Monday Mixtape, Vol. 122

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I follow a number of random playlists by music doppelgängers that I’ve found during my searches through time, and many of them will post their favorite current albums by bands I’ve never heard of and wonder what rock these guys found them under, but alas, I will listen to the first two tracks of every album by these randomly named bands which will give me a feeling of whether they’re worth digging into more.

This is an easy technique to listen to a TON of new stuff to quickly cull through the garbage and find that which rings my ears. I bring you into this weird world of mine because I’ve started today’s mixtape with the first two tracks from James Blake’s (I know, I know, not exactly a “random” artist - WE’RE STARTING SLOW) new album, the fourth of his career, called Assume Form.

If you don’t know James Blake, words don’t exactly do him justice, his voice says it mostly and his production/orchestration say the rest. He’s not everyones’ cup of tea, but these two tracks (the second is expertly assisted by Travis Scott) give you a great approximation of whether you should dig in further to this album.

The remainder of the mixtape includes two tracks from Deerhunter’s EIGHTH ALBUM (I write this in CAPS because it’s wild that I’ve been listening to these guys since the beginning of their career back in 2007 - Yes, this is a sign that I’m (we’re) getting old), Post Malone’s new track, a great track from the perennially underrated Bear Hands, and my favorite song from Sharon Van Etten’s new album.

Happy New Year to all. Let’s have a hell of a 2019 in music and life.

Monday Mixtape, Vol. 41

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The first track - a remix by Kris Bowers - is fittingly futuristic as our world becomes enveloped in different realities like the virtual and augmented. You can’t watch a series of commercials without seeing something about Samsung’s VR set, and the Oculus Rift is apparently going to be a world changer. Although the lyrics aren’t futuristic, the sounds take me somewhere else. 

Bear Hands continually make catchy songs with their own bend to it. I immediately liked this track, while most of their earlier stuff took me a little bit longer to appreciate, but please check out their Distraction album from 2014 if you’re digging them. 

I can’t even remember how I found the next two tracks. Was it radio? Was it someone’s playlist? Either way, you may like one of the two.

Holy Ghost! is one of the more under appreciated bands in the Electro-Pop genre. I still swear by their first album and their second, Dynamics, was a great sophomore effort. “Crime Cutz” continues to slam synths and elaborate buildups while the track gains steam. 

Bas! My favorite new rapper. If you remember me going on an on about Cousin Stizz, I have very similar feelings with Bas (save for the fact that Bas is clearly getting some help from J. Cole as the album is on Cole’s Dreamville record label, and Stizz didn’t seem to get help from any established artist). Anyways, “Dopamine” is only one example of why this guy has got some serious talent. Although he doesn’t have a trademark voice, his rhythm and production exhibit his abilities. 

Had to put another track from Ray on here. His new album is out there, I’m really enjoying it. 

Have a good week!