Saturday, April 8, 2017

Music Worth Checking Out: 1st Quarter 2017

Thanks for stopping by again, everybody. I'm highly inclined to get right to the recommendations. There are some very strong contenders for this year's top 5 in the mix. I'm also excited to check out some of the stuff I have in the on-deck folder, like the new Joey Badass and a band I've never heard but has been around a few years called Two Inch Astronaut (check this baby out). Feel free to get ahead of me on those and let me know how it goes.

Before we embark, standard disclaimer time. This blog is really not meant for public consumption, although I appreciate every random reader from across the globe. The intended audience for this, which informs the way I write and compare the music, is composed of the friends I’ve accumulated in my life with whom I’ve shared mutual enjoyment of music in the past. My purpose here is to attempt to foster or rekindle that facet of those relationships. Still, thanks for reading, whoever and wherever you are. Also, it doesn't matter whether it came out in 1997 or 2016. If I found out about it recently and I like it, I'll include it here. Also, don't mind the paste-associated font/size changes. This editor blows, and it's not even worth the effort to fix. Again, thanks for reading.

Vasudeva - No Clearance




Oh how glorious the return of this instrumental trio is. When a record is truly everything I hoped for, it really keep my blood pumping. They still employ dance-ish beats but with really interesting/dynamic drumming a la early Minus The Bear (way better, actually), and the guitar parts are more varied than before (less reliant on finger-tapping). It's quite an engaging and transcendent listen. It's medicine for a brutal week at work and long nights alone. And I can't stress enough how their live sets are truly elating experiences. Absolutely do not miss them if you like this even a little bit. I'd have to say "Chase" and "6&5" are my go-to jams so far.

Listen

Goddamnit - I'll Never Be Okay, I'll Never Be The Same




Who else wants some gruff-voiced post-hardcore/mope-punk? Well, here ye be. This is the second full-length from these Philly codgers (they may be close to my age, which is awesome), and the first one is almost as strong. They remind me a lot of old Deep Elm HWM-influenced band Lock and Key as well as Carpenter. Check "Letterbox" (first video), "Steady Diet of Sugar" (second video), and "Can't Stand the View" (the most Carpenter-esque track). Oh, and stay away from the last track (seriously, what happened?) as well as the girl droning on in the intros/outros to tracks.

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The Fullblast - Attack.Sustain.Decay


Let's kick the speed up about 10 notches as we travel up to Ontario to catch the return of this skate-punk unit from the ashes of 2006. I didn't get into them during their original incarnation but recently checked out both albums. finding Short Controlled Bursts to be quite good. This blows that out of the water though. If I were you, I'd just start out at the beginning and let this EP ride. It's very even and consistently solid. For fans of This Is A Standoff, Strung Out, and A Wilhelm Scream.

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Tiny Moving Parts - Celebrate


Here's a very well-constructed slab of earnest punk-influenced emo that I slept on last year. I had checked out their previous (debut) LP This Couch... some time ago and liked the music but couldn't get with the overly talk-y vocals. Either my memory sucks or dude has mostly modified that to more of a shout/sing that runs the gamut of suitability from slightly cringey to perfect for the moment. This is another one to start at the top with. Wait, I take that back after watching the video for "Headache". Do that up first. It just instantly pushed them up a peg for me. It's a great, entertaining video, the drums are way more fucking awesome than I realized, and the drummer's look is something else. Do it. Not now but right now.

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General Steele and ES-K - Building Bridges




One half of the veteran Boot Camp Clik duo Smif-N-Wessun, General Steele, comes correct here with the most consistent and enjoyable record he has done since their debut underground classic Dah Shinin' way in 1995. Jazzy boom-bap is at the forefront and the rhymes are mostly on point. The late Sean Price steals the show as usual on "Unforgettable", and "Empire State" featuring where-have-you-been guy Smoothe Da Hustler is a gem too. Overall this might slightly edge out Droog below as my favorite hip-hop release of 2017 so far. It's really that thorough, and I never would've seen it coming. Check out the beautiful upstate NY fall imagery in the videos.

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Your Old Droog - Packs




This Ukrainian immigrant was once mistaken for Nas when he stayed out of the public eye after releasing his quality debut EP. "Who is this guy?", everybody wondered. Since then he has revealed himself but not exactly embraced the limelight. He has continued to excel lyrically with a style all his own (lyrical Easter eggs abound) and when he links up with someone with the mic command of Edan on "Help" (along with a pretty decent take on the "I'm just a harmless shithead" persona/verse from Wiki - see the video), wonderful things happen. Don't watch that video with some crappy little speaker either. The bass in that song is crucial and most triumphant. Pretty much every other song is at least decent, and I look forward to many more spins to find more favorite tracks. Oh, and I can't forget to mention the genius of Anthony Jeselnik (never been a fan before, but huge props for this) who does a few very short skits, including one where he rightfully rags on "The Mall" as the gross sore thumb on Moment of Truth that it is. It's an 11 second must-hear if you're a Gang Starr fan. Seriously. And if you're a fan of talent, get on the Droog train already.

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Code Nine & Purpose - Below Sumerian Skies





Beatsmith Purpose from the Tragic Allies is also capable of rhyming, but the vast majority of the rhymes here come courtesy of relative newcomer (to my knowledge) Code Nine. Purpose provides more of his well-established and grossly underrated Golden Era-styled production, and while I haven't listened a ton, I can say the MCing is at least solid. Code Nine kind of strikes me a cross between Red Pill and Ill Bill. I like that. All but 2 songs made the cut for me. Video joint "When The Saints Out" is a good place to start. It's absolutely criminal that this is only available physically in Europe, and only on CD. Fuck is that shit? 

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OK, that's all I have this time around. Get to work. I'm going to bed, and tonight I'll be loading the iPod up with loads of new stuff. May the Schwartz be with you all.

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