Okay. I get it. More snow. Seriously. If you’re reading this and anywhere in the northeastern part of the United States, you will understand why I’m pissed off. All over facebook, I have friends that have these stupid status messages saying something to the effect of, “I get it, it’s going to snow. Welcome to New England.” No, assholes, this bullshit isn’t natural. I want some fucking sunshine. And this is where my music addition for the day comes in. To all you people saying, “Suck it up, it’s New England”? I want to slam your genitalia into a car door. If you’re just as pissed as I am? Enjoy this music. It makes me look forward to this god-forsaken winter ending.
Talib Kweli has been knocking our socks off for years. Whether in his collaborations with artists like Mos Def, Kanye West, and ?uestlove or on his own solo work, he always shines. He’s established himself as a rapper’s MC and a hip-hop fan’s source of consistently brilliant rhymes. And now he’s getting serious.
Gutter Rainbows will be available (digitally only) this Tuesday, January 25th. It’s Kweli’s first self-released album and he’s been touting it for a while as the type of album he’s always wanted to make. You can actually hear it through the tracks: there’s a dedication and enthusiasm that’s contagious. The music and beats are solid, if not amazing at times. There are plenty of great guests on the album but Kweli shines brightest. He’s perfectly in his element, and it’s a sweet ride to take with him.
The first single, “Cold Rain,” has been circulating since late last year. In case you haven’t caught it yet, take a listen here first:
Ahhh! The Cold War Kids have a new album coming out Tuesday! That’s the best headline I can give you!
Five years ago they released Robbers & Cowards and you might have heard their single “Hair Down” in 2006. Unless you wrote them off for their weird band name. Around that time, Daytrotter’s Sean Moeller said they “write and play songs as if they’re burning from the inside out.” That’s Cold War Kids. Stories begging to be told are easily unfurled on the lips of Nathan Willett, and the necessary sounds that support these tales come through in the form of bass, piano, rhythm, and drums provided by Matt Maust, Jonnie Russell, and Matt Aviero.
2008’s Loyalty to Loyalty was heavily thematic, full of characters with sad and mysterious backgrounds. And although their third album, Mine Is Yours sounds like it is closer to the same vein as the first, the stories are even more powerful. The slow burn starts off with an opening title track, and the souls of these voices penetrate more as each track progresses. Don’t get attached to me, “Royal Blue”‘s narrator warns. But his counterpart, in Track 4, “Finally Begin”, sounds like he figured something out, even if he’s still working on it all.
I wish somebody’d push me That way I’d know who to blame
I think I’m sharing that track not because it’s the strongest on the album, but because it best demonstrates the typical Cold War Kids theme: “I know what to do, but I can’t make the choice and I’m stuck in the middle. So here’s my whole story, with half of it left out.”
This album rocks. I want to share every track with it. Make sure you grab it on Tuesday.
Not sure why, but the title used is from Derrick Carter’s “Where U At?” I guess I could say it works in this sense in that here I’m just sort of showing the extent of influence late hip-hop producer Jay Dee has had. Now, I had done a post based around one of his tracks a few months back, but this post is more to show his reach in music.
Yep. Jay Dee had a hand in that. Crazy, eh? Or how about these two songs?
Yep, more production work by Jay Dee. Having worked with Q-Tip and the Pharcyde is just the beginning, really. You guys should check out the full list of stuff he’s had a hand in. Oh, and the best part is that the video for “Drop” by the Pharcyde was a Spike Jonze product. Did you notice Ad Rock pop in there?
So the last surprise of work by Jay Dee was a Slum Village remix of “Aerodynamic” by Daft Punk. You heard right. As a way for Slum Village to avoid paying for the use of a sample, they were asked to create a remix for Daft Punk’s Daft Club, and the resulting remix is here.
So boys and girls? Now you know. And knowing is half the battle. Yo Joe! Umm…..yeah.
I’ll keep today’s post brief, because I don’t actually have much information to give on The Son(s). News of their new single hit my inbox earlier this week and despite my attempts I can’t find much about the band. What I do know is that they’ve been around for a while. They started with three members but are now down to one. They’re from Scotland, like so many bands I love. And they have a new single coming out on January 17th, which would be this Monday. Word on the street is that it’s the precursor to a full-length slated for somewhere around March. Word from kilter is that, based on this single, it’s going to be good.
The songwriting reminds me in a very positive way of Doves, who I may need to double back and write up one of these days. Fellow Doves fans should know what I mean. The production is raw and immediate, and the vocal harmonies are amazingly layered. I can’t say I was blown away by all of their earlier work but these two new songs have me really anticipating what’s to come.
You can listen to the new single “Radar” and its b-side at their bandcamp site. Act now and you can also grab a free copy of a 2-song album they released last October.
If you like the new tunes remember to grab them Monday, and keep an eye out in a couple months for more material. I’ll do my best to remind you but I have the attention span of…Hey! Look, a kitty!
Right out of the gate this album, as it was designed to do, grabs hold of you and tells you there’s no way you’re not going to listen to this. It’s too important. So sit down. No, wait. Stay standing. And raise your fist.
Political punk.
So content to live in your ignorance while they manipulate and tell you it’s true.
Don’t think it’s just FOX News with the spin and rhetoric. Politicos on both sides love the ignorant masses who will remain divided and follow the wildly dramatic claims and warnings.
Smoke or Fire have been writing hardcore punk songs with lyrics full of social commentary since 1998. At the time, they called themselves Jericho. They had changed their name by the time they recorded the album Above The City in 2005 with Fat Wreck Chords. They stuck with the label ever since, and in November of 2010 released The Speakeasy.
The commentary in the lyrics are not focused solely on the sad state of our humanity. Songwriter Joe McMahon dispenses words of advice to other bands in the industry in Track 6, “Hope & Anchor.”
Those days are over now, what started off as fun Has made you question everything and not trust anyone
It’s this and “Porch Wine” that can be used more as personal anthems rather than revolutionary battle cries. Also, I love this track musically more than the others on the album:
The realization of great potential Leads to the feeling of an emptiness And what to fill it with in our time?
All I can offer you is a shrug. Find something lasting to fill it with. Make a change. Quote pundits on your FaceBook page and do nothing. Self-medicate. The only certainty is death. (And taxes.)
Anyone that’s known me for a while knows how strongly I feel about many issues and how readily I display my emotions on my sleeve. I’ve learned to temper it a bit the older I’ve gotten, but occasionally, it still overflows and comes out as pure anger. The events of Saturday, January 8th down in Tucson, Arizona are a good example of this. Now Representative Gabrielle Giffords is in critical condition, and six are dead.
Arizona has been the subject of many jokes within the last year. The controversial immigration law they enacted inflamed passionate debate amongst both sides. Extremes were certainly brought out on both of those sides, but common sense tells us that if we want to end a problem, we work to display some patience and forward-thinking. The state of Arizona didn’t didn’t display those traits, and is now facing a PR nightmare about it’s image. That’s a conversation left for a different day, but the point is that these problems continue to bog down the state.
In 2004, a Republican led Congress let lapse the Federal Assault Weapon Ban. If this had been in place within the last few weeks, Jared Loughner maybe wouldn’t have committed the atrocities we bore witness to on the 8th. However, as was stated pretty clearly on BBC News’ World News America, the NRA and the small percentage of people in this country who care solely about gun restrictions make up a large voice. We may never see a day where we can go worry free about the threats we saw carried out in Tucson due to this misguided logic.
We’re watching both sides point fingers over this tragic event. If you’re reading this, and you’re blaming liberals? Or the Tea Party? Or anyone, for that matter – STOP IT. The only way we will ever see an end to this senseless violence is by working to prevent it. By using that same patience and pragmatism I spoke of earlier. That doesn’t equate to taking your guns away, as the NRA would have you believe. This young man was initially unable to buy the bullets he sought, believe it or not. He instead went to a second Wal-Mart and made the purchase there.
Just think about that. While you are in a Wal-Mart with your young son or daughter looking at buying a bicycle, a man is buying bullets. Bullets are not the harmless creation the NRA would lead you to believe. They are made for a single purpose. When this first came about, I couldn’t help but think of a good quote by comedian Eddie Izzard from his stand-up special Dress To Kill.
“The NRA says ‘guns don’t kill people, people do.’ But I think that the gun helps.”
The solution? Is not more guns. Restrictions on firearms need to be in place. We need laws in all fifty states that require proper training by civilians for use of these weapons. Proper registration and storage at homes need to be in place, also. If you insist on owning a gun, I have no issues with that. I have to stress this. However, a gun is a major responsibility. On top of being a responsibility? It’s a privilege. One that I feel should be taken away if you can’t prove that you are enough of an adult to do what are honestly very simple things.
For anyone that may call my opinions into question, I’ve lived a life where as a child, I grew up around weapons. I never liked them, but thankfully, they were stored properly. If you were to ask anyone in the military or that works for your local police, they will likely agree with me on the changes I’ve spoken of. Many I’ve spoken with have agreed.
One of my goals (let’s not call it a resolution, ok) for the year to is try to stay a little more timely with what I’m reviewing. I often felt like I was behind the ball last year, reviewing albums weeks after they’d been released and after you’d probably read a million other reviews already. For 2011 I’ll do my best to write up albums closer to their release date if possible. I’ve mentioned before that I don’t have fancy connections that give me promos to listen to or anything, but I’ll try to make it work.
In the spirit of this new approach, I got my hands on Valhalla Dancehall, the upcoming release from British Sea Power. It’s good. Pretty damn good. Let’s just jump right in with a track:
I have to admit I never gave these guys much of a chance before. I’ve heard random tracks here and there but never followed up to see if I actually liked the band. What I can say about this album is that it’s driving and full of energy, yet loaded with hooks and introspection; a mix only the British seem to be able to actually pull off. The moods and genres shift a bit along the way but it all works. It’s enough to spur me to go back and check out the rest of their catalog, which is one of the best compliments I can give. So to those of you saying, “kilter, I’ve been a fan forever and I think you’re pretty much a big loser for not being one yourself all along,” I hang my head in shame. You’re right, I was wrong. I hope you’re happy now.
Valhalla Dancehall drops this Tuesday, the 11th. I definitely recommend giving it a listen. I mean, of course, beyond what I’ve posted here for you.
So another new year has come into our lives. And with it? Well, another year of my pointless banter about music. And what better way to start it all off than by posting some good ambient tunes by one Richard Melville Hall. You guys probably know him by another name – Moby.
The first track here is something I thought of the other night not really knowing why I thought of it. However, this one is one I said flat out to all my buddies on Facebook that I would want played at my funeral. That’s a pretty morbid statement, yes, but it’s 100% true. This is just a hauntingly beautiful song, and hell, it was even used in the Sopranos. So check out “When It’s Cold, I’d Like To Die” off of the mid-’90’s electronica breakthrough album Everything Is Wrong.
The next one is off of his critically acclaimed album Play. You know, I had sort of skipped past a lot of this album. Not even sure why. This is one I had to be reminded was a great tune. After posting this one online, as well, I got one comment from the following video accompaniment to it.
The last one is a lengthy tune that doesn’t really seem to be long enough, if you could believe it. This as well as Panda Bear’s “Bros” and the Mad Professor dub of Massive Attack’s “Protection” are all in select company, there. It’s “Alone”, off of the failed Animal Rights album. The album was one I anticipated, but definitely had the same reaction as many – confusion. It was a very different sound from what I was used to, but there was plenty on it to like. This, to me, is the standout track. Just gorgeous.
2010 has slipped away and here we are in a new year. It’s time for resolutions and promises that will be kept for a month or so, time for hope and optimism that the next 365-ish days will bring better things, time to wave goodbye to the last 365, whether fondly or with great relief.
It would be fitting to do a “best of 2010” type of post here, maybe with a top ten list, but there are already so many of those out there. Kanye West’s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy won the hearts of most of the big music bloggers, and some of us here would agree. There were a ton of great albums released this year and I could throw down a top ten, though it would be hard to choose. Instead I’d like to revisit just a few albums I didn’t get the chance to write up since I joined the staff here late in the year.
In the spring a collaboration between Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse was released. Dark Night Of The Soul featured a bevy of guest singers, including the always unique David Lynch. It was the last work of Sparklehorse’s Mark Linkous, who committed suicide this year. I’ve always loved the band’s subdued sound and delicate approach. Sparklehorse will be missed.
The Books released their fourth full-length album, The Way Out in the spring as well. If you’re unfamiliar with The Books, they’re a duo who use found art to create lush soundscapes. With the number of samples they blend it should be a mess, but they put it all together in a remarkably listenable way. This was one of the most interesting albums of the year, by far.
M.I.A.’s Maya hit the charts and helped cement her position as a challenging, brilliant, artist. She’s political, throws tons of different genres into the mix, and still makes it groovy and danceable.
Man, there were just so many more. Broken Bells, The Black Keys, The Arcade Fire, you’ll see them all on the lists out there. This is a great time to go back and listen to anything you may have missed along the way.
I’m looking forward to what 2011 has in store. At the very least we should get new releases from Veto and Elbow, which will be enough for me.
