My Summer Playlist ... thus far
It's been a minute since I've posted anything to the ol' bloggo so I felt compelled to add SOMEthing. And since our summer concert season seems to be at a grinding halt for the moment, I thought I'd hit our readers with what I've had stuck in my headphones lately (for what it's worth). They're all fairly new releases or newly re-issued. So without further adieu, let get into it ...
Major Lazer - Guns Don't Kill People ... Lazers Do
I've been salivating over this one since I heard about it earlier this year. Diplo + Switch do some reggae/dancehall/dub for the club = what more do I need to say? You already know this one's got the right vibes for the season. And they don't just take a traditional, safe approach to the genres. A lot of these tracks have their style written all over it. Production is as crispy as it gets. They've got guest spots from Santigold, Ms. Thing, Nina Sky, Ricky Blaze, Future Trouble, Amanda Blank, VYBZ Kartel, Turbulence, and way more. PLUS they made a track that loops that auto-tuned youtube baby (that I still find amusing). The only track I really don't care for is that "Mary Jane" song. Mr. Evil doing the Dr. Evil laugh, pretty annoying. But that's what the uncheck box in iTunes is for. Overall, I give it a 9 out of 10. Hit up RCRDLBL for some tracks from the album and a buku of remixes.
Hands down, my favorite hip hop album released this year. Someone may come along and knock Mos out the spot later this year but they've got their work cut out. The Ectatic's easily Dante's most solid since Black on Both Sides. It's slim with guest appearances (Slick Rick, Georgia Anne Muldrow, and of course Kweli) which gives you the chance to really appreciate Mos' rhyme skills. The tracks are all as knockin' as you would expect with Madlib, Dilla, Oh No, The Neptunes, Preservation, and Flaco Bey himself manning the boards. The track I can't stop playing is "Revelations" but "Quiet Dog" is still incredible to me. Instant favorite. Download that track and another from Ecstatic at RCRDLBL and be SURE to peep the mighty Mos' perfomances on Letterman and Fallon (with The Roots). If those don't sell you on the album, nothing will.
Call it a 3-peat. Wale's back with another mixtape well worth the download. As you can guess from the title, Back to The Feature is ridiculously littered with guest spots which makes this one totally different from his previous 100 Miles and Running and Mixtape About Nothing. Once again, Mr. Nick Catchdubs is on the mix. 9th Wonder produced the majority of the tracks but there are some other joints from Best Kept Secret, Cool & Dre and Mark Ronson. Cop that now! (SHOUT OUT TO BEAVERTON!)
Nino is so fonkey that I don't even have to hear his new stuff before I'll click "buy" (despite the fugly typography). For those few folks who made out to see Nino at Downtown Lounge last fall know what I'm talking about. (& I hope that sparseness didn't scare him off from future shows in the Euge.)
Boom Shadow is way more experimental than The Fix but just as enjoyable. You can tell he draws a lot of inspiration from some of the bay area's funk legends (which is a good thing in my book).
24-Carat Black - Gone: The Promises of Yesterday
Old soulful summer love (and love lost) jams. I don't know too much about this band but I like the album. Here's a little background from a press release:
Originally released in 1973, 24-Carat Black's opus, Ghetto: Misfortune's Wealth provided a bleak worldview in contrast to many of their label mates, or much of the world for that matter. Telling tales of the grim realities of inner-city existence, the album was released below the radar at the time, but later enjoyed somewhat of a revival as its tracks provided the samples for hits by Jay-Z, Eric B & Rakim, Digable Planets, Nas and many others. Due to a number of factors, subsequent recordings were never released, and sat in the basement of the group's engineer and keyboardist until now. Numero Group has done it yet again, and uncovered a slice of American soul music that has been lost for over a quarter of a century: Gone: The Promises of Yesterday are the last remaining songs by 24-Carat Black. Gone are the message-laden songs that they were known for, but these tales of love, either professed or lost, retain the uncannily catchy bass lines and haunting melodies that made the group famous in the first place.
Not their best in my book but it's grown on me. It's cruisable. You can bbq to it. I'm good with it. I mean, how could you not like a Wilco album called Wilco The Album with a song called "Wilco The Song"? Well played fellas. (But Summer Teeth will ALWAYS be THE album, duuuude!)
I almost gave up on this one due to all the Green Lantern/Don Cannon tags every 3 seconds. But someone hipped me to the NO-DJ version!! Still really getting into this so I don't have to much to say other than: B.O.B. + BUN B + OJ DA JUICEMAN RAPPING OVER O' BROTHER WHERE ART THOU SAMPLES. That got you ... didn't it? Go 'head and grab the No-DJ version of the mixtape.
Lastly, here are the only two albums that really come to mind when I think of "upcoming releases" that I wish I had now but will be released later on this year. Coincidentally, they have the same title (sans the ands).
The Avett Brothers - I and Love and You
September 29th
Amanda Blank - I Love You
July 14th
EDIT: oops, how could I forget this one? Out next Tues.
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