Thursday, December 31, 2015

wonderful.



starring travis scott & the weeknd.

stream here.
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SOUND & COLOR: THE SONGS, 2015.


02/missy elliot/pharrell williams/wtf (where they from)

like.

i'm just...

like,

man.

like,

it's just like,

you know,

like, daaammmnnnn...

like kak-a-rak-a-rak-rak-a-rak-a-rak.

with pharell williams on the track in his early 2000s swag.

and man, she STILL futuristic. 

"Different, rippin' shit, microphone grippin' it."

"so far ahead of y'all."

"on top of the stars."

missy "misdemeanor" elliot.

"y'all still sleep?"

better stay awakened.



03/speedy ortiz/raising the skate





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FACTS.


starring kanye west.

 stream here.

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SOUND & COLOR: THE ALBUMS, 2015.


03/tame impala/currents

confession: i played this album for weeks before I recognized the sadness and anxiety lurking underneath. and i'm sure some of you did too. we were all too busy being distracted by the lights and music of the discotheque. cause currents is kevin parker on his bee gees, his michael jackson, his funkadelic, and hall & oates. guitars are dialed back and the funk is amplified as kevin once again channels all of his creative juices and energy into riding out the storm in the treble and the bass. with currents and his tame impala imprint, kevin gets to speak on the things he lets go unsaid in mixed company, presented in technicolor. armed with his synths and sensitivities, kevin lures you in and gets you to listen by never letting up on the groove. he wants you to cut loose and feel at ease while his songs gently weep and seek out your empathy. and at this, he succeeds.

KEY TRACKS: let it happen/eventually/the less i know the better

04/miguel/wildheart

05/bully/feels like

06/speedy ortiz/foil deer







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Wednesday, December 30, 2015

SOUND & COLOR: THE SONGS, 2015.


03/speedy ortiz/raising the skate

The following is a listing of things sadie dupuis is not:

-bossy
-the overthrown
-a crony
-haggish

She is, instead:

-CHIEF
-shooter of the shot
-Captain
-Caller of the shots
-And, most importantly, THE BOSS.

baby is so good with a blade. and on raising the skate she spits venom with lyrical daggers, speaking the truth and telling it like it is about who and what this is. every now and then we find ourselves in situations where we have to say things that we thought were clearly evident and didn't need to be said. yes, this is my work. YES, I did this. NO, I don't need your help or misplaced sympathy. YES I AM THE BOSS. and on raising the skate, ms. dupuis & speedy ortiz make this point quite clear. not just with her words, which are direct and to the point, leaving no room for mystery or misunderstanding, but with the song itself. raising the skate is tightly wound buzz rock chaos that is slightly off-kilter without ever falling off the rails. it stays in line, assaulting you with its energy and directness, not looking to impress or meet your standards of what is and isn't acceptable. that's not bossy, that's boss. understood. 




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the feels.



NME: Aretha Franklin brings President Obama to tears at 2015 Kennedy Center Honors - watch
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Tuesday, December 29, 2015

SOUND & COLOR: THE ALBUMS, 2015.


04/miguel/wildheart

he says he's too proper for the black kids, & too square to be a hood nigga. too immoral for the christians, & too moral for the cut-throat. but he's just right for the rest of us. the free spirits, with the wildhearts. this wildheart in particular has a dirty mind, both cloudy and erotic. from the minute this album revs up, miguel grabs you by the hand and raises your pulse. and then he does it again. and then again, never ceasing to titillate and amaze. three albums in, miguel is at his most comfortable and eclectic. and attractive. by being genuine, and by being upfront; confident throughout and atop these forward thinking rhythm & blues/psych rock hybrids. it's sex personified, and you're allowed to take part. and while he may fret about never feeling like he belongs, on wildheart, he's in the pocket.

KEY TRACKS: the valley/waves/leaves

05/bully/feels like

06/speedy ortiz/foil deer







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SOUND & COLOR: THE SONGS, 2015.


04/kendrick lamar/king kunta

February 2011:

March 2015:

"Stuck a flag in my city, everybody's screamin' "Compton!"/I should probably run for Mayor when I'm done, to be honest/And I put that on my Mama and my baby boo too/Twenty million walkin' out the court buildin', woo woo!/Ah yeah, fuck the judge, I made it past 25 and there I was/A little nappy-headed nigga with the world behind him/Life ain't shit but a fat vagina/Screamin' "Annie, are you okay? Annie, are you okay?"/Limo tinted with the gold plates/Straight from the bottom, this the belly of the beast/From a peasant to a prince to A MOTHERFUCKIN' KING!"

- K.Dot.

king kunta. stuntin', boastin', straight west coastin'. now he run the game got the whole world talkin'.  he who's got the yams, and that funk. that funk we want, and that funk we need. right here. his hair is nappy, his nose is wide and he is KING. king kunta. black man taking no losses. on wax, in these streets, in this country. he made it past 25 and here we are, with all eyes on him, leanin' back and ruling the scene. king kunta is an instant classic addition to the west coast hip hop cannon, all funk and bass, freedom and rebellion. it's to pimp a butterfly's mission statement, straight from the bottom, reaching out touching the masses, keeping it 100. from a peasant to a prince to a motherfucking king. two-step, dab, and give the man the respect he's earned and deserves.



05/janet jackson/no sleeep

06/drake/know yourself

07/deradoorian/the expanding flower planet

08/alabama shakes/gimme all your love

09/tame impala/let it happen

10/grimes/flesh without blood

11/kanye west/theophilus london/allan kingdom/paul mccartney/all day

12/chvrches/clearest blue

13/tame impala/'cause i'm a man (haim mix)

14/kurt vile/pretty pimpin

15/jamie xx/gosh

16/erykah badu/cel u lar device

17/the weeknd/the hills

18/lana del rey/high by the beach

19/tobias jesso jr./without you

20/carly rae jepsen/gimmie love

21/kacey musgraves/late to the party

22/disclosure + sam smith/omen

23/courtney barnett/pedestrian at best

24/adele/hello

25/wilco/ekg








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Monday, December 28, 2015

SOUND & COLOR: THE ALBUMS, 2015.


05/bully/feels like

alicia bognanno feels like trash and is putting up with a lot of bullshit. relationships have crumbled, and new ones aren't forming as easily as they used to. times are truly trying. and on feels like, alicia and company turn that anguish into blistering punk rock gold. album number one from the nashville collective speaks loudly and is unapologetic. unconcerned with making you feel at ease, feels like is supported only by the basics and bare necessities of punk and, of course, the words and wail of ms. bognanno. like kurt, courtney, and many before her, alicia's upper register is a full throttled scream that always fits and feels lived in; a melodic add-on that never feels put on (peep the hook for album highlight "trash" where alicia yells the album title like she's experiencing some sort of musical exorcism). with feels like, bully comes in, makes its point for twenty-five minutes, and exits. and you never look away the entire time. cause it feels like release, maybe even a riot. and it is. holy shit, it is.

KEY TRACKS: i remember/trash/six

06/speedy ortiz/foil deer








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SOUND & COLOR: THE SONGS, 2015.


05/janet jackson/no sleeep

janet jackson has never not owned the instrument that is her body. you only get one, and with time, janet (ms. jackson if you're nasty/the person this one goes out to) has become fully aware of what her body wants and what it needs. and today, right here, tonight, she wants you. it's been too long. way, way, too long since we've been together: she and him, us and her,  jimmy jam + t.lewis & ms. jackson. and it's nice to have her back. nice to have her back on that grown and sexy, relinquishing yet another sensual quiet storm to add to the list of her smooth, dark and lovely slow jams. no sleeep is part anytime, anyplace and a little that's the way love goes with some i get lonely thrown in the mix. there are few things more alluring than ms. jackson on the prowl, seeking your presence or demanding it, and on no sleeep she desperately seeks her suitor, listing all that is to come and will be carried out once the two of them are alone in a room together, including, of course, no sleeep... the song itself simmers like a lowly lit fire, damn near snapping to its own beat, feeling itself, and setting the mood that janet cascades across romantically in that fetching come hither coo we've all let spark a fire within us many times before. it's fire and desire all rolled into one, exuding sexuality without flaunting it.

plush.



06/drake/know yourself

07/deradoorian/the expanding flower planet

08/alabama shakes/gimme all your love

09/tame impala/let it happen

10/grimes/flesh without blood

11/kanye west/theophilus london/allan kingdom/paul mccartney/all day

12/chvrches/clearest blue

13/tame impala/'cause i'm a man (haim mix)

14/kurt vile/pretty pimpin

15/jamie xx/gosh

16/erykah badu/cel u lar device

17/the weeknd/the hills

18/lana del rey/high by the beach

19/tobias jesso jr./without you

20/carly rae jepsen/gimmie love

21/kacey musgraves/late to the party

22/disclosure + sam smith/omen

23/courtney barnett/pedestrian at best

24/adele/hello

25/wilco/ekg

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king stays king.


a mixtape.

from timbaland & friends.

stream here.
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The Return of the Dragon/The Abstract Went on Vacation.


a mixtape.

starring busta rhymes.

download here.  

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SOUND & COLOR: THE ALBUMS, 2015.


06/speedy ortiz/foil deer

foil deer begins by coming at ya neck. on the brief, less than two minute long opener, lead singer and front woman sadie dupuis asks that you be careful and watch your back. why? "because baby is so good with a blade..." next up, and with things in full swing, we are told that no, she ain't bossy, she's the boss(!). cause yes, there is a difference, fam, and on foil deer, sadie and company spend thirty five plus minutes walking the walk, showcasing why she and these words and noise rock compositions are boss. foil deer is a confident record from a headstrong band that refuses to sit still. a fuzzy, ramshackle alt rock set steeped in punk & DIY ethos that connects itself to the early to mid 90s heyday of those movements in spirit and execution. it's loud and soft in equal measures, looking you directly in the eye and holding the stare, no matter the mood. all is done to ensure that you get the point, and never forget who and what is boss here with each passing minute. and you don't. mission accomplished.

KEY TRACKS: raising the skate/puffer/my dead girl

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Sunday, December 27, 2015

SOUND & COLOR: THE SONGS, 2015.


06/drake/know yourself

remember that brief period where we had no idea what "running through the six with my WOES!" really meant? that didn't stop us from attaching ourselves and assigning a meaning to it. i mean, who really cares when that beat drops and drake practically asks us to follow the bouncing ball and "FEEL ME!". such is the power of drizzy drake. when he's on, he's on. and in 2015, aubrey graham's drake was the gift that kept on giving. and before the hotline bling memes, swole instagram selfies, and madonna make out sessions, there was this, if you're reading this it's too late highlight and centerpiece, know yourself. where drake is in that lane of his that many of us admire most: boastful, comfortable, and making this shit look all too easy. know yourself is a reggae tinged gothic noir anthem for the g's and the hustlas living the good life with the homies while keeping the haters and fuckboys at bay. it's a reminder from aubrey that that drake cat ain't nothing to fuck with. and if you're reading this, i'm sure you already know.




07/deradoorian/the expanding flower planet

08/alabama shakes/gimme all your love

09/tame impala/let it happen

10/grimes/flesh without blood

11/kanye west/theophilus london/allan kingdom/paul mccartney/all day

12/chvrches/clearest blue

13/tame impala/'cause i'm a man (haim mix)

14/kurt vile/pretty pimpin

15/jamie xx/gosh

16/erykah badu/cel u lar device

17/the weeknd/the hills

18/lana del rey/high by the beach

19/tobias jesso jr./without you

20/carly rae jepsen/gimmie love

21/kacey musgraves/late to the party

22/disclosure + sam smith/omen

23/courtney barnett/pedestrian at best

24/adele/hello

25/wilco/ekg









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shakin

starring aaliyah, timabland, & strado.



ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Timbaland reveals previously unreleased Aaliyah track, 'Shakin'
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SOUND & COLOR: THE ALBUMS, 2015.


07/chvrches/every open eye

this year there were too many great long players. albums you could (and would) put on and let play with no interruptions from the top to the bottom. and for a minute there, every open eye was on this list for me. no matter the time of day or the vibe of the weather, all is sunny and bright when every open eye is playing. album number two from the scottish synthpop trio is a forty five minute rush of blood to the head. a synth-pop masterpiece that goes big like every single emotion felt and discussed in these songs fucking matter. it encourages dancing like no one's watching, over singing with your eyes closed, pogo jumps, and fists pumps. every open eye is that concert you never want to end. an electric self-produced lp in which chvrches take the best parts of themselves and make them gold. over and over again.

KEY TRACKS: make them gold/clearest blue/empty threat

08/beach house/depression cherry

09/courtney barnett/sometimes i sit and think, and sometimes i just sit

10/sleater-kinney/no cities to love

11/d'angelo & the vanguard/black messiah

12/kurt vile/b'lieve i'm goin down...

13/deerhunter/fading frontier

14/tobias jesso, jr./goon

15/hudson mohawke/lantern





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SOUND & COLOR: THE SONGS, 2015.



07/deradoorian/the expanding flower planet

the expanding flower planet is not intrusive and does not seek to cloud your space with unnecessary clutter. the expanding flower planet is primal and simplistic at heart: all voice, tone, and drum. it seeks growth, and goes about finding it over the course of four and a half minutes beautifully, in a hypnotizing manner that leaves you calmed and transfixed. the expanding flower planet simply wants to bathe in the light of the sun so that it can sprout and marvel in the beauty of the little things, like knowing and trusting oneself. the creator here, angel deradoorian, is a twenty-nine year old southern california native of armenian descent fresh off of stints playing with folks like the dirty projectors and members of animal collective. and this profile helps inform the expanding flower planet that is presented here. press play and watch it grow.



08/alabama shakes/gimme all your love

09/tame impala/let it happen

10/grimes/flesh without blood

11/kanye west/theophilus london/allan kingdom/paul mccartney/all day

12/chvrches/clearest blue

13/tame impala/'cause i'm a man (haim mix)

14/kurt vile/pretty pimpin

15/jamie xx/gosh

16/erykah badu/cel u lar device

17/the weeknd/the hills

18/lana del rey/high by the beach

19/tobias jesso jr./without you

20/carly rae jepsen/gimmie love

21/kacey musgraves/late to the party

22/disclosure + sam smith/omen

23/courtney barnett/pedestrian at best

24/adele/hello

25/wilco/ekg








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Saturday, December 26, 2015

SOUND & COLOR: THE ALBUMS, 2015.


08/beach house/depression cherry

two songs into this expedition, Victoria and Alex join together to remind us of the power of seeing the light and giving in to the sparks that ignite within you. "make it, wave it, alive". and there's a place they'd like to take you. a lush dreamworld where we levitate above it all and float in the unknown, never straying too far from solid ground. where sparks ignite and wildflowers collide. and like the beach house long players before them, it's a place where the time and space is allotted for these songs to just breathe and reveal themselves, for depression cherry is a patient record. another dreamy and emotionally uplifting release awash in gorgeously ornate soundscapes and atmospherics.
a velvet shoegaze that looks up to the stars, enchanted, and incredibly alive.

KEY TRACKS: sparks/wildflower/days of candy

09/courtney barnett/sometimes i sit and think, and sometimes i just sit

10/sleater-kinney/no cities to love

11/d'angelo & the vanguard/black messiah

12/kurt vile/b'lieve i'm goin down...

13/deerhunter/fading frontier

14/tobias jesso, jr./goon

15/hudson mohawke/lantern


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Friday, December 25, 2015

SOUND & COLOR: THE SONGS, 2015.


08/alabama shakes/gimme all your love

gimme all your love ain't too proud to beg. it ain't too proud to beg cause it is committed. every lyric, every note, every melody, is committed. committed to being the remedy and making things right. and the work it puts in to get there is monumental and stunning, and incredibly convincing. she's put a spell on you. she and that colossus of a wail has put a spell on you. she and her cohorts have put a spell on you. she and those horns, and that closing guitar solo + instrumental have put a spell on you. and it is mesmerizing. an urgent and confrontational request from the depths of this band's soul. brittany and them have got the blues. them thick, swampy, down home blues. you submit cause you feel it, and you submit cause you have no choice.



09/tame impala/let it happen

10/grimes/flesh without blood

11/kanye west/theophilus london/allan kingdom/paul mccartney/all day

12/chvrches/clearest blue

13/tame impala/'cause i'm a man (haim mix)

14/kurt vile/pretty pimpin

15/jamie xx/gosh

16/erykah badu/cel u lar device

17/the weeknd/the hills

18/lana del rey/high by the beach

19/tobias jesso jr./without you

20/carly rae jepsen/gimmie love

21/kacey musgraves/late to the party

22/disclosure + sam smith/omen

23/courtney barnett/pedestrian at best

24/adele/hello

25/wilco/ekg




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Thursday, December 24, 2015

SOUND & COLOR: THE ALBUMS, 2015.


09/courtney barnett/sometimes i sit and think, and sometimes i just sit

courtney barnett has a way with words. a deep appreciation and affinity for words. and language. and all the myriad ways we can use them to get a point across, paint a scene, or simply communicate effectively. and when she talks, we the people listen. cause as sometimes i sit and think shows, ms. barnett is a masterful wordsmith & storyteller whether she's being smart mouthed or contemplative; a debbie downer, or hopelessly devoted to an object of desire. songs come shaped like songs in the literal structural sense, but they also come as essays or vivid prose; a letter to a loved one, and monologues for others and her army of one. throughout, courtney is witty and observant, the smooth conversationalist everyone in the room flocks to to be entertained. and she shreds or can play it soft, wrapping this 45 minute set in buzzy, razor sharp alt-rock that's as crisp and straightforward as the words she uses to let us in on her thoughts and the things she takes in when she sits down and observes, or just sits down and thinks.

KEY TRACKS: pedestrian at best/small poppies/depreston

10/sleater-kinney/no cities to love

11/d'angelo & the vanguard/black messiah

12/kurt vile/b'lieve i'm goin down...

13/deerhunter/fading frontier

14/tobias jesso, jr./goon

15/hudson mohawke/lantern

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SOUND & COLOR: THE SONGS, 2015.


09/tame impala/let it happen

that kevin parker is a clever little devil. there's all this noise running around in his head, and it's all (life, girls, whatever) becoming a bit too much. days are bleeding into each other and he's just sleeping thru em, this close to giving up the fight. in other words, it's just not the best of times or the most life affirming subject matter running rampant here. so what does kevin do to pique our interest and garner our sympathy? he sets it all to an eight minute, vamping & finger snapping psychedelic disco jam number. let it happen gets you into the groove and sucked up in the whirlwind, both his internal one and the music, where he truly gets to engage in the art of letting go. give him a shoulder or two and lend him you ear. be hypnotized. let it happen.




10/grimes/flesh without blood

11/kanye west/theophilus london/allan kingdom/paul mccartney/all day

12/chvrches/clearest blue

13/tame impala/'cause i'm a man (haim mix)

14/kurt vile/pretty pimpin

15/jamie xx/gosh

16/erykah badu/cel u lar device

17/the weeknd/the hills

18/lana del rey/high by the beach

19/tobias jesso jr./without you

20/carly rae jepsen/gimmie love

21/kacey musgraves/late to the party

22/disclosure + sam smith/omen

23/courtney barnett/pedestrian at best

24/adele/hello

25/wilco/ekg

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Wednesday, December 23, 2015

-INTERLUDE-


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mood.


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SOUND & COLOR: THE ALBUMS, 2015.


10/sleater-kinney/no cities to love

when you listen to no cities to love, nothing else really matters. you could try to put it on as background noise and go on about your day with it as your soundtrack, but that's damn near impossible cause no cities to love deserves and commands your complete and undivided attention. it announces itself loudly at the outset, coming in like a siren, daring you to find entertainment elsewhere, never losing its firm grip on your senses for the next thirty minutes. it's not a new wave, and don't call it a comeback. it is, instead, another rock solid set from the post-punk queens who have returned to us, playing like no one is listening, and as if the only persons they have something to prove to are themselves. with no cities to love we are afforded the luxury of being the fly on the wall to this basement scene where raucous and eviscerating vocals and instrumentation shout in your face, knock you on your ass, and flow together seamlessly. at one point the ladies proclaim that "no outline could ever hold us", and you believe it and pray that never changes, cause music this ferocious should never be contained.

KEY TRACKS: Price Tag/New Wave/No Anthems

11/d'angelo & the vanguard/black messiah

12/kurt vile/b'lieve i'm goin down...

13/deerhunter/fading frontier

14/tobias jesso, jr./goon

15/hudson mohawke/lantern

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a moment of clarity.

words.

"What separates us from everyone else is the way we force the members of our society to live in a constant state of fear: fear of going broke, fear of losing your job, fear of getting sick, fear of getting old and being without. We know that there's no safety net for us here in the USA. We are the "pull yourself up by your bootstraps" nation, the "you take care of yours and I'll take care of mine" and the "your problems are not my problems" society. Most of us find a way to cope with all of this. We suck it up and take the ulcer for the team. But then there are the few that can't. And with easy access to any kind of gun — and as much ammo as they want — they find a way to act out their frustration and aggression. Not because they saw Kill Bill. But because they live in the home of the brave. That is something we can change.

But first, it will require some of that "bravery.""

THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER: Michael Moore on New Wave of Gun Violence: "The NRA Is Actually Half Right" (Guest Column)

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SOUND & COLOR: THE SONGS, 2015.



10/grimes/flesh without blood

the subject of flesh without blood is never seen nor heard, but about her we know plenty. and it is not good. here is a story of a good girl gone bad and a friendship now deteriorated. good times were had, squad goals were achieved, but in the end it just didn't work.

And Claire doesn't care anymore.

In flesh without blood, Grimes has moved on from all stages of grief and periods of mourning to point fingers, assign blame, and pretty much spend five minutes telling a former bestie "you ain't shit". It's a kiss off in which Grimes sounds like she is having the time of her life telling her friend about herself. The words and tone of it all is snide and blunt -peep the direct, no fucks given line (in a sea of them) of "after all I just don't like you"- but the song itself is a fun, sun drenched ride with the top down, turning the death of this friendship into an exhilarating alt-pop release. when grimes lets out that melodic wail at the end it, it feels highly appropriate and necessary. the final nail in the coffin to a friendship that has gone bad. good riddance.



11/kanye west/theophilus london/allan kingdom/paul mccartney/all day

12/chvrches/clearest blue

13/tame impala/'cause i'm a man (haim mix)

14/kurt vile/pretty pimpin

15/jamie xx/gosh

16/erykah badu/cel u lar device

17/the weeknd/the hills

18/lana del rey/high by the beach

19/tobias jesso jr./without you

20/carly rae jepsen/gimmie love

21/kacey musgraves/late to the party

22/disclosure + sam smith/omen

23/courtney barnett/pedestrian at best

24/adele/hello

25/wilco/ekg

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Tuesday, December 22, 2015

m.f.t.r.

 a video.

from pusha t & the dream.


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SOUND & COLOR: THE ALBUMS, 2015.


11/d'angelo & the vanguard/black messiah
 
there's been too much weeping. too much senseless violence and brown lives cut short too soon. a loss of trust between the people and those who are supposed to serve them. too many instances of having to put boots on the ground in the streets, shouting, having to beg for a hassle free existence that those of another hue often take for granted. too much damn begging to just exist, and be. countless cries out to be respected, and countless moments where we needed to be heard. too many times where all we wanted was a chance to talk, only to find ourselves outlined in chalk shortly thereafter.

we see 12 year old children gunned down without warning by the police while playing in a park. we see black athletes of high standing be tackled to the ground in a case of mistaken identity "because they fit a description". and we see an educated young woman off to start a new professional life have it all taken away following what should have been a routine traffic stop. 
 
so we we shout and hashtag "BLACK LIVES MATTER" as a way to stay sane and rise above it all, to remind ourselves (and the others) of the richness that is being black. To never forget who we are, where we came from and have been, and why we fight. All of us, including D'Angelo, and his black messiah.

when I listen to black messiah I am comforted. when I listen to black messiah I feel warmth. when I listen to black messiah, I love my blackness, and I love yours, too. when I listen to black messiah I am placed firmly in the present, but I hear history, our history: American, social, BLACK. I hear concern, and I hear hope. Most of all, I hear that Black Lives Matter, and I see all that we are capable of and can achieve when we are allowed a piece of the pie and the right to flourish and simply exist.

there's been too much weeping, and too much senseless violence and brown lives cut short too soon. a loss of trust between the people and those who are supposed to serve them. but here, for a few minutes, there's redemption and there's clarity. a reason to dance and a reason to live. and it is black, and it is beautiful, and it is much needed. yesterday, today, and beyond.

KEY TRACKS: 1000 Deaths/The Charade/Sugah Daddy

12/kurt vile/b'lieve i'm goin down...

13/deerhunter/fading frontier

14/tobias jesso, jr./goon

15/hudson mohawke/lantern

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new slang.

a moment of clarity.

words.

"So it’s always gone with the rich and powerful, and with capitalism as a whole. But in 2015, there’s a key difference. Millennials are the first generation for whom capitalism can’t promise a brighter future. The American Dream has always worked as a narrative because there’s always been someone — and preferably several prominent people — who lived it. Its allure was always that, hey, it could be you that hits the jackpot. This allowed capitalism to be narrated as meritocracy, despite the fact that the odds have always been stacked in the favor of those already winning. But in 2015, what does capitalism offer the generation that stands to inherit it? A warming planet, political instability, a mountain of debt, crumbling infrastructure, and an abiding sense that their parents’ generation has already had the best of everything. What’s the point of having a fancy house in Los Angeles if you can’t water the lawn?

There’s a growing and ever-more-visible divide between the world capitalism wants us to think we live in and the one we do live in. Politicians continue to lecture us on hard work as a virtue, despite the fact that an economy centered around work becomes ever less viable and more unnecessary as the population grows but the work necessary to sustain it decreases.

...in 2015, we went about our business in the Potemkin village of capitalism, and we did our best to carry on as if nothing was wrong, and if that‘s not the height of absurdity, then what is? We lived with a sort of latent, low-level despair over our chances of ever changing that system, at least until it had sailed itself — and everyone who whose lives depended on it — into the rocks..."

FLAVORWIRE: 2015 in Culture: Pounded in the Butt by Late Capitalist Absurdism
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SOUND & COLOR: THE SONGS, 2015.


11/kanye west/theophilus london/allan kingdom/paul mccartney/all day



12/chvrches/clearest blue

13/tame impala/'cause i'm a man (haim mix)

14/kurt vile/pretty pimpin

15/jamie xx/gosh

16/erykah badu/cel u lar device

17/the weeknd/the hills

18/lana del rey/high by the beach

19/tobias jesso jr./without you

20/carly rae jepsen/gimmie love

21/kacey musgraves/late to the party

22/disclosure + sam smith/omen

23/courtney barnett/pedestrian at best

24/adele/hello

25/wilco/ekg

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Monday, December 21, 2015

SOUND & COLOR: THE ALBUMS, 2015.


12/kurt vile/b'lieve i'm goin down...

b'lieve I'm goin down begins with kurt digging the scene with a gangsta lean. Out of his head again, not giving much of a fuck. He doesn't recognize the boy in the mirror,  and does not and will not comb his hair. He's weightless, over it. Stuck in place, but a thousand miles away, as time keeps on slipping, and the world continues to spin and go on around him, with or without his participation.

Pretty Pimpin', right?

The Kurt Vile mentioned above is present throughout b'lieve i'm goin down. Losing his head and living in a constant state of disbelief, but never too far gone. There's a lot going on in that head of his, but the words are always clear, as is his focus. And on b'lieve i'm goin down, Kurt collects himself just enough to turn his bouts of misery and inner turmoil into something accessible, and often sublime (hilarious and self-deprecating). The lyricist and vocalist of b'lieve I'm goin down may be at a loss for how best to achieve clarity or serenity in the not too distant future, but the musician and architect of b'lieve i'm goin down remains committed throughout to seeking and exalting strength and clarity via sound. Finding refuge in the trappings of folk and uncluttered rock soundscapes, the music of b'lieve i'm goin down is almost a language unto itself, as wordless backdrops are given the space to float above and around it all, providing a safe space for Kurt when the words and thoughts become too much. Taken together, Kurt and these tracks invoke the steady calm of James Taylor, and the modern rock stance & determinism of Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers in equal measures, succeeding in shaking out the blues to drown out the noise taking up space in his head. 

Pretty pimpin'.

KEY TRACKS: pretty pimpin'/dust bunnies/wild imagination
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SOUND & COLOR: THE SONGS, 2015.


12/chvrches/clearest blue



13/tame impala/'cause i'm a man (haim mix)

14/kurt vile/pretty pimpin

15/jamie xx/gosh

16/erykah badu/cel u lar device

17/the weeknd/the hills

18/lana del rey/high by the beach

19/tobias jesso jr./without you

20/carly rae jepsen/gimmie love

21/kacey musgraves/late to the party

22/disclosure + sam smith/omen

23/courtney barnett/pedestrian at best

24/adele/hello

25/wilco/ekg

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Sunday, December 20, 2015

SOUND & COLOR: THE ALBUMS, 2015.


13/deerhunter/fading frontier

there was an accident. an earth shattering, life altering accident. and as is the case with most tragic or horrific events, it forced the master of ceremonies here to sit still and often be left alone with nothing more than his thoughts, with an emphasis on recovery and a recharge.

fading frontier is a piece of this recovery. for a minute now I’ve come to deerhunter to indulge in the queer. rock that’s off the beaten path with no desire to walk a straight line. and while there is plenty of that here, the tone has shifted slightly, and the veil of secrecy has been lifted. the deerhunter of fading frontier is here in the moment, asking direct questions, and seeking immediate clarity. it is an incredibly grounded album, and another reminder of why deerhunter continues to be one of the best bands around.

KEY TRACKS: living my life/leather and wood/ad astra

14/tobias jesso, jr./goon

15/hudson mohawke/lantern











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SOUND & COLOR: THE SONGS, 2015.


13/tame impala/'cause i'm a man (haim mix)



14/kurt vile/pretty pimpin

15/jamie xx/gosh

16/erykah badu/cel u lar device

17/the weeknd/the hills

18/lana del rey/high by the beach

19/tobias jesso jr./without you

20/carly rae jepsen/gimmie love

21/kacey musgraves/late to the party

22/disclosure + sam smith/omen

23/courtney barnett/pedestrian at best

24/adele/hello

25/wilco/ekg

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