Thursday, August 4, 2016
THE BLOG IS DEFUNCT. THERE IS A NEW BLOG.
The new site is tompostsmusichere.blogspot.com. The name is not better, I know.
Wednesday, July 1, 2015
Halfway Through 2015 List(s)
It's halfway through 2015. Time for a list, even though I haven't posted music in a very long time. I guess anybody reading this blog will probably know what I've been listening to, anyway. But I should probably make one, for myself, I guess.
This is in order, as best as I can. I narrowed it down to 25 albums and a few singles I've really enjoyed.
ALBUMS:
25) Shlohmo - Dark Red
24) Pile - You're Better Than This
23) Mamaleek - Via Dolorosa
22) Earl Sweatshirt - I Don't Like Shit, I Don't Go Outside
21) Mount Eerie - Sauna
20) ZS - Xe
19) Billy Woods - Today, I Wrote Nothing
18) Unknown Mortal Orchestra - Multi-Love
17) Elvis Depressedly - New Alhambra
16) Colin Stetson and Sarah Neufeld - Never Were the Way She Was
15) Liturgy - The Ark Work
14) Prurient - Frozen Niagara Falls
13) Hop Along - Painted Shut
12) Young Fathers - White Men Are Black Men Too
11) Sun Kil Moon - Universal Themes
10) Kamasi Washington - The Epic
9) Desaparecidos - Payola
8) Godspeed You! Black Emperor - Asunder, Sweet and Other Distress
7) High on Fire - Luminiferous
6) Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp a Butterfly
5) Sufjan Stevens - Carrie and Lowell
4) Jeff Rosenstock - We Cool?
3) Clarence Clarity - No Now
2) Death Grips - The Powers That B
1) Father John Misty - I Love You, Honeybear
Honorable Mentions:
Tyler, the Creator - Cherry Bomb (sorta - there are some good singles)
Ash Koosha - GUUD
Cloud Nothings x Wavves - No Life for Me
SINGLES:
Shiftee - Drop Top (feat. Cakes da Killa). My vote for banger of the year, I mean, holy shit.
Clarence Clarity - Alive in the Septic Tank... or The Gospel Truth, or Will to Believe, or Those Who Can't, Cheat, or any song off of the album.
Wavves x Cloud Nothings - No Life for Me. Great lo-fi indie rock.
and Liturgy - Quetzalcoatl. I hated this track until listening to it in context, where it's really genius. Also, the video's really great.
This is in order, as best as I can. I narrowed it down to 25 albums and a few singles I've really enjoyed.
ALBUMS:
25) Shlohmo - Dark Red
24) Pile - You're Better Than This
23) Mamaleek - Via Dolorosa
22) Earl Sweatshirt - I Don't Like Shit, I Don't Go Outside
21) Mount Eerie - Sauna
20) ZS - Xe
19) Billy Woods - Today, I Wrote Nothing
18) Unknown Mortal Orchestra - Multi-Love
17) Elvis Depressedly - New Alhambra
16) Colin Stetson and Sarah Neufeld - Never Were the Way She Was
15) Liturgy - The Ark Work
14) Prurient - Frozen Niagara Falls
13) Hop Along - Painted Shut
12) Young Fathers - White Men Are Black Men Too
11) Sun Kil Moon - Universal Themes
10) Kamasi Washington - The Epic
9) Desaparecidos - Payola
8) Godspeed You! Black Emperor - Asunder, Sweet and Other Distress
7) High on Fire - Luminiferous
6) Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp a Butterfly
5) Sufjan Stevens - Carrie and Lowell
4) Jeff Rosenstock - We Cool?
3) Clarence Clarity - No Now
2) Death Grips - The Powers That B
1) Father John Misty - I Love You, Honeybear
Honorable Mentions:
Tyler, the Creator - Cherry Bomb (sorta - there are some good singles)
Ash Koosha - GUUD
Cloud Nothings x Wavves - No Life for Me
SINGLES:
Shiftee - Drop Top (feat. Cakes da Killa). My vote for banger of the year, I mean, holy shit.
Clarence Clarity - Alive in the Septic Tank... or The Gospel Truth, or Will to Believe, or Those Who Can't, Cheat, or any song off of the album.
Wavves x Cloud Nothings - No Life for Me. Great lo-fi indie rock.
and Liturgy - Quetzalcoatl. I hated this track until listening to it in context, where it's really genius. Also, the video's really great.
Thursday, December 11, 2014
End of Year Lists
Number Eighty Two.
So.
It's been around three months since the last post. But I figured I'd put this one out. Just as a little update. For myself, more than anything, I guess. But anybody who still follows the blog, here are my end-of-year favorites of 2014. I stripped it down, and I'm only doing albums. But there's fifty of them.
Anyway, if you've been itching for more weird/awful/fantastic music, here it is.
So.
It's been around three months since the last post. But I figured I'd put this one out. Just as a little update. For myself, more than anything, I guess. But anybody who still follows the blog, here are my end-of-year favorites of 2014. I stripped it down, and I'm only doing albums. But there's fifty of them.
Anyway, if you've been itching for more weird/awful/fantastic music, here it is.
FAVORITES OF 2014 - ALBUMS
-------------------------------------------
50) Black Milk - If There’s A Hell Below
49) Wildbirds & Peacedrums - Rhythm
48) Xiu Xiu - Angel Guts: Red Classroom
47) Milo - A Toothpaste Suburb
46) Botanist - VI: Flora
45) Trap Them - Blissfucker
44) Actress - Ghettoville
43) Scott Walker/Sunn O))) - Soused
42) Kayo Dot - Coffins on Io
41) Interpol - El Pintor
40) Julian Casablancas/The Voidz - Tyranny
39) Electric Wizard - Time To Die
38) Shabazz Palaces - Lese Majesty
37) Freddie Gibbs/Madlib - Pinata
36) Godflesh - A World Lit Only By Fire
35) Aphex Twin - Syro
34) BADBADNOTGOOD - III
33) Murmur - Murmur
32) Busdriver - Perfect Hair
31) Neil Cicierega - Mouth Sounds/Mouth Silence
30) Eyehategod - Eyehategod
29) Flying Lotus - You’re Dead!
28) Indian - From All Purity
27) Open Mike Eagle - Dark Comedy
26) Liars - Mess
25) How To Dress Well - What Is This Heart?
24) Artificial Brain - Labyrinth Constellation
23) Behemoth - The Satanist
22) FKA Twigs - LP1
21) The Wytches - Annabel Dream Reader
20) Timber Timbre - Hot Dreams
19) Thantifaxath - Sacred White Noise
18) Big Ups - Eighteen Hours of Static
17) Dean Blunt - Black Metal
16) Andrew Jackson Jihad - Christmas Island
15) IDYLLS - PRAYER FOR TERRENE
14) Sun Kil Moon - Benji
13) Young Fathers - DEAD
12) Dope Body - Lifer
11) Perfume Genius - Too Bright
10) Run The Jewels - Run The Jewels 2
9) Full Of Hell/Merzbow - Full Of Hell/Merzbow
8) Death Grips - Niggas on the Moon
7) Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra - Fuck Off Get Free We Pour Light On Everything
6) clipping. - CLPPNG
5) Uncommon Nasa - New York Telephone
4) Have A Nice Life - The Unnatural World
3) White Suns - Totem
2) Swans - To Be Kind
1) Iceage - Plowing Into the Field of Love
And as an afterthought, I'd like to mention a few things that were fantastic this year:
-Death Grips' new single, "Inanimate Sensation". One of the best they've put out.
-Antonio Sanchez's drum score for "Birdman".
-Sun Kil Moon's "War On Drugs: Suck My Cock".
and
-All you, the readers. <3.
(all, like, three of you)
So. Thanks for reading. And I'd like to say it's good to be back. But I won't.
PS: jennydeathwhen
Sunday, August 10, 2014
"How Long?"
Oh. It's been way too long. That's cool. Back now.
I gave myself the challenge to only post new stuff (as in, from June, July and August of 2014) for the posts below. So if you're looking for more current stuff, this is the post for you. It's also going to be ridiculously long, so I'm sorry in advance. Let's get into it.
Number Sixty Three
Electronic producer XXYYXX, who came into overnight fame in 2011 (I think) with his self-titled debut, has just released a single from his forthcoming untitled LP. Called "Unknown", it features Vanessa Elisha with vocals, and has his classically dark, cacophonous production turned up, using a steady synth beat in the background to keep the track moving.
It almost has a bass drop type thing around two and a half minutes in. It's an interesting shift in XXYYXX's usual production. If his album sounds like this single, it'll be pretty good.
If you like this single, check out his debut, featuring the song "About You", which is pretty great.
XXYYXX - Unknown
XXYYXX - XXYYXX (Full Album)
Favorite song: About You
Related artists: Analog Tape Dispenser, Shlohmo
Number Sixty Four
Tom Krell, also known by his stage name How To Dress Well, has been releasing strange and interesting pop/R&B songs since around 2011. His songs are slow moving, self deprecating ballads about mostly love and the lack of it. Yeah, sure, it's a little cliche, but what isn't?
His new album, "What Is This Heart?" follows in the same vein. The production is smooth as hell, and his voice matches the electronic backgrounds very well. It's leaps and bounds above most modern R&B (PartyNextDoor, Frank Ocean) and is pretty darn good.
It might not be really, really recent but it's current enough to get on the list.
How To Dress Well - Words I Don't Remember
How To Dress Well - Repeat Pleasure
Favorite song: Words I Don't Remember
Related artists: PartyNextDoor, Janelle Monae
Number Sixty Five
Holy crap, new Milo track, upcoming Milo album, need I say more?
This new track (with an absolutely genius title) is a love song as only Milo can do it. It's masochistic, moving, deep and witty at the same time. Produced by Tastenothing, the gentle beat to this song matches the lyrical content perfectly. It's one of Milo's best songs, hands down.
His new album, "A Toothpaste Suburb" is dropping September 23 on Hellfyre Club.
Just listen to it.
Milo - You Are Go(o)d to Me
Favorite song: Yup
Related artists: YC the Cynic, Cunninlynguists
Number Sixty Six
I WANNA BE LIKE KANYE.
Or so say The Chainsmokers on "Kanye", with Siren wailing the chorus over some strange piano chords followed by the most mundane of bass drops. It's catchy, sure, but not really anything else. Why I'm posting it is beyond me.
First "#SELFIE" and now this. The Chainsmokers are making a name for themselves. What kind of name it is seems unclear, though.
Anyway, here it is. Enjoy?
The Chainsmokers - Kanye
Favorite song: Anything but this song
Related artists: Any other popular electronic artist
Number Sixty Seven
Yes, I know the posts get less detailed as it goes on. I'll take a break and come back some other time. Writing all this is difficult. Especially after making a post about a song called "Kanye". I'm ashamed and proud at the same time.
Anyway, this post is on the pop-punk band Joyce Manor. Their debut album, "Joyce Manor" was a fun but poorly produced album that went over well with fans and not so much with critics. Personally, I'm enjoying their new album more, it has more punch to it than most pop punk acts (I'm looking at you, Manchester Orchestra) and that is a good thing.
Clocking it at just under twenty minutes, this album plays more like an adrenaline shot than anything else. The lyrics, surprisingly, are worth checking into. I'll post the album below.
Joyce Manor - Never Hungover Again (Full Album)
Favorite song: Falling In Love Again
Related artists: Dogbreth, Cheap Girls
Number Sixty Eight
Speaking of pop-punk, here's Hard Girls.
Their new album "A Thousand Surfaces", out on Asian Man Records, is actually pretty darn good. The riffs are aggressive and catchy, the singing is much more punk than pop (a very smart move), and the drumming is very good as well.
One of the best songs off the LP, "The Quark", is a real earworm. It'll stay in your head for a while. Not that that's a bad thing.
They sound great live as well.
Hard Girls - The Quark
Hard Girls - Plan
Hard Girls - The Chord
Favorite song: The Quark
Related artists: The Front Bottoms, The Frights
Number Sixty Nine
Ha ha ha ha ha ha, yes, I know. It is so funny. Ha ha ha.
When I saw that Black Milk and BADBADNOTGOOD were teaming up for a song, my mind sort of collapsed in on itself and came back ready to have it exploded again. Black Milk, a rapper who released a great album last year ("No Poison No Paradise") and indescribable kinda-jazz kids BADBADNOTGOOD end up complementing each other perfectly. This song shows off the dark and rhythmic BADBAD production and Black Milk's intense, quiet lyrics very well.
The song feels like the darker moments off "No Poison No Paradise", kind of like "Monday's Worst" or "Interpret Sabotage" and the instrumental reminds me of "Can't Leave the Night" from "III". It's a great song, and a really interesting collaboration for both groups.
I'll post their single below, and one Black Milk and one BADBADNOTGOOD track.
Black Milk - Sunday's Best/Monday's Worst (Official Video)
Black Milk x BADBADNOTGOOD - Now or Never
BADBADNOTGOOD - Can't Leave the Night
Favorite song: Now or Never
Related artists: YC the Cynic, KA
Number Seventy
Seventy posts? Woah, that's crazy. I'm proud and ashamed at the same time.
This post is on iamiwhoami, one of the best pop projects to come out in recent years. Her sound is electronically based, but has all the emotion of a folk or singer/songwriter project. Her performances on all the music she puts out is fantastic, it's an experience listening to her work.
Her last album, "Kin", was fantastic. It combined all the best parts of the project's sound. It's one of the best pop albums in the past five years. Her new album, coming out in September, is looking to be great too. Called "Blue", it has an even poppier sound, but still deep and interesting.
This is one to watch out for. One of the best pop projects out there, iamiwhoami does not mess around.
iamiwhoami - tap your glass (Official Video)
iamiwhoami - kin (Full Album)
Favorite song: idle talk
Related artists: The Knife, Miriam The Believer
Number Seventy One
It's been a while without a hardcore post.
Experimentation in black metal isn't played out yet, but it's getting close. With bands like Agalloch showing up and playing with black metal in a very public light, the genre is becoming diluted. Bands like Behemoth, playing straight black metal are almost falling into the background.
But this is not always a bad thing. The new Saor album, for instance, is great. It combines Scottish folk with black metal. A very strange combination, I know, but it works surprisingly well. Especially on songs like "Aura", where the soaring woodwinds over the pummeling blast beats only to have cacophonous vocals layered on top is actually a good thing.
I'll post a link to their bandcamp below. Very good album.
Saor - Aura
Favorite song: Aura
Related artists: Agalloch, Panopticon
Number Seventy Two
Some lo-fi pop/rock is always welcome. General rule.
The new track from Sharpless, titled "Gemini" is a real earworm. It combines catchy as hell guitar riffs with an almost bubblegum pop synth lead that works very well. The vocals are somewhat mundane, the only real downside to the track.
Their new album, "The One I Wanted to Be" is coming out via Father/Daughter Records on August 26. If it sounds like this song, it'll be a pretty fun ride.
The weird-ass group harmonies are a nice touch as well.
Sharpless - Gemini
Favorite song: Gemini
Related artists: Kitten, Bad Books
Number Seventy Three
I made a post on Father John Misty a while back. As much as I want him to put out some new material, this post is actually about a cover of his most well-known song.
This cover, done by Marissa Nadler, is a fantastic, slow version of "Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings", using pretty much only an electric guitar and bass, with muffled percussion in the background, giving the entire thing a very eery feel.
Her voice is fantastic, too. It matches the style she shoots for very well. The lyrics are even more haunting. It's a great cover, and it's just a great song.
I'll post it below.
Marissa Nadler - Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings
Favorite song: Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings
Related artists: Julia Holter, Father John Misty
Number Seventy Four
I've been wanting to post about B L A C K I E for a while now, but never found a reason to. Now I do.
B L A C K I E is an experimental as hell music producer and rapper whose EP "True Spirit and Not Giving a Fuck" is one of the best EPs, well, ever (according to me). His album "GEN" was a polarizing, confusing album, but like everything he does, he went all in.
His beats are brutal. Absolutely mind-meltingly loud. Full of noise and just screeching, disturbing melodies. His voice is harsh and abrasive as well. It's confounding. You don't know what to say when hearing B L A C K I E. And that's a great thing.
He released a new song recently. And it's even more disturbing and confusing than the rest. Titled "None Above", it plays out more like a spoken word track than anything else. The noise and synth leads are distorted and ground together, making the entire thing truly freaky.
I'll post it below, as well as some from "True Spirit". Form your own opinion on B L A C K I E, and then listen deeper. He's that kind of guy.
Headphone warning: loud as hell.
B L A C K I E - None Above
B L A C K I E - Warchild
B L A C K I E - This Blood
Favorite song: This Blood
Related artists: clipping., Death Grips
Number Seventy Five
Wait, are you kidding me?
Alt-J and Clipping, two really, really different projects have collaborated. By "collaborated", I mean Clipping totally tore apart an Alt-J song and made it into Story 4. I completely missed the fact that there was a Story 3. But who cares, it's new Clipping.
Their "story" series is some of their best stuff, so this is a fantastic addition to their catalog. This entry focuses on razor sharp satire, and odd snippets of melody flying around the background, coming to a head after two and a half minutes before diving straight back into the mess of Daveed's rhymes.
"IT'S ALL FUCKED UP NOW" will be reverberating in your head for days.
Alt-J x Clipping - Story 4
Favorite song: Story 4
Related artists: Neil Cecieraga, Love Grips
Number Seventy Six
Socially conscious hip hop has gotten pretty big now, with rappers like Common hopping on the bandwagon, but the really great stuff is pretty underground, at least for now.
One of the best out there is Armand Hammer, the collaboration between Billy Woods and Elucid. Billy Woods' output has gotten great in the recent years, and Elucid, who is pretty much unknown, also does a great job with this group.
Their album last year, "Race Music" was a fantastic dissection of race and class in America. Songs like "Where The Wild Things Are" and "No Roses" really attacked the world in a new and interesting way. Their new song from a forthcoming EP, "B.E.T." is a slow-moving track, but just as powerful as anything on "Race Music".
Armand Hammer - B.E.T.
Armand Hammer - No Roses
Favorite song: B.E.T.
Related artists: Billy Woods, Elucid
Number Seventy Seven
The blog has almost seven hundred views. That's insane. Thank you.
Andy Falcous of Future of the Left and Mclusky has a new side project. Called "Christian Fitness", they just released a new album titled "I Am Scared of Everything That Isn't Me" and if you don't think that's funny then this project may not be for you.
This album combines all the elements of Mclusky and Future of the Left: quick, clever lyrics and angular riffs with well-done mixing and production. It's a strange release, sure, but it's definitely a fun one. The self-titled track is especially good, and a great show of Andy's talent.
Overall, very good. Link below.
Christian Fitness - I Am Scared of Everything That Isn't Me
Favorite song: Christian Fitness
Related artists: Mclusky, Future of the Left
Number Seventy Eight
Electronic producer Rustie is back, and is teaming up with... Danny Brown...?
Rustie made a name for himself in 2011 with "Glass Swords", a fun and interesting electronica album that combined elements of techno, house, and even some dubstep for a nice sounding album. Danny Brown also made a name for himself in 2011 with "XXX", a great album that has brought him a lot of fame. Check it out if you haven't yet.
This unexpected collaboration is actually pretty good. It has a dynamic performance from Danny, going from mumbled lyrics to yelling within a minute. The beat is also very good. The synth lead really sounds like sirens going off, the bass is like listening to bombs drop. Fitting, since the title of the song is "Attak".
The only downside is the lyrics. Not awful, but could be better. Anyway. Link below.
Rustie - Attak (feat. Danny Brown)
Favorite song: Attak
Related artists: XKore, Ab-Soul
Number Seventy Nine
How to make any current punk fan happy: tell them there's a new Dope Body single.
And that there is. Dope Body, after bursting onto the scene in 2012 with "Natural History" and being signed to Drag City have been gaining popularity since then. And for good reason. Their style is alternately throwback and experimental. It's a winning formula, and Dope Body really has it down.
Their new track, "Hired Gun" has a guitar riff that is absolutely killer. The lyrics and vocal delivery are very good, common for Dope Body. It's just a great song, and a really great into to "Lifer", the new album, out October 21.
Link below. Check it out if you're into rock of any sort.
Dope Body - Hired Gun
Favorite song: Hired Gun
Related artists: This Routine Is Hell, OFF!
Number Eighty
Eighty freakin' posts. Eighty. Posts.
Tops is back with another song. You might remember them from my halfway-through-2014 list. Their song "Sleeptalker" is one of my favorite singles this year. Their new track is pretty nice too.
Titled "Way to be Loved", it focuses more on the rhythm than the melody, and is different from "Sleeptalker" in lyrical content as well. It asks the listener quite a few questions in its four and a half minute run time. It's a good song.
"Picture You Staring" is out September 2 on Arbutus.
Tops - Way to be Loved
Favorite song: Way to be Loved
Related artists: Best Coast, Alvvays
Number Eighty One
Busdriver always something interesting to say, even if no one is agreeing with him. His very intense brand of socially conscious rap caught the attention of Nocando early in Hellfyre Club's career. His unmistakable voice is another way Busdriver sets himself apart from the pack.
This new song, "Colonize the Moon", is a floaty song with Busdriver rapping pretty darn fast at some points. It's an interesting instrumental. Riley Lake, responsible for Milo's "Things That Happen at Day" and "Cavalcade" helped Busdriver out for this song, and it shows. It's good.
While I'm not totally loving the song yet, it's still Busdriver, and is a very interesting track in its own way. The link is below. Check it out.
"Perfect Hair", his new album, is out September 9 via Big Dada.
Busdriver - Colonize the Moon (feat. Pegasus Warning)
Favorite song: Colonize the Moon
Related artists: Nocando, Milo
PS: Wow, this post is long.
I gave myself the challenge to only post new stuff (as in, from June, July and August of 2014) for the posts below. So if you're looking for more current stuff, this is the post for you. It's also going to be ridiculously long, so I'm sorry in advance. Let's get into it.
Number Sixty Three
Electronic producer XXYYXX, who came into overnight fame in 2011 (I think) with his self-titled debut, has just released a single from his forthcoming untitled LP. Called "Unknown", it features Vanessa Elisha with vocals, and has his classically dark, cacophonous production turned up, using a steady synth beat in the background to keep the track moving.
It almost has a bass drop type thing around two and a half minutes in. It's an interesting shift in XXYYXX's usual production. If his album sounds like this single, it'll be pretty good.
If you like this single, check out his debut, featuring the song "About You", which is pretty great.
XXYYXX - Unknown
XXYYXX - XXYYXX (Full Album)
Favorite song: About You
Related artists: Analog Tape Dispenser, Shlohmo
Number Sixty Four
Tom Krell, also known by his stage name How To Dress Well, has been releasing strange and interesting pop/R&B songs since around 2011. His songs are slow moving, self deprecating ballads about mostly love and the lack of it. Yeah, sure, it's a little cliche, but what isn't?
His new album, "What Is This Heart?" follows in the same vein. The production is smooth as hell, and his voice matches the electronic backgrounds very well. It's leaps and bounds above most modern R&B (PartyNextDoor, Frank Ocean) and is pretty darn good.
It might not be really, really recent but it's current enough to get on the list.
How To Dress Well - Words I Don't Remember
How To Dress Well - Repeat Pleasure
Favorite song: Words I Don't Remember
Related artists: PartyNextDoor, Janelle Monae
Number Sixty Five
Holy crap, new Milo track, upcoming Milo album, need I say more?
This new track (with an absolutely genius title) is a love song as only Milo can do it. It's masochistic, moving, deep and witty at the same time. Produced by Tastenothing, the gentle beat to this song matches the lyrical content perfectly. It's one of Milo's best songs, hands down.
His new album, "A Toothpaste Suburb" is dropping September 23 on Hellfyre Club.
Just listen to it.
Milo - You Are Go(o)d to Me
Favorite song: Yup
Related artists: YC the Cynic, Cunninlynguists
Number Sixty Six
I WANNA BE LIKE KANYE.
Or so say The Chainsmokers on "Kanye", with Siren wailing the chorus over some strange piano chords followed by the most mundane of bass drops. It's catchy, sure, but not really anything else. Why I'm posting it is beyond me.
First "#SELFIE" and now this. The Chainsmokers are making a name for themselves. What kind of name it is seems unclear, though.
Anyway, here it is. Enjoy?
The Chainsmokers - Kanye
Favorite song: Anything but this song
Related artists: Any other popular electronic artist
Number Sixty Seven
Yes, I know the posts get less detailed as it goes on. I'll take a break and come back some other time. Writing all this is difficult. Especially after making a post about a song called "Kanye". I'm ashamed and proud at the same time.
Anyway, this post is on the pop-punk band Joyce Manor. Their debut album, "Joyce Manor" was a fun but poorly produced album that went over well with fans and not so much with critics. Personally, I'm enjoying their new album more, it has more punch to it than most pop punk acts (I'm looking at you, Manchester Orchestra) and that is a good thing.
Clocking it at just under twenty minutes, this album plays more like an adrenaline shot than anything else. The lyrics, surprisingly, are worth checking into. I'll post the album below.
Joyce Manor - Never Hungover Again (Full Album)
Favorite song: Falling In Love Again
Related artists: Dogbreth, Cheap Girls
Number Sixty Eight
Speaking of pop-punk, here's Hard Girls.
Their new album "A Thousand Surfaces", out on Asian Man Records, is actually pretty darn good. The riffs are aggressive and catchy, the singing is much more punk than pop (a very smart move), and the drumming is very good as well.
One of the best songs off the LP, "The Quark", is a real earworm. It'll stay in your head for a while. Not that that's a bad thing.
They sound great live as well.
Hard Girls - The Quark
Hard Girls - Plan
Hard Girls - The Chord
Favorite song: The Quark
Related artists: The Front Bottoms, The Frights
Number Sixty Nine
Ha ha ha ha ha ha, yes, I know. It is so funny. Ha ha ha.
When I saw that Black Milk and BADBADNOTGOOD were teaming up for a song, my mind sort of collapsed in on itself and came back ready to have it exploded again. Black Milk, a rapper who released a great album last year ("No Poison No Paradise") and indescribable kinda-jazz kids BADBADNOTGOOD end up complementing each other perfectly. This song shows off the dark and rhythmic BADBAD production and Black Milk's intense, quiet lyrics very well.
The song feels like the darker moments off "No Poison No Paradise", kind of like "Monday's Worst" or "Interpret Sabotage" and the instrumental reminds me of "Can't Leave the Night" from "III". It's a great song, and a really interesting collaboration for both groups.
I'll post their single below, and one Black Milk and one BADBADNOTGOOD track.
Black Milk - Sunday's Best/Monday's Worst (Official Video)
Black Milk x BADBADNOTGOOD - Now or Never
BADBADNOTGOOD - Can't Leave the Night
Favorite song: Now or Never
Related artists: YC the Cynic, KA
Number Seventy
Seventy posts? Woah, that's crazy. I'm proud and ashamed at the same time.
This post is on iamiwhoami, one of the best pop projects to come out in recent years. Her sound is electronically based, but has all the emotion of a folk or singer/songwriter project. Her performances on all the music she puts out is fantastic, it's an experience listening to her work.
Her last album, "Kin", was fantastic. It combined all the best parts of the project's sound. It's one of the best pop albums in the past five years. Her new album, coming out in September, is looking to be great too. Called "Blue", it has an even poppier sound, but still deep and interesting.
This is one to watch out for. One of the best pop projects out there, iamiwhoami does not mess around.
iamiwhoami - tap your glass (Official Video)
iamiwhoami - kin (Full Album)
Favorite song: idle talk
Related artists: The Knife, Miriam The Believer
Number Seventy One
It's been a while without a hardcore post.
Experimentation in black metal isn't played out yet, but it's getting close. With bands like Agalloch showing up and playing with black metal in a very public light, the genre is becoming diluted. Bands like Behemoth, playing straight black metal are almost falling into the background.
But this is not always a bad thing. The new Saor album, for instance, is great. It combines Scottish folk with black metal. A very strange combination, I know, but it works surprisingly well. Especially on songs like "Aura", where the soaring woodwinds over the pummeling blast beats only to have cacophonous vocals layered on top is actually a good thing.
I'll post a link to their bandcamp below. Very good album.
Saor - Aura
Favorite song: Aura
Related artists: Agalloch, Panopticon
Number Seventy Two
Some lo-fi pop/rock is always welcome. General rule.
The new track from Sharpless, titled "Gemini" is a real earworm. It combines catchy as hell guitar riffs with an almost bubblegum pop synth lead that works very well. The vocals are somewhat mundane, the only real downside to the track.
Their new album, "The One I Wanted to Be" is coming out via Father/Daughter Records on August 26. If it sounds like this song, it'll be a pretty fun ride.
The weird-ass group harmonies are a nice touch as well.
Sharpless - Gemini
Favorite song: Gemini
Related artists: Kitten, Bad Books
Number Seventy Three
I made a post on Father John Misty a while back. As much as I want him to put out some new material, this post is actually about a cover of his most well-known song.
This cover, done by Marissa Nadler, is a fantastic, slow version of "Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings", using pretty much only an electric guitar and bass, with muffled percussion in the background, giving the entire thing a very eery feel.
Her voice is fantastic, too. It matches the style she shoots for very well. The lyrics are even more haunting. It's a great cover, and it's just a great song.
I'll post it below.
Marissa Nadler - Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings
Favorite song: Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings
Related artists: Julia Holter, Father John Misty
Number Seventy Four
I've been wanting to post about B L A C K I E for a while now, but never found a reason to. Now I do.
B L A C K I E is an experimental as hell music producer and rapper whose EP "True Spirit and Not Giving a Fuck" is one of the best EPs, well, ever (according to me). His album "GEN" was a polarizing, confusing album, but like everything he does, he went all in.
His beats are brutal. Absolutely mind-meltingly loud. Full of noise and just screeching, disturbing melodies. His voice is harsh and abrasive as well. It's confounding. You don't know what to say when hearing B L A C K I E. And that's a great thing.
He released a new song recently. And it's even more disturbing and confusing than the rest. Titled "None Above", it plays out more like a spoken word track than anything else. The noise and synth leads are distorted and ground together, making the entire thing truly freaky.
I'll post it below, as well as some from "True Spirit". Form your own opinion on B L A C K I E, and then listen deeper. He's that kind of guy.
Headphone warning: loud as hell.
B L A C K I E - None Above
B L A C K I E - Warchild
B L A C K I E - This Blood
Favorite song: This Blood
Related artists: clipping., Death Grips
Number Seventy Five
Wait, are you kidding me?
Alt-J and Clipping, two really, really different projects have collaborated. By "collaborated", I mean Clipping totally tore apart an Alt-J song and made it into Story 4. I completely missed the fact that there was a Story 3. But who cares, it's new Clipping.
Their "story" series is some of their best stuff, so this is a fantastic addition to their catalog. This entry focuses on razor sharp satire, and odd snippets of melody flying around the background, coming to a head after two and a half minutes before diving straight back into the mess of Daveed's rhymes.
"IT'S ALL FUCKED UP NOW" will be reverberating in your head for days.
Alt-J x Clipping - Story 4
Favorite song: Story 4
Related artists: Neil Cecieraga, Love Grips
Number Seventy Six
Socially conscious hip hop has gotten pretty big now, with rappers like Common hopping on the bandwagon, but the really great stuff is pretty underground, at least for now.
One of the best out there is Armand Hammer, the collaboration between Billy Woods and Elucid. Billy Woods' output has gotten great in the recent years, and Elucid, who is pretty much unknown, also does a great job with this group.
Their album last year, "Race Music" was a fantastic dissection of race and class in America. Songs like "Where The Wild Things Are" and "No Roses" really attacked the world in a new and interesting way. Their new song from a forthcoming EP, "B.E.T." is a slow-moving track, but just as powerful as anything on "Race Music".
Armand Hammer - B.E.T.
Armand Hammer - No Roses
Favorite song: B.E.T.
Related artists: Billy Woods, Elucid
Number Seventy Seven
The blog has almost seven hundred views. That's insane. Thank you.
Andy Falcous of Future of the Left and Mclusky has a new side project. Called "Christian Fitness", they just released a new album titled "I Am Scared of Everything That Isn't Me" and if you don't think that's funny then this project may not be for you.
This album combines all the elements of Mclusky and Future of the Left: quick, clever lyrics and angular riffs with well-done mixing and production. It's a strange release, sure, but it's definitely a fun one. The self-titled track is especially good, and a great show of Andy's talent.
Overall, very good. Link below.
Christian Fitness - I Am Scared of Everything That Isn't Me
Favorite song: Christian Fitness
Related artists: Mclusky, Future of the Left
Number Seventy Eight
Electronic producer Rustie is back, and is teaming up with... Danny Brown...?
Rustie made a name for himself in 2011 with "Glass Swords", a fun and interesting electronica album that combined elements of techno, house, and even some dubstep for a nice sounding album. Danny Brown also made a name for himself in 2011 with "XXX", a great album that has brought him a lot of fame. Check it out if you haven't yet.
This unexpected collaboration is actually pretty good. It has a dynamic performance from Danny, going from mumbled lyrics to yelling within a minute. The beat is also very good. The synth lead really sounds like sirens going off, the bass is like listening to bombs drop. Fitting, since the title of the song is "Attak".
The only downside is the lyrics. Not awful, but could be better. Anyway. Link below.
Rustie - Attak (feat. Danny Brown)
Favorite song: Attak
Related artists: XKore, Ab-Soul
Number Seventy Nine
How to make any current punk fan happy: tell them there's a new Dope Body single.
And that there is. Dope Body, after bursting onto the scene in 2012 with "Natural History" and being signed to Drag City have been gaining popularity since then. And for good reason. Their style is alternately throwback and experimental. It's a winning formula, and Dope Body really has it down.
Their new track, "Hired Gun" has a guitar riff that is absolutely killer. The lyrics and vocal delivery are very good, common for Dope Body. It's just a great song, and a really great into to "Lifer", the new album, out October 21.
Link below. Check it out if you're into rock of any sort.
Dope Body - Hired Gun
Favorite song: Hired Gun
Related artists: This Routine Is Hell, OFF!
Number Eighty
Eighty freakin' posts. Eighty. Posts.
Tops is back with another song. You might remember them from my halfway-through-2014 list. Their song "Sleeptalker" is one of my favorite singles this year. Their new track is pretty nice too.
Titled "Way to be Loved", it focuses more on the rhythm than the melody, and is different from "Sleeptalker" in lyrical content as well. It asks the listener quite a few questions in its four and a half minute run time. It's a good song.
"Picture You Staring" is out September 2 on Arbutus.
Tops - Way to be Loved
Favorite song: Way to be Loved
Related artists: Best Coast, Alvvays
Number Eighty One
Busdriver always something interesting to say, even if no one is agreeing with him. His very intense brand of socially conscious rap caught the attention of Nocando early in Hellfyre Club's career. His unmistakable voice is another way Busdriver sets himself apart from the pack.
This new song, "Colonize the Moon", is a floaty song with Busdriver rapping pretty darn fast at some points. It's an interesting instrumental. Riley Lake, responsible for Milo's "Things That Happen at Day" and "Cavalcade" helped Busdriver out for this song, and it shows. It's good.
While I'm not totally loving the song yet, it's still Busdriver, and is a very interesting track in its own way. The link is below. Check it out.
"Perfect Hair", his new album, is out September 9 via Big Dada.
Busdriver - Colonize the Moon (feat. Pegasus Warning)
Favorite song: Colonize the Moon
Related artists: Nocando, Milo
PS: Wow, this post is long.
Tuesday, July 22, 2014
"Disappear"
It's been a ridiculously long time. For anybody reading, all two of you, I am sorry about that. There's ten posts to do, so let's get into it.
Number Fifty Two
On my favorite albums of 2014 so far list, number twenty one was Actress' "Ghettoville". Only after posting about it did I notice that I hadn't mentioned it earlier.
Actress is the stage name of Darren Cunningham, an electronic music artist who's been steadily gaining fame, especially after "R.I.P." in 2012, an album that brought him a lot of attention. Truthfully, "R.I.P." felt too disjointed to me. It was uneven in how it was produced and executed.
His newest album, released in January, is a much more concise effort. The overall effect is much more grim, and the feel of the album is more claustrophobic than "R.I.P.", which, in contrast, is tinny and a bit weak. Some of the longer songs on this new album, "Ghettoville", have a grainy quality to them that "R.I.P." had, but it feels more cleanly produced.
I'll put links to a few songs below. The entire album is a great listen, as well.
Favorite song: Rap
Related artists: Flying Lotus, Oneohtrix Point Never, Shlohmo
Number Fifty Three
One of the best sludge metal and noise rock outfits out there at the moment is Indian.
Indian, from Chicago, has been around for a while. Their newest album is their fifth studio LP, which is impressive for a metal band as intense as Indian. Their blend of sludge, doom and black metal as well as noise rock and hardcore punk has been described, very accurately, as "pure malevolence".
The most noticeable thing about Indian's sound is just how loud it is. Even turned down, the music itself is pummeling. The drums and guitar are mixed very well, and mixed at an insane volume. The next thing to notice about this group is their brutal, unrelenting song structures.
Their newest album, "From All Purity", is one of their best albums yet. From start to finish, they hold back nothing. I'll link some songs from it below.
Favorite song: Rhetoric of No
Related artists: Stone Titan, Wolf Down
Number Fifty Four
This post won't be a lot of background on the group, just because of the video I'll be linking below.
This is the video for Spiritualized's song "Hey Jane". It was one of my favorite tracks of 2012, and the entire album, "Sweet Heart Sweet Light" is great as well. The video is long, and seems directionless for a few minutes but quickly moves into one of the best long shots in a music video in a while.
Without ruining too much, the story revolves a parental figure trying to give their children the best life possible, by doing whatever it takes. It isn't afraid to take on difficult, unnerving topics.
It's a bit NSFW, definitely R-rated. Hopefully you like it.
Favorite song: Hey Jane
Related artists: Yuck, Tame Impala
Number Fifty Five
I will not shut up about Young Fathers. Sorry.
There's one Young Fathers song that truly encapsulates their style and sound pretty perfectly. It helps that the song is incredibly catchy and surprising. It is "Way Down in the Hole", from "TAPE TWO", their second EP after their self-released "TAPE ONE".
The lyrical content on this track is Young Fathers at their best as well. The repetitive sung sections give the track a hypnotizing feel to it, and the sudden style switch is abrupt and fantastic.
I'll post the song itself, and then a live version of it below.
Young Fathers - Way Down in the Hole
Young Fathers - Way Down in the Hole (Live)
Favorite song: Really?
Related artists: Shabazz Palaces, Chill Bump
Number Fifty Six
trap n oise
who cares man
hindu-san
rip ms
fav song: what
related music mans: vortex of crap
Number Fifty Seven
It makes sense that every once in a while one post will just make no sense whatsoever. Number Fifty Six was one of those posts. I'm warning you, it's a weird one. Anyway.
I'm not usually a huge fan of Odd Future and the artists related to it. Domo Genesis, Taco, and others really don't do anything for me. But Earl Sweatshirt and Tyler, The Creator actually bring some stuff to the table.
This post is on Tyler, and the three concept albums he released without a lot of people understanding. His three albums ("Bastard", "Goblin" and "Wolf", in order of release) actually tell a story about multiple personalities and some other pretty unusual stuff. The music itself seems ridiculous when you listen to it, but seeing it in context is impressive as hell.
I'll post the link to the article describing his "Wolf-Bastard-Goblin" trilogy below. If it interests you, give his music a shot.
Noisey's Guide to Tyler, The Creator
Tyler, The Creator - Wolf (Full Album)
Favorite song(s): Rusty, Cowboy
Related artists: Earl Sweatshirt, Mac Miller
Number Fifty Eight
If there's one rule in music, it's this: DEMONIC SHIT IS ALWAYS COOL.
Dan Barrett, the mastermind behind Have A Nice Life and Giles Corey, two of my favorite projects ever, dabbled a bit in black metal once. His usual domain of electronically tinged dark rock and folk was the only thing he had released until Nahvalr. Then it changed.
Nahvalr is black metal with folk influence, something that's been done recently by groups like Agalloch, but Agalloch always forgets the disturbing side of black metal, making the entire thing way too happy for the genre. Nahvalr does it right. The cacophonous production is absolutely perfect on this self-titled LP, and the noise blended in is interpreted really well.
Nahvalr never released anything beyond that, but that makes the album itself even more interesting. Songs like "Let Them Eat Blood" have a fantastic dirge-like quality to them, making listening to the album feel like being buried alive. Oh, it's satanic, too.
It's a good thing, I swear. I'll post a few songs below.
Nahvalr - Black Elk Speaks, Chokes and Dies
Nahvalr - Chorus of the Blasphemes
Nahvalr - Blood Flood
Favorite song: Blood Flood
Related artists: Griefer, Have A Nice Life, Agalloch
Number Fifty Nine
After some kind of freaky posts, it's probably a good idea to post some nice stuff.
Sun Araw is a psychedelic, ambient, rock and experimental electronics band. The project has been putting out work for some time (early 2000's, I think) and got a lot of fame for appearing on the soundtrack for Hotline Miami. Great game, by the way. Their unique blend brought a lot more people into it, and their audience has steadily increased since then.
Their older work revolves around reverb-soaked warm waves of guitar tones, with bass and light electronics providing, essentially, a canvas for the guitar to experiment with. Their newer work, including the new album "Belomancie", released this year, focuses more on darker electronics. Both sides of Sun Araw are interesting, calming, and fun.
I'll post some songs from their older and newer work.
Sun Araw - Horse Steppin'
Sun Araw - Deep Cover
Sun Araw - Remedial Ventilation
Favorite song: Horse Steppin'
Related artists: M|O|O|N, Temples
Number Sixty
In an effort to become more mainstream, this is a dubstep post. Alternative music fans, avert your eyes.
Bassnectar is a big name in the EDM world right now. They've released some of the most exciting and original work in the huge mass of sound-alikes out there right now. Their style is actually fairly unique, combining interesting samples with unorthodox rhythms and beats. Which makes their bass drops actually interesting to listen to.
They released a new album recently, and the songs off it are pretty good. The songs on here have been played at live shows but are now cleaned up and fun to listen to.
I'll post a few songs from it below. Enjoy, hopefully.
Bassnectar - So Butterfly
Bassnectar - Loco Ono
Favorite song: Loco Ono
Related artists: Deadmau5, XKore
Number Sixty One
This post is about the band with the best band name ever.
I Hate Myself is a punk/screamo band from the 90's that never really blew up. Maybe it's because they refused to title any of their songs or releases until the eventual release of their debut LP. But they had many, many EP's and singles, all untitled before this. Maybe it's because their album "10 Songs" actually had eleven songs on it. And so the spread of their sound was essentially impossible. Which is a shame.
They might be the best screamo band from this time period. I Hate Myself's incredible lyrical and dynamic range set themselves head and shoulders above many, many artists. The vocal delivery is also fantastic. The recording is also pretty great.
I Hate Myself is fantastic. That's all I have to say, then.
I Hate Myself - This Isn't The Tenka-ichi-Budokai
I Hate Myself - Caught In A Flood With the Captain of the Cheerleading Squad
I Hate Myself - Conversation with Dr. Seussicide
Favorite song: This Isn't The Tenka-ichi-Budokai
Related artists: Fugazi, The Saddest Landscape
Number Sixty Two
Do I even need to explain Hopsin?
Hopsin is a rapper. He's gotten pretty famous off of his series, the "Ill Mind of Hopsin" series, which just had its seventh entry. They essentially explore his ideas and how he thinks, no sugarcoating, and many people regard them as a slap in the face to his fans as well as other rappers and the industry in general.
His latest album, "Knock Madness", was less enthralling. But his "Ill Mind" series is pretty good, especially the ones in the center (five, four). The newest one seems a bit redundant but it's still Hopsin. It's pretty attention-grabbing.
I'll post "Ill Mind" seven and five below.
Hopsin - Ill Mind of Hopsin 7
Hopsin - Ill Mind of Hopsin 5
Favorite song: Ill Mind of Hopsin 5
Related artists: Apathy, Killer Mike
PS: This post took way too long.
Young Fathers - Way Down in the Hole (Live)
Favorite song: Really?
Related artists: Shabazz Palaces, Chill Bump
Number Fifty Six
trap n oise
who cares man
hindu-san
rip ms
fav song: what
related music mans: vortex of crap
Number Fifty Seven
It makes sense that every once in a while one post will just make no sense whatsoever. Number Fifty Six was one of those posts. I'm warning you, it's a weird one. Anyway.
I'm not usually a huge fan of Odd Future and the artists related to it. Domo Genesis, Taco, and others really don't do anything for me. But Earl Sweatshirt and Tyler, The Creator actually bring some stuff to the table.
This post is on Tyler, and the three concept albums he released without a lot of people understanding. His three albums ("Bastard", "Goblin" and "Wolf", in order of release) actually tell a story about multiple personalities and some other pretty unusual stuff. The music itself seems ridiculous when you listen to it, but seeing it in context is impressive as hell.
I'll post the link to the article describing his "Wolf-Bastard-Goblin" trilogy below. If it interests you, give his music a shot.
Noisey's Guide to Tyler, The Creator
Tyler, The Creator - Wolf (Full Album)
Favorite song(s): Rusty, Cowboy
Related artists: Earl Sweatshirt, Mac Miller
Number Fifty Eight
If there's one rule in music, it's this: DEMONIC SHIT IS ALWAYS COOL.
Dan Barrett, the mastermind behind Have A Nice Life and Giles Corey, two of my favorite projects ever, dabbled a bit in black metal once. His usual domain of electronically tinged dark rock and folk was the only thing he had released until Nahvalr. Then it changed.
Nahvalr is black metal with folk influence, something that's been done recently by groups like Agalloch, but Agalloch always forgets the disturbing side of black metal, making the entire thing way too happy for the genre. Nahvalr does it right. The cacophonous production is absolutely perfect on this self-titled LP, and the noise blended in is interpreted really well.
Nahvalr never released anything beyond that, but that makes the album itself even more interesting. Songs like "Let Them Eat Blood" have a fantastic dirge-like quality to them, making listening to the album feel like being buried alive. Oh, it's satanic, too.
It's a good thing, I swear. I'll post a few songs below.
Nahvalr - Black Elk Speaks, Chokes and Dies
Nahvalr - Chorus of the Blasphemes
Nahvalr - Blood Flood
Favorite song: Blood Flood
Related artists: Griefer, Have A Nice Life, Agalloch
Number Fifty Nine
After some kind of freaky posts, it's probably a good idea to post some nice stuff.
Sun Araw is a psychedelic, ambient, rock and experimental electronics band. The project has been putting out work for some time (early 2000's, I think) and got a lot of fame for appearing on the soundtrack for Hotline Miami. Great game, by the way. Their unique blend brought a lot more people into it, and their audience has steadily increased since then.
Their older work revolves around reverb-soaked warm waves of guitar tones, with bass and light electronics providing, essentially, a canvas for the guitar to experiment with. Their newer work, including the new album "Belomancie", released this year, focuses more on darker electronics. Both sides of Sun Araw are interesting, calming, and fun.
I'll post some songs from their older and newer work.
Sun Araw - Horse Steppin'
Sun Araw - Deep Cover
Sun Araw - Remedial Ventilation
Favorite song: Horse Steppin'
Related artists: M|O|O|N, Temples
Number Sixty
In an effort to become more mainstream, this is a dubstep post. Alternative music fans, avert your eyes.
Bassnectar is a big name in the EDM world right now. They've released some of the most exciting and original work in the huge mass of sound-alikes out there right now. Their style is actually fairly unique, combining interesting samples with unorthodox rhythms and beats. Which makes their bass drops actually interesting to listen to.
They released a new album recently, and the songs off it are pretty good. The songs on here have been played at live shows but are now cleaned up and fun to listen to.
I'll post a few songs from it below. Enjoy, hopefully.
Bassnectar - So Butterfly
Bassnectar - Loco Ono
Favorite song: Loco Ono
Related artists: Deadmau5, XKore
Number Sixty One
This post is about the band with the best band name ever.
I Hate Myself is a punk/screamo band from the 90's that never really blew up. Maybe it's because they refused to title any of their songs or releases until the eventual release of their debut LP. But they had many, many EP's and singles, all untitled before this. Maybe it's because their album "10 Songs" actually had eleven songs on it. And so the spread of their sound was essentially impossible. Which is a shame.
They might be the best screamo band from this time period. I Hate Myself's incredible lyrical and dynamic range set themselves head and shoulders above many, many artists. The vocal delivery is also fantastic. The recording is also pretty great.
I Hate Myself is fantastic. That's all I have to say, then.
I Hate Myself - This Isn't The Tenka-ichi-Budokai
I Hate Myself - Caught In A Flood With the Captain of the Cheerleading Squad
I Hate Myself - Conversation with Dr. Seussicide
Favorite song: This Isn't The Tenka-ichi-Budokai
Related artists: Fugazi, The Saddest Landscape
Number Sixty Two
Do I even need to explain Hopsin?
Hopsin is a rapper. He's gotten pretty famous off of his series, the "Ill Mind of Hopsin" series, which just had its seventh entry. They essentially explore his ideas and how he thinks, no sugarcoating, and many people regard them as a slap in the face to his fans as well as other rappers and the industry in general.
His latest album, "Knock Madness", was less enthralling. But his "Ill Mind" series is pretty good, especially the ones in the center (five, four). The newest one seems a bit redundant but it's still Hopsin. It's pretty attention-grabbing.
I'll post "Ill Mind" seven and five below.
Hopsin - Ill Mind of Hopsin 7
Hopsin - Ill Mind of Hopsin 5
Favorite song: Ill Mind of Hopsin 5
Related artists: Apathy, Killer Mike
PS: This post took way too long.
Friday, July 11, 2014
"In Tombs"
Don't think I'm getting too touchy-feely with that title. It's a KA lyric. These posts are all just kind of downers. Sorry. Here's five.
Number Forty Seven
One of the best rap albums last year was Run The Jewels' self-titled debut album. But it wasn't the first time the two members of the group had worked together. EL-P and Killer Mike are a killer combination.
This post is just on EL-P, though. There'll be a Killer Mike post if/when he releases some new stuff. He's great too. EL-P is a rapper based in Brooklyn and has been around for a long time, first dropping his debut album "Fantastic Damage" in 2002. He's released some pretty great albums since then, and in 2012 made his best album to date, titled "Cancer 4 Cure".
This album is hard-hitting (as all New York hip hop usually is) but brainy and thought-provoking as well. EL-P's in-your-face flow is effective, and his lyrics are at their best on top of the beats heard here. He also has a fantastic, sick sense of humor that is shown on songs and videos like "The Full Retard".
I'll link a few songs and videos below, hope you like it.
EL-P - Stay Down (Official Video)
EL-P - The Full Retard (Official Video)
EL-P - EMG
Favorite song: The Full Retard
Related artists: Killer Mike, Eminem, Pro Era
Number Forty Eight
How to describe Kayo Dot.
Kayo Dot is an anomaly. Formed by Toby Driver after the break-up of Maudlin of the Well in 2003, a group somewhat similar to Kayo Dot in sound, they've been releasing albums fairly steadily since then. The reception to their sound has been polarizing. They are nothing if not unique.
Kayo Dot is easiest to describe as an avant-garde black metal band, but really they incorporate an incredible amount of genre-bending sounds into their output. Incorporating sounds from rock, folk, drone, noise, jazz, thrash and doom metal as well as spoken word, Kayo Dot is a hard sell.
Their newest album, "Hubardo", is a return to form after the very strange and confusing "Gamma Knife". It came out of nowhere, and the scope of the project is enough to turn many people away. A double album containing 100 minutes of music, delving into mysticism and religion as well as dark, violent topics, frequently all at once, is a challenging listen. I highly recommend it.
PS: Kayo Dot has just announced a new album to be released on October 16. Get ready.
I'll put some songs from "Hubardo" and "Choirs of the Eye" in full. Enjoy...?
Kayo Dot - Crown-In-The-Muck
Kayo Dot - Choirs of the Eye (Full Album)
Kayo Dot - Passing the River
Favorite song: Passing the River
Related artists: Maudlin of the Well, Swans
Number Forty Nine
Number Fifty
Number Fifty One
This blog now has fifty one little entries. It grows up so fast.
This post is on another New York rapper, but a much calmer, more collected, colder, and almost more menacing one. Kaseem Ryan, going under the name KA, has essentially come back from the dead. After forming some underground groups in the late 90's, he returned in 2008 with a new album and a great collaboration with GZA.
In 2013, KA released "The Night's Gambit", a fantastic album that is cold and calculated, like hearing someone who's escaped from a lifestyle tell you secrets about it in a hushed voice. His voice is soft throughout the entire album giving off tension as well as easing you into the world. It's an immersive listen in the same vein as Black Milk's "No Poison No Paradise".
He released an EP this year that was pretty good as well, produced entirely by Preservation. I'll link some songs and "The Night's Gambit" in full below. Hope you like it.
KA - Cold Facts (Official Video)
KA - The Night's Gambit (Full Album)
KA - Still Heir
Favorite song: Our Father
Related artists: Roc Marciano, Shabazz Palaces, Billy Woods
Number Forty Seven
One of the best rap albums last year was Run The Jewels' self-titled debut album. But it wasn't the first time the two members of the group had worked together. EL-P and Killer Mike are a killer combination.
This post is just on EL-P, though. There'll be a Killer Mike post if/when he releases some new stuff. He's great too. EL-P is a rapper based in Brooklyn and has been around for a long time, first dropping his debut album "Fantastic Damage" in 2002. He's released some pretty great albums since then, and in 2012 made his best album to date, titled "Cancer 4 Cure".
This album is hard-hitting (as all New York hip hop usually is) but brainy and thought-provoking as well. EL-P's in-your-face flow is effective, and his lyrics are at their best on top of the beats heard here. He also has a fantastic, sick sense of humor that is shown on songs and videos like "The Full Retard".
I'll link a few songs and videos below, hope you like it.
EL-P - Stay Down (Official Video)
EL-P - The Full Retard (Official Video)
EL-P - EMG
Favorite song: The Full Retard
Related artists: Killer Mike, Eminem, Pro Era
Number Forty Eight
How to describe Kayo Dot.
Kayo Dot is an anomaly. Formed by Toby Driver after the break-up of Maudlin of the Well in 2003, a group somewhat similar to Kayo Dot in sound, they've been releasing albums fairly steadily since then. The reception to their sound has been polarizing. They are nothing if not unique.
Kayo Dot is easiest to describe as an avant-garde black metal band, but really they incorporate an incredible amount of genre-bending sounds into their output. Incorporating sounds from rock, folk, drone, noise, jazz, thrash and doom metal as well as spoken word, Kayo Dot is a hard sell.
Their newest album, "Hubardo", is a return to form after the very strange and confusing "Gamma Knife". It came out of nowhere, and the scope of the project is enough to turn many people away. A double album containing 100 minutes of music, delving into mysticism and religion as well as dark, violent topics, frequently all at once, is a challenging listen. I highly recommend it.
PS: Kayo Dot has just announced a new album to be released on October 16. Get ready.
I'll put some songs from "Hubardo" and "Choirs of the Eye" in full. Enjoy...?
Kayo Dot - Crown-In-The-Muck
Kayo Dot - Choirs of the Eye (Full Album)
Kayo Dot - Passing the River
Favorite song: Passing the River
Related artists: Maudlin of the Well, Swans
Number Forty Nine
More on Zach Hill. Hopefully you're not sick of him.
Technical playing is often overlooked in music. And Hella is a very technical band. Made up of Zach Hill on drums and Spencer Seim on guitar, they've been around for a while and have been releasing loud, fast, and disorienting rock albums.
Hella's most distinctive trait is the seemingly non-existent attention span of the group- they start an idea, use it for a few seconds and then totally try something else. And some of these songs last up to seven, eight minutes. This disorienting approach pays off on almost all of their songs.
Their newest album, Tripper, is exactly that: trippy. It's some seriously weird stuff. I don't have a lot to say on it, other than listen to it and see what you think.
I'll put one album in full as well as some songs below. Hope you like it.
Favorite song(s): Been A Long Time, Cousin/Biblical Violence
Related artists: Lightning Bolt, Black Pus
Number Fifty
This post is on Cloud Nothings. They're an indie-rock band from Cleveland, Ohio, fronted by singer/songwriter Dylan Baldi. Their first releases, especially their self-titled album, had a very light quality to them and was just sort of fun to listen to. Then, in 2012, they released "Attack on Memory", a fantastic change of pace for the band and a more substantial rock album.
This year they released "Here and Nowhere Else", an album that blends the light quality with the new, darker ones. Overall, it's a very good mix. On tracks like "Now Hear In", the chorus is catchy but the cymbal-accentuated verses have the same energy that "Wasted Days" or "Cut You" had in 2012. The last song and the first single to drop from the album, "I'm Not Part of Me", is also a great example of the new blend.
Their music videos are pretty good as well. Their newest one, for "I'm Not Part of Me", is funny and menacing at the same time. I'll link that, as well as some other songs, down below. They sound great live as well, probably better than on recordings.
Favorite song: Stay Useless
Related artists: The Strokes, Destroyer
Number Fifty One
This blog now has fifty one little entries. It grows up so fast.
This post is on another New York rapper, but a much calmer, more collected, colder, and almost more menacing one. Kaseem Ryan, going under the name KA, has essentially come back from the dead. After forming some underground groups in the late 90's, he returned in 2008 with a new album and a great collaboration with GZA.
In 2013, KA released "The Night's Gambit", a fantastic album that is cold and calculated, like hearing someone who's escaped from a lifestyle tell you secrets about it in a hushed voice. His voice is soft throughout the entire album giving off tension as well as easing you into the world. It's an immersive listen in the same vein as Black Milk's "No Poison No Paradise".
He released an EP this year that was pretty good as well, produced entirely by Preservation. I'll link some songs and "The Night's Gambit" in full below. Hope you like it.
KA - Cold Facts (Official Video)
KA - The Night's Gambit (Full Album)
KA - Still Heir
Favorite song: Our Father
Related artists: Roc Marciano, Shabazz Palaces, Billy Woods
Sunday, July 6, 2014
"Horizontal Rain"
Number Forty Six
For some reason, "lyrical black metal" has become a thing recently, especially with groups like Agalloch getting a lot of attention for combining elements of folk with metal. Personally, I'm not a huge fan of this. So this post is on some good, pummeling, definitely not folk-inspired black metal.
The first group that comes to mind is Black Monolith, an Oakland-based black metal and thrash metal project that I'm a big fan of. Their sound is fairly unique, using the chord progressions and sounds usually found in black metal and speeding it up an insane amount. The lyrics and vocals are also very good, and the mixing of their projects is nice as well. I'll post a link to their newest album (which is pay-what-you-want, so that's nice) from their bandcamp.
Don't be turned off by the band name of this group. Nux Vomica is a great doom and death metal influenced black metal band with some extremely adventurous and experimental song structures and lengths. Their newest album, self-titled Nux Vomica is around forty-five minutes but lasts only three songs. The second song on here, "Reeling" is one of the best metal songs this year.
The last group is Windhand, more of a stoner rock or doom and sludge metal band than black metal but still a good listen. The bass on their newest album, Soma, is insane. I know that's strange to say about a hardcore outfit, but their bass player really knows how to play loud and intense, while still retaining the grimy quality the bass has.
Hope you like these three groups.
Black Monolith - Passenger (Download)
Nux Vomica - Nux Vomica
Windhand - Soma
Favorite song: Nux Vomica - "Reeling"
Related artists: Thantifaxath, Stone Titan
For some reason, "lyrical black metal" has become a thing recently, especially with groups like Agalloch getting a lot of attention for combining elements of folk with metal. Personally, I'm not a huge fan of this. So this post is on some good, pummeling, definitely not folk-inspired black metal.
The first group that comes to mind is Black Monolith, an Oakland-based black metal and thrash metal project that I'm a big fan of. Their sound is fairly unique, using the chord progressions and sounds usually found in black metal and speeding it up an insane amount. The lyrics and vocals are also very good, and the mixing of their projects is nice as well. I'll post a link to their newest album (which is pay-what-you-want, so that's nice) from their bandcamp.
Don't be turned off by the band name of this group. Nux Vomica is a great doom and death metal influenced black metal band with some extremely adventurous and experimental song structures and lengths. Their newest album, self-titled Nux Vomica is around forty-five minutes but lasts only three songs. The second song on here, "Reeling" is one of the best metal songs this year.
The last group is Windhand, more of a stoner rock or doom and sludge metal band than black metal but still a good listen. The bass on their newest album, Soma, is insane. I know that's strange to say about a hardcore outfit, but their bass player really knows how to play loud and intense, while still retaining the grimy quality the bass has.
Hope you like these three groups.
Black Monolith - Passenger (Download)
Nux Vomica - Nux Vomica
Windhand - Soma
Favorite song: Nux Vomica - "Reeling"
Related artists: Thantifaxath, Stone Titan
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