I don't feel like writing much today so I am just going to keep the descriptions short and add extra space for more musical goodness.
Elzhi is a Detroit native and former member of Slum Village. His flow really reminds me of the style of Big L or even Lupe Fiasco. It's thoughtful, poetic, and not afraid to be vulnerable yet still remain hood. This song is a little darker than his other stuff but I really like it. Reminds me of waking up from a nightmare or a intense dream for some reason. I'd really recommend checking out his eLmatic mixtape, which is a tribute to Illmatic by Nas where Elzhi re-created the sounds of the classic album with Will Sessions.
Elzhi - Talking In My Sleep
This song isn't anything special, or deep, but I fucking love that beat! This is one you play to make the dance floor get all sorts of freaky.
Diamond - Superbad
It's kind of funny how Punk and Hip-Hop sort of intersect in people. This band, much like the Beastie Boys, began playing together in a punk band.I love the jazzy organ and smooth wavy beat in this song and the production is incredible sounding. I wish the vocals were a little more up front though, the beat sometimes overpowers the great lyrics.
Brother Reade - The Marcie Song
A few things I learned when listening to this song. 1. I love any song with horns 2.I love thick accents (but only when in song.) I have a hard time hearing as it is, and a thick accent usually leads me to either say "I'm sorry. What was that?" or to just nod and smile and hope it's appropriate. 3. I can't be held down by crap because the world will keep going on around me. 4. Speech Debelle is damn good and deserves more looking into.
Speech Debelle - Spinnin'
I know this video is super popular among the younguns, but I fell out of the hip-hop world a while ago. I'm getting old what can I say. The reason I am putting this up is for the video and to be able to link to the director Hiro Murai. you may know him from the director of the Childish Gambion video, This Is America It fits so well with the mood of this songs. Ceepy, spooky and give you the feeling that you might be somewhere where you shouldn't be. I love earl and that Vince Staples verse is killer. If you dig this video be sure to check out all the other videos, especially this one.
Earl Sweatshirt featuring Vince Staples & Casey Veggies - Hive
I really love Brockhampton! Even though the went through some shit with Amir's sexual abuse stuff, I think they are definitely proving that they aren't going to fall off the map based off of one persons bad decisions. I am sure it fucks with them losing a member that way. I will continue to support them and even still wish Amir the best and hope he gets the help he needs. These dudes are super talented and I can't wait for the next album to drop. These boys are fire! If you aren't familiar with them they are a hip-hop collective and self proclaimed next boy band. They have cranked oust some of the best hip-hop I have heard in a while and are fucking production juggernauts.
Brockhampton - 1998 Truman
Lyrical word play at it's best, right here.
Joyner Lucas - Backwords
And lest close this post out with one of the best hip-hop tiny desk concerts I have ever seen. I am not a huge fan of Tyler The Creator. I like his weirdness style and can definitely appreciate it but there was one thing that turned me off to his stuff. The fact that he vomits a lot in his videos. I just can't deal with that shit, Tyler! Is it a small thing, yes. Should I listen to his music more, yes. Do I really want to watch his crazy videos, hell yeah. that Vomit shit though, I stop it right there. Thankfully in this video he doesn't vomit, the only vomit he brings is straight up stripped down chilled out flow of great lyrics and some amazing back up singers. Seriously, those singers are worth the watch alone!
Tyler The Creator - NPR: Tiny Desk Concert
As with most thrift store shopper I love when I hit a payload of good stuff. My many years working in thrift stores has given me a serious case of thriftitis. I frequent these places very often and I find it difficult to not buy all the things. I'm not a hoarder by any means, but I love getting a deal. there is a common misconception people have that if you work in a thrift store, you get all the good stuff. What many people don't know is that there are usually pretty strict rules about buying things. Truth be told, in my experience, most of the good stuff that is put out is gone in a matter of an hour or less. I laugh when I see comments about how all the workers hoard everything. I will say there are advantages to working in a thrift store. We get to see everything that comes in, and yes, we know of the gold that is out there to be snatched up. that is called a perk of the job. Just like any other job someone works at. If we snatched up everything that was awesome, we probably would need a second house. You need to ask yourself this question if this is your thought process. If you saw something you really liked or that was interesting and priced super cheap would you pass on it? Of course not! Neither would anyone else! thrift store shopping is all about being in the right place at the right time, hitting the specific sections you are interested in right away, making sure you look hard at everything, and going in on a constant basis. If you go in expecting to walk out with a pile of sweet stuff all the time you are going to be very disappointed. You should go in with no expectations at all. Some places allow shady tings to happen, this is true, but most often places are regulated by restrictions for the workers. I have seen people get fired and had to fire people because they did not follow the rules. My job was too important to risk letting someone get cheap or free shit. I would challenge anyone who disputes my claim, and many have, to go and volunteer at your local thrift store and see how it really all works. I bet you your view will change. Rant Over! Now lets get down to business...music type business. Since I am talking about thrift store hauls (did you know there is a subreddit where people post their thrift store finds?), I will post songs from a recent nice haul of much I picked up. This trip was a bit of a bummer though, there were a boatload of CD's I really wanted but a lot of them were pretty trashed. I just couldn't take the risk. What can I say I'm a cheap bastard!
I never really have taken the time to listen to many of Gram Parsons songs. I know of the name and I know he's pretty widely listed as an influence of many musicians. Since I don't know much about him I am going to share a few things I learn about him as I am writing this, so please forgive me as this is just going to be a bunch of random facts. Parsons is best known for is time it the band the Byrds and The Flying Burrito Brothers. He is well known for being a key musician that blended country and rock genres in a masterful way. His love of country music started when he was a student at Harvard and founded the International Submarine band, whose only album was released after the group had split up. His early life as a child was a tough time as her endured his fathers suicide and his mothers alcoholism, and grew up with his sister Avis. His real name was Ingram Cecil Connor III. His mother was a wealthy Florida citrus heiress. His collaborations with country singer Emmylou Harris are some of the best songs I have ever heard, and a must listen for any music fan. For a short period of time Gram moved to France and lived with Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones at Villa Nellcote, which is where the Stones album Exile On Main St. was recorded. Parsons was replaced while in the Byrds, due to debilitating health issues from drug abuse, by Clarence White and died just two months after at the age of 26. In his last days parsons traveled to Joshua Tree National park where he spent his days in the desert and nights in the local bars taking barbiturates and drinking heavily. Parsons death, Spetember 19 1973, was due to a morphine overdose. Parsons is listed number 87 in Rollings Stones list of "100 Greatest Artists Of All Time." These songs are from the album Alternate Takes from GP & Grievous Angel.
Gram Parsons - She (Alternate Version)
Gram Parsons & Emmylou Harris - Return Of The Grievous Angel #1 (Alternate Version)
I have always thought it would be sweet to be a DJ. I would love to learn how to scratch records. I don't mean scratch as in "I fucked up my favorite record by doing a flying rock star leap off the couch and landed too hard on the floor". I mean like make that wiggita wiggita sound like DJ shadow does. It would also be a lot of fun to make beats that cause people to dance and I bet it's super fun coming up with songs to mix together. I would never be on the oppisite side of the turntables though. Why? Because I am 100% white boy robot. The best dance move I have is bobbing my head, which this song definitely does. I do dance, but the shades are drawn and no one is around. While I can't get my body to move fluidly to music, it definitely moves my soul. So I have that going for me. this song is from the album Preemptive Strike. It's a compilation of early singles by the shadow man. While I do prefer his more recent stuff, this is a great laid back 12 minute journey into space and time.
DJ Shadow - In/Flux
I have never been a big fan of 80's music, in fact I'd say it's my least favorite decade of music. I just can't get down with the synth driven stuff. I do love the popular stuff, but digging down deep into the decade usually leaves me unimpressed. I understand that the 80's were huge in the emergence of electronics, not only in music, but in pretty much everything. I could see how everyone wanted to get on the bus and ride the new wave sound. It's just not for me. I'd say around the late 80's is where I really start to begin liking the music put out. It was heading to a much less used electronic sound and started incorporating rock elements back into the mix. The The are a band that teeters right on that verge for me. I like them because their sound, while still heavily electronic based, is more experimental and less repetitive sounding. I'm not getting an album full of keyboard songs that sound just like the last one. This band reminds me of a less polished, and more electronics driven INXS (a band which I love). It's less pop, a little sinister, and still rocking. It's perfect music for doing art projects, putting up Halloween decorations or walking around on a misty eerie night. These songs are off their second album titled Infected, which earned them UK Gold Record status.
The The - Out Of The Blue(Into The Fire)
Oh man, if you haven't heard this band before you are in for a treat. Primal scream is a Scottish band fronted by former drummer of The Jesus And Mary Chain, Bobby Gillespie along with a revolving cast of performers. The band was a key player in the late 80's indie pop scene and didn't really see commercial success until the early 90's with the album Screamadellica. The music is a mix of pop, dance and neo-pscyhedellic rock. This is one of those that I would instantly suggest to any music lover. It's filled with spacey sunshine filled sing along songs to pleasant yet odd experimental soundscapes. This album was the first to win the Mercury Music Prize, beating Gillespie's former band The Jesus And Mary Chain. If you ever see this album be sure to pick it up and if you make playlists at all keep this band in your arsenal. You could probably pick a song from any album in their discography and it will be worthy. both of these songs are from the album Screamadellica.
Primal Scream - Movin' On Up
