SoundBites: Fly My Pretties, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Radiohead

Fly My Pretties in 2013: From left, Barnaby Weir, Ria Hall and Ryan Prebble. PHOTO/PETER DE GRAAF

Fly My Pretties are set to announce their latest cast for a series of shows and new album.

According to publicity material the concept, String Theory, "will bend space and time through light and music, revealing the true fabric of life that binds us together as one".

Fly My Pretties is a collaborative live music project with an ever-changing line-up. About 50 musicians have been members since the first concert 12 years ago. Past members include Hollie Smith, Anika Moa and Laughton Kora.

Upcoming shows in Auckland and Wellington will be filmed and recorded live for Fly My Pretties' sixth album.

The cast will be announced early next month.

The intimate shows are August 12 and 13 at Auckland's Mercury Theatre and August 19 and 20 at Wellington's Paramount Theatre. They will also perform 1pm matinee shows on August 13 and 20 with discounted tickets for children.

Tickets from Event Finda.

Red Hot Chili Peppers are back with their first new music in five years.

Dark Necessities is the first single from their upcoming 11th studio album The Getaway.

Amid heavy production, the song incorporates piano, including an intense opening few bars, Flea's trademark bass sound and the impressive guitar work of the band's newest member Josh Klinghoffer.

The album is produced by Danger Mouse and mixed by Nigel Godrich, who also worked on Radiohead's new album A Moon Shaped Pool, the surprise release that appeared this week.

Radiohead had earlier released two new singles - Burn the Witch and Daydreaming, with the video for the latter directed by Paul Thomas Anderson.

Grimes has released the video for the track California from her album Art Angels.

The video features Megan James from Purity Ring, HANA, model Eric Cheng, Born Gold and Mac Boucher.

Revisit a classic
Blood Sugar Sex Magik was Red Hot Chili Peppers' fifth studio album, but it was the one that saw their popularity skyrocket.

Released in 1991 and produced by Rick Rubin, the album features the massive hits Under The Bridge and Give It Away.

It topped the New Zealand charts and ensured a massive crowd turned up to see them play under flaming helmets at their 1992 Supertop gig.

BSSM is full of quality funk pop tracks, but it's especially worth checking out the gentle Breaking The Girl.