Vinnie the Intern #27: My Top 5 Albums of 2012

Here are my top albums of 2012. You may notice that this list is predominantly hip-hop. To me, this has been a year for hip-hop to remember. This year albums have been created by many artists that are working hard to transcend genres and push the envelope. Death Grips has been notable for their record label shenanigans and the mystery behind Captain Murphy was fun to see full circle. These were not gimmicks. They did not solicit controversy to cover up a lukewarm album. These albums are innovative and memorable. 

I also had a couple stipulations: EPs, box-sets, and reissues do not count.

Of course there are many albums I enjoyed this year that are not on the list. Some of you may be shocked to see that the new Animal Collective or Dirty Projectors didn't make it on my list. While I adored those albums, these five albums are the best that 2012 has to offer. Albums that you can immerse yourself in and continuously find a new aspect you love about it . This is just my opinion, so feel free to comment on what your favorite album of the year is.

5. Joey Bada$$ - 1999

1999 is a success in every way, shape and form. Not only an incredibly realized debut mixtape, Joey Bada$$ happens to only be 17. But that is all besides the point. It is not a great album due to his age or his lack of prior work. It is great for bringing back the sound of 90s gritty, New York hip-hop. His group PRO ERA is featured on a majority of tracks and fortunately they can keep up with his mic skills. "Survival Tactics" and "Killuminati" feature some of the best wordplay of the year, not to mention some absolutely outstanding beats. With the bar is set incredibly high, Joey Bada$$ has a bright future ahead of him.

4. Captain Murphy - Du∆lity

Steven Ellison (also known as Flying Lotus and now as Captain Murphy) has had a busy year. Not only releasing his lush and dreamy Until the Quiet Comes, he has been creating quite a following as the anonymous villain: Captain Murphy. Punctuated by maniacal laughter, pitched vocals, and an amazing video, Duality has everything that you could want from a hip-hop album. While the lyrics delve into dark subject matter, it is not done in a cheesy way due to the skill with Captain Murphy's lines which can border as dark as they are humorous  The beats are where Duality really shines. For the amount of different artists who dipped their pens into the ink, it sounds very cohesive. It may be due to many of the artists being of the Brainfeeder collective.

3. Kendrick Lamar - good kid, m.A.A.d city

Kendrick Lamar's major label debut creates a narrative of his upbringing in Compton. Kendrick, a genuinely good kid, is stretched in every way of his life: his positive and loving upbringing with his parents keep him a hardworking youth who knows that knowledge is the way out of the hood while his friends play the bad influence bringing him to get involved in robbery and gang violence. Probably one of the more diversified albums on this list, there is a little bit of everything here beat-wise. From the spacey "Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe" to the G.O.O.D-esque "Backseat Freestyle," this album has a bulk of variety, the perfect amount of guest performers that don't overpower the album, and a story that inspires hope that "a flower bloomed in a dark room."

2. Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti - Mature Themes

Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti have outdone themselves with their latest, Mature Themes. Where some may think that Before Today was the better of their post-Paw Track releases, I found this album to be an album that defines their craft as songwriters. Tracks like "Only in My Dreams," a shimmery pop gem, showcase refinement and more mature (as the title would imply) arrangements. Even some of the would-be filler (Schnitzel Boogie) is catchy in just how odd it truly is. The flow works really well, too. Especially the back half of the album. Putting the last track, a cover of Joe and Donnie Emerson, was a smart choice as it didn't take away from the consistent nature of the Ariel songs. An album that wears its nostalgia on its sleeve, it's not afraid to indulge in it's strong suits: making songs that were the norm in the late 70s/early 80s with a modern edge.

1. Death Grips - The Money Store

I don't even know where to begin with an album that is as awarding as it is challenging. Death Grips, after releasing last year's outstanding mixtape, Exmilitary, chose to sign to Epic Records, release the Money Store, cancel their tour, release NO LOVE DEEP WEB without their label's permission, and get dropped from their label. This album started the rise to their turbulent, yet productive year. As where Exmilitary was more cluttered (due to much of Zach Hill's percussion) and NLDW was more central to MC Ride as a lyricist (due to it's sparse instrumentals), The Money Store is the healthy medium with some of the most unique instrumentals ever created in hip-hop. This can be much praise to Flatlander. Genre-bending and proud of it, The Money Store commits to being a no holds barred aural assault while still demanding the listeners attention. I have probably listened to this entire album 40+ times and due to the murk and grime and I am still digging through it to hear things I did not find on prior listens. If you have followed any of my blogs or know my musical tastes, this album being number one should in no way surprise you. I wholeheartedly love this album and will attest that you will be hard pressed to find anything like this again any time soon.

Vinnie the Intern #24: Captain Murphy's Du∆lity

Captain Murphy's long-awaited mixtape, Duality, is finally here as of noon last Thursday. An album that brings as many questions as it does answers, it is a unique experience that fans of Madvillain  Earl Sweatshirt, or Flying Lotus should enjoy.

Not only an incredibly charismatic and realized debut (especially since Captain Murphy has only been in the public eye for less than 6 months), the corresponding video, created by Xavier Magot, is so well done it could make a grind-house feature blush. Even though it has dropped, there are still many questions (other than the identity Captain Murphy), such as the names of the tracks (thus making this review harder than it should have been). On Sunday, on his Twitter, a link to a seamless Mp3 was available for download. Reportedly, the 28th of November will be the date we are given the deluxe edition of Duality and feature "more songs and the instrumentals."

Captain Murphy - Du∆lity

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.

Vinnie the Intern #16: Some Tracks Worth Checking Out

This week I will be highlighting several new (or new to me) songs from artists such as Flying Lotus to Titus Andronicus. Enjoy.

XXYYXX's single "About You" contains a hazy, Weeknd-esque beat and a back-masked lyric of "here forever inside." The hypnotic beat grows into a skittering snare and synth saturated blast of energy. It is worth noting that rappers Kami de Chukwu and Brian Fresco used the track for their song "Red Rover."

Flying Lotus - Until the Quiet Comes (10-02/Warp)

The new Flying Lotus album, Until the Quiet Comes, is available to stream now on NPR. It does not disappoint. The immediate standout for me was the gorgeous two suite mix of "me Yesterday//Corded." A bass heavy, jazzy, ascending beat that brings a feeling of euphoria when it hits its climax.

The anonymous Captain Murphy's released his newest track off his upcoming album, Duality, last week."The Killing Joke" features a backing track of something that can be roughly translated to 'bring Lucifer to me, on a tray" and lyrics such as "speculate my identity, good luck, you'll never find me." The track has many references to Batman and the Joker. The Killing Joke is also a title of the titular graphic novel from 1988.

Vinnie the Intern Blog #9: A New Artist To Watch.

Mystery can add to excitement. One of the newest mysteries in music is the identity behind Captain Murphy. Some swear Captain Murphy is the moniker for the collaboration between Tyler, the Creator and Flying Lotus while others attest to it being Los Angeles rapper Zeroh. I am not here to solve the case. A tweet from Captain Murphy himself stated "Doesn't matter who I am. Just listen."  I agree. I love ambiguity in music. I love that I have never seen an interview with MC Ride from Death Grips or the fact that MF Doom chooses to hide his face. I am just hear to pass along that Captain Murphy is an amazing up-and-comer. 

Captain Murphy's Du∆lity

Captain Murphy rose to popularity through the track "Between Friends." The Flying Lotus, Earl Sweatshirt of Odd Future, and Captain Murphy collaboration was released as part of [adult swim]'s Single Program. The track's instrumental is very mellow featuring three different movements with lyrically top-notch performances by Earl Sweatshirt and Captain Murphy. Captain Murphy's rasp and deep voice (a reason for the Tyler assumptions) is distinct as he breaks into his star-making verse. "So unorthodox. Chillin' with a shaman, eating Ramen in a parking lot." His flow complements the beat well. This is easily one of my favorite tracks of the year.

Released a week prior to "Between Friends," Captain Murphy's "Mighty Morphin' Foreskin" seems to be heavily MF Doom influenced with many nods to Godzilla, Street Fighter ("I'll punch you Shoryuken or Haduken"), and even having an outro similar to something that would be heard on Operation: Doomsday stating "Planet Earth is about to be recycled." In addition to Doom, the pitch-shifted and mutated vocals are highly reminiscent of something that would be on any Odd Future track.

Released last week, "The Ritual" takes instrumental of the Madlib-esque Jay Electronica track "Dear Moleskine" produced by Just Blaze and turns it into a delightfully romp filled with debauchery and virgin sacrifice; among many other things. "Been a long time coming, I've been lost in the light, learned how to do the Dougie with the devil in the moonlight." Very Doom influenced as well, the track has yet another dialogue filled interlude before cutting back into the main beat. 

All three of these tracks are available for free from [adult swim] or by the links in both Captain Murphy's videos on Youtube. Duality will be the new album by Captain Murphy release presumptuously sometime soon. Judging by the tracks that have been release so far, it has a lot of hype to live up to. But Duality should hopefully prove to be an interesting listen.