for your consideration....
LAIST: Mac Sabbath: A Black Sabbath Cover Band That Performs As McDonald's Characters
Wednesday, December 31, 2014
"i wish."
an ongoing discussion/moment of clarity.
words.
"“This refusal to accept the stark reality that race matters is regrettable,” Sotomayor wrote. “The way to stop discrimination on the basis of race is to speak openly and candidly on the subject of race, and to apply the Constitution with eyes open to the unfortunate effects of centuries of racial discrimination.”
She added: “As members of the judiciary tasked with intervening to carry out the guarantee of equal protection, we ought not sit back and wish away, rather than confront, the racial inequality that exists in our society.”
... the most striking part of the dissent was a rebuke to “the view that we should leave race out of the picture.”
“Race matters,” she wrote, to the minority teenager who sees “others tense up as he passes;” to the young person addressed in a foreign language although she grew up in this country; to the young woman who is asked “No, where are you really from?”
“Race matters because of the slights, the snickers, the silent judgments that reinforce that most crippling of thoughts: ‘I do not belong here,’..."
THE WASHINGTON POST: Sotomayor accuses colleagues of trying to ‘wish away’ racial inequality
SEE ALSO:
THE WASHINGTON POST: The fallacy of a ‘post-racial’ society
words.
"“This refusal to accept the stark reality that race matters is regrettable,” Sotomayor wrote. “The way to stop discrimination on the basis of race is to speak openly and candidly on the subject of race, and to apply the Constitution with eyes open to the unfortunate effects of centuries of racial discrimination.”
She added: “As members of the judiciary tasked with intervening to carry out the guarantee of equal protection, we ought not sit back and wish away, rather than confront, the racial inequality that exists in our society.”
... the most striking part of the dissent was a rebuke to “the view that we should leave race out of the picture.”
“Race matters,” she wrote, to the minority teenager who sees “others tense up as he passes;” to the young person addressed in a foreign language although she grew up in this country; to the young woman who is asked “No, where are you really from?”
“Race matters because of the slights, the snickers, the silent judgments that reinforce that most crippling of thoughts: ‘I do not belong here,’..."
THE WASHINGTON POST: Sotomayor accuses colleagues of trying to ‘wish away’ racial inequality
SEE ALSO:
THE WASHINGTON POST: The fallacy of a ‘post-racial’ society
Tuesday, December 30, 2014
somewhere.
starring eastern shift (aka passion pit's michael angelakos).
PITCHFORK: Passion Pit's Michael Angelakos Shares New Track "Somewhere"
PITCHFORK: Passion Pit's Michael Angelakos Shares New Track "Somewhere"
a moment of clarity.
words.
"White people can turn off the TV when we're sick of talking about race. White, liberal people want to be nice. We don't want to be racist. We want to be, "Oh we're post-racial. We don't want to talk about white privilege and it's all good, right?" It's not the case. Silence is an action and it's my privilege that I can be silent about this issue. And I'm tired of being silent about it. We have to get past that awkward stage of the race conversation. As a white person, we have to listen. We need to direct the attention to the people of color that are on the ground mobilizing and listen to those people."
ROLLING STONE: Macklemore Talks Race, White Privilege and 'Thrift Shop' Backlash
"White people can turn off the TV when we're sick of talking about race. White, liberal people want to be nice. We don't want to be racist. We want to be, "Oh we're post-racial. We don't want to talk about white privilege and it's all good, right?" It's not the case. Silence is an action and it's my privilege that I can be silent about this issue. And I'm tired of being silent about it. We have to get past that awkward stage of the race conversation. As a white person, we have to listen. We need to direct the attention to the people of color that are on the ground mobilizing and listen to those people."
ROLLING STONE: Macklemore Talks Race, White Privilege and 'Thrift Shop' Backlash
Monday, December 29, 2014
Saturday, December 27, 2014
dude... incredible. : the albums, 2014.
01/ariel pink/pom pom
he's a goth bomb and mad scientist.
a musicologist, and music enthusiast.
a comedian, and a court jester.
rock god and funk machine.
cartoonish and live action.
lounge singer and jingles pitchman.
a dinosaur carebear,
sexual athlete.
sweet, eats raw meat, and won't admit to defeat.
some say it's bittersweet,
these fantasies and fallacies, fairy tales, and lies.
vulgar or non sensical too.
but their loss.
they can sit on the sidelines in their plastic raincoats as the pig parade marches on without them.
the fun loving, controlled chaos-
the avant-garde rock with traditional flourishes-
the winks, smirks, and giggles embedded here and there.
a glam showcase from the ringleader of it all,
the master of ceremonies.
he who's pom pom shakes the loudest.
dayzed inn daydreams;
so so cal,
so los angeles,
so west coast.
ariel pink.
pom pom.
hip hip hooray.
KEY TRACKS: dinosaur carebears/black ballerina/picture me gone
02/parquet courts/sunbathing animal
03/run the jewels/run the jewels 2
04/tune-yards/nikki nack
05/mac demarco/salad days
06/beyonce/beyonce
07/spoon/they want my soul
08/st. vincent/st. vincent
09/los angeles police department/los angeles police department
10/pharrell williams/g i r l
11/ex hex/rips
12/sisyphus/sisyphus
13/jessie ware/tough love
14/death from above 1979/the physical world
15/fka twigs/lp1
16/beverly/careers
17/ab-soul/these days
18/travi$ scott/days before rodeo
19/perfume genius/too bright
20/schoolboy q/oxymoron
21/owen pallett/in conflict
22/ryan adams/ryan adams
23/jenny lewis/the voyager
24/shellac/dude incredible
Friday, December 26, 2014
dude... incredible. : the songs, 2014.
01/perfume genius/queen
they say use your words. don't get frustrated, and don't resort to violence, just talk it out and say what you gotta say. get your point across, be heard. use. your. words. but often, no good comes from this, and our words aren't used for good. they're used to insult, undermine, or destroy; create a barrier or a distance; a separation of us vs/from them.
the confrontational words and undertones of queen took many years to write. probably an entire lifetime. a lifetime of taking in taunts and slurs for walking with a sashay, not being rugged, or speaking in tones that you, him, or them might not deem masculine. a lifetime of being made to feel different when all you're doing is existing and being you, the only thing you know. it is a song that uses its words to undermine and attack your fragility, not asking to exist, but demanding it, arriving, letting you know I am here. it is an upfront piece of musical catharsis, with a gothically haunting score as dizzying as the gay panic it addresses.
queen wants to make you uncomfortable by making itself comfortable. it wants to upset the natural order of things by simply being present and aware of who it is, not what you think it is or want it to be. a man and his words. cutting like a knife and seeking transcendence, queen is beautifully human, and absolutely necessary.
02/lana del rey/shades of cool
03/ariel pink/put your number in my phone
04/run the jewels feat. zack de la rocha/close your eyes (and count to fuck)
05/beyonce feat. jay z/drunk in love
06/chris brown, usher, and rick ross/new flame
07/todd terje feat. bryan ferry/johnny & mary
08/parquet courts/ducking and dodging
09/lady gaga/g.u.y.
10/ilovemakonnen feat. drake/tuesday
11/haim/if i could change your mind
12/sisyphus/rhythm of devotion
13/tweedy/high as hello
14/black lips/boys in the wood
15/julian casablancas + the voidz/take me in your army
16/sbtrkt & ezra koenig/new dorp. new york
17/banks/this is what it feels like
18/avey tare's slasher flicks/little fang
19/metronomy/love letters
20/st. vincent/birth in reverse
21/the black keys/turn blue
22/death from above 1979/right on, frankenstein!
23/fka twigs/lights on
24/jessie ware/you & i (forever)
25/jenny lewis/just one of the guys
Thursday, December 25, 2014
dude... incredible. : the albums, 2014.
02/parquet courts/sunbathing animal
the sunbathing animal is a fearlessly ferocious beast of the wild. hailing from brooklyn, ny, the sunbathing animal and its four human counterparts is a hypnosis poet that races through the dark, wears dark sunglasses at night, and likes to play; mosh, shake the rafters, and get loose. tightly wound and impeccably constructed, the sunbathing animal is crisp and sharp as a tack, asking that you excuse it as it slips on out, gives it up, turns it loose, consistently, repeatedly. it moves through space with excellent precision, leaving little to no room for rest or blank space. it is punk and unrelenting, somehow giving off an air of intimacy and playing like you are there in the studio, or they are there on a stage, and you're there too, the lucky winner, audience of one. the sunbathing animal feasts on restless energy, yours, mine, and theirs. it revels in its spontaneity and free floating creative expression, can be loud, but has no problem keeping it low and quiet. it's a ferocious spasm of a record, bringing to mind a few well known members of its species (television, the velvet underground, violent femmes, to name a few), but is clearly all parquet, the sunbathing animal.
KEY TRACKS: dear ramona/she's rolling/sunbathing animal
03/run the jewels/run the jewels 2
04/tune-yards/nikki nack
05/mac demarco/salad days
06/beyonce/beyonce
07/spoon/they want my soul
08/st. vincent/st. vincent
09/los angeles police department/los angeles police department
10/pharrell williams/g i r l
11/ex hex/rips
12/sisyphus/sisyphus
13/jessie ware/tough love
14/death from above 1979/the physical world
15/fka twigs/lp1
16/beverly/careers
17/ab-soul/these days
18/travi$ scott/days before rodeo
19/perfume genius/too bright
20/schoolboy q/oxymoron
21/owen pallett/in conflict
22/ryan adams/ryan adams
23/jenny lewis/the voyager
24/shellac/dude incredible
Wednesday, December 24, 2014
dude... incredible. : the songs, 2014.
02/lana del rey/shades of cool
that melancholic opening.
the slow burn of the opening verse, and the verses in general.
the builds and the swells, and the loud and the quiet.
the darkness that gives way to sunshine during the doo wop sway of the chorus.
the coming together of all things lana: sex, drugs, boys. love, heartbreak, and yearning.
everything she is and intends to be, exquisitely performed and presented.
the control in the vocals - lolita-esque coo here, sultry low register there, falsettos breaking through like the sun.
the love hangover that is the bridge, where a fiesty guitar solo fights to be heard at the same time as lana's evocative wailing.
the imagery it conjures.
the chills it sends down your spine.
how it plays like the classic it knows it is or wants to be.
how she steps in the shoes of a torch singer and they fit her oh so well.
the confidence and the sincerity, and how you never doubt or question her emotions or intent as it plays.
its a long stare at someone you love a little too much; a love that almost scares you, as he or she focuses or looks at something else.
it's visceral.
a lit cigarette that's barely being touched or smoked.
it's lana fully formed, beyond the pastiche.
a true successor to the greatness that is video games, several months after the fact.
it is,
simply put,
the cool.
so many hues and glimpses and shades of,
the cool.
03/ariel pink/put your number in my phone
04/run the jewels feat. zack de la rocha/close your eyes (and count to fuck)
05/beyonce feat. jay z/drunk in love
06/chris brown, usher, and rick ross/new flame
07/todd terje feat. bryan ferry/johnny & mary
08/parquet courts/ducking and dodging
09/lady gaga/g.u.y.
10/ilovemakonnen feat. drake/tuesday
11/haim/if i could change your mind
12/sisyphus/rhythm of devotion
13/tweedy/high as hello
14/black lips/boys in the wood
15/julian casablancas + the voidz/take me in your army
16/sbtrkt & ezra koenig/new dorp. new york
17/banks/this is what it feels like
18/avey tare's slasher flicks/little fang
19/metronomy/love letters
20/st. vincent/birth in reverse
21/the black keys/turn blue
22/death from above 1979/right on, frankenstein!
23/fka twigs/lights on
24/jessie ware/you & i (forever)
25/jenny lewis/just one of the guys
Tuesday, December 23, 2014
dude... incredible. : the albums, 2014.
03/run the jewels/run the jewels 2
what do you see when you look at me? answers may vary, but there's one answer I know you're thinking of that you want to say but won't, or aren't sure you should: my black skin. there's so much more to me than that, of course, but for many, particularly those of differing races and ethnicities, that's all I am, will be, and you'll allow me to be defined by. including those who write the rules, make the laws, and are allowed to enforce them however they see fit. i am not allowed to be different, and i am not allowed to be nuanced. and i am not, more than anything, to get upset, make a scene, or raise my voice over this. i should, to those eyes, accept this and be content. "that's just the way it is", said 2014 over and over and over again to we black american males.
now, when shit hits the fan or seems to be heading towards the apocalypse, we aren't as quick to just toss up our hands and say "well, fuck it. it is what it is" as one might think. more often than not we seek answers and change, or rise up with fists. we march. we shout. we protest. cause it ain't gotta be like this, ain't supposed to be like this. we deserve better and can do better. america can do better. some take to the streets, some put a pen to the page, and others put it in a song or two or eleven, as mikey and jaime have done here with the much heralded (and rightly so) rap album of the year that is run the jewels two.
run the jewels two is the sound of not backing down. run the jewels two is the sound of doing you, and doing me, and not dialing anything back to make you feel more comfortable, or not disrupt the status quo. it is brash, direct, and confrontational, with little or no room for fuckboys and their fuckboy ways (lying politicians, limiting institutions, your preconceived notions about who i, them, their, or our people are or may be). it is realness and hip-hop personified. it lets you ride along, never once asking you to keep up, just assuming that you will. fuck a slow mo, they killing them for freedom cause they torture us for boredom, and time is of the essence. urgency. the times demand it and need it. need this. this dropping of knowledge and unabashed braggadocio. this coming together of the minds, of cultures, of ethnicities.
it is different and nuanced; upset, raising its voice and making a scene. they march. they shout. they protest. cause it ain't supposed to be like this, and their voices won't be stifled. cause we can do better. america can do better. and it knows better. and mike and el-p refuse to shut up or take it down a notch until you get the fucking point, and realize that they and we too are as american as apple pie, and ain't going anywhere. and in 2014, it was something that needed to be said, heard, and recognized over and over and over again. wash, rinse, and repeat into the future. it's what they want, and what we need. the times demand it.
KEY TRACKS: jeopardy/early/all due respect
04/tune-yards/nikki nack
05/mac demarco/salad days
06/beyonce/beyonce
07/spoon/they want my soul
08/st. vincent/st. vincent
09/los angeles police department/los angeles police department
10/pharrell williams/g i r l
11/ex hex/rips
12/sisyphus/sisyphus
13/jessie ware/tough love
14/death from above 1979/the physical world
15/fka twigs/lp1
16/beverly/careers
17/ab-soul/these days
18/travi$ scott/days before rodeo
19/perfume genius/too bright
20/schoolboy q/oxymoron
21/owen pallett/in conflict
22/ryan adams/ryan adams
23/jenny lewis/the voyager
24/shellac/dude incredible
dude... incredible. : the songs, 2014.
03/ariel pink/put your number in my phone
this is the story of a boy and a girl and a taco truck in
silverlake. attention has been grabbed, and a conversation has been
struck. numbers have been exchanged. familiar scenario, sweet and
simple. or is it? for the majority of put your number in my phone's
brief running time, there's magic in the air, and we appear to be
witnessing a genuine meet cute between ariel and an unnamed beauty with
luscious lips who could possibly tame his gypsy heart. you're tapping
your feet to the sunny old school brit pop vibes of mr. pink's buoyant
little ditty when all of a sudden, a voicemail is checked midsong. it's jessica.
she who struck up a convo with ariel at the taco truck. she's still waiting for a response, and he still
hasn't called. and just like that, you realize something else is going on here, and the song reveals itself, slowly unfurling a smirk as you
catch on. put your number in my phone is a song about not wanting to be
bothered, and saying all the right things/playing along cause it's
something to do. after hearing that voicemail for the first time, you
can never listen to or look at the song in the same light. jessica is
less an objection of ariel's affection, and more of an interested
stranger seeking a connection or anything from a man who couldn't care less
(or cares more about whatever delicious offering he's about to grab from the
truck). it's a sly, almost sinister track that manages to make our
protagonist not look like a dick, despite the mind games being played. that's why the song sounds the way it does. he knows
what he's doing here, and maintains that kooky brand of ariel pink
humor throughout. unhappily ever after never sounded so good.
04/run the jewels feat. zack de la rocha/close your eyes (and count to fuck)
05/beyonce feat. jay z/drunk in love
06/chris brown, usher, and rick ross/new flame
07/todd terje feat. bryan ferry/johnny & mary
08/parquet courts/ducking and dodging
09/lady gaga/g.u.y.
10/ilovemakonnen feat. drake/tuesday
11/haim/if i could change your mind
12/sisyphus/rhythm of devotion
13/tweedy/high as hello
14/black lips/boys in the wood
15/julian casablancas + the voidz/take me in your army
16/sbtrkt & ezra koenig/new dorp. new york
17/banks/this is what it feels like
18/avey tare's slasher flicks/little fang
19/metronomy/love letters
20/st. vincent/birth in reverse
21/the black keys/turn blue
22/death from above 1979/right on, frankenstein!
23/fka twigs/lights on
24/jessie ware/you & i (forever)
25/jenny lewis/just one of the guys
Monday, December 22, 2014
dude... incredible. : the albums, 2014.
04/tune-yards/nikki nack
at tail end of last year, one female pop artist branded her latest collection of tunes "artpop". and though many of us really had no clue what artpop was supposed to sound like, most of us decided what she was selling wasn't it. this year, a slew of female musicians succeeded where she couldn't, creating music that can rightly be described as artpop. and no one did it better than merrill garbus and her tune-yards project. tune-yards is a highly impassioned piece of work that succeeds because it remembers the first rule of artpop: don't talk about it, be about it. for if you build it (and get it right), they will come. nikki nack is a fun album, with a capital f. having the most fun here? garbus and the band, so infectious, purveying forward thinking rhythms with whimsical stabs at r&b & vibes from all over the world. it also doesn't hurt that she at the helm of it all is a marvel, yelping, shouting, voice forever reaching for the stars; deadly serious about what she presents, but always ready to crack a smile, and give you one too. she and her tune-yards and this nikki nak. a wonderful collage, and artpop at its finest.
KEY TRACKS: water fountain/real thing/rocking chair
05/mac demarco/salad days
06/beyonce/beyonce
07/spoon/they want my soul
08/st. vincent/st. vincent
09/los angeles police department/los angeles police department
10/pharrell williams/g i r l
11/ex hex/rips
12/sisyphus/sisyphus
13/jessie ware/tough love
14/death from above 1979/the physical world
15/fka twigs/lp1
16/beverly/careers
17/ab-soul/these days
18/travi$ scott/days before rodeo
19/perfume genius/too bright
20/schoolboy q/oxymoron
21/owen pallett/in conflict
22/ryan adams/ryan adams
23/jenny lewis/the voyager
24/shellac/dude incredible
dude... incredible. : the songs, 2014.
04/run the jewels feat. zack de la rocha/close your eyes (and count to fuck)
before getting started and pressing play here, the boys ask that
you please close your eyes, and count to fuck. Not ten, not five, not
three, but fuck. that's enough time and enough syllables 'cause, as the
title (and as you soon discover while listening, the song itself )
makes clear, the quicker we get to this, the better, 'cause there are
some things that will be and need to be said that you need to hear. yes,
close your eyes, count to fuck, and brace yourself. everything you
have read and heard about mike, el-p, & their run the jewels two
this year is correct. it, like this song, is fiery, urgent,
confrontational, and direct. it has no time for fashion look books, and
turns this mothafucka up like rikers island. there's a riot going on, in
our cities, across the nation, and in these streets. who will survive
in america? with this track, run the jewels and their very special and
(much welcomed) guest zach de la rocha come forward to say "us. we
will", and you absolutely believe and agree with this. close your eyes
is the sound of the present, of being present. rat-a-tat-tat message
heavy hip-hop at its finest. it is the sound of three men who refuse to
wear blinders, won't be silenced, and give no fucks about what you think
about that. fuck the slow mo, they running jewels by you fast. lock in, get with the program, and make sure you keep up.
05/beyonce feat. jay z/drunk in love
06/chris brown, usher, and rick ross/new flame
07/todd terje feat. bryan ferry/johnny & mary
08/parquet courts/ducking and dodging
09/lady gaga/g.u.y.
10/ilovemakonnen feat. drake/tuesday
11/haim/if i could change your mind
12/sisyphus/rhythm of devotion
13/tweedy/high as hello
14/black lips/boys in the wood
15/julian casablancas + the voidz/take me in your army
16/sbtrkt & ezra koenig/new dorp. new york
17/banks/this is what it feels like
18/avey tare's slasher flicks/little fang
19/metronomy/love letters
20/st. vincent/birth in reverse
21/the black keys/turn blue
22/death from above 1979/right on, frankenstein!
23/fka twigs/lights on
24/jessie ware/you & i (forever)
25/jenny lewis/just one of the guys
Sunday, December 21, 2014
dude... incredible. : the albums, 2014.
05/mac demarco/salad days
salad days is an album about getting better. slowing down and getting a grip on a life that appears to be passing right in front of your eyes. always feeling tired/smiling when required, and letting what mom don't know take its toll on him is getting old, and mac wants to do better, for himself, and the others: the ladies who need to be treated better if they actually mean something to him, and the friends who make life easier when they're beside him. salad days plays out this all too familiar game of wanting to be better yourself so that you can be stronger, grounded, and a blessing to those around you. the music breathes and operates like mac's thoughts and aspirations here: low, with controlled guitars and clear acoustics; plus a few chamber pop and psychedelic infusions. with salad days, mac lets us inside his crowded headspace, offering up front row seats to his quest for a little peace and clarity. it's mac demarco's chamber of reflection: a calm and incredibly inviting space where the going often gets tough, but generally speaking, is fine. most definitely, earnestly fine.
KEY TRACKS: goodbye weekend/passing out pieces/chamber of reflection
06/beyonce/beyonce
07/spoon/they want my soul
08/st. vincent/st. vincent
09/los angeles police department/los angeles police department
10/pharrell williams/g i r l
11/ex hex/rips
12/sisyphus/sisyphus
13/jessie ware/tough love
14/death from above 1979/the physical world
15/fka twigs/lp1
16/beverly/careers
17/ab-soul/these days
18/travi$ scott/days before rodeo
19/perfume genius/too bright
20/schoolboy q/oxymoron
21/owen pallett/in conflict
22/ryan adams/ryan adams
23/jenny lewis/the voyager
24/shellac/dude incredible
dude... incredible. : the songs, 2014.
05/beyonce feat. jay z/drunk in love
drunk in love.
for the women who are ladies in the streets, and freaks in the bed. for those who are fond of saying or have ever uttered 'you want me to dance for you baby?' for those who experience foreplay over a dinner table or sink full of dishes, and often go all night. folks with bodies so fluorescent under all of the lights, and the men and women who love them. the trap heads, and beyonce stans. those who grain on that wood and do it well, and those who enjoy breastasses for breakfast, sweating out sheets like wash rags, and mastering the sufbordt. for you, for them, for us. drunk in love.
06/chris brown, usher, and rick ross/new flame
07/todd terje feat. bryan ferry/johnny & mary
08/parquet courts/ducking and dodging
09/lady gaga/g.u.y.
10/ilovemakonnen feat. drake/tuesday
11/haim/if i could change your mind
12/sisyphus/rhythm of devotion
13/tweedy/high as hello
14/black lips/boys in the wood
15/julian casablancas + the voidz/take me in your army
16/sbtrkt & ezra koenig/new dorp. new york
17/banks/this is what it feels like
18/avey tare's slasher flicks/little fang
19/metronomy/love letters
20/st. vincent/birth in reverse
21/the black keys/turn blue
22/death from above 1979/right on, frankenstein!
23/fka twigs/lights on
24/jessie ware/you & i (forever)
25/jenny lewis/just one of the guys
dude... incredible. : the albums, 2014.
06/beyonce/beyonce
track two. four and a half minutes in. Beyonce: "...slap me. i'm pinned to the doorway. kiss(!), bite(!), F**K ME!"... a few minutes later, Beyonce: "driver roll up the partition please. i don't need you seeing yonce on her knees..." and then a few minutes after that, Beyonce: "let me sit this aaaaaassssss....on ya!"
yeah... this isn't your book of matthew beyonce.
her mama taught her good home training, her daddy taught her how to love her haters, her sister told her she should speak her mind, and her man makes her feel so goddamn fine, leaving us here, with this: the first beyonce album in which the songs feel lived in. we could talk about the way the album was dropped, or wax poetic on our favorite this or that from the (absolutely terrific) visual album, but we're here with this still a year later because of what we hear from b and her merry band of collaborators. balladry? is that trap music? is she spittin'? a ted talk interlude on feminism? yep, mmm hmm, that is correct. beyonce matures, opens up, and relates over it all, exposing and pushing herself; enjoying being herself. a grown woman comfortable in her skin, this is what you hear when you press play on beyonce. that's a good look.
KEY TRACKS: haunted/no angel/partition
07/spoon/they want my soul
08/st. vincent/st. vincent
09/los angeles police department/los angeles police department
10/pharrell williams/g i r l
11/ex hex/rips
12/sisyphus/sisyphus
13/jessie ware/tough love
14/death from above 1979/the physical world
15/fka twigs/lp1
16/beverly/careers
17/ab-soul/these days
18/travi$ scott/days before rodeo
19/perfume genius/too bright
20/schoolboy q/oxymoron
21/owen pallett/in conflict
22/ryan adams/ryan adams
23/jenny lewis/the voyager
24/shellac/dude incredible
Saturday, December 20, 2014
dude... incredible. : the songs, 2014.
06/chris brown, usher, and rick ross/new flame
'cause somehow, someway, chris and usher managed to make a song about picking up a woman in the club sound sweet and genuine. 'cause usher is like a good influence/older brother here, which makes chris turn the juvenile antics and pick up lines off. 'cause it almost operates like an apology for all four and half minutes of loyal and whatever remixes it inspired. 'cause i enjoy singing along to it. 'cause it's funny when rick ross thinks he is funny. 'cause if high school musical had numbers like this in it, i might have tuned in. 'cause that melody is hypnotic, eschews current trends, and plays like an r&b throwback. 'cause, again, usher. all of that. that's why i stay in love.
07/todd terje feat. bryan ferry/johnny & mary
08/parquet courts/ducking and dodging
09/lady gaga/g.u.y.
10/ilovemakonnen feat. drake/tuesday
11/haim/if i could change your mind
12/sisyphus/rhythm of devotion
13/tweedy/high as hello
14/black lips/boys in the wood
15/julian casablancas + the voidz/take me in your army
16/sbtrkt & ezra koenig/new dorp. new york
17/banks/this is what it feels like
18/avey tare's slasher flicks/little fang
19/metronomy/love letters
20/st. vincent/birth in reverse
21/the black keys/turn blue
22/death from above 1979/right on, frankenstein!
23/fka twigs/lights on
24/jessie ware/you & i (forever)
25/jenny lewis/just one of the guys
bitch i'm madonna.
starring madge & nicki minaj.
SEE ALSO:
Madonna - Devil Pray
Madonna - Unapologetic Bitch
Madonna - Illuminati
SEE ALSO:
Madonna - Devil Pray
Madonna - Unapologetic Bitch
Madonna - Illuminati
Friday, December 19, 2014
dude... incredible. : the albums, 2014.
07/spoon/they want my soul
at various points throughout they want my soul, we catch britt and the band in a groove. hums to the melody that come alive through generous speakers; harmonious na na nas and the like fitting in perfectly where words aren't needed. falsettos, and that rhythm. and the catharsis via loose hanging sing along scats. spoon loves the music just as much as we do, and this love is translated and carried over into the soulful post punk silhouettes housing it all. it shouldn't sound and be this easy, but spoon continues to expand and master their sound without losing sight of the groove. no wonder they all want in. they too want to feel it and have it in their soul.
KEY TRACKS: do you/knock knock knock/they want my soul
08/st. vincent/st. vincent
09/los angeles police department/los angeles police department
10/pharrell williams/g i r l
11/ex hex/rips
12/sisyphus/sisyphus
13/jessie ware/tough love
14/death from above 1979/the physical world
15/fka twigs/lp1
16/beverly/careers
17/ab-soul/these days
18/travi$ scott/days before rodeo
19/perfume genius/too bright
20/schoolboy q/oxymoron
21/owen pallett/in conflict
22/ryan adams/ryan adams
23/jenny lewis/the voyager
24/shellac/dude incredible
dude... incredible. : the songs, 2014.
07/todd terje feat. bryan ferry/johnny & mary
the relationship between the audience and an artist/dj/dancefloor
curator like Todd Terje is largely a game of trust. we trust that todd
will enlighten and entertain us with each beat drop, and maintain a
stone cold groove while he has us enraptured. and he trusts that we will
join him and enjoy ourselves, no matter what he throws our way. at the
halfway point of the euphoric after hours disco that is his
debut, todd asks that we trust and indulge him as he drops this six and
half minute cover of robert palmer's johnny & mary into the mix. with johnny
& mary, todd takes it back, slows the tempo, and invites a vocalist
to the stage (a wonderfully understated performance from bryan ferry). it
is abrupt, unlike anything that comes before or after it, and sounds
nothing like the original. and it works. it works because it jams. a
quiet storm of a track that turns mr. palmer's spastic three and a half
minute original into a slow burning r&b trance that matches the
emotional heaviness of the domestic trials on display. for six and a half
minutes, todd and bryan and johnny and mary cascade on sounds and
feelings not too distant from that produced by roger & zapp. and it
works. the tempo may have been lowered, but the groove is still intact.
trust this and trust him, as johnny & mary is another solid reminder
that with todd terje, you're in good hands, no matter the speed.
08/parquet courts/ducking and dodging
09/lady gaga/g.u.y.
10/ilovemakonnen feat. drake/tuesday
11/haim/if i could change your mind
12/sisyphus/rhythm of devotion
13/tweedy/high as hello
14/black lips/boys in the wood
15/julian casablancas + the voidz/take me in your army
16/sbtrkt & ezra koenig/new dorp. new york
17/banks/this is what it feels like
18/avey tare's slasher flicks/little fang
19/metronomy/love letters
20/st. vincent/birth in reverse
21/the black keys/turn blue
22/death from above 1979/right on, frankenstein!
23/fka twigs/lights on
24/jessie ware/you & i (forever)
25/jenny lewis/just one of the guys
Thursday, December 18, 2014
dude... incredible. : the albums, 2014.
08/st. vincent/st. vincent
annie clark is still holding for the laugh. at multiple points throughout her spectacular fourth album as st. vincent, she wonders aloud if this is all some sort of joke. it has to be, right? more connected than ever, and still unaccessible. st. vincent wants all of your mind; to mean more than she means to you. she wants to connect. with st. vincent, annie clark seeks out the organic in a digital world, needing a break from the twenty-first century and its distractions, zeros, and ones. st. vincent is also a fantastically elastic guitar record that balances itself out with lush and concise softer moments, as is heard on the gripping final track, severed crossed fingers. an exasperated clark chants enough, enough, enough til it reaches a crescendo. your way of living is no longer entertaining for her. fortunately for us, her quest for genuine connection and all the observations made along the way are.
KEY TRACKS: birth in reverse/huey newton/severed crossed fingers
09/los angeles police department/los angeles police department
10/pharrell williams/g i r l
11/ex hex/rips
12/sisyphus/sisyphus
13/jessie ware/tough love
14/death from above 1979/the physical world
15/fka twigs/lp1
16/beverly/careers
17/ab-soul/these days
18/travi$ scott/days before rodeo
19/perfume genius/too bright
20/schoolboy q/oxymoron
21/owen pallett/in conflict
22/ryan adams/ryan adams
23/jenny lewis/the voyager
24/shellac/dude incredible
25/swans/to be kind
rough trade.
words.
"When I was asked to write about what our society learned about racism in 2014, my initial response was to say "nothing." We've been repeating the same mistakes of systemic prejudice, bias, and senseless violence since long before I was a twinkle in my white dad's eyeball. It's hard to look at the images coming out of Ferguson, Missouri, and not assume that some grotesque apocalyptic nightmare has been belched out from underneath our feet. The only thing I feel like I've learned is to stay the fuck inside my house with the doors locked and a firearm at the ready.
...2014 made us all want to give up, but we've got to overcome, at least until the end of Obama's second term. He's got two more years to find his inner Dolemite and dropkick the world into a neverending state of inoffensive, mushy bliss. In the meantime, let's try to make sense of the last 12 months of bummers..."
VICE: America's Racists Even More Racist Than Usual in 2014
"When I was asked to write about what our society learned about racism in 2014, my initial response was to say "nothing." We've been repeating the same mistakes of systemic prejudice, bias, and senseless violence since long before I was a twinkle in my white dad's eyeball. It's hard to look at the images coming out of Ferguson, Missouri, and not assume that some grotesque apocalyptic nightmare has been belched out from underneath our feet. The only thing I feel like I've learned is to stay the fuck inside my house with the doors locked and a firearm at the ready.
...2014 made us all want to give up, but we've got to overcome, at least until the end of Obama's second term. He's got two more years to find his inner Dolemite and dropkick the world into a neverending state of inoffensive, mushy bliss. In the meantime, let's try to make sense of the last 12 months of bummers..."
VICE: America's Racists Even More Racist Than Usual in 2014
dude... incredible. : the songs, 2014.
08/parquet courts/ducking and dodging
there's a lot going down and being said on ducking and dodging.
chastising, anger, and slaps on the wrists? check. finger pointing,
words of disappointment, and banishment? present. stripes and bars
unlocked doors, contest prizes, grand pianos, all remarked and dwelled upon
at breakneck speed. it means something, but then it again it doesn't. is
it supposed to? does it matter? you could spend countless minutes and
hours trying to unlock or dissect what is being said, and even still,
your search for something deeper could wind up being fruitless. the
one certainty here is how serious parquet courts is. about what is being
said, and what is being played. this can not be denied. you hear it in
the delivery and rapid fire presentation of the lyrics, and of course,
in the music itself. this is confirmed around the two minute mark where
the band unleashes a wonky and fun loving bridge that comes in, does
what it does, and does it well in under a minute. for parquet, doing
what it does is delivering a sharp and precisely executed toe tapping
garage rock stomp that is indicative of what can be found on the rest
of their album and in their back catalog. no ducking and dodging this. for four
and a half minutes here, this is clearly understood.
09/lady gaga/g.u.y.
10/ilovemakonnen feat. drake/tuesday
11/haim/if i could change your mind
12/sisyphus/rhythm of devotion
13/tweedy/high as hello
14/black lips/boys in the wood
15/julian casablancas + the voidz/take me in your army
16/sbtrkt & ezra koenig/new dorp. new york
17/banks/this is what it feels like
18/avey tare's slasher flicks/little fang
19/metronomy/love letters
20/st. vincent/birth in reverse
21/the black keys/turn blue
22/death from above 1979/right on, frankenstein!
23/fka twigs/lights on
24/jessie ware/you & i (forever)
25/jenny lewis/just one of the guys
Wednesday, December 17, 2014
dude... incredible. : the albums, 2014.
09/los angeles police department/los angeles police department
lovers come and lovers go, and in between there's peaks and valleys. self doubt, then obsession; sheer bliss, then regret. talks to yourself, and arguments with the other. peaks and valleys, highs and lows. with his los angeles police department project, ryan pollie moves through the unpredictable inner workings of giving this old thing love (or at least working towards it) a try. personal subject matter presented in a warm, comforting setting, familiar to most. lapd is twenty five minutes of dreamy lo fi ambient pop and beautiful acoustics, softening the caustic scenarios revisited over the course of the album. presented from los angeles, handled and crafted with care; lapd is an escape and release. for ryan pollie and anyone who can (and wishes to) relate.
KEY TRACKS: the only one/interluden/bishops rd.
10/pharrell williams/g i r l
11/ex hex/rips
12/sisyphus/sisyphus
13/jessie ware/tough love
14/death from above 1979/the physical world
15/fka twigs/lp1
16/beverly/careers
17/ab-soul/these days
18/travi$ scott/days before rodeo
19/perfume genius/too bright
20/schoolboy q/oxymoron
21/owen pallett/in conflict
22/ryan adams/ryan adams
23/jenny lewis/the voyager
24/shellac/dude incredible
25/swans/to be kind
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