, but it should serve to get people plenty pissed off.
Animal Collective, “Today’s Supernatural”
With its Centipede Hz looking like one of the most anticipated records of the fall, Animal Collective is warming up the already heated masses with new tracks. “Today’s Supernatural” is the first single from the record, and while it’s not exactly radio-friendly, it’s catchy and weird enough to satisfy the average AnCo fan—or Ween fan, for that matter. Listen to it now because—well, because it’s Animal Collective. Music fans are practically required by law to have an opinion about the Brooklyn-via-Baltimore band.
Deerhoof, “The Trouble With Candyhands”
Deerhoof has gone through a lot of musical iterations, veering sharply from one genre to another on each of its albums. Still, even mega-fans wouldn’t have expected the group to start using Latin horns like on its new single, “The Trouble With Candyhands.” The first single off the forthcoming Breakup Song, “Candyhands” is a cheery, upbeat take on art rock, which might seem a little weird for Deerhoof, but, then again, Deerhoof is pretty weird already.
Bleeding Rainbow, “Pink Ruff”
The Philly duo formerly known as Reading Rainbow is back with a deliciously crunchy garage track. “Pink Ruff” is off the band’s new LP, Yeah Right, which comes out October 9 on Kanine Records. It’s distorted, driving and—if everything else on the record sounds exactly like this track—extremely promising.