Abandon all presumptions of innocence. CUT 4 ME (TMT Review), the excellent debut release from Los Angeles-based and initial Night Slugs/Fade to Mind collaborator Kelela, has a connotation separate from a casual self-reverence manifested through music recording. Listening to the title track, the “cut” doesn’t refer to a “take” in the recording sense, but instead the depths of one’s dominant infatuation, as our narrator requests, “Cum 4 me. You’re all that I need.” Alternatively, things take a decidedly dark turn if you hear or choose to replace “cut” for “cum;” physical pain may be a precondition for emotional involvement with this particular sadist, or she’s just assuming the role of an elementary school teacher and proposing an insurmountable project involving safety scissors and a limitless supply of colored construction paper! No no, just look at those jagged edges. Cut it… mm, “tenderly.”
Let’s go back to the innocent interpretation though. If CUT 4 ME was a release aimed at self-satisfaction, then surely the fact that Kelela’s just announced her first-ever headlining shows is evidence of an imminent artistic selflessness. Come March, she’ll be performing at SXSW, and come April, she’ll take to the stage in Los Angeles and Brooklyn. Oh! And she has a new song called “The High,” produced by Gifted & Blessed. Probably not the high that you’re thinking of:
Dates:
03.12.14-03.14.14 - Austin, TX - SXSW
04.02.14 - Los Angeles - The Echo
04.03.14 - Brooklyn, NY - Rough Trade NYC
• Kelela: https://www.facebook.com/kelelamusic
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