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.
In celebration of 20 blogs, I'd like to give a playlist of my top 20 songs of the week. Some are new, some are old favorites, and some old-but-new favorites.
A video to watch: Check out the new, non-NO LOVE DEEP WEB track from Death Grips titled "True Vulture Bare." The video is a collaboration with Director/Animator Galen Pehrson and just as most of Death Grips' material, it is as unsettling as it is beautiful.
Hymie's Basement (2003/Lex Records)
A song to listen to: Keeping in line with being at times unsettling is Hymie's Basement's "Ghost Dream," which is featured in this playlist. I recently came across Hymie's Basement (a side project of WHY?'s Yoni Wolf and Fog's Andrew Broder). Released in 2003, a majority of the album is a take on the American Dream and way of life. "Ghost Dream" tells the tale of a man who takes a detour to find a bass guitar at a city dump before he makes his way to a school dance. As he swerves his van to avoid a couple he plunges into water and slowly drowns. One of his final thoughts is that the water was soaking out the starch of his new dress shirt. Ending on the the chorus "Brand new skinny ghost, meet your brand new angel monster Microwave, meet your maker." Any WHY? fan should love it.
Animal Collective's Centipede Hz hit the ears of enthralled fans who have been waiting to hear the true follow-up album to Merriweather Post Pavilion last night. Things have changed in Animal Collective since 2009. Deakin, their guitarist, has made his return and, as indicated by their Honeycomb/Gotham 7" that was released earlier in May, they have gone back to the more spastic style of earlier albums. The album was promoted by a string weekly radio shows, titled Centipede Radio, compiled by each of the band's members. At 9:08 PM, the opening countdown exploded from my speakers.
Animal Collective - Centipede Hz (Available September 4th)
"Moonjock" starts the album off with a heavily distorted buzz and cymbal crash. The watery, washed-out sounds that were present on Merriweather Post Pavilion have been traded for the bare-bones, rawness that was the Feels/Strawberry Jam era. Atmospherically spacey and seemingly influenced by radio sounds; these embedded throughout Centipede Hz's sonic pallet. One of the first notable changes was having the usual percussion manned by Panda Bear and the accents of Deakin's guitar-work. The first single, "Today's Supernatural" released three weeks before the stream, sticks to this formula. Catchy and adventurous; it was a great choice for a perfect single.
Abby Portner, sister of Avey Tare, who also created the album art, created the video for the stream containing psychedelic animation and a boat load of effects that correlate to the album's lyrics. The video enhances and compliments the chaos very well. Check out the newest video for "Today's Supernatural" up above.
First reveal of album artwork for Centipede Hz
"Rosie Oh" features a bouncy guitar track with a multitude of blippy sounds found in just about every nook and cranny of this album.
Another return to form, "Applesauce," gives Avey the opportunity to spout off his rapid fire lyrics. Avey Tare controlled much of the vocals this time around. Considering the listener's preference, that may or may not work to the album's strength. I do believe the album's sandpapery-sound fit Avey's sporadic delivery more-so that Panda Bear's usually serene vocals.
"Wide Eyed" is unlike any other Animal Collective song to date. Deakin takes an active role vocally. While it's similar structure-wise, his voice brings forth another dynamic. His voice is in no way comparable to Avey Tare's or Panda Bear's. It is a great centerpiece that nicely juxtaposes the rest of the album.
"New Town Burnout" gives an eclectic mix of instruments such as what I believe to be a violin and warbling electronics before flowing into, in my opinion, the album's magnumopus.
"Monkey Riches" is that song: A song that can stop you in your tracks and beg to be replayed X amount of times. That song. Up there with their finest such as "The Purple Bottle," "Fireworks," and "My Girls," this song emulates a warm, sincere burst of raw emotion most accentuated by its hyper arrangement of a busy rhythm, gorgeous low end, and glitchy blips swelling in and out of the mix. My favorite song on the album. Which is saying something! This song will be up there with my top picks of 2012 for sure.
Centipede Hz can be listened to in its entirety, as well as their four radio transmissions here!
Q: So how does it stand with the the band's other eight full lengths?
It is a nice middle ground between Feels and Strawberry Jam, but surely there are some Merriweather Post Pavilion influences left intact.
Q: Can a Merriweather purist love this album?
I believe so. I think while it is a little more abrasive than the immaculate Merriweather (and probably will receive some flack for that fact) it offers just as much.
Q: Can a Spirit, Danse Manatee, Campfire Songs, Here Comes the Indian, or Sung Tongs purist love this album?
That question is a little harder. There is really no comparison to their earliest of albums. The folk aspect has been gone for some while. With these past two albums, the band has buried any possible return to form with their focusing highly on programming and samples.
With these questions I say, no matter what era Animal Collective fan you are, give Centipede Hz a listen!
What to look forward to: Next blog I will give a brief overview of the new JJ DOOM album and prepare a guide to all the works of Daniel Dumile, otherwise known as MF DOOM.
The summer is about to end and this intern must resume his scholarly duties. But don't worry, if you have at all enjoyed these blogs, there will be much more on the way. I am happy to report have been given the go-ahead to continue writing a weekly entry for Saki.
I want to extend a big thank you to everyone who has read these blogs and to Carrot Top who took me in for yet another summer! This was a busy summer of press releases, inventory, and preparing shipments. It is something I surely will miss but I know the good folks at Carrot Top and Saki have not seen the last of me. With four months left in the year, there is still so much talk about. I will be writing about the newest albums and judging by this fall's large amount of highly anticipated releases, I should not be short on music to talk about.
Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti - Mature Themes
Bonus blog within a blog: The new Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti album, Mature Themes, is now streaming on NPR. The album opens with the zany "Kinski Assassin." This Doors-"Light My Fire"-esque track contains the usual Ariel charm: lyrics first seeming out-there and laughable which become infectious upon multiple listens. Try to not repeat the hook "Who sunk my battleship? I sunk my battle ship!" to yourself during your listening pleasure. "Only In My Dreams" is a love song in the way that only Ariel Pink can do love songs and is an immediate standout. Most comparable to their 2010 breakout, Before Today, more-so any other in their catalogue proves to be a good thing. The basslines are just as solid and even possibly improved is Ariel Pink's voice. Anyone looking for the weirdness that is present on their earliest releases can rest easy knowing that it is still very present. "Schnitzel Boogie" is among the more odd tracks including lyrics about eating schnitzel set to a catchy bassline and a gang of lively backing vocalists. "Pink Slime" features some glowing synths and hyper-active vocals which is followed by the dreamier, Beach Boy styled croon of "Farewell American Primitive." The flow of the album is vital to the album's success. Acting as a true closer, the seven-minute murky, hypnotic "Nostradamus & Me" has Ariel announcing "goodbye" through a progressive drone (a contradiction, I know.). "Baby," the actual closer is another stand out. While it is undeniably Ariel, I felt it was best that it put the Donny and Joe Emerson cover at the end of the record as to not disrupt the album's flow as a whole. The album is out August 20th. Make sure you check this one out! Highly recommend!
JJ DOOM - Key To the Cuffs
Animal Collective - Centipede HZ (Set to premier next week!)
Death Grips - NO LOVE DEEP WEB
WHY? - Mumps, Ect.
I will also be preparing a top 50 songs of 2012 in early December. For now I will leave you with "Twenty Seven;" the bizarre, tempo shifting gem from the new WHY? EP, Sod In The Seed, which can be downloaded in its entirety off of their label, Anticon's Soundcloud. Enjoy!
Last week it pretty much hotter than it has ever been here in Chicago and while this week is still going to be warm, it will be a nice breather from the 100+ degree weather we have been subjected to. Here is a short and sweet 12 track mix to help you stay cool on those sweltering summer days.
Additional Details:
Wavves - "King of the Beach" - King of the Beach (2010)
So Many Dynamos - "Heat/Humidity" - When I Explode (2004)
SBTRKT - "Heatwave" - SBTRKT (2011)
Minus the Bear - "Ice Monster" - Planet of Ice (2007)
Atlas Sound - "Cold As Ice" - Let The Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel (2008)
Mount Eerie - "Cold Mountain" - Eleven Old Songs Of Mount Eerie (2005)
Animal Collective - "Bluish" - Merriweather Post Pavilion (2009)
Helios - "A Mountain of Ice" - Caesura (2008)
The Microphones - "Ice" - It Was Hot, We Stayed In The Water (2000)
Women - "Heat Distraction" - Public Strain (2010)
Panda Bear - "Fire!" - Panda Bear (1998)
The Avalanches - "Summer Crane" - Since I Left You (2001)
Grouper has just been announced as support for Animal Collective on a leg of their US spring tour. This would be well worth the drive to Milwaukee... Grouper/Animal Collective Spring Tour 2009
05-11 Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
05-12 Philadelphia, PA - Electric Factory
05-13 New York, NY - Terminal 5
05-14 Boston, MA - House of Blues
05-15 Montreal, Quebec - Metropolis
05-16 Toronto, Ontario - Sound Academy
05-18 Royal Oak, MI - Royal Oak Music Hall
05-19 Milwaukee, WI - Turner Hall Ballroom
05-20 Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue
05-24 Vancouver, British Columbia - Commodore Ballroom
