Music
Essays, blog posts, playlists, and more focused broadly on music. For more playlists visit my Spotify profile.
- Hail Mary Mallon “Garfield” Video ()
Considering how darkness in rap has become so closely associated with such recent shock acts as the polarizing Odd Future, it’s refreshing to be introduced to a group such as Hail Mary Mallon which doesn’t make a desperate grab for attention while driving a sincere sense of nervous energy. Not unlike last month’s “Smock,” “Garfield” […]
- Moby “After” Video ()
The concept of this video from director John Irwin: “In a sterile and controlled future, suicide rates have risen and the powers-that-be are looking into the cause. An operator resurrects a female victim and sifts through her psyche, trying to understand the mechanics of her suicide.” Repeating “But my mind was low,” Moby characteristically moans […]
- Moby “The Day” Video ()
As explained by Dolimite Films, “This started out as a video contest for Moby and ended up being a labor of love that left us not caring about the competition. This is a story that we think will effect a lot of people.” Contest or no, I can’t see how they’d come up empty on […]
- Hoping That the Glitter Turns Gold: Pat Lee ()
Not long ago Birmingham, Alabama’s Pat Lee dropped the first taste from his forthcoming Nameless EP in the form of the Gold Panda-sampling “You.” Now the 21-year old rookie is back with a fresh take on “Stairway to Hip-Hop Heaven” by Slovenian producer Gramatik. Rapping over the remixed Led Zeppelin classic, Lee initially takes on […]
- Dyslexic Postcards “Now They Know” ()
The choice adjective used to describe Miami’s Dyslexic Postcards seems to be through using some form of the term “debauchery,” and having seen the rugged group perform live it’s not all that difficult to figure out why. Crushing the small reformed cowboy bar Betty’s in Nashville a few weeks back, the five-piece literally destroyed on […]
- Is Black Noize The 615 King? ()
Often an album or song will represent a thought or theme that runs through an artist’s mind for a simple period of time, but when asking slept-on MC Black Noize about his new album you get a very different answer. “The significance of the title 6:15 Daydreamsz is that it describes everything about me” he explained […]
- T. Daily “It’s All Over” ()
Originally written by Curtis Mayfield (as were many of the era’s songs released through OKeh Records), Walter Jackson’s 1964 single “It’s All Over” has had an interesting history, one which eventually found the song used as a sample on “Music is Power,” the second single from Richard Ashcroft’s 2006 studio release, Keys to the World. […]
- Elemental Zazen “Hollow Heart” ()
True perseverance resides on a sliding scale somewhere between working through life’s daily chores and its most tragic and unusual twists. Everyday everyone who survives can say “I have persevered!” but in the case of Seattle MC Elemental Zazen such a statement takes on a tremendously unfortunate extreme. In 2006, after already losing a family […]
- Ducko McFli “The Eclipse” ()
Nashville MC and one half of production duo P.U.S.H. Productions, Ducko McFli has just released a new album of instrumentals under the banner of Smoked Out. Highly soulful in their sourcing, the collection is also accompanied by a pair of lyrically inclined songs which will appear on his upcoming solo set, Insomnis Veritas. Aside from […]
- I.B.E. feat. MaLLy & K.Raydio “The Pad” ()
That Tape by I.B.E Releasing a condensed mixtape utilizing a selection of J Dilla beats last year, simply titled I-Dill Picture, young Minneapolis MC I.B.E. (Intelligent Black Enterprise) is on the verge of dropping yet another release in the form of an introductory mixtape by the name of That Tape. An introduction to what? An […]
- The Lonely Island fear. Michael Bolton “Jack Sparrow” Video ()
The tracklist to the Lonely Island’s upcoming sophomore release Turtleneck & Chain looks like one gigantic 19-track joke; which is good because, well, it’s actually supposed to be one gigantic 19-track joke. The comedy troupe, comprised of Akiva Schaffer, Jorma Taccone and Andy Samberg, have taken on ridiculous levels of cheekiness for the new album, […]
- Status Reign “The Chorus” ()
Brutally Honest by Status Reign Having been slowly releasing new material since early last year—February’s “Dedicated” and last summer’s “Tonight” being just two examples—Minneapolis MC and Background Noise Crew member Status Reign has now released his full-length debut album Brutally Honest. While the record retains certain likenesses to similarly focused artists from the Twin Cities […]
- Lady Gaga “Judas” Video ()
As enthusiastically bold as the music videos for both Lady Gaga’s “Judas” and “Born This Way” are, each leaves a lingering taste of unexpected emptiness. Be it the hazy, winding religious commentary of the former or the rigidly acted out space-birth of the latter, the concepts of the videos are quite unique but the final […]
- Ink Project “Snake” ()
Comprised of Melanie Dymond (vocals, production) and Jez Lloyd (keys, production), Ink Project is an interesting electronic duo out of South London whose individual tracks focus on everything from bouncier pop (“Flicker“) to such slow ambient creepers as “Eye of Glass,” which debuted earlier this year on Gilles Peterson’s BBC Radio1 show. Another standout which […]
- Matic Lee “Ghost” ()
Following his recent Dragonball-inspired track “Flyin’ Nimbus” comes “Ghost,” Matic Lee’s play off of Ray Parker, Jr.’s “Ghostbusters” theme. The Nashville MC cuts hard with the self-produced track, lyrically firing at haters and naysayers alike. While just recently releasing his Smoke and a Mirror album, it would seem wise to keep an eye on the […]
- Openmic “Non Fiction” ()
Presented by 2Ls, Nashville firestarter Openmic dropped his much anticipate For The Rebels mixtape yesterday. Having already dropped “The Code” and “Can You Blame Him?,” the MC further cements his place among the south’s finest young lyricists with the album, but one track in particular — be it on the release or when he performs […]
- Mac L “40 Acres and a Deal” ()
Mac L, aka Mac Tha Knife, is an interesting character. The Nashville-based MC essentially served as my own personal introduction into the city’s rap scene and was the focus of an introductory feature, “Finding Community in Ca$hville” back in January. With such a background it’s with great pleasure that CB is able to unveil a […]
- Party Trash “Night Flash” ()
New from Joseph Volmer of Murfreesboro, TN’s Blastoids comes a fresh LP under the banner of his haunting solo project, Party Trash. The minimalist electronic howls featured throughout the new ALONErelease are echoed strongly in the album’s hazy lead single, “Night Flash.” The progressive sounds of the witch house feature’s synth come as a strong […]
- Diarrhea Planet “Ice Age” ()
Rowdy energy and a sense of humor will only get you so far in this world, but when you couple those traits with a sense of musical direction you might actually be onto something. In terms of covering the bases, Nashville‘s Diarrhea Planet are good to go: the group’s reliable enthusiasm isn’t simply complemented by […]
- Lupe Fiasco “Words I Never Said” Video ()
For all the heat that Lasers has (deservingly) taken, one of the album’s key moments of redemption can be found in the form of Lupe Fiasco‘s focused “Words I Never Said.” With “Love the Way You Lie” co-writer Skylar Grey on the hook, Lupe’s angry manifesto offers a strange contrast to the largely pop-driven wasteland […]
- Lykke Li “Sadness Is a Blessing” Video ()
By merit of his weathered appearance — let alone his remarkable presence — Swedish actor Stellan Skarsgård has made a (rather lengthy) career out of playing the role of hardened characters. In this new Tarik Saleh-directed music video for “Sadness is a Blessing,” the actor once again assumes a difficult position, this time opposite a […]
- Flux Pavilion “Bass Cannon” Video ()
“The scientist Flux and his minion Doctor P perform some perverted audio experiments on some unwilling candidates in the official video to Bass Cannon!” A video far more amusing to watch than its premise might suggest, “Bass Cannon” is the most recent single from UK Dupstepper Flux Pavilion. [This post was first published by Culture […]
- Gold Panda “Marriage (Star Slinger Remix)” ()
Produced by visual artist Anže Sekelj and photographer Lucijan Kranjc, this video for Star Slinger‘s “Marriage” remix is engrossing in its mesmerizing light display. Transposing objects without having them ever actually move, the creative draw of the team’s visual display is melded nicely into the various beats and punches of the track. The original version […]
- Beastie Boys “Hot Sauce Committee Part 2” Review ()
Aside from breathing new life into a nearly 25 year old meme with the celebrity cameo-heavy Fight For Your Right Revisited short film, it’s no wonder that the campaign behind the Beastie Boys‘ Hot Sauce Committee Part 2 has been so tightly focused on building a sense of nostalgia around the group. For fans who […]
- Lykke Li on Later… with Jools Holland ()
What is there that can be said to deflate the power of Lykke Li‘s “Get Some“? Since it first debuted last October there’s been little negative to come from her entire Wounded Rhymes release in general, but the lead single stands as something particularly unique from the album’s nine other tracks. Could it be the […]
- Britney Spears feat. Nicki Minaj & Ke$ha “Till the World Ends (Remix)” ()
It could be that “Till The World Ends” is simply just a fantastic base to build any remix from, but this new version of the Femme Fatale track featuring Ke$ha and Nicki Minaj is sounding exceptionally killer. Led with a sharp-tongued introduction by Minaj, the song itself features harsher breaks (especially later in the song) […]
- Erin Manning “Back and Forth” (Influenza) ()
It’s rare that music can appropriately be labeled as deceptive, but such an explanation might hold true for Back and Forth, the new EP from Nashville’s Erin Manning. Though physically unimposing, the petite vocalist maintains a commanding presence with a voice that is peppered with far more passion and explosiveness than her appearance or singer/songwriter […]
- Chaz Kangas feat. Mac Lethal “Scrambled Eggs” ()
A Personal Reference by Chaz Kangas While being far from confrontational, the tone of New York MC Chaz Kangas’ new album A Personal Reference has the potential to be very divisive. He’s funny without being snarky and remains true to his voice and interests without satirizing, but in sounding musically similar to Atom and His […]
- Beyonce “Girls (Who Run the World)” ()
Leading the way from Beyonce’s forthcoming solo album is the vivacious “Girls,” a drumline heavy call and response banger that aches to be played at full volume. In light of recent releases from the likes of Britney Spears and Lady Gaga it’s encouraging to hear another big name drop some new material, and fortunately its momentous […]
- Racism in Rap ()
[Note: This article uses language which some readers might find particularly offensive. Please be advised that the sensitive nature of the content is not being published with the intent to offend.] “Hip hop’s vitality is directly related to its rebelliousness. You can tame it if you like (or try to), but whatever the result, it […]