Music for 1/31/20!!! Little Simz, Brutus, Nilufer Yanya

#1 on Line of Best Fit and it’s British hip hop with a female MC.  From the first tune I believe we’re set up for a blend of sounds.  Some hip hop, some rock, some soul music, some old school funk.  I’m feeling this second tune Boss and overall whoever designed the bass sound should get a free soda for their choices.  It’s flabby and a little grizzy and unique.  The third tune is a more modern r&b type thing and I’m realizing I prefer the straight funk tracks here.  Little Simz is sharp and focused on the microphone and in an ironic tune she outshines the vast majority of male UK MCs in muscular toughness verbally.  Falling just shy of my best of list this is almost boiling hot.

 

Pych metal out of Brussels!  That’s Belgium kids.  To my ears it’s punkier more than it’s metal.  It’s also got a bit of art school to it.  They finally kick into gear on the third tune, Cemetery but the question is why isn’t this third tune not kicking the record off?  I went back to look at the review to ascertain that they qualify it is a metal record.  Regular readers know I don’t enjoy being a genre bitch but records should be labelled somewhat accurately to avoid the collapse of society.  I’m guessing this record is aimed squarely at the heart of NPR listeners.  A bit heavy, a bit light you know the drill.  Every year there is a heavy record chosen just for the NPR feelers.

Some major label alternative from the Vice best of 2019.  After an initial conceptual intro it gets into some Brit rock with post punk flavores.  Ms. Yanya is a gal so it’s a female driven band tune.  The production is major label and the energy is somewhat restrained and it’s a bit arty for my taste.  I think the artist and her producers are aiming to re-animate the guitar rock subculture with updated synth sounds and a bit of panache.  In the struggle between passion and overthinking I choose passion every time.  I would like this more if there was more mess, life is messy.

YTD recordings listened to: 88
Good music, not list worthy: 50
Not good music: 38

Best: 0
Honorable Mentions: 0

Possibles: Retox, Defeater, Jonwayne, Okkyung Lee, Slidhr, The Chewers, Susie Iberra/Roberto Rodriguez, The Coral, T.O.M.B., Lozen, Erase Errata, Mastery, Hartley C. White, Weed, Cold Water, 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, Noname, Klara Lewis, Krullur, The Lowest Form, Hard Proof, Yotoco, Jungle Fire, Sandoz, Oddisee, RAM, Fiver, Succumb Succumb, Gloom, Priests, Propaganda, This is the Kit, Roberto Gonzalez, Integrity, Tuba Skinny, The Expanders, Criolo, Billy Strings, Flowers of Sulphur, Portal, Lawaii, Etran De L’Air, Ruby Karinto, Elysia Crampton, Parquet Courts, Moskus, Kendl Winter, Tkay Maidza, Barro, Daniel Khan, Tallawit Timbouctou, Sumac, Tropical Fuck Storm, Harriet Tubman, Ammar 808, Anais Maviel, Chaka Khan, Pom Poko, Fried Egg, Tarek Atoui, Saicobab, General Purv, Shipping News, Big Thief, Mariachi El Bronx, Pour Me a Grog, Sudan Archives, Lakou Mizik, Moodymann, Pharmakon, Alefa Madagascar, Janjao, Luge

Music for 1/30/20!!! Spirit Adrift, Aldous Harding, Inter Arma

Off Vice’s best of 2019.  Ramped up classic metal on this first tune, We Will Not Die.  I like some of the grunge/punk influence on the second tune, Divided By Darkness, but classic metal isn’t my thing.  It’s very well executed with a manicured but not uptight production style.  Driving riffage, soaring singer, etc, you know the drill.

Singer songwriter business on the 4AD label is probably not going to be my thing, but I have open ears and am honest.  Unlike the vast majority of music reviewers.  It opens up with a classic indie rock/Velvet Underground type of thing though she does bust out with a very pleasing vocal arrangement in the chorus.  At it’s core it’s an indie guitar record but she burnishes it with FM rock flourishes and newer indie sounds.  The songs do jump around vibe wise but they’re not too disparate.  I’m not a huge fan of the formula but there are some really nice moments here — the flute/woodwind part on the third tune Zoo Eyes is a notable ear catcher.

More metal off Vice’s best of 2019.  If this first tune is any indicator this is going to be a sludgier, possibly more Satanic affair.  Hail Satan!  (great documentary, check it out)  After some detuned business it gets into a 7 minute shot of frog stomping and exploration of the recessed folds of Donald Trump’s anus.  The areas his staff doesn’t even lick.  Don’t come to this record looking for vocal melodies as a caveman has risen from the grave to hold the microphone.  I dig the drummer here, he’s got some epicness going on.  It could be from repeated shots of Red Bull into his eyes, but enjoy it in the face of that self abuse.

YTD recordings listened to: 85
Good music, not list worthy: 48
Not good music: 37

Best: 0
Honorable Mentions: 0

Possibles: Retox, Defeater, Jonwayne, Okkyung Lee, Slidhr, The Chewers, Susie Iberra/Roberto Rodriguez, The Coral, T.O.M.B., Lozen, Erase Errata, Mastery, Hartley C. White, Weed, Cold Water, 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, Noname, Klara Lewis, Krullur, The Lowest Form, Hard Proof, Yotoco, Jungle Fire, Sandoz, Oddisee, RAM, Fiver, Succumb Succumb, Gloom, Priests, Propaganda, This is the Kit, Roberto Gonzalez, Integrity, Tuba Skinny, The Expanders, Criolo, Billy Strings, Flowers of Sulphur, Portal, Lawaii, Etran De L’Air, Ruby Karinto, Elysia Crampton, Parquet Courts, Moskus, Kendl Winter, Tkay Maidza, Barro, Daniel Khan, Tallawit Timbouctou, Sumac, Tropical Fuck Storm, Harriet Tubman, Ammar 808, Anais Maviel, Chaka Khan, Pom Poko, Fried Egg, Tarek Atoui, Saicobab, General Purv, Shipping News, Big Thief, Mariachi El Bronx, Pour Me a Grog, Sudan Archives, Lakou Mizik, Moodymann, Pharmakon, Alefa Madagascar, Janjao, Luge

 

Music for 1/29/20!!! Low Cut Connie, John Parish, Rolling Blackouts, Melodys Echo Chamber

This is not a time for rocking but these guys didn’t get the memo and they are up in the retro blues rock journey.  After coming out swinging they switch up into a piano driven midtempo thing for the second tune, Beverly.  The singer is neither a macho cock rocker nor a sensitive loverboy, he’s just doing his thing.  Solid sounds and overall standard old school rock business.

I try to peep Thrill Jockey releases as they release a wide variety of stuff.  BTW, all today’s listens come from an All Music notable release email from 2018.  The first tune evokes aspects of Bob Dylan’s Time Out of Mind.  Ambient, low profile, lush and a bit melancholy.  Also a little bit of John Lennon in his voice.  The second tune moves a bit folkier with a female singer added to the mix.  I liked the guitar intro to the third tune, The March, best of what I heard but I like this.

Blurbed as adventurous psych pop by Apple Music it is an orchestra’s worth of instruments in this opener and a wide mix.  Ms. Echo Chamber’s voice is presented as a slightly whispery and dreamy vibe but with a bit of a nod to late ’60s California Mamas and Papas.  The second tune relies more on an electric guitar part but it does get flourished with all sorts of bits and pieces and chunks of vocals.  I like the driving bassline and the extra bits and pieces of the third tune, Desert Horse, best of what I heard.  My positivity towards it fades with the processed vocal parts.

From Australia where rock and guitars are still enjoyed the first tune, An Air Conditioned Man. comes out briskly while being sophisticated.  There’s a little bit of Squeeze and the Coral and Jakob Dylan and a lot of other rock bands coming through in these tunes.  Very good energy and commitment from these guys.  Lots of guitars with driving melodies through it, lower profile singer and a pumping drummer.  Not a bad record for people with jobs.

YTD recordings listened to: 82
Good music, not list worthy: 46
Not good music: 36

Best: 0
Honorable Mentions: 0

Possibles: Retox, Defeater, Jonwayne, Okkyung Lee, Slidhr, The Chewers, Susie Iberra/Roberto Rodriguez, The Coral, T.O.M.B., Lozen, Erase Errata, Mastery, Hartley C. White, Weed, Cold Water, 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, Noname, Klara Lewis, Krullur, The Lowest Form, Hard Proof, Yotoco, Jungle Fire, Sandoz, Oddisee, RAM, Fiver, Succumb Succumb, Gloom, Priests, Propaganda, This is the Kit, Roberto Gonzalez, Integrity, Tuba Skinny, The Expanders, Criolo, Billy Strings, Flowers of Sulphur, Portal, Lawaii, Etran De L’Air, Ruby Karinto, Elysia Crampton, Parquet Courts, Moskus, Kendl Winter, Tkay Maidza, Barro, Daniel Khan, Tallawit Timbouctou, Sumac, Tropical Fuck Storm, Harriet Tubman, Ammar 808, Anais Maviel, Chaka Khan, Pom Poko, Fried Egg, Tarek Atoui, Saicobab, General Purv, Shipping News, Big Thief, Mariachi El Bronx, Pour Me a Grog, Sudan Archives, Lakou Mizik, Moodymann, Pharmakon, Alefa Madagascar, Janjao, Luge

 

Music for 1/28/20!!! FRIGS, Helena Deland, Null Command, Charlotte Day Wilson

From a CFUV playlist:

FRIGS: Basic Behavior (Arts & Crafts, 2018)  Patty Smyth with less poetry and more aggro.  Out of Toronto.  I like the singer and the angular guitar playing.  They get into some classic dirge rock on the third track, Waste.  Through the first three tunes they never fully melt down which is a slight negative for me.  I love to hear people lose their shit.

Helena Deland: Altogether Unaccompanied Vol. 1 & 2 (Luminelle, 2018)  Faded downer electronic indie on the Volume 2 single.  Spacious, mopey, what I would imagine a depressed PJ Harvey would sound like.  Not a crowded arrangement with an emphasis on vocal melodies.  She has a very nice voice and they don’t reverb her out too much.

Null Command: Logical Product (Deterrent Industries, 2018) Ambient music, I’m feeling the ambient music vibes lately.  It’s like craving Thai food.  First tune comes out with a video game sound and a bit of glitchy techno business and a processed voice.  Second tune, more pong action plus other sounds.  Not my favorite synth sounds, nice voice processing and solid basslines.

Charlotte Day Wilson: Stone Woman (Self released, 2018)  White girl r&b/soul.  Opens with some nice floaty, electro garnish before the music commences in earnest.  Very nice production here, a bit too breathless for me.  However, she’s not over singing which is a big deal for my listening experience and this is all right for mainstream music.  I’m not shitting my pants over it but for cubicle dwellers who like to color inside the lines this could work.

YTD recordings listened to: 78
Good music, not list worthy: 44
Not good music: 34

Best: 0
Honorable Mentions: 0

 

Possibles: Retox, Defeater, Jonwayne, Okkyung Lee, Slidhr, The Chewers, Susie Iberra/Roberto Rodriguez, The Coral, T.O.M.B., Lozen, Erase Errata, Mastery, Hartley C. White, Weed, Cold Water, 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, Noname, Klara Lewis, Krullur, The Lowest Form, Hard Proof, Yotoco, Jungle Fire, Sandoz, Oddisee, RAM, Fiver, Succumb Succumb, Gloom, Priests, Propaganda, This is the Kit, Roberto Gonzalez, Integrity, Tuba Skinny, The Expanders, Criolo, Billy Strings, Flowers of Sulphur, Portal, Lawaii, Etran De L’Air, Ruby Karinto, Elysia Crampton, Parquet Courts, Moskus, Kendl Winter, Tkay Maidza, Barro, Daniel Khan, Tallawit Timbouctou, Sumac, Tropical Fuck Storm, Harriet Tubman, Ammar 808, Anais Maviel, Chaka Khan, Pom Poko, Fried Egg, Tarek Atoui, Saicobab, General Purv, Shipping News, Big Thief, Mariachi El Bronx, Pour Me a Grog, Sudan Archives, Lakou Mizik, Moodymann, Pharmakon, Alefa Madagascar, Janjao, Luge

Music for 1/27/20!!! Twist, SIGSALY, Kirsten Ludwig, PC Worship, Luge

I’m listening to a bunch of records off a CFUV playlist email from fall 2018.

Twist: Distancing — indie rock with some classic indie rock bands swirled in there.  I hear some Velvet Underground, a bit of Cure, even a little retro disco action.  An indie rock poo poo platter.  Lots of twee, shiny guitars, dreamy female singer.

SIGSALY: Entity — dark electronic.  Ooh, dark intro before it pops out in the second tune though the singer is still quite dark.  Mad dramatical, straight beats a lighter version of Nine Inch Nails and less overwrought than NIN.

Kirsten Ludwig: We Get It Now — Kate Bush-y adult alternative.  Lush ooh ahs, string parts, meaningful lyrics.  Very stylish production, not super interesting music to me.

PC Worship: Future Phase — elements of cooked country, ambient though it goes Devo-ish right out of the gate in the second tune so maybe it’s a jumper all arounder.  Some nice guitar playing and sounds, but I’m lefting wanting a bit more from this record.

Luge: Tall is Just a Feeling psych/dark rock that opens with some Doors-like drumming but comes with some fresh guitar swank over the top.  Oy, then it goes pretty proggy with some Captain Beefheart type herk-a-jerk.  This sure is a well thought out bucket of weirdness, the most mature and executed music I hear today.  Lots of different threads here that get woven into a pretty unique sound.

YTD recordings listened to: 74
Good music, not list worthy: 41
Not good music: 32

Best: 0
Honorable Mentions: 0

Possibles: Retox, Defeater, Jonwayne, Okkyung Lee, Slidhr, The Chewers, Susie Iberra/Roberto Rodriguez, The Coral, T.O.M.B., Lozen, Erase Errata, Mastery, Hartley C. White, Weed, Cold Water, 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, Noname, Klara Lewis, Krullur, The Lowest Form, Hard Proof, Yotoco, Jungle Fire, Sandoz, Oddisee, RAM, Fiver, Succumb Succumb, Gloom, Priests, Propaganda, This is the Kit, Roberto Gonzalez, Integrity, Tuba Skinny, The Expanders, Criolo, Billy Strings, Flowers of Sulphur, Portal, Lawaii, Etran De L’Air, Ruby Karinto, Elysia Crampton, Parquet Courts, Moskus, Kendl Winter, Tkay Maidza, Barro, Daniel Khan, Tallawit Timbouctou, Sumac, Tropical Fuck Storm, Harriet Tubman, Ammar 808, Anais Maviel, Chaka Khan, Pom Poko, Fried Egg, Tarek Atoui, Saicobab, General Purv, Shipping News, Big Thief, Mariachi El Bronx, Pour Me a Grog, Sudan Archives, Lakou Mizik, Moodymann, Pharmakon, Alefa Madagascar, Janjao, Luge

 

Music for 1/24/20!!! Africa Express, Kool Keith, K. Flay, Four Tet

This record is off an All Music notable release email from last fall.  I save them and check them out a bit after release date.  Africa Express is a UK non profit bringing African and Western musicians.  Great, but thus far I’m not into the tunes.  The second tune, The City, is a world music electro with an emphasis on South African flavors.  There are a lot of musicians up in this record and I find that a bit disorienting.  I like some of the sounds but overall it’s not really my thing.

I’m a fan of Mello Music Group and I try to check out their releases if I have the time.  Kool Keith is super old school and these tracks are decidedly and proudly retro.  Track Two, Foot Locker is a refreshing change in attitude and sound from today’s menacing trap.  Oh no, quite pornographic, get ready for that level of detail as he gets quite intimate with a female employee at Foot Locker.  Kool Keith is a nut with titles such as Graceland and Holy Water and he seems quite interested in tight pants in his vicinity.

I don’t know how Apple Music has this slotted as alternative and All Music has it as Alternative Rap.  It’s pop and the deception is noted what a load of shit business that can’t describe its own product accurately.  I’m guessing it is the justified sense of shame in trafficking in this sort of shopping mall shit that leads music execs to relabel pop cheese as alternative rap.  Dirtballs.

Four Tet: Baby (Text, 2020)  Four Tet up on the Apple Tracks in near the top!  It’s a stripped down/chopped up techno dancefloor banger with a little glitter sauce up on there.  The song title and the vocals center around a vocal phrase that gets chewed up in the middle and then served over lush keyboard sounds.  It’s all right, not jump up and down material but it’s well put together and focused.  It segues to bird chirps and a babbling stream which is a bit odd before it goes back to the core.  Let’s call that a tinkle break!

YTD recordings listened to: 69
Good music, not list worthy: 38
Not good music: 29

Best: 0
Honorable Mentions: 0

Possibles: Retox, Defeater, Jonwayne, Okkyung Lee, Slidhr, The Chewers, Susie Iberra/Roberto Rodriguez, The Coral, T.O.M.B., Lozen, Erase Errata, Mastery, Hartley C. White, Weed, Cold Water, 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, Noname, Klara Lewis, Krullur, The Lowest Form, Hard Proof, Yotoco, Jungle Fire, Sandoz, Oddisee, RAM, Fiver, Succumb Succumb, Gloom, Priests, Propaganda, This is the Kit, Roberto Gonzalez, Integrity, Tuba Skinny, The Expanders, Criolo, Billy Strings, Flowers of Sulphur, Portal, Lawaii, Etran De L’Air, Ruby Karinto, Elysia Crampton, Parquet Courts, Moskus, Kendl Winter, Tkay Maidza, Barro, Daniel Khan, Tallawit Timbouctou, Sumac, Tropical Fuck Storm, Harriet Tubman, Ammar 808, Anais Maviel, Chaka Khan, Pom Poko, Fried Egg, Tarek Atoui, Saicobab, General Purv, Shipping News, Big Thief, Mariachi El Bronx, Pour Me a Grog, Sudan Archives, Lakou Mizik, Moodymann, Pharmakon, Alefa Madagascar, Janjao

Music for 1/23/20!!! Fireboy DML, Shae Jacobs, Efe, Yung L, Igorr, Myrkur

Fireboy DML &  Oxlade: Sing — some Disney ass piano balladry with an African singer.  I made it to 1:58 before I clicked away.

Shae Jacobs: Joko — Nice beat, very clean production.  It’s a midtempo dancefloor banger with hype synth sounds celebrating the international booty call anthem.

Efe: Your Body — same formula, midtempo dancefloor banger with smooth smooth sounds.

Yung L: Eve Bounce — a more Caribbean flavored jam and probably the best tune from this quartet of tunes.  Nice guitar parts and a J. Balvin smooth/funky beat with throwaway beats.

If I were a skeptical person I might say that the choice of these African tracks as ‘hot’ would be a way to reinforce the current r&b sounds ruling the American charts.  See, everybody loves these sounds.

Igorr: Very Noise  Off Apple Music’s hot tracks metal section and it opens up quite strangely with a ramped up drum and bass beat, a drummer, some guitar and other mismatched business.  A little proggy, a bit cheesy, but definitely an attemp to do something off kilter.  Primus shoved a techno dancefloor banger.  Wildest track of the day, close but no cigar.

Myrkur: Ella Opens up with soaring female vocals and some fiddle playing.  I’m not sure this is going to explode into any sort of skull crushing metal because I’m halfway through and it’s a Lord of the Rings soundtrack we have going here.  2/3s of the way through, i think this is going to snooze all the way through.  I guess they have a metal hating metal playlist manager over at the Apple Music.  This is tragic, somber cheese.  More vocals, more cheese.

YTD recordings listened to: 65
Good music, not list worthy: 36
Not good music: 27

Best: 0
Honorable Mentions: 0

Possibles: Retox, Defeater, Jonwayne, Okkyung Lee, Slidhr, The Chewers, Susie Iberra/Roberto Rodriguez, The Coral, T.O.M.B., Lozen, Erase Errata, Mastery, Hartley C. White, Weed, Cold Water, 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, Noname, Klara Lewis, Krullur, The Lowest Form, Hard Proof, Yotoco, Jungle Fire, Sandoz, Oddisee, RAM, Fiver, Succumb Succumb, Gloom, Priests, Propaganda, This is the Kit, Roberto Gonzalez, Integrity, Tuba Skinny, The Expanders, Criolo, Billy Strings, Flowers of Sulphur, Portal, Lawaii, Etran De L’Air, Ruby Karinto, Elysia Crampton, Parquet Courts, Moskus, Kendl Winter, Tkay Maidza, Barro, Daniel Khan, Tallawit Timbouctou, Sumac, Tropical Fuck Storm, Harriet Tubman, Ammar 808, Anais Maviel, Chaka Khan, Pom Poko, Fried Egg, Tarek Atoui, Saicobab, General Purv, Shipping News, Big Thief, Mariachi El Bronx, Pour Me a Grog, Sudan Archives, Lakou Mizik, Moodymann, Pharmakon, Alefa Madagascar, Janjao

 

Music for 1/22/20!!! Phoebe Green, Algiers, Pearl Jam, Eminem

@@@ Phoebe Greene: Easy Peeler (Chess club, 2019)  Straight beat, nice modulating synth sounds, decent bass sound and ‘dark’ singing.  Quiet in the verse, blasting off in the chorus.  A version of mainstream rock from back in the day.

@@@ Algiers: There is No Year (Matador, 2019) I’ve seen quite a bit of buzz around this album and I peeped a few songs last week while I loaded illegal software onto my computer.  It wasn’t as good as I thought it might be — that’s obviously my opinion but I felt it rocked in a decidedly non rocking way.  But I will repeep.  The singer is over the top with the energy but the music doesn’t match his energy and it seems more interested in telegraphing to listeners its own importance rather than the music itself.  This is no call for classic rock sounds, electronic sounds can kick ass but there’s a holding back on the energy of the music which leaves the singer with too big of a weight to carry.

@@@ Pearl Jam: Dance of the Clairvoyants (Sony, 2020) I will say upfront that I have always loathed Pearl Jam — I find them insufferable.  They’ve altered the formula to bring in a bit of electronic sound and some ’80s guitar sounds.  There are a lot of words here and I will try to focus — aargh I’m having a tough time caring.  God I hate Eddie Vedder’s voice.  I’m sure he’s a fantastic person but I don’t want to listen to him sing.  It sounds like they want to be Pearl Jam in all their epicness while trying to be relevant in a drastically changed sonic world.  Dancy Pearl Jam is still Pearl Jam which will be good for diehard fans, but not for me.

@@@ Eminem: Darkness (Interscope, 2019)  Ah, it’s Eminem back with his own special vision of hatred and dystopia.  I don’t protest the concept but sometimes he does go over the line into some sort of hip hop cartoon vibe.  He’s just a bit too ready to blow it’s a bit silly to my ears.  I listen to a fair amount of hip hop and there’s just a ton of pill popping lyrics happening these days.  Ease up on those pills yo, that shit will kill you.  Oh shit, there’s a mass shooting up in this biatch.  Fictionalized of course, hopefully.  I guess part of this tune is a critique of the media which is cool but I’m not sure a tune is gonna do much more than cash in on the idea of mass shootings.  Finally, as with Beyonce’s fuzzy ass politics I can’t tell if Eminem is protesting mass shootings or just re-enacting them.

YTD recordings listened to: 59
Good music, not list worthy: 34
Not good music: 23

Best: 0
Honorable Mentions: 0

Possibles: Retox, Defeater, Jonwayne, Okkyung Lee, Slidhr, The Chewers, Susie Iberra/Roberto Rodriguez, The Coral, T.O.M.B., Lozen, Erase Errata, Mastery, Hartley C. White, Weed, Cold Water, 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, Noname, Klara Lewis, Krullur, The Lowest Form, Hard Proof, Yotoco, Jungle Fire, Sandoz, Oddisee, RAM, Fiver, Succumb Succumb, Gloom, Priests, Propaganda, This is the Kit, Roberto Gonzalez, Integrity, Tuba Skinny, The Expanders, Criolo, Billy Strings, Flowers of Sulphur, Portal, Lawaii, Etran De L’Air, Ruby Karinto, Elysia Crampton, Parquet Courts, Moskus, Kendl Winter, Tkay Maidza, Barro, Daniel Khan, Tallawit Timbouctou, Sumac, Tropical Fuck Storm, Harriet Tubman, Ammar 808, Anais Maviel, Chaka Khan, Pom Poko, Fried Egg, Tarek Atoui, Saicobab, General Purv, Shipping News, Big Thief, Mariachi El Bronx, Pour Me a Grog, Sudan Archives, Lakou Mizik, Moodymann, Pharmakon, Alefa Madagascar, Janjao

Music for 1/21/20!! sir Was, The Babe Rainbow, Skooly

I have a list of All Music notable release emails in my crowded ass email box and these two listens come from an email last fall.  It’s slotted, as you can see as alternative r&b, but to my ears it’s a bit indie with a lot of mainstream FM music and some r&b.  All depends on your definition of r&b.  It’s softer than a lot of old school r&b and it’s got a soft rock sensibility to it.  I like some of the sounds and I’m liking it less as I peep snippets of each song.  His voice is very earnest which I enjoy.

The first tune here is not neo pyschedelia, it’s a jazzy rock thing with a shuffle beat and some just a tad bluesy guitar playing.  The second tune brings on a drum machine playing a purposely bitty cheesy beat, some flute, some mellow singing and the same sorta hippie/indie guitar playing.  Not rock, not harsh, it’s a love fest.  Myself I see neo-psych as a somewhat brutal subgenre with purposely teeth grinding sounds to drive you insane.  I continue to maintain that this mislabelling by the labels and music press confuses listeners and does not reflect well on the folks who run this shitpile.  If you can’t even correctly label your shit what does that say about your credibility?  This is soft rock and if you’re playing it you should be proud of it.  It’s not my thing but I think a lot of people with jobs who drink wine might feel this somewhat.  Own it, bitches.

@@@ Skooly: How I Feel (remix)  (Atlantic, 2020) Off the Apple Music front page.  It’s a blend of hip hop and loverboy r&b.  A little guitar vamp, some trappish beats, some autotuned sung vocals and some rhymes.  It’s a crowded mix and it feels like it’s designed to move fannies out on the dancefloor but in a higher end style.  Lots of talk about pill popping and getting high.  It’s a bit of a trip to hear these lyrics with the friendly sounds, but hey it’s America, you never know what might break out.  This is all right.

YTD recordings listened to: 55
Good music, not list worthy: 32
Not good music: 21

Best: 0
Honorable Mentions: 0

Possibles: Retox, Defeater, Jonwayne, Okkyung Lee, Slidhr, The Chewers, Susie Iberra/Roberto Rodriguez, The Coral, T.O.M.B., Lozen, Erase Errata, Mastery, Hartley C. White, Weed, Cold Water, 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, Noname, Klara Lewis, Krullur, The Lowest Form, Hard Proof, Yotoco, Jungle Fire, Sandoz, Oddisee, RAM, Fiver, Succumb Succumb, Gloom, Priests, Propaganda, This is the Kit, Roberto Gonzalez, Integrity, Tuba Skinny, The Expanders, Criolo, Billy Strings, Flowers of Sulphur, Portal, Lawaii, Etran De L’Air, Ruby Karinto, Elysia Crampton, Parquet Courts, Moskus, Kendl Winter, Tkay Maidza, Barro, Daniel Khan, Tallawit Timbouctou, Sumac, Tropical Fuck Storm, Harriet Tubman, Ammar 808, Anais Maviel, Chaka Khan, Pom Poko, Fried Egg, Tarek Atoui, Saicobab, General Purv, Shipping News, Big Thief, Mariachi El Bronx, Pour Me a Grog, Sudan Archives, Lakou Mizik, Moodymann, Pharmakon, Alefa Madagascar, Janjao

Music for 1/20/20!! Pale Saints, 00I00

A couple of listens from this week’s All Music notable release email:

@@@ Pale Saints: The Comforts of Madness (4AD, 1990) I’m guessing this is a reissue but the record is dated 1990 on Apple Music.  It’s from a time when rock was alive and this is a pretty rock-less time so it sounds from another society which it kind is.  It’s got a lush sound to it (the drum sound is not my favorite, the snare especially)  I like the female singer but I’ve heard enough of the reverb soaked dreamy female archetype.  But hey, I’m a freak and a ton of people dig it.  It’s got a Cure vibe to it though not as theatrical and not as catchy as The Cure.

@@@ 00I00: Nijimusi (Thrill Jockey, 2019)  In these messy times there’s a scarcity of messy, spilly music but this record is not a slopshop by any means, but it does come from a different place.  And yes, I’m not going to fix that fucked up sentence I just typed.  The outfit is fronted by a Japanese woman and she’s pretty awesome as she doesn’t really give a fuck — she’s all over the place.  The songs are herky jerky jumping between different sections with different beats and vibes and it’s all a purposeful mash glued together by the drummer mostly.  A little Captain Beefheart, a little Frank Zappa, some noise and a little Yes.

YTD recordings listened to: 52
Good music, not list worthy: 30
Not good music: 20

Best: 0
Honorable Mentions: 0

Possibles: Retox, Defeater, Jonwayne, Okkyung Lee, Slidhr, The Chewers, Susie Iberra/Roberto Rodriguez, The Coral, T.O.M.B., Lozen, Erase Errata, Mastery, Hartley C. White, Weed, Cold Water, 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, Noname, Klara Lewis, Krullur, The Lowest Form, Hard Proof, Yotoco, Jungle Fire, Sandoz, Oddisee, RAM, Fiver, Succumb Succumb, Gloom, Priests, Propaganda, This is the Kit, Roberto Gonzalez, Integrity, Tuba Skinny, The Expanders, Criolo, Billy Strings, Flowers of Sulphur, Portal, Lawaii, Etran De L’Air, Ruby Karinto, Elysia Crampton, Parquet Courts, Moskus, Kendl Winter, Tkay Maidza, Barro, Daniel Khan, Tallawit Timbouctou, Sumac, Tropical Fuck Storm, Harriet Tubman, Ammar 808, Anais Maviel, Chaka Khan, Pom Poko, Fried Egg, Tarek Atoui, Saicobab, General Purv, Shipping News, Big Thief, Mariachi El Bronx, Pour Me a Grog, Sudan Archives, Lakou Mizik, Moodymann, Pharmakon, Alefa Madagascar, Janjao