Sedatives for 2011
1/4/2012 2:42 am
Rather than beginning this end of the year podcast off with a track from Bon Iver’s recent self-titled album, I decided to drift back to a song he recorded as himself, Justin Vernon, pre-For Emma, Forever Ago. Bon Iver, Bon Iver was for 2011 what My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy was for 2010 – a critically acclaimed masterpiece that popular culture debated over endlessly. Well, maybe for a couple months at least. I thought it was a solid departure from For Emma, and demonstrated that Vernon wants to continue experimenting with sounds and his falsetto. This 2006 track is part of that stylistic evolution.
The rest of the songs on this mix speak for themselves. Youth Lagoon was probably the most pleasant discovery of the year for me – a cohesive, beautiful piece of storytelling from a young Idaho kid. Beirut’s The Rip Tide brought the band back where they left off after The Flying Club Cup, becoming even tighter and poppier with this record. King Creosote & Jon Hopkins came via Bob Boilen, a lovely album that’s inspired by the East Neuk of Fife, an area off the coast of Scotland.
I have to give a shout out to excellent friends, like Mario, Elena, Mary, and Nadia. Music is one of the best ways to connect, relate, and make stronger bonds with people. Also, a special thanks to my sister, Rochelle, who I miss dearly. We chat weekly, exchange thoughts, literature, music, and laughs. Apparently, we especially miss each other when we wish we could laugh at someone together. I hope to visit her in Thailand in 2012 and laugh at Thai men burping out loud after their meal.
Lastly, this is for New York City. The photo above was taken from the 9th floor of the 13th Street and 5th Avenue building of The New School. It was a fine place to spend a couple years.
Now, for the details on this prescription. Songs were from 2011, unless otherwise noted.
Download link: http://www.mediafire.com/?ns6u40k0s0db2id
Justin Vernon – Liner (2006)
Caveman – Old Friend
Kelley Stoltz – Pinecone (2010)
Gotye (feat. Kimbra) – Somebody that I Used to Know
Bear Mountain – Intro/Eden (live)
Washed Out – Soft
Youth Lagoon – Daydream
The War on Drugs – Brothers
Tyler Ramsey – Stay Gone
Blind Pilot – Keep You Right
Beirut – Vagabond
Girls – Alex
Atlas Sound – Te Amo
Goldfish – The Real Deal (2006)
Shabazz Palaces – Are You Can You Were You (Felt)
Apparat – Black Water
King Creosote & Jon Hopkins – John Taylor’s Month Away
M83 (feat Zola Jesus) – Intro
Driving into the Sunset (and Twilight)
10/17/2011 11:36 am
Image Courtesy of Darwin Harrison
Last summer, Alex and I put together a podcast of songs that evoked the feeling of a sunrise. Around the same time, I started working on a sunset compilation. Alex got busy with life, so this is a solo endeavor.
As I depart the United States for an indefinite amount of time, there’s something about American rock n’ roll, sunsets, and the rich landscape of the fifty states that combine for a perfect experience. From the doug fir trees of Oregon, to the red rocks of Sedona, to New York autumns, Brooklyn snobbery, culturally conservative DC, and the bubble called “The Bay.” There are many enticing places and distinct sentiments to be missed from this country.
This podcast is for driving and highways, orange-pink horizons and rooftops, twentysomething cigarettes and blurry images, and for the birth of the night sky. I get real emo on this first track.
Driving into the Sunset (and Twilight) (mp3)
Tracklist
Jimmy Eat World – Hear You Me
Led Zeppelin – Going to California
Nirvana – The Man Who Sold the World
Wilco – Airline to Heaven (live)
Smashing Pumpkins – 1979
The Smiths – Please, Please, Please, Let Me
Weezer – Only in Dreams
The Helio Sequence – Back to This
Stereolab – Come and Play in the Milky Night
The Church – Under the Milky Way
Commuting Can Be Beautiful
7/21/2011 9:56 amBreaking Out the Summer Flu/Finding the Right Fiya
6/20/2011 1:36 pm
I admit that I left New York abruptly after graduation. I sublet my apartment and I came to DC where there is work waiting for me. Almost instantly, as the temperature crept up before Memorial day, my body temperature also felt a surge. Biking 8-10 miles a day in the 95 degree humidity and working 10 hours a day did not subside the early symptoms of the summer flu. I wondered if I needed to see a doctor. I was taking medication and only seeing temporary relief. And so it dragged on for almost two weeks.
I felt terrible and at times was thinking the worst about my illness, so when I finally snapped back to my usual self, I felt quite appreciative of health, stability, and life. But also, I felt incredibly happy to walk around and listen to recent music that breathes summer to me. Give me fire in the right places, please.
Breaking Out the Summer Flu/Finding the Right Fiya (mp3)
Tracklist
tUnE-yArDs – Fiya
Phantogram – As Far As I Can See
Das Racist – Town Business (feat. Kassa Overall)
Raphael Saadiq – Just Don’t (feat. Yukimi Nakano)
Wu-Tang Vs. The Beatles – Back in the Game
The Radio Dept. – The New Improved Hypocrisy
Toro y Moi – Blessa
Baths – ♥
Gorillaz – Empire Ants (feat. Little Dragon)
Cornelius – Drop (Kings of Convenience remix)
Rhian Sheehan – An Afternoon On the Moon
Mafikizolo – Goliwood
Bon Iver – Towers
Neko Case – This Tornado Loves You
Get the ideas to formulate/boogie in your head, Alejandrito!
5/2/2011 8:14 am
@g5member by Oso
Recently, my great friend Alejandro started working as the managing editor of Turnstyle News at Youth Radio in Oakland. He also got married in February and moved to San Francisco in March with his wife, Anna. It’s weird to think of my buddy exploring my old stomping grounds without me. But I’m excited for all of these huge changes and for what’s to come in his life. This podcast is for him, as a complement to morning and mid-day cafecitos, as he looks for new inspiration, fresh stories, and ground breaking ways of thinking about the world. This is mostly recent electronic music for other people that are into this.
Get the ideas to formulate/boogie in your head, Alejandrito! (mp3)
Tracklist
Casino Versus Japan – Tryptiline Fabricate
John Roberts – Glass Eights
Gui Boratto – Azzurra
Lusine – Operation Costs
Harald Grosskopf – Synthesist (Blondes Remix)
Nicolas Jaar – Time for Us
Four Tet – Untangle
Oni Ayhun – OAR003-B
Filthy drums get me loose
4/30/2011 9:28 amMoney, please, I get loose off of orange juice. – Q-Tip
courtesy of HiphopCanada
It’s been a little while since I posted about instrumental hip-hop and it’s pioneer, DJ Shadow. Recently, I went on a Shadow kick and his early style continues to be one of the best. When I think of his soul cracklin’ beats, I immediately think of Building Steam with a Grain of Salt and the audio sample in the beginning where you hear a man saying:
From listening to records, I just knew what to do. I mainly taught myself. And you know, I did pretty well. Except there were a few mistakes. But I, uh… I had just recently cleared up, you know, I mean… I’d like to just continue to be able to… express myself, as best as I can with this instrument I feel like I have a lot of work to do. Still, ya know. I’m a student, of the drums. And I’m also a teacher of the drums too.
From there the song builds and sets off one of the most incredible records of all time – Endtroducing. In this podcast, I explore some of the most succulent beats that I’ve been bumping over the past couple months. If you like it, check out a similar podcast here.
Filthy drums get me loose (mp3)
Tracklist
DJ Nobody – Psilo-Cycling {Trip ‘Round the Block}
Slum Village – Climax (Girl Sh*t)
Tommy Guerrero – Mechanisms (Featuring John Gold)
DJ Shadow medley – In/flux / Hindsight / Fixed Income / Giving Up the Ghost
MF Doom special herbs medley
Quantic – Time is Enemy
Oh No – Bouncers
Blockhead – Insomniac Olympics
DJ Krush – Kemuri
Flying Lotus – Robo Tussin (instrumental)
Three Decades of December
1/8/2011 2:08 pmI turned thirty years old about two weeks ago on December 19th. It was a chaotic time as I was scrambling to finish up final papers and prepare for some holiday travel. Since a child, people have thought that having a birthday the week before Christmas must mean that my personal celebration is diluted. On the contrary, it usually coincides with the semester ending and it’s an excuse to start the holiday revelry early. The picture of my December was mostly of large Macbook desktops, fluorescent lights, windy wintry nights, and grey days. So I asked my sister, Rochelle, and friends (David and Alex) to send me a photo of how December was looking to them. This is what they said and it’s followed with the soundtrack that drove me through my 30th year of existence.
December has brought with it the sunny optimism that perhaps, anything really is possible. We recently teamed up with a local vocational training school for migrants to build 8 new playgrounds in Mae Sot. The group is made up of bright, energetic people who have more than matched our enthusiasm for creativity and experimentation. So when a co-worker sketched a life-size zebra for the latest playground, the group excitedly got working. This picture is of the craftsman in charge of the zebra construction. See how he paints with care. To him, every stroke is as important as the last. He is a reminder and testament that if you dream it up, anything is possible. Can’t wait to see the kiddies faces when they see it! – Rochelle
People say Los Angeles doesn’t experience seasons. I’m not sure that is entirely true. But I know it is rare to find multicolor leaves in LA. I’m currently in North Berkeley and there are vibrant colors everywhere; they are the colors that signify change and progression. It had been raining, so the air is refreshing and crisp, just how I expect a December to be. – Alex
Nothing exciting. Kinda depressing actually. – David
Three Decades of December (mp3)
Tracklist
Ulrich Schnauss – Nobody’s Home
John Roberts – Lesser
Gold Panda – Same Dream China
Lali Puna – This is the Dream of Evan and Chan (remix)
Morgan Packard – Insist
Dntel – Casuals
Boards of Canada – Everything You Do is a Balloon
Alias – I Heart Drum Machines
Papa M – Roadrunner
Amiina – Rugla
Helios – The Toy Garden
Sedatives for 2010
1/2/2011 3:39 pm
The first forty seconds of the Flying Lotus song “Do the Astral Plane” is the most spectacular moment in music of this past year. It really is a testament to this artist’s name and creative energy. More specifically, this track feels like a giant leap in time, propelling forward maybe ten years, to something we might be lucky to hear in 2020.
But the funny thing is that next to this, the majority of new music from the past year is a “throwback,” especially to 60s fuzzy beach pop and 80s era new wave. For people like my good friend Mario and myself, we seem to only be drawn to these seemingly “more authentic” sounds of music production. Indeed, authenticity in many realms of life has been an ongoing, sometimes combative discussion topic for me and a lot of my friends. I don’t have time to get into that much right now, so I’ll just leave you with 90 minutes of favorites from 2010. More later.
Sedatives for 2010 (mp3)
Flying Lotus – Do the Astral Plane
Alpine – Icypoles (Star Slinger Dreamix)
Ms. John Soda – Hands
Deerhunter – Revival
Best Coast – Our Deal
Twin Shadow -When We’re Dancing
Of Oceans – In Love, Not Limbo
Broken Bells – The Ghost Inside
Big Boi – Hustle Blood
Brothertiger – You’re Afraid
Tanlines – Z
Laetitia Sadier – One Million Year Trip
Magic Man – Swell Song
The Radio Dept. – A Token of Gratitude
Memoryhouse – Sleep Patterns
Gorillaz – On Melancholy Hill
Freelance Whales – Generator ^ 1st Floor
The Arcade Fire – The Suburbs
Real Estate – Beach Comber
Band of Horses – Way Back Home
The National – Lemonworld
S. Carey – In the Dirt
Eluvium – Making Up Minds
(Download from mediafire here)
Love is Fan-tas-tic: How J Dilla Saved Hip-Hop
10/27/2010 7:48 am
It feels embarrassing that it takes death to realize one’s greatness, especially when a talented artist passes on at an early age. We read an obituary and are intrigued by enigmatic and reclusive figures, learning about their life and relationships. Dramatic deaths from well-known musicians with prescient lyrics, like Kurt Cobain’s suicide or the murder of 2Pac on the Vegas strip, turn musicians into idols, even martyrs. But the death of underground artists from less “exciting” causes of death does not necessarily place them on the road to idolatry. Or does it? If it does, is their posthumous fame deserved?
When James “J Dilla” Yancey (aka Jay Dee) passed away from a rare blood disease in 2006, he was 32 years old. Three days before he died, he released his most innovative album to date, Donuts, which was on a completely different level from anything I’d heard produced in hip-hop. I remember picking up that album and finding a similar aesthetic quality to one of my favorite producers: Madlib. They both love looping bebop and soul samples, making records with 20-40 two minute tracks, and experimenting with sounds from all over the world. It just so happens that they were great friends, feeding off of each others creativity and love for the music.
That being said, I did not know who J Dilla was when he died. I quickly came to understand that he was the mastermind behind songs that I loved by A Tribe Called Quest, Pharcyde, Common, and De La Soul. But it’s really taken me the last four years to really dive into his vast archive of work. I don’t think I’ve heard any new hip-hop this year, which would normally be a disappointment, but I’ve been more than content with the dozens of Jay Dee gems that I’ve discovered for myself.
Music has the ability to arouse the deepest of emotions, from adrenaline that pushes you onto the dance floor to sadness that can be embraced in loneliness. I’m not sure that Jay Dee touches upon the latter, but he understood the spectrum of sound and emotion as well as any musician out there. In hip-hop, he produced phenomenal instrumentation, from his keyboard beats to his complex layering of samples. I don’t believe that it is a stretch to label J Dilla as being one of the greatest hip-hop artists ever. His sound and style has left an indelible mark on music and thousands of people. Check out this excellent three part documentary to find out more about his life. Also, check out how he flipped the beat to make “Players” and listen to the second track that I uploaded to see how he sampled “Find a Way.” Long live J Dilla and his beautiful music.
Love is Fan-tas-tic: How J Dilla Saved Hip-Hop (mp3)
Miguel Atwood-Ferguson – Untitled/Fantastic (snippet)*
J Dilla – Love featuring Pharoahe Monch
Tribe Called Quest – Find a Way
Busta Rhymes – You Can Hold the Torch
The Pharcyde – Runnin’
Slum Village – Players
Jaylib – 2The Official (produced by Madlib, J Dilla on mic)
Gap Mangione – Diana in the Autumn Wind**
Slum Village – Fall in Love
De La Soul – Stakes Is High
Busta Rhymes – Show Me What You Got
“Brother” Jack McDuff – Oblighetto
Jay Dee – Fantastic 3
Jay Dee – Track 25
Jaylib – The Red (produced by J Dilla, Madlib on mic)
Madlib – The Mystery (Dilla’s Still Here)*
J Dilla – Mash
Jay Dee – Fantastic
D’Angelo – Me and Those Dreamy Eyes (Jay Dee remix)
The Roots – Antiquity (w/ Miguel Atwood-Ferguson Dillchestra)*
* J Dilla tributes/covers by other artists
** Original track sampled by J Dilla
Love is Fan-tas-tic: How J Dilla Saved Hip-hop: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download Towa Tei - Technova (La Em Copacabana): Play Now | Play in Popup | Download¿Subte o Colectivo? – Fresh Tracks for New Movements
9/17/2010 1:26 pmThis podcast is dedicated to a season in the southern hemisphere, in a new urban area, riding colectivos (usually 39 or 152), devouring chori pan, inhaling cortados, trying to understand a complex development situation, and getting to know some excellent people.
This is for the idea of listening to new music in new places, in order to establish a firm connection and association between the freshly discovered sights and sounds, harmoniously.
Finally, this is for Jorge Luis Borges, the famous Argentine writer and his masterful poem called “Las Calles.”
LAS CALLES
Las calles de Buenos Aires
ya son mi entraña.
No las ávidas calles,
incómodas de turba y de ajetreo,
sino las calles desganadas del barrio,
casi invisibles de habituales,
enternecidas de penumbra y de ocaso
y aquellas más afuera
ajenas de árboles piadosos
donde austeras casitas apenas se aventuran,
abrumadas por inmortales distancias,
a perderse en la honda visión
de cielo y de llanura.
Son para el solitario una promesa
porque millares de almas singulares las pueblan,
únicas ante Dios y en el tiempo
y sin duda preciosas.
Hacia el Oeste, el Norte y el Sur
se han desplegado–y son también la patria–las calles:
ojalá en versos que trazo
estén esas banderas.
THE STREETS
My soul is in the streets
of Buenos Aires.
Not the greedy streets
jostling with crowds and traffic,
but the neighborhood streets where nothing is happening,
almost invisible by force of habit,
rendered eternal in the dim light of sunset,
and the ones even farther out,
empty of comforting trees,
where austere little houses scarcely venture,
overwhelmed by deathless distances,
losing themselves in the deep expanse
of sky and plains.
For the solitary one they are a promise
because thousands of singular souls inhabit them,
unique before God and in time
and no doubt precious.
To the West, the North, and the South
unfold the streets–and they too are my country;
within these lines I trace
may their flags fly.
This was the soundtrack for two months in Buenos Aires.
Playlist (mp3)
Eluvium – In Culmination
Entre RÃos – Hoy No (remix 2005)
Geographer – Original Sin
Stars – Wasted Daylight
Robyn – Dancing on My Own
Big Boi featuring Gucci Mane – Shine Blockas
CEO – White Magic
Los Destellos – Elsa (Sonido Martines remix feat. Fefe)
Rosal – Bombón
Band of Horses – Laredo
Julietta Venegas – Limon y Sal
Gustavo Cerati – A Merced
This is What the Swelter Smells/Sounds Like
4/20/2010 7:39 amSpring fever in New York City is uncanny, unrestrained, uninhibited and packed with unbridled enthusiasm. But the overall season is fickle, with vestiges of winter and April’s precipitation, leading one to yearn for a premature June.
Why can’t it just be consistently warm already!
The temperate days of March and April are similar in spirit to the perfect days of September and October. But the unfortunate truth is that once perspiration does finally arrive, people are complaining and searching for escape routes. So when is the actual best climate time? It’s right now… it’s dynamite outside RIGHT NOW. I can barely stand typing this from my room because it’s that good, on April 20th. Oh right, it’s Earth Day! And some other holiday that I used to celebrate.
Mandy Goodgoll. Goodmess.tumblr.com
With inspiration from a Kthread podcast, an afternoon of conversation and playing catch at Prospect Park with Gregory Smith Jr., and getting to know some of my fellow peoples going down to Argentina (IE Mandy) for field work this summer, this compilation has found existence. Download it. Play it loud. Get outside.
Mandy Goodgoll. Goodmess.tumblr.com
Playlist (To download into Itunes, right click and save as here)
The Radio Department – Heaven’s on Fire
Lovin’ Spoonful – Summer in the City
Erykah Badu – Me
Mos Dub – History Town
Bullion – Sloop Jay D/Let’s Go Away for Awhile
Wu Tang Vs. The Beatles – Forget Me Not
The Beatles – Day Tripper
Marlena Shaw – California Soul
The Blackbyrds – Rock Creek Park
The Kinks – Tired of Waiting for You
The Velvet Underground – Rock & Roll
The Rolling Stones – Beast of Burden
Uncle Tupelo – Screen Door
Freelance Whales – Generator ^ Second Floor
North Highlands – Sugar Lips
Surfer Blood – Floating Vibes
Wild Nothing – Summer Holiday
Jens Lekman – Kanske Är Jag Kär i Dig
Felt (Slug & Murs) – Morris Day
Gift of Gab – Way of the Light
Sublime – What I Got
Smashing Pumpkins – Today
This is What the Swelter Smells/Sounds Like: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download Bonus track. Delorean - Seasun: Play Now | Play in Popup | DownloadRasta Take Over the Scene!
4/7/2010 9:43 am
Most of you may know me by now, if you know Revaz. I’m taking over his blog on this guest post to give you some beautiful reggae music, just in time for the summer. Most of these tracks fall under the category of “roots”, “lovers rock” and/or “rockers” reggae which was popularized in the late sixties and dominated the Jamaican music scene until at least the mid eighties. (after which, Dancehall took center stage. A more aggressive form of club music, Dancehall arose in direct correlation with its Hip-Hop or Rap sibling in the US) When I set out making this mix, I wanted to give you a taste of the top tracks you would hear if you went to any reggae club, show, festival or even just walked through my predominantly West-Indian neighborhood of Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn.
But I was also mindful of giving you a sample of some of the most distinct voices in the industry that always trigger a sense of familiarity and communion for the people whom this music speaks for. From Gregory Isaacs to Dennis Brown, Buju Banton to Beanie Man, and Sizzla to Sanchez, all of these names dominated the mix tapes, DJ sound systems, Jamaican beef patty radio stations of the era (and for the most part, still do).
Of course, it is not without some violence to my music library collection that I was able to make one concise mix. Even as I write this, I am remembering certain songs and artists that I should have included. So in order to do the music just a little more justice, I decided to make two volumes of this series (the next, is already in the final process of production). This is all not to mention that a separate Dancehall mix is also part of my contract with Rivers, so expect that in the near future as well. I hope you enjoy these meditations as much as I do, and if so, make sure to let Revaz know so that I can plan for some more take-overs!
One Hundred,
Tracklist (to download into itunes, left click and save as here)
1. Babylon a Listen- Sizzla
2. Soon Forward – Gregory Isaacs
3. Wolf and Leopard – Dennis Brown
4. Public Enemy No.1 – Max Romero
5. Black Heart Man – Bunny Wailer
6. Give I Strength – Buju Banton
7. Arise Blackman – Peter Tosh
8. One Man Against The World – Gregory Isaacs
9. Rough Road – Prezident Brown
10. Weh Yo Run Fa – Zebra
11. Junior Marvin – Bad Weed
12. Going Away – Sanchez and Beanie Man
13. Hope for the Hopeless – Prezident Brown and Coca Tea
14. Here I Come – Dennis Brown
15. If Jah – Tony Rebel
16. Rastaman Chant – A Tiny Window
Strictly 4 My R.A.I.N.Y. D.A.Y.Z.
2/22/2010 5:38 pm
This is a follow-up to last year’s rainy day podcast. There are no explicit lyrics that I know of and 2pac did not posthumously contribute to this play list. If he did, he might still be my hero.
Strictly 4 My R.A.I.N.Y. D.A.Y.Z. (mp3)
The American Analog Set – Weather Report
The Apples in Stereo – High Tide
The Clientele – Reflections of Jane
JayMay – Gray or Blue
Matt Pond PA – This is Montreal
The Books- The Lemon of Pink
Message to Bears – At Top of the Hill
M. Ward – Beautiful Car
Elliott Smith – Rose Parade
The Real People – Untitled
Casiotone for the Painfully Alone – Toby, Take a Bow
The Notwist – One With the Freaks
Lali Puna – Faking the Books
Atlas Sound – Criminals
Radiohead – House of Cards
K.C. Accidental – Residential Love Song
Study Music Vol. 3 – Winter Work/Global Grind
2/10/2010 10:02 am
Kyiv. Courtesy of David Sasaki.
As I’ve listened to Volumes 1 and 2 several times, there has been a personal realization that the cerebral nature and introspective quality of this series causes these compilations to be a bit distracting for reading purposes. It depends on the person and context of course, but these instrumental mixes might be better titled as, “Work Music.”
Volume 3 is a multi-genre, multi-cultural escape, from some of winter’s most picturesque places: Germany, Sweden, and Oregon to warmer sounds coming from Ethiopia, England, Los Angeles, and finally, India. Study/Work music, coffee/tea, this chilly season, and “the grind” all go hand in hand.
From Snowpocalypse 2010. Courtesy of Laura Heaton.
Study Music Vol. 3 – Winter Work/Global Grind (mp3)
Tracklist:
Max Richter – Horizon Variations/Vladimir’s Blues/Sofa Chess
Eluvium – Radio Ballet
Peter Broderick – A Snowflake
Mogwai – Stanley Kubrick
Esbj̦rn Svensson Trio РDid They Ever Tell Cousteau?
Mulatu Astatke – Tezeta (Nostalgia)
DJ Cam – Gangsta Shit
Eligh – Bird Race
B. Fleischmann – Broken Monitors
Ustad Zakir Hussain – Teentaal – Vilambit Matta Taal
Best Pop Music of the Decade [00s]
2/5/2010 8:33 pm
The National. Courtesy of Matt Benton
When the folks at All Songs Considered congregated to discuss the defining music of the 00s (also known as “The Noughties,” “The Aughts,” or other unspeakable titles), a couple of trends stuck out in my mind that are worth highlighting. First, in the digital age of i-pods and downloading mp3s, there has been an “end of nostalgia” in music because we no longer have to yearn for music that we once knew or owned. These days, everything is available in the palm of our hand or the click of a mouse. Second, the “blurring of sounds” between genres is an incredible progression in music that has allowed for fascinating developments. The music created during this past decade by Outkast, M.I.A., and Radiohead are incredibly complex and impossible to explain in one word.
The 00s were a transformative decade, politically, technologically, and personally. For me, our nation’s political development definitely shares a commonality with music. Both have helped me realize that I dig this country and I’m happy to have experienced more of its offerings. In 2001-02, I would not have said the same. But as I’ve grown older, discovered more jazz, Americana, and hip-hop, as well as traveled to Oregon, New Mexico, Massachusetts, and Colorado, I can wholeheartedly say that I appreciate American culture. That being said, there is an immense wealth of music that was churned out of other countries, but only Norway and U.K. are represented on this compilation. Next weeks podcast shall be more global, I promise.
But anyway, here it is. This is what I conjured up. Enjoy.
Best Pop Music of the Decade [00s] (mp3)
Kings of Convenience – I Don’t Know What I Can Save You From (remix)
The Postal Service – Such Great Heights
Stars – Elevator Love Letter
The National – Secret Meeting
Wilco – Heavy Metal Drummer
The Flaming Lips – Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots
The Strokes – Is this It
Modest Mouse – Float On
M. Ward – Chinese Translation
Eels – Fresh Feeling
Coldplay – Clocks
Death Cab for Cutie – Soul Meets Body
Broken Social Scene – Pacific Theme
Pinback – Fortress
The Shins – New Slang
The Clientele – Since K Got Over Me
Band of Horses – The Funeral
Radiohead – Morning Bell
Beirut – Postcards for Italy
Sun Kil Moon – Trucker’s Atlas
Hip-Hop is Dead? The Best Hip-Hop of the Decade [00s]
1/31/2010 5:52 pm
Madlib (left) and J Dilla (right). Photo Courtesy of Stones Throw Records
For most hip-hop listeners in their late twenties and thirties, it’s quite hard to know what exceptional albums emerged over the past ten years. We recall the glory decade of the 90s, from the gritty east coast to the gangsta west, but what about the 2000s?
Without a doubt, hip-hop continues to run “through my veins like blood, and love.” It’s a genre that I play as much as anything else, it’s a motivating force, it makes my body bounce, and it influences my swagger. It’s funny, because I wonder if I’ll still cherish this music as dearly in 2020 and I wonder how my children will feel about it.
For me and many others, this was the decade of J Dilla and Madlib, two innovative producers whose resumes really exploded in recent years. In early 2006, a rare blood disease ended the life of Dilla, but not before he created a lasting impression on hip-hop and the music industry as a whole. A podcast dedicated to J Dilla (though redundant by now) should be in the cards in coming months, but for now check out the two Dilla tracks (Common and Slum Village) on this mix and Madlib’s two gems (Madvillain and Quasimoto) as well. The rest of the playlist is pretty self-explanatory: The first half are classic underground cuts that personally hit me in a profound way and the second half gets into more mainstream and culturally significant tracks. Let me know what I missed.
The Best Hip-Hop of the Decade [00s] (mp3)
Atmosphere – Guns and Cigarettes
Talib Kweli & DJ Hi Tek (Reflection Eternal) – The Blast
Common – The Light
Slum Village – 2u4u
Madvillain – Accordion
Quasimoto – Basic Instinct
Zion I – Critical (Feat. Planet Asia)
Blackalicious – Make You Feel that Way
Deltron 3030 – Mastermind
Lupe Fiasco – Kick, Push
Kanye West – Flashing Lights
Dead Prez – Hip-Hop
Outkast – So Fresh, So Clean
Jay-Z – Izzo (H.O.V.A.)
Snoop Dogg & Pharell Williams – Drop it Like it’s Hot
Eminem – Drug Ballad
E-40 – Tell Me When To Go
The Roots – Seed 2.0 (Feat. Cody Chestnutt)
Sedatives for 2009
12/29/2009 9:03 pm
Photo courtesy of Alex De La Cruz.
Sedatives for 2009 (mp3)
Playlist
Peter Broderick – With the Notes in my Ears
Kings of Convenience – Mrs Cold
The National – So Far Around the Bend
Metric – Blindness
Phantogram – Mouthful of Diamonds
The Temper Trap – Sweet Disposition
Hercules & Love Affair – Blind
Discovery – Orange Shirt
Jay-Z – Young Forever (feat. Mr. Hudson)
Kid Cudi – Up Up & Away
Dela – The City (feat. J-Live & Surreal)
Au Revoir Simone – All or Nothing
A Sunny Day in Glasgow – Passionate Introverts
Black Whales – Origins
Yo La Tengo – More Stars Than There Are in Heaven
Wedding Season 2009 Mix
8/10/2009 7:24 am
Wedding Season is over. These are some of the best tracks this year, so far.
Passion Pit – Moth’s Wings
Empire of the Sun – Walking on a Dream
Pete and the Pirates – Ill Love
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart – Young Adult Friction
Zion I – Radio
Beirut – No Dice
Discovery – Can you Discover?
The Clientele – I Wonder Who We Are
The National (feat. St. Vincent) – Sleep All Summer
Wilco (feat. Feist) – You and I
(to download into itunes, right click and save as here)
The Lo-fi Aesthetic: How the 90s Recording Rebellion Created a Genre
7/16/2009 9:34 amSome people believe that vinyl is the only and truest manner to listen to particular music. This loyalty is understandable because the sound and speed of a record, the listening experience, and tradition can be very important to people.
Similarly, some artists and bands like the raw and gritty sound produced by recording devices like the 4-track. This year, I’ve rediscovered bands like The Magnetic Fields, Grandaddy, and Pavement. These groups are quite different, but they all share similar aesthetic qualities. In this circumstance, I came to realize something a little deeper about their sound and what I was loving about them – these are bands of the 90s that were rebelling against the digitized, enhanced way of recording music and the big label studios. Their albums sound as if they are recorded in a basement or garage, their distorted guitars radiate, they include feedback and background noise to songs, and their quirky voices and lyrics are poignant, yet esoteric. As Jonathan Mair says in his essay, “this music falls within the umbrella of “lo-fi,” a reaction to the excessively “hi-fi” music of the 1980’s and 90’s, a reaction to the dishonest aesthetic of big budget recording artists, controlled by marketers and increasingly narrow niches of popular music.”
I decided to hit up fellow music enthusiasts, Gabe McNatt and Gregory Ryan, about other 90s lo-fi artists that helped influence the style and sound of the independent rock movement. I hadn’t heard much Sebadoh or The Apples in Stereo, but I really like what I am hearing.
I’m still unclear on whether all these bands recorded in lo-fi out of economic necessity or for purely aesthetic purposes. Of course, more current bands, like Broken Social Scene and Grizzly Bear, certainly have funds to produce higher quality recordings, but they CHOOSE to make their records in lo-fi and it sounds dynamite because of this decision. I suppose this is analogous to their choice of not producing radio hits. I hope Gabe or Greg can make a follow up to this which includes influential lo-fi bands line Dinosaur Jr., Smog, Guided By Voices, Daniel Johnston, and others. For now, dig on this.
Playlist (To download into Itunes, right click and save as here)
The Microphones – I Want Wind to Blow
Neutral Milk Hotel – King of Carrot Flowers Part 1
The Olivia Tremor Control – Jumping Fences
Grandaddy – A.M. 180
Yo Tengo – Double Dare
Sebadoh – The Freed Pig
The Apples in Stereo – Innerspace
Modest Mouse – Talking Shit About a Pretty Sunset
The Mountain Goats – The Best Ever Death Metal Band in Denton
Pavement – Cut Your Hair
My Bloody Valentine – Sometimes
The Magnetic Fields – I Don’t Want to Get Over You
Wilco – Red-Eyed and Blue
The Flaming Lips – She Don’t Use Jelly
Built to Spill – Carry the Zero
Song of the Week: The Grouch & Eligh – Say G&E!
7/8/2009 5:36 amI’ve been hearing The Flaming Lips’ Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots all over the place this summer. It really is a classic album now and every time I hear, “I don’t know where the sunbeams end and the starlight begins, it’s all a mystery,” I sing along.
When I first heard The Grouch & Eligh’s G&E Music Vol. 1&2 it was unlike any hip-hop I had previously heard. Their production was so fresh and self-made, their rhyme pattern so distinct and introspective. I haven’t even heard their latest and third album, Say G&E!, all the through yet (I know it won’t be 1/10 of their first effort), but I was curious what people thought of this Flaming Lips sample on the Eligh production of this title track. Diggin’ or hatin’?
