Don’t have a lot to say on this Monday, but this is a great playlist to smoothly transition into the start of the week. Let’s work on stopping the fear mongering that the media and politics and WHAT FEELS LIKE EVERYTHING AROUND US is spewing. People can’t take away your positivity or hopefulness.
Albums make music permanent. Albums are the story to the chapters, the theme of so many thoughts. Albums are what make songs something more.
This year has provided so many albums - to the tune of 1,457 artists, 6,426 songs, and 100 thousand minutes of music that I’ve listened. And I listened to and loved nothing more than Tame Impala’s Currents.
As I wrote in my album review, Currents is a wonderfully freeing musical expression and acknowledgement of adaptation for the sake of Parker and no others. One of the coolest things I noted was that Currents is so different than its two top notch predecessors, yet it eclipses both.
"Yes, I'm changing," Kevin Parker sweetly serenades the critics, haters, and trolls, "Yes, I'm gone / Yes, I'm older / Yes, I'm moving on / And if you don't think it's a crime / you can come along with me / Life is moving / can't you see?"
My love for Natalie Prass is evident if you read this blog. It all started because of her debut album. I did not write a review, I just enjoyed the many, many instruments and Prass' vocals delicately absorbing the wind and strings to harmonize above it all.
It’s been the best year in rap in many many years. Six rappers made it onto my list, and three of them - Drake, Lupe Fiasco, Kendrick Lamar - in the top six! Each album was completely different.
Read MoreGood morning, afternoon, and evening! There's some good music in store:
I stumbled upon Cousin Stizz recently. His debut album, Suffolk County, is chill rap at its rawest. Hailing from the Boston area, Stizz is one of those artists that sounds real, nothing contrived or forced. Rarely does he speed up his strolling delivery, but when he does, it's powerful (see: "Bonds" and "I Got It").
I spoke about Rome Fortune back in my 5 Faves of him, and at the time I hadn't heard anyone like him. But Stizz has similar beats and cadences. They're both in their own world, a galaxy of soma and sedatives. His vocals also remind me of Kid Cudi too (who should also be releasing an album sometime soon). If you like the spaced-out "No Bells" and "No Explanation," definitely check out this album. It's one of my favorite rap debuts this year.
Listen to the beginning of "Narrows." Does it remind you of another song? Or maybe a band? The guitar at 0:29 sounds exactly like the clean guitar sound on a number of their albums (in fact I would venture to say the guitars are the same make - Gibson - and possibly a similar model). Anything? The song: "Arizona," the band: Kings of Leon.
I can't stop listening to Widowpeak's album which "Narrows" is on. It's super chill and is paced really well without one bad track. Put it on in the background and enjoy. It's definitely made it's way into my Top 25 Albums this year.
I included AM & Shawn Lee on last week's Mixtape, but these guys write catchy electro-popish tracks, so I thought everyone would enjoy my other favorite track on their album.
Another pop quiz: Do you think "Sister of Pearl" by Baio sounds like any other band you know? If you guessed Vampire Weekend, then you are on your game. Or maybe you were even smarter and knew the name of Vampire Weekend's bassist was Chris Baio and put two and two together. (If you thought this was Scott Baio's band, you can see yourself out) Either way, I'm excited for Baio's album which is release THIS FRIDAY.
"Disintegrate" by Painted Palms has a lot of influences. You got Cut Copy for sure. LCD Soundsystem, no question. Holy Ghost! as well. I'm actually surprised they're not on the DFA record label. I need to give their album another go round because the first time wasn't too impressive. However, this track keeps growing on me, so maybe the album will too. To be continued...
If you've been reading my stuff for a bit, you know I love the last song on albums (I already referenced "Arizona" on this post!), and Dan Auerbach's (of The Black Keys) The Arcs' last track, "Searching the Blue," is subtly sweet and a great closer for their album and this mixtape. If you haven't read up on my review of The Arcs' great album, please do!
Have a good week.
Sometimes a week or many weeks will pass by without too much music that gets me excited. Then a week will come by that is overwhelming in its breadth of tunes that get me amped. Last week was the latter.
Foals just released their fourth album, What Went Down, a more rock-oriented album which built on the pieces that made their prior stuff so enjoyable and unique. The title track is all you need to hear to gauge whether this band and album is for you. The buildup to this track hinges on Yannis' warbling vocals and an excitable drumbeat, culminating in an orgy of sounds blasting through your eardrums. I can't wait to see this album live.
Listen to the hip-hop drumbeat that starts "Cold Tears" by AM & Shawn Lee and ask yourself if it sounds familiar? Anything?
I LOVE this track by JT (and unabashedly love JT's music), but it's all propelled by that drumbeat by Pharrell. The fact that The Clipse are featured only makes the song that much better.
Speaking of rappers, guess who's back? Mighty Mos! Blackstar's (only) album and his own Black on Both Side are two of my favorite rap albums ever. His lyrics and easily identifiable voice (you can hear it's Mos in a split second - just like Q-Tip) are his trademarks. May I offer an example? (Starting at 0:15)
My restlessness is my nemesis
It's hard to really chill and sit still
Committed to page, I write a rhyme
Sometimes won't finish for days
Scrutinize my literature from the large to the miniature
I mathematically administer
Subtract the wack
Selector, wheel it back, I'm feeling that
From the core to the perimeter black
You know the motto
Stay fluid even in staccato
Moving on, The Weeknd just released his new album, Beauty Behind the Madness. It's crazy how much he has blown up since "Can't Feel My Face" became the #1 hit on Billboard. It feels like an eternity since I wrote about his obsession with drugs, and now he's on the covers of magazines, performing at award shows, and constantly clogging your radio station.
I've listened through his album a few times and am overly impressed with the whole thing albeit a couple clunkers ("Dark Times" with Ed Sheeran seems like a completely forced guest appearance to gain listeners and sales).
One of my favorite tracks from the album is the Kanye West produced "Tell Your Friends," an R Kelly-sounding slow jam with The Weeknd sweetly puffing out his chest as he talks about his usuals (see: his hair, poppin' pills, fuckin' bitches, living life trill, cocaine, and other blatant disregards for the opposite see - for further references, see: An Intervention for...The Weeknd).
The distorted, auto-tuned guitar (playing throughout but easily heard at 2:49 - 3:14) is pure Kanye. I recognized the sound from tracks from his classic My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, mainly "Devil In a New Dress" and "Runaway":
Starting at 2:52:
Starting at 6:05:
It's cool to hear influences remain and are still borrowed (somewhat) subtly in a musician's arsenal, and the production form "Tell Your Friends" is really superb.
I just started listening to Widowspeak - as in, I just heard this song today and instantly fell for it. I have a sweet spot for chill tracks, and this track has a subdued pace, sweet and soft vocals, and a bit going on in the background to keep it entertaining.
I can't stop listening to this track from Half Moon Run. Their debut album last year, Dark Eyes, was a weird amalgamation (I looked this word up to make sure I was using it right, definiton: the action, process, or result of combining or uniting.) of Radiohead and Kings of Leon. I always heard a bit of Thom Yorke and Radiohead's spaced out sounds while keeping some rock elements I heard in KOL.
But if you can't hear the Thom Yorke's influence IMMEDIATELY from the beginning of this track, you haven't been listening to enough Radiohead! Although the pace is much slower on this Radiohead track (my favorite from King of Limbs), just listen to the opening vocals:
Lots of sounds and influences this week! Happy Labor Day!