Monday Mixtape, Vol. 128

in

Oh mercy! I’ve been gone for at least three weeks, I sincerely apologize. You’ve had such a glut of music in your stomach and soul missing! I blame my “real” job, which has been getting a lot busier and very interesting. There have been a few points where I’ve felt the business is about to really turn a corner and some real momentum is gaining. The first two times were a bit of false starts, and I have no idea where the biz may go from here, but it’s another good feeling. You have to feel this every once in a while to keep everything loose and fun, and keep hope alive, so that’s a good thing. 

ANYWAYS. This week’s mixtape is going to mimic my mood, so it shall be an upbeat slew of jams.

Friendly Fires released a single, one of my favorite songs I’ve heard from them in years  it seems just yesterday that their amazing 2008 debut album was playing on repeat on my speakers.

The Japanese House released what is easily one of my favorite albums this year so far. This is certainly my fave jam on the album.

Foals continue to make really good music. I’d say I’m a tad disappointed overall in their new album since their quality control album to album has been so damn consistent, and this year’s album sounds to be one of their weaker entries, but this track and “Sunday” are still great tracks, standouts on the album. 

I’m excited to hear Foster the People’s new album. If this single is any indication, it should be a good one. Speaking of quality control, these guys only have three albums, the last two of which I thought were wildly underrated (their second album was so weird and different, akin to MGMT’s wild left turn with their awesome, crazy, and orbital second album, Congratulations) thereby making the band seem underrated and under appreciated. Yet they were headlining the festival circuit on their last album. They’re a bit of a conundrum to me, I never feel like I meet too many huge fans of theirs or hear too much about them from critics, but they’re still making great music.

Enjoy the rest of the jams and the whole of the week! I’ll see you next one.

Monday Mixtape, Vol. 24

in

A bunch of albums just dropped on Friday, including Chvrches, Future and Drake's mixtape  (although released earlier, it's now available on Spotify), The Underachievers, Kurt Vile, and Disclosure. A lot of bands I love. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to get through them too much, so I imagine they will be the focus on the next mixtape.

In the meantime, I've included some of my favorite tracks that Ryan Adam's covered from Taylor Swift's 1989. 

I have a ton of respect for Chvrches' lead singer, Lauren Mayberry. She's taken on the dark world of social media by calling out misogynistic cowards trolling her with disgusting rape tweets and comments. In her words: "Bring it on motherfuckers. Let's see who blinks first."

She formed a female collective called TYCI (please read the great profile on Chvrches written by Caitlin White on Stereogum for a breakdown of that acronym and more) in order to “break down misguided notions of feminism and gender boundaries.”

She's carried a shit ton of weight for things that should not have to be carried. Chvrches' first track on their new album is the only track I've heard so far. But you can really feel Mayberry's exasperation when she belts, "Here's to never ending circles / and building them on top of me." 

I don't know how we can cure the disgusting diseases spreading under the guises of social media,  but at some point there has to be a bit of accountability. Artists living in the limelight (and yes, boohoo, you may say, she's probably got a good deal of money and gets to see the world, but there are people whose talents inevitably lead them to popularity due to the field they are in. That doesn't mean it's ok to have to deal with a "connected" world that is becoming less accountable for our actions) should have a comfortable work environment just like I have at my job.

It may be somewhat hypocritical to follow this all up when I have a track by Mac Miller, a rapper who says "bitch" too many times to count on his new album and talks about sex with said women more often than not. Degrading lyrics referencing "bitches" and all that stuff is an entirely other (interconnected) problem, but one that I am nowhere near intelligent enough to address in a blog post. 

There is music that many of us can point to that we enjoy despite the lyrical content. Sometimes I take the good with the bad and chalk some of the poor judgments by artists as bad taste but not hate. It's a fine line between artistic expression and lyrical subjugation. Other times that line is clearly stepped over (like early Tyler, the Creator lyrics). It's important to acknowledge that. 

I wanted to write an album review on Mac Miller's GO:OD AM, but I unfortunately did not have time this past week. The main thesis would have been that the production and flow of the album is far superior and more professional than anything else he's done. Unfortunately, his lyrics are still adolescent. The lyrics are dumb but not an outlet of hate, just ignorance. His interviews provide him as a young 23 year old who was given fame and money too young. I do hope he grows up and his next album lyrically shows it.

I've also been enjoying Baio's debut album and this track on the mixtape tickles me just right. 

Have a great week. I'm going to France (!) for two weeks so I will not be uploading a Monday Mixtape next Monday (I had a 24 week streak!), but I will be taking a ton of pictures that I will post on the blog!

Till then!

Monday Mixtape, Vol. 21

in

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!