Vinnie the Intern #22: Three Songs to Check Out

On November 1st, Earl Sweatshirt released his new track "Chum" and it is easily one of his best to date. I was a fan of his mix-tape EARL. It introduced a young rapper (very young, in fact) still trying to cultivate a persona and a voice. A little spotty, a lot of indulgent stories dealing with violent fantasies, and an uneven quality of beats, EARL went where very few albums dared to go. It seemed that as soon as he arrived, he vanished. An improved Earl resurfaced earlier this year. Over summer he added his mic skills to two great songs: Frank Ocean's "Super Rich Kids" and the Flying Lotus/Captain Murphy track "Between Friends."

This song is proof to why he is often revered as Odd Future's best lyricist. Long gone is the violent imagery which put him on the map. He predicted he would lose some fans for his change in style (and unabashedly admitted that he would be happy to lose them if all they wanted were songs like "epaR"). "Chum" explores Earl's life with the absence of a father and how he pursued guidance, even it was the wrong kind as he says he goes from "Honor Roll to cracking locks up off the bicycle racks." There is a noticeable improvement production-wise. A fuzzy bass line is set under a piano line with a marching snare.This track is a great sign of things to come. Whenever his album post-Samoa drops, I will have my expectations set on high.

Earl Sweatshirt - Chum - Single

A collaborator of Earl Sweatshirt, Captain Murphy may release his album sooner rather than later. On October 31st, the still anonymous Captain Murphy claimed "November 30th or the day I get 10k followers." That happened Monday morning and we are still waiting for Duality, but we did get a new song called "Immaculation" featuring Azizi Gibson and Jeremiah Jae. The bassline is very reminiscent of the only 50 Cent song of which I am actually fond: "Just A Touch." Captain Murphy fans can be happy that this song contains everything that a typical Captain Murphy song contains: hyperactive pitch-shifting and some references to the end of the world.

Recently he stated Duality may be released "before the 15th but as his YouTube moniker, CaptainMurphyVillain, suggests, who really knows what we should believe what this self-proclaimed villain says. A statement that can be taken as fact was his announcement on who handled production for the album. These big names include Flying Lotus, TNGHT, Madlib, and Clams Casino, Duality should prove to be a musically dense listen. Keep an eye out for it. It may be here before we know it.

Animal Collective's newest single from Centipede Hz is the standout track, "Applesauce." The Applesauce 10" is included with the track that I may even prefer a little more. It seems to be an inverse of the A-side in the way that "Crimson" makes a foray into darker territory. Where "Applesause" is a lighter, spacier song, "Crimson" is a cluttered, claustrophobic track. An exhilarating climax comes from 2:42 to about 3:10 and the payoff brings to mind the track "Graze" from the Fall Be Kind EP but geared towards an Animal Collective that has been graced by the presence of Deakin.

All three of these songs are worth checking out. Earl Sweatshirt has grown into a highly skilled rapper, Animal Collective has finally given their great song "Crimson" the studio treatment, and Captain Murphy's Duality has been picking up a considerable amount of anticipation. Make sure to keep an eye out for  Duality within the next week or two. Any fans of Odd Future to MF DOOM should be able to appreciate the charisma of Captain Murphy. Who knows? Maybe we'll even find out his identity.