Monday Mixtape, Vol. 191

Happy Labor Day all and apologies for my weeks of absence. Fortunately, there’s been no lull in music! All sorts of new albums to dig into like Chvrches, Drake, Jungle, Kanye (27 tracks??? 1 hr 48 min?? Sigh.), and a bunch of others. I’ll get to Drake and Kanye next week.

Chvrches new album, Screen Violence, their fourth, is right up there with their phenomenal debut, The Bones of What You Believe. Lauren Mayberry knows how to sing a hook and her melodies are on point, exemplified by two tracks on this week’s mixtape.

Then we have Jungle. I don’t even know how to categorize this band, but they’re a great band to throw on for background music at a party. Upbeat, rhythmic, and all sorts of soul and beats to keep your head bopping.

Nas has a new track with Lauryn Hill on it?? A reminder amidst all her craziness (I remember seeing her years ago, she was an hour and a half late to her show - the opener went off at 8:30pm, she didn’t get on until 11:00pm! I can’t believe I waited, but yes, it was worth it, because she’s that much of a talent.) that she’s one of kind.

How serene and beautiful is “Sidney’s Lullaby” by Washed Out? It reminds me a bit of “Kid A” by Radiohead but more subdued and restrained. I’m always a sucker for songs like this (“Postcards from Far Away” by Coldplay also comes to mind).

Finally, Gorillaz released an EP with a few songs on it, and I was blown away by the first track featuring an unknown Jelani Blackman rapping and an awesome beat and production behind him. Another beautiful track.

Monday Mixtape, Vol. 106

This is a particularly good Monday as the middle of the week's bloated hump gets disregarded due to July 4th, and we can all celebrate while taking a short week! There are many things to rant and rave about with this country right now, and it's almost impossible to click on Google News or Twitter or The New York Times or The Wall Street Journal or (you get the point) without becoming thoroughly depressed, but I do try to remember how and why this whole experiment of a country started, and exhibit some sense of pride in our ideals and optimism and what we've accomplished as a country, and more importantly, as people. 

That all being said, I also just finished reading "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann, a true story about many, many Native Americans who were systematically murdered by white people and covered up by more powerful white people because AFTER the United States banished them from their profitable and farmable land, the United States jammed this tribe, the Osages, to what was believed to be a worthless area of Oklahoma, but it turned out the land was worth untold millions due to oil underneath the ground, turning the Osage nation into the richest people per capita in the world! Once the wealth of the Osage became apparent as the color of their skin, the racist belief that these individuals were worth less than the "regular" and God-fearin' folk, was really all anyone needed in that part of the country to kill them off for their inheritance.

Luckily, the FBI eventually came in to try to solve some of the problem, and some individuals with integrity and overall decency picked apart and found some of the murderers, yet so many remain unsolved to this day.

I went on that tangent because my first paragraph, and any other soliloquies we all will make this week about our country being the best country in the world (which I still believe to be true while being VERY sorely tested right now) should always come with a caveat to remember the many terrible things we have done as a nation and allowed to happen. This caveat should not solely be a means to shame or embarrass us, but a lesson to learn. To remember where all of our family lines (even the Osage and Native Americans!) came from at some point: different countries hoping for something better.

God knows I got it. I am one of the many "luckiest people living in the world" right now. I had truly amazing parents and role models. My family is one of a kind, and I know so many of them who would do anything to help me. My friends have always been there for me, many of them since I was a child. My wife, my one of a kind, my everything that I look at and love more every day, makes me sure of my luck. I've worked my ass out for a lot of things, but I've had a lot of opportunity to do it thanks to my parents that worked their ass off before me and their parents and their parents who boarded a boat...for something better. 

Enjoy the 4th, proclaim why you will always love this country despite our failures, and remind yourself how lucky you are to be an American. And as always, enjoy the music :)  

Monday Mixtape, Vol. 72

It's midnight, so I should probably get to sleep shortly. But first, be entranced by Leif Vollebekk, a singer/songwriter I just discovered that most clearly sounds like Ryan Adams, but "Elegy" gives him raspier vocals that hint of Angus Stone. This is a great album that I thoroughly recommend. 

Speaking of albums I thoroughly recommend, if you haven't listened to Drake's new album then what have you been doing? "Passionfruit" is one of my front-runners for song of the year, and "Portland" sounds like Drake got into the new Zelda game because there's some serious ocarinas blowing in that song. 

It's somewhat confounding that Local Natives have released two tracks in the aftermath of their mildly disappointing (or just not astounding or the album most huge fans were hoping for) third album that are better than most of the songs on the third album! This track brings an orchestra into the fry and Taylor's vocals actually sounding good again (instead of ridiculously whiny)

So the Gorillaz have a new album coming out. Their song with Vince Staples is sick and this song with D.R.A.M. is even better. Can't wait for this album in its entirety. 

Finally, Laura Marling's album is a great jaunt through the leafy woods. She's got that folksy Wes Anderson movie-like sound. I dig it.  

That's it. Past midnight, I'm spent!