August | 2014 | The Best Song You'll Hear All Day

Monthly Archives: August 2014

Hip-Hop

“Gross”

Jonwayne
Cassette on Vinyl, 2014

“I worry.” So confesses the soulful vocal sample at the heart of “Gross,” a 2012 cassette mixtape standout from L.A.-based rapper/producer Jonwayne. It could also double as his thesis statement. While his work thus far has leaned heavily on El-P-seasoned anxiety and apocalysm, there’s enough personality in ‘wayne’s music to suggest it’ll one day be its own touchstone. Until then, the buoyant simplicity of a track like “Gross” is more than sufficient. It’s just been remastered and re-released as the leading track on Stones Throw’s Cassette on Vinyl compilation. Rawness intact.

[audio https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/14312140/01%20Gross.mp3 ]

Tagged El-P, Friday, Jonwayne, Stones Throw

Dub, Reggae

“Bongo Man Dub”

King Tubby
The Late Great King Tubby, 2011

I once read an interview with House of Pain’s Everlast (of all people) where he used the phrase “music as pure energy” to describe a Pink Floyd record. Though in 2014 I can’t remember a single line from “What It’s Like,” that expression pops into my head every time I hear a King Tubby dub. Arguably the forefather of modern remix culture, Tubby’s real-time reggae inversions also singlehandedly stirred a genre into existence. Dub normally dwells in the low end, but I picked “Bongo Man Dub” because it does the exact opposite – the bassline is watery, submerged, nearly hidden beneath a lyrical sax melody that comes on like captured sunlight. It wasn’t often that Tubby favored brass over bass like this, but when he did he made it count.

[audio https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/14312140/Bongo%20Man%20Dub.m4a]

Tagged Everlast, House of Pain, King Tubby, Pink Floyd, Thursday

Indie

“Teenage Spaceship”

Smog
Knock Knock, 2005

The Best Song You’ll Hear All Week? Smog’s “Teenage Spaceship” has my vote, but then again I’m not you. Bill Callahan sets aside the detachment for a few short minutes to deliver this simple, nostalgic tribute to adolescence, remembering neighborhood nights spent as, well … as a teenage spaceship. “Landing at night/I was beautiful with all my lights.” If you’re an adult now and you’re reading this, perhaps you once felt invincible too. The kicker comes near the end, with “And I swore I’d never…,” because of course that means he had to. Every adult knows loss. If you can remember the beauty in youthful optimism — if you’re able to celebrate it like Callahan does here, even if you no longer feel the same way in a world that has bent over backwards to change your mind — I count that as no small gift.

[audio https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/14312140/05%20Teenage%20Spaceship.mp3]

Tagged Bill Callahan, Smog, Wednesday

Punk, Rock

“Braintrust”

Hot Snakes
Audit in Progress, 2004

When Hot Snakes shed a drummer to make way for Off! clubber Mario Rubalcaba on 2004’s career-capping Audit in Progress, they sacrificed garage grit for a polished precision that cannot be discounted. The album that emerged was leaner and more ruthless than anything Drive Like Jehu alums John Reis and Rick Froberg had attempted before. “Braintrust” is liquid energy, relentless and vital, one of the best rock openers I can name. “Your disposition will only make you fail,” Froberg taunts. Not for one second do you question his authority.

[audio https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/14312140/01%20Braintrust.mp3 ]

Tagged Drive Like Jehu, Hot Snakes, John Reis, Mario Rubalcaba, Rick Froberg, Rocket From the Crypt, Tuesday

Dance, Electronic

“Can’t Do Without You”

Caribou
Our Love, 2014

Summer’s almost over, sad to say, and if you were worried yours might come to an end without an encapsulating single, help yourself to mine. Based on the advance hype, Caribou’s forthcoming Our Love appears, finally, to be the club-ready record Dan Snaith has been building toward his entire career. He’s certainly pushed the button before (most notably on 2010’s Swim and with solo project Daphni), but never this hard. “Can’t Do Without You” is four minutes of perfectly modulated, professional-grade sugar rush, and it sticks from the first listen. Don’t take my word for it though – press play and make it your own. You’ve still got a whole week left.

[audio https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/14312140/01%20Can’t%20Do%20Without%20You.mp3 ]

Tagged Caribou, Dan Snaith, Monday

Funk, Jazz

“Where Pathways Meet”

Sun Ra
Lanquidity, 1978

Something different then, for a Friday. There’s just no easy way into the Sun Ra catalog, no matter how you slice it; the legendary keyboardist recorded over 100 albums between 1956 and 1993. More than any other jazz performer or composer – even Miles Davis – his body of work engages the entire history of the genre, including works for big-band orchestra, solo piano, bebop and a much-lauded free jazz period. It’s intimidating but you’ve got to start somewhere, and Lanquidity is as good a place as any. Though rooted in the avant-garde spirit of his earlier work, it also brushes up against the popular funk and R&B of its era. “Where Pathways Meet” is the album’s most up-tempo cut, with a steady rhythmic bed like a spoonful of sugar for first-time listeners.

[audio https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/14312140/02%20Where%20Pathways%20Meet.mp3 ]

Tagged Friday, Sun Ra

Indie, Rock, Soul

“Crime Scene Part One”

The Afghan Whigs
Black Love, 1996

If your favorite singers are the ones who can actually sing, you may as well just check out now and come back another day. With his knack for overshooting the key and staying there, Greg Dulli will not be found to your satisfaction. If, however, you’ve come to the realization that genuine soul favors feeling over execution, sit your ass back down – The Afghan Whigs are your new favorite band. This late-era album opener doubles as a perfect introduction for the uninitiated, capturing the sweat and grit of the Whigs’ funk-soul worship without disavowing the driving rock band they always really were. And when Dulli launches into his trademark yowl at the halfway mark, the enlightened listener will know his liberation.

[audio https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/14312140/01%20Crime%20Scene%20Part%20One.mp3 ]

Tagged Greg Dulli, The Afghan Whigs, The Twilight Singers, Thursday

Pop, Soul

“I Must Be in a Good Place Now”

Bobby Charles
Bobby Charles, 1972

“I saw a butterfly and I named it after you/Your name has such a pleasant sound.” That’s the sweetest line from a very, very sweet song by Bobby Charles (birth name Robert Charles Guidry), the Cajun swamp-pop pioneer mostly known for writing songs other singers made famous. “See You Later, Alligator,” “Walking to New Orleans,” and “(I Don’t Know Why) But I Do” are all his. In the early seventies, Charles spent some time with The Band (yes, that one) and ended up with a low-key record packed with charmers like this one. Dripping with quiet soul, “I Must Be in a Good Place Now” conjures up memories of Southern days gone by that feel clear and true even if they were never yours to begin with. Best heard on vinyl, on a humid day.

[audio https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/14312140/03%20I%20Must%20Be%20In%20a%20Good%20Place%20Now.m4a]

Tagged Bobby Charles, Swamp Pop, Wednesday

Hip-Hop

“Let’s Move”

The Foreign Exchange
Connected, 2004

If you’re looking for the perfect hip-hop addition to your Disneyland Matterhorn Spotify playlist – and really, who isn’t? – you’ve come to the right place. Producer Nicolay speeds up Bing Crosby’s “A Gal in Calico” and powers it right past the 21^st century, leaving plenty of room for Little Brother compatriots Big Pooh and Phonte to ruminate on fame, family and struggle. The Foreign Exchange origin story got a lot of press 10 years ago: Nicolay and Phonte created the album before they’d ever met in person after connecting intercontinentally on the Okayplayer.com message boards. While time hasn’t been as kind to the group’s later, R&B-slanted material, Connected still sounds like the product of a future Fantasyland.

[audio https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/14312140/05%20Let’s%20Move%201.mp3 ]

Tagged Big Pooh, Bing Crosby, Disneyland, Little Brother, Nicolay, Okayplayer, Phonte, Spotify, The Foreign Exchange, Tuesday

Indie, Rock

“Believing is Art”

Spoon
Girls Can Tell, 2001

Spoon has a new album out, maybe you’ve heard? It’s called They Want My Soul, it’s getting rave reviews, and to be honest I can’t get into it at all. Soul is Spoon with the edges sanded down, another reminder that this band relies as much on production as songwriting to get its point across. Girls is/was Spoon at its deconstructed finest, relying on close-mic drumming and lots of open space to maintain a nervy, restless edge even when there isn’t much music to speak of. “Believing is Art” scratches and scrapes for more than three minutes before eventually collapsing into full-on garage rock. There’s blood in every note.

[audio https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/14312140/02%20Believing%20Is%20Art%201.mp3 ]

Tagged Britt Daniel, Girls Can Tell, Monday, Spoon, They Want My Soul

Ambient, Electronic, Fusion, Hip-Hop, Jazz

“Iambic 9 Poetry”

Squarepusher
Ultravisitor, 2004

Who or what exactly is Squarepusher? After 20 years, the question is more open now than ever. The UK’s Tom Jenkinson first stood apart from his ‘90s IDM peers by virtue of musicianship – he didn’t just program acid-house drum breaks, he played them live. That skillset leaves Jenkinson a lot of rope at times, but also allows for moments like “Iambic 9 Poetry,” a track I’d file under “truly sublime.” Keep in mind that everything you’re hearing here – drums, bass, keys and whatever else – is being played by the same guy, essentially jamming with and against himself. The end result is a musical masterclass in building and sustaining mood.

[audio https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/14312140/03%20Iambic%209%20Poetry%201.mp3 ]

Tagged Friday, Fusion, IDM, Squarepusher, Tom Jenkinson

Folk

“One Too Many Mornings”

Bob Dylan
The Times They Are a-Changin’, 1964

There’s so much damn talk surrounding Dylan’s every gesture that it’s easy to lose sight of why anyone cared in the first place. That in the early days, when he wasn’t trying to convince the media he’d run away from the circus or been raised by wolves or whatever, what made him special was his ability to conjur a moment and keep you there. This is one of the most immediate examples. It’s evening, he’s home, and if he isn’t alone yet he’d rather be. There’s been an argument, both sides are exhausted, and the outcome is inevitable. Who hasn’t known this frustration before, this restlessness? Who hasn’t been in a relationship like this, romantic or otherwise? And who, for that matter, has written a better song?

[audio https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/14312140/04%20One%20Too%20Many%20Mornings.mp3 ]

Tagged Bob Dylan, Thursday

Hip-Hop

“AUDITORIUM”

Mos Def w/ Slick Rick
The Ecstatic, 2009

My favorite track off 2009’s criminally overlooked The Ecstatic; a return to form for The Mighty Mos Def (now Yasiin Bey) after years in the wilderness. Fans weren’t expecting much from the rapper/actor after the disappointing decade following ‘99’s classic Black on Both Sides, but the album – and this track in particular – proved worth the wait. “Auditorium” follows the Stones Throw template of its surrounding songs, engaging a classic Madlib loop off the Beat Konducta in India compilation with a sample that only gets better the more you hear it. I’m not exactly sure what Slick Rick is talking about here – something about ending conflict in the Middle East with a hot verse? – but he’s a good fit for the track. In 10 years we’ll remember this as a classic.

[audio https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/14312140/03%20Auditorium%20(feat.%20The%20Ruler).mp3 ]

Tagged Madlib, Mos Def, Slick Rick, Stones Throw, Wednesday, Yasiin Bey

Indie, Prog Rock, Rock, Southern Rock

“MAKE OUT OR BREAK UP”

Surface To Air Missive
Surface To Air Missive, 2014

Talk about a curveball. The unholy/humid Florida garage union of Big Star and Thin Lizzy, Surface to Air Missive set down this year on Leaving Records with a dent in the fretboard and a hole in the heart. Make that his heart? The sole province of Tallahassee-based Taylor Ross, STAM’s debut was recorded alone on manifestly shitty gear but sounds like the work of fully-functioning, Allman-swilling, prog-swamp van rockers who showed up just in time for the gig. In 1973. “Make Out or Break Up” might be the project’s easiest entry point, jettisoning Ross’ mumbled Chilton-esque vocals in favor of guitar heroics Phil Lynott himself would envy. And if I make any more retro/Southern allusions, I’m gonna fire myself. Listen to the album in full for a richer experience.

[audio https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/14312140/07%20Make%20Out%20Or%20Break%20Up%201.mp3 ]

Tagged Big Star, Surface to Air Missive, Taylor Ross, The Allman Brothers, Thin Lizzy, Tuesday

Ambient, Jazz, Rock

“SWING IT LOW”

Morphine
Like Swimming, 1997

Occupying a space opposite most of Morphine’s musical output, “Swing It Low” feels like the dream at the end of the party. Over an insistent, flanged-out shaker loop, delicate guitar, ambient hum and tablas – and sans the group’s signature “low-rock” bass/sax combo – vocalist Mark Sandman looks forward to brighter times. “I got buttons burstin’ in the air/Ideas, runnin’ fingers through my hair/My shoes, they’re ready to move.” It’s a rare optimistic missive from a musician not generally remembered for them.

[audio https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/14312140/12%20Swing%20It%20Low.mp3 ]

Tagged Jack Kerouac, Mark Sandman, Monday, Morphine, Saxophone

Metal, Rock

“HEXAGRAM”

Deftones
Deftones, 2003

Depending on your plans for the weekend and your taste in bro-metal bands who never quite lived up to their potential, this is either the perfect song for a Friday night or your ultimate nightmare. Maybe a little of both. After 2000’s acclaimed White Pony, Deftones dialed back the ambition with a drowsy, eponymous record that never knew where to go after the first song. But man, what an opener. Achingly beautiful yet “metal” enough to qualify as one of their heaviest songs, it might also be their best. You’ll believe in a world where Kevin Shields can shred and Chino Moreno doesn’t know “Violator” by heart. Stay safe out there.

[audio https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/14312140/01%20Hexagram.mp3 ]

Tagged Chino Moreno, Deftones, Depeche Mode, Friday, My Bloody Valentine

Indie, Reggae, Rock

“THEY GOT AWAY”

Built To Spill
Single, 2006

An underline holdover from the heyday of ‘90s indie-rock, Built to Spill was never gonna be anyone’s first choice to pull off an original reggae jam. “They Got Away” succeeds in large part because the elements that make a up good BTS song also happen to accommodate the genre. The signposts are all here: the easily repeatable vocal melody, a simple but undeniable bassline, that floaty/echo/reverb/overdub thing Doug Martsch was into back in 2006. From previous experience, Martsch knows enough to cut the vocal well before time’s up, leaving room for an extended jam that pays tribute to tradition without wrecking his bona fides. If more reggae sounded like this, I’d listen to more reggae.

[audio http://www.sonicitchmusic.com/mp3s/01%20They%20Got%20Away.mp3 ]

Tagged Built to Spill, Doug Martsch, Thursday

Ambient, Dance, Electronic

“XTAL”

Aphex Twin
Selected Ambient Works 85-92, 1992

This one hit like lightning the first time I heard it, and that was from streaming a 30-second sample on CDNow back in summer ’99. Careful readers will note I was already several years late to the party at that point, but “Xtal” is nothing if not timeless. I’m willing to bet on the same magic in 2014. In his prime, Richard D. James laid the foundation for much of what was to become popular in late-90’s electronic music and still is today. If there’s a prettier piece of ambient techno/electronic/IDM/whatever floating around out there in the ether, I’ve yet to hear it.

[audio https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/14312140/01%20Xtal.mp3 ]

Tagged Aphex Twin, IDM, Richard D. James, Wednesday

Electronic, Hip-Hop

“SOUPA”

Blu
NoYork! 2013

While you may not know the name, L.A. underground M.C. Blu has developed one of the strongest voices in hip-hop over the past decade, following his internally-rhyming muse for better and worse through any number of abrupt stylistic turns. Here we have him diving headfirst into a gorgeous Samiyam beat: asphalt-radiant and shimmering, “even when the sunshine dies.” He’s equally at home over classic soul, half-baked home tapes and West Coast beat-scene freakouts. “Soupa” splits the difference to divine something fierce and new.

Tagged Blu, Samiyam, Tuesday, West Coast

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Rock

“DARK DON’T HIDE IT (LIVE)”

Magnolia Electric Co.
Trials & Errors, 2005

If you’re gonna rip off Crazy Horse, this is the way to do it. As the first song on the first record from Jason Molina’s Magnolia Electric Co., “Dark Don’t Hide It” made clear in no uncertain terms that Molina was ready to leave the quiet folk of Songs: Ohia behind. In just under six minutes, he and his compatriots barrel over acres of Americana, leaving a Neil-sized cloud in their wake. Imitation-as-flattery never lingered so good. Commit this one to memory, then spend the rest of your life appreciating the treasury of traditional songwriting Molina left us with.

[audio http://www.scjag.com/mp3/sc/thedarkdonthideit.mp3 ]

Tagged Crazy Horse, Jason Molina, Magnolia Electric Co., Monday, Neil Young, Songs:Ohia

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