Album Reviews: July 2013 Week 2

Rittz - "The Life & Times Of Jonny Valiant" 2013

This dude is one of the newer people signed to Strange Music. Looking at all the press photos for him made me immediately think he was going to be super corny, but I should have known that Strange Music usually doesn't sign talentless people. Apparently Rittz was discovered by Yelawolf in Atlanta, who eventually brought him to the attention of Tech N9ne and the people at Strange Music. Rittz's flow is incredibly tight. He has a great sense of rhythm and timing with his rhymes, and it definitely fits right in with the record label's sound as well. As far as this album goes, it's not the greatest album overall, but it's still pretty tight. The only thing really bringing this album down is repetitive choruses that could be better, but that won't bother some people, and it's really a minor setback, because this album has a good flow all the way through it, and it actually feels like an LP and not a collection of songs. He has an interesting, but not 'out there' guest list including: Suga Free, Mike Posner, Yelawolf, Big K.R.I.T., and obviously Tech N9ne and Krizz Kaliko. I recommend this album to people who enjoy mainstream hip hop, but think it's maybe too simple or watered down at times. I would recommend this album to people who really enjoy Yelawolf, especially. Check out the videos for "Like I Am" (what's up with those retarded shoes he's got on? and the dude in the hazmat suit? haha), "Switch Lanes" (featuring Mike Posner), and "For Real". Also check out "Sober" (featuring Suga Free) and "Fuck Swag".

AM & Shawn Lee - "La Musique Numerique" 2013

Where do I begin with this? I found out about Shawn Lee through his collaborations with Money Mark, Tommy Guerrero and Clutchy Hopkins. They are all similar artists. People who can play multiple instruments that make mostly instrumental music that loosely has some element of funk in it. In 2010, Shawn Lee collaborated with AM (a singer who produces his own stuff), and the results were a very enjoyable pop album, "Celestial Electric". Not pop like Chris Brown or Robin Thicke or something, but more like Mayer Hawthorne, where it seems more timeless and less 'in the moment'. They really took it to the next level with this new one. This is like a pop album for all ages and eras. One of those albums where it gets to the end and you're like "already?! I want more". It's interesting to me how well this album works for me. AM's vocals are just right, not too commanding or overpowering, but they lay on top of the grooves perfect and provide the accurate directions for the moods the beats provide. And these beats! I'm glad I got sent the files for the instrumentals for this too, because this is enjoyable to listen to as an instrumental LP as well. Nice and funky, but not TOO funky. There also seems to be some slight background reggae mood present on this one as well. You'll have to listen to see what I mean. Check out this awesome TV Carnage-esque video for "Two Times". Also check out "Suffer Like Me", "Come Back To Me", "In The Aftermath", and "Louna".

Hot mixes: July 2013 Week 2

Mo Delicious - "Platinum Blonde" 2013

Definitely diggin this mix. A good blend of different types of bass music. Check it out.

DJ Solemasseur - "Backseat" 2013

Cool mix of funk and disco that keeps it moving nicely. Listen here.

BitsBits: Mystery Mix July 2013

http://www.mixcloud.com/ryanbirch54/mystery-mix-july-2013/

This month's Mystery Mix features: Linda Ronstadt, Aaron Neville, Defari, Tash, Ween, Elastica, Roots Manuva, Blockhead, Sleepy Brown, The Temptations, TRU, Thirstin Howl III, U.G.K., Young Jeezy, The White Stripes, Afrika Bambaataa & Soulsonic Force, and Frank Zappa.

Album Reviews: July 2013 Week 1

Adult. - "The Way Things Fall" 2013

This was a pretty highly anticipated release for me. They've been really quiet for the last 5-6 years, and until I saw the news last year of them being signed to Ghostly International, I thought they had probably called it quits from the music scene. It's good that they are still making music and here to stay, because their music fills some sort of void for me that other bands and artists can only sort of replace. I feel like Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs owes just as much to Adult.'s singer, Nicola Kuperus, as she does to The Runaways, in terms of influences to her singing style. This new album flows through very smoothly and fits right in with the current scope of what is hitting in the indie/pop/electro world, but it honestly seems a little too safe for Adult. There's no super hard sounding songs on here like "Blank Eyed Nose Bleed" and "Glue Your Eyelids Together". Even if the mood has been lightened up a little bit from their previous releases, this is still a very solid and catchy LP, and much like their older albums were, I wonder why more people aren't talking about this album and listening to it. People outside of their main fanbase continue to sleep on them. I would recommend this album to anyone who wants to hear some music that's not corny and sounds like it's from the 80's. Check out the video for "Idle (Second Thoughts)". Also check out "Heartbreak", "Tonight, We Fall", and "New Frustration".

Joeybagadoughnuts - "Joeybagadoughnuts Sings His Heart Out" 2013

Nice little EP offering from this member of Huntsville, Alabama's SortaHuman crew. Instead of the usual raps, this is more of an experiment in fusing rap with modern R&B. The end results are pretty enjoyable. It reminds me of what might happen if the dudes from N2Deep had hooked up with Domino in the early 90's. I definitely have a soft spot for people who put themselves out there as singers, when they know they don't really have a traditionally good singing voice, and then manage to pull it off and make tight songs out of it. I especially like the closing track, "Famous Last Words". You can download the EP for free, or just listen here at the SortaHuman page.

Apparat - "Krieg Und Frieden (Music For Theatre)" 2013

I had very low expectations for this, based on how little I enjoyed his last full length, "The Devil's Walk". I enjoyed all the early material I heard from him 6-7 years ago, but all of that material had been intricate instrumental music. He eventually decided to start singing and added his own vocals to the mix, and I just was not feeling his singing voice or style. Obviously from the title, this is some music soundtrack type work, and this style suits him QUITE well. I don't doubt that someday he'll be one of the more sought after people to make scores for films. Most of these songs are extremely intricately woven soundscapes that border on complete psychedelia without going too far off the deep end to alienate someone who mostly listens to classical music. That is a very hard tightrope to walk, but he's doing it. Even the 2 songs with vocals are pretty decent this time around. Check out "Lighton", "A Violent Sky", and this live performance of "44 (Noise Version)".

Thr33 Piece Suit - "Brand New Vintage" 2013

I don't remember where I found this from, but i'm guessing it was probably Potholes In My Blog. This is a hip hop trio consisting of Swann Notty, Chachi, and J. DePina. I'll admit that i've never heard of any of these guys before, or have any idea where they come from. This LP is very reminiscent of Little Brother to me. The beats are very 9th Wonder-like (in a good way) and the MC's remind me a little of Phonte and Big Pooh. This is one of those new albums that a lot of my friends who crave that late 90's east coast boom bap sound, need to hear. I personally don't find any of these songs to be stellar, but there isn't any duds either. Everything is nice and solid throughout. You can download the album for free or just listen to the songs here.

Heems - "Wild Water Kingdom" 2012

This must've slipped out during the holiday season late last year and got lost in the shuffle for me. He had put out a different album earlier last year under the name Himanshu, but apparently he's going for a name that people can pronounce easier or something. This is one of the 2 main dudes from Das Racist, for those not in the know. This album is incredibly drugged out, you almost feel high just listening to him rap so fucked up. I feel like this works both for and against this album, in terms of how enjoyable it actually is. It's cool when you're in the mood to hear intelligent junkies rambling, but it's not as good when you're looking for something a little more engaging. There's some pretty interesting beats on here as well, the best of which to me are probably by Harry Fraud and Keyboard Kid. Even though he dropped this during the winter, it works really well as summertime music, as everything has this very easy/breezy feel to it. You can download the album for free or just listen to the songs here.

Jonwayne - "Cassette 2" 2013

Entry #2 in his cassette only series. 5 nice little rap tunes with the tightness i've come to expect from him at this point. Check out "Passing Fancies" and "Cool Runnings" featuring Zeroh.

Intronaut - "Habitual Levitations" 2013

This was recommended to me by a friend. I was not familiar with their previous work. This is one of the better hard rock albums i've heard in the last little while. They remind me A LOT of Mastodon, but not so much that it seems like they're biting them or anything. I would just definitely recommend Intronaut to fans of them. Some of the vocals even remind me slightly of Alice In Chains. There is a great balance of good vocal parts and jamming out on instruments. I'm sure i'll be playing this album often for the rest of the year. Check out the video for "Milk Leg". Also check out "The Welding", "The Way Down", and "Steps".

Mr. Oizo - "Amicalement" 2013

Pretty much my favorite artist out there at this point. This is another free download EP like "Stade 3" was. You can get both of those here from his website for free. The main point of interest here is that he collaborated with Marilyn Manson for the song "Solid". This song is basically by the numbers Oizo, with a funny vocal sample from Manson repeated throughout. It's nice and effective, but also predictable. The other 3 songs here are a little more interesting to me, and show different sides of his style. I especially like "Waltz-E-More".

Major Lazer - "Lazer Strikes Back Vol. 1" 2013

In preparation for releasing the 2nd full length Major Lazer album, they put out 4 free EP's to get people hyped up. I wish more artists had this type of marketing instead of the cock tease method that Daft Punk and Boards Of Canada used for their current albums. I got this from their official website, but it's possible the free downloads are no longer available. The 4 songs here are pretty cool. My favorites being "Original Don (DGRC Remix)" and "Get Free (Yellow Claw Remix)".

Hot mixes: July 2013 Week 1

Lex Maestracci - "Exit" 2013

This mix isn't really my bag, but it's still well done. Some tunes you'd probably hear in a big dance club nowadays, but maybe slightly on the harder sounding side of things, just not TOO hard. People that really enjoy dancing will probably enjoy this mix. Check it out.

Takanome - "Goodtime Funk/R&B Soulful Side" 2013

This is a pretty enjoyable mix. I like how he throws in mega pop stars like Mariah Carey in with lesser known stuff. It's a good blend of the known and not so known. It makes it so a wide range of people can get down to the set. I also like how this guy's mixes seem to mostly fall in the late 80's and early 90's, stylistically, but he doesn't confine the song selections to that era either. It's still anything goes, but everything seems like it's placed right. Listen here.

BitsBits: Hotlist- June 2013

http://www.mixcloud.com/ryanbirch54/hotlist-june-2013/

The best songs I heard last month and a condensed audio version of this blog.

Album Reviews: June 2013 Week 4

Brandon Patton - "How I Allegedly Bit A Man In Gloucestershire" 2011

A friend passed this along to me and said he thought I would really enjoy it, and he was definitely correct. I would put him in the same category of comedy rock as Stephen Lynch and Liam Lynch. He doesn't fall into the trap of a lot of comedy/music people do, where there's inevitably some cornier and low aiming material. Some of the songs are more just light-heartedly funny and not full on comedy, but that actually helps the overall feel of the album. It feels like the work of a good singer-songwriter instead of a circus seal stage act. At the same time, the raunchier moments on this album are downright gross, and I love it. My favorite song on this is probably the title track. It doubles as a good storytelling song and a drinking anthem. Also check out "Would You Take A Bullet For Me?", "Indier Than Thou", and this live version of "Munching The Cooch". (I couldn't find the studio version).

Knxwledge - "Hud.Dreems.Prt.1.5" 2013

This dude seems to be slowly but surely getting better, and he already was pretty dope. I like that someone like him exists, making all these quick beats firmly planted in between traditional hip hop sounds and the offbeat swing of the beat scene movement. It's almost like he's trying to get Madlib to pass the Loop Digga torch to him and run with it. I actually kinda like this EP a little more than a lot of the more recent stuff i've heard from him. You can purchase it for $1 or just listen to it here.

Otem Rellik - "Blood Bone Piano" 2012

Just another one of those blind downloads I end up with. I looked it up and he hails from Denver. This music reminds me a LOT of Astronautilis and to a lesser extent P.O.S., Sims and Ceschi as well, so if you enjoy those artists a lot and are looking for something else, you should give this dude a try. I feel like Otem Rellik's sound is a little more rock based than those other guys, but only barely. This is still what I would consider a mostly hip hop influenced sound. This isn't bad sounding music at all to me, but I do feel like there is a little something missing from the equation with this album. Maybe he just needs time to get more seasoned and tighten up his rapping style and vocals, but there is potential there. You can purchase this album for $4 or just listen to all the songs here.

Tomahawk - "Oddfellows" 2013

So, it's been a little while since the world has heard a proper rock album featuring Mike Patton as the vocalist. Pretty much since the last Tomahawk album and the Peeping Tom album, which was like 6-7 years ago at this point. In between that time he's been mostly working on soundtracks and scores, and collaborating with John Zorn, which has been fine and dandy, but i've been longing for him to return to writing rock or pop songs, or shit, just hear him sing. This album definitely supplies that, and is definitely a well put together LP, so it puzzles me that none of the songs seem to actually "move" me like I want them to, they just end up being "pretty cool" or "alright". It's possible that I might just need to spend some more time with this album as well. The sound of this album is almost reminiscent of Mr. Bungle - "California" in a way, and also more like the earlier Tomahawk albums than "Anonymous", the 2nd most recent one. Check out the Peeping Tom-esque "I.O.U.", this video for the title track, the video for "Stone Letter", and also "South Paw".

The Flaming Lips - "The Terror" 2013

Man, I was not prepared for how fucked up the overall sound of this album is. It's not fucked up like their last album was, where too often it dwelled in the experimental realms and not enough in the actual realm of awesomeness. Just being weird and jacked up for the sake of being weird and jacked up. The feel of this album seems more natural and focused, but at the same time more actually psychedelic, instead of just being noisy. This album is almost like an audio version of one of those "3D" pictures where you have to "relax your eyes" and the image pops out at you eventually (unless you're that dude in "Mallrats"). You definitely have to get your ears used to this, and then once you do, it sounds pretty damn sweet. Their best album since "At War With The Mystics", but definitely not on that level of greatness either. This sounds like Clams Casino doing experimental remixes of ELO, with maybe a slight touch of "Kid A" style Radiohead. Check out "The Sun Blows Up Today", "Try To Explain", "Turning Violent", and "Be Free, A Way".