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 #26: Top 5 Favorite Music Videos of 2012

Starting off my top lists of the year are my top five favorite music videos. While it is hard to quantify videos, these have been some of my favorite videos of the year. 

5. Joey Bada$$ (Feat. Capital STEEZ) - "Survival Tactics"

A group that captures the Wu Tang spirit more than other in the early part of the decade is PRO ERA. Grainy videos and a list of talented emcees encapsulate all the videos from the outstanding 1999 mix-tape from Joey Bad$$. This collective has a considerably even skill set when compared to groups such as Odd Future or A$AP Mob. Joey Bada$$, the 17 year old Brooklynite, has created quite a following in 2012 and this is a prime reason as to why.

Vinnie the Intern #20: "Microwave, Meet Your Maker"

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.

Vinnie the Intern #18: Death Grips - NO LOVE DEEP WEB

An album cover (see the uncensored cover here) isn't always indicative of an album, but with NO LOVE DEEP WEB, it is. It became very clear very fast that this is an album that unforgivably indulged in extremes. With a punk edge and futurist mindset, the group released the album before their record label, Epic, had even heard it, released said album for free download on their soundcloud, and chose cover art of an erect penis with NO LOVE DEEP WEB scribbled on it. This was almost too daring, even for Death Grips. I was waiting to be let down. I figured that this amount of publicity was just to overcompensate for an album that was under-cooked. Fortunately, I was wrong. This 13 track blast of aggression delivered on everyone of its promises.

Death Grips - NO LOVE DEEP WEB

I will never forget catching an hour or two of sleep before the midnight (2 AM in the Midwest) release dropped. Barely being awake, I was knocked right into an alert state as distorted, percussive, bassy chaos spilled into my headphones with "Come Up and Get Me." MC Ride's voice is as strained as it has ever been as he shrieks and belts out vivid verses of being surrounded in an abandoned eight story building.

Despite it being released the same year as The Money Store, that is where comparisons can end. It is hard to believe, but the Money Store can be seen as the group's "pop" album. That batch of songs contained some of the most twisted hooks that has ever been committed to tape. See "I've Seen Footage" if you need an example.

Otherwise, we are met with grittier instrumentals, odd soundscapes, and clanking percussion from Zach Hill. This is best exemplified by "Hunger Games," a minimalist venture with some of MC Ride's best lyrics painting pictures of "neck-bones sprayin' guava." While not as catchy as The Money Store, this album does include some delicious onomatopoetic, minimal hooks, such as "W-W-W-W-W-W-Whammy" and "Pop, pop, pop, pop."

"No Love" starts in what sounds like MC Ride pounding on walls, screaming by himself in a cell or a padded room; his voice, hoarse and panicked. This song along with the beautifully arranged chorus of "Pop" remain some of the most memorable moments. "Stockton," makes references to being stuck in Stockton, California, which had the honorable distinction of making it on the Forbes America's Most Miserable Cities list, and contains another onomatopoeia filled chorus of "I'm bouncin'. Whoop Whoop."

The one-two punch of "Bass Rattle Stars Out the Sky" and "Artificial Death in the West" close out the album with a comparatively rap-centric structure. The closing line to the album"she shoot pussy through your chest you die" is surely to leave you scratching your head but if you have followed Death Grips for the past year or so, that should not be shocking.

(Taken from @deathgripz on October 5th)

This album is challenging. With no scheduled release date, who knows what the fate of this album will be. It is clear that Death Grips are bravely pushing boundaries and have the skill to back it up. The album is in every nook and cranny of the web, due to Death Grips themselves. Any fan of experimental music, regardless of genre, should at least attempt a listen. After cancelling their tour to finish NO LOVE DEEP WEB, they will pick up where they left off. On November 20 they will be at the Bottom Lounge. Hopefully I will see you all there.

Vinnie the Intern Blog #10: The End of Summer.

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!

Vinnie the Intern Blog #4: The State of Hip-Hop

I have been a hip-hop fan for as long as I could recall. My first memory of hip-hop was playing my brother's cassette of Dr. Dre's "Dre Day" as loud as I could on my boom-box. I chose Biggie over Tupac and Jay-Z over Nas. I shuddered as hip-hop became an auto-tuned, radio-processed mess. But through all of this, there have always been true artists that have continually defined the state of hip-hop. The artists I list in this blog gave me the same feeling that I remembered while listening to "Dre Day" all those years ago. 

WHY? - Sod In The Seed - EP(Anticon/Aug 14th)

Last week Oakland's WHY? released "Sod In The Seed" off their Sod In The Seed EP due out on August 14th. It is WHY? at their finest. With its gripping opening line, "Let's review some recent facts...," I was immediately reminded of the first time I heard Alopecia (2008), my favorite WHY? album (as well as on of my general favorites). The song is available for free download on the band's Soundcloud. The reference of Whole Foods and Mac G4s bring to mind a time when vocalist Yoni Wolf spoke of R. Crumb exhibits, being at a Silver Jews show, and Showbiz Pizza. The band backing the ramblings are sounding as solid as ever. With bells and a steady bass line, WHY? appeal to hip-hop fans and indie rock fans alike.

Joey BADA$$ - 1999 (Cinematic/Creative Control)

Exciting newcomer, Brooklyn's Joey BADA$$ released his mix-tape 1999 with assistance from his group PRO ERA and from producers such as Knxwledge and MF DOOM. While the rousing fact may be that this artist is only 17, I find it equally incredible that this would not be out of place if you nesteled it between A Tribe Called Quest's The Low End Theory (1991) and Wu-Tang Clan's Enter the 36 Chambers (1993). Songs like "Survival Tactics" and "Killuminati" both featuring spots by PRO ERA confidant, Capital STEEZ, are proof that gritty New York hip-hop is not just a thing of the past. Joey BADA$$ and the rest of PRO ERA are true artists to watch out for. Check out the video for "Survival Tactics" below.

Death Grips have earned much praise for their abrasive sound that includes Zach Hill on percussion and MC Ride on vocals. Their videos, similar to their musical prowess, have an emphasis on being innovative without a cushy budget, despite being on a major label (Epic Records). Last week Death Grips released their newest video "Double Helix" off of The Money Store, released in April. 

Another artist picking up quite a bit of attention is Azealia Banks with her debut EP, 1991, released earlier last month. Banks received praise for her single "212" towards the end of last year, which now has upwards of 22 million hits on Youtube. The single, along with the previously released "Liquorice" both made appearances on 1991, making up half the album. The other half, I am pleased to say delivered to these high expectations. Especially the exceptional title-track which takes form more in progressive-house rather than hip-hop. Banks will release her follow up to 1991, the mix-tape Fantasea, next Wednesday.

When I hear claims of the state of hip-hop is in dire need of change, I have to respectfully disagree. There is a lot going on in the world of hip-hop that feels new and exciting. Anyone interested in something new in hip-hop should look no further than WHY?, Joey BADA$$, Death Grips, or Azealia Banks.