Childish Gambino Released a Virtual Reality Music Video for “Me and Your Mama”

It looks like Childish Gambino’s promise to release a virtual reality vinyl may be real. Well, kind of. The rapper-turned-funk-singer released a VR music video for “Me and Your Mama” which puts the viewer right into the audience’s position for a wild ride. If you’re not fully convinced, stick with traditional music news like Ryan Adams’ new single, a collection of Instagram dogs singing Kanye West, a short film by Kristen Stewart that sees St. Vincent behind the music board, Patti Smith’s heartfelt protest song, and a big collaboration between artists like Sharon Van Etten and Jeff Tweedy that will make you laugh.

Funk has possessed Childish Gambino, and with it comes superhero abilities to do, well, things that don’t seem real. He promised his new album, Awaken, My Love!, would be released as part of a “virtual reality vinyl” in 2017, but no one really knows what that means. He still hasn’t explained much, but his newest music video may be a look into what we can expect. “Me and Your Mama” gets a VR makeover that places viewers in the front row of his PHAROS concert event while he performs the song live. It’s entrancing and vivid, adjectives we hope will be applied to the vinyl in similar ways. Check it out above and let your cursor guide you through the space. We’ll let you know if the upcoming vinyl will be similar as soon as we find out more. [Spin]

Speaking of 2017, there’s more to expect. The best thing about a new year isn’t making resolutions or watching the ball drop. It’s realizing a bunch of albums by your favorite artists are on the way. One of 2017’s sweet treats is a new Ryan Adams LP. The rock singer-songwriter announced Prisoner, his follow-up to cover record 1989, will come out February 17 via Pax Am/Blue Note. Luckily, you don’t have to wait for the new year to actually begin in order to hear what the record will sound like. Adams shared lead single “Do You Still Love Me?” already. It’s bluesy and full of gusto, drawing even more similarities to Tom Petty, without losing Adams’ niche flair. Check it out above. [Pitchfork]

Kanye West‘s work brings about plenty of imitators, but never anything quite this ruff. A bunch of Instagram-famous puppies parodied the infamous “Famous” video to help raise money for AIDS charity organization (RED). That may sound ridiculous (and, well, I guess it is), but it’s super cute. What else is better than seeing a bunch of dogs curled up in a super giant bed? Nothing. How could you be so bark-less to think otherwise? [Consequence of Sound]

I composed the soundtrack for Kristen Stewart’s new short film Come Swim, which is also premiering at Sundance! https://t.co/ZE7rUmO206

— St. Vincent (@st_vincent) December 6, 2016

Superfans already know St. Vincent and Kristen Stewart have been dating, but now it seems they’re ready to take their relationship to the next level: the business room. Annie Clark scored Come Swim, Stewart’s directorial and screenwriting debut film. It’s a short film about one man’s day as half impressionistic and half realistic. If it leaves you hungry for more, spin St. Vincent’s self-titled album from last year or check out the other films in Refinery29’s Shatterbox Anthology series where Stewart’s comes from. [Consequence of Sound]

Last Friday, a fire in Oakland saw a warehouse burn to the ground. It was a house venue that many musicians and artists performed at, and, unfortunately, the event saw 36 people die. To honor those who passed away, Patti Smith dedicated a performance of “Peaceable Kingdom” to the victims of the fire when playing at a Democracy Now! 20th anniversary event in New York City on December 5th. Watch footage of it above, where she not only performs the song beautifully, but gives a passionate speech. “We need our young people,” she begins. “We pin our faith on them. They are going to make the most revolutionary changes in human history. They will continue to build peace movements, to protect our environment. And so we sing this little song for them.” Yeah, it may or may not make you tear up a bit. [Rolling Stone]

Jason Narducy is in Bob Mould Band and Superchunk, but he also leads another band called Split Single. Most music lovers may not be familiar with them, so it’s okay if you don’t know the name, but now you have a wonderful reason to: this ridiculous video. The band shared a two-part series called “Sexiest Elbows in Rock Music” which sees Narducy trying to be taken seriously when the industry only wants him for his elbows. Ugh, so relatable. It will keep you laughing from the moment Pixies‘ Frank Black shows up to Sharon Van Etten‘s cameo to Jeff Tweedy‘s appearance and more. Then, if you’re compelled, check out Split Single’s Metal Frames LP which is available now. Both are worth your time, albeit for totally different reasons. [Pitchfork]

See you back here on Friday for another Music Dispatch!

 Image: Glassnote Records