Welcome to HNGN's weekly top picks, where we cull the best and brightest releases in music, fashion, tech, and pop culture. Come back each week for more of-the-moment goodness.
MUSIC
Prince: Art Official Age/ PlectrumElectrum
This week, the Purple One releases not one, but two albums: "Art Official Age," a solo album, and "PlectrumElectrum," the debut record with his new band, 3RDEYEGIRL. On Tuesday, Prince and 3RDEYEGIRL offered a live stream of a performance at his Paisley Park studio complex in Minnesota. You can listen to the song "FUNKNROLL," from "Art Official Age," here.
Weezer: Everything Will Be Alright In The End
Alt-rockers Weezer's new album won't be officially released until Oct. 7, but you can hear it in its entirety via iTunes Radio - First Play. The band rekindles its hit "Beverly Hills" on the lead single, "Back To The Shack," for which Weezer recently released a music video featuring the band on the moon, which you can watch below:
John Mellencamp: Plain Spoken
Roots rocker John Mellencamp returns with a stripped-down acoustic album. Coming up with song ideas is not a challenge to him, he tells USA Today: "I didn't sit down and decide I was going to make an album about certain topics. My mind is just open to ideas. I don't understand when people talk about having writer's block. I think, you're thinking too much! Just let it come to you."
Smokey Robinson: Smokey & Friends
Following in the footsteps of Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett and Santana, legendary Motown singer Smokey Robinson, 74, has released a duets collection of his own called "Smokey & Friends." It features Robinson crooning along with musical royalty like Elton John, James Taylor and Sheryl Crow on some of his most beloved tunes. Listen to an album sampler below:
Melissa Etheridge: This Is M.E.
It's been a big year thus far for Melissa Etheridge. She got married in May, started her own new record label MLE Inc., and this week releases "This Is M.E.," her 14th album.
Check out the official video for the "This Is M.E." song "Take My Number" below:
Thom Yorke: Tomorrow's Modern Boxes
Quirky Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke surprised fans this week with the release of an unannounced album, "Tomorrow's Modern Boxes." Yorke and Radiohead have championed alternative methods of releasing music for some time now, and his new solo record follows in that direction; it is available only via a newly re-launched BitTorrent.
FALL FASHION ROUNDUP
Swarovski's fall collection
Because every girl needs a bit of ice around her neck, the high-end jewelry brand's new line features yellow gold, rose gold and silver all mixed into single pieces. The stunning chain-link Bound Necklace is highly recommended for anyone who has a spare $360 lying around.
Open-back shirts
For those who take care of businesses in the front but want a party in the back, the open-back shirt adds an unexpected sexy flare to your ensemble. Split-backs made waves this summer, and as Refinery 29 noted, they are sashaying on into autumn. Try a lightweight open-back tank top from Express (on sale now for $30) or a sweater from Julie by JCL with a back zipper for a work-appropriate feel.
Nubian Skin Collection
Flesh-toned items like lipsticks, shoes and lingerie are essential for any outfit where color simply will not do. But shopping for nude tones is difficult for many black women because their varying complexions are hardly, if ever, represented by the fashion and beauty industry.
"My nude isn't the nude I see in shops," writes the Nubian Skin founder, who wished to remain unidentified, on the website's blog.
So starting next month, Nubian Skin will offer a nude lingerie collection made with shades for women of color.
Alexis Bittar for Sephora Liquid Gold
Jewelry designer Alexis Bittar brings a stylish spin to your blush brush with a premiere collection of makeup brushes inspired by '70s glamour. Dubbed the "Beyoncé of makeup brushes" by The Huffington Post, the collection boasts five brushes dipped in gold and encrusted with sparkling accents and the Bittar logo on top.
"If you're sitting down at your boudoir [doing your makeup], it makes it super elegant," Bittar told The HuffPost.
The $175 collection (powder brush, blush brush, eye shadow brush, liner brush and one for smudging) hits Sephora shelves this holiday season.
The UnPocket pouch
This unique piece of wearable technology from the men's clothing line The Affair offers a built-in pouch that "blocks all radio signals" from reaching your cellphone, The Affair's co-creator Zoltan Csaki told MailOnline.
In other words, the pouch makes all mobile devices and tablets placed inside untraceable. It's ideal for world travelers, wannabe spies and for anyone who wants to go off the grid for a while.
A Kickstarter campaign for the UnPocket, part of the company's "1984"-inspired collection, ends Oct. 3. Shipping is expected to begin February 2015.
BOOKS
Killing Patton: The Strange Death of World War II's Most Audacious General
By Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard
This thrilling novel takes readers into the final year of World War II, recounting the events leading up to Gen. George S. Patton Jr.'s death. Many powerful individuals wanted the general silenced, and over the past 70 years people have debated whether or not his death really was an accident. The book analyzes the official explanation of Patton's death, as well as O'Reilly and Dugard's skepticism on the events.
Published: Sept. 23
Not That Kind Of Girl
By Lena Dunham
A relatable book for all kinds of girls, Actress Lena Dunham takes you through her milestone experiences that society says you are supposed to go through on the transition to adulthood. She reveals stories about falling in love, loneliness, weight issues, love and confidence. She also talks about losing her virginity, and how it didn't make her instantly feel like a woman.
Published: Sept. 30
Burn
By James Patterson
This book follows Detective Michael Bennett through Harlem, where he receives a strange call reporting a group of well-dressed men holding an unusual-looking party in a convicted building. Bennett ignores the call at first, but later revisits the message after a charred body is found in the same building.
Published: Sept. 29
Cosby
By Mark Whitaker
The first major biography of comedian Bill Cosby was released this month. Whitaker takes readers through the American icon's life behind the scenes of TV shows, his family life (including what it was like to have an alcoholic dad and an overworked mother), how he went to college after dropping out of high school, and more.
Published: September 2014
unPHILtered: The Way I See It
By Phil Robertson, with Mark Schlabach
Robertson, who became the beloved patriarch of A&E's smash hit show "Duck Dynasty," shares his philosophies on life through this entertaining and inspirational book. He divulges what makes him tick, what rules he lives by, and he even manages to give some tips on marriage.
The Big Book of Easy Baking with Refrigerated Dough
By Pillsbury
If you love cooking the easy way with premade dough, but feel like it limits what you can make, Pillsbury has released a new book that will help you out. The newly released book gives 200 recipes that can be made using Pillsbury's premade dough, from appetizers to meals, and, of course, desserts. There are also recipes included that work with gluten-free dough.
TECH
Zubits Magnetic Shoe Closures to Replace Regular Shoe Laces
Zubits has started a Kickstarter campaign for its new magnetic closures that serve as replacements for regular shoe laces. Wearers can adjust these magnetic laces to however they want them to be, and the magnets click to each other to keep the shoe together. Pushing your feet forward breaks the connection. The goal for the campaign is to raise $29,000, and Zubits has so far collected $8,700 from backers. There are 35 days left in the campaign. See the kicks accessory here.
ASWY's Floating Bluetooth Speaker
It's a drone. No it's an EOS lip balm. No, it's ASWY's levitating speaker: a device that connects either via bluetooth or through an audio source that can plug into its 3.5mm input. The gadget also comes with an integrated USB port, boasts a five-hour battery life, and goes for about $149. It's slated to drop in early November, but you can catch a glimpse of it here:
(Reporting by: Michael Lello, Oulimata Ba, Amanda Bernocco, John Nassivera and Maxine Wally. Editing by: Maxine Wally and Michael Lello)
