We’ve just been offered our first taste of Kanye’s much-anticipated follow-up to last year’s Yeezus… in an Adidas commercial.

It’s dark, aggressive and egocentric - everything we’ve come to expect from the controversial rapper. In this reviewer’s opinion, the heavily percussive song is a little repetitive, and seems to lack the audacity that defines West’s more impressive output. At the same time, this sounds like it could be a raw edit, so maybe the final version of the track will have more to offer.

A mysterious source has apparently leaked that the album thus far is “mostly a mixture of soul samples and tamed ‘Yeezus’-esque darkness… nothing abrasive". Some of the more abrasive moments of Yeezus, however, were also its best - we can only hope that Kanye hasn’t pruned his passionate outbursts back too far.

Make up your own mind below.

If you’ve ever been to a creative writing class (or a creative class of any kind), the first thing they tell you is that clichés are bad. Then again, they also tell you to ‘write what you know’, and I’m fairly sure George R. R. Martin has no experience in the raising of dragons. It won’t do to blindly follow the rules all the time - what’s important is to understand why the rules are there in the first place.

The reason for our blanket ban on clichés is that they usually fail to do justice to our experiences. Not all clichés fall into this trap. The below track by Atlanta-based songbird Sye Elaine Spence will not be the first ode to the summertime you’ve ever heard (it might not even be the first you’ve heard today), but it just might be the best. A stripped-back, perfectly delivered folk song, ‘Long Live The Summertime’ paints a picture of everything you love about the sunnier months...

“Hear the bugle call! Get the hell out of your bed and have a look and a listen to this. Something’s been brewing in a faction of the FR camp. An entire new album of songs, but not Frightened Rabbit songs. These are John’s songs.”

That call to arms is taken from an email I received this morning from Scottish indie rockers Frightened Rabbit. Founder and lead vocalist Scott Hutchison has been messing about with fellow FR member Andy Monaghan and good friend Simon Liddell to produce an album under the side project Owl John. The album has a handmade, personal aesthetic to it both visually and musically, and that thick scottish accent lends everything an extra dose of awesome.

Check out ‘Hate Music’ below. I guarantee you won’t hate it.

Sylvan Esso’s much-anticipated self-titled debut dropped on May 13, and I haven’t stopped listening since.

These guys are producing some really interesting, enjoyable new music. I’ve already posted about ‘Coffee’ and ‘Play It Right’, and together with ‘Hey Mami’ they are perhaps my three favourite songs of the year so far. The album has only improved my esteem for the duo. Silky smooth and bombastic in equal parts, it’s crammed full of more hooks than a tackle box without ever feeling cramped. Tunes like ‘Wolf’ and ‘Could I Be’ will be tumbling around in your head for weeks to come.

It’s a simple formula with just one vocalist and one producer, but Sylvan Esso’s songwriting is anything but formulaic - indeed, it’s amazing how much variation they manage to produce within their own distinct sound. Nick Sanborn’s work on the synths and beats is impressive, but it’s Amelia Meath’s...

Pancakes, one of the seven wonders of the breakfast world, can be made with but three ingredients. Combined in the right ratios and cooked with skill and care, these plate-shaped paragons can change lives. Empires have risen and fallen over less.

Not entirely dissimilar, We Are The City’s new single ‘Friends Hurt’ begins with three simple elements. Downstroke guitars and an understated beat are thrown together as breathy vocals are slowly added to the mix. With the addition of sweet honey keys and a jammy spread of synth, this becomes a delicious treat for the ears.

Serve with coffee or juice.

Spanish Gold are a band cobbled together out of members of other bands and held together by the glue of a shared interest in genre-crossing music. They are a band without borders, and readily confess to the nostalgic aim of recapturing the early days of MTV - before the rise of the sub-genre, when good music was just good music. They’ve certainly made a good start.

‘Out On The Street’ deftly defies categorisation without risking banality. It’s rollicking and easy, edgy and smooth; mostly, it’s just good music. The video features some Miley-esque tool-licking, some wicked beards and some empowered women, which is always cool (except for the bit where they knock a guy out with chloroform… that was less cool).

Be inspired below.

Alex “God Among Mortals” Turner, of Arctic Monkeys fame, stopped by Triple J yesterday to treat us with a live acoustic cover of Tame Impala’s ‘Feels Like We Only Go Backwards’.

Objectively, it’s an uninventive take on an over-covered song, especially in comparison to the John Butler Trio’s foot-stomping ‘Happy’ cover last month. But if we’re honest, any vain attempt at objectivity goes out the window when Turner opens his mouth and a sudden rush of bliss takes us away to a better place. A place with less clothes, and lots of Alex Turner.

Just you try to resist it.

Bombay Bicycle Club recently uploaded some really cool new content to their website, the best of which is a full video of their March 13 show at London’s Brixton Academy. The band play tracks from February’s excellent So Long, See You Tomorrow alongside older hits. If, like me, you’re the sort of person who likes to watch sport from the couch at home so you can actually see what’s going on, this is a half-decent way to experience a great live show. You can also check out interviews with the animators and technicians who make live shows like this happen.

Below is another little BBC gem - an emotive acoustic track that didn’t quite fit on their recent album, but that they recorded and shared with fans through Watch Listen Tell. Enjoy.

What do you get when you put together a big-selling pop star and an eleven-year-old from some show called “Dance Moms”? According to the blogosphere, one of the best music videos of the year so far.

Without a doubt, the choreography is nuanced and explosive, and Maddie Ziegler’s performance is incredible. The song isn’t so bad either, with Sia’s vocals typically impressive. It’s not my ordinary cup of tea, but it’s worth a watch just to see what the buzz is about.

It starts off as a chill Sunday tune. Silky smooth synths and vocal samples wake you up gently. A soft, click-clapping beat draws you slowly out of bed. A tender male voice sinks in like your first sip of coffee. Then, all of a sudden, it turns on you and throws you off the cliff of the morning when you’d only just put your wings on. Thankfully, the betrayal is more sweet than bitter. Warm, lush and hopeful, ‘Emanate’ opens up into the best kind of breakfast.

Be rejuvenated below.