Monday Mixtape, Vol. 219

Hello! I’m still running through a backlog of songs I’ve liked in the past couple months to add to the mixtape. Ton of great stuff this week, and starting the good vibes is Leland with an assist from pop trio, Muna, in a catchy, St. Lucia / Penguin Prison -like jam.

If you haven’t heard of Royel Otis yet, you will. These guys will be big.

Etta Marcus’ “Crown” reminds me a ton of Radiohead’s“Jigsaw Falling Into Place.” She’s got some mystique and rebelliousness in her voice, I’m intrigued to hear more of her stuff.

Bayonne is coming out with a new album, and I’m stoked. No one sounds like these guys, and their music blends in with the atmosphere. Maybe I’d say they have an earthy sound.

Arlo Parks is following up her fantastic debut with this single, “Weightless,” and it’s more layered and electronic yet keeping a head bopping beat. Look forward to a new album.

Young Fathers, those weirdos from the UK, made a new, maybe less weird, album that is worth a listen to get outside of your comfort zone. “Rice” is the most accessible track so see what you think.

Turnover is a cool band I just fell upon, and I love the rhythm to their tracks.

Kota the Friend has been putting out great rap music for a while now.

Finally, Blondshell with the 90s grunge sound. Looking forward to her new album.

Monday Mixtape, Vol. 177

Hope everyone enjoyed the Super Bowl…my favorite commercial was the GM-Will Ferrell-Norway commercial. The punch through the globe did it for me lol.

Threw some jams together that should make you bop your head, starting with infectious Offset, he of fame from the rap trio Migos. Dude is awesome, love his flow.

Lots of random stuff on this one, including a single from Lana Del Rey, a great ballad from Taylor Swift’s second album of 2019, and more.

That’s all I got! Have a good week.

Monday Mixtape, Vol. 165

So much great stuff for you on this Monday! We start it off with Pink Sweat$, a chubby black guy who physically (and I guess a bit musically too!) reminds me of PM Dawn (who gets a nostalgic nod on this mixtape too) while musically reminding me of an amalgamation of Frank Ocean, Bruno Mars, and Khalid. And let’s also give respect where respect is due: he’s got the best album cover of 2020 on wrap:

Another newcomer, Nick Grant, is one talented rapper. Loving “FEDS” and been listening to him a bunch recently. You’ll hear more of this guy.

As usual, Justin Vernon is in high demand. He was on a Taylor Swift track from her phenomenal new album, and he’s got an appearance on a song on The Japanese House’s recent LP.

For the David Byrne / Talking Heads fans out there: Whitney came out with a cover of “Strange Overtones,” and they put a tad of a spin on it while staying true to its roots, so I think it plays pretty well.

Speaking of Talking Heads’ covers, I recently got the 10th Anniversary vinyl edition of Local Natives "Gorilla Manor” (one of only 1,000 made!). Gorilla Manor is easily one of my favorite records of the past decade, and it always gives me nostalgic memories of where I living, what I was doing, who I was, and so much more. Albums that really bring you back to a time yet still resonate on listens today are truly special. And my goodness, does “Wide Eyes” sound amazing on vinyl! (Sorry, no Local Natives on today’s mixtape.)

Every track Arlo Parks has released in the past couple years, I’ve been totally digging. She always has good beats, and she reminds me a bit of Clairo (maybe it’s the voice?) but she’s got more rhythm. Check her out.

Finally, a favorite of mine, Sir Drake. I didn’t think the use of “baby” so often could actually turn into a catchy track. The video is also pretty funny as he’s just getting embarrassed by pro athletes on Nike’s campus (and yes, also a pretty huge marketing ploy though I don’t think Drake is on Nike but all the other people are).

Drake’s the best. I just love him. I love all the haters of Drake, and the people that don’t consider him a rapper, or think he’s weak or whatever, it’s comical to me because they get SO UPSET. It’s just like, dude, just go back to listening to Gucci Mane and leave me in peace. Not ironically, but this Drake track is all about all the dumbs rappers that talked shit to Drake and spoke of the huge life they lived, yet now they’re broke and fell off the map. The consistency of Drake’s quality is ridiculous. It’s still going. And I’m loving it.

That’s all, have a great week.

Monday Mixtape, Vol. 155

I’m VERY excited about an artist I just stumbled upon, and I have been listening to him nonstop since. I have listened to his entire discography many times, and wow, I’m pretty excited about how good this guy is. Next week I will have a Monday Mixtape dedicated solely to him.

As for now, I’m just going to shutup and play the hits.

Monday Mixtape, Vol. 153

My loyal readers and listeners, I’m back! It’s been a couple months, and I apologize for the very long absence, but the silver lining is I have a TON new music to share, so I will try my best not to abandon you again.

Let’s start with Tame Impala. As you know, I love Tame Impala. In the past twenty years, I’d say my favorite bands are Radiohead, Tame Impala, Arctic Monkeys, Vampire Weekend, Wilco, and Kings of Leon, probably in that order.

Tame Impala’s (I’m sure you know this, but Tame Impala is really just Kevin Parker - He writes, records, mixes, and does engineering on EVERYTHING and has with all his albums) fourth album, The Slow Rush, is a companion album to Currents, in the same way that Lonerism is a companion to their debut, InnerSpeaker. Each duo has similar sounds yet show tracks and themes going in other ways.

The Slow Rush seems like a look back to the scale of fame and “rock star status” Kevin Parker attained after Currents. Crazily, Parker took five years in between these albums, and A LOT has changed.

I’ve seen Tame Impala live five times, and after their second album, they were still slotted in the 3pm-4pm festival circuit. Once Currents came out amidst full blown adulation and critical acclaim, Tame Impala started headlining every festival and selling out arenas.

Five years later, here we are with The Slow Rush. Meaning this in the best way possible, it’s the hangover album to Currents. The shades feel drawn on this album, like Parker doesn’t want a lot of sunlight in. Not depressing but reserved.

Compare the first tracks on both albums, “Let It Happen,” Parker’s masterpiece, with “One More Year,” a softer and safer version and vision. The difference in these two tracks is the difference in the album.

You don’t really get to a real upbeat rhythm until the ninth track! This track, “Is It True” is my favorite track on the album, and where I think Parker excels, finding different sounds (those drums and keys make the song) to pair with his reverb-laden vocals.

I don’t think there are any songs on this album that come close to the majority of songs on Currents, but I still enjoy every single song (except maybe “Tomorrow’s Dust”). I think I’d rank this album third, in front of InnerSpeaker then behind Lonerism and of course, Currents.

As for the rest of the this week’s mixtape, I gotta give love to Glass Animals, they are so unique. No one sounds like these guys, and they just find weird ass and cool hooks. I have no idea who Do Nothing is, but they give me a lot of vibes of Parquet Courts mixed with some garage rock like Interpol. Great track.

Caribou released one of my favorite albums of 2020, and this track is awesome.

Arlo Parks is a new artist I stumbled upon, and everything I’ve listened to has been good. She’s one to watch out for.

For some reason, “Good Day” by BBC really resonated with me. It’s a song that doesn’t sound like them and stuck on our their average new album.

Finally, Dan Croll keeps improving as an artist. “Yesterday” is a really great song.

Have a great week all. Stay safe.