Grantland, one of my favorite sites for pop culture commentary, recently had their editors each select their own, personal, top song of 2014. I liked this list because there is quite a variety, and it looks like each editor picked something that they personally liked, even if it wasn't critically acclaimed or popular.
There is also a great mix of genres, which is a challenge for me. I don't listen to much folk rock and very little mixtapes, so I can only hope to appreciate them. I also think the Grantland staff has a streak of hipster, more than once they selected songs that seemed pretty obscure.
Also these are not ranked in any way. You can review the list for yourself here.
Andy Greenwald's pick: Jamie xx, "All Under One Roof Raving"
I have occasionally read some of Andy's work on Grantland, but he isn't someone I go over there specifically to find. I do, however, think that he and I have some similar musical tastes. I loved this selection. It is well mixed, well presented, and it does what it sets out to do. I'm not a huge DNB fan, but the lounge feel of this one works for me. The laid back, chill vibe is fun and interesting.
Steel drums are always risky, they easily fall into the trap of becoming a focal point rather than an instrument, but that isn't the case with this one. I'm not such a fan of the oppressive sampling, but I will let it slide here because 1) I know this isn't made for me and 2) this song is great and 3) I discovered the rest of Jamie xx's discography, all of which is good, most of which is great, some of which is outstanding.
I also really enjoyed Andy's brief introduction.
Monday, January 12, 2015
Friday, January 9, 2015
The Grantland Staff's Best Songs of 2014
Grantland, one of my favorite sites for pop culture commentary, recently had their editors each select their own, personal, top song of 2014. I liked this list because there is quite a variety, and it looks like each editor picked something that they personally liked, even if it wasn't critically acclaimed or popular.
There is also a great mix of genres, which is a challenge for me. I don't listen to much folk rock and very little mixtapes, so I can only hope to appreciate them. I also think the Grantland staff has a streak of hipster, more than once they selected songs that seemed pretty obscure.
Also these are not ranked in any way. You can review the list for yourself here.
Rembert Browne's selection: Drake, "We Made It"
So, starting right off the bat, we run into my problem: I don't really listen to a lot of rap, and what I do listen to certainly isn't from mix tapes (authentic or not). Having said that, I can tell that it is cool; the flow is good; the mix is nice. There are also a lot of interesting elements. My personal favorite is the call out to turn everything down, and then the backing track is literally turned down. The execution is great. I'm less certain about the Seth Rogan/Jason Sudekis sample, but I think it works.
One thing that I am confused about is whether or not this is a true, non-label released mix tape. It is hosted on soundcloud, but the production is very professional. This isn't something that was slapped together for free. Or maybe it was? Is production that easy these days? I feel like this is a part of the genre I don't understand yet.
There is also a great mix of genres, which is a challenge for me. I don't listen to much folk rock and very little mixtapes, so I can only hope to appreciate them. I also think the Grantland staff has a streak of hipster, more than once they selected songs that seemed pretty obscure.
Also these are not ranked in any way. You can review the list for yourself here.
Rembert Browne's selection: Drake, "We Made It"
So, starting right off the bat, we run into my problem: I don't really listen to a lot of rap, and what I do listen to certainly isn't from mix tapes (authentic or not). Having said that, I can tell that it is cool; the flow is good; the mix is nice. There are also a lot of interesting elements. My personal favorite is the call out to turn everything down, and then the backing track is literally turned down. The execution is great. I'm less certain about the Seth Rogan/Jason Sudekis sample, but I think it works.
One thing that I am confused about is whether or not this is a true, non-label released mix tape. It is hosted on soundcloud, but the production is very professional. This isn't something that was slapped together for free. Or maybe it was? Is production that easy these days? I feel like this is a part of the genre I don't understand yet.
Thursday, January 8, 2015
New Music Discovery - Rushfell
Today's New Music Discovery comes from an artist known as Rushfell. Hailing from Seattle, he gives his full name as Mike Monroe. I have been focusing on EDM style artists lately, and that is what I found in Rushfell.
SplitSeven (Forgotten) - direct link
This is a really great song, right? I got a huge kick out of this one. I'd describe it as solidly in the IDM category. I think the best word here is DARK. The haunting, chanting vocals are well handled. They are just piercing enough to make you notice them, and there is a slight trance influence sneaking in there. At first it is all you can hear, but later they wash over you, blending with the rest of the track.
And the rest of the elements? A very deep, heavy, bass line. You almost never use those words to describe IDM, generally you are thinking dubstep or DNB. Here, though, they work. Forgoing a heavy drop and instead focusing on a heavy line, it plays a counter-balance to the vocals. The bass moves slow and even, and it never seems out of place. I also thought the drum line was well done.
The best IDM blends a lot of disparate elements in a way that you would never think makes sense, but sounds great. This track does all of that correct.
The biggest hurdle for this artist to overcome is stretching this one, tight, track into a full album of quality materials. If you like this one as well, check out his bandcamp page for some free downloads or support an up and coming artist with a pay what you can deal. Sadly, SplitSeven (Forgotten) is not available for download at this time.
SplitSeven (Forgotten) - direct link
This is a really great song, right? I got a huge kick out of this one. I'd describe it as solidly in the IDM category. I think the best word here is DARK. The haunting, chanting vocals are well handled. They are just piercing enough to make you notice them, and there is a slight trance influence sneaking in there. At first it is all you can hear, but later they wash over you, blending with the rest of the track.
And the rest of the elements? A very deep, heavy, bass line. You almost never use those words to describe IDM, generally you are thinking dubstep or DNB. Here, though, they work. Forgoing a heavy drop and instead focusing on a heavy line, it plays a counter-balance to the vocals. The bass moves slow and even, and it never seems out of place. I also thought the drum line was well done.
The best IDM blends a lot of disparate elements in a way that you would never think makes sense, but sounds great. This track does all of that correct.
The biggest hurdle for this artist to overcome is stretching this one, tight, track into a full album of quality materials. If you like this one as well, check out his bandcamp page for some free downloads or support an up and coming artist with a pay what you can deal. Sadly, SplitSeven (Forgotten) is not available for download at this time.
Wednesday, January 7, 2015
New Music Discovery
Today I am bringing you a new track from Kid Methusela. His soundcloud profile indicates that he is brand new, starting in the summer of 2014, and his music is self-described as "reclusive beats." I don't necessarily know about any of that, but I will say today's shared track is pretty nice.
Luna (ft. The Ella Project) - direct link
I categorize this track as IDM, with a little bit of ambient thrown in. There are some very predictable features, including the NASA radio sample and the croaking frog swamp sounds. The radio sample didn't really bother me, other than that it was a little bit too directly on point. The frog noise did bother me though, I thin ham-fisted is the phrase that comes to mind.
Having said that, there is plenty of good in this one as well. When the beat picks up halfway through, it really moves the song and adds a layer of freshness that is desperately needed. It never falls into pure breakbeat, but it does have the same feel. It will appeal to those who can't get behind the complex dissonance of a true breakbeat track.
Overall, there is a nice, dreamlike quality, and this is overall a great way to spend a few minutes of your day.
Luna (ft. The Ella Project) - direct link
I categorize this track as IDM, with a little bit of ambient thrown in. There are some very predictable features, including the NASA radio sample and the croaking frog swamp sounds. The radio sample didn't really bother me, other than that it was a little bit too directly on point. The frog noise did bother me though, I thin ham-fisted is the phrase that comes to mind.
Having said that, there is plenty of good in this one as well. When the beat picks up halfway through, it really moves the song and adds a layer of freshness that is desperately needed. It never falls into pure breakbeat, but it does have the same feel. It will appeal to those who can't get behind the complex dissonance of a true breakbeat track.
Overall, there is a nice, dreamlike quality, and this is overall a great way to spend a few minutes of your day.
Wednesday, December 17, 2014
Spotify "My Year in Music" Wrap Up
If you don't already know about this, go www.spotify-yearinmusic.com and sign in to get an interactive infographic summarizing what you listened to this year through their service. It is completely fascinating if you used Spotify for any amount of time during the preceding year.
Without further ado, let's get into mine.
Overall Breakdown
Top Album: Doppelganger by Dualist Inquiry - I stumbled upon this one following an STS9 thread. Dualist Inquiry is a little bit jam band and a little bit prog rock and a little bit shoegaze, and its all good. They don't have many lyrics, and the music is highly produced (as opposed to STS9's raw live experience) which will make a lot of EDM fans happy.
This album is gold. One More Thing and Anathema were the two tracks I came back to the most often, but all of them are good. I really liked the way you could sit and listen to this one as an album, or you could just pick a song and play it like a single. In both cases, there was a lot of depth and always something new to discover.
Without further ado, let's get into mine.
Overall Breakdown
Mostly what I expected to see here. Shows that I mostly use Spotify to explore my personal tastes. I listen to some rock, some top 40 club, and some pop as well, but car radio tends to satisfy my needs for these. When I'm on Spotify I'm looking for something specific. I'm pretty sure the heavy Pop influence here is mostly Ellie Goulding. I did a personal "Burn" retrospective that bumps this one way up, looking through the suggested playlist I didn't see a lot that I really listened to heavily.
Otherwise we see my EDM tastes. I'm a little surprised that Ambient by itself didn't make an appearance, although Ambient IDM is truly my favorite genre.
Top Overall
Top Artist: Ellie Goulding - I'm not sure if she really was my top artist this year, although I have listened to a lot of her music. I actually came across her several years ago when I was big on last.fm. She was being heavily promoted in the electronic categories, and I liked her stuff, but never really pursued it. Then, this year, she really blew up in a big way in the mainstream top 40 stuff.
I'm a little conflicted. On one hand, she is basically a managed pretty face that goes for the lowest common denominator to sell albums to the masses. On the other hand, she manages to put out some catchy stuff and is exceptionally endearing at times.
The reason she is so high on my list is that I got really stuck on "Burn" this year, particularly the Remixes. For some reason they really helped me in a personal study of remixing, and some of them are great tracks.
I wouldn't say she is my favorite artist this year, but apparently she is the one I listened to the most.
Top Album: Doppelganger by Dualist Inquiry - I stumbled upon this one following an STS9 thread. Dualist Inquiry is a little bit jam band and a little bit prog rock and a little bit shoegaze, and its all good. They don't have many lyrics, and the music is highly produced (as opposed to STS9's raw live experience) which will make a lot of EDM fans happy. This album is gold. One More Thing and Anathema were the two tracks I came back to the most often, but all of them are good. I really liked the way you could sit and listen to this one as an album, or you could just pick a song and play it like a single. In both cases, there was a lot of depth and always something new to discover.
Top Playlist: Chillstep - I don't really use playlists on Spotify, so I wouldn't take this one too seriously. However, I will note that Chillstep is a unique vibe that I like. Of course I took a spin through Dubstep, but I never really got that deep into it. What I listen to is actually probably the "Bro-step" of Skrillex and Avicii in 2013. I like the pace, and I like the complexity, but sometimes the excessive noise is overwhelming. Chillstep is (in theory, at least) a little slower, softer, and more melodic.
I don't know, I guess props to whomever put this playlist together.
Tuesday, December 16, 2014
Spotify 2014 Global Top 100 #11-20
This is a follow up to my previous look at the Spotify Top 100 songs for 2014. First post with 1-10 here.
Am I Wrong - Nico and Vinz: I love this song. This was a purchase this year for me. I think the tone, message, and execution are spot on from start to finish. I am a huge fan of the horns. The video is nicely done as well.
Chandelier - Sia: Its nice but I just can't care about this type of song anymore. The Rhianna influence is great, and the vocals are good, but I just don't need another edgy female power ballad right now.
Fancy - Iggy Azelea ft. Charlie XCX: The only people who like this song more than the college girls pretending to be hood at the bar are Iggy and Charlie. This is one of those rare instances of a song that does everything it needed to, but did all of it so well no one even noticed what it was doing. First, this makes Iggy a household name. Its a great introduction to her for the mainstream. We hear some nice rap chops that use the lingo and the cadence, but none of the aggressive lyrics. Charlie also enjoys widespread exposure, but doesn't commit herself to anything. Her name is in lights but she isn't the light. Most impressively, she avoids being the "just a female voice" like Keri Hilton on some songs. The beat is catchy, the lyrics have a certain level of self-promotional defiance to them. Even the video hits on every level. If I were a female rapper from Australia that wanted to capitalize on the world's largest consumer market, this would be how I would go about it.
Stay with Me - Sam Smith: Possibly my least favorite song this year. It isn't soulful, its just whiny and grating. Please make it stop.
Demons - Imagine Dragons: Oh, you mean this year's Coldplay song? Its fine, if you like Coldplay.
A Sky Full of Stars - Coldplay: Yep, its Coldplay. I think its high time they figure out something else. Coldplay actually reminds me a lot of U2, except that I think Coldplay needs to innovate further before they go full on Apple sell out.
I See Fire - Ed Sheeren: This is the first one on this list that I don't have a lot of experience with. Its nice. Quiet, soft, sensitive, but it isn't overdone like Stay with Me. It channels a little bit of James Taylor at times, and actually a lot of Vertical Horizon. This is well handled.
Pompeii - Bastille: If I have to listen to top 40 pop, it might as well be this. Its a nice song, the complicated construction is well hidden behind a solid vocal track and easy listening sounds, but there is some real depth here.
Bad (ft. Vassy) - David Guetta: I actually like David Guetta and some of his mainstream big room stuff, but this isn't one of them.
Magic - Coldplay: Its cool, a little slower and more meaningful. Still, its just too "eh"
Am I Wrong - Nico and Vinz: I love this song. This was a purchase this year for me. I think the tone, message, and execution are spot on from start to finish. I am a huge fan of the horns. The video is nicely done as well.
Chandelier - Sia: Its nice but I just can't care about this type of song anymore. The Rhianna influence is great, and the vocals are good, but I just don't need another edgy female power ballad right now.
Fancy - Iggy Azelea ft. Charlie XCX: The only people who like this song more than the college girls pretending to be hood at the bar are Iggy and Charlie. This is one of those rare instances of a song that does everything it needed to, but did all of it so well no one even noticed what it was doing. First, this makes Iggy a household name. Its a great introduction to her for the mainstream. We hear some nice rap chops that use the lingo and the cadence, but none of the aggressive lyrics. Charlie also enjoys widespread exposure, but doesn't commit herself to anything. Her name is in lights but she isn't the light. Most impressively, she avoids being the "just a female voice" like Keri Hilton on some songs. The beat is catchy, the lyrics have a certain level of self-promotional defiance to them. Even the video hits on every level. If I were a female rapper from Australia that wanted to capitalize on the world's largest consumer market, this would be how I would go about it.
Stay with Me - Sam Smith: Possibly my least favorite song this year. It isn't soulful, its just whiny and grating. Please make it stop.
Demons - Imagine Dragons: Oh, you mean this year's Coldplay song? Its fine, if you like Coldplay.
A Sky Full of Stars - Coldplay: Yep, its Coldplay. I think its high time they figure out something else. Coldplay actually reminds me a lot of U2, except that I think Coldplay needs to innovate further before they go full on Apple sell out.
I See Fire - Ed Sheeren: This is the first one on this list that I don't have a lot of experience with. Its nice. Quiet, soft, sensitive, but it isn't overdone like Stay with Me. It channels a little bit of James Taylor at times, and actually a lot of Vertical Horizon. This is well handled.
Pompeii - Bastille: If I have to listen to top 40 pop, it might as well be this. Its a nice song, the complicated construction is well hidden behind a solid vocal track and easy listening sounds, but there is some real depth here.
Bad (ft. Vassy) - David Guetta: I actually like David Guetta and some of his mainstream big room stuff, but this isn't one of them.
Magic - Coldplay: Its cool, a little slower and more meaningful. Still, its just too "eh"
Friday, December 12, 2014
Spotify 2014 Global Top 100 #1-10
Anyone who knows me knows that two things I love are lists and unexpected critical commentary. This series combines both. Spotify has published a top 100 playlist for 2014, it claims to be global. I'll going through 10 at a time, offering my odd commentary and a few additional notes here and there. Enjoy.
Happy - Pharrell Williams: I mean, its a good song and all. Definitely an earwig, definitely technically proficient. Its a little big band, a little choir, a little jazzy. If anyone thought Pharrell wasn't talented, this is great evidence to the contrary. I still think a lot of the fame of this one came from the movie association. It also shows that you need to appeal to the highly mass market to be successful, there isn't really anyone that can be offended by this one.
Rather Be (feat Jess Gylnne) - Clean Bandit: I think this song represents this year in music more than anything else. The extremely pop-catchy single with EDM influences. Over produced, in no way offensive, slightly mysterious female vocals. Having said all that, I really like this song, and as I commiserated with one of my DJ friends, I'm sorry that there won't be more from them.
Summer - Calvin Harris: I like this one a lot. Sorry. Even if it is the number one basic white girl jam, its catchy, hits the big synths, and Calvin Harris breaks his own rule and does vocals on his own track. What's not to like?
Dark Horse - Katy Perry Juicy J: As a pretty solid Katy Perry fan, this is one of my favorites from her. It still has the bubblegum pop that she is famous for, a tiny bit of the female empowerment that she goes for, but it also is one of the darkest sounding songs she has put out. The rap from Juicy J is just incongruous enough to be legit. This sound also mashes well with N*ggas in Paris, which one local DJ figured out and used repeatedly earlier this year, much to my repeated delight.
All of Me - John Legend: This is a classy track, and obviously did well this year. My favorite part is the quality covers it inspires.
Timber - Pitbull ft. Kesha: I love Kesha, so I can't objectively evaluate this one. Sorry.
Rude - Magic!: Decent song, definitely one of the first to really get the Sublime / Slightly Stoopid stoner reggae rock right in a long time. The creation of the this band and this song through, are more interesting to me. The idea that someone could really know that they have the chops, but spend so much time searching for the rest of the band and that one hit, but then to actually find it and experience the success, truly inspiring and different that those we typically hear of in this industry. Now the trick is to follow it up with something better. I do think the solo is particularly weak here.
Waves Robin Schultz Edit - Mr. Probz: One of my favorites on this list. Excellently handled. The production values are high, but its soft and easy. Moves just fast enough to be interesting, but it is just quiet enough to be sensitive. This was one of the few songs I paid to download this year.
Problem - Ariana Grande (Iggy Azelea): I get what she (or maybe I should just say they and include her management team) is going for here, but it just doesn't work for me. This isn't a triumphant Beyonce track, its just a Disney pop star crammed into a mass produced song. Including Iggy doesn't make it edgy or interesting, it just makes Iggy seem like a sell out to. The video was bizarre and boring too.
Counting Stars - OneRepbulic: Well, they always write nice songs. This was the most common cover I heard in bars this year. Its cool but strikes me as mom rock more than anything else. Does have some of the super indie hipster elements with the rawness, which is nice.
Happy - Pharrell Williams: I mean, its a good song and all. Definitely an earwig, definitely technically proficient. Its a little big band, a little choir, a little jazzy. If anyone thought Pharrell wasn't talented, this is great evidence to the contrary. I still think a lot of the fame of this one came from the movie association. It also shows that you need to appeal to the highly mass market to be successful, there isn't really anyone that can be offended by this one.
Rather Be (feat Jess Gylnne) - Clean Bandit: I think this song represents this year in music more than anything else. The extremely pop-catchy single with EDM influences. Over produced, in no way offensive, slightly mysterious female vocals. Having said all that, I really like this song, and as I commiserated with one of my DJ friends, I'm sorry that there won't be more from them.
Summer - Calvin Harris: I like this one a lot. Sorry. Even if it is the number one basic white girl jam, its catchy, hits the big synths, and Calvin Harris breaks his own rule and does vocals on his own track. What's not to like?
Dark Horse - Katy Perry Juicy J: As a pretty solid Katy Perry fan, this is one of my favorites from her. It still has the bubblegum pop that she is famous for, a tiny bit of the female empowerment that she goes for, but it also is one of the darkest sounding songs she has put out. The rap from Juicy J is just incongruous enough to be legit. This sound also mashes well with N*ggas in Paris, which one local DJ figured out and used repeatedly earlier this year, much to my repeated delight.
All of Me - John Legend: This is a classy track, and obviously did well this year. My favorite part is the quality covers it inspires.
Timber - Pitbull ft. Kesha: I love Kesha, so I can't objectively evaluate this one. Sorry.
Rude - Magic!: Decent song, definitely one of the first to really get the Sublime / Slightly Stoopid stoner reggae rock right in a long time. The creation of the this band and this song through, are more interesting to me. The idea that someone could really know that they have the chops, but spend so much time searching for the rest of the band and that one hit, but then to actually find it and experience the success, truly inspiring and different that those we typically hear of in this industry. Now the trick is to follow it up with something better. I do think the solo is particularly weak here.
Waves Robin Schultz Edit - Mr. Probz: One of my favorites on this list. Excellently handled. The production values are high, but its soft and easy. Moves just fast enough to be interesting, but it is just quiet enough to be sensitive. This was one of the few songs I paid to download this year.
Problem - Ariana Grande (Iggy Azelea): I get what she (or maybe I should just say they and include her management team) is going for here, but it just doesn't work for me. This isn't a triumphant Beyonce track, its just a Disney pop star crammed into a mass produced song. Including Iggy doesn't make it edgy or interesting, it just makes Iggy seem like a sell out to. The video was bizarre and boring too.
Counting Stars - OneRepbulic: Well, they always write nice songs. This was the most common cover I heard in bars this year. Its cool but strikes me as mom rock more than anything else. Does have some of the super indie hipster elements with the rawness, which is nice.
Overall, I have no idea if these are ordered in any sort of way, although some other lists I have seen put Happy at number 1 globally. I don't think that Waves was a global top 10 though, so maybe its not sorted. Nothing really surprised me here, I think this list pretty much matches what I would think based on radio play and the pop culture scene.
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