I have two: Moth by the dearly departed synthpop duo Chairlift, and Every Now and Then by psychedelic house trio Jagwar Ma. I spent all year jamming to Moth because it was pop music that didn't sacrifice its sonic complexity for catchiness, instead opting to find a happy medium between the two. Jagwar Ma's effort, meanwhile, was a late find from November that I fell in love with for its mashup of sixties-style guitar rock with the electronic sensibilities of the 90's and today, creating its own timeless kind of groove.
I have a lot on my "to-listen" list still, though, including Oranssi Pazuzu, Danny Brown, Latikea, Grumbling Fur, Huerco S., Gonjasufi, Dälek, Babyfather, Luuli, Sloth, Puce Mary, Death Grips, so this list could get even longer and stranger.
I am listening to Laniakea's A Pot Of Powdered Nettles and it's definitely another addition to this list. It was written as a tribute to the late Ian Johnstone, artist and lover of Jhonn Balance.
So apparently Drake ripped a flow off a Florida rapper who goes by the name XXXtentacion and accidentally wound up catapulting it into the Hot 100, aaaannnnd it sounds like a slightly chiller version of Blackhandpath. It's a bit silly, but the fact that something this distorted and musically fucked up is almost a hit now is heartening. The world needs more of that.
Sculptured's Embodiment: Collapsing Under the Weight of God is pretty crazy
ostensibly it's progressive death metal but it's predominantly a labyrinthine, strangely interlocking amalgam of drum porn that would make zach hill blush and weird organ riffs that sometimes slides into weirdly off-kilter blast beat sections
there's also some guitar riffs in there but they arent super amazing i guess
Today I learned that, before Stanley Kubrick decided on licensing classical music for the soundtrack of 2001: A Space Odyssey, he considered licensing Tom Dissevelt & Kid Baltan's Song of the Second Moon instead.
The M Machine put their debut album out today, it's called Glare.
Going in I will admit that I was kind of concerned that losing Andy was going to have a negative effect on their stuff (this is their first release that can 100% be considered a strictly Eric and Swardy thing given how closely their last EP came out to Andy's departure), but they definitely still got it. As a whole, this one is a bit less inherently "face-melting wubs" than the Metropolis EPs and it has less of the house influences the Just Like EP had -- its style is more of a new wave and techno inspired take on their typical vibe, with the vocal work in particular being reminiscent of stuff like New Order in a few parts.
It's still undeniably their work, though. The standout track for me is definitely "I AM," a breezy banger that brings to mind their older stuff without directly imitating it. There's an addictive lead arp that opens the track and pops in and out throughout, and it's a hell of an earworm -- I think I've listened to the song four times already and still haven't gotten tired of it.
Not only did This Heat briefly regroup before Gareth Williams' death in 2001, but the Charleses also performed a series of critically acclaimed concerts last year as This is Not This Heat with such guests as Thurston Moore and the prolific and very strange Daniel O'Sullivan.
Speaking of Daniel O'Sullivan, Grumbling Fur's Furfour is awesome. It's like if Brian Eno's early pop tunes were informed by developments in popular and experimental music that would not come about until decades later—particularly acid house, the newer waves of baroque folk-pop, and Plunderphonics.
Pile's "Leaning on a Wheel" is a fantastic and horribly sad song by a band who I'm pretty sure I was mostly unaware of until fairly recently. It reminds me of Lungfish in certain respects, and of the drearier end of country-blues, and Slint. It's hard to describe.
A GIRL WHO HAD LOOKS THAT CAN KILL WHO I HUNG OUT WITH IN HER APARTMENT LISTENING TO THIS CASSETTE IN 1988 DID HAVE A CAT WHO'S NAME WAS MICHIGAN. DID YOU EVER REALIZE THAT MODERN MUSIC IS HEAVILY INSPIRED BY GOD CONTAINING SUBLIMINAL MESSAGES AND PROPHECY? IT IS A LITTLE GAME THE LORD PLAYS WITH WHEN IT COMES TO DEALING WITH THE DEVIL. THANKS FOR THE ALBUM COVER INFO.
well you see what the fellow said was A GIRL WHO HAD LOOKS THAT CAN KILL WHO I HUNG OUT WITH IN HER APARTMENT LISTENING TO THIS CASSETTE IN 1988 DID HAVE A CAT WHO'S NAME WAS MICHIGAN. DID YOU EVER REALIZE THAT MODERN MUSIC IS HEAVILY INSPIRED BY GOD CONTAINING SUBLIMINAL MESSAGES AND PROPHECY? IT IS A LITTLE GAME THE LORD PLAYS WITH WHEN IT COMES TO DEALING WITH THE DEVIL. THANKS FOR THE ALBUM COVER INFO.
I dig this album a bunch and I think it deserves your love. Think moody, deep house filtered through a hip hop lens and you've basically got the vibe down, but I think what I like best about it is just how many layers Alex brings into each track -- there's a lot going on beneath the surface and it's rad.
Sufjan Stevens is releasing a live album/video of material from his Carrie & Lowell tour. I saw him on that tour—the live arrangement of the songs was a very different beast from the album version. Much more in-your-face. I'm very excited this stuff is getting an official release.
One of Aesop Rock's best verses is hidden as a guest feature on an album cut by obscure rapper's obscure rapper MC Rasco that samples "Bring Me To Life" by Evanescence.
One of Aesop Rock's best verses is hidden as a guest feature on an album cut by obscure rapper's obscure rapper MC Rasco that samples "Bring Me To Life" by Evanescence.
Actually, wait, that might be unfair to Burzum. I don't think Varg ever made music about murdering people, although his recent work is apparently weird racist neofolk? Still, the mix of charm, taste, and horrifying beliefs and acts is certainly there. Also the necro-as-fuck production and delusional fanbase.
Substitute for "charisma," if you will, but I do get the feeling from that article that X is probably a reasonably engaging conversationalist when he's not going off on a tangent about covering his face in another man's blood. Which isn't uncommon with people like that, actually.
None of this is necessarily complimentary. Varg Vikernes is fascinating because he's adorable until he's utterly terrifying. It's like watching a huge venomous snake.
I mean you have probably intuited this by now but I think XXXTentacion's music is fucking terrible. There are tons of people who have been and are doing what he's doing but much better, not the least of which is Ski Mask The Slump Gawd, also a douchebag, but actually a decent rapper (and the entire reason anyone knows who XXX is).
You have said that literally every time he's been mentioned.
I have literally heard one song of his (the famous one) and I liked the production aesthetic but was more amused that this bizarre piece of music got onto the Hot 100, and I feel like you're treating that borderline non-opinion and wry observation about the parallels between this man and another weird cult figure in a very different genre like some kind of unironic ringing endorsement.
Comments
Man, it was great.
Sorry I don't have anything more original to say. :P
Assassin poems, Poems that shoot
guns. Poems that wrestle cops into alleys
and take their weapons leaving them dead
The guy behind the dearly departed Death Cab for Yeezy built a website full of rap/pop mashups and it's too perfect for words.
Speaking of the former, I expressed love for them on Twitter last night and they liked the tweet! I was so happy.
- Argiflex, Throatless
- Car Seat Headrest, Teens of Denial
- Crying, Beyond the Fleeting Gales
- Jute Gyte, Perdurance
- Moor Mother, Fetish Bones
- Sutcliffe Jügend, Offal
- Swans, The Glowing Man
I have a lot on my "to-listen" list still, though, including Oranssi Pazuzu, Danny Brown, Latikea, Grumbling Fur, Huerco S., Gonjasufi, Dälek, Babyfather, Luuli, Sloth, Puce Mary, Death Grips, so this list could get even longer and stranger.* Jute Gyte - Perdurance
* Delroy Edwards - Hangin' At The Beach
* Condor - Sangreal
I'll also add Starflyer 59's Slow and Kendrick Lamar's untitled unmastered. to that.
There are other candidates, too - Blackstar in particular - but I haven't listened to them yet.
ostensibly it's progressive death metal but it's predominantly a labyrinthine, strangely interlocking amalgam of drum porn that would make zach hill blush and weird organ riffs that sometimes slides into weirdly off-kilter blast beat sections
there's also some guitar riffs in there but they arent super amazing i guess
it's on their Facebook page and apparently if you text their hotline with your email they'll send you an extended version of it
https://www.facebook.com/healthnoise/
Larry Coryell, the godfather of jazz fusion, has passed away.
I should listen to it someday.
Going in I will admit that I was kind of concerned that losing Andy was going to have a negative effect on their stuff (this is their first release that can 100% be considered a strictly Eric and Swardy thing given how closely their last EP came out to Andy's departure), but they definitely still got it. As a whole, this one is a bit less inherently "face-melting wubs" than the Metropolis EPs and it has less of the house influences the Just Like EP had -- its style is more of a new wave and techno inspired take on their typical vibe, with the vocal work in particular being reminiscent of stuff like New Order in a few parts.
It's still undeniably their work, though. The standout track for me is definitely "I AM," a breezy banger that brings to mind their older stuff without directly imitating it. There's an addictive lead arp that opens the track and pops in and out throughout, and it's a hell of an earworm -- I think I've listened to the song four times already and still haven't gotten tired of it.
Not only did This Heat briefly regroup before Gareth Williams' death in 2001, but the Charleses also performed a series of critically acclaimed concerts last year as This is Not This Heat with such guests as Thurston Moore and the prolific and very strange Daniel O'Sullivan.
HOW WAS I NOT TOLD ABOUT THIS.
Going on my backlog!
I dig this album a bunch and I think it deserves your love. Think moody, deep house filtered through a hip hop lens and you've basically got the vibe down, but I think what I like best about it is just how many layers Alex brings into each track -- there's a lot going on beneath the surface and it's rad.
EDIT: That was fucking lit.
None of this is necessarily complimentary. Varg Vikernes is fascinating because he's adorable until he's utterly terrifying. It's like watching a huge venomous snake.
I have literally heard one song of his (the famous one) and I liked the production aesthetic but was more amused that this bizarre piece of music got onto the Hot 100, and I feel like you're treating that borderline non-opinion and wry observation about the parallels between this man and another weird cult figure in a very different genre like some kind of unironic ringing endorsement.