@@@ Moon: Extinction (N/A, 2018) I got to this Chicago power trio via a publicist in the Midwest. It’s retro grunge-y but with a bit more pep and a tad less flannel. The singer works in a higher vocal register and could be mistaken for a woman as he does a Patti Smith/Geddy Lee thing. The second tune, Revolutions, takes the tempo down and showcases the singer more than the rock band playing vibe. I’ve listened to portions of three tunes and I like the first tune best. I prefer my rock uptempo and less epic rather than more. That said, the production here is excellent and all the players play really well.
@@@ Gavin Haley: better off (Red Bull, 2018) I try to listen to Red Bull releases because you can crack a lot of jokes about Red Bull and because it’s hilarious how every artist has to sound like he/she is pumped up on Red Bull to get on the label. Color me wrong as shit as this tune opens up chill and laidback with the vocal hook is ‘she’s hooked on drugs’. It’s not a rocking tune nor completely a ballad so it occupies a space in between with what I would refer to as ‘meaningful’ lyrics. I only glanced quickly at the video but I think they spent more time on the video than the track.
@@@ Kalli Ma: Offence-Defence (Self-released, 2018) Another track, this time electronic, that I got to via a music publicist email. It’s got an medium aggressive and slightly dark color to the sounds with a No Wave singer. There are a lot of blasts of sound pushing through the mix – a quick synth arpeggio, an electronic blast, other such business. I like the sounds, I don’t like the singer as much. It’s not personal.
@@@ YG: Handgun (Def Jam, 2018) It’s interesting this rough track occupies the #1 spot on the Apple Music hot tracks section. It’s also interesting how many of these gun anthems involve explicit mentions of the female genitalia. I’m not sure how it’s connected but it’s a common theme. The beat is skittery and mixed with a pretty ominous piano figure that drives the track. There is a lot of chanting which raises the martial vibe of the track. It’s an all right track, it’s most interesting feature is how it gets to be #1 track. One might say there are some white and black music executives more than willing to make money off these tracks which can be interpreted as glorifying and romanticizing gun violence. Not trying to be uptight, just sayin’.
YTD recordings listened to: 437
Good music, not recommended for purchase: 2230
Not good music: 192
Best: 7
Honorable Mentions: 4
Possibles: Retox, Defeater, Jonwayne, Okkyung Lee, Slidhr, The Chewers, Toxic Holocaust, Susie Iberra/Roberto Rodriguez, The Coral, T.O.M.B., Lozen, Erase Errata, Mastery, Hartley C. White, Weed, Cold Water, Janelle Monae, Luther Dickinson, Graeme Barrett, Fast Asleep, Goldlink, Cavanaugh, Satoko Fuji, Moken, Juan Atkins, Lantern, Twin Peaks, Djelimady Tounkara, The Oh Sees, Denny Zeitlin, MILF, Unfun, De La Soul, Carl Sagan’s Skate Shoes, A Tribe Called Quest, Noname, Gouge Away, Klara Lewis, Krullur, The Lowest Form, Hard Proof, Yotoco, Jungle Fire, Sandoz, Oddisee, Forro in the Dark, RAM, Fiver, Succumb Succumb, Gloom, Priests, Propaganda, This is the Kit, Roberto Gonzalez, Integrity, Tuba Skinny, The Expanders, Converge, Open Mike Eagle, Criolo, Billy Strings, Flowers of Sulphur, Tal National, Portal, Hernan Sama & Marcelo von Schultz, Jean Grae and Quelle Chris, Lawaii, Etran De L’Air, Ruby Karinto, Elysia Crampton, Parquet Courts, Orlando Lopez, Moskus
Deep In the Music 