This Waaves album is very solid--and this is coming from someone who has never liked Waaves and was fully prepared to bash this album. Instead of being crap, Afraid of Heights is one of my favorite of the year thus far. Listen to the standout cut from the album, "Gimme a Knife", below.
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Lupe Fiasco Blames Rap Music
Lupe Fiasco is continuing his career path towards his destined spot of PTA Meeting supervisor with his latest effort: Criticizing violence in music!
Serious questions: Do he and KRS-One link up on weekends to talk about what it is to be a "real emcee" all day on the phone until they masturbate themselves to sleep listening to DJ Kool Herc bootlegs?
Lupe, dude, I PROMISE YOU, you are not as smart as you think you are. I'm tired of this fucking preaching.
Check out Lupe's sometimes true, mostly errant, views here.
Or, just go to your local 65 year old white lady and ask her what she thinks of hippity-hop. You will get the same answer.
Serious questions: Do he and KRS-One link up on weekends to talk about what it is to be a "real emcee" all day on the phone until they masturbate themselves to sleep listening to DJ Kool Herc bootlegs?
Lupe, dude, I PROMISE YOU, you are not as smart as you think you are. I'm tired of this fucking preaching.
Check out Lupe's sometimes true, mostly errant, views here.
Or, just go to your local 65 year old white lady and ask her what she thinks of hippity-hop. You will get the same answer.
Rina Sawayama "Sleeping in Waking"
All I really wanna say is breathe easy
this is the time to let it go
You will only hear this from me one more...
Don't think about me tonight
this is the time to let it go
You will only hear this from me one more...
Don't think about me tonight
Monday, March 25, 2013
Beyonce "Bow Down/I Been on"
Beyonce goes in over a Hit-boy/Timbaland/The-Dream/Polow da Down joint:
How To Dress Well
How To Dress Well was fantastic on Sunday Night at Brighton Music Hall.
This performance was different from the first time I saw him at the same venue last November; this time showed Tom Krell much morerelaxed drunk, leading to many terrific stories such as:
This performance was different from the first time I saw him at the same venue last November; this time showed Tom Krell much more
- The story of his car breaking down in "a section of Connecticut where people had no teeth". Apparently, our fearless leader had to wait it out in a Staples until helped arrived, which he described as "one of the most depressing places on Earth".
- Tom Krell apparently met up with Maxwell after a show in New York a few days ago. Maxwell invited him to the studio where they "Took a bunch of ecstasy and listened to Juicy J" until 2 A.M.
These two things were the reason for the performance's bumpier parts, but the highs were well worth the lows. The lack of preparation gave a markedly different feel to the performance than at his previous stop in Beantown, but even an incredibly blitzed HTDW (he was taking bottle shots on stage) is still impeccable.
When he belted out some of the more stirring parts of the album they rang just as true as the sober, polished version, and this performance also showed Krell letting his guard down and going for the gusto which was mostly a great decision.
Dude also rocked a black on white t-shirt depicting Kanye West as a pharaoh, soooo yeah. Epic.
Yo La Tengo "Come See About Me" (Supremes Cover)
Yo La Tengo do a great job on the A.V. Club's wonderful "Undercover" series, covering The Supremes "Come See About Me".
Archers of Loaf "Web in Front"
The pure perfection of this song never ceases to amaze:
All I ever wanted
Was to be your spine
All I ever wanted
Was to be your spine
Sunday, March 24, 2013
Gucci on the Lam
Per Pitchfork, Gucci Mane is wanted for assault...of a U.S. soldier. Dammit, Gucci.
Read the whole thing here.
Things aren't looking good for Guwop, who seemed to have straightened out after his bid a few years back. I hope things work out, but as Dignon said:
"On the run from Johnny Law..it ain't no trip to Cleveland."
Especially if you punched a fucking soldier.
High Highs/ Sky Ferreira/ How to Dress Well
Going to see the High Highs/ Sky Ferreira/ How to Dress Well concert tonight at Brighton Music Hall. Come, all ye faithful.
Thursday, March 21, 2013
Rolling Stones "Laugh, I Nearly Died"
Been traveling far and wide
wonderin' who is gonna be my guide
wonderin' who is gonna be my guide
YelaWolf "Gangster" ft. A$AP Rocky and Big Henry
Another dope track from the mixtape Trap Muzik Returns.
This is what got me into Yelawolf a few years back and still stands as one of my favorite videos on the internet. If you don't know Yourstu.ly, get familiar.
This is what got me into Yelawolf a few years back and still stands as one of my favorite videos on the internet. If you don't know Yourstu.ly, get familiar.
Blaenavon "Into The Night"
When I was 16, I spent a lot of my time trying to be cool and/or make out with girls.
Blaenavon spend their time making songs that get love on Radio 1.
I blame rap music and the American educational system.
Blaenavon spend their time making songs that get love on Radio 1.
I blame rap music and the American educational system.
O "London"
One of my favorite songs I've heard this year.
Three and a half minutes of pleading, rationalizing, wishful thinking, and depressing realization.
Three and a half minutes of pleading, rationalizing, wishful thinking, and depressing realization.
Kendrick Lamar "Swimming Pools" (Blood Diamonds Remix)
Blood Diamonds does it again! Buckle up and enjoy.
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Justin Timberlake - The 20/20 Experience
I'm on the third song of this album and I'm pretty sure it's a stone cold classic.
Monday, March 18, 2013
Sunday, March 17, 2013
Lorine Chia ft. Chance the Rapper "Living in Vain"
What can I say
Just to make it go away
and to take away the pain?
I've been crying too much
wasting my time
shedding all these tears
instead of taking what is mine
The Men - New Moon
A new moon, indeed.
The Men enter a new phase of their career with their latest release, so much so thought I had to double check my Spotify to make sure that I hadn't clicked on another artist with the same name
Incorporating country and americana elements, The Men show they have more to them than just straight ahead, noisy rock that was found on their previous releases. (The most recent of which was the superlative effort Open Your Heart).
But fear not, fans of straight ahead, noisy rock-- there is plenty of that on the back end of the album, too.
The Men enter a new phase of their career with their latest release, so much so thought I had to double check my Spotify to make sure that I hadn't clicked on another artist with the same name
Incorporating country and americana elements, The Men show they have more to them than just straight ahead, noisy rock that was found on their previous releases. (The most recent of which was the superlative effort Open Your Heart).
But fear not, fans of straight ahead, noisy rock-- there is plenty of that on the back end of the album, too.
Lil Wayne in the Hospital Again
Weezy was put in the hospital earlier this week and seems to be recovering, which is great. I wish him well.
I can't help but think this is going to be a Amy Winehouse-esque ending to a career--a career which flaunted drug use and used it as a vehicle for his writing process and his subsequent success. The wise words of Westwood ring truer today than ever before--go easy on the syrup, kid.
Disclosure "White Noise" Hudson Mohawke Remix
This dropped last month and somehow slid under my radar.
Keep Shelly In Athens "Madmen Love"
Electro-pop favorites Keep Shelly In Athens give us an experimental joint.
Thursday, March 14, 2013
Paul Baribeau "Never Get to Know"
When I'm faded off that Cutty Sark, my music choices bend towards the beautifully depressed.
Behold:
Behold:
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Orson Scott Card, French Montana and Our Role in Art Consumption
I just finished reading Ender's Game a week ago (late to the party, I know, but fashionably late). I loved the book and gushed about it to anyone that would listen. I discussed it with friends, recommended it in casual conversations with near-strangers, and made a concerted effort to incorporate as many Ender's Game references as I could in my life (the most drunk successful of which was an Ender's Game freestyle over an Azealia Banks beat).
It is easy to imagine my disappointment when I read that the author of this splendid tale, Orson Scott Card, turned out to be homophobic. And not just Granddad homophobic (the type known to say things like "It just ain't right"), more like the militant homophobe (the type known to say things like "I want to destroy this government and rebuild a new one because it allows gay marriage").
Whoa.
It turns out Card was gearing up to write an arc of Superman for D.C. Comics until a gay-rights advocacy group (which I am a member of) created a petition and got some 16,000 like-minded individuals to pressure D.C. Comics into not enlisting the help of this anti-gay genius. They have convinced some comic book stores to not carry any issues that Card writes, and one illustrator has backed out of collaborating with him.
I reacted with surprise--shit, a petition actually made a change?!--and clicked out of my e-mail, but the story stayed with me throughout the day, pulling at the back of my brain like a malt liquor hangover.
The more the thoughts simmered, the more upset I became, which is the usual way these things go with me.
The twist was that I was pissed at the activist community. I actually found myself defending the scumbag author and rooting for D.C. Comics to stand strong behind him.
You might think I feel this way because I love the ideal more than the reality, that I like to romanticize more than cope, or that the persons I most admire are typcially people I would never associate myself with in any way, but it is actually because I don't think that people should be denied making art simply because they have moronic (even caustic) views. Plain and simple. Even more importantly, I don't like barriers of entry about who is allowed to make art dictated by public opinion.
******************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
If we were to limit who we allow to make art to just those persons who are good people, we would be left with no art.
This is a problem.
Many artists are bad/crazy/ignorant/abhorrent people--always have been, always will be. A quick list: Bukowski, Hemingway, Morrissey, Kanye West, Ike Turner, Whitney Houston, Michelangelo (probably, right?) Geoffrey Chaucer, et al. Though far from perfect, these incorrigible fucks left behind some works of staggeringly brilliant beauty that will continue to inspire generations to come. I believe that the pros of letting them create and distribute their art outweigh the cons.
Think about what the world would have lost if we hadn't allowed them to make art-
I wrote a one-scene play for emphasis of this point. It's called, Charles Bukowski Gets Badgered by Theoretical Us-es.
Scene: Southern California
Year:1970
Theoretical Us: Hey, Chuck, you should prolly cool it with the debauchery.
Bukowksi: Go fuck yourself.
Theoretical Us: We are gonna petition your publishing company to stop you from writing. Also, we're gonna make sure no local bookstores sell your shit if you can find a publishing company stupid enough to print it.
Bukowski: *Throws up on self, attempts to punch another woman, doesn't write Ham on Rye, Post Office, any short stories or poems.*
END SCENE
You can imagine this scene playing out again and again through history with varying degrees of damage to the intellectual world at large. (In fact, I'm thinking of turning all of these moments into one scene plays, bundling them, and them teaming up with an on-the-rise songwriter and a down-on-his-luck lead man to forge a bond strong enough to take us straight to the top! Broadway, here I come!)
By pushing for certain stores/publishers to stop allowing an artist to make money, we are collectively saying that a person can't have a living because we don't agree with their views. And all this time, I thought we lived in a democracy!
I am often heard degrading Chris Brown, calling him a spineless waste of human life. And this is true. I even once said that Jay-z should stone-wall him from the industry, giving an ultimatum to any artist/producer--something to the tune of "You either work with him or me. Choose". I still agree with this, though I disagree with the petition to D.C. Comics. The reasons are two-fold.
For one, as much as a dick as Orson Scott Card may be, he hasn't actually broken any laws. He has called for the outright cancellation of basic human right to love and be happy, but he hasn't done anything that could find him in prison. Chris Brown should be in jail for assault. Card, however, is just in the Kanye/Morrissey realm of asshole--if douchebaggery were a crime, they'd be buried under the jail. But, alas, it isn't (mostly due to the strong pull of the Bro Lobbyists), so these guys are just people we disagree with, not actual criminals. We are not allowing Card to make art because he isn't someone we would want to be around, essentially. Because we don't want him as a role model. That's fucked.
I don't want Chris Brown to have money because he is a scumbag, so I don't buy his record. I fucking talk shit on him. I criticize others who do buy his music. And, Should Jay-z try and blacklist him, it would be each individual artist making the decision as to whether or not they should collaborate with Chris Brown. The freedom of choice for the individual is completely lost with this D.C. petition.
The intention, it seems, of the petition is to limit the exposure of this "bad person" so that he has as little influence as possible, thus making his pernicious views socially irrelevant. This is an admirable, albeit misguided, position to take. Homophobia is a big problem, and those who espouse it deserve to be reprimanded with a good "BOO!". I have qualms, however, with the actual execution of the petition's sentiment. Strong-arming a company to not allow an artist to create is a dangerous, and asinine, maneuver. It prevents every consumer not on the petition of 16,000 from having a choice in the matter about supporting Orson Scott Card's art.
(Neither of these points, by the way, address how censorship often draws MORE attention to the would-be censored artist because I don't have the energy at present)
D.C. Comics, presumably, will back away from supporting Card because theysee the error in their ways believe the negative publicity surrounding the Card-penned Superman was going to hurt the company image and, in turn, sales. Here is where the folks at D.C. would have benefited from playing some Wrath of Caine--had they been spinnin' this mixtape, dear friends, they would have heard the sage words of French Montana, and by doing so they MAY have been able to avoid this horrendous decision.
Mr. Montana implores us to hold dear to our hearts a simple mantra on the chorus of "Doesn't Matter"--You shouldn't give a fuck what people say about you! Shit, D.C. Comics, worry about doing YOU. Other people's opinions don't matter, but this will not stop them from having something to say. No matter what you do, you won't please everyone.
And, as French adroitly identified in the intro, there will always be a portion of the public who espouse some "nerd-havin' opinions" about how you should be living your life and making your art. Fuck those people!
If D.C. Comics actually enjoys the work of Card, and they are comfortable with co-signing a homophobe's art, then they should back Card to the end. I would never deny the right of a comic store owner to not stock a comic, but I think it would be a disservice to the people to not allow a book because the person who wrote it is a shithead.
The table has now been set for you, D.C. Comics; you can either cave to the pressure of society and allow the vilification to make you a villain in the war against popularity, or you can stand strong behind your convictions, like Superman stands behind his.
And in the event I read this ten years from now and shake my head at my stupidity, I will ask that you fly around the world as fast as possible to turn back the years and allow me to right my wrongs.
One Love.
It is easy to imagine my disappointment when I read that the author of this splendid tale, Orson Scott Card, turned out to be homophobic. And not just Granddad homophobic (the type known to say things like "It just ain't right"), more like the militant homophobe (the type known to say things like "I want to destroy this government and rebuild a new one because it allows gay marriage").
Whoa.
It turns out Card was gearing up to write an arc of Superman for D.C. Comics until a gay-rights advocacy group (which I am a member of) created a petition and got some 16,000 like-minded individuals to pressure D.C. Comics into not enlisting the help of this anti-gay genius. They have convinced some comic book stores to not carry any issues that Card writes, and one illustrator has backed out of collaborating with him.
I reacted with surprise--shit, a petition actually made a change?!--and clicked out of my e-mail, but the story stayed with me throughout the day, pulling at the back of my brain like a malt liquor hangover.
The more the thoughts simmered, the more upset I became, which is the usual way these things go with me.
The twist was that I was pissed at the activist community. I actually found myself defending the scumbag author and rooting for D.C. Comics to stand strong behind him.
You might think I feel this way because I love the ideal more than the reality, that I like to romanticize more than cope, or that the persons I most admire are typcially people I would never associate myself with in any way, but it is actually because I don't think that people should be denied making art simply because they have moronic (even caustic) views. Plain and simple. Even more importantly, I don't like barriers of entry about who is allowed to make art dictated by public opinion.
******************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
If we were to limit who we allow to make art to just those persons who are good people, we would be left with no art.
This is a problem.
Many artists are bad/crazy/ignorant/abhorrent people--always have been, always will be. A quick list: Bukowski, Hemingway, Morrissey, Kanye West, Ike Turner, Whitney Houston, Michelangelo (probably, right?) Geoffrey Chaucer, et al. Though far from perfect, these incorrigible fucks left behind some works of staggeringly brilliant beauty that will continue to inspire generations to come. I believe that the pros of letting them create and distribute their art outweigh the cons.
Think about what the world would have lost if we hadn't allowed them to make art-
I wrote a one-scene play for emphasis of this point. It's called, Charles Bukowski Gets Badgered by Theoretical Us-es.
Scene: Southern California
Year:1970
Theoretical Us: Hey, Chuck, you should prolly cool it with the debauchery.
Bukowksi: Go fuck yourself.
Theoretical Us: We are gonna petition your publishing company to stop you from writing. Also, we're gonna make sure no local bookstores sell your shit if you can find a publishing company stupid enough to print it.
Bukowski: *Throws up on self, attempts to punch another woman, doesn't write Ham on Rye, Post Office, any short stories or poems.*
END SCENE
You can imagine this scene playing out again and again through history with varying degrees of damage to the intellectual world at large. (In fact, I'm thinking of turning all of these moments into one scene plays, bundling them, and them teaming up with an on-the-rise songwriter and a down-on-his-luck lead man to forge a bond strong enough to take us straight to the top! Broadway, here I come!)
By pushing for certain stores/publishers to stop allowing an artist to make money, we are collectively saying that a person can't have a living because we don't agree with their views. And all this time, I thought we lived in a democracy!
I am often heard degrading Chris Brown, calling him a spineless waste of human life. And this is true. I even once said that Jay-z should stone-wall him from the industry, giving an ultimatum to any artist/producer--something to the tune of "You either work with him or me. Choose". I still agree with this, though I disagree with the petition to D.C. Comics. The reasons are two-fold.
For one, as much as a dick as Orson Scott Card may be, he hasn't actually broken any laws. He has called for the outright cancellation of basic human right to love and be happy, but he hasn't done anything that could find him in prison. Chris Brown should be in jail for assault. Card, however, is just in the Kanye/Morrissey realm of asshole--if douchebaggery were a crime, they'd be buried under the jail. But, alas, it isn't (mostly due to the strong pull of the Bro Lobbyists), so these guys are just people we disagree with, not actual criminals. We are not allowing Card to make art because he isn't someone we would want to be around, essentially. Because we don't want him as a role model. That's fucked.
I don't want Chris Brown to have money because he is a scumbag, so I don't buy his record. I fucking talk shit on him. I criticize others who do buy his music. And, Should Jay-z try and blacklist him, it would be each individual artist making the decision as to whether or not they should collaborate with Chris Brown. The freedom of choice for the individual is completely lost with this D.C. petition.
The intention, it seems, of the petition is to limit the exposure of this "bad person" so that he has as little influence as possible, thus making his pernicious views socially irrelevant. This is an admirable, albeit misguided, position to take. Homophobia is a big problem, and those who espouse it deserve to be reprimanded with a good "BOO!". I have qualms, however, with the actual execution of the petition's sentiment. Strong-arming a company to not allow an artist to create is a dangerous, and asinine, maneuver. It prevents every consumer not on the petition of 16,000 from having a choice in the matter about supporting Orson Scott Card's art.
(Neither of these points, by the way, address how censorship often draws MORE attention to the would-be censored artist because I don't have the energy at present)
D.C. Comics, presumably, will back away from supporting Card because they
Mr. Montana implores us to hold dear to our hearts a simple mantra on the chorus of "Doesn't Matter"--You shouldn't give a fuck what people say about you! Shit, D.C. Comics, worry about doing YOU. Other people's opinions don't matter, but this will not stop them from having something to say. No matter what you do, you won't please everyone.
And, as French adroitly identified in the intro, there will always be a portion of the public who espouse some "nerd-havin' opinions" about how you should be living your life and making your art. Fuck those people!
If D.C. Comics actually enjoys the work of Card, and they are comfortable with co-signing a homophobe's art, then they should back Card to the end. I would never deny the right of a comic store owner to not stock a comic, but I think it would be a disservice to the people to not allow a book because the person who wrote it is a shithead.
The table has now been set for you, D.C. Comics; you can either cave to the pressure of society and allow the vilification to make you a villain in the war against popularity, or you can stand strong behind your convictions, like Superman stands behind his.
And in the event I read this ten years from now and shake my head at my stupidity, I will ask that you fly around the world as fast as possible to turn back the years and allow me to right my wrongs.
One Love.
Friday, March 8, 2013
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Gold & Youth "Jewel"
It opened up my arms and opened up my eyes once more
now and then i get a little bit afraid
my greatest fear is that ill never change
now and then i get a little bit afraid
my greatest fear is that ill never change
Drake "5am in Toronto"
Oh. My. God.
Drake murdered this.
I could load every gun with bullets that fire backwards
You prolly wouldn't lose a single rapper
PREACH
Apparently some shots fired at Pusha T (the whole thing about albums being shelved) that, per my homie Phaze, has caused Pusha to get back into the booth to respond.
If Drake is in this mode, this Pusha Vs. Drake should could be entertaining.
Drake murdered this.
I could load every gun with bullets that fire backwards
You prolly wouldn't lose a single rapper
PREACH
Apparently some shots fired at Pusha T (the whole thing about albums being shelved) that, per my homie Phaze, has caused Pusha to get back into the booth to respond.
If Drake is in this mode, this Pusha Vs. Drake should could be entertaining.
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Danny Brown and ICP
I gained a lot of respect for ICP after seeing this interview, which I think exposes my own ignorance more than anything. Check it:
Monday, March 4, 2013
Parquet Courts "Smart Aleck Kid"
The new Parquet Courts track is a b-side to their 7" release of "Borrowed Time".
Generationals "Put a Light On"
Some really solid pop music is being made by Generationals. They stop by Boston on April 24 at Great Scott.
Check out more tour dates and info at The Fader.
Check out more tour dates and info at The Fader.
Krown Royale "So New York"
If what is said in this song is true, and Krown Royale considers himself (and his song) "So New York", doesn't this show us how far removed from boom-bap the city has gone? Moreover, doesn't it show how global hip-hop has gotten?
This simple change of city name, from "So New York" to "So birthplace of rapper" (and I'm sure this will happen in various remixes) would allow this song to play in the clubs of any number of locations, as each locale can recognize their regional music within the mosaic--be it Atlanta, London,Tokyo or your apartment. It's all there.
And yes, I am saying your apartment has a distinct sound--mostly of yelling and playing Asteroids at full blast.
This simple change of city name, from "So New York" to "So birthplace of rapper" (and I'm sure this will happen in various remixes) would allow this song to play in the clubs of any number of locations, as each locale can recognize their regional music within the mosaic--be it Atlanta, London,Tokyo or your apartment. It's all there.
And yes, I am saying your apartment has a distinct sound--mostly of yelling and playing Asteroids at full blast.
The Record Books
Christophe Gowans shows us what our favorite album covers would look like as book covers.
This is too cool.
This is too cool.
Sunday, March 3, 2013
Chvrches "We Sink In"
I'll be a thorn in your side
Until you die
I'll be a thorn in your side
For always
Until you die
I'll be a thorn in your side
For always
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