DONALD'S HAIR

Wed, 22 May 2013 21:48:11 -0400

I've been working on a few projects lately.

Mon, 20 May 2013 01:02:36 -0400

The Bumbershoot Project is now up to the first 20 artists from this year’s lineup. Check back daily to learn about a new artist and hear some tunes.
I just wrote about how almost dying was okay since I was listening to Kanye West for The Music Writers Collective.
Also, there’s a new Rations if you’re looking for new music.

Rations

Sun, 19 May 2013 20:37:00 -0400

Another week, another ten releases from this year that you might want to hear. See what else I’ve been listening to while I eat entire one-pound bags of pretzels here.

Carroll - Needs EP

Carroll are an indie-pop outfit from Minneapolis and, as far as I know, Needs is their first release. They carry themselves with the swagger of a seasoned band and include elements of shoegaze and electronic ambiance, with crisp vocals that sound like if Julian Casablancas was actually coherent.

Francoise Hardy - s/t

I don’t really know a lot about French pop but Francoise Hardy seems to be, like, the Jay-Z of the genre. She’s got dozens of albums so I’m not sure if this is a reissue, but the album is a nice break from the “now” by way of visiting tracks that are altogether foreign. Everything about this album is soft, inviting, and dreamlike.

Ghostface Killah - Twelve Reasons to Die: The Brown Tape

Ghostface, the self-elected leader of the mighty Wu-Tang Clan, once again delves into the grimy underbelly of Mafia cannibalism on Twelve Reasons to Die. The Brown Tape is a variation of the album, offering new, more hip-hop friendly beats that replace the cinematic rendering of Adrian Younge. Bump this on your way to the lake this summer and you’ll emerge from your car with forty gold chains and a fedora.

Junip - s/t

I’ll be upfront about just how sleepy this album makes me but it also has a charming way of growing into your everyday life. Junip is great for the springtime, especially when it’s rainy and the only answer is a bucket of pho and a warm blanket. I especially love the hypnotic feeling on “Suddenly” because it reminds me of Jenny Lewis in 2006, which is pretty close to feeling love, I guess.

Kurt Vile - Walkin On A Pretty Daze

Kurt Vile’s created this funny reputation for himself as this wonderful street poet masked by lackadaisical psych-riffs and a general lethargy that, sadly, kept him away from my radar for a long time. His latest album is how imagine longboarding feels, which I guess is awesome. Also, I didn’t realize it until a few weeks ago, but Kurt Vile used to front The War on Drugs. I’m an idiot.

Milk Music - Cruise Your Illusion

A lot of words have been written about Milk Music’s ability to dip into the 90’s garage rock, college rock sound. Truly, they sound of that era, but Cruise Your Illusion has a sort of young energy that’s more universal than that. The album is gravelly and has sort of forlorn lyrics but the result is music that seems wise and content.

Shlohmo - Laid Out EP

The EP opens with a How To Dress Well feature, which is a pretty sure way to get my attention. Tom Krell’s lace-thin falsetto accompanies Sholohmo’s hazy production style really well. Laid Out has an ultimately dark atmosphere and, with some R&B vocal samples that seep into the mix, reminds me of the aesthetic of his Vaction EP from last year.

Sin Fang - Flowers

Sin Fang perpetuates the area-sized electronic-pop that M83 made so goddamn popular a few years back. The main difference is that Sin Fang seems more concerned with actual songwriting and intelligible vocals, scattered across pleasant compositions. There’s a ton of stuff going on in Flowers but, most importantly, it’s energetic and upbeat, making it great for too-hot nights even with the windows open.

Special Explosion - Past/Future

Both tracks on this 7” sound big. Special Explosion standout because they commit to math-rock precision but have these comforting, low-hum vocals that are way prettier than I remember.

The Hectors - Her Dark Majesty

Surf-rock is a pretty crowded genre these days but The Hectors masterfully navigate between scraped knees garage rock and sweet pop melodies. The Hectors seem like, even though they adhere to a popular genre, they have a deep-seated interest in pop punk, which is especially apparent from the vocals on tracks like “Sleeper” and “Back to Normal”, which makes you feel kind of wistful.

hamhammers: QH

Sun, 19 May 2013 02:19:04 -0400

hamhammers:

QH

Good riddance.

Thu, 16 May 2013 21:54:27 -0400

Good riddance.

Thu, 16 May 2013 21:29:48 -0400

"Never settle for bad managers, perceived company reputations, what your parents think is best, what..."

Thu, 16 May 2013 14:49:25 -0400

“Never settle for bad managers, perceived company reputations, what your parents think is best, what you think you’re supposed to do. Keep those two ideals in your back pocket and don’t give up.”

- Maddie wrote about post-grad life for Yow Yow! and if you’re about to graduate you could learn a few things from miss hunny.

Status Update

Tue, 14 May 2013 23:07:02 -0400

I’ve been working on The Bumbershoot Project now for a little over a week and I’m already impressed with the span of talent that will perform at this year’s festival. If you have five minutes, and you’re planning on going to Bumbershoot this year, mosey on over.

At least read about an artist that goes by “The Screaming Eagle of Soul” because that’s incredible in it’s own way.

Video

Mon, 13 May 2013 23:25:01 -0400

diorpaint: Lil B Littlest B

Sun, 12 May 2013 15:20:35 -0400

diorpaint:

Lil B

Littlest B

Rations

Sun, 12 May 2013 12:07:02 -0400

Here are ten more 2013 releases I recommend you check out. You can find more Rations here.

Cassie - Rock-a-Bye Baby

As a casual fan of radio R&B, I was beyond excited for new Cassie material. Rock-a-Bye Baby is surprisingly engaging, which may be largely due to having a different guest rapper on practically every track. Weirdly, she reminds me of Rick Ross; they may not necessarily be the greatest at their craft but they have an undeniable presence.

Choo Choo Panini - Moon Ray

When I found Choo Choo Panini while I browsing new releases, I had to hear them. With a name like that, I thought, they should be pretty absurd. They turned out the be exactly the opposite. Moon Ray is the soundtrack for a delightful Sunday afternoon; timeless, relaxing jazz that just makes you feel nice.

Kahn - Kahn EP

I don’t know much about Kahn besides the fact that his music reminds me of the zombie pirates that tried to kill Jack Sparrow. Kahn’s EP has tremendous depth and touches on religious themes that are framed by a dark combination of EDM, reggae, and grime. If you listen to “Badman City” three times in a row you’ll actually grow a dreadlock.

Lapland - Lapland

The genres that Lapland touch on - indie pop, folk, etc. - are everywhere all the time. The difference is that Lapland is precise and thoughtful. Instead of trying to sell you a Prius, he’s unloading pieces of himself and I greatly respect his album. It’s beautiful and makes me want to drink gin and tonics by a lake.

San Cisco - Awkward EP

In a way that reminds me a lot of The Kooks, San Cisco takes you to a cool beach full of young people where everyone’s dancing forever. It’s like the opposite of the apocalypse rave from The Matrix. Anyway, I remember trudging in to work one day, hearing this, and realizing it was getting lighter out earlier so naturally I fell in love with it.

Sinitus Tempo - Caged Bird

Similar to Vanilla, Sinitus Tempo builds beats that combine elements of funk, jazz, and R&B, which makes for an unusually rich listen. Try out “Humming Bird,” I mean what even is that? Electro-swing? The best way I can describe him is if a highly talented DJ was given access to a goldmine of pre-Motown era jazz and let loose in a studio for a while.

Specters - Poor Cletus EP

Specters are another Bellingham band that I’ve seen grow into a more defined sound of their own. Poor Cletus, their latest EP, is largely influenced by 90’s garage rock but still maintains the sleepy-eyed, youthful energy that makes Bellingham such an incredible place for new bands. Plus, you can grab a physical copy of the EP for six bucks!

Tegan and Sara - Heartthrob

I know that Tegan and Sara are a pop act that their core but they don’t even try to hide it on Heartthrob. After so many years of artists getting reprimanded from jumping headfirst into the mainstream, Tegan and Sara have entered popularity with grace. The album reminds me of something that would follow Taylor Swift on a pop radio station, but in the best (absolute best) way.

The ACB’s - Little Leaves

This is a great pop rock album from a band that’s completely new to me. Little Leaves is consistently welcoming and reminds me of if Saves the Day and Real Estate had a kewl bby band. It’s easy to understand the sound they’re going for but they succeed at a much higher rate than their peers.

Whitebrow - s/t

I think folk is best when there’s sadness involved. Whitebrow is not forthcoming in that regard but the atmosphere that builds on this album is jarring, and the sweetness of Whitebrow’s vocals only disarmed me further. Whitebrow is quietly devastating way before the devil even shows up.

<a href=”http://vervex.bandcamp.com/track/growing-pains”...

Sun, 12 May 2013 01:33:26 -0400

<a href=”http://vervex.bandcamp.com/track/growing-pains” data-mce-href=”http://vervex.bandcamp.com/track/growing-pains”>Growing Pains by Vervex</a>

first ice cream cone of the season like bladow where my salted...

Fri, 10 May 2013 22:58:13 -0400

first ice cream cone of the season like bladow where my salted licorice at

Older video game art is so chill. It’s probably the last...

Thu, 09 May 2013 23:52:10 -0400

Older video game art is so chill.

It’s probably the last time video games challenged their audience to bridge the gap between their illustrations and limited technology with pure imagination.

Link looks more like a gnome or a child, not an anime character with badass Rob Thomas earrings. The second panel is exciting. How many times do you think you’ll die before you get to the mountain? Ten? None? Only one way to find out.

Nothing in the images directly allude to angular 8-bit dungeons or the blip-blooping enemies you’ll face. You get to wonder about the sword underlining the title and what that I-shaped structure is for.

Link isn’t slut-shamed into wearing white tights, either.

(RE: The Bumbershoot Project) Co-signed, y’all.

Thu, 09 May 2013 00:28:51 -0400

(RE: The Bumbershoot Project)

Co-signed, y’all.

I love seeing two of the most important, knowledgeable figures...

Wed, 08 May 2013 23:30:59 -0400

I love seeing two of the most important, knowledgeable figures in modern music geek over vinyl singles because they mean it. This is important, you guys.

I joined an intramural softball team a few weeks ago, partially...

Wed, 08 May 2013 21:00:51 -0400

I joined an intramural softball team a few weeks ago, partially because I needed a break from the routine of work and sleep rinse repeat, but mostly because a friend reached out and I had no reason not to do it.

“That’s such a post-grad thing to do,” a friend said recently after learning I’d become part of the team.

“Really?”

“Oh, yeah,” she said, “Intramural sports. Such a thing to do after school’s over. So post-grad,” she added, making it sound like a mid-life crisis.

But for me, playing softball (or any sport, really) is a step in the opposite direction. The game makes me feel young, like I’m ten years old, like someone should bring orange slices, like playing catch with some sports hero is a frequent daydream of mine.

To paint the scene further, I’m not really “sports guy,” that’s not me. I can’t help feeling like Smalls whenever a grounder whizzes past my legs. But the whole team is new and awkward and we’re learning. Ragtag.

We played our first game last night and lost 23 - 3. Golden Tate, one of my favorite Seahawks, was on the opposing team.

It’s all happening, I thought.

When the sun comes out I want to sprawl belly-down on the concrete by the sea and move like...

Sun, 05 May 2013 18:49:48 -0400

When the sun comes out I want to sprawl belly-down on the concrete by the sea and move like driftwood.

Reading Chair

Sat, 04 May 2013 12:50:06 -0400

Some notably great articles from the past week:

Fri, 03 May 2013 21:41:35 -0400