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Like the start of this post, this track is a little weird. The vocals remind me of Wild Beasts (themselves a bit weird but oh so talented), and the track continually surprises me. It's not for everyone, but hopefully a few will enjoy!
Outside Lands, San Francisco's three day music festival in Golden Gate Park, is only two months away! This will be my third year in attendance, and I'm really looking forward to this year's lineup. The last two years had a number of memorable performances. 2013 boasted a ton of great acts, including Gary Clark Jr. (a man who will never disappoint a festival crowd), Band of Horses (who get credit for the best setlist of the festival), Jurassic 5 (playing their first show in years and killing it), the Chili Peppers, and Paul McCartney (who put on such a memorable show). 2014 had Cut Copy (my highlight of the festival - there's nothing like thousands and thousands of people losing their minds, dancing their pants off), The Killers, Arctic Monkeys, Tom Petty, Run the Jewels, Atmosphere (easily one of the best shows of the festival), and a disappointing Kanye (wah wahhh - but for the record, I still somewhat begrudgingly love Kanye).
So on to 2015, a lineup that I would argue may be better than Coachella's lineup this year. There are very few DJs (yay!) and a ton of varying genres of music to keep it interesting and different. There are way too many bands that I'm excited to see that I would love to talk about at length, but in the interest of time, I'll keep it a bit shorter.
With apologies to Local Natives, Tame Impala is unquestioningly my favorite band at the moment. I crave every show I can attend, and I believe this will be my fourth show of theirs. By August their new album will have been released which will set up the show to be downright epic. I CAN'T WAIT.
St. Vincent, a super talented and original artist, one who shreds the guitar and looks damn sexy doing it (side note - I read she was dating Cara Delevinge = power couple! Side note to the side note - Cara Delevinge had a profile in the Wall Street Journal Magazine which I thought was interesting and painted her in a bit of a different picture, not as celebrity and attention craved as you would imagine, maybe worth a read?) is always an act to see. Can't wait.
D'Angelo (assuming he doesn't cancel his show like he did two years ago at OSL) will be a total treat to see live. I wonder, because his music and voice is so fragile and intimate, if a festival setting will work for him. I think his backing band, The Vanguards, will bring the funk and be loud enough to absorb the place and crowd, but we'll see.
I love love love Wilco. I saw them for the first time at Austin City Limits, and I was disappointed in the set list, and I thought the performance was just dull. I don't expect that to happen twice for a band who has one of my favorite live albums ever, Kicking Television - Live in Chicago.
Hot Chip will be this year's replacement for Cut Copy. Though I like Cut Copy a lot more, Hot Chip has a ton of great and identifiable songs that the crowd will lose their minds to. It'll be a dance party. In the same vein, Classixx should put on a similarly great show.
I will see St. Paul and the Broken Bones this time. I promise!
Elton John is going to be awesome. I don't even know too much Elton John, I just know that he's a hell of a performer, one who will tear up his piano and belt out the hits. I think the crowd is going to really be into this one.
I've heard that Kendrick Lamar isn't performing much stuff from his new album, To Pimp A Butterfly, which makes me wonder whether A) it's too complicated or expensive to play live (as the instrumentation in that album sounds pretty expansive with a ton of different instruments) or B) this is some "artistic" statement that he won't play it for the masses because this is his album and he won't be pimped to play it. Whatever man. Don't make an album and then not play it. What is that about? (Update: Lamar just started playing some tracks from the new album at his appearance at Summer Jam this past weekend, so hopefully that means we'll get to see new stuff at OSL -though bummer for all the people who saw him prior to this). I saw Lamar at Austin City Limits a couple years ago, during the madness of his last album, Good Kid M.a.a.D. City, and I thought it was somewhat disappointing. But he's had a ton of time to get better so we'll see!
Two headliners that I'm 50/50 on - shows that I will certainly plan to see (assuming there aren't any other bands I have to see playing at the same time) that could be great but might also lose my interest - Mumford and Sons and The Black Keys. I saw The Black Keys at ACL, and I just feel like those guys need to be in a dingy, small venue to get the real experience of that sound and energy. A festival is too wide open and pristine of a setting. Mumford and Sons have festival ready songs which I think will be great, but I'm not sold on the new album, so that show will be a TBD.
Ok, so that was a bit longer than expected, sorry, and I'm sure I'll be writing more about OSL as the schedule is released, and I plan my days, but as for the playlist, these are my favorite tracks of each artist that I would like to see at OSL. Those with multiple tracks I am probably more interested in seeing, but each band has a gem or two worth hearing live. Probably best to just put the playlist on shuffle, buy your plane ticket to SF, crash on my couch, and come to a great festival!
Good Morning! Hope the weekend treated you well. It's especially a good Monday because The Maccabees are back on Spotify! For some reason (due to their record label I imagine), their amazing album, Given To The Wild, written up and loved by yours truly, is not on Spotify, but their new album is set to release sometime in 2015, and their first single, "Marks To Prove It," IS on Spotify, so hopefully the album will be as well. The single is an in-your-face rock song that I've been listening to incessantly for a few weeks. Their sound changes constantly from song to song, so I still have no idea what the new album may sound like, but needless to say, I'm pretty excited.
Halsey, a 20 year old American, just released this track that should instantly remind you of another talented young singer, Lorde. This song is pure pop. It's catchy as hell, and I love the disdainful lyrics about the music industry complex, again like Lorde.
Although I wasn't overly impressed with Strange Names' debut album, "Ricochet" is a great track!
For the hip-hop heads out there, "Countdown" has to be right down your alley. Great beat, great hook, and Consequence and Lupe Fiasco together on a track?? Yes please.
Jamie xx's (member of The xx) debut album, In Colour, has been getting a ton of love from critics all over. I've been enjoying the album as there are so many different types of music packed into the album which really showcase the true ability of a DJ - to understand and appreciate the multitudes of elements and genres of music yet make them intertwine seamlessly to the listener. It's a hell of an accomplishment of an album to veer so heavily in different directions yet still be listenable from front to back. Jamie xx's track on this mix, "I Know There's Gonna Be (Good Times)," starts will some old soul sample then veers into a reggae-ish beat with "it" rapper Young Thug giving his off-kilter signature delivery. Yeah, it's a bit weird, but we all need to keep it weird (right, Austin?).
Finally, Moses Sumney is a singer/songwriter I just stumbled upon because Pitchfork named one of his tracks Best New Track. This track, "Plastic," is just a simple ballad that spoke to me. Simplicity at its best.
A few months before I moved to San Francisco, I had become somewhat obsessed with Patrick Watson (check out my 5 Faves of him!). I have a thing for singer/songwriters. There's something about their ability to compose songs single handedly that makes me sit back and listen to their brilliance in awe. It's one thing when you have both Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, it's another when you can do it alone.
Anyways, when I moved to San Francisco, Patrick Watson had played two days prior (touring on his gorgeous Adventures In Your Own Backyard album from 2012 - "Lighthouse" remains to be one of those memorable first tracks on an album not only because of how great of a song it is, but because it sets the entire tone of the album) to the day I moved out here, and I was so disappointed I missed him, but I assumed he would be back shortly. I was wrong. The first chance I got to see him was Wednesday, over two years later, at The Chapel in the Mission in San Francisco, a teeny and intimate venue converted from (you guessed it) a chapel, so you guessed it, the acoustics in the place were pretty amazing.
The first thing that hits you with Patrick Watson, both live and on his albums, is his voice. Watson sounds like an angel in a choir, a falsetto so delicate yet substantial to rise above the fray of strings and keys. His vocals were astonishing live, even better than his albums. The crowd was completely absorbed and involved -
(and the crowd is such a key element to a memorable show - BUT ** TANGENT ALERT ** I really want to have a psychological study on the idiots and princesses that believe what they say to an artist during a show matters. Please, shut the hell up. I don't think an aritst gives a shit if you say, "I love you, Patrick!" in your annoyingly nasal tone while hiccuping on your (hopefully) last mojito. Or to the bro behind me that was whistling and hollering in the middle of a song because his goatee needed to let off a little steam while none of his friends were present because he most likely lost all of his friends acting in such a way for most of his adult life - to you both, I volunteer there should be some sort of psychological help at shows because this should not happen. Please, please, don't EVER, for the rest of your life, yell out something obnoxious at a show. Just listen to the beauty and brilliance of music and let it envelop you. Cheer and applaud when the song is over. Thanks. TANGENT OVER **)
- to the point where they started humming along to the beat of one song as Watson played maestro to the crowd. I have to say, San Francisco has some really great crowds at shows.
Watson was touring on his new album, Love Songs for Robots, another album in line with the four before him that are beyond comparison or peer. Watson's compositions sound nothing like anyone else out there. Though he has no comparable (another great quality of original singer/songwriters), I do think he has that cerebral quality like Andrew Bird (another one of my favorite singer/songwriters of the past decade). He played most of his new album, the highlights being "Good Morning Mr. Wolf," and "Bollywood," with close seconds being "Hearts," and "Long Songs for Robots." One of the most impressive aspects of the show was that Watson and the four other members of his band were able to recreate his orchestral thunderstorms of sound which I had my doubts could be done live. Listen to "Good Morning Mr. Wolf," and try to imagine that song live. It goes through highs and lows, loud and soft, acoustic guitar, strings, keyboards, it all just sounds like so much. Like it's overproduced or something. But no, it was all there.
It was definitely the best show I've seen this year, and it was all made the more memorable by the encore. Watson walked out, grabbed his piano bench and brought it out into the middle of the crowd, about 10 feet from me. The crowd came to a hush. Watson climbed up on the bench along with his guitarist and proceeded to play "Adventures In Your Own Backyard," with no microphone or amplification. All he used were the cups of his hands as he projected his majestic falsetto throughout the crowd. That moment was truly special and something I'll never forget. It was all the more appropriate that the song starts, "Twelve steps into your backyard," as he played inches away in a town I call my home.
I heard a new track from this unique soul/funk/jazz/rap band on their new album that got me really intrigued to start exploring their two albums. After listening to a number of tracks, the rhythm and tone of this song really stood out. It's pretty hard for a band to make a song sound this jazzy and soulful without forcing the issue. I get some Little Dragon vibes, maybe Jill Scott a bit and their hip-hop influence reminds me of the oddness of Shabazz Palaces. This band is definitely different and worthy of a listen if you like this track!
This a sandstorm created from original thought
I bust boundaries son, you just do what you're taught.
My vocab is powerful, spit shit subliminal
slang therapist, my whole style is criminal.
Bugged like Bob Digital, fly visual
Mind body and soul, I'm a strong individual
Come through in the final hour, with gun showers
Stand the fuck up like Flav to fight the power.
I'm an activist, socialist, deadly ass poetrist
Supreme Clientele, I'm a goddamn vocalist.
My thoughts are so heavy I could change a generation
The x-factor, we puttin' ho's through inflation.
- Ghostface Killah, "Gunshowers"
Read MoreThe most universal subject in music: love. Musicians have found millions of ways to sing about it, be it through heartbreak, infatuation, dating, lust, longing, marriage, the list goes on. I get it though, it's easier to talk straight from the heart. When done wholeheartedly, it rings true and leads the mind to make decisions both right and wrong, but ultimately ending (in what most of us hope) in something forever. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. This is a mixtape of all sorts of these emotions, and the lyrical powers that communication provides us to get love off our chest.
Lord Huron "Love Like Ghosts:"
Yes I know that love is like ghosts
A few have seen it but everybody talks
Spirits follow where I go
They sing all day and they haunt me in the night...
What ain't living can never really die
You don't want me baby please don't lie
but if you're leaving I gotta know why
Brett Dennen's "I Ain't Gonna Lose You:"
You can put a stick in my spokes
I can be the butt of your jokes
I can be the laughing stock
I can be the hoax
But I ain't gonna lose you...
They can come and tear my house down
They can run me out of town
They can tie me up call me a clown
But I ain't gonna lose you
I can't stand the thought of another man
No, I ain't gonna lose you
Angus Stone's "Wooden Chair:"
In another place
In another time
In another face
In another line
In another heart
In another world
In another girl
We were feeling fine
We were in love
Gemma Hayes' "Joy:"
I can take on anything
I can take it all
I can take on anything
as long as I can see you
Bombay Bicycle Club's "Eyes Off You:"
And I bathed in the light you gave
But it's dark in another way
Yes, you gave me the light today
But it's dark in another way...
I can't take my eyes off you.
John Mayer's "In Your Atmosphere:"
Wherever I go
Whatever I do
I wonder where I am in my relationship to you
Wherever you go
Wherever you are
I watch your life play out in pictures from afar
Wherever I go
Whatever I do
I wonder where I am in my relationship to you
Wherever you go
Wherever you are
I watch that pretty life play out in pictures from afar
Father John Misty's "I Went To The Store One Day:"
For love to find us of all people
I never thought it'd be so simple
NPR's Microphone Check had an interview about the music industry with Julian Petty, an entertainment lawyer that currently represents rappers Earl Sweatshirt and Vince Staples as well as the estate of Biggie (and at one point represented A Tribe Called Quest, Michael Jackson, and Prince!). Petty sounds like an honorable person who really has the best interests of the artist in mind despite the surrounding pressure by record labels on many of these artists to go down the "get rich quick" scheme that may sound enticing without a real knowledge of the industry.
There are a lot of great tidbits from the interview, including Petty's take on the dying music industry:
"There are six revenue streams for recorded music. There's physical sales. There's digital sales. There's advertising. There's subscription. There's sync licenses. And then there's performance rights. Four of those things have pretty much come about in the last ten years. So when people talk about the music business or recorded music business is dying or in decline, I'm like, 'I don't know about that. I think the ecosystem has changed. And you have a lot more different pots. And like publishing, you're making money from a lot of smaller — smaller increments. More pennies and nickels. Whereas the recorded business was used to making money at the $16.99 CD. Yeah, that doesn't exist. But from the streaming side, especially with the indie artist, there's some real money to be made there."
He also talks the "360 Model" that artist sign that labels have been using more now since many avenues of revenue streams are drying up. The model basically means that the record label will take a smaller cut than usual in certain revenues, but they then get a cut of everything, hence the 360.
They also talked about the Robin Thicke vs. Marvin Gaye ruling which awarded Gaye's estate $7 million for copyright infringement in the song "Blurred Lines." Petty thought the case didn't come down to copyright law, it came down to Robin Thicke being an awful witness. If you haven't read Thicke's deposition on this case, it's sadly comical. Thicke admits he wasn't sober for one interview for an entire year and barely recalls anything he said because he was high on Vicodin and Vodka. He calls himself the White Marvin Gaye and says he really liked Gaye's "Got to Give It Up" after his own hundred songs. So yeah, Petty might have a point!
You can either check out the transcript here or listen to the Soundcloud clip embedded!
Not only is this a fantastic track released back in 2014, but after seeing this fan generated video, you can no longer say you hate emojis (and for the record - how did you hate emojis in the first place? Embrace it! If we're never going to talk to human beings on the phone again, at least I'm able to emote that your last text message was grammatically 💩). The video takes a bit to get warmed up, but then it gets ludicrous.
I can't imagine how much time this took!
It's Memorial Day. Take a moment and remember someone you know that has served in the Armed Forces. I try to appreciate what I have (EVERYTHING, basically) and what so many of them gave (EVERYTHING, completely). In memory of those that gave theirs for you, thank and love the ones that are still here.
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The past couple weeks have had some great new albums and singles from Hot Chip, Shamir, Surfer Blood, and Ducktails, to name some. This first track from Hot Chip is probably my favorite on their new album, their sixth, Why Makes Sense? Hot Chip is in that echelon of very well respected Electro-Pop artists because they've been doing this for a while, and they know how to throw a party. They're coming to Outside Lands this year in SF, and they'll be acting in place for Cut Copy (who put on one of my favorite shows of the year at OSL last year) as the band I will most likely dance to like my pants are on fire.
Speaking of dance tracks, maybe you've heard about Shamir. What an interesting kid. He's 20 years old and from Las Vegas. He recorded his debut album in Brooklyn, and he's been getting a lot of love for his album around the interwebs. Well deserved, in my opinion, and this track, "On the Regular," is completely ridiculous and catchy (YES THAT'S A COWBELL).
One reason I love Twitter (people, I have like four followers, help a buddy out! @layersandsounds) is that you can actually connect to artists. Case in point: I just tweeted Matt Modanile, the guitarist from one of my favorite bands of the past many years, Real Estate, and the man behind the band Ducktails (probably my favorite solo project of any band member I can think of), that I loved his new song, "Headbanging in the Mirror," and I just wanted to thank him for providing me some joy. He then favorited my tweet. Who cares, you say? I DO! That's really freaking cool to get through to someone like that. It happens a lot more than you'd think ( ** TANGENTIAL ALERT ** About a year or two ago, Michael Rapaport - yes, THAT Michael Rapaport - and I started Direct Messaging because he was tweeting about whether Jay-Z or Nas was better, so I told him I'd make a Best Of playlist for each on Spotify (Best of Nas is on the blog btw!) and then he would tweet the playlists out to his followers (which is a lot of people!), and they would vote on the winner. He was totally down to do it, but he could never get the playlists to open, and I don't think he really trusted me to blast out a link he couldn't open. So that fell through but was a hilarious experience coming from the guy who directed an amazing documentary of one of my favorite bands of all time, A Tribe Called Quest. If you haven't seen that documentary - GET ON IT because it's really, really good, and then you can tell Michael he owes me one ** TANGENT OVER), and you can provide some love and support to people that may not always be getting it. So with all that being said, Ducktail's new album, St. Catherine, comes out July 24th. If you haven't listened to his last album, The Flower Lane, and you like Real Estate (and this song), I guarantee you will love this album. It's so chill yet keeps you engaged and wanting more the whole time. It was my fourth favorite album of 2013!
Oh Surfer Blood. I've been a fan of these guys for years. They make consistently good indie rock with tinges of 90s alternative. I wasn't super impressed with the album the first go through, but it's one of those albums I have found myself listening to again and again and liking more. I don't know if I can settle on my favorite track, but "Other Desert Cities," is my choice at the moment.
The mixtape ends with a few more great rocks songs. The first track is from Hop Along, and it's their first track from their new album which has gotten some good buzz. Lead singer Frances Quinlan has a raspy and raw voice that really gives their songs some originality and passion. The drum beat that starts "The Knock" is great too. I have no idea who Adult Mom is, but their EP is six songs lasting a full 10 minutes! Clearly mom had better things to do. Finally, Eternal Summers is a band from Richmond, VA, so I gotta rep my home state!
Happy Memorial Day.