Ryan Hemsworth - "Still Awake" EP

Every body seems to be following the herd by generating simple Trap beats and giving them out for free download. Even I must admit I’m guilty of copping some of the newest tunes. With all the different sub genres of Trap music (including festival trap and trill) emerging there is still room for artists to stand out. Even though using 808s and hip hop beats alongside soft synth pads isn’t necessarily new, it always feels fresh. Unique producer and beat composer, Ryan Hemsworth appears to have mastered the art of chilled out yet fresh symphonies. It sound as if the drums in his songs have been tuned down to hit the right spot in your subs. His music can be described as the soundtrack to hip-hop’s dreams. Definitely not asleep, he is getting more and more recognition after each release.

Of the previous tracks he has released, the bootleg of Frank Ocean’s Thinkin’ Bout You really caught my attention. He transformed the song’s atmosphere into a more majestic bass influenced tune. After hearing the way he fixed it up I knew he had great musical potential. Listening to the remix of Genesis by Grimes you get the idea that Ryan Hemsworth is capable of putting fat beats together. He does justice to the already wonderful song. Half way through, you hear what sounds like a Lil Wayne quote and it completely adds the right amount of charisma to the track. It is put together very well!

Now releasing his 7 Track EP entitled “Still Awake” he is able to depict the direction of where he plans to take his music. Ryan uses mellow pads to carry the chords along with crystal clear synths causing your ears to involuntarily perk. This is very prominent at the ending of Track 1, “Empty Thoughts Over A Shallow Ocean”. The occasional vocal chops are also a beautiful addition to the music’s landscape. “Perfectly” is probably one of the best and most distinct songs on the EP.

For the most part, the songs embedded in the track list are all at about the same energy level. Slow and mellow, with the 808 percussions filling in the background. Each song carries gently into the next causing the listener to go with the flow. There’s a lot of great material within, don’t get me wrong, but I don’t think this EP will go into my iTunes library. It’s almost too airy for my taste. I do hope to hear more from Hemsworth as I know he has great taste for remixes.

If I end up going to HARD Summer (August 3 & 4) I will still do my best to catch his set. I’m hoping for a little bit more from his HARD Summer mix compared to the Boiler Room set he did. The mixing wasn’t up to par but the song choices were great! I would suggest checking out the Losing You (Remix) originally by Mike Din. Also, if you dig the deep vocal edits, Slurring (Baauer Remix) might be a good one to listen to.  Keep an eye for this guy as his 15 minutes of fame is still to come.

-DeadEyesRandy.

Gilbere Forte- Pray Review

While everyone in the hip hop world is going gaga over Kanye West right now and Chance The Rapper's Acid Rap hype is dying down a bit, the hip hop world is a little slow at the moment. Although due to drought, there is still lots of good stuff coming out obviously.

Gilbere Forte is a new one for me. I haven't heard of him and it turns out this is his third mixtape. I checked it out due to having nothing new to listen to and I was pleasantly surprised with this mixtape.

Gilbere Forte's sound production wise is very interesting and quite refreshing in way, this is not to say this hasn't been done before but its just nice to hear really good electronic sample filled production once in awhile. Most of the track produced by Raak can be made into instruments and could be a hit as electronic based hip hop beats. The sound is layered, sample filled, electronic, and mainstream.

The sound of the album was great but that didn't really surprise me. Before listening to this mixtape, for some reason I had the thought that I would not like the rapper because of the mainstream type of production but Gilbere Forte is quite good. What I like about him is even though being fairly young, 25, he comes off as a bit matured in his voice. Even though the subject matter is typical for the age (mainly drinking, drugs, and women), it didn't really bother me. Sure he spends a lot of the mixtape rapping about women like in the song, Double Cupped, he does it in a way that is enjoyable to me. How? Well like great rappers who sometimes rap about women or love, they do it with great lyrics and storytelling. Gilbere Forte is not talking about "hoes" or anything like that, he comes off a little more like Drake I guess.

As a rapper Gilbere Forte is good. Hes got the lyrics and flow. Although he does come off as having an influence to Kanye West. Even though I am not a Kanye fan there is no denying that in 2013, his influence on many upcoming rappers is prevalent. Gilbere Forte might sound like Kanye at times but thats not a flaw. In 2013 if you sound like another rapper, its find with me but don't try to be a copycat and Gilbere Forte is successful in not being a copycat. While yes, he may sound like him I personally think hes got his own style going for him. His flow is pretty good also. Polariods features his multi-flows quite well. In the song he changes his flow while the beat changes along with him. Its quite fun to listen to.

Although you gotta understand, the guy is 25 and has only had like four project release and those four projects have been good so far. So its not a huge flaw that you can compare him since to be honest hes good at what he is doing and it doesn't really come off as forced as well. What makes the mixtape good is mainly the production and Gilbere Forte confidence in his music.

With that all said, the mixtape is good in my eyes and I wouldn't be surprised if Kanye would co-sign him in the future. Take a listen for yourself http://gilbereforte.com/

Danny Brown Concert

 

 Last year I had the option to watch Danny Brown live but the band Converge was also coming on the same day. I had to choose between the two and chose Converge due to the fact that I don't get many chance to see Converge since Danny Brown seems to tour a lot.

But this Monday I saw Danny Brown live. and this Monday I got crazy. That Monday was a workout. This Monday was one of the best live performance Ive been to. To say it was wild is an understatement.


Ive loved Danny Brown for a couple years now ever since I heard XXX and The Hybrid. It's so awesome to see Danny get the love he deserves. The whole crowed was getting hyped as hell and was getting a little impatient but once Danny came on the stage the whole crowd seem to just rush forward causing a wave of body slams. During the beginning of the show I was in the front, then ended up in the middle, then the front, and then the back. I still don't know how I was moved around so much. The whole crowed was getting crazy during each track. EVERYONE went crazy, even me which is rare but like Danny Brown said "Yo you can't be at a Danny Brown show if you ain't getting turnt up!". Along with the beats by SKYWLKR, which sound great live, the whole crowd was just wild.

Danny Brown live was surprising, even though I knew it would be awesome it turned out to be greater. What really impressed me was how insane Danny Brown is onstage running around, jumping, and grinding on girls and he can still rap without missing a beat. I was just out of breath in the crowd and was like "How the hell can he still rap so hard while doing all the jumping and running". The highlights have to be the whole crowd rapping along to Monopoly, I Will, Lie 4, and all the new songs off Old (his new album due out this year)
. My personal favor was when he played Blunt After Blunt. Even though I was dying of thirst from sweating and being out of breath I felt obligated to join the chorus by yelling BLUNT AFTER BLUNT AFTER BLUNT AFTER BLUNT AFTER BLUNT AFTER BLUNT AFTER BLUNT AFTER BLUNT. It seemed endless but oh man was it fun and awesome.

If Danny Brown comes to your town, do yourself a favor and go and have a great time. But be sure to get wild, cause you don't then you ain't really at a Danny Brown show.

NOTE: Baauer, the guy who made the Harlem Shake song, played on this tour and was the headliner but I didn't stick around for him. Was strictly there for Danny Brown.

Action Bronson live concert this Thursday as well, Ill make sure to post my thoughts.

Low- The Invisible Way Review

Low has been a favorite of mine for many years. Their music is extremely interesting to me even though it can be very simple. Labels such as ''slowcore'' or ''sadcore'' have been used to describe the band but they seem to be very silly labels. Yes, Low is slow and yes, Low has a sort of melancholic feel to it but there is much more complexity to Low's music then what you hear on the surface. Low seems to cause listening to become emotionally connected to their music by playing minimalistic yet beautiful sounding music at most times a slow pace that takes some getting used to.

If you listen to Low's discography you can see a sort of evolution. The first three albums had the slow, haunting melodic beauty that is still present today in their music. Once Low teamed up with legendary producer Steve Albini they seemed to take a more experimental side by adding new instrumentation along with Albini's sparse yet wide open sounding production to create some very interesting music. Their most diverse album, The Great Destroyer, has them laying back on the sort of slow stuff and adding some surprising rockin tunes in the mix, its weird to say but Low made a summer album type album with that record. With Drums and Guns, Low went back to the experimental side and create a sort of political statement with the record with lyrics about war and new experimentation with electronics that has an eerie and powerful feel throughout the album.

After 20 years of music Low has become a band that is truly unique and has a sound that is fully evolved. With the new album, The Invisible Way, Low has come back with the same Low sound adding a lot more piano and acoustic guitars to the mix and having Jeff Tweedy of Wilco fame producing. The acoustic and piano give the album a very natural feel along with Tweedy's production. The whole sound of the album is complete and consistent.

What makes Low so powerful emotionally is not only the soft sparse music, its the vocals between guitarist Alan Sparhawk and drummer Mimi Parker (husband and wife). Alan Sparhawk voice is soft but filled with emotion. When you hear him sing you can hear sadness and anger as well. Along with Sparhawks brutally honest lyrics the listener begins feel as if he is hearing someones inner thoughts that are all too personal. But this is balanced by Mimi Parker wonderful vocal harmony that sounds beautiful. She is one of the greatest voice in indie rock.

The music on this album is very nice and has moments of sadness as well as uplifting tracks. Plastic Cup, Amethyst, Waiting and Clarence White are three standout tracks that really capture what Low. Songs like So Blue, Holy Ghost and Just Make It Stop displays Mimi Parker beautiful front and center. On My Own features a great break from the acoustic to have a noisy guitar in the background for the last 3 minutes. The whole album has lot of mixture of sounds that is truly pleasing to a Low fan such as myself. There is some new elements mixed with the old elements which cause for a great pleasing listen. While many new listeners may not pick up on such subtleties I feel that The Invisible Way has something for everybody regardless of your music taste. This is a great Low album and one of the best Ive heard this year.

Cannibal Ox- New EP Gotham Review

When I first heard about a possible Cannibal Ox Reunion, I immediately got extremely excited. If you don't already know who Cannibal Ox is do yourself a favor and listen to the classic album The Cold Vein. The Cold Vein was a decade defining and genre breaking hip hop album that sounded like nothing else at the time, and still. This is partly due to EL-P's fantastic futuristic dystopian beats and producing and Vast Aire's and Vordul Mega's skillful wordplay about abstract concepts. The album is futuristic yet gritty and a unique listening experience.

Since then Cannibal Ox was no more after The Cold Vein. El-P went on to a solo career that has been very successful, he is a producer/rapper that has created his own sound and he is still as fresh today than he was then (his 3rd album Cancer for Cure was in my top 5 for 2012). Vast Aire and Vordul Mega have let out a couple solo album as well. The gap between The Cold Vein and this EP seems to prove the opinion Ive had for years, Vordul Mega is way better than Vast Aire. Most of Vast Aire solo ablums, I believe he has about 4, were not up to par while I found Vordul Mega to be a more skillful rapper. As a duo, they work great.

So Vordul Mega and Vast Aire are back but there is one thing missing. EL-P PRODUCTION! El-P has stated that he will NOT be a part of the new Cannibal Ox output which was a huge disappointment for me but I understood where he came from and from listening to the new EP I can sorta understand why. While the EP is good and still has that 'sound', I think what made The Cold Vein so interesting was that it was the first of its kind. It sounded different and strange but very interesting. It really is something of its time and can not be duplicated.

So what about the new EP? Well the sound is still there on the song 'Gotham' which features a great Vordul Mega and a sorta abrasive Vast Aire. Overall a nice sounding Cannibal Ox.

The next song Gases in Hell seems to be a Vast Aire song since not once did I hear Vordul Mega. It has a really cheesy chorus and has everything I find annoying Vast Aire. He seems to throw words that rhyme, just cause they rhyme although they don't make sense and sound stupid and in my opinion very try hard. "My style is fat, reminiscent of a whale" ???? WHAT?? I mean its clever in a way but it just comes out awkward and silly.

The last song, Pslam 82, sounds like a Wu Tang song and features the gritty lyrics of Vordul Mega. Vordul Mega flow on this is so awesome, he just seems to ride his flow and you can hear the skill behind it. His stream of conscience flow comes off as calculated and very calm. Vast Aire verse seems to just be Sean Price like punchlines during the end the song, which is something Vast Aire is somewhat good at.

Overall, the whole thing sounds like a Vast Aire EP featuring Vordul Mega. Now I now I am biased by liking Vordul Mega way more but the The Cold Vein sounded like a duo and this doesn't. Even though I find Vast Aire a bit lack luster, there is no denying that without him it isn't Cannibal Ox. Yes, I do find him annoying at times but sometimes he comes up with the best lines. Vast Aire seems to be the more abstract punchline type rapper and Vordul Mega seems to be the more introspective and lyrical, together they make a great duo that provides two different sides making Cannibal Ox a compelling listen. Although they don't really show it on this EP, I won't hold it against them since its an EP. Hopefully the LP features an improvement.

Take a listen the the new EP here:
http://belowsystem.bandcamp.com/ 

ANTHM- Handful of Dust Review

I just recently heard of this dude and I was pleasantly surprised. I will admit I did check this out mainly due cause of Blu. Even though Blu has sorta fell off with his lo fi and in my opinion uninspired and boring project lately I still love the dude and his production style. Maybe he should just stick to production.

Anyways, when I hit play on this thing I thought I was hearing Blu and said "oh man Blu is back on top!" but then I realized that it wasnt Blu and it was the rapper Anthm. Anthm sounds a lot like Blu, but that's not a problem since he can rap just as well as Blu. From what I've read this is the guys third release and get this he was a Wall Street trader but decided to pursue a rap career instead. He is a smart dude indeed and his rhymes show it. His flow is nice and smooth. The production is well suited for this New Yorker. You really got to respect his love for hip hop by decided to make music over money. Anthm lets you know that he loves the music because you can hear it in his flow and lyrics.

At time he sounds a little naive but he is fairly young so I let it slide. He raps about what he knows and doesn't act to be something else. Songs like Debbie, which is dedicated to his sister, are nice to hear as a sweet gesture of love. Nina sort of tell his life story and the struggle he had to overcome. The whole EP is filled with his past and his talent/skill is the future.

As for the production, its typical Blu production in the vein of the J-Dilla style. Its smooth, sample based, nice/cleaning sounding, very New York and chill.

I've been checking out all this guys projects and he sounds very promising and in a way is in the same lane as Blu, and at the moment he is a little better than Blu.

Check out his music here

Atoms For Peace- AMOK Review

Now this is a hard one for me to review due to me being a huge Radiohead/Thom Yorke fan since Radiohead has been my favorite band since I was like 11. So Ill try not to come off as a total fanboy.

Now a little back story on this project. When Thom Yorke released his solo album The Eraser, which is hugely underrated, he enlisted Flea from Red Hot Chilli Peppers, his producer Nigel Godrich, and Mauro Refosco and Joey Waronker to play live with him on his solo tour. Well according to Thom, the results from the tour were so great that they knew that they wanted to create new music together. So after Radiohead released King of Limbs, Thom Yorke had enough off time to finally get started on this project.

The results are what you would expect. A lot of electronics, great production, and Thom's voice floating around in the mix. And that really is what the album comes to.

With the first listen, I was not very impressed and even said "its pretty forgettable but it might grow on me". I liked some songs and those songs started to come into my head after each listen and I listened to it again and again and again. After the 7th listen or so I felt I was ready to give my complete review of it. Now the first listen reaction was due in part to me thinking I knew what I was expecting, and why I did expect lots of electronics and Thom Yorke's voice floating about in the mix I started to pick up more on the production.

The production on the album, much like all Radiohead albums, by Nigel Godrich have been rich, complex, subtle, and just completely well balanced. But yet again it is an electronic album. The instrumentation is excellent. All the guitar, bass, and drums on the album are well placed and add to the groove of the whole thing.

I am not a big electronic music fan. Much of my knowledge of electronic music does come from Thom Yorke. When I read that Kid A was influenced a lot by Aphex Twin, I quickly become an Aphex Twin. Thom Yorke's collab with Burial and Four Tet made me a Burial fan and made me check out Four Tet. While I do like those artist, I am not all about it but I still like it a ton. With this album, Thom Yorke gets the chance to play DJ and create beats and sounds that are inspired from his favorite electronic music. The whole project is just an artistic freedom to him in every sense of the word. The beats are dancey, simple, catchy, and a perfect vehicle for Thom Yorke to have fun with. Every track on the album is upbeat compared to his moody solo album.

To me the album could have featured more sort of instrumentation from the band themselves, although I feel that the live versions of these song feature more of a band than the album. Another complaint is, surprisingly, Thom Yorke himself. Well now that I think about this is not a complaint. This is why my first initial reaction was so underwhelming. I expected this to be Thom Yorke filled. And it is but this is a different Thom Yorke. Gone is the moody Yorke from The Eraser. Here is a Yorke that is free and does not take the spotlight. He is just there and he is having fun with it, creating something he loves to do. This is a more laid back Yorke which at first may come off as a lazy frontman but the music is not meant to just be Yorke driven. You can feel Thom Yorke wanted this album to be just a full length electronic album but he even jokily said  in an interview that "no one would care for it if it was". Which is true. So this might be the reason why Yorke sounds like he is just there and why the vocal performance and lyrics seem just sort of bland and phoned in. But you can't blame Yorke for just want to lay back and just dance his ass off and have fun since he is the frontman of one of the most popular bands in the world, very hard work indeed. And with being a husband and a father, I understand wanting to just kick band and jam.

Still, now that I understand the means of the album, it does seem sort of forgettable in a sense. Its still fun to listen to if I'm in the mood. But maybe I just can't get into a happier Thom Yorke. I feel this music transfers extremely better live and can't wait to see if they tour. Overall all some of the songs are enjoyable, without sounding like it could be a Radiohead song, and some songs are just there but still enjoyable.

The album gets a good 6/10 from me, without any fanboy bump because its Thom Yorke.

Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds- Push The Sky Away

 

If I had  to pick out one man, one artist to consider as my favorite of all time that artist would have to be Nick Cave. Nick Cave has put out 3 decades full of music. All different genres, all quality. From fast jazz like hell raising punk music in his band The Birthday Party, the wide range Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, to the 'old guys playing garage rock' Grinderman. Nick Cave has done it all and is great doing it.

Nick Cave is obviously best when with The Bad Seeds, so I was pretty excited to hear him get back with The Bad Seeds. Only this time around key member and longtime friend/collaborator Mick Harvey decided to call a quits last record. Yet this is not a lost because Nick gained another collaborator, Warren Ellis. Nick Cave and Warren Ellis have created soundtracks for movies in the past years and Warren Ellis sound is apparent in the last Bad Seed album, Grinderman, and this latest one. 

The Warren Ellis 'sound' from Grinderman and Dig Lazarus Dig is strong on this one but its a lot more mellowed down than the straightforward rock sound. Which was a huge joy for me cause after Dig Lazarus Dig and Grinderman that sound was getting pretty tiresome. With this album Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds strive to make a subtle and beautiful records that sounds like its on the verge of a typical Nick Cave outburst of previous albums, only on this song Nick Cave is contained making the record a great listen. The music is soft and the instrumentation build and builds until the tracks just repeat the intense sequences of instruments over Nick Cave's voice. The album is sparse and dense yet has lots of subtle instrumentation that rewards the listeners with its underlying beauty and soft intensity. With each track sort of repeating itself, the track itself is minimalistic in a sense. The tracks are contained and don't wonder off. The results of the sounds are hypnotic and not to distracting unlike previous garage rock sounding albums from Nick Cave. Yet the music reviles each of the talented members of The Bad Seeds by having the listeners catch on the subtleties of the music.I feel its very important to really give The Bad Seeds props on their musicality because most reviews tend to focus on Nick Cave, which I see why, but without the band Nick Cave would be lost and he would even say so.

With this album Nick Cave isn't doing anything new but being Nick Cave. But he is being a better Nick Cave than he has been on the previous album and with Grinderman. Nick Cave returns to his more ballad, introspective side as well as the mad storyteller that he is. Each track is filled with wonderful lyrics, especially Jubilee Street and We No Who U R. Like the music, Nick Cave seems to be contained as well. There moments in which you think Nick Cave is gonna burst in typical Nick Cave fashion but he keeps his cool and continues the story on songs like We Real Cool and Higgs Boson Blues. Nick Cave reminds me more of Leonard Cohen, one of his own personal heroes, after each release. In this album Nick Cave sounds mature and he sounds as if he has mastered what he does. His vocal performance is a nice mix of the softer Nick Cave and the aggressive 90s era Nick Cave. Nick Caves voice, lyrics, and the music combined make the listener want to pay attention, that is if your a Nick Cave fan already. If you a first time Nick Cave listener I feel this album will be sort of lost on you.

Yet some of the album does come off as to me as boring and filler, but this is only two songs and those are Mermaids and the lackluster Push The Sky Away. This album is one of the better Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds output of the later Nick Cave era. The album is solid enough, for fans like myself, without too many complaints. Overall I am pleased with the album as a fan, if you are a Nick Cave fan and loved The Boatmans Call then you will love this album, if you are new to Nick Cave you might like it if you want something soft,simple, and layered.

I think a good 7.5/10 would satisfy the album. Has lots of strong elements, few weak moments, but might wear off after awhile.

Robert Delong - "Just Movement" Review

Robert Delong 

Just Movement

1- Just Movement

2- Global Concepts

3- Happy

4- Change (How You Feel)

5- Here

6- Few Years Make

7- Religious Views

8- Complex By Degree

9- ______

10- Perfect

11- Survival Of The Fittest

12- Basically, I

8/10

Here's Why:

Yes, Robert Delong is an electronic singer/songwriter, but if you’re looking for the next Afrojack or Tiesto you wont find him here. If you’re looking for the next game changing performer and producer then I think you might have come across what you were looking for. After finally releasing his debut album, Robert Delong brings us to the depths of his imagination and curiosity. He reveals his genuine interest in the universe through dance music. Usually when dance lyrics are powerful or moving, love is an influence. Love songs are definitely not a priority throughout Just Movement’s track listing. For the most part, the lyrics are in the 1^st person point of view as he describes his own experiences. After hearing the stories and opinions I’ve come to this conclusion: Robert Delong is EDM’s newest unique contributor.

The album, titled, Just Movement, simply describes fundamental reasons of existence. Everything we do is out of energetic movement. Either we feel that we are progressing in our daily lives or back tracking in the things we do, it is only movement. Robert did a wonderful job of explaining that in the opening track. The gentle synthy intro makes room for his voice to lead the song into an eye opening direction. The phrases “We call that progress” and “We call that better” are repeated several times after stating that every one of us wants to continue with out actually knowing why. Usually our motives are to go somewhere new or different.

“Be not afraid it’s just a game” the hook for Religious Views bluntly portrays Robert’s religious/spiritual understanding. Also in the ending “A Few Years Make” a line related to a disconnection with God is added. Robert Delong manages to incorporate serious yet rhetorical questions and statements. He blends his deep thinking within catchy hooks and techno beats. A majority of his writing and work can relate with the average curious thinker. (I thought it was strange to come across an “Awesome God” remix by Robert Delong.)

For those who just move to a good beat and could care less about lyrics this album may be hard to get acquainted with. Sure the beats and instrumentation throughout the album has originality written all over it but the quality of the sounds might no be up to par. Don’t get me wrong, I can dance to a Robert Delong song any day I just feel that for most it might take some getting used to. Like I said in the first paragraph he’s not aiming to be the next Afrojack with his music, if anything he has a chance to stand apart from all of those DJs. Robert has that pop sound that radio stations would want and have been asking for.

The album is strong throughout. 11/12 tracks are full-length songs having the last two sort of over lap for the ending. My personal favorite, “Perfect” sends a lesson that everything you were looking for was perfect. I had been waiting for this album for a while now. Ever since I got into Robert Delong I’ve needed to get a hold of these songs. Now that I finally have I am “Happy”. Though it may seem like I have a biased opinion and maybe I do, I can honestly say this is…really good! Couldn’t ask for a better debut album. Which is why I give it an 8/10.

Buy the album here:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/just-movement/id597691506

21 years of wait are over! Finally! My Bloody Valentine drops the long awaited follow up to their masterpiece Loveless.

Yes My Bloody Valentine finally came through. I am not even going to attempt to premature review this. This is just to say that the album is NOT a letdown and its very good. Its got what you would expect from the band. The production is top notch and its really does sounds like a follow up to Loveless. The album has the same effect as Loveless in which you sort of catch on to new things on each listen, which is the reason I'm not attempting to review.

Being a perfectionist comes at a cost but thank god for Kevin Shields being this way even though it got fans very irritated.

February Is Here! (Shows & More)

 (Coachella Lineup, Shows & Monthly Playlist)

February is here believe it or not. January was pretty fun, but what’s not to love about February? The Coachella line up is announced now and Weekend 1 is officially sold out! People are either ranting or raving about the line up, but wow check that bad boy out. With an umpteen number of talented bands and DJs you’re investing those 400 bucks into something great. I already got my Weekend 2 pass and I’m looking forward to it.  

After reading over the lineup, full of big names and such I’ve decided whom I should and shouldn’t see. There are quite a few names really admired among the music lover population. Even the most hipster person has his or her guilty pleasure and will want to catch some well-known acts, maybe even the Stone Roses. For some, the headliners are the main attraction, but there are also many opportunities to witness the talented and deserving up and coming artists.

As always, there are plenty of bands from radio stations, such as The Lumineers, Modest Mouse and Two Door Cinema Club. It’s been this way for years but this year Goldenvoice managed to book some amazing lesser-known artists. For example, Lord Huron, Diiv, Wild Nothing, White Arrows and Robert Delong are all worth seeing and put on quality performances.

Robert Delong performing live

Lord Huron's bright instrumentation (as I talked about in the First Fridays post) is easily danceable for a live band, and gets the crowd moving. The singer’s lyrical beauty is also something to pay attention to. The darker more washed out sounds of Diiv and Wild Nothing keep you mesmerized, as the music seems to absorb the world around you. White Arrows should be interesting. They are the perfect combo of indie/electronica similar to Robert Delong. His moombah/electronic mixture is great for live shows as he plays most of the instruments heard, live. It’s difficult to explain how great the energetic performance is, but if you’re going, I highly recommend checking him out.

 In my opinion Coachella made better decisions while choosing their DJs. Even if the big names aren’t on the list there are still DJs worth seeing. House DJs such as Julio Bashmore, Seth Troxler and Disclosure will be getting down at the electronic tent. Who could forget Knife Party and Baauer with the even lesser known, 3ball MTY.

            If you don’t have tickets or can’t afford them, I understand. If you were intimidated by what everyone said about the headliners, it’s all right. Actually, no you need to find a pair and go to this festival. The experience is unforgettable, unless you’re on drugs, of course. You’ll have a good time either way and maybe even fall in love with some of the artists performing.

Two stuffed animals in love

Speaking of love, Valentine’s Day is right around the corner and it’s time to come up with something awesome to do with that special person…or persons. There are a bunch of cool shows coming up this month. First Fridays happened again at the Natural History Museum with Gaslamp Killer and Adventure Time. If you’re local to Los Angeles, here are the shows coming up that you won’t want to miss.

Robert Delong @ Amoeba Music (Hollywood) 2/5

The Vaccines @ The Fonda 2/14

Gigamesh @ King King 2/17

The Orwells @ The Echo 2/22

Gold Fields @ The Troubadour 2/28

            Below, is another monthly playlist I put together with 15 different songs in it. It ranges from indie-pop to rock to electronica and I even threw a hiphop song in there. After going to the Groundislava and Lushlife show at the echo, I wanted to toss in a Lushlife track. So check it out and enjoy! 

Thoughts on Pusha T- Wrath Of Caine

Pusha T finally dropped his much anticipated mixtape Wrath of Caine tonight. Although its only been two hours since it drop, I feel Ive listen to it a couple times and can already say what I thought about it. I'm doing this one a little different, going track by track. These are more or less thoughts and less of a review. Here we go:

1.Intro: First off, that girl talking in the beginning is pretty annoying. But once Pusha T comes on it goes hard and the beat gets high and harder. Pusha spits some crazy ass lines and the song has a ton of energy. "Now everybody so 80s 90s inspired but none of you ****** 80s and 90s rhyming" Hard line and so true. A real good start to a mixtape. 3/5

2.Millions: At first I was not digging this song but Im really feeling it now. Pusha T goes hard on this one. "This shit sounds like God don't it" now that line sounds corny but the way Pusha delivers it is why Pusha T is so great. Rick Ross has a verse and adds to the hardness of the track. 4/5

3.Doesn't Matter: Why is French Montana popular? Seriously the worst. He pretty much ruined this song with his HORRIBLE hook. I swear to you I laughed out loud in disbelief during the hook. It is so bad. Although Pusha T saves the track a little bit but overall I'm almost tempted to the delete the track. The hook just totally killed it. 1/5 and that 1 is just because Pusha T delivers but the hook kills everything good about it.

4.Blocka: Okay I survived that horrible hook by French Montana. On to Blocka. This song shares similarity to Millions. Its a typical hard trap style track. Pusha T once again brings it and makes the song enjoyable. 3/5

5.Road Runner: "La musica de Harry Fraud" Love hearing that in the beginning of songs, guy is a pretty good producer. Unfortunately, the production does not save this track. This is another one of those tracks that has a pretty bad hook this time by Troy Ave. The song is really forgettable for me. 2/5 being generous since its better than Doesn't Matter

6.Revolution: This song picks it up. Very simple nice sounding beat by The Neptunes. The beat is seriousl so good, starts off slow and simple then builds up as Pusha T starts rapping as if the beat is saying "The King is Here!" Pusha T really is on point on this track and is the most lyrical rewarding track. 5/5

7. Only You Can Tell It: This song is my shit. Love the beat so much, even the high pitch sample. Pusha T rapping on this is on point as well. Wale even brings it on the track. This is seriously probably the best song on the mixtape. One complaint though, I know its a mixtape but I really did not like Pusha talking over the track. Its all good since I can find the single version with out him talking over it. 5/5

8.Trust You: I really tried to like this track but I can't. First off, Ive heard of Kevin Gates last year or so. Thought he was okay and its cool that Pusha got him on this track so he can get more cred but why are you trying to sound like Future. The hook is pretty bad and annoying. Why not just get Future???? Also did not like Pusha T on this track either. I don't know, I honestly don't wanna hear Pusha talk about exes and girls. 0/5

9.Take My Life: Really like this track. More Pusha T being Pusha T. The beat is nice, I really dig the African Reggae style of it. The song comes off as a little more personal from Pusha, which I loved. At first the hook sounded like another bad one but it turns out to be okay and like I said I dug the African Reggae style of it .5/5

10.Liva Re-Up Gang Motivation: Now this isn't a Pusha T track. And I know most who don't know of Pusha past work, Clipse then they would not know who this is. Ab liva is a friend and member of the Re-Up Gang that Pusha T was a part off. The song is real good lyrically and I thought it was real cool of Pusha adding it in. 3/5

11.I Am Forgiven: The song sorta shares similarities to Take My Life. Sounds a little more personal and Pusha T really brings it lyrically. A real nice outro. 4/5

Overall: Now what people got to understand is that this a a mixtape to My Name Is My Name, his debut album coming out this week. The songs on this mixtape were songs not used in the album. Like Pusha says in the end "This is just an appetizer".  Although this has me a tad worried. Like most debut albums, many artist seem to disappoint. Pusha T is pretty mainstream but he has underground roots so he seems to find a nice balance between the two. Pusha is not someone who is gonna change his style just to become more famous or get airplay.
While I thought the mixtape was good. I obviously did not like some songs but if you caught on there was one problem with them. The hooks. Pusha T needs to find better artist for hooks. To be honest, Pusha T does not need hooks but since he is on G.O.O.D Music the album will have some mainstream appeal to it. Hopefully the album is more along the lines of personal Pusha on Take My Life and mainstream-ish in the vein of Only You Can Tell It.


See what you guys think by downloading the mixtape hear.
http://www.livemixtapes.com/mixtapes/20556/pushat-wrath-of-caine.html

Ra Ra Riot - Beta Love (Review)

Ra Ra Riot

Beta Love 

Track List:


1 – Dance with Me


2 – Binary Mind


3 – Beta Love


4 – Is It Too Much


5 – For Once


6 – Angel, Please


7 – What I Do For U


8 – When I Dream


9 – That Much


10 – Wilderness


11 – I Shut Off

5/10

Here's Why:

When I think of Ra Ra Riot I think of soft strings, easygoing rock and catchy bass lines. That’s the formula that Ra Ra Riot has stuck with in previous albums and it worked wonderfully. The lyrics are always “cute” and heart felt matching the poppy, happy rhythms. When you break it down, Beta Love is set up the same as the other albums. The huge difference here is the obvious electronic influence and prominent use of the drum machine. Lead singer, Wes Miles, continues to bring us his hooky vocal melodies, this time over some very fat kick drums.

The band still incorporates guitar riffs and minimal amounts of violins and strings (most likely midi). For the most part, the keyboard, drum machine and Miles lead the way. To me, this seems to be a Wes Miles’ solo album. I feel the same way about Adam Levine and Maroon 5. Both bands have gone from a live rock/pop sound to being heavily influenced by EDM (electronic dance music).

Throughout Beta Love I feel the kick drum is a little much. Especially on the track “When I Dream”, that drum intro bothers me at first. When the rest of the instruments kick in, it melts into the mix but I’m still reminded of a Kanye West song. “Dance With Me”, the opening song and probably the most similar to Maroon 5, carries along with very relatable lyrics. “Come and dance with, bitter sweet fool, I wanna be your toy, I wanna be your toy.” The lyrics aren’t anything too serious and are easy to groove too. Ra Ra Riot did a great job putting that song and some others together, but the majority of the songs feel like they were just pieced together without much thought. “Binary Mind” is basically an 80s dance idea remixed and sped up. The new sound is definitely different. I still hear the Ra Ra Riot I grew to love behind all of this, but this change is a little weird for me.

Though many critics are blaming the change of the sound on the fact that Ra Ra Riot’s cellist left, I feel the change has something to do with “sales”. As we are all aware, electronic dance music is booming right now throughout the mainstream population. I’m sure this is the bands attempt to fit in and adapt to the changing times. Yes, Alexandra Lawn left, but it was more of a departure than anything. How often do we hear cellos on radios these days? Of course, I won’t know exactly what they were thinking but that motive seems quite possible.

With all albums there are strong points and weak points. Ra Ra Riot tried to do something new and I give them props for doing so. Miles does a good job delivering memorable hooks leaving the album with a few decent songs. The work done on the album isn’t terrible, I wouldn’t mind replaying it, but it wouldn’t draw me out to a Ra Ra Riot show. In my opinion the Beta Love content is not quite rock enough to make a good live show and not quite electronic enough to be spun in a DJ set. For that reason I give it a 5/10

-Dead Eyes 

Rockie Fresh - Electric Highway

This was a real pleasant surprise. I checked out the music video to Nobody and dug it a lot so I decided to check out his mixtape, and man this mixtape is seriously such a banger!

Rockie Fresh is part of the Maybach Music Group label along with Rick Ross, Stalley, Gunplay, Meek Mill, and many others. Normally this label isnt my type of thing. Rick Ross has gotten pretty dull to me, I still dig him but yea he is getting kinda lame doing the same stuff. Stalley is a good rapper but I find him to be really boring to listen to for the most part. Meek Mill is as average as they come. Gunplay is your normal gangster ignorant rapper, very dull as well.

There is something about Rockie Fresh that works for me. He has lots of mainstream elements like autotune, catchy chorus, and R&B type rap songs. Normally I hate autotune and lots of R&B type rap songs about girls but Rockie Fresh mixes it up along the way.

I think the reason it all works is cause Rockie Fresh has a real great charisma and comes off as fresh, pun intended. His flow is nice and smooth on the beat one most songs. When the song is slow he goes slow and when the song is hard he still rides the beat without going over board. He really come off as lyrically as well. At 21 he seems to be very nice while still maintaining his age. What I really loved is that he really comes off as really positive and just enjoyable to listen to. Personally I feel he is the better of the Maybach Music Group group.

It really helps that Rockie Fresh has nice flow, can rap, good lyrics that come off as personal and honest. But his rapping skills is not what makes me love this mixtape. It helps but without this amazing production this mixtape would probably be mediocre at best. The production on this is straight fire! I love the electronic based beats, it almost sounds like some Kid Cudi stuff. The song Nobody is the highlight, Lights Glow is a good one although his Drake like voice is a turn off. The Warning goes hard. I'm Wit It is another hard one. Ride Slow is super chill out and mellow. The list goes on.

At 17 tracks each songs has its strengths although some have their weakness.Lights Glow and his Drake like flow, Show Me Sumthin and the feature(sounds like nicki minaj but its not) are two weakness. But the mixtapes production and Rockie Fresh's ambition give the mixtape a real constant flow and feels like the mixtape has a concept behind it making it a really well made tape.

Download the mixtape here:
http://www.datpiff.com/Rockie-Fresh-Electric-Highway-mixtape.438389.html

Lushlife- Plateau Vision

This is a little late but I felt it was not too late to let people to know about Lushlife and his music. This album came out last year and for some reason I completely forgot about it in my top 10 of 2012. Regardless, Its my pleasure to introduce you to Lushlife or if you already know then that's great as well.

If you don't Lushlife is pretty much an extremely talent dude. Not only can he rap and have a nice old school like flow, his lyrics are on point as well. But really what makes Lushlife so incredibly fresh is the production on this album (and his others). Ive read that this dude has been playing and even studying music for about 20 years, being a musically trained on classical piano, guitar, and jazz drumming for sure came in handy for his career.

The albums sound is very diverse and just so smooth and exciting to listen to. There are so many layered moments of sounds and instruments, that is a real pleasure to listen to by itself. The whole album flows from song to song with really great production. Everything just sounds so natural on the album which is why I am still in love with the production of this album since I found it mid 2012. Most of the songs on here could be amazing instrumentals. The song Gymnopedie 1.2 sounds like something Board of Canada would make.

But this is a rap album, sure production counts but what about the actually rapper? Well no need to worry because this dude is very lyrically, intelligent, and just nice to listen to. His rapping seems like a sort of stream of consciousness, which bugs me in most rappers (see term: Backpack Rapper) and comes off as pretentious. But this is not the case with Lushlife. His rapping is very varied at points and changes the themes in most of his songs. 

The album itself sounds like a sort of throw back to the 90s with its beats and rapping but Lushlife is really doing something quite experimental and wonderful with his music. I can't wait to hear what he does next. 


Here is a link to his soundcloud where you can stream this album and others:
https://soundcloud.com/lushlifemedia/sets/lushlife-plateau-vision

Villagers - {Awayland} Review

Villagers - {Awayland}

Track List:

1. My Lighthouse

2. Earthly Pleasure

3. The Waves

4. Judgement Call

5. Nothing Arrived

6. The Bell 

7. {Awayland}

8. Passing A Message

9. Grateful Song

10. In A Newfound Land You Are Free

11. Rhythm Composer

7 / 10

Here's Why:

Conor O’Brien, lead singer and songwriter for Villagers must be on another level of consciousness. His storytelling ability must have something to do with his Irish background. Musically, he’s played with a few bands before Villagers.  Conor creatively sings deep and rather eye opening phrases while painting vivid images with diction. The craftiness is incredible! Their first album, Becoming a Jackal was released in 2010 and had great reviews. I imagine it was because of Conor’s wonderful first impression. His outstanding song writing is a treat to the new listeners.

This album, {Awayland} has so many great moments, chord changes and harmonies. “My Lighthouse” starts off the album by putting it in its place. Poetically, acoustically with somewhat of a dark enchantment, the album continues to carry along like this. It is as if Conor is writing songs which influenced a medieval storyteller. “Earthly Pleasure” like many of the others depicts a haunting image thinly framed with hope. The hope is the uplifting chords brought in after a chilling vocal line. The vocabulary used is spectacular and the rhymes, being predictable at times are pieced together carefully. (Did I just rhyme?)

“Nothing Arrived”, the 5^th track on the album starts off with a Bright Eyes type of feel. (Any one who’s heard Bright Eyes could agree there are a lot of similarities between the two.) This was a single back in December and I can see why. It has the most potential to be liked by a larger crowd. It is comforting to know that Conor is able to put out another album of great songs. The majority of them are cleverly devised tunes. He never goes over the top, or foolishly extends a chorus or verse. When the band’s dynamic changes and briefly becomes louder Conor blends in and continues to contribute to the sound.

I feel that listening to this album will get you to feel like you want to be awakened. You’ll want to think deeper. While listen to the Villagers’ music you need to be fully engaged in the now and he is capable of helping you do that. Your ears will involuntarily perk to the sound of Conor’s voice and the delivery of the lyrics. The piano keyboard makes for a great addition and compliments the guitar nicely.

But after listening, you understand that you don’t really have to think like that to better yourself. For those not able to think and feel deeply some phrases might be frightening. (As frightening as a philosophy teacher could be.) I like to refer to this style as philosophical folk rock. You hear a lot of emotion from almost every folk rock band. New artists attempt to mention deeper ideas, but Conor can easily make them seem like surface thoughts.

“Off goes the bell ringing through my head signifies that all’s been said,” from “The Bell” helps describe why nothing really stuck with me. No specific line was swirling around my head hours after listening to it. Not like “Becoming A Jackal” was. The previous hit was in my head for days after hearing and sharing it on the Internet. For me, “Nothing Arrived” was the closest to that. I’m not going to deny that his vocal melodies flowed pleasantly into my ears and had me following him up and down every melodic step.

The album length was appropriate. I wasn’t left wanting more but the over all beauty of {Awayland} got me inspired and had me thinking throughout. The solid guitar riffs, sophisticated finger picking and chord changes kept me content. This leaves me with the decision of giving it a decent 7 out of 10. 

A Talk With - So Many Wizards (New Album Coming & Thoughts on Coachella)

     

@The Smell, Downtown LA 1/18/13

           After watching my first interview on camera I learned something, I need more practice interviewing! I’m just glad that Erik and Nima from So Many Wizards are so cool. In my interview with these down to earth dudes I was informed about an upcoming album. They are currently recording new songs and hoping to release it within 2013.  I really hope to hear more of that dreamy pop with well thought out, upbeat guitar licks picked over uplifting surf-pop drumbeats. It’s exciting to think of where these guys will be once they do complete a new record. Enough about the future, let’s focus on how the show went at The Smell.

The sold out show in Downtown LA at The Smell had loud, rockin’ acts incorporating interesting instruments with confident stage presence. Feeding People in particular, knew what they were doing as the band’s big sound and powerful guitar chords captivated the audience. Each song was strong and driving with few breaks reminding me of The Ettes. I also see similarities between the two lead singers. It would be best described as organized garage rock. (Too bad the group isn’t from my neighborhood.) Another band, Palm Reader, brought their punk rock tunes to the show and opened a mosh pit. After hearing a few cool local bands, it was time for So Many Wizards to hit the stage. 

So Many Wizards performing live at The Smell

Nima Kazerouni lead singer/guitarist for SMW

During their set up, a new listener might expect an average sound from a regular looking band. Their average-Joe look would hardly begin to describe the bands unique sound. With each song, you are introduced to a hook, one that you can hold onto. If it’s not a catchy keyboard part, it’s Nima’s falsetto vocal line or, like I said earlier, an upbeat guitar riff. It’s probably all of these blended together that make So Many Wizards enjoyable to listen to.

When the dance pit opened up you could feel the positive energy swarm around the venue leaving unnecessary worries behind. Fans were stage diving and being carried around the crowd. The pit was full of kids swarming around and shoving each other to the good vibes of the band. Erik (drummer) easily kept the beat going as the band rocked out. They even mellowed it out a little bit by playing some primarily keyboard songs. The bass player, Geoff, performing for his last time for So Many Wizards, recommended the slower songs. (The crowd said bye to the bass player while Nima took a picture of it for the Facebook page) Evidently the band has a new female guitarist, Melody, who is learning the songs but can fit right in like a natural. The group flowed fairly well and over came some bumps in the set. For a small, packed venue the fans were definitely getting their moneys worth. Nima cracked some funny jokes and said silly things such as, ”Don’t do drugs kids.” Now that’s being a great influence for the young crowd!

Bassist, Geoff Geis, performs his last show with SMW 

I was happy to have made in to   The Smell before it sold out. For those who have never been, I recommend checking out a show there sometime. It’ll definitely be worth the 5 dollars. They have DJ’s in the front room spinning in between the bands and the bands I came across Friday were decent. They were all entertaining for young musicians and I hope to see more shows at the artsy place.

-DeadEyes-

deadeyesmobile@gmail.com

Photos by: Monica Salazar

LookOut2013: (Robert Delong, Django Django, The Orwells & More!)

A new year always needs to start off with great new music! What good is a new year with out the help of the previous one? 2012 brought many different, talented artists along with fresh and interesting albums. It was also the rise of various blog sites competing to bring music lovers the most up to date music. Whether it was Soundcloud or Zippy, Youtube or Beatport, new tunes were spreading fast. At one point my iTunes library filled up my hard drive, forcing me to back it up. I was not alone. Music fans were definitely appreciating the easily accessible tracks. Many of them started looking into becoming DJ’s with all the new music.

New sub genres emerged such as Moombahton, Hipster Dance, Trap and Ratchet. (Most, if not all are still working its way through beginning stages of development.) "Trap Shit" is surprisingly catching on in the club scene and can be heard at certain raves. The combination of hip-hop and electronica make it the perfect crossover genre. 2012 was indeed a year for musical exploration and experimentation. I thoroughly enjoyed hearing bands combine the best of both electronic and analog sounds. With free downloads left and right music finding had never been easier.

Ever since Limewire, online sharing has tremendously affected the way we discover music. Rather than relying on a show to find a good new band, music lovers can come across new sounds in the comfort of their home. Thanks to the online file sharers. Though it isn’t the same type of experience as heading to your local venue it is undeniably more efficient. With the Internet being fed overwhelming amounts of data, I feel many artists are over looked. For people like us it is going to take more web surfing in 2013 to come across something golden. Although, I do have my eyes set on certain artists whom I hope to see thrive this year.

              [Check out this compilation of various artists and songs I was into this past year. I recommend geting the albums for most of them too. You can't go wrong with these awesome new bands. Take a listen...]

Robert Delong

Newly emerged producer/live performer Robert Delong is climbing up charts and getting huge recognition throughout the music scene. The song Global Concepts is ranked number 5 most viral tracks on Spotify. In June 2012, Happy was KROQ’s locals only number 4 song. Aside from the radio stations, he’s been on great line-ups and shared the stages with some unforgettable DJ’s. For example, Snowglobe 2012’s main stage also included Deadmau5 and Madeon catching the later sets. There is also a great possibility that Robert’s rising fame is due to the fact that MTV has featured him on 2013’s artist to watch list. Artists like Zedd and Twenty One Pilots are also mentioned.

Not only does Robert Delong create chart-hitting tunes, his live shows are more of giant dance party than anything. The sets usually consist of indie dance fused with Moombahton. Yes, that means catchy poppy vocals sung over an electro type beat at 110 bpm. Just because the melodies and lyrics are usually easy to follow doesn’t mean the meaning isn’t deep. A lot of his lyrics are very trippy, especially ones coming from the song, "Just Movement". If Robert were to do something else with his time I think he’d make a great philosopher. Let’s hope he sticks with what he’s currently during now! The song I recommend checking out is Big Broom (Robert Delong Remix) originally by Races.

Django Django

After sitting through various songs from new artists on XM 47 I finally came across a great new band. Or so I thought. These four musicians have been around for a while now. They’ve been rockin’ out since 2009 but it seems that the band just made it to the mainstream light this year. After releasing a self-titled album. KEXP had them featured live on the radio stations’ Youtube channel. Missing from the KEXP set list was the one I heard on XM 47, “Default”. This personal favorite keeps me grooving the whole way through. It’s a crunchy cool combo of folk rock with a dash of electronic sounds.

Earlier in January 2013, La Blogotheque recorded an intimate session of the band performing a couple hits. They introduced each song wonderfully and successfully grabbed my attention. The bands vintage, hipster aura, along with catchy folk melodies is so welcoming. I still have yet to attend a Django Django show. Hopefully I’ll get a chance to catch them on their tour at the Fonda. The band’s 2012 success will certainly ripple into the New Year as they continue to establish a unique sound. I also recommend checking out their Soundcloud for some creative versions and remixes of the songs. The song I picked to feature is Firewater, which finally grew on me after watching "La Blogotheque’s" version.

The Orwells

            Who knew that teenagers could make such badass sounds? They know how to completely rock out, each with a different instrument. I first heard them on a Youtube blog site performing 3 songs that really caught my eye. I was instantly drawn to their sound and presence. The stoner front man, Mario Cuomo, can really belt his voice into that poor microphone while the band tightly jams along.  He can maintain control of his voice while dancing and stomping around on the FYF stage. After watching live videos of The Orwells I’m reminded of another band. The liveliness and high energy is very similar to that of Cage The Elephant. (Both great bands to see live sometime.)

After checking them out a bit by going through some songs on Youtube, I had to get the album. I imported it into my iTunes and was without a doubt impressed with the work done on it. The band’s debut album Remember When is strong the whole way through. The modern rock vibe of the album is steady and the music sounds full. The Orwells did a great job of developing catchy hooks one after another. There are quite a few high school related themes mentioned in the lyrics but it never takes away from the bands professional sound. The lyrics are constructed from simple ideas that Mario can easily share with the listener. “12:00 and the town just died” part of the chorus for “Ancient Egypt” is repeated in several clever ways and manages not to feel repetitive. In time these guys’ popularity will grow and we’ll most likely see them at more festivals around LA. I decided to share their song “Mall Rats”