Today we have new music and few words to say about it from Bealby Point, Raven Artson & True Blue, Christopher Paul Stelling, Victory Kicks and La Sanyea Dengue.
read more »
April 30, 2021
Friday 5×5
April 30, 2021
The B-Side: Solar Powered Moon Tower
We often talk about bangers on this blog. Songs that have hooks and energy and make you want to shake that booty or shake a fist at the sky, but not often enough do we talk about thinkers. “I’m A Monster, Can’t You See” by Solar Powered Moon Tower is a thinker. Falling somewhere between the spoken word art pop of Laurie Anderson and a more current lo-fi bedroom synth vibe, it’s the kind of song that grabs you in a different way. The somewhat cryptic lyrics causing you to listen again and again to try and decipher (especially the whispered) and in the process you realize that the scratchy spaced out melodies are in their own way, a banger of a different kind.
April 28, 2021
Play Listy For Me – New Metal & Hard Rock Vol. 3
Hump day? Hell yeah it’s H.U.M.P. day – Heavy Ultimate Music Playlist day. Turn it up and throw the horns.
April 28, 2021
The Midweekly – Armand Hammer & The Alchemist
An album by the now deceased oil and pharmaceutical businessman? Nah. It’s the latest from hip hop duo by the same name, Armand Hammer. On their fifth record, Haram, the New York group, consisting of Billy Woods and EUCLID, have collaborated for the first time with legendary producer The Alchemist. Fans of the genre will know the west coast producer and DJ always brings a unique style to the table, and on this release there’s no shortage of that. The music is a blend of dusty LPs delivering samples of jazz and blues, cut with haunting, minimalist sounds. The rhymers themselves give the record it’s true rhythm as they shift and change meter with their flow. Lyrically experimental, the verses are as dense as a forest. Seemingly about a hundred things, and at the same time nothing at all. But the enjoyment isn’t in the deciphering. Let the thicket of poetry surround you. Like the NY entrepreneur they too deal in fuel and drug, just in a more metaphorical and rewarding way.
April 28, 2021
The B-Side: Linus Gxrdfeldt
Acclaimed Swedish poet Linus Gårdfeldt has returned to his rock n’ roll roots (adorably, he was in a punk band when he was six) with Animal Tongue, a collection of post-punk influenced indie rock released under the barely-a-pseudonym Linus Gxrdfeldt. As one would expect, the songs are lyrical and often story driven, as is the case in the lead track “Wolf Coat.” The band is top notch and this one feels a bit like The National, which is always a good thing.
April 27, 2021
Tuesday Tip-Off: Faiyaz and the Wasted Chances
Energy cannot be created nor destroyed, it can only be funneled into great rock n’ roll songs like this one from Faiyaz and the Wasted Chances. Like Ted Leo on six espressos, this one bristles and shimmies with sweaty early punk energy but never loses its musicality or sight of its power pop core. A banger for kids who think they’re too cool to use the phrase “banger.”
April 27, 2021
The B-Side: Rufus Boss
Today from Italy we have Rufus Boss, a guitar & drums two-piece rock band. Unlike the garage rock of The White Stripes or the Ford truck rock of The Black Keys, Rufus Boss brings a decidedly Queens of the Stone Age style stomp, which for a two piece is impressive. They follow the QOTSA blueprint pretty closely, but they have decorated and embellished it with their own flair for a fun rocking number.
April 26, 2021
Mike’s Monday Muse – Toots & The Maytals
File under tunes I can never get sick of. This is my favorite song on what I think is the greatest reggae (Toots literally created that word and of course trailblazed the genre) album ever made, Funky Kingston. RIP and thanks Toots.
April 26, 2021
The B-Side: Exit Kid
With “Munny,” Exit Kid gives us a grammatically incorrect vibey indie rock number that hangs its hat on a central groove that strangely is reminiscent of Ozzy Osborne’s “No More Tears” but as done by Primal Scream. If that doesn’t get you to click play, we don’t know what will. Turn it on, turn it up and slide and slink into this week.
April 23, 2021
Play Listy For Me – Hip Hop, R&B and Soul Vol. 3
As noted hitmaker / sex criminal R. Kelly once said, “It’s the freakin weekend.” So turn up these jams of the freshest and best in hip hop, r&b and soul and fingers crossed nothing comes out in the future that makes us want to go back and delete this post.