Archive for the ‘Earworm’ Category
Earworm: Kid Sister “You Ain’t Really Down”
Thursday, November 19th, 2009
Who: Kid Sister
Sounds like: Dancefloor-ready Chi-town electro-rap by a sassy female rapper.
RIYL: Spank Rock, Amanda Blank, M.I.A., Nicki Minaj, Kanye West, Cool Kids
Need to know: The track “You Ain’t Really Down” is off Kid Sister’s long-delayed debut album Ultraviolet, which also features the infectious, should-have-been-a-much-bigger-hit “Pro Nails” featuring Kanye West. In addition to being a charismatic, high-energy rapper in a world where the female MC has become an endangered species, Kid Sister is also the girlfriend of Kanye West’s tour DJ, A-Trak, and the sister of DJ J2K of Flosstradamus.
Track: A cover of Status IV’s “You Ain’t Really Down,” Kid Sister’s version sounds like early ’90s female R&B empowerment for the 21st century. In terms of production, the song is full of snaps, Jason Nevins vs. RUN-DMC-style synth horn hits, old-school scratches and 808 drums. As for Kid Sister’s part, the rapper eschews her usual “Kanye-like rhymes” for a rare turn at singing. With her tone and abundance of vocal runs and harmonies, the song has an En Vogue feel that corresponds with its timeless subject matter: a man whose love was insincere.
Buy: Kid Sister’s album Ultraviolet was released on November 17th and is widely available.
- Jason Richards
Tags: A-Trak, Downtown, Flosstradamus, Kanye West, Kid Sister, Ultraviolet
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Earworm: Beach House “Norway”
Tuesday, November 17th, 2009
Who: Beach House
Sounds like: The kind of music you hear while going under anaesthesia for your wisdom teeth.
RIYL: Galaxie 500, Damon & Naomi, Mazzy Star, Brightblack Morning Light, sleeping pills, Cocteau Twins, Grizzly Bear
Need to know: Beach House is the Baltimore-based duo of Alex Scally and Victoria Legrand. After releasing two breathtaking albums on the Carpark label, they signed with Sub Pop this summer. A brand new album titled Teen Dream is scheduled for release on January 26, 2010. They recently finished a tour with pals Grizzly Bear, who Victoria sang back up for on their single “Two Weeks” and “Slow Life,” which is featured on the New Moon soundtrack. Pitchfork loves Beach House almost as much as Grizzly Bear.
Track: According to Gorilla Vs Bear, “Norway” was written after during a train ride through some Norwegian mountains. It makes complete sense – there’s a strong pastoral feeling to the tranquil melodies emanating from the dizzying synths and guitars, which are treated with pitch-bending effects. What’s most notable though is the tempo, which is frolicking compared to their usual snail’s pace as well as the broadened richness in Victoria’s voice.
Buy: Teen Dream isn’t out till the new year, but you can pick up “Norway” for free here. Plus Insound has everything else from the band here.
Tags: Beach House, Carpark, grizzly bear, Norway, Sub Pop, Victoria Legrand
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Earworm: Róisín Murphy “Orally Fixated”
Thursday, November 12th, 2009
Who: Róisín Murphy
Sounds like: Lady Gaga, if she tried to make music as “edgy” as her radical outfits. (Many have said Gaga nicked her style from Murphy, an avant-garde fashion icon in her own right.) But given the kind of forward-looking pop Róisín has been making for nearly 15 years, it feels like a slight comparing such an envelope pusher to a poser like Gaga.
RIYL: Moloko, Grace Jones, La Roux, Black Box, Goldfrapp, Robyn, Sia
Need to know: Róisín got her start as the vocalist for the late, great UK dance duo Moloko. Together they had a bunch of hits including “Sing It Back,” “The Time Is Now” and my personal favourite, “Familiar Feeling.” When she and Mark Brydon split, Róisín embarked on a celebrated solo career that has seen her release two brilliant albums. A new album is expected in 2010, after Róisín is done expecting – she’s apparently due to give birth any second now.
Track: “Orally Fixated” is likely what you think it’s about, considering it opens with the echoing words, “Eat me,” and dives head first into innuendos like, “You never feel full and frankly it’s dull / Because it’s always about you” and “You’ve got to give your mouth a rest.” Ahem. While this sort of overt sexuality is usually left to provocative stars like Britney Spears (see recent single “3”), Róisín fits the role like a glove thanks to the energy of the music. Throwing it back to ‘80s Italo house and electro, Róisín is as much fixated on an ADHD effect, using arpeggiating synths and microsampling, which provides a rush of jump cut noises. Who said pregnant ladies should take it easy?
Buy: Nothing to buy yet, but you can grab the track for free either here or here.
- Cam Lindsay
Tags: Lady Gaga, Moloko, Orally Fixated, Róisín Murphy
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Earworm: The Girls At Dawn “It’s the Only Time”
Wednesday, November 11th, 2009
Who: The Girls At Dawn
Sounds like: Three girls from the Langley Schools Music Project snuck into Gold Star Studios, messed around with the gear and ended up achieving Phil Spector’s Wall of Sound without any clue of how they did it.
RIYL: ’60s girl groups, Langley Schools Music Project, Phil Spector, Ronettes, Dum Dum Girls, The Mayfair Set, Grass Widow, Shangri-La’s, Best Coast, The Shaggs, most of what Captured Tracks and Hozac Records release
Need to know: There isn’t a whole lot. Three girls from Brooklyn - Erin (guitar/vocals), Ana (bass/vocals), Sarah (percussion/ vocals) - who make hauntingly pretty, harmonic lo-fi. They released their first single Never Enough/Every Night on Hozac and have a new self-titled 12-inch EP coming out on Mike Sniper’s Captured Tracks label.
Track: “It’s the Only Time” is pop music at its most barebones and rudimentary, sounding not just like a first take, but possibly the first time they’ve picked up these instruments. But the amateurishness gives it an irresistible charm, especially when it’s stifled it with noxious levels of reverb.
Buy: You can order their new EP here.
Tags: Captured Tracks, Hozac, The Girls At Dawn
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Earworm: Comanechi “On and On (Babe Rainbow remix)”
Tuesday, November 10th, 2009
Who: Comanechi, Babe Rainbow
Sounds like: Comanechi – gnarly, distorted fury rock, fronted by fearless drummer/vocalist Akiko Matsuura; Babe Rainbow – hauntingly slothful beatscapes self-described as “surf-step.”
RIYL: Royal Trux, Coachwhips, early Be Your Own Pet, Japanther, Selected Ambient Works, SALEM, Hyperdub
Need to know: Comanechi is a two-piece from Hackney, England comprised of Akiko and guitarist Simon Petrovitch. Their debut single “My Pussy” was surprisingly about a kitty cat… I think. According to FACT, Sonic Youth’s Kim Gordon was inspired to say Comanechi made her “want to punch holes in Thurston [Moore]’s face until she can f**k it”, and Beth Ditto from Gossip says they’ll be the reason she plans to “start killing people in 2010.” Quite the colourful kudos. Babe Rainbow, on the other hand, is British Columbian Cameron Reed, the 27-year-old mastermind behind Vancouver’s Music Waste festival and newly-signed Warp Records artist (whoa!). He has a blog that’s my idea of eye candy: random posts about cool shit.
Track: Originally a slow-burning, fuzz-driven rock’n’roll dirge, Babe Rainbow flips “On and On” into a droning, sizzurp-induced dream sequence that sounds like he’s drained everything – the hostility, the snarl, the guitars, the sex – but the faint melody out of it.
Buy: Comanechi’s loooooonnnnnnnggggg-awaited debut album Crime Of Love is out on December 7th via Merok, the label responsible for discovering Klaxons, Crystal Castles and The Teenagers. You can pre-order it here. Babe Rainbow’s EP will be released by Warp eventually.
- Cam Lindsay
Tags: Akiko Matsuura, Babe Rainbow, Cameron Reed, Comanechi, merok, On and On (Babe Rainbow remix), Simon Petrovitch, Warp
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Earworm: Blakroc feat. Raekwon “Stay Off The F**kin Flowers”
Monday, November 9th, 2009
Who: Blackroc featuring Raekwon
Sounds like: Classic, twisted Wu-Tang funk with murky, progressive live instrumentation.
RIYL: Raekwon, Wu-Tang Clan, The Black Keys, Danger Mouse, Beck, Gnarls Barkley, DJ Shadow, Jay-Z (specifically “99 Problems”), Black Lips.
Need to know: The concept of rock and rap joining forces has an indelible stigma attached to it, and for good reason. Anyone who’s lived through the likes of limpbizkit, Korn, Project Wyze (remember them?) etc, knows how awful music can get when you combine metal riffs with rap vocals. It’s the “chocolate ice cream and turkey” principle - independently, they can be delicious, but combine them and the result is liable to be disgusting.
So when Ohio-based blues rock duo The Black Keys announced that they were working with Jay-Z’s former business partner Dame Dash to create Blakroc, a collaborative project featuring a strong lineup of rap guests including Mos Def, RZA, Pharoahe Monch and Q-Tip, it didn’t sound like the best idea.
Fortunately, recent attempts to merge the two genres in the world of independent music have yeilded far more tasteful results than the major label-fuelled rock-rap movement of the early ’00s. For examples, Kid Koala’s turntablism-meets-grunge project The Slew, whose touring band included former members of Wolfmother, and the Black Lips’ psych-rap song with GZA of the Wu-Tang Clan, “The Drop I Hold.”
Perhaps inspired by the GZA’s experimentation, Raekwon joins The Black Keys on the first single from their Blackroc project, the aggressively-named “Stay Off The Fuckin Flowers”. And you know what? It’s not half-bad.
Track: On “Stay Off The F**kin Flowers” Raekwon’s chorus-less flow tells yet another hard-to-follow crime-kingpin tale rife with cryptic yet memerizing Shaolin slang. The dirty, slow blues-funk backing track works really well with the storytelling format - The Black Keys’ evolving arrangement accentuates the action and add to the narrative thrust.
Buy: Nothing yet, but Blakroc’s album is slated for a November 27th release.
- Jason Richards
Tags: Blackroc, Dame Dash, Raekwon, The Black Keys, Wu-Tang Clan
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Earworm: Sleigh Bells “Crown To The Ground”
Friday, November 6th, 2009
Who: Sleigh Bells
Sounds like: Massive, bass-rumbling jams sung played at deafening volumes at a frat party kegger where the only stereo is a cheap one tape-deck ghettoblaster.
RIYL: Solex, Telepathe’s Dance Mother, Bmore Club, Swizz Beatz, M.I.A., no-fi
Need to know: The core members of Brooklyn’s Sleigh Bells are Derek Miller and Alexis Krauss. Krauss spent time in teeny bopper group RubyBlue, while Miller previously played in hardcore bands Poison The Well and Give Up The Ghost; much like his old bandmate Wes Eisold (whose Cold Cave we featured on Wednesday), Miller has traded in his wrist-paralyzing riffs for hipster-approved dance tunes. Former members left the band to form the awesome new fuzz-power-pop act Surfer Blood.
Track: While they’re being embraced by the indie community, “Crown On The Ground” has as much in common with the noise and hip-hop scenes. The head-nodding beat and simple melody sound a hell of a lot like DMX and Swizz Beatz’s shit-disturbing anthem “Party Up (In Here),” while the production is drenched in so much grating hiss and treble that you wonder if the arm on your stereo’s EQ is now sporting a cast. The ridiculousness of how abrasive it sounds seems like it was just the result of being frugal, but it’s this “sound” that makes them unique.
Buy: Nothing to buy yet, but you can grab their demos here.
Tags: Alexis Krauss, Crown To The Ground, Derek Miller, Poison The Well, RubyBlue, Sleigh Bells
Posted in Earworm, The New Music | 1 Comment »
Earworm: White Rabbits “Percussion Gun”
Thursday, November 5th, 2009
Who: White Rabbits
Sounds like: The band’s overarching post-punk essence is hard to miss, but there are some contrasting elements, such as the sound and lyrics being subtly organic and almost folk-like in areas.
RIYL: Faces on Film, Doves, The Specials, Forest Fire
Need to know: White Rabbits was musically conceived in Brooklyn by way of Columbia, Missouri. After meeting as university students in 2004, the seven-member group eventually all moved into one NYC loft to start releasing music. Their first full-fledged studio debut came out in 2007 and their newest LP, It’s Frightening, hit earlier this year. If you happen to find yourself in Vancouver on November 6th, they’ll be playing at The Biltmore and word is their show can be quite a hoot.
Track: Now If we’re able to get metaphorical with this, “Percussion Gun” can be described as the musical equivalent of that one hard-nosed, bastard buccaneer grabbing you by the lapels and throttling you against the saloon wall for three or so minutes (in a completely awesome way, of course). The song opens with a mighty, yet simple drumbeat reminiscent of something you’d hear on a 1930s Benny Goodman swing record. From this blastoff, we are doused with an onslaught of somewhat acidic guitar riffs, hammering piano, lyrics of despair, and haunting pseudo-choral backing vocals. The sound of this song could very well make you feel uneasy, but the music will make you move.
Buy: It’s Frightening is available for purchase right over here.
- Dan Lytwin
Tags: It’s Frightening, Percussion Gun, White Rabbits
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Earworm: Cold Cave “Theme From Tomorrow-land”
Wednesday, November 4th, 2009
Who: Cold Cave
Sounds like: Bored art school students throwing loft parties in Berlin, trying to recreate their favourite 12-inches from synth-pop’s golden era (1979 – 85) with cheap Casios and distortion pedals.
RIYL: Cabaret Voltaire, New Order, Depeche Mode, The Knife, Art Of Noise, Human League, Throbbing Gristle, Soft Cell, Durutti Column, Junior Boys, Heaven 17, Tubeway Army, darkwave, none of Wes Eisold’s previous bands
Need to know: Before Cold Cave, founder Wes Eisold was a member of hardcore/noise bands like Some Girls, American Nightmare, XO Skeletons, Give Up the Ghost, Taylor Bow and Ye Olde Maids. Fall Out Boy were accused of plagiarizing Eisold’s lyrics on Infinity On High; they gave him songwriting credits on three songs and later called him “Inspirador” on their next album, From Under The Cork Tree. Other members in the group include Sarah Lipstate (formerly of Parts and Labor), Dominick Fernow (Prurient) and Caralee McElroy (formerly of Xiu Xiu). The band’s debut album Love Comes Close was originally released this summer through Eisold’s Heartworm Press imprint; Matador re-released it this week.
Track: Taken from their recent Death Comes Close EP, “Theme From Tomorrowland” is one of the group’s more dynamic songs. A driving techno beat and zealous synths converge to give Eisold and McElroy the right amount of post-punk muscle to accompany their burning harmonies.
Buy: You can get a free copy of Death Comes Close when you buy Matador’s re-release of Love Comes Close.
Tags: Cold Cave, Death Comes Close, Love Comes Close, matador, Wes Eisold, “Theme From Tomorrowland”
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Earworm: Lil’ Wayne “No Ceilings”
Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009
Who: Lil’ Wayne
Sounds like: One of the self-proclaimed best rappers alive (the other being Jay-Z) doing what he does best - going off, stream of consciousness-style, over a series of instrumentals from popular hip-hop tracks. For some reason, the blisteringly absurd lyricism he brings to these projects is often absent from his commercial releases, with a few exceptions, i.e. “A Milli.”
RIYL: Any of Lil’ Wayne’s other mixtapes, especially Dedication 3 and Da Drought 3.
Need to know: No Ceilings is probably the last official mixtape Weezy will put out for some time. The rapper is almost definitely bound for prison for about a year after pleading guilty to weapons possession. Fortunately, it seems like he put his all into it, spitting his unique brand of lyrical idiocy (”I’m on some s*** and ain’t even came out the a** yet”) over the beats from “D.O.A.,” “I Gotta Feeling,” “Poker Face,” “Run This Town” and “Sweet Dreams” by Beyonce. Often the tracks begin with the sound of a flicking lighter. Really, Weezy is best when he’s in this mode. With his albums, there’s an obligation to water things down with R&B hooks and keep the lyrics basic. His upcoming Rebirth album is an auto-tune/rock crossover attempt that sounds bad on paper and worse on record - even his die-hard fans were confused by the atrocious “Prom Queen.”
Track: “No Ceilings” is a track produced by Cool & Dre that could have been a big hit single, but Lil’ Wayne just gives it away for free, suggesting that he’s got a limitless supply of music of this calibre. The impassioned song combines wailing soul with hard-hitting 808 drums, in the vein of “International Player’s Anthem” by UGK featuring OutKast. Wayne kills the track with crazy lines like: “Young Weezy F., the ‘F’ is not for “failing” / Swagger just dumb, call it Sarah Palin / If you n***** fly then I must be parasailing / We are not the same, I’m a motherf****** alien!” Unfortunately, the song features Wayne’s “daddy,” Baby, who takes things from a 10 to about a 6 when he gets on the mic, but fortunately his verse is brief.
Buy: Download the whole album here for the price of $0.00.
Tags: Lil' Wayne, No Ceilings, Weezy
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