Monday Mixtape, Vol. 199

Getting back in the groove of things, there’s some hip-hop on this week’s mixtape that has been blasting through my ears.

We’ll start with the unknown Ahmad Anonimis, and the first track I heard from him, “Butterflies.” I’ve always been a sucker for songs built around a piano, and this is no exception. The beat definitely has that 90s era vibe, and he sounds a bit like a mix between JID and (the even more unknown) Nemo Achida. I highly recommend his 2021 album, clocking in at a palatable 30 minutes!

Then there’s Lute, a rapper I’ve been listening to since he was sporting verses on a bunch of Dreamville (J. Cole’s music label, including rappers Bas and Cozz) compilations. His new album, Gold Mouf, is one of my favorite rap albums this year, a melange of beats and influences, and flows.

More War on Drugs, please! I’ll absorb their album for the rest of the year, hearing new nuggets and trinkets along the way, appreciating the many layers this band inserts into their songs. Their albums usually only get better with time. Their last two albums, A Deeper Understanding and Lost In The Dream, are arguably two - if not at least one, take your personal pick - masterpieces, so I had no expectations that this album would exceed the past albums, and it has not, but it’s still fantastic.

I think the best song on the album, certainly the most catchy, is “I Don’t Live Here Anymore” with help from Lucius on the chorus. However, singer/songwriter, Adam Granduciel, is also a pro at the more subtle and subdued tracks, like “Occasional Rain.”

I included “Mimi” because I was taken by Ilsey’s vocals on the chorus. Gorgeous voice. Who is this chick?? She’s an unknown on Spotify with one song! Tell me more!

Monday Mixtape, Vol. 189

Hello, all! There’s been much great music released in the past few weeks, I can’t fit nearly everything into one mixtape! Two of my favorite rappers, Vince Staples and Isaiah Rashad, released my two favorite rap albums of the year.

John Mayer released a new album. Brittany Howard, lead singer of the great Alabama Shakes, released an album of remixes to her solo album, including remixes by Childish Gambino, Bon Iver, Little Dragon, 9th Wonder, Jungle, to just name a few!

Power duo, Big Red Machine (Justin Vernon and Aaron Dessner) released an EP with some other superstars collborators like Fleet Foxes and Taylor Swift. Then Billie Eilish, Clairo, Leon Bridges, and Logic released an album. And don’t forget about Inhaler, a young Irish band who are writing some catchy rock songs.

So this is bordering on a ridiculous amount of music I have to listen to, and all I’ve had on repeat the past few weeks is Vince Staples (on this week’s mitxtape) and Isaiah' Rashad’s new album released on Friday (which will be featured on next week’s mixtape). Rashad hasn’t released an album in five years, and I’ve been loving him since his phenomenal 2014 debut, Cilvia Demo.

But today’s mixtape is more about Vince, a rapper I’ve been writing about for years. He’s one of few introverted rappers, a guy who, album after album, seems unhappy and consumed with rawness of the world before his eyes in his hometown, Long Beach, California.

Each of his six albums, starting with his debut in 2014 (like Rashad), are unusually short (4 of his albums are 21-23 minutes!), which I love, and unusually different, which I love even more!

I’ve been blown away by his latest album, Vince Staples, because he shifted his cadences, his beats, his sound, his whole palate. Many times the mark of a great song is when you say to yourself, “No other artist could have made this song what it is.” Staples does this numerous times, specifically in “ARE YOU WITH THAT” (maybe the most familiar sounding track to his older stuff) “TAKING TRIPS,” “LIL FADE,” “TAKE ME HOME.”

I still have a lot more to study on this album, but he and Rashad are at the top of my albums of the year list so far.

Monday Mixtape, Vol. 111

Greetings! I spoke a lot about Mac Miller on Vol. 110 as I put a recently released track on the mixtape. Well, he released his new album, Swimming, and I've really been digging it. It's got some funky vibes, none better than the Thundercat-led "What's the Use?" I can understand if you can't get over Miller's singing voice, but I applaud him for veering outside of rap only and getting a little jiggy wit it. 

The Brummies. What the hell kind of a name is that? I...don't know. But this album is a great hodgepodge of sounds and influences. My fave track is the Kacey Musgraves-assisted "Drive Away."

I mean, I had to put a new song from John Mayer on this. Apparently, now that he's 40, he's a new guy! You can date me now, girls! You'll see me in a new light, I swear. Uhhh ok. 

Big Red Machine is one of Justin Vernon's thirty bands he's in outside of Bon Iver. This one is with The National's Aaron Dessner. Looking forward to the album which is coming out shortly. 

This new Travis Scott album is awesome. I've never listened to him before, and "COFFEE BEAN" is not a good representative track from his new album since no other song sounds like this. He's more on the auto-tune stuff with his other tracks, but I love it. I was surprised how good it was, and from what I've read on the interwebs, it's his best release to date. Listen!

Have a good week all!