Drake – Take Care pt. 1

The Drake-fest has begun. For the last two weeks or so, maybe my neighbors are the most annoyed now, I’ve been heavily into his album from last year, Take Care. To make a long story short, I heard his first album only (never anything before) and it felt dead to me. And who knows, maybe after I fall off this one I can get ahold of Thank Me Later and enjoy it just as much? Nonetheless, I immediately assumed that Drake was not an artist for me. It was a confusing aspect: some people who’s taste I don’t truly admire/respect (such pretentious words yes) love him, yet some people who’s taste I truly to admire/respect love him, and his comparisons to other arrogant yet brilliant artists (Yeezy here) and objective comparisons to sounds like The Weeknd always had me, well yeah, confused. This album came out last year, I decided to ignore it although many people of all kinds love(d) it and after some continuing struggle, I finally got it and now, it’s something I definitely love . I don’t know why some albums or artists have to be like this, or does it all even matter, but this is one awesome album.

This very first song, “Over My Dead Body,” sets the tone beautifully with Michael Jackson-like synths and breathy, female vocals. Here Drake envelops his tones with lush layers of string-like synths that scale a wall of notes that sound both rich and melodically sweet. His voice is actually something to behold because of how honestly he sways his words and his flow, admittedly, is something very impressive. He’s basically recounting how he’s adjusted to fame and how it isn’t as easy as it appears and yet, he’s lamenting about how he’s just a young artist, trying to improve. I love the way he can masks his confidence (“I’ve just been playing, I didn’t even notice I was winning,”) and how he basically is a swaggering, tough artist. This album is all about combining the words with the sounds so seamlessly that it’s downright flawless in presentation. I’ve got a lot more to say, I’ve had these first six or so songs on repeat lately and I’ve basically got them memorized now. But this is an album that will get many more parts I’m sure. Til then, the first one.  – Bryan

And yes, go teme go, Chelsea gonna take it.

The Police – Synchronicity

There’s an awesome quote by Carl Jung that goes something like “a particularly beautiful woman is a source of terror. As a rule, a beautiful woman is a terrible disappointment.” I’m not exactly sure if it’s entirely out of context, without much explanation, but I think the meaning is self explanatory: the most beautiful is not always the best. Nonetheless, I thought of that quote because of Synchronicity, which is something Jung did coin. Basically, the meaning behind that word is the ‘experience’ of two or more things that normally, wouldn’t go together (casually unrelated) and yet are ‘experienced’ together in a meaningful way. It’s basically a conceptual way of thinking where certain coincidences gain more meaning. I know some people that regard any sign, any kind of hint, any kind of coincidence as having meaning: basically feeling that any coincidence happens for a reason. That kind of thinking would defy synchronicity but it’s also a bit more complicated.

Anyways, all of this reaches The Police’s album, their fifth and final studio album as a band. Released in 1983, the Police wasted little time creating magnificent music together as a band. I remember hearing this album blasted when I was younger (I imagine my dad bought the album that year or the year after and had it on current repeat; he actually says it reminds him of my sister since she was born a year before it) and fortunately realizing just how awesome Sting is. There’s a book on synchronicity that Jung inspired someone else to extensively write, on where Sting got the title from, and eventually also wrote two parts for a title track. The first synchronicity here starts with clashing cymbals and a high-paced feel. It immediately sucks the listener in to the band’s dense concept and into sounds that are both dated in their 80s scope and still, downright stunning. The band layers their voices and Sting commands a stark control as the drums and synths shake and roll behind him.

Jung also said, “Every form of addiction is bad, no matter whether the narcotic be alcohol, or morphine, or idealism” which basically relies that there is a certain limit to controlling the mind. The second synchronicity is definitely a lot more reaching with a stormy opening and Sting’s voice towering over the synths and drums this time. But it’s his bass that takes the spot light as he recalls stories of a young man walking throughout his life, never realizing the synchronicity around him. The way that certain people are wearing some colors, how it’s just another ugly morning, there’s “The pain upstairs that makes his eyeballs ache,” and well, it all melts away.

There’s a lot of rambling on this post. I apologize for that, yet The Police are a band that really sucked me into music and Sting is a genius no doubt. The synchronicity happens all the time and for good measure, well here’s the biggest song off that album, the best maybe? – Bryan

The Black Keys - The Big Come Up

If we talk about the blues and how they are doing nowadays, with the White Stripes gone (here’s hoping the Jack White album is awesome!), there really is not much left in terms of new breed other than the Black Keys. Their latest album, El Camino, saw them reach KLAQ status with huge songs and their first arena tour. But there used to be a time, long ago. when both the Stripes and Black Keys were releasing hit after hit – back in the early 2000s. It was always a big deal to get either band’s vinyl stuff because it sounded VASTLY better for some reason (the bluesy riffs deeper and the awesome fidelity very lush and yes, high) and for the Keys it all began with The Big Come Up. Flashing their vintage, raw, blues sound, this is where the Akron duo developed their underground fanbase; releasing stellar album after stellar album before finally getting some recognition when they signed with Nonesuch and had Danger Mouse producing some stuff. Now, on this album everything sounds much more raw and much more grounded in tight production than anything else.

On “Them Eyes” the duo take a lonely opening lick before chugging along with driving force. He’s done her wrong and as sad as she is, he can’t bear to know how much he’s affected her. “If you don’t bring me back this time, I swear I’m gonna lose my mind,” he declares. Very basic and fundamental, it’s obviously where the roots for songs like “Tighten Up” were invested; here the guitar rides the blues scale with tender care as he sings about tearing up, every time he looks into ‘them eyes.’
But while basic and fundamental is musical jargon, it doesn’t mean that the music is without emotion. Like any solid blues act, the Keys pay homage with covers that directly draw a blues style, along with traditional values. Here, The Beatles' “She Said, She Said” (which was actually a single off this album) is rendered into a sweet cover that keeps the original melody and vibes for a fuzzy rendition. Their raw energy was focused onto production that could mask their instruments with muffled style and they immediately possessed massive chops.
 

And here, on “The Breaks,” the guitar cries in the background as it’s both shredded and yearning for escape. These breaks seem to be the downright blues of losing your loved one, “I know you’re gone, gone for sure” and damn it, realizing it. It’s what people like Muddy Waters and Howling Wolf made blues for back during their time and in 2002 the Keys were just playing the natural blues they learned growing up. Recorded all in one of their basements, it’s still their purest album to date, perhaps a blues standard for the 00s. – Bryan
 

Radiohead – In Rainbows

Your eyes, they turn me. I’ll be honest when I first heard this album back in 2007 it was like a ton of bricks had fallen on me. I was fortunate enough to get the heralded discbox and it was an album that arrived during that fall to very sensitive minds and hearts. It’s hard to believe we’re nearly five years removed from this album, it’s hard to believe just how amazing of an album it really is -- just another bona fide classic from Radiohead.

I remember loving the way it vastly improved from what Hail to the Thief left to be desired (flow and songwriting to name a few) and how it was ten stellar songs. It’s still an album people love with highest regards for Radiohead’s ability at combining amazing words about love and life, with amazing sounds and well, Thom Yorke’s absolutely flawless voice. Flawless in how it’s mesmerizing and uncannily always on pitch and through all the aesthetic value – his cadence, his delivery, his spectral tone – it’s a flawlessly perfect voice for this band. It’s a much different album from The King of Limbs, sure, but both are dissimilar beyond comparison; yet, heavy heavy listening experiences. Anyways, here’s my probable two favorite songs off this album.

On “Weird Fishes/Arpeggi” the band truly reigns in on their forceful musicianship with a song that is both a complex discussion on song structure in the 21^st century and how the enveloping nature of words is like poetry for some of the best. At the heart of the album lies many of the album’s strongest looks and that isn’t to say it’s not naturally bookended with outstanding songs like every single Radiohead album, but to have this song, back-to-back with “All I Need,” still floors me every time. Well on this song, they take the Arpeggi and spread it throughout all the instruments, even the drums if you can take me seriously ha. An Arpeggi is plural for arpeggio and an arpeggio is the notes of a chord, spread out and played one at a time, instead of altogether. So maybe on this song it would be something like D-F#-A in succession into the five chord (A-C#-E) and probably some sevenths (G) for contrast and color and they basically circulate that into one massively growing ball of layers and sound. There’s, as always, lots of imagery here with the bottom of the sea, seeing her eyes and how the music prevails this underwater feel; the way it all comes together at the end is so great. 

Then there’s “All I Need,” which is basically, your perfect pop song in the 21^st century. Perhaps I’d be too confident in saying this, but we should save this album and use it to teach music to our kids when they’re old enough because very simply, this might be as good as it gets. Here they enter with a chilly entrance of overtones, before the kick drum and snare appear and then suddenly, boom, there’s that looping bass. It’s all about feel and composure and on this song, they sound entirely in control. But it’s the lyrics, (I’m an animal, trapped in your hot car) that make all the wild difference; by the time you get to “You’re All I Need” and singing it together, it’s sublime quality. There’s sadness in the music and a realistic defining moment in it all, “I only stick with you, because there are no others.” So even when he’s depressed as hell, “I am all the days that you choose to ignore,” he eventually realizes that he’s just as much in control of his infatuation with her as she is in control of him. I think by the time he sings the chorus the whole bottom just lets out and the ending chaos with the clashing cymbals and Yorke’s vocal yelps are downright everything you could ask for. Powerful music for sure. ---  Bryan 

The Shins (recently and now)

With April halfway over, it’s been a very interesting first quarter of the year. There’s a lot of hope in the beginning of it and now it feels like everything is just coasting by. Sometimes it all feels like a drifting away, sometimes not. The Shins recently released their stellar new album, Port of Morrow. A collection of ten dissimilar songs that amass sounds that sound heavily influenced by everyone from U2 to The Smiths. It’s a really amazing album and one that I’ve been heavily digging lately. Before this album James Mercer had taken some time off to record music with Danger Mouse as Broken Bells, here’s my favorite song off that album they released, “The Mall and the Misery.” It’s a nervy, guitar-shaking groove that builds Danger Mouse’s beats around Mercer’s fragile voice; the muscular guitar resonates throughout and the strings are a fantastic touch.


Anyways, for this new album Mercer recorded it solely with the help of another producer/musician. A newly formed band that kept the same name, The Shins were always Mercer’s baby. On “It’s Only Life,” he takes a lulling guitar vibe and pairs it with heartfelt lyrics that are both reflective and advisory. The music has a soft sway to it and throughout Port of Morrow, the gentle cycle of flowing music is irresistibly warm. I love the way his voice is the focal point for all of the songs' various shifts and as they drive a myriad of styles through the album, Mercer’s voice soars over it all.


It’s still early on in 2012 but already this is an album that will surely get a lot of merited talk. It’s a drastic change from where The Shins were on their previous album, that’s for sure. Here is the first song off that album, “Sleeping Lessons,” to serve as a stark contrast from each of the songs mentioned before. Here you have Mercer’s voice acting more as a guiding light and although he still sounds just as spectacular then and now, the atmospheres and everything is just a swirl of blissful sound. He sings, “You’re not obliged to swallow anything you despise,” as everything continues to grow around him. Just another bad ass band based in Portland, OR. Here’s to more Port of Morrow forever. – Bryan

Fever Ray – Fever Ray

So I mentioned Fever Ray the other day and I simply needed to force myself to try and remedy something about this amazing album by the main part of The Knife, Karin Dreijer Andersson. This album, was such an honest surprise for many people that had low expectations – for whatever reason. But it’s spooky calming feeling is such a rich, dark shade of extensions from The Knife, this self-titled album is killer. This very first song, “If I Had A Heart” is such a fantastic way to start the whole thing off. There’s the chugging bass line, that menacing synth line in the background, the overall chanting vibe of the music: more give me more. There’s this rugged feel to it and all the while Andersson’s voice goes through various ranges, octaves and keys to travel a wide path in amazing skill. Here’s the lyrics to torture us some more:

This will never end ‘cause I want more. More, give me more, give me more
This will never end cause I want more. More, give me more, give me more

If I had a heart I could love you. If I had a voice I would sing.
After the night when I wake up, I'll see what tomorrow brings

If I had a voice I would sing

Dangling feet from window frame, will I ever ever reach the floor?
More, give me more, give me more.
Crushed and filled with all I found, underneath and inside just to come around.
More, give me more, give me more.

If I had a voice I would sing

Now there’s some spectacular “Ahhhs” in there where her voice reaches awesome peaks. There’s as much atmosphere and layers as there is musicality on this album and her voice is simply amazing. That first song has so many interpretations, personally she seems to me like she’s channeling some feeling of depression here. The more give me more chant is like a nod to Gregorian chant and at the same time, it sounds so perfect. It could mean a lot of different things really.


This next one, “I’m Not Done,” drives more of the upbeat electronic music that definitely recalls some of The Knife in spades. There’s the layers of voices that she collects and attacks with from the beginning, the rapid beat in the background, the scaling keyboard line in the foreground, the swooping atmosphere that’s encompassing the spectrum as each dynamic is raised: it’s a massively decorated electronic bliss. She half-hearted declares and shares: “One thing I know for certain, ooooh I’m pretty sure…It ain’t over, I’m not done,” and it’s after sharing a list of trials against her. She sounds like a true force to be reckoned with all over this album, her voice commanding authority, and here – covered in a blend of beats and patterns all around – she sounds bad-ass, for lack of a better word ha! Yessss, those strings and cloudy sounds at the end are great to close. Everything on this album is so great. Here’s to more. – Bryan

Mount Kimbie – Crooks and Lovers

Amongst all the types of electronic music there is to choose from, the umbrella of that aforementioned genre has to be the most wide of all? Maybe not, when you think of different kinds of jazz, maybe SO when you really get down to it. I mean, for every shade of dupstep we have post-dubstep, where there is techno, there is minimal techno, then there’s dance music and then IDM (intelligent dance music), so where does it end? How much of it matters too? I find myself wondering what does it all matter anyways as long as the music is good!

For whatever it is, Crooks & Lovers is British duo’s Mount Kimbie’s sole LP (rumors say they are working on a new one) and it is a fantastic blend of electronic music. Close friends with dupstep/post-dubstep extraordinaire James Blake, this kind of music is what most closely represents post-dubstep for many people. And no, this isn’t your Skrillex or whatever dubstep some may like, this is tons better ha! So Mount Kimbie dress their beats with inaudible vocals and sleeker backdropping lines that aren’t nearly as heavy on the actual bass. This album was sort of a revelation and is still getting much talk now, and with a lot of electronic music I’ve been playing lately (Junior Boys, Fever Ray, The Knife, LCD Soundsystem) I thought I’d share this one. Here is “Before I Move Off” with soft, pedaling synths and a keyboard pattern that shadows the ominous dark layers of atmosphere. The music is lush and gorgeously rendered with a terrific pace: the back and forth ebb and flow of the music is sublime.


The ruby is the birthstone for the month I was born in and it’s a very beautiful stone if you ask me – a member of the four ‘precious’ stones. On “Ruby” the duo contrasts a darker ambience that’s almost like Burial in shade but with a consistent drive, the beats are swift. One of the many strengths of the album is the way the diversity of the songs compliment the actual sequencing: the fusion of electronic sounds on here are subtle and understated but very awesome. And while “Ruby” shifts in and out of focus, Mount Kimbie show off their skills. The beats are scattered about and the atmospheres are once again cloudy. Here’s that song:


And finally, here’s “Mayor.” Something about mentioning three songs just felt right. This one has much more of an upbeat feel with female vocals manipulated throughout and the beats sounding cozily warm – the funky drive at the end is almost Stevie Wonder-esque and all the while, electronic. There’s an array of sounds that come in and out, the focus always remaining on the sheer aesthetic feel of it all. And in the end, that’s what should really matter. Crooks & Lovers has a gorgeous sound embedded deep within and here’s to more electronic music of the same. – Bryan