Monday Mixtape, Vol. 226

I wanted to write a OMG have you heard Olivia Rodrigo’s new album, but I may cover that in a separate post unrelated to the Monday Mixtape.

In the meantime, another OMG: Have you listened to Zach Bryan? This guy is taking the music world by storm with fearless and vulnerable songwriting, bellowing tunes many times with just him and his Gibson. He is inspiring me to write again.

Fear and Fridays (Poem)

I'd say I've seen some beautiful days, I've walked countless coastlines, awoken on mountain tops, I've seen death and birth and kissed good lips…
I have ridden in fear, although, I was afraid every single time.

I've learned that every waken moment is enough and excess never leads to better things, it only piles and piles on top of the things that are already abundantly in front of you like breathing and chasing and slow dancing and love making and fighting and laughing.

I am unhinged, unworthy, and distasteful to mostly everyone I meet, however I am loyal to a fault to anyone I find kindness in…

I do not and will not fear tomorrow because I feel as though today has been enough…

And I think fear and Fridays got an awful lot in common, they are overdone and glorified and always leave you wanting.

Tourniquet

You've been playing your guitar from arenas to the bars

Since you were old enough to rhyme a word

But your face is getting thinner

And you're praying for the winter

And I heard you fucked it up with her

I bandage up your body and your bones and your bad days too

Take care of the blood that your love runs through

I know all the damage that some days in this dark world does

You were laughing last evening at something I dreamed of

A bunch of other great tunes to get your week off to the right start. My guy Kojaque is back with “WOOF,” and I can’t wait for his new album.

If you don’t know Bibio, he’s a gem of a songwriter whose been writing good music for two decades now, and has always been under the radar. He’s worth your time!

Speaking of worth your time, I’m diggin’ these newbies, Great Big Cow, and Dana and Alden are a great jazz duo in the mold badbadnotgood.

Enjoy the week!

Monday Mixtape, Vol. 129

Happy belated Easter and Passover and any other holiday (…420) you may have celebrated over the weekend!

There’s so much great new music to digest this week, including new stuff from Vampire Weekend, Idlewild, Bibio, and Band of Skulls.

Many years ago, 19 to be exact, Idlewild released 100 Broken Windows, a phenomenal indie rock album that drew me into the Scottish band. A couple years after that, they released the somewhat more mature but still amazingly raucous, The Remote Part. I’m listening to it right now, and it stands the test of time. I actually have to listen to these albums all week. Please dig into these guys if you’ve never explored.

I've actually never listened to The Brian Jonestown Massacre before, but I’ve constantly read their name. Their new album kicks ass. Speaking of kicking ass, Band of Skulls is keeping rock alive, and “Love Is All You Love” is a testament to that.

If you liked Bibio’s old stuff, a la Ambivalence Avenue, this album goes back to his roots. Super chill, great background music. “Before” is one of my faves on the new album.

Monday Mixtape, Vol. 42

Because I missed last week (which makes it two missed mixtapes in about the past four weeks - sorry), there is a large amount of music that I would love to just jam in here. Fortunately for me, I can add some tracks to the backlog that didn’t make the cut. 

So what’s happened in the past two weeks? Kanye’s album got released on Spotify, I discovered a new rapper from DC who is amazing (thank you Paddy), Pete Yorn released a Pete Yorn-y album, my Spotify Discover Playlist was ON POINT and I found two really cool new bands, Young Thug dropped a mixtape/album/who knows and was featured in a captivating GQ profile, Bibio released an album, AND Tame Impala decided to remix a song from Miguel’s new album.

The crazy thing about Tame Impala’s remix (last track on the mixtape) of Miguel’s “Waves - It wasn’t even the best remix. That honor goes to Kacey Musgraves, who gave a bit of twang and a whole lot of beach vibes while still keeping the super charged sexual innuendos alive. “Body surf on me / don’t stop / I wanna ride that wave / all night / I wanna ride that wave.”

Miguel makes some baby making music, but hearing Musgraves sing these lyrics takes it to another level. 

KANYE. A divisive figure who I officially can no longer defend. The transgressions are too many at this point. I can still love his music, but I’m totally tired of him. This is one of my favorite tracks from his new album with rap god Kendrick Lamar. I think the album is pretty great and certainly worth a listen for any rap fan. I’ll have some more tracks from the album in other mixtapes.

I spoke about Thugger earlier. His music is just strange, but that profile I read provides a bit more insight into the guy. He’s an alien. And it sounds like a man with a lifestyle that will leave him dead at a very early age. 

LOVE this song from Moses Gunn Collective, particularly that drugged out guitar bending to infinity. 

Remember Pete Yorn? That guy that had a classic album musicforthemorningafter? Well this track reminds me a lot of it. Sorry that I’m just asking the guy to play the hits, but when you’ve made like five other albums (most of which i’ve listened to!) and just aren’t doing it for me, it’s all I ask. 

Bibio releases tracks like “Wren Tails” that make me think I’m coasting through a Wes Anderson movie in a convertible watching the leaves change. Beautiful songs. 

Oddisee is a rapper from DC who my buddy put me on to. I have been listening to him a lot the past week and am amazed with his technical abilities (his second verse in “Want Something Done” is sick!) and production. This guy has some serious talent and is due to breakout. Just a taste of his rhymes: 

“We started off locally / and now this chains globally / that’s the way it’s supposed to be / single seeds only grow to trees / if left alone to breathe / so lets take some time to expose the weeds / feeding off the roots of the culture vultures next to you / convincing you to stay in the forest when they the record crew.”

Monday Mixtape, Vol. 38

A few very quick blurbs about this week’s music:

If you haven’t gotten into The Staves - and this track wets your whistle - please listen to their gorgeous album from 2014, If I Was

I’ve been following Dizzy Wright for a bit, and he seems to be making some serious traction as he’s showing up on tracks with a bunch of bigger rappers. This track, from his new EP, is instantaneously likable. 

Nap Eyes is a little bit Belle & Sebastian (ok, a lot), and I just dug this track (and not as much the album)

I had Sunflower Bean on a previous mixtape, but this track rocks. I’m enjoying their debut album.

Static Selektah is basically DJ Premier 2.0. Premier is one of my favorite producers ever. Selektah’s beats are very 90s and all pretty great. This one has a very ATCQ-like rhythm. And one of my faves, Ab-Soul, is on it. 

Bibio has always interested me. He has music to play in the morning or to wake up to after a nap. Chill. 

Have a good week! I’m off to Denver and LA this week.