I had lost the original purpose of this blog. In my mind, it was to help some of my friends with new music selections, but somehow that got lost. I think it had something to do with an election. Maybe. Despite time lost, I am going to return this blog to its intended purpose: music guidance.
Just today, I have purchased several albums that had been missing from my collection this year. They are (in no particular order): S/T by Ladyhawke, S/T by Johnson & Jonson, Some Racing, Some Stopping by Headlights, The Preface by Elzhi, Happy As Can Be by Cut Off Your Hands, and last but not least The Second Gleam EP by The Avett Brothers.
Ladyhawke - I was born in the middle of the 80′s, so I was not around to what receptions the Pretenders or Bangles had. This is something that has always made me a little disappointed (Mom and dad should have made me sooner). Ladyhawke somehow manages to not only pay sonic homage to those predecers but in some ways sound very original. Ladyhawke is a band who’s music creates an aura. In most cases on this album, it’s sweaty dance floors and baggy sweatshirts. This is an excellent pop record. Period.
Johnson & Jonson – Instant classic. This is an important Hip-Hop record. Blu is pretty new on the scene as far as releases go, but on this collaboration with Mainframe he brings to mind the changes that De La Soul had on the Hip-Hip scene. Blu has a smooth flow, no doubt about that. He has one of the most nonchalant rhyming abilities I’ve ever heard. If you want to hear the future of Hip-Hop, eat this album up.
The Only Way by Johnson & Jonson
Some Racing, Some Stopping – I heard Headlights first album, Kill Them With Kindness, and was none too impressed. Nothing caught my ear. It was bland. When I saw that they had a new release, I wasn’t rushing out to go get it, but finally got around to it. I am certainly glad that I did! The first thing that I thought when listening to it was “This is so damn happy, what’s wrong with them?” Listening to this album is similar to stickinc Prozac in your ear. Minus the pill. This has some great folk influences in it. You can hear a little bit of the band Beach House influencing this album too. It is simply lovely.
Get Your Head Around by Headlights
The Preface – I really struck gold today on the Hip-Hop albums. This is yet another amazing indie rap album in the vein of early Kanye. Elzhi’s flow and word choice reminds me a lot of early Kanye actually. Granted Elzhi’s approach is distincly more indie oriented than Kanye was. The beats on this entire album are huge MASSIVE. Guessing Game has one of my favorite beats that I’ve heard all year. In true indie rap fashion, Elzhi aims his guns numerous times at the industry but does so in a very intelligent way. Again, very important record here.
Happy As Can Be – Yet another 80′s influenced album. This sounds so much like The Smiths it’s scary. Scary good. Cut Off Your Hands have clearly developed an ability to emulate their influences and they pull it off beautiful. Happy As Can Be is soaked in reverb, chorus, and atmosphere. It’s sounds sloppy. Not in the sense of sloppy musicianship, but sloppy like drenched, soaked, drowned. This is music to close your eyes to. This is music to shut out the world with.
Happy As Can Be by Cut Off Your Hands
The Second Gleam EP - This is the most honest music I’ve ever heard. Free from any kind of conception mis- or otherwise. It’s stripped of ego, stripped of pride, but not stripped of intellect. There are times when the words and vocal melody push the music out of your mind. The vocals hang in the front of your mind. This is not to say that music is not beautiful, it is; but something about the words on this album conjure images of younger times. My favorite album of the month.
Tear Down The House by The Avett Brothers
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