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”

Yo La Tengo-Fade album review

This album is a real good way to start off my year. First of all, I had no idea Yo La Tengo were releasing a new album until 2 days before it dropped this week. And boy was I happy that I found out about this album.

Now if you don't know who Yo La Tengo let me break it down for you. First off, Yo La Tengo is NOT a spanish band even though the band name is in spanish and consist of a trio, two of which are husband and wife. Second, Yo La Tengo has been around for decades. I would consider them as one of the grandfathers to the indie rock scene along with Dinosaur Jr and Sonic Youth, which share similarities in musical style. Their music ranges between albums. Basically their older stuff is loud, melodic, very similar to that of Dinosaur Jr with a dash of Galaxie 500/Velvet Underground jam side thrown in. The newer stuff, 1997-2013, still has the loud edge to it but Yo La Tengo has quieted down with many albums and made beautiful sounding records. What you need to know is Yo La Tengo has a super wide range of styles which makes them one of the most interesting bands to get into.

This album might be Yo La Tengo's quietest and personal sounding yet. The album is very similar to And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out, one of the bands masterpieces, but without all the ambient sounds throughout that album. This album is a lot more consistent than their previous albums, which started to have the same feel to each other. Yo La Tengo was always known for change in direction which is what makes them so interesting and a little different than their contemporaries. They go beyond of just standard rock music and add in different elements while still sounding like Yo La Tengo. No other band other than Radiohead can change so drastically and still sound the same.

The album itself is gorgeous. I listened to it on the ride to school and was so immersed by the first track, Ohms, that I slowed down just so I could have a chance to listen to all of it in case I got there before it ended.The track pretty much sets up the whole album. It features really wonderful vocals and melodies while being super catchy and fun. The guitar is still there as well and still has the Yo La Tengo sound with its melodic sound and explosive solos. Although the guitar is not the main instrument to get your attention because the album features something somewhat new to it. It features really beautiful horn and string sections throughout the album, which make it feel very consistent and fresh. The album is very layered in many different instruments and sounds( production on YLT albums is always great). The album sort of reminded me of Belle and Sebastian but with more of Yo La Tengo's moody and melancholic sound to it. The whole album is just a huge pleasure to listen to, I've listened to it at least 5 times today and still love it.

Although if you are new to Yo La Tengo I would suggest starting off with more of the earlier stuff. Perhaps I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One, which showcases the bands talent by being a really wide range album. Also helps that it's one of the best albums of the 90s.

If you aren't new to Yo La Tengo, I encourage you to check it out if you have enjoyed the latter stuff. This one is probably the best they have done since I wanna say And Then Nothing.... because it feels really focused and has a distinctive feel to them, which previous albums lacked in my opinion.

Overall this album from the legendary group is truly wonderful front to back.

Sean Price- Genesis of the Omega video

New Sean Price video. Song is the first track from his album Mic Tyson. My favorite track of the album, banging beat and Sean P doing his thing. Seriously I love the beat so damn much.

Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds release another single

If you read my previous post about Nick Cave, you'll know that I have a huge love for his music. He released another song and it made me anticipated the album even more. The track is nice and simple like the previous one and a nice return to the more serious ballad side of Nick Cave.

 I'm willing to bet that the album will sound more like his album The Boatman's Call with a little more instrument arrangement, which sounds awesome to me. This sounds more like a band effort and not just solo Nick Cave like Boatman's Call.

ASAP Rocky LongLiveASAP album review

ASAP Rocky has come a long way since the hip hop world first gain noticed of him with his hit song 'Peso'. His LiveLoveASAP was a huge hit in 2011. Most of 2012 consisted with ASAP Rocky rising more to fame because one of the most known new artist and gaining respect from other well known artist like Drake who put him on tour with him.

While I like ASAP a whole lot, it always struck me as odd that he was from New York yet adapted a southern like flow. But that's one of the reasons he became so known and even though there are better southern rappers that are more 'true southern' ASAP Rocky doesn't really come off as a poser since you can tell that he is a huge fan of that style of hip hop and forms it in a unique way. This also causes many of his fans to tick me off when they claim that he is the best thing out there because of his flow, but that's just me being an hip hop elitist.

Listening to this album though I started to think that his whole style might have only worked once for me. This is pretty much more of the same with a little more mainstream appeal to it. I found myself being sort of bored by some of the songs wanting to just skip them to find a better one. Not that they were bad, some were okay but it was all the same type stuff. I feel this album is more of a mainstream type of ASAP Rocky with plenty of guest on the album. I never was that fond of Fucking Problem when I first heard it but it sort of grew on me over time because of it airplay on the radio. Although I feel I liked the song more because of the awesome guest on it especially Kendrick Lamar, 2 Chainz on the chorus, and hell even Drake which I don't really like.I usually hate albums filled with guest, I actually feel that this album benefits from it. I'm not saying that the album is filled with guest, which it's not, but it has enough to get ASAP Rocky attention from a more mainstream appeal, which seems to be what ASAP Rocky is trying to do with this album. Still don't believe me when I say that ASAP Rocky is trying to get mainstream appeal? Go listen to Wild for the Night. Keep listening. Do you hear it? Yes that is a dubstep track. More specifically Skrillex. Now do you believe me?

It seems like I'm bashing the album and ASAP Rocky. But there are things that I liked about the album. Even though its all the same from Rocky in terms of rapping its still fun to listen to if you are a fan and his beats are always on point.

Okay that's something those are things that I liked. Here is something I LOVED. The track 1 Train was the best thing on the album and the best thing to come out in 2013 yet. Even though I heard it when it leaked in December it's still amazing and technically a 2013 track. What's so great about the track? ASAP Rocky, Joey Badass, Kendrick Lamar, Action Bronson, Big KRIT, Yelawolf (Which I don't usually care for but he did a good job and didn't distract me) and the one and only Danny Brown. Every rapper made this track amazing, no weak rhymes here, everyone brought there all to it. If you were to ask me to rank them, I couldn't even think who would even be the weakest because they all did so damn good.

So the final word on the album: If you are a big ASAP Rocky fan and don't expect much but just Rocky doing Rocky, get the album. If you don't like him, don't get it. If you like ASAP Rocky but have more knowledge on other southern hip hop artists than the normal ASAP fan, get it just for 1 Train. 

Jon Connor

Jon Connor has been here for a while but I feel a lot of people are sleeping on him (He even knows this by naming one of his albums While You Were Sleeping). Even though he hasn't put out anything out lately, I feel its not to late to simply just try to convince you why Jon Connor is the most underrated and slept on artist right now.

Jon Connor just seems to get better and better and it blows my mind that he is not signed and that he is not as well known among casual hip hop fans. With a hand full of mixtapes Jon Connor is always consistent. His lyrics are raw, honest, personal, deep, and intelligent. His flow is excellent and makes the songs engaging to listen to, you get the feel that Jon Connor is hungry to be known by just letting it all go on his tracks. He can be serious, laid back, or just go hard. He has lots of range and can nail each one.

If I had some complaints about Jon Connor it has to be two things. 1: The production on his mix tapes are decent but I feel if he collaborated with a producer he shares chemistry with he could really achieve more success and get more well known. 2: His lyrics are great and on point but at times he seems repetitive rapping about how the current state of hip hop is lacking substance and how he is the real thing.

 Although those two complaints kinda pointless since Jon Connor does not sound like he wants a huge audience. He is content on just giving it his all for the true fans that listen to his music. He is a rapper that raps for his fans and only for his fans; Jon Connor is not worried about achieving a great mass audience. He knows his music is not for the radio, he knows his music is true hip hop. He claims he is 'The Peoples Rapper' and I fully agree.

Jon Connor did something that completely blew me away last year. He released a mixtape titled The People
Rapper LP. Being from Detroit, he decided to rap over Eminem beats on the entirely mixtape. Now Im not a fan of Eminem, at one point in time Ill agree that he was really good though. I was nervous about the listen at first since it sounds like he might be doing a sort of beat cover album that lacks Jon Connor. I was wrong, way wrong, Jon Connor borrowed these beats and honored the Detroit legend by showing love with shoutouts in the beginning. Jon Connor set fire on each song, lots of the songs had a great aggressive energy that the beats provided. He totally made the beats his own and dropped some of his best lyrics, showing his more aggressive and personal side.

So in 2013 don't be sleeping on Jon Connor cause he literally is The Peoples Rapper and he is hear to give you good music. Make sure to check out The Peoples Rapper LP and While You Were Sleeping, free downloads on DatPiff.com.

David Bowie still relevent in 2013? A Short David Bowie Retrospect

Does anyone really care about David Bowie in 2013? Don't get me wrong, I LOVE David Bowie. He has had so many CLASSIC albums and changed the game with albums like Low, also Heroes might be my favorite song ever. I even enjoyed the last two albums on first listen but never listened to them ever. Personally I feel Bowie should ditch music for a now and make more movies cause hes a really good actor.

 Does anyone care for a new Bowie album in 2013? Maybe the die hard fans but I feel his creative peak was during the 70s and start of the 80s. From his first album to Scary Monsters, David Bowie changed the rock world and created new trends and made interesting music. He made glam rock cool, he made electronic music become more accessible, made masterpieces of rock, he hung out with Iggy Pop (the godfather of punk) and was just a hugely interesting dude.  My favorite Bowie story is when he made Station To Station, the legend goes that Bowie was so high off cocaine that he does not even vaguely remember that time in the studio nor making the album. His diet was red chilli peppers and milk. He was under 100 pounds. That's a lot of cocaine!

Bowie's most creative era has to be the "Berlin Era". When he realized he had to let go of his addiction he moved to Berlin and become friends with the great Brian Eno (the godfather of electronic music?). During these years Bowie made three albums that were very different from his previous work and from the mainstream,. Low, Hereos, and Lodger were the albums and they were mainly electronic based with lots of emotion streaming throughout. I personally consider Low a masterpiece along with Ziggy Stardust and are two of my most prized vinyls in my collection.

Most of the 80s for Bowie consisted in the mainstream with hits like Let's Dance, Modern Love, and Under Pressure. Although during the 80s his career started to go to into the mainstream. His music was not interesting and this continued into the 90s and as we know now the present. I will say though that Let's Dance is an amazing fun, catchy, mainstream album. I mean come on. Let's Dance, China Girl, Cat People. So much fun Bowie tunes.

So in 2013 do we really need a new David Bowie album? I would say no. But he is still a legend in my eyes.

Heres his website with his new single along with a video that looks like it was directed by David Lynch
http://www.davidbowie.com/the-next-day

Atoms For Peace New Single

Atoms For Peace has released a new single. Although I'm not to into this Thom Yorke side project, I still will listen to it cause I love everything Radiohead/Thom Yorke (my favorite band of all time). The songs they released really remind me of Yorke's solo album, which I loved. So maybe once the album is released my opinion will change on the super group, as for now its just exciting to hear more of Yorke's voice coming out of my speakers.

Check out the singles they have released and decide for yourselves. The first two were previously released and the last one was just released today.

Isaiah Rashad

Ive never heard about this guy until a couple days ago. I was very impressed by this kid. He has a very nice flow, nice lyrics, and great production in the songs I heard. At first I thought he was gonna be a average youngster rapper but something about his flow and rhymes caught my attention. Sure he is still a young kid but he seems a lot more mature and have much more talent than most his age in the scene right now.

Here are a couple of videos and his soundcloud

 https://soundcloud.com/isaiah_rashad

First Fridays with Lord Huron & Wildcat! Wildcat! 1/4/13

Approaching The Natural History Museum a bit before 8:00, we noticed a sign reading: SOLD OUT. It came as no surprise though since both of these bands have been getting more recognition this past year, 2012. Lord Huron, being featured on KEXP’s Youtube channel as well as the Rollo Grady and Daytrotter blog sites. Wildcat! Wildcat! was being spread throughout the Youtube channels that host all types of interesting new artists. Both bands are local to Los Angeles, which makes this spot, NHM, a great place for a performance.

            After paying for general admission and barely making it to Wildcat! Wildcat!’s opening my friend and I paced around the downstairs part of the exhibits. The bands were playing in a room on one half of the museum, while other rooms with different themes were open too.  It was something different. Wildcat! Wildcat! as always, brought their catchy and up lifting sounds to the show. Wearing tan dress suits, the band kept the sound full and even grabbed the outside audience’s attention. After they finished their set with the song “Mr. Quiche”, it was time for Lord Huron to hit the stage...

            The upstairs exhibits were also open for members of the crowd to walk through different natural habitats. From the prairies to the rain forest it was like a nostalgic flash back in the museum. As 9:00 grew closer, it was time to head back down stairs for the second and final performance by Lord Huron. Not before we took pictures by the large dinosaur skeleton in the main lobby.

They started of the set with a mainly acoustic
song leading the band to play a personal favorite, “The Man Who Lives Forever”. When the drums and percussion kicked in everything was grooving. Fans in the crowd were dancing, smiling and just having a good time. It must have been the bongos or maybe it was the higher end guitar riffs, whatever the band was doing it was being done right! Lord Huron can easily be enjoyed by ages of all sorts, which gives them so much potential in 2013.

After the show, members from Wildcat! Wildcat! were selling vinyl’s and shirts. My friend bought a vinyl, which they autographed and mentioned an up coming album. Hopefully soon. All in all it was a great experience and I hope to go back to another First Friday.