Playlist - Wait...Rock?

in

If Kurt Cobain was the beginning to the end of rock, Imagine Dragons pulled the plug. I gave up. But interestingly enough, bands have been popping up that just have that sound. I can't explain it exactly, but rock sounds more instinctive and less calculated than any other music. The best rock music is never trying to impress you. It is what it is. Take it or leave it. That FU mentality is the vibe I hear in these new (except for the established vets Sleater-Kinney) artists. Plain and simple, they rock. SO FOLKS, do not despair, rock is breathing, and they may be taking the respirator away.

Read More

My Take on Kanye

in ,

I love Kanye. His music has made my life identifiably more enjoyable. The College Dropout will remain in the hip-hop lexicon forever for its originality, innovative production, and influence. My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is a masterpiece. It was Kanye’s manic brain finally putting it all together into something perfect, twisted, and human. It was his reaction to the backlash that he both deservedly and undeservedly received and the vitriol and hatred that he never deserved. I compared Yeezus to Radiohead's Kid A  - it's an album no one else could have made. He has been the most influential and relevant hip-hop artist of the past decade and no one else is close. 

Any time I become exasperated with Kanye, I’ll listen to “Last Call,” his last track on his debut album to remind me that he is a guy like us, personable and real.

Read More

5 Faves - Best Coast

in

In light of the speculation that a new album is coming out somewhat soon (UPDATE: May 5!), I thought I'd highlight five of my favorite tracks by Bethany Cosentino and Bobb Bruno's duo Best Coast.  I've seen them live a couple times, the most recent being at The Fillmore in SF, and I was really blown away by Cosentino's voice. It's a bit reminiscent of Stevie Nicks, and I don't think any band encapsulates the SoCal beach vibe better.  Cosentino's ability to turn three to five chord songs into catchy tracks is all based on her melodies. Love that voice. 

Read More

Singles - Lupe Fiasco - Mural

in

It's a 1,600 word, 9 minute rap song that's propelled with a beat from The Buchanans who sampled the track Chanson D'un Jour D'hiver from the album Troupeau Bleu released in 1975 by a group called Cortex.

The most amazing thing about this song is the thought that Lupe could perform it live. Baffling with his wordplay and lyrical layers.

"My rap position was black condition and activism / Ammunition for abolition, missions attacking systems / But they're not apt to listen / unless it's dropping on Activision / Are we apps or are we bodies filled with apparitions? / Operating applications, stuck inside an Apple prison / Chicken hack and download updates that lack religion / Or...are we more?"

And that's only about 4% of the lyrics from that track...

Read More

Album Review - The Maccabees - Given to the Wild

in

The Maccabees, a pretty well known band in the UK pretty well forgotten in the States, released their third album, Given to the Wild, in 2012. The album won NME's Best Album of the Year.  It was listed as #15 in my Top 25 Albums of 2012, and now that I'm listening to it again, I think it deserved to have a higher ranking.

The album is an original. I can't think of any apt comparisons other than Bombay Bicycle Club's So Long See You Tomorrow (especially the atmospheric intro tracks that flow right into the second) sounding somewhat similar, but the BBC album pales in comparison.   

This album is all about love - that which we follow, idealize, grab and grasp for, then take for granted and ultimately lose.

Read More

Singles - New Artist - Natalie Prass - Bird of Prey

in

A couple days ago I went through a musical exercise that was one of the many reminders why music touches so many different people in different influences. One of the artist involved, Natalie Prass, will be releasing a new album on January 26th. This is the first song I heard by her. She reminds me of a folksy Feist with her melodies, various instruments, and distinct voice. Check her live version of this song out (I can't seem to embed the YouTube video...) which really showcases her voice!

Read More

A Quick Musical Journey

in

I'm first taken by its relaxed pace. Then Prass begins to sing. That melody. I've heard that before. But from where? I think and think and think. I listen to it again. Pause. Think. Listen again. That melody is on Drake's last album! So I'm scrounging through all the tracks when I remember, wait, it's on Kendrick Lamar's last album! I immediately cue up "Poetic Justice.”

So Prass did a cover of Janet Jackson's original which Kendrick Lamar sampled (and I'm guessing the title "Poetic Justice" is a sly shout-out to Janet since she was in a movie - with Tupac - with the same title.) What a beautiful circle of music. Thanks Janet!

Can you hear the same melody? I then chuckle when Drake starts rapping (half credit?). But then I'm intrigued as to whom is singing the melody on Lamar's track. Sure enough, it's a sample from a Janet Jackson song entitled, you guessed it, "Any time, Any Place:"

Read More