Not too much to say today, folks. You may need a rest from my last two long writeups.
I will try to post some more photos of the trip to Croatia this week! They look much better on this site than they don on Facebook.
Have a great week!
I apologize for being MIA since Tuesday, but my Macbook died. I was traveling to DC as well, so I wasn't able to work on the blog! I'm sure you survived.
I heard a version of "Bros" by Wolf Alice - (**TANGENT ALERT ** which is a more raw-sounding version of the song than the one on their debut album. The track on their album sounds much more produced and less emotive. I can't stand when producers or record labels (or maybe the band thought they could record a better version) put their influence on a song and mess it up.
This is the original song:
This is the song on their album:
You be the judge. ** TANGENT OVER **) - a couple years ago which reminded me of The Zombies (remember "Linger," ahhhhhh such a beauty!) and Chvrches, but their subsequent releases have sounded edgier and even more distorted, a welcome evolution for me. The first track of this mixtape showcases this sound, and the buildup on "Giant Peach" would be a great opening track for their live shows while Ellie Roswell purrs and screams like Joan Jett (who, by the way, gave a kick ass speech at her Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction).
The comparisons to Twin Peaks span decades and sounds. There's dirt in their amps, feedback in their mics, Mick Jagger in their vocals, and sixties and seventies in their sound. They also remind me of bands these days like Parquet Courts and Broncho, but these guys have a better roadmap for melody and songwriting. The whole album is worth a listen.
I compared Alpine to Trails and Ways a couple weeks ago in my mixtape because both have beautiful female vocals. Alpine is ahead of Trails and Ways in my book because of their upbeat and unique album from 2014 (my #15 Album of 2013!), A is for Alpine. If you like the two tracks on here from their new album, Yuck, definitely check out their last album before the new one!
That's it, have a good week!
Good morning, Monday! Today is a short week for most, and hopefully all are planning on barbecuing and celebrating the 4th with a few beers with friends. So happy soon to be 4th of July.
The first track of this week's mixtape, "Alright," was performed by Kendrick Lamar as the opening act of last night's BET Music Awards. Lamar stood atop a graffiti-laced cop car and spit out a ferociously technical song on live TV. Listen to this song and the wordplay, speed, and execution of his delivery: "Now tell my momma I love her / but this what I like, Lord knows / 20 of 'em in my Chevy / tell 'em all to come and get me / Reapin' everything I sow / so my karma come / And heaven no preliminary hearing, so my record / I'm a motherfuckin' gangster in silence for the record." The whole track is the epitome of Lamar's ability to spit. Another interesting tidbit is the hook is sung by Pharrell. I thought the song was an interesting choice for Lamar to play to the primarily black audience as he sung along with Pharrell's backing vocals, "Do you hear me? Do you feel me? We gon' be alright."
Trails and Ways hails right over the bridge from me in Berkeley, California. If you like this song, I highly recommend their album. The female singer and some of the songs remind me a bit of another band, Alpine, who released a great album in 2014 and a new one this year as well (which I have yet to listen to!).
Gengahr - NO IDEA how to pronounce that - released their album recently, and "She's a Witch," stood out to me from all the other tracks. The only comparable I can think of is Of Montreal's "Bassem Sabry:"
Both weird songs, both oddly catchy.
I wrote about Will Joseph Cook's EP already, but I am really digging this song and have been listening to it more than any other song over the past week, so it's gotta make the mixtape!
Twin Peaks sounds like they're recording their music in a garage while their friends jump around, drinking beers, and the band has to just keep getting louder because their friends progressively get drunker. It's raw, unpolished rock.
De Lux is is like the hideous menage trois music-child of LCD Soundsystem, Hot Chip, and Talking Heads. "Irish people hate me / Hippies don't love me." This is not all true, I'm cool with you guys!