I won't shirk the claim that James Blake is my favorite artist to debut in the last couple years; that's a pretty concrete feeling I have. He seems to do everything right - his EPs allow him to experiment with new styles and sonics, his LPs are focused on furthering his songwriting and catalogue. That being said, Overgrown feels much more complete than Blake's eponymous debut. It is pure joy to pick out the little nuances Blake buries in his music, whether it be the subtle shifting of elements from foreground to background or just a noise I cannot begin to fathom constructing myself. He is at the forefront of Electronic music, passionately concerned with moving the genre forward.
Overgrown finds Blake stripping back the digital masking on most his vocals, offerring a more honest listen to his maudlin crooning. What makesBlake's second effort much better than his first is the song writing. His lyrics are tight, pensive, organic -- this is why I was rather disappointed that Blake didn't include a lyric sheet in his physical release like the debut did. I'm not just humming along to these songs anymore, but singing the lyrics clearly all day: chewing, digesting the material. The structures of these songs are complex and unique, more so as the record progresses into its increasingly experimental second half.
Enough Thunder, one of the two EPs in between the debut and Overgrown, saw Blake flirt with a Bon Iver collaboration and a beautiful Joni Mitchell cover; and even though the former wasn't anything to write home about, it allowed the artist to broaden his musical palette by including someone else in the song writing process. With this experiment under his belt, Two legendary musical figures, RZA and Brian Eno, helped James Blake with two songs on Overgrown. Both efforts are wins, the RZA song being one of the best songs Blake has done, giving hope to anyone (me) who wanted him to produce for rappers - his mix of R&B singing with stellar production dovetails RZA's heartfelt and serious lyrics pointedly.
There are more traditional songs - "Overgrown", "I Am Sold", "Retrograde" - on Overgrown than any of James Blake's previous efforts, be it EP or LP. And even though, as previously mentioned, the back half is a little experimental, there aren't any Lindisfarne ones and twos taking up record space. When it comes to a bonus track, a concept Ben Goodheart is vehemently against, "Everyday I Ran" may be the first bonus track to warrant a couple extra bucks, as it is just as good as Blake's breakthrough "CMYK".
I cannot wait to see where he goes from here; hopefully we get more experiments and new musical approaches on an EP in the near future, which isn't hard to imagine considering how dense the artist's output has been since his emergence.
Equal parts Pavement, Minutemen, and Replacements, Parquet Courts establish their own slacker, protester, Americana sound out of the stated influences. The kind of music your mom tells you to turn off, Light Up Gold is a sturdy gem. Their lack of effort perfectly sets out the sometimes - when the band feels like giving a shit - starkly abrasive lyrics; lines like "Socrates died in the fucking gutter" really pop in the quasi lo-fi mix. The cover of this record vaguely tells the story of the formerly Texan band relocating to New York City to try their hand at swimming in a bigger pond: an annotated picture of a ritual often associated with Texas -- that shouldn't seem pejorative toward the band, or simliar bands, especially when they're this good at relocating, advancing their sound.
Balancing the slacker mentality with some of the aggressive political songs is what makes Light Up Gold such a treat. It doesn't dwell on anything too serious for long. The Middle America anti-fight song "Careers in Combat" is followed by the two part cool down tracks titled after the record - it's a rest, letting the band and listener let what previously transpired sink in. So, as hard as anyone tries to draw conclusions about the band sounding too much like one of its aforementioned influences, the album's track listing and composure defends its originality in spades. "N Dakota" and "Stoned and Starving", the album's two best tracks, anchor the middle of the album perfectly; so rarely do people look forward to the meat of an album, often focusing on the openers and closers too closely. The latter track is a perfect example of how the slacker and Americana influences Parquet Courts cite blend so well together, with ease. "No Ideas" feels so lazy that it sounds like the band forgot to tune their guitars, nearly achieving Sonic Youth guitar harmonies.
While many people couldn't get over The Men's recent leanings toward The Replacements, Parquet Courts' Light Up Gold does Open Your Heart a favor in distancing it from those critics, further carving out the niche this brand of music is beginning to inhabit. I can't really see this being an Album of the Year contender, but it could easily fall into the middle of my list. And while it is somewhat original, none of the tracks are going to grab you instantly - it might take a few listens to full appreciate this album. This record is one of the few moving people away from the term "Indie" when describing music, an inappropriately coined genre, though it is inching it further into the "Rock" label, a term that feels stale from too much exposure.
I like to think everyone has "that" band. Not their favorite band, though it could fit the bill for some people, but that band that brings about certain emotions, good and bad. It's like a comfort food, but instead of something tasty, you have amazing music. My favorite band is Radiohead, and as far as I can tell it always will be, but This Town Needs Guns fills a void in my life I never would've thought possible. TTNG has gotten me through both the best times of my life, as well as the worst - times where I didn't even feel like getting out of bed. Now they're back with their new release 13.0.0.0.0 out January 22nd on Sargent House records.
With a new album comes a new beginning for this Oxford math-pop band. 13.0.0.0.0 marks the debut of new singer Henry Tremain, who replaced Stuart Smith in 2011. The band has also released two tracks accompanying the announcement, but not much in terms of touring. Both songs keep the signature pop-hooks TTNG are known for, but this three-piece has shown a much more mature side to their new sound. Tremain sweeps through passionate lyrics with smooth, rich vocals that show a much calmer approach. Per usual, guitarist Tim Collins is able to weave intricate guitar picking with his brother Chris's more spastic yet incredibly syncopated drum rhythms that coincide beautifully with each other.
Personally, I've been anticipating this release for a few years. I've already played both tracks into the ground and I still cannot get enough. In terms of math-rock, This Town Needs Guns is at the top of the game. 2009's Animals was a feat in itself, and I expect 13.0.0.0.0 won't disappoint on any level.
The band is currently taking digital pre-orders, which will send you the album to your email the moment it is released. But if you're a record junkie such as myself though, you can click here. Check out the new tracks below.
I first listened to Trash Talk around 2007 or 2008 when I
was in high school and didn’t really have a good grasp on hardcore. On the
recommendation of a forum I frequented, I checked out their self titled and I
hated it. I just absolutely hated it. It was so noisey and abrasive and had no
discernible song structure, and I was just a little baby who liked pop-punk. It
was a horrible introduction to hardcore and I wasn’t comfortable checking them
out again until I had really gotten into the genre.
Now, five years later, they’ve released 119.
I’m sure that if this was the record I was introduced to in high school, I
would have gotten into hardcore much earlier. That’s not necessarily a compliment,
but at the same time, I’m not deriding it outright. 119, if nothing else, is accessible. It’s loud, but not noisy; it’s political, but not in a complex way; it’s fast, but not thrash; and finally, It’s slow
but never gets to the apex of stoner hardcore. It’s essentially tailor-made as a jumping off point for people who haven’t listened to hardcore. That’s
not a bad thing though. There’s nothing bad with being a “gateway” band for a
genre. Exclusivity is dumb, so if you can get a person into a genre, great.
I guess this album is just a bit disappointing. It always
feels as if it’s going to break and explode into the glorious exercise of
violence that Trash Talk was in the past, but it never really does. 119 is essentially a longer, less
noisey, more boring version of last year’s Awake
EP. Well, perhaps boring is a bit harsh. I do enjoy listening to this album, and skating to it is quite fun.
It has a much stronger first half than it does second. “Eat the Cycle” is a
great opener and “My Rules” is enjoyable mosh bait. The only really, really
strong song on the album is lead single “F.E.B.N.” Things get dicey about the
time the band decided to have Hodgy Beats and Tyler, The Creator spit verses on
“Blossom and Burn”, a song that otherwise would have been the stand out track
of 119. I understand the band
probably enjoys working with their bosses - as they are signed to Odd Future
Records - but this was the largest misstep of the entire record. Hodgy’s verse
is passable, as it fits in with the mix, but Tyler’s verse is god-awful. I’ve
never been Tyler’s biggest fan, but the verse is embarrassing. I’m a big
believer that hip-hop and hardcore, at their roots, are very similar and can be
used together to great effect. I still believe that, but “Blossum and Burn”
certainly is not that product. From there, the record just tends to drag. 119 is only 22 minutes, but it feels
like 35, which is a far too ambitious time marker for a hardcore band.
If you have any interest in hardcore but don't know where to
start, 119 is a good jumping off
point. If you like hardcore and haven’t listened to Trash Talk, skip 119 and just listen to Awake.
Metz are a heavy trio of dudes from Toronto that play a noisy garage rock most like The Jesus Lizard but a bit heavier. It's not the music that is necessarily heavier, but the production is covered with a patina of grime and fuzz that smells like teen spirit - you'll understand more about that "joke", and not roll your eyes so much, when you understand the band's simple song structure. It is most reminiscent of a less dynamic and experimental Heavier Than Air Flying Machines, who released last year's excellent Siam, one of my favorite records of that year. The difference in vocals is stark between the two bands yet the musicality of the band's is very similar.
Metz starts off with the excellent romping "Headache", which sounds like when Daughters got a little poppy with its rhythm section on their last album, Daughters. There is a slight noisy interlude, then the "ohs" that started the song close it out. There aren't a lot of "wow, that was completely original" moments, but the song certainly doesn't suck, and it is one of the highlights of the album; and there are only a few of them, as the record is less than thirty minutes long.
Metz continue to implement some traditional song structure throughout the album, only veering off the path on tracks like "Wet Blanket" and the previously released "Negative Space" - the latter song is actually what originally piqued my interest in the band when they were featured on one of Spin's list of artists to watch. These tracks are memorable and add another dimension to Metz's sound, but every other song on the album sort of has a similar feel. I didn't walk away from multiple listens being able to discern which song featured parts I liked - it all sort of felt like one long song or setlist, which isn't such a bad thing when your formula works. And I feel like, in Metz's case, the sound does work, but only for a short time.
Sure, this is a fun release that could perfectly score a hooligan's last stand with cops circling the supermarket he has held hostage, albeit for less than a half-hour, but there isn't a lot of new featured on this album. I've heard this kind of music before, either much harder or a little softer, so it doesn't feel like something I will be suggesting to any friends - well, at least not to anyone who enjoys poppy music. I was able to complete this review in under ten minutes, which is funny because that's how much of Metz's music will stick with me. So if this album interests you, go over to Heavier Than Air Flying Machines's website and download Siam; it's a much more entertaining listen.
A nice trend Flatted Third has shown lately is the welcoming of fall, and with it, the onslaught of new and season-appropriate music. Also, right off the heels of Kyle's 3 Huge October Albums mini-list, we are treated with an early listen of Flying Lotus' new album Until the Quiet Comes. And what a treat it is.
Electronic music is new to me. I was only introduced to it 3 or 4 years ago by close friends in college. Looking at all the music that comes from it though scares me sometimes, which got me a bit nervous about writing this review. Electronic music has so many sub-genres it just became a confusing mess to me (which is odd because you can say the same thing about metal for the most part). I've thankfully come to a point where I know what my style is and what I like, and Flying Lotus is top of the list.
For old listeners, Until the Quiet Comes will feel pretty familiar to his first album, 1983. Filled with a blend of nu-jazz and hip-hop influenced beats, Flying Lotus was able to make a name for himself - something other than "that guy who creates the music for bumps on Adult Swim." But with his newest release, we see a whole new DJ. This is part of Flying Lotus' appeal; he strives to evolve and challenge himself with every album he releases. With this new LP, get ready to be treated with more jazz influenced hip-hop beats, but with a more low beat sound and tempo to it.
The first track "All In" sets the mood for the entire album. Unlike Cosmogramma's insane opener, you're treated with a much calmer beat, leading into one of the best tracks on the album "Getting There". For a majority of the first half, old fans will notice a much more polished, lo-fi beat. Things seem to meld together fluidly, sending the listener into a sort of calming zen -- which for me, blends together appropriately with the upcoming fall season. "Sultan's Request" and Putty Boy Strut" feel like classic cuts that would've fit easily on any previous LP he's released. The latter half of this album does provide some of the more weaker material (though I say this lightly). "Only If You Wanna" feels reminiscent of a Nicolas Jaar track; lazy beats over some slight horns breaks the whole mood of the album. Until the Quiet Comes does a fantastic job keeping a certain pace and feel, throughout its whole listen. From start to finish, Flying Lotus is able to throw in his signature mixes and beats ("See Thru to U", "Electric Candyman") while incorporating a whole new side to his constantly evolving releases. For some fans, this may be a big change of pace from what he's previously recorded. Yes, a few tracks do sound lazy, but this is an unbelievable release. Flying Lotus is a good showcase in just how far an artist is willing to go to keep his music fresh and fun, and for him, it works perfectly.
Grade: A
For fans of: Bibio, Burial, Fourtet, Madvillian
Check out his new video for the song "Putty Boy Stut" off the new LP
With October comes the first full month of fall. But it seems almost foolish to think of it as such, due to the more than noteworthy releases October will see. Flying Lotus, Kendrick Lamar, and Converge all have albums set to be released. On second thought, October may see the three best albums of the year, if any of these artists' prior releases are taken into account.
In order for TDE to continue its dominance over underground hip-hop, Kendrick Lamar's proper debut album will need to be the keystone. ScHoolboy Q's Habits & Contradictions was a well thought out and executed first release from the TDE group, just after signing with Aftermath. Control System provided the weirder aspects of the Black Hippy collective, as Ab-Soul is oft found to do so. Lamar has been compared heavily to A Tribe Called Quest's Q-Tip, and with good reason - the two rappers have a similar pitch and delivery, while focusing their raps more on progressive issues than opulence. Single "Swimming Pools (Drank)" offers the most interesting point of view of drinking I have heard in music, let alone rap or hip-hop. I was a huge fan of Section.80, listing it as my favorite mixtape of last year. And with all the rumored features on Good Kid, Mad City, it's hard to imagine a failure.
Converge - All We Love We Leave Behind October 9th
Coming as the biggest surprise to me, Boston metalcore outfit Converge announced All We Love We Leave Behind in late August. Converge hasn't released anything since 2009's excellent Axe to Fall, and it's comforting to see just how the band is approaching this release - they are doing everything themselves, without any guests or help. Guitarist Kurt Ballou is handeling the recording, artwork, and by way of his own label, Deathwish Inc., releasing the vinyl record. There aren't any special effects or extra instrumentation on the record, just how the band performs live. "Aimless Arrow", the album's first single, is a mathy, brutal kick to the teeth. Flatted Third's own Gerry D'Apollo broke the news on this release to me and you can check that out here, along with the video for "Aimless Arrow".
Yesterday saw Flatted Third reach its highest pageviews per day since I started this thing, so I thought I would continue the trend of "Seasonal Music." There are only four shifts from season to season each year; I have to take advantage of it.
This list concerns saying goodbye to summer with some of my favorite tracks from the summer of 2012. Not all of these songs have been released this year, but they certainly will remind me of this past summer. I've decided to break them up into zany, wacky, crazy, bats in the belfry categories for fun, so I hope you guys enjoy!
Wait, Is This Still Metal: Baroness - "Little Things"
Yes, I guess it is - either way, I really enjoyed this track. There is little to no distortion on the guitars, coherent lyrics, and vocal harmonies, but it is definitely still metal - I don't know how else you could classify it. When I first heard Yellow & Green, I was confounded by it. I had no idea what to make of it, drawing me closer and warranting more and more listens. Gerry even wrote an excellent article about the state of metal concerning this record. By the end of the summer I had purchased the double LP and can say with confidence it will breach my year end list somewhere around the top 25. And man, oh man, that guitar solo at the end...
That Girl/Boy Won't Stop Bothering Me - I Told Her I Was Drunk: Joyce Manor - "Constant Headache"
Yeah, I know the self-titled album came out last year, but Of All Things I Will Soon Grow Tired came out this year and that's what drew my attention to the earlier release, so I don't know, suck a brick or something - the latter Joyce Manor record was mentioned in my "Albums You May Have Missed" article. "Constant Headache" is a great one night stand song, and it will hopefully send the message to that girl or boy who keeps bothering you. Summer flings are often volatile and misguided by hormones, so make sure you use protection!
Super Sped Up Party Montage: Dan Deacon - "True Thrush"
This song is just so much fun. I reviewed America and found it Deacon's most ambitious album so far. The video is a load of fun, too, so make sure you don't just play the song and open another tab. It feels like a party in fast forward, an overload of instruments and chants flooding the ears. It's only fitting that I got the drunkest on the Fourth of July this summer and this is off of an album called America...or is that irony? I don't even know anymore.
The Best Rap Chatter: Danny Brown - "Bruiser Brigade feat. Dopehead"
This song is just straight shit-talking. I fucking love it. It's crass, hysterical, and features the best chatter in a song, maybe ever: "If you ain't pulling a nigga dick out, slapping yo' face wit' it, throwing this bitch in yo' mouth, sucking dicks with bubbles, fucking all night, and drinking protein shakes in the morning, get the fuck outta here!" I have screamed that countless times this summer. It is the perfect song to roll up to a random house party where most of you are already drunk, only because you didn't "forget the brew."
I Don't Have Any Plans, So I Think I'll Just Cruise: Das Racist - "Luv It Mayne (Featuring Fat Tony & Bo P)
With an infectious hook, excellent production and features, and the expected weird raps from Das Racist, "Luv It Mayne" is perfect to bump through your car speakers as you roll through the center of town. And the best part is screaming out "If gonna baaalllllllllooooooo" at random pedestrians - believe me, you have to try it.
Drunken Party Anthem: Chief Keef - "I Don't Like (feat. Lil' Reese)"
Let's face it, there's not much to this song. I do believe my friend thought the first thing Chief Keef doesn't like, in a litany of don't likeable things, was a "fart nigga." I don't care what he's saying because it's a lot more fun to make up what the two incoherent rappers don't like - A SHIP NIGGA THAT'S THAT SHIT I DON'T LIKE. The beat's pretty good, I guess; well, Kanye liked it enough to make a remix.
The Beach at Night, and Shit: Beach House - "Lazuli"
It's easy to pass off Beach House as the band that made the same album three times, but they're not bad albums, especially both Teen Dream and Bloom. You can practically hear the moonlight splash off the ocean in "Lazuli". I guess this song would also work as a companion on a rainy day you had beach plans on too, if you're into that sort of thing.
I Had Beach Plans, but Now It's Raining Out: Bear vs. Shark - "Baraga Embankment"
Yeah, I know it specifically says "pouring rain" in the song, but that doesn't discredit the dreary disappointment in the song. It also sounds like you were so upset your beach plans where cancelled that you lost faith and killed everyone in your house, but hey, we've all had those days, especially during the summer of 2012.
The Ninth Summer Song on This Playlist: Sonic Youth - "Plastic Sun"
The first live video, ruining what I had going on here, "Plastic Sun" is the quintessential anti-summer song. It's anything but poppy, which is perfect for those days where you want to just stay inside and brood. It's also a scathing comment on the pop acts of the early 2000s: always something I'm down to bump.
The Quintessential Anti-Summer Song: Andrew Jackson Jihad - "Hate, Rain on Me"
If you think I'm lying, then listen to the damn song. It opens with a beer cracking open and embraces hate. Sometimes, you just want to shoot the sun, ending all summer songs. And with the changing of seasons -- Emo is coming! -- it's perfect to say, "Fuck you, summer. Go away until I cannot bear the cold anymore. I'm emotional, and stuff."
So there it is: a farewell to summer. Goodbye, summer 2012, you have been nothing short of low expectations and mistakes.
When you see Dinosaur Jr. is releasing another album, their tenth, you know what to expect going in: J Mascis's slurry ennui, ripping solos, solid musicianship, and a good listen - this is exactly what I Bet on Sky amounts to. The album is concrete, nothing special, nothing that will top a year end list, nothing that will change how you think about the indie rock stalwarts.
I Bet on Sky does have its highlights, obviously, but they never shine bright enough to lift the entire effort above average. "Watch the Corners", the album's first single, is a great romping track -- the video is equally awesome, having been produced by Funny or Die and featuring Tim Heidecker as an angry dad -- but nothing feels new about it.
Referencing Farm, Dinosaur's 2009 effort, I noticed it had a little pep and energy to it, with songs like "I Want You to Know" and "There's No Here", but it also had lazy balancing songs "Said the People" and "Plans" that built and undulated. I Bet on Sky seems to have J, Lou, and Murph's half-attention; no one really steps out. Sure, there are some added keyboards in songs and Lou sings lead a few times, but nothing reinvents the wheel here.
Assuring the exercise is not entirely wasted -- and that I finish my compliment sandwich -- "Almost Fare" adds some extra country instrumentation and provides an entertaining listen; it's a fun song that would fit perfectly into a spring into summer playlist. Album highlight "What Was That" starts with a usual Mascis epic guitar riff, but then tumbles into a hefty Lou Barlow bass jam, finally finishing with the band implementing some attack and release, much like what can be found on You're Living All Over Me. "See it on Your Side" is an excellent closer, as it makes everything before it seem like it was just the legendary band stretching before a big finish; I guess it's always important to go out big.
So as we near the 25th anniversary of You're Living All Over Me, we find a band still playing together, since reuniting in 2005, and sometimes trying new things. But when I first listened through I Bet on Sky, I found myself trying to find just what exactly makes Dinosaur Jr. so important, often reviewing their older material, and getting caught up, forgetting to reference forward to I Bet on Sky; all of this created a really disorientating process -- I think I'll go listen to Bug and You're Living All Over Me.
Final Grade: C+
P.S. You can check out the album, streaming in its entirety, over at NPR.
Last year, Cymbals Eat Guitars put out Lenses Alien, an album that I believed to fit in more with an "Honorable Mention" than a "Best of" list. Continuing that album's sound is "Hawk Highway", although the track would certainly have been a highlight from last year's release - it could have fit perfectly anywhere in the lackluster second half, save the excellent "Wavelengths". The single is part of a mini-documentary web series called Masters From Their Day which pair up a band with a legendary producer - in Cymbals' case, it's the same producer from Lenses Alien, John Agnello. The band records a new single using the producer and everybody goes on with their lives. What makes "Hawk Highway" noteworthy is that it expands and refines the better aspects of Lenses Alien, providing hope for another solid release from the band in the near future. The lyrics, as is the case with Cymbals, are heavily coded and probably about space or sock puppets, but Joe delivers them in such an interesting way that it doesn't really matter what they are. You can pick up the single for free here, or watch the mini-doc below.
Let's face it, an album that clocks in at around two hours is going to have its highs and lows, and if you're a band that sticks to the same sound, it'll end up being dull. Swans is able to achieve something very different with their new LP, The Seer. Although this is an incredibly dense record to get through, the outcome ends up being pretty well worth it.
Before this review, I sat through and listened to every track on this album three times. That ends up being around 6 hours of time trying to come up with a coherent review that best describes this album and long running band (i.e. PLEASE READ THIS AND MAKE THAT TIME SPENT HAVE MEANING). My efforts became futile when I remembered Swans treads that fine line between drone music, noise rock and everything else you could possibly imagine - Godspeed You! Black Emperor, anyone? Like I said, this album IS daunting to finish at points. "Mother Of The World" put me off this album every time I listened to it due to its Primus-y guitar riffs and terrifying vocals - can making an "oo-wee" sound be classified as such? The strong points of the album come from the guests featured in a few tracks. Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeah's eerily sings through amazing lyrics in "Songs for a Warrior", a standout track; also, it's one of the shortest on the album, coming in at just over 4 minutes. Folk/experimental band Akron/Family lends their talent on "A Piece of the Sky", which runs through 10 minutes of noise before coming in with a dark, southern jam.
After writing this -- while listening to the album...again -- it became easy to distinguish what's good and what's just bad. For fans of drone, this album is perfect: two hours of really good noise and ambiance infused with different styles of post rock and punk. For new comers, get ready for a difficult listen. The long tracks are sure to drive many away, but for the most part, they end up sounding incredibly well put together. Front man Michael Gira says it's taken 30 years to create this album, in the sense that it's every past Swans record crammed into a two hour mess that comes together at some points, and just plain falls flat at others.
Grade: B- P.S. Check out the track "Song for a Warrior" featuring Karen O
You might remember a short lived show on MTV called “From G’s to Gents”. It featured a number of young men seeking to reform their umm... “urban idiosyncrasies” and become proper gentlemen. The show only lasted two seasons and didn’t prompt any spinoff’s. In fact, I’m pretty sure the show’s host, Fonzworth Bentley, went back to holding Diddy’s umbrella to pay off his Howard student loans (I’m not entirely sure he went to Howard or if that joke is racist). However, someone did emerge from this reality show a star in his own right.
Riff Raff, hailing from Houston, Texas was eliminated by the 2nd episode of season 2. But that’s all he needed. This was the perfect amount of fame needed to springboard his career. However, Riff Raff possessed a marketable “skill," unlike many reality stars who try to make a lifelong career out of what should only amount in short term fame.
It was not Riff Raff’s rapping ability which kept him relevant after his brief stint on MTV. To be completely honest, he’s rarely consistent with his verses, at times meandering through tracks like a drunk ESL student.
Riff Raff has made some waves in the music world in the past through his attempts to stay relevant.
First, he adopted his own brand of SEO. By adding “MTV” to his Youtube handle (MTVRiFFRaFF) his videos would appear in the sidebar in all of MTV’s official videos. After some of his music videos and home movies began surpassing MTV’s videos in search results, they threatened to sue and he took the tag off his username. He added SODMG (which I can’t be bothered to care with this stands for) to his Youtube and Twitter handles after reportedly signing a deal with Soulja Boy’s label. But, the deal fell through, or maybe never even existed at all. That’s the way Riff Raff rolls. He deals in deception.
More recently, he signed a 7 album deal with Mad Decent. According to some sources, which might just be Riff Raff himself, the deal was apparently worth seven figures. All parties involved, including label owner Diplo, are keeping quiet on the exact terms of the contract.
Arguably the most important trait when trying to dissect Riff Raff is his insane sense of self-awareness. Riff represents everything that was wrong with Hip-Hop by the end of the Noughties, when artists like Soulja Boy, Nelly and the Ying Yang Twins have rose and fell from fame after they had become parodies of themselves and the genre as a whole; and he knows this. Riff Raff’s rhymes hail us back to a time when braggadocio surrounding one’s wealth, whether is was truth or fiction, was commonplace in both underground and commercial rap. But, Rapping about your garage full of cars and the price of your chain is no longer en vogue in the current hip hop and economic climate.
As the underground took a turn towards the harrowing and soulful, Riff trudged through, not paying any attention to the trends adopted by his contemporaries, staying “true” to himself -- or the version of himself he created: a point debated later -- authentically inauthentic. It is this commitment to his character...for lack of a better word, which has led some to label Riff Raff as a “performance artist," rather than believe that a human like this can actually exist and accept the decline of western civilization as a whole. The idea that Riff Raff is an innovation from the mind of a pretty clever hip hop fan from Houston seeking to point out the udder fucking ridiculousness of other white southern rappers isn’t that farfetched. I think the general consensus among fans is that Riff is more of a one man Spinal Tap.
Much like the Rock and Roll invention of Rob Reiner, Riff Raff’s music is at times infectious and catchy (Riff , Tap). It’s also seems like a pretty clear parody of everything that critics use to rail against the genre as a whole during a particular period. However, at the end of the day Nigel Trufnel takes off his wig and spandex pants, puts on his pajamas, and goes to bed Christopher Guest.
But Riff Raff doesn’t sleep.
Or wear pajamas.
End rant.
Riff Raff’s debut mixtape Birth of an Icon is probably not what you might expect after reading the description of him above. Despite some of his flaws as an MC/human being, he takes his craft seriously, and there are many points on this mixtape where that shines through. Sometimes he tries to take himself too seriously or goes out on a limb, fails, but comes right back with something you can bounce to.
The mixtape starts of with the Caspa produced slow jam “Jody Highroller”, named after his soulful after ego/twitter handle/actual name. The feel of this track is in stark contrast to most of Riff’s other previously released jams, but not the last time he explores his softer side on this mixtape. There’s also “Lil Mama”, “Don’t Wait” and “Only I Can Cure Your Broken Heart” where Jody croons about some of his lost loves. The tracks are both listenable and help round out the “emotional spectrum” of the mixtape, something that Riff wants to remind everyone that he has, but there’s really nothing spectacular about them.
The other standout track on this mixtape - if only for how different it is - “Time” is Riff Raff’s chance to right the wrongs he committed on his way to the top (which is actually somewhere towards the middle, but hey, a false sense of self importance never killed anyone). This weird attempt at trying to get deep comes off as very insincere and contrived, even for a guy who still wears fronts. Also, the fact that its uses a Plain White T’s sample doesn’t help.
But if you’re willing to get on board with Riff Raff and his image, which includes his flow that can be kept up with at times he dances around the beat, there is a lot of fun to be had with this mixtape. “Jose Canseco”, “Rap Game King Tut” and “Terror Wrist” probably best sum up what I mean, and also give you the best idea Riff’s overall style. There’s a bunch of clever rhymes about ice and cars, as well as some catchy as hell hooks.
Where this mixtape really peaks for me is on all the collaborative tracks. There’s “Bird on A Wire” with Bronx based MC Action Bronson, which I would label as one of the overall strongest tracks on the album. It’s noticeably a bit smoother than some of the other songs and Bronson’s deep outer borough accent and the flavor that comes along with it makes a nice contrast to Riff’s higher pitched voice and slightly noticeable southern drawl and diction.
So, my advice is this: Pick up this mixtape and have fun with it. Keep bumping the songs you like and don’t give a second chance to the ones you can’t get into. Don’t worry, you’re not going to miss anything. There’s really not much to be gained by a second critical listen to Birth of an Icon. There’s nothing deeper hiding beneath the surface of any of these tracks.
But I don’t know if I can say the same for Riff Raff.
Phil Elverum is a busy dude. He's already put an album this year, Clear Moon, and now he's released a second single -- the first bearing the new album's title -- from another album due out next month, Ocean Roar. The second single is fittingly called "I Walked Home Behoding", sounding very much like a contemplatively observing walk home after a long night. Elverum is famous for his use of nature in his lyrics and artwork, often achieving a raw, powerful sound, but both singles from Ocean Roar have seen him dialed back a little bit. Clear Moon was typical Elverum fashion, like if The Microphones focused on a clearer sound. A glacial march, "I Walked Home Beholding" is what Bon Iver's "Beth / Rest" could have been, had it any dignity or tact. The track features spacious keyboard and just enough percussion - finger snaps and light cymbals . What can be derived from "I Walked Home Beholding" is yet another great release in an already impressive catalogue from Phil Elverum and whatever he chooses to call his band. Check out the single below, and Ocean Roar next month.
The band that launched a million blog posts, everyone's favorite neo-psychedelic-folk-pop-rock band, that band that Avey Tare and Panda Bear play in, Animal Collective, released their latest album, Centipede Hz, about two weeks before its proper release via radio station - I wrote an opinion article about what the early stream meant last week. It shouldn't be a surprise that people ripped the stream, sorted the MP3s, and leaked webrips of the album. I refrained from downloading until a proper album rip was leaked, and it has been, obviously. So I have previewed the album a few times and this is what I have concluded: they still deserve every decible of buzz, but may be grounding out.
It pains me to say that I'm an Animal Collective fan - as soon as you admit it, you're grouped in with the "hipsters." They certainly are what most people consider the quintessential "hipster" band -- if you're wondering why "hipster" is always quoted, check out this article on Flatted Third. But it's not hard to be a fan of the enigmatic band; they've released solid, original material for about a decade now. With a track record including Sung Tongs, Feels, Strawberry Jam, Merriweather Post Pavilion, and Fall Be Kind, Animal Collective will be a band that continues to draw attention until the music begins to lack, which Centipede Hz may be the flag boy for. Fall Be Kind, the band's last proper release, followed the almost mainstream breakthrough of Merriweather Post Pavilion with slow, minimal, and effective, while Merriweather found a band adding as many instruments as could fit, certainly more electronics than earlier releases. This shift to what sounded like the electronic version of Campfire Songs left fans wondering where the AnCo would go next. Well, Centipede Hz continues to build of the progress of Merriweather, with poppier, maximized songs, but also features some meandering jams. This leaves Fall Be Kind as strictly an exercise and not a progression for later releases.
The return of Deakin, who sat out during both the recording and touring of Merriweather Post Pavilion, Centipede Hz creates some beautiful production, samples, and song bridges. Also, to much surprise, Deakin even sings lead on a track, the stomping "Wide Eyed", which ends with a Person Pitch-esque time shift at the end. Although the bridge from "New Town Burnout" to "Monkey Riches" is as beautiful as it is mechanical, making the track seem as though they are cut from the same clothe, "Wide Eyed" does nothing for the album. The Deakin cut lies in the middle of the record and just sort of stays at the same pace with random stops and starts, never really sounding interesting or beckoning multiple listens. Deakin's return is certainly a give and take, but it's always nice to reinforce the use of "collective" in the band's title.
The record begins with "Moonjock", a 7/4 romp that could have seen a spot on Merriweather. From there, the band jam packs instruments and melodies into the excellent single "Today's Supernatural", but this is where the album takes an interesting turn with "Rosie Oh". The song is collected and smooth, sounding like a dialed back "For Reverend Green". "Applesauce" is a trippy-go-happy Avey song that doesn't fail to deliver pop like you've never hear it before. The first four songs establish the head of Centipede Hz as an excellent effort.
"Wide Eyed", as mentioned before, lacks anything special, but the trio of "Father Time", "New Town Burnout" and "Monkey Riches" pick the album right back up. Even with the seventeen minute, three song recovery, the album dips again with "Mercury Man", a song with a weak beginning but extremely strong, bass-filled finish - it's not a bad song, but it could have been a lot shorter, as a lot of the other songs on Centipede Hz could be, and is a testament of poor album flow.
"Amanita" finishes off the album, named after a genus of mushrooms that offers some of the most deadly species. The song details a hiking trip that dips further and further into bright and colorful depths, until everything is washed away in delay, a fitting end for an album that is as dense as it is frustrating.
It's too bad "Honeycomb" or "Gotham" didn't make the cut because I really enjoyed those singles. The latter featured a sound commonly found on Feels, my personal favorite of the AnCo catalogue; it would have fit perfectly in the meat of Centipede Hz, easily able to replace Deakin's "Wide Eyed" or even the tail end's "Mercury Man". "Honeycomb" would have a much more difficult time fitting into the record, as it comes off as a standalone single.
It seems that when you strip away all the excess production and instruments, Centipede Hz is just solid, almost traditional songs in an inconsistent package. That isn't to say that it's a bad release, just something a fan wouldn't list as his or her favorite. This comes as a disappointment, to me at least, because I really enjoyed both Merriweather and Fall Be Kind for two completely different reasons. And I would have loved to have seen how those two sounds meshed. Oh well.
Grade: B
P.S. Check out this great interview by Stereogum with the band about the recording process, and watch the band's video for "Today's Supernatural" below:
It's been three years since Converge released their last LP, Axe to Fall, but the Boston based hardcore/metal group are back with a new album and a string of tour dates across the U.S. The album will be titled All We Love We Leave Behind and will be out October 9th. Along with this announcement, the band also shared a new video for the first single off the album, "Aimless Arrow". After first listen, it's clear this is a different Converge. Yes, I understand it's too early to start predicting patterns of an album that has only released one song, but "Aimless Arrow" is very new for the band. It's an unexpected punch to the face, leaving you asking for more. Jacob Bannon flies through two and a half minutes of raw vocals that mirror a harder version of These Arms Are Snakes. Although the guitars sound clean and polished, Bannon assures that everything they produced and recorded is very organic, as to mirror what they are like live (spoiler alert: INSANE). You can pre-order the album now through the band's website (which comes in yellow vinyl and a 48-page art book by Bannon himself) or over at Deathwish, which has regular vinyl format or 180 gram 2x12" LP (this is ONLY limited to 1000, so get it fast if you can!). I was able to snag the 180 gram edition, which adds to my excitement of upcoming autumn releases. Below, you can watch the video for "Aimless Arrow", along with the tour dates thanks toPitchfork.
Psychologist Abraham Maslow places self-actualization at the top of his hierarchy of needs, the ability to accept one's own being for what it is. It is not until we are placed outside of our comfort zones that this is tested most, and also given a comparative entity. Dan Deacon prefaces his newest release, America, with a beautiful tale of how he never really identified as "American" until he left the country on a world tour. What he sets out to do on America is provide his own definition of what it is to be "American," challenging both the world view and personal self-reflection.
America debuts with "Guilford Avenue Bridge", a sprawling, complex track that seems to lift itself languidly out of a static caul. At about the three minute point, the static comes back but molded into a colorful mass, undulating engagingly. From that point, the album continues Deacon's "HOLY SHIT, LET'S PARTY" music, right up until "Prettyboy", a veiled slow jam much like Spiderman of the Rings' "Big Milk". Deacon is completely aware of the song's effect on the album flow, as he follows it with the crescendoing "Crash Jam", a track so aptly named and paced. But it is what comes after "Crash Jam" that makes America such a noteworthy release from the Maryland-based artist.
"Crash Jam" is followed by a suite in four parts, each title starting with "USA." The first of which, "USA I: Is a Monster", starts out with symphonic strings followed by the over-torqued electronics Deacon has made his trademark. These saliently evoke the dichotomy between organic and digital instruments Deacon mentions in his cathartic tale most. By introducing what sound like Native American tribal chants, he begins his direct narrative of American history. "USA II: The Great American Desert" takes over where "Is a Monster" deposits all its dial tone feedback and frantic loops, finally taking shape at about the 1:30 mark. The seven minute track reintroduces Deacon's vocals, which have been heavily coded in digital artifacts throughout the album, now coated with a shining layer of reverb, an ethereal result. It drags on a little toward the five minute mark, for a whole minute, until almost all the digital instruments give way to xylophones and drums, eventually flowing over into pizzicato strings that transition into "USA III: Rail", the most beautiful of the four part suite. By the end of "Rail", I am reminded of what Sufjan Stevens was doing on Illinois, with its sweeping instrumentation and arrangements. Where we end, "USA IV: Manifest", has Deacon going back to the overcrowded digital realm he's from, ostensibly the America he most identifies with. It combines different elements from the first three parts into a track that appropriately evokes the strong song title. "Manifest" breaches into clarity at 2:25 and resolves accordingly; finally, the journey of self-actualization is complete and Deacon has found an America he can identify with: his own.
What we're left with at the end of America is an album that struggles with as much as it accomplishes. If you're a fan of Dan Deacon, the release should find you pleased with the growing pains. If you're just a dabbler in electronic music, America may confound you. But the album is dense, rewarding, and challenging, as most great albums are, so be sure not to sleep on this one.
Grade: B+
P.S. Be sure to check out the super fun video for "True Thrush"
The Top 20 Worst Hipster Bands of all Time, a list detailing "hipsters" "lemming-like" ability to follow trends blindly, sees the ilk of bands like MGMT, Sleigh Bells, and TV on the Radio, all of which are primarily associated with the generalized branding of "hipster" -- I will continue to put that title in quotes because I still have no idea what it means or intends to mean -- all thrown under the flexfuel tourbus. It's not that I disagree that some bands can, or will be, labeled as "hipster" bands, but I can't help to think of how this affects music.
From 2004-2005, I experienced a shift in what I considered to be music. Good News for People Who Love Bad News, Franz Ferdinand, and Silent Alarm comprised what I consider to be the albums that took indie rock mainstream. These were the albums, accompanied by excellent singles, that opened everyone's eyes to a different brand of music not clouded by major label interference. "Indie" was the term coined, a term of endearment. Now, we have a "hipster" brand of music. "Hipster" is identified with trust fund babies, poor fashion taste, and fixed gear bicycles. It doesn't come off too nicely. Anything can now be dismissed as "hipster" and ignored. But what it so different about "Indie" and "Hipster?"
Here's where the surprising bands on the list come to play. Bright Eyes, The Black Keys, and Death Cab for Cutie are all bands who were well established before I ever heard the term "hipster" to identify a kind of music. Ben Westhoff, the list's editor, described the term as such:
On its surface hipsterdom seems to be an individuality-grab, but most of today's 20 and 30-something bands from Silver Lake and Williamsburg sound shockingly similar. They're all playing variations of retro garage and soul music -- or bringing glockenspiels and choirs on incestuous nationwide tours -- all the while clad in vintage garb likely infested with lice. We're not saying that they should be outlawed by, like, Congress or something. Just that they should be avoided. Here then, is our field guide to the worst offenders.
"Variations of retro garage and soul" seems like something a "hipster" would describe his band as, but how different and vague these references are makes it seem like a spontaneous, uninspired insult. I'm not saying the list isn't funny or entertaining, I just don't see the need for it.
Much like Spin's "Worst New Music" section, I can't seem to justify publishing such a negative attack on music. I might say something along the lines of "That band suck," but I would never go through the process of insulting someone's art, then broadcasting it. I understand the irony of publishing this piece - it's not lost on me - but it doesn't take an editor years of practice and performing to put out a shitty list. And to Spin, assign a letter grade or a badge of honor, don't admonish and brand.
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