Kool A.D. slaughters his verse over a hypnotic track from Sha-leik to make of my favorite tracks of the year. Check the full mixtape here.
Sunday, May 11, 2014
Wednesday, May 7, 2014
I'm back
Gather 'round blog readers, that's if you're still livin'!
I got a laptop and thus have re-entered the 21st century. It feels good to be home.
I got a laptop and thus have re-entered the 21st century. It feels good to be home.
Thursday, October 24, 2013
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
Frankie Rose - Herein Wild
I love Frankie Rose's style of pop music. Herein Wild is a lock for the "Best of 2014" list, which is high praise in a year replete with deserving candidates.
Miles Davis - On the Corner
That future-sound/ next-level shit that you didn't know Miles Davis did.
Hot Sugar "Leverage" (ft. Kool A.D., Fat Tony, Lakutis, Nasty Nigel)
This is like when Picasso did paintings the "normal" way to prove that he could, thus making you appreciate his own style even more.
Monday, October 21, 2013
Parquet Courts - Tally All The Things That You Broke
Have we thought about electing the Parquet Courts? Seriously. While our government was fuckin' around and doing nothing, these "slackers" were working hard to make us happy.
The outcome of their hard work is a wildly successful EP. Tally All The Things That You Broke, strikes that perfect balance that eludes so many bands by being a perfect and obvious continuation of their style while also introducing new elements to keep it exciting. The best example of this is the Beck-inspired, apartment-door-buzzer-sampling "Seeing Paths", about a day in the life of a weed (?) dealer.
Always whip-smart, always entertaining, always there when you call. I fuckin' love the Parquet Courts.
4 more years! 4 more years!
I'm Ripped Off Radio, and I approve this message.
The outcome of their hard work is a wildly successful EP. Tally All The Things That You Broke, strikes that perfect balance that eludes so many bands by being a perfect and obvious continuation of their style while also introducing new elements to keep it exciting. The best example of this is the Beck-inspired, apartment-door-buzzer-sampling "Seeing Paths", about a day in the life of a weed (?) dealer.
Always whip-smart, always entertaining, always there when you call. I fuckin' love the Parquet Courts.
4 more years! 4 more years!
I'm Ripped Off Radio, and I approve this message.
Pusha T - My Name is My Name
In many ways, Pusha T's lastest release My Name is My Name is the polar opposite to the Drake release. Where Drake favors the intimate and the sad, Pusha favors the the malicious and the ferocious. MNIMN, however, is one of the few rap records this year that matches the emotional output of NWTS, albeit in different manifestations.
Pusha is endlessly entertaining not only because he is so technically sound and the epitome gangster rapper, but also because he is able to convey such emotional depth in his street tales. The backdrop of the drug game is used just as a foundation. To call MNIMN coke-rap is like calling Breaking Bad a show about science--it simply doesn't do justice to the epic scale and attention to detail.
Along with some of the best punch lines of his career, MNIMN shows that Pusha can lay his signature style over a variety of beats. Rhythms like that of 40 Acres are rarely what come to mind when you think of the gritty MC, but he handles it wonderfully.
More than anything, I am impressed that he can still think of different punchlines about cocaine. How does one man not run out of coke punchlines? I wouldn't be surprised if he has a guy in his entourage who just throws out random topics so that Pusha can think of punchlines relating to them.
Pusha: Give me a topic
Entourage guy: The Nazis
Pusha: We got it from the heights/but we wanted it purer/ blonde haired blue eyes like the furher !!
Entrourage guy: Cool. Can we go to the club now?
Pusha is endlessly entertaining not only because he is so technically sound and the epitome gangster rapper, but also because he is able to convey such emotional depth in his street tales. The backdrop of the drug game is used just as a foundation. To call MNIMN coke-rap is like calling Breaking Bad a show about science--it simply doesn't do justice to the epic scale and attention to detail.
Along with some of the best punch lines of his career, MNIMN shows that Pusha can lay his signature style over a variety of beats. Rhythms like that of 40 Acres are rarely what come to mind when you think of the gritty MC, but he handles it wonderfully.
More than anything, I am impressed that he can still think of different punchlines about cocaine. How does one man not run out of coke punchlines? I wouldn't be surprised if he has a guy in his entourage who just throws out random topics so that Pusha can think of punchlines relating to them.
Pusha: Give me a topic
Entourage guy: The Nazis
Pusha: We got it from the heights/but we wanted it purer/ blonde haired blue eyes like the furher !!
Entrourage guy: Cool. Can we go to the club now?
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
Drake - Nothing Was the Same
Drake's Take Care is a modern classic in some circles. I happen to traverse through those circles from time to time, and I have always been a champion of one Drizzy. This made me expect great things from his newest release, Nothing Was the Same.
While the highs are incredibly high on Nothing Was the Same, it is a victim to its creator's own complete self-confidence. This album is Drake turned, but never Turnt, up to 11. This means that, while you are guaranteed a few infectious hooks, dense on-the-nose rhyme structures and room-clearing punchlines, you are also left with what feels like hours of emo rap. As one of my friends put it, it seems like Drake has no reluctance in airing out grievances and/or dirty laundry. All one has to do is play a beat, and he will gladly shit on anything, pour out his emotions and expect you to listen. This can be grating, even if you are nodding your head at the time.
There are five undeniably dope songs and the rest of the filler that, while better than 90% of other rapper's filler, are just okay and prevent this record from being a classic. I still rate the record a strong B--maybe even a B+--but it isn't a record that will stay in rotation from front to back.
Also, I am worried that Drake will soon run out of relationships to complain about and move on to mere acquaintances. So watch out, Starbucks baristas! Take heed, girl who didn't return Drake's crayons in second grade! There may well be a diss track coming for you in the near future.
All jokes aside, I am a fan and I gotta tip my hat to man who at least TRIES to make a great record each time he puts one out. The production is certainly on point and Drake at his best is one of my favorite things to listen to. I wish it was a little better, but that doesn't mean it isn't damn good.
While the highs are incredibly high on Nothing Was the Same, it is a victim to its creator's own complete self-confidence. This album is Drake turned, but never Turnt, up to 11. This means that, while you are guaranteed a few infectious hooks, dense on-the-nose rhyme structures and room-clearing punchlines, you are also left with what feels like hours of emo rap. As one of my friends put it, it seems like Drake has no reluctance in airing out grievances and/or dirty laundry. All one has to do is play a beat, and he will gladly shit on anything, pour out his emotions and expect you to listen. This can be grating, even if you are nodding your head at the time.
There are five undeniably dope songs and the rest of the filler that, while better than 90% of other rapper's filler, are just okay and prevent this record from being a classic. I still rate the record a strong B--maybe even a B+--but it isn't a record that will stay in rotation from front to back.
Also, I am worried that Drake will soon run out of relationships to complain about and move on to mere acquaintances. So watch out, Starbucks baristas! Take heed, girl who didn't return Drake's crayons in second grade! There may well be a diss track coming for you in the near future.
All jokes aside, I am a fan and I gotta tip my hat to man who at least TRIES to make a great record each time he puts one out. The production is certainly on point and Drake at his best is one of my favorite things to listen to. I wish it was a little better, but that doesn't mean it isn't damn good.
Where did you go....my blogger?!?!
I wanna know
where did you go?
My blogger?
I wanna know
where did you go ohohohaaahhohoh
Answer: I have no functioning computer at mi casa. Lo siento. It's hard out here for a pimp.
where did you go?
My blogger?
I wanna know
where did you go ohohohaaahhohoh
Answer: I have no functioning computer at mi casa. Lo siento. It's hard out here for a pimp.
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
Lorde "Royals"
The interwebs are all atwitter (see what I did there) with praise for Lorde and her single "Royals". While I think it is ALRIGHT, I can't really explain why this is unanimously loved while LDR was fuckin' crucified.
Such is the power of being precocious, I suppose.
Such is the power of being precocious, I suppose.
Friday, September 27, 2013
Gregory Porter "1960 What?"
Shout out to Shazam for letting me know the name of this toe-tapper when I was in that boutique wine store. Shout out to Gregory Porter for giving me a soundtrack for walking around and acting like I was gonna drop forty bucks on a bottle of wine.
Grooms "I Think We're Alone Now"
I have really been feelin Grooms' record Infinity Caller, in no small part to the shoe-gaze-on-adderall super track that is "I Think We're Alone Now".
Pusha T "King Push"
It's that Pusha T joint that Joaquin Phoenix produced that we have all been excited for:
Pusha T - King Push from Nathaniel Brown on Vimeo.
Pusha T - King Push from Nathaniel Brown on Vimeo.
EMA -- Past Life Martyred Saints
I was a fan of the EMA record when it dropped a few years back, but I can't say I was in love with it. There were a few songs I liked..maybe even REALLY liked, but it never truly resonated with me. And then last weekend I had my come-to-Jesus moment with Past Life Martyred Saints.
At the behest of a friend, I revisited the record, bringing with me a more seasoned ear, bloodshot eyes and beer-soaked breath. Sitting on my coach with my headphones on, blankly staring at a Michigan football game wind down, I was blown away by the craftsmanship of the record. I loved the artistic intent of the record, the harsh intensity, the sonic brashness, the not-quite-perfect vocals; it was truly gripping.
To call it pop music would be unfair to both PLMS and to pop music, but it is certainly constructed with that blueprint in mind, even if it is just to color outside the lines. This is most prominent in "Breakfast", where the structure of the song is traditional pop, with a chanted repetition kicking off the song and remaining throughout, but the content is far too stark and melancholy to be heard on your local station. In "Breakfast" as well as "California", the use of popular children's lyrics nudges you towards the realization that this is almost a nursery rhyme. Granted, it has taken a strange, weird turn, but at its heart it is a bubblegum pop song.
Call it post-pop, call it alternative, call it whatever gets you through the night, but the most important thing to do with this album is listen, and let it call out to you.
At the behest of a friend, I revisited the record, bringing with me a more seasoned ear, bloodshot eyes and beer-soaked breath. Sitting on my coach with my headphones on, blankly staring at a Michigan football game wind down, I was blown away by the craftsmanship of the record. I loved the artistic intent of the record, the harsh intensity, the sonic brashness, the not-quite-perfect vocals; it was truly gripping.
To call it pop music would be unfair to both PLMS and to pop music, but it is certainly constructed with that blueprint in mind, even if it is just to color outside the lines. This is most prominent in "Breakfast", where the structure of the song is traditional pop, with a chanted repetition kicking off the song and remaining throughout, but the content is far too stark and melancholy to be heard on your local station. In "Breakfast" as well as "California", the use of popular children's lyrics nudges you towards the realization that this is almost a nursery rhyme. Granted, it has taken a strange, weird turn, but at its heart it is a bubblegum pop song.
Call it post-pop, call it alternative, call it whatever gets you through the night, but the most important thing to do with this album is listen, and let it call out to you.
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