Track of the Week

Disclosure - When a Fire Starts to Burn

With all of the comment arena bickering going on about brothers Guy and Howard Lawrence's project ("They are Future Garage!" "They are Deep House!") Disclosure has perfectly slated this track, the opener to their highly anticipated debut Settle (out June 3), as a statement to end all the uncertainty. The track opens with a preacher explaining "How do you get into your zone?" and "Everyone loves to watch the fire burn." The thesis being: as long as you are feeling this shit who cares what you call it?

The preacher continues. "One thing I have learned in my life? ... Everything changes!" As if to say, the genre doesn't matter. The Deep House sound that Disclosure takes influence from doesn't discount the Future Garage feel of these jams. The world needed to be reminded not to have any preconceptions about what these guys are trying to do, and with this track they have made it perfectly clear: They just want to rock your body!

The labeling is inevitable and bound to happen. The arguments can keep spinning around. But one thing is for sure,

"When the fire starts to burn
And it starts to spread
They gonna take that shit home"

Track of the Week

Michael Kiwanuka - I'll Get Along

     Alright, I know this song is a little over a year old and it isn't trendy and happening right now but I've listened to it like 20 times this week so there. To quote GG Allin: "You don't get what you expect [at Ovr the Counter Culture] you get what you deserve!"

     I can't remember how I even found this song. If I would have to guess it was probably a friend listening to it, maybe on Spotify or something, and I was in a particularly non-pretentious mode (Read: I wasn't thinking my usual "how could they possibly be listening to something I haven't heard of yet and it be good?") and checked it out, but I honestly don't know. I do know, however; that the first thing I thought when I heard it was "Wow, who is this old time soulful African dude? I Wonder when/if Kanye* will/has sample/d him?" Yes, that is what I think nowadays when I hear amazing old music in general, in particular when said music is fronted by soul tingling African singers. Yes it makes me sound like a simpleton and a Yeezy acolyte and even borderline racist, but maybe Kanye shouldn't be so amazing and musically omnipresent and I wouldn't have this predisposition!

   So imagine my surprise when I discovered that this isn't some old soul act from yester-generation but rather a very new addition to Ben Lovett's (of Mumford and Sons fame) Communion Records lineup. Dude has opened for Adele AND Mumford and Sons for like 2 years and I had never heard of him?! Am I losing my edge?! Or has something even more horrible happened: have I become pigeon-holed in the Pitchfork/Stereogum/Consequence of Sound menu of palatable music? This Michale Kiwanu-whatever is legitimately talented and he ain't gettin none of the trident love?

     I try to calm myself with the notion that this guy doesn't need any sort of press. That for any of these Big 3 media outlets to write about him would be a total waste of time as he is probably going to go far with the waves of Mr. Lovett and Brothers. Nonetheless, I am appalled that I could be so naive. There is great music out there that I am not being exposed to just because of demographic politics!

    In a way, I think the reason why I love this song so much is precisely because I wasn't exposed to it from a website or even on the radio or from a friend badgering me with "Listen to this song! It's the greatest song! You'll love it!" (is there any worse way to introduce new sounds to someone?). In a strange way this song had more mystique than anything new from Daft Punk. I kept up with every inch of Daft Punk's agonizing and thrilling release marketing so much so that, while I was intrigued constantly, the mystery was obvious; it was just a waiting game.
 
    I miss hearing a song and wondering "What was that?" and suddenly a few days later hearing it again. And then once more. Until suddenly I would discover I wasn't the only one with this song in my head. It seems that in today's stream heavy, Shazam zApping atmosphere this sort of music discovery is long gone. Michael Kiwanuka has created a requiem here with I'll Get Along. Even though the times and tides are changing he sings his tone and plays his groove, certain that things will be as they will be.
 
 

*Can you believe that "Kanye" gets a red spell-check line under it?! Does GOD get a motherfucking red spell-check line?! Get with it MSoft!

GG Allin: Hated by Some, Loathed By Many

GG Allin: Hated

Just got finished watching this documentary. My God. My poor soul.

Invest In Bushystock

          The Westwood Brewing Company has been a lot of things to a lot of people. Just a quick glance at their Yelp page shows an outpouring of adoration for the many memories made and lost in their 20 year run. Though they no longer brew their own beer and may have an unabashed reputation for STD contraction (A sign behind the bar reading "What do you mean? Lots of people have gotten Crabs here!" was proof enough) the recent news of the locales shut down, happening after the summer, has saddened many. Saturday nights performance by UCLA locals Bushystock however; showed that while BrewCo's run may be ending, Bushystock's rock marathon is just beginning.

                

         From the moment Bushystock arrives I am taken by this groups openness. During their on stage sound check you could sense that they were resisting breaking out in full jam. Once all was ready they hit the monitors like a battle drum.  This band is definitely in it, believing in the rock; and the feeling is contagious. By the time they finish up their first number they have locked you in the Jaws of Rock and refuse to let go.

                

          Throughout their set Bushystock transmits the feeling of being in a beer and candy sloshed late 60s rock club. Indeed, the comparison to a male fronted Jefferson Airplane is not without legitimacy. On a trip to the restroom I fully expected to be offered a hit of acid by a Dr. Gonzo character, an offer I would have readily accepted; it would have been an experiential crime to refuse. However, my retro fantasy was disturbed by two dude-bros meeting for the second first time, ("Didn't we drink together?  I know you bro, we definitely drank together!") This is UCLA after all.

          

         The most shining moments of a Bushystock performance is their improvisational jams. Moving on the fly through licks and riffs the band remains poised and tight. The group is led mostly through Gal Bushy's guitar twang and Jake Fields bombastic drums. All the while peppered with the stream of conscious vocals of their swagnificient frontman (self note: Charles-Shlomo is a sight to behold. Rocking blue tie dyed jeans and a Bob Plantian hair doo, with Bonham mustache to boot, it's hard not to become immersed in his retro presence.) These guys are feeling it and before you have a chance to decide, so are you.

               

         Suddenly out of nowhere, as if to completely mindfuck the competition, the group breaks out, mid-song, in a cover of Daft Punk's Get Lucky. The effect is immediate. The crowd insatiable. Josh Sebo's bass line confidently moving the groove of the master's creation. Kevin O'Neil's lush synth work modernizing  the entire Bushystock experience; he nearly recreates Daft's modulated vocal performance of that golden hook penetrating every air wave in the world right now. In that moment you realize Bushystock is in it for the long haul. They can make you feel like your dad's favorite band while at the same time bursting forth with 21st century pop sensibility. The Brew Company will be shutting its doors after the summer, but Bushystock may just be gearing up to burst out the gate.

Ear Catcher

Chance the Rapper - Chain Smoker

I felt that I needed to bring some attention on this new guy Chance the Rapper. He has been generating a crazy amount of buzz, being lauded as the Second Coming of Kanye West, needing police escorts from high school parking lots and other such fanfare. To think that this transformation could occur just a year after dropping his mix tape 10 Day , which was recorded over a 10 day suspension from his high school, is a testament to just how quickly this kid is going to blow and to the tumultuous music environ we are living in.

The production on this single is gorgeous, as is most of the entire mixtape, tellingly titled Acid Rap. Starting with a spacey synth lead and "YeaAhhh" sample and driving into crisp 808 high hats this track definitely shows why Chance is garnering all of these comparisons to his idols. His flow on this track is also a great introduction to the whole package of Chances rap/singing delivery as he switches between the two with confidence.

Definitely feeling this one. 

Track of the Week

Vampire Weekend - Ya Hey

Ezra Koenig has always been a clever songwriter. Ironically  had it not been for his wit Vampire Weekend would not have been such a comma obsessed controversy to begin with and would have naturally fallen in line with your bow tie wearing, mustache rocking best friend's band with a "New 7 inch coming out soon." But the powers that be had other plans, and in this weeks Track of the Week Ezra pulls up a seat with the very ruler in question. "Ya Hey" is a plaintive discussion of the hardships God must go through on the daily.

Ezra sings "Zion doesn't love you /And Babylon don't love you / But you love everything" Asking, in essence: why go through all the trouble? If everyone is fighting tooth and nail to deny your existence, why love them as you do? It is certainly a weightier discussion than most pop songs care to deal with.

But, far from feeling like a breakup with the Almighty, Ezra is describing the difficulty each of us have in this day and age understanding something so far beyond what we have reference for. How many of us could act with such unconditional compassion for those who have seemingly turned their backs forever? In a way, he is playing ambassador; attempting to find reconciliation with a relationship in transit.

Throughout the hook modulated vocals play with the forbidden name of the Lord. But, if I'm not mistaken Mr. Koenig is a Cohen right? So this shouldn't upset too many religious elitists. In classic Vampire Weekend flare, the title is also a flip on the title of a song by a group whose name may adequately describe the brand of emotion God must be feeling in the 21st century.

Given all of the innuendo and conflicting themes one would think this track wouldn't make much of a radio hit. A problem that plagues a good deal of artists these days. But as with all songs coming out of this group the underlying message is delivered with such ease and catchy pop know-how you can hardly feel the weight.

Track Quest

In a fit of caffeine and boredom induced internet exploration this track crept into the fray. While I have never given Glam Rock much credit, hearing Roy Woods scream out in his best John Lennon (circa Rock n' Roll Music) "You can dance your rock n' roll!" was exactly what I needed.

Wizzard - You Can Dance the Rock n' Roll

And can we give it up for that cover art?

Track of the Week

Track of the Week: 

Spending the last year tearing it up with Ty Segall's band, Mikal Cronin has staked his claim in the budding San Francisco garage scene showing everyone he can hold his own. Shout It Out is perfectly engineered summer pop. 

Enjoy,

Mikal Cronin - Shout it Out