Paying Dividends.

Sarah Jaffe’s Next Collaboration? An Album With The Kanye-Approved Symbolyc One.

Sarah Jaffe fans received a nice little surprise earlier today, as Spin debuted a new single from the former area folk darling and current area alt-pop darling called “Defense”. Says the now-online-only music publication’s Marc Hogan of the track, after calling it “smoky” and “atmospheric” and comparing Jaffe to such lofty names as PJ Harvey and Cat Power: “She sings about how she’s reflexively defensive, but on the strength of ‘Defense,’ she shouldn’t have to worry so much.”

Pretty much sums it up, we’d say. It’s a solid track.

But at this point, Jaffe’s Kirtland Records reps tell us, there’s no set word on whether the song, which is produced Midlake drummer McKenzie Smith, will be included on any upcoming Jaffe LPs, none of which are currently in the “official” works, as the singer is still in all-out support mode for last year’s The Body Wins.

“This song, in this exact version, may or may not be on the next record,” Kirtland’s Tami Thomsen says. “Too soon to tell.”

Too soon to do anything but stream it, really. The song won’t earn its release on iTunes until July 23. Oh well.

But since we’re on the subject of Jaffe-related things to get excited about, we might as well stoke the fire elsewhere, too.

Yesterday, we were catching up with Dallas-area producer Symbolyc One — a guy on something of a hot streak of late, considering that he produced 20 percent of the songs on Kanye West’s Yeezus, y’know, which is the No. 1 album in the country and all — when the man born Larry Griiffin Jr. let loose that he and Jaffe have quietly been working on a collaboration all their own.

“[It’s] called The Dividends,” says the producer, who, along with the rest of his Cannabinoids crew, collaborated in a live setting with Jaffe at this past year’s 35 Denton festival. “It’s like nothing else I’ve ever worked on. It’s coming out incredible.”

Considering that S1’s also worked on songs with such luminaries as Jay-Z, Beyonce, 50 Cent and Emimen, just to name a very few, that’s some high praise.

“[We’re] like eight or nine songs into the project,” he adds. “It’s unique-sounding. Just different-sounding, great music. We’ve been writing for other artists, too. Great things are in store. [I’m] excited for the world to hear it.”

Beyond that, S1’s not too keen on delving out any more information on the project. Well, not much more, at least.

“I don’t wanna give too much info, ’cause were still developing,” he says, before laughing and adding one more, final-for-now statement on the project. “But it’s gonna be huge!”