It’s Cold Outside, but It’s Warm in Here: December 2013 It’s been a while since I’ve made one of these, but hopefully this is worth the wait. It was a long, fucking freezing winter. This is some of the music that kept me warm. Tracklist: ライフmidi // soundtest initialization theme atlantis // paradise lontalius // gatorade + water me mssngno // xe3 karma kid // in my arms (maths time joy rmx) drake // from time (ruddyp rmx) jonn hart … →
So here it goes. Better late than never, these are my favorite 51 songs of 2011. If you’ve read my previous work, you’ll know how this works. It’s basically a countdown from 51 to 1. Here’s a link to a Spotify playlist that will allow you to get all of the songs in one place. As always, I am incredibly grateful for anybody who reads my tiny corner of the interwebz, and hopefully there will be something new and interesting … →
A$AP Rocky (f/ Paul Wall, Bun B, Killa Kyleon) “Purple Swag” (H-Town All-Stars Remix) Live Love Purple To deride Harlem’s rising star A$AP Rocky for leaning too much on a sound that isn’t his own would be missing the point completely. Harlem may be more than 2,000 miles away from Houston’s syrup-soaked south side, but in the internet age, it really doesn’t matter. If the world’s leading Chillwave scholar can reside in one of the most decidedly un-chill locales on … →
Kanye West “Theraflu” Unreleased Most of what’s been written about Kanye’s scathing pre-G.O.O.D. Friday single centers around a throwaway line about a B-List reality star. However, those only interested in Kimye’s potential future are forgetting the most important thing: this cut is all about the past. On “Theraflu,” the Chicago MC is back to his rampant, ferocious pre-808’s best, spitting line after line of his patented “sophisticated ignorance.” As a rule, an angry Kanye is a good Kanye, and while … →
jj “Beautiful Life” jj n° 4 (2012) It’s always a good morning when you wake up to an email from the Sincerely Yours folks. It means your day is going to start with a new, enigmatic slice of (mostly) Swedish pop magic. My excitement was magnified by the email I received this morning, thanks to its subject line: “l to the o to the.” Hoping it would be another warped take on a track by The-Dream — SY released Sail A Whale’s … →
Dent May Best Friend Do Things (Paw Tracks) Dent May seems like a fucking weirdo. Not like a check-out-how-weird-I-am/play-one-on-TV type weirdo. But, like a legitimately weird as fuck, weirdo. If the Jackson, Mississippi-based singer-songwriter owns less than six cats, it’s only because his mother doesn’t let him keep them in the house or it’s because he’s already set them on fire. Ok, that’s probably taking it a bit far, but his twisted take on 60’s pop-rock and Sexy People-style promo photos make it hard … →
Chromatics Kill For Love Italians Do It Better (2012) Johnny Jewel and his suddenly red-hot label Italians Do It Better have never been big on minimalism. His recently-released Scenes From An Imaginary Film that was, wasn’t, definitely was, totally wasn’t could have been the original soundtrack to the Gos’ Academy Award-nominated Drive clocks in at a cool 37 tracks, and his label’s flagship group, Glass Candy, are known for their slinky, frenetic nu-wave cuts that often come run north of … →
Dirty Projectors “Gun Has No Trigger” Swing Lo Magellan (Domino) These Brooklyn-based indie-rock experimentalists’ are the purveyors of one of the most anticipated albums of 2012. Their 2009 breakthrough Bitte Orca was a breathtaking, frenetic affair that highlighted the mufti-faceted collective’s inspiring, fascinating take on pop music. This, the lead single off said album, is the group at their glorious best. While sparse is never going to be considered the group’s primary M.O., they nail it here, as band leader/vocalist David … →
Jai Paul “Jasmine” (Demo) From Upcoming Release on XL Somebody forgot to tell soulful British crooner Jai Paul that this is the Internet age, and if you are a young artist with a bit of buzz, you are supposed to release new tracks music about every 3.6 seconds. It’s hard to believe that it’s taken Paul nearly two years to follow up on the buzz from his unfuckwitable (see what I’ve done there?) breakthrough single “BTSU” (which was actually written … →
Elite Gymnastics “Here, in Heaven 4 & 5” (CFCF Rework) Ruin 4 I can’t remember a track in recent years that has undergone as many fascinating incarnations, as “Here, in Heaven,” the ghostly centerpiece of the KPOP-obsessed Minneapolis natives’ breakthrough debut LP. “Here, in Heaven 1” is a chaotic, claustrophobic affair, while its second manifestation is a shadowy, murky slowjam that would make a perfect last dance at Morticia Addams’ first post-Gomez eHarmony marriage. We’ve heard How To Dress Well (né Tom … →
