Have you ever had your dance music end up in the same key as some random background noises like a lawn mower or an electric heater? If this happened at night, in a dumpy part of town, you may already know what it sounds like to listen to Burial. His work has a very eerie and unexplained quality to it, even though most of it sounds quite beautiful. It sounds like what you are hearing is being produced by some unknown instrument hiding inside a broken air conditioner rather than a synthesizer or any computer. Also, All the elements in his music, especially the percussion, are quite stripped down, and the simplicity of it all makes it easy to notice when things warp and change fluidly throughout his songs.
After his 2007 album Untrue, burial has basically stopped producing albums, but is instead producing very forward thinking tracks that are as long as EP`s. 2012`s fantastic Kindred EP only packed three songs, but ran for a total of about 32 minutes. In this longer format, the tracks have more freedom to meander and explore various pitch shifted vocals and ambient bass noises in a relaxed and very natural way. Also, since you're not being forced to listen to ten or twelve of these epic tracks together in an album, each one has the opportunity to grip your full attention.
Truant / Rough Sleeper is another step in this exploratory direction, and it is a strong step indeed. In the Kindred EP the drum samples stayed quite monotonous throughout the different tracks, but in "Truant" they are constantly evolving and changing. You also hear this Djembe drift in and out of the mix as it being manipulated with all these different filters. Some other interesting noises you hear in this track are jingling keys, coins dropping, matches burning, and wind chimes, and they all fit together nicely. The song builds quite slowly, but when it really ramps up around the six minute mark, the effect of the lead synth against the backwards hi-hat, and all these other strange noises is quite beautiful and meditative.
One thing I didn't like very much was the bass sound that comes in around the nine minute mark. It doesn't stay for very long, but this brief minor turn seems kind of out of place in this otherwise beautifully subtle nocturne. Because of this substantial emotional change, I would almost rather that the last four minutes were a different song. I also find that the many times the music stops completely in this song tend to break up the flow too much for a serious groove to ever develop.
"Rough Sleeper" was definitely my favorite of these two tracks. I feel that the emotion was more consistent all the way through and it has a more fluid progression as well. The saxophone sample in this song is rusty and haunting, and it fits right in with the many other vocal samples that phase in and out of the music like ghosts. Later on when the marimba is introduced, the effect is just ethereal. It fits into the static pops like a glove, and the whole song just sounds like the music is coming from the earth around you rather than your headphones or speakers. In closing, if an amber lit back alleyway could sing to you, it would sound like Burial.
Here are my top 25 singles of 2012. I have only written descriptions of why I like the top five songs, because I don't have the energy to write about all of them. These are all fantastic songs however, and they are all worth a listen. I hope you enjoy the list, and I apologize about the load time for all of these embedded videos. 25. Fun. - Some Nights.
24. Japandroids - Evil's Sway.
23. Major Lazer ft Amber of the Dirty Projectors - Get Free.
22. Death Grips - Hacker.
21. Flying Lotus - Getting There.
20. Animal Collective - Monkey Riches.
Unfortunately, I could not find the album version.
This live version is fantastic though, so enjoy this instead.
19. Daniel Rossen - Return to Form.
18. A Tribe Called Red - Electric PowWow Drum
17. Zammuto - Groan Man, Don't Cry.
16. Pile - Baby Boy.
15. Beach House - Other People.
14. XXYYXX - About You.
13 Fiona Apple - Every Single Night.
12. TNGHT - Higher Ground.
11. Frank Ocean - Pyramids.
10. Dirty Projectors - Unto Caesar.
9. Cloud Nothings - Stay Useless
8. Perfume Genius - No Tear.
7. John Talabot - Last Land.
6. Grizzly Bear - Sleeping Ute.
5. Kendrick Lamar - Bitch, Dant Kill My Vibe.
This is the song that convinced me to listen to Kendrick Lamar in the first place, and despite my dislike of the word "bitch," I think the flow and the atmosphere of this song is ethereal. Also, the "bitch" he is talking to is the music industry and not a woman, which makes a difference for me. It details the inharmonious relationship Kendrick has with the industry, the new people around him, having become famous, and his challenge to the typical image of rappers. Rather than wearing expensive watches and clothes to convey his image, Kendrick opts to convey real life situations and emotions, which is something I really respect him for. Musically, the song has a very chilled out backing beat, and the vocal harmony that accompanies the strange effects on Kendrick's voice makes the whole production sound very spacey. Throughout Good Kid M.A.A.D. City I really appreciated Kendrick's self reflection and integrity, and I really feel like this song is somewhat of a mission statement for his project. Its great to see such a popular rapper stick to his convictions in such an enjoyable way. 4. Burial - Kindred
This song is a journey, and I find it oddly comforting. The only thing that stays very consistent throughout this twelve minute long, linear, electronic, epic is the drum sample, which repeats endlessly. But it is something tangible you can hold onto while the actual music of this song is warped and hidden beneath layers of distortion, that pop and crackle like a distant storm. It is also amazing how the vocal sample can communicate as much longing and sadness as it does, without really mentioning any intelligible words at all. All you get is the tattered remains of a person singing "Baby you ah ah." It complements the atmosphere of desolation and ruin that the song builds on for its entire length, especially the moment about four minutes in where only the vocal sample is heard. It is truly inspired, and even though it has the remnants of a dance track with in it, it sounds like a dance song after a catastrophic disaster. Hope still remains in this waste land though, and as the song nears completion I really feel like a survivor, conscious of the beauty and preciousness of life. 3 Killer Mike - Southern Fried.
Since I liked every song on Killer Mike's R.A.P. Music, it was hard for me to pick out one that really encapsulated what I liked about the whole album. I think "Southern Fried" does this nicely. The lyrics are mostly about being from the south, which is a huge part of Killer Mike's personae, but he also touches on his relationship with his wife, the police, and the music industry, and he says them which a bombastic quickness that would make almost anyone run out of breath before the reached the end of one line. The double time percussion also adds hugely to this energetic and fiery atmosphere. Mike's personality rules this song all the way through, and the gospel organs that make up the chorus perfectly reinforce his southern image. Its a completely airtight rap track, with some amazing production from EL-P, and I find it hard not to like. 2. Animal Collective - Honeycomb.
This single from Animal Collective was a nice surprise for me. After the reverb flooded haze of Merriweather Post Pavilion, a return to a more energetic musical style was a welcome move for the band. This single really reminds me of the days of Strawberry Jam, which continues to be my favourite AC album. I love the weird radio sample at the beginning, which leads immediately into some very noisy synth work and weirdly distorted percussion. They play with these filters on it for the whole song, and it sounds like its being stretched out and pushed back together very quickly. The vocal work is also cheery and infectious, even if its nearly impossible to understand what they are saying for any part but the chorus. The structure of the song is very well thought out too, putting a shorter chorus at the beginning, gives you a taste of all the merriment without wearing you out before the chorus really comes in full force later on. I sorely wish that all of Centipede Hz would have sounded as good as this song does.
1. Purity Ring - Ungirthed.
Caution. This video is not safe for work.
Firstly, I love how gargantuan this song is. It starts out with a tender synth line, which leaves you quite vulnerable for the pitch shifted vocal samples, bass, and percussion that come in quite quickly after. "Ungirthed" also has quite a nice flow to it, despite the hard hitting bass, and stuttering hip-hop style percussion. It slides through its different parts with ease, and the drop back into the verse line after the first course is so forceful, it knocks me down every time. The whole song is also permeated by this intense emotional energy, as if it is just fighting to break loose from some kind of apprehension, and scream about death and sadness till it loses its voice. The vulnerability of Megan James' sweet voice, is really at odds with the power of the backing instrumentation which creates a feeling of uneasiness for me as well which is just the icing on the cake.
Its that time of the year. A multitude of great music has been released in 2012. Some strong releases from new artists, as well as great albums from some well known players. There has been so much released that I did not have a chance to review all of it, or even listen to it as much as I would have liked. In the upcoming year, I will be adopting a more regular reviewing schedule, in order to better stay on top of what is currently blowing peoples ear drums and minds, but now is the time to look into the past and remember my ten favourite albums of 2012.
10. Death Grips - The Money Store
Death Grips has been extremely active in 2012. They released two full length albums, and as displayed by their choice of very not safe for work cover art for The Money Store and No Love Deep Web, they are still as potent and offensive as ever. Death Grips is a level of offensive that most shock bands cant reach. Rather than just having abrasive lyrics, or a scary persona, everything about the way that their music is produced, distributed, and presented screams counter culture in your face. The Money Store is also paced very well, as they seem to have become more focused on crafting a specific tone since the insanity of Exmilitary. The percussion is distorted beyond all sanity, and it backs MC Ride as he screams and yells about every offbeat topic under the sun. It is aggressive in the extreme, and it brings a smile to my face whenever I hear someone call any other rapper hardcore and I get to remind them that Death Grips exists.
9. Grizzly Bear - Shields
Shields is the third edition to Grizzly Bear's critically acclaimed discography. Even though it did not win any Grammys, which lead singer Ed Droste to seek come consolation from Bon Iver's Justin Vernon, it is still highly worthy of praise. Ed Droste and Daniel Rossen's voices soar brilliantly over the music as effortlessly as usual and the guitar work is complex and astounding. It all sounds very majestic and baroque, which is a bit of a departure from Grizzly Bear's serene, quite, and sometimes frustratingly opaque music, but they haven't left too much behind. It still has all the beauty and minute attention to detail of a Grizzly Bear release despite being more direct and faster paced than their earlier work.
Purity Ring sounds to me like the girl who lies to you by saying that "nothing is wrong." You want to believe her because she sounds so sweet, but it is glaringly obvious that something is terribly wrong. How this comes across in the music is that Megan James' voice often sounds innocent and childish, while the lyrics are anything but. They are consistently strange and morbid, and the subdued way in which she sings them is at odds with the way that the backing music, sometimes literally, screams and moans at you. The beats are composed of many strange and distorted vocal samples that add a level of emotional desperation to the already bizarre lyrics, and the hip hop styled percussion makes it all feel quite violent and aggressive. Finally, the huge bass sounds also add to the feeling of hysteria, as if someone is being swallowed alive by their own sadness, depression, and anxiety. All the while trying to smile and look pretty.
7. Kendrick Lamar - Good Kid M.A.A.D. City
I think I was the more conflicted about my opinion on this album than any other album I listen to this year. The strong conceptual structure and deeply revealing lyrics make Good Kid M.A.A.D. City an involving listen all the way through, but for every part I really liked, I found parts that I really did not like. I found the choruses for several songs quite annoying, and the topic matter of songs like "BackStreet Freestyle" nearly had me skip them, but upon several listens, its evident that nearly everything I complain about is intentional. Kendrick Also has some very diverse beats that he raps over, which keeps the album active, and his features are all exactly where they need to be. It is an intensely personal redemption story, and the skilful way it is told leaves something that almost everyone can appreciate.
I don't know what genre I would describe Portico Quartet as. Their sprawling adventurous sound seems to draw influences from jazz, electronic music, and sound scapes, and leaves you with something that sounds quite refreshing and unique without being too strange or alienating. Their use of traditional instruments like the saxophone and the double bass to create electronic styled songs, sounds very visceral and emotive. It also gives the music some very rough and cold textures. There is also one moment on the track "Rubidium" where you literally hear something that sounds like a steal drum somehow become an electronic sample, and it felt to me like the capstone of the whole album. Portico Quartet makes a mean sound scape with a heart and soul that you can seriously dig your teeth into.
5. Beach House - Bloom
A definite challenge with making a dream pop album, is keeping it engaging while maintaining the slow whimsical atmosphere. Albums in this genre often walk the line of being lacklustre or too active, especially in the vocals. Beach House has hit this sweet spot with Bloom, and they do this without drowning everything in reverb in order to soften their sound. The vocals have a great tone, and a very confident delivery while maintaining this dreamy atmosphere. In fact, every instrument on this album is played boldly, slowly and methodically, but it all has a silky smooth sound that is very comforting. Beach House's Bloom sounds like a black silk dress. While simplistic, the way it is worn leaves you with a breathtaking sense of elegance and beauty.
4. John Talabot - fin
John Talabot's fin really sneaked up on me. When I was making this list I nearly forgot about it, but I realized that, taken together, these songs account for a large portion of my most played songs of 2012. fin sounds to me like the sound of the jungle waking up during a foggy morning. John Talabot builds a very dense, mysterious, and dark atmosphere throughout the whole album, and although the tone stays quite consistent, only breaking out of the haze into a more joyous celebration on the tracks "Journeys" and "Last Land," each song finds its own unique identity. John Talabot excels at more immediate builds in his music as well, using dynamic percussion to give his songs a real sense of movement and progression. This combined with sleepy synths and strange vocal manipulations, makes fin a very beautiful and unobtrusive listen.
3. Frank Ocean - Channel Orange
The concept of this very modern R&B album is television. It is a good very symbolic choice, considering it consistently follows themes of emotional distance, inactivity, drugs, loneliness, and wealth. It is a subdued drama about the hollow lives of the young people in California's orange county. This concept also accounts for the diverse tones and musical ideas you will hear. Channel Orange really grew on me. Initially I felt Frank Ocean's focus on the culture in which he is immersed made the topic matter too monotonous, but each of the songs have such strong vocal delivery from Frank, I could not help but get drawn into the lives of these super rich kids.
If you're planning on listening to Put Your Back in 2 it, you better have a box of tissues close by. This album is short and powerful, which allows it to be slow and sad without ever being boring. Each song is focused, direct, and simple which really gives them all a hard emotional punch. Mike Hadreas' high voice and effortless vibrato also adds a touch of weariness to this funeral procession of songs, without making the songs feel hollow or boring. the instrumentation is sparse, but each chord seems to carry so much emotional weight, its hard to cast this quite downer aside, even if you want to.
1. Killer Mike - Rap Music
This album was an easy choice for my album of the year. Killer Mike's consistently bombastic southern personality fills each song to the brim, while El-P boldly backs him up with aggressive percussion, bubbly synthesizers, sizzling bass, and sanctified gospel organs that mesh quite well with Mike's lyrical style. Also, Mike's ability to speak as charismatically as a preacher on a range of interesting topic material, including his religiosity, Ronald Reagan, the prison system, the TSA, and reading keeps it mentally engaging all the way through. Between the strong verses, hooks, beats, and rhyme schemes, if there is anything this album lacks it is breathing room.
Kendrick Lamar is a rapper from Compton, California. Like most people, the city Kendrick comes from plays a large role in his development as a person. This is clearly and thoughtfully showcased on "Good Kid M.A.A.D. City." It is a very autobiographical album, and Kendrick goes through great pains to bring this across through the lyrics, the structure, and the beats.
"Good Kid M.A.A.D. City" shows Kendrick experiencing young love, robberies, peer pressure, and alcohol abuse all during a journey that he takes in his mom's van over what seems like a weekend. He starts off by falling for a girl named Sherane who sets him up to be robbed. This and some other tragic events culminates in his acceptance of Christ and vowing to tell his story so people can learn from it. I don't want to sum up the whole story right here, because I think it makes more sense if you listen to it.
It is a very conceptual album with a story that is told through voice mail messages interwoven into the different songs. The interesting story is what kept me listening long enough to appreciate some of the songs that I normally would not have cared for. This was especially true for the song "Backstreet Freestyle" in which Kendrick raps about wishing his dick would get as big as the Eiffel tower...ya.
...Yes Kendrick...We should talk about that.
Its ridiculous and braggadocios, but in the context, this is Kendrick trying to impress his friends as they smoke and goof around. He does not actually want the women, the fast cars, and the Shaquille O'Neal sized penis. Trying to impress Kendrick's friends is a big part of this album for him, and this is more fully explained on the next track "The Art of Peer Pressure." In this song, Kendrick is doing break ins, getting high, and robbing people, all things he would not normally do, but life is different when he is "with the homies."
Kendrick also plays with his voice a lot on this album. In the song "Swimming Pools," when he raps as his drunk conscience, his voice pans from left to right as if his head is spinning. I thought this was a clever addition to a beat which is already so large and hazy, it sounds like you could drown in it. Its a very coherent and interesting way to portray what being drunk feels like. In the song "M.A.A.D. City" his voice is so high and frantic it cracks, just like scared the scared teenager he is reminiscing about being.
Lyrically, Kendrick is very strong on almost all the songs. I especially liked "Bitch, Dant Kill my Vibe," "Swimming Pools," and "Sing About Me, Im Dying of Thirst." I found myself particularly annoyed by the hooks in "M.A.A.D. City" and "Real" as well as how Kendrick ends every line with "ya bissch" (sic) in "Money Trees." They range from tear jerking to ridiculous, but they are always compelling.
I found this album very compelling. For every moment that I really loved, I had another one that really annoyed me. However, I never found it boring or drawn out, even in the twelve minute long "Sing About Me..." which has some seriously heavy topic matter and a tragic moment early on that makes you confront death in a sudden and unexpected way.
The strong album structure also gave me a way to make sense of the things I did not like. For instance, on the song "M.A.A.D. City" the chorus sounds Neanderthal stupid, but I think its supposed to, because in this song Kendrick is being interrogated by a gang member. Since Kendrick makes me want to praise even the moments I did not like, it makes me really respect his artistry. He even made me love "Poetic Justice," a song that has Drake in it! In his defence, Drake actually drops some great verses. I think he was a great choice for a feature on this track, because the song is about longing after a woman, which Drake is great at.
In conclusion, there is no doubt in my mind that this is one of the strongest hip-hop albums that has come out this year. It is thoughtful and entertaining all the way through. There are also many levels you can appreciate it on, so someone who is just listening to it for the singles would appreciate it as much as someone who stayed for the whole story.
Flying Lotus is an experimental, instrumental, plain old mental, hip-hop producer from California. Over the past several years, he has broken many barriers for this genre of music, as well as making quite a name for himself by producing for other interesting artists such as Gonja Sufi and Thundercat. This year, he has also broken into rapping under the pseudonym "Captain Murphy".
Each of his previous albums have been released to heavy critical acclaim, including his last work, "Cosmogramma," which was a fantastic and energetic union of jazz inspired hip hop and eccentric noise. Its very evident in this new work that Flying Lotus has taken what he demonstrated on that album and presented in a more controlled form, and in many ways "Until the Quiet Comes" feels like a very organic progression from that album. The pacing however, feels fairly relaxed and more similar to "Los Angeles" than Cosmogramma. Also, even though many of the sounds on this album are sampled, they feel as crisp and real as if they were recorded in one take, jazz style.
One thing you will immediately notice about Until the Quiet Comes is the kick drums, which are astronomically huge. On the tracks "Getting There," "Tiny Tortures," "Sultan's Request," and "Me Yesterday//Corded" they just grab you by your head and force it to bob, you simply have no choice. The songs that stay away from strong hip-hop influences on this album are consistently spacey and atmospheric, so they provide some nice space in between the more energetic moments.
Like I said before, this feels like a very organic and smooth progression from his last album, but one of my complaints about Flying Lotus actually follows from this same point. In many ways Until the Quiet Comes does not feel different enough. If he had released all these tracks with the same cover art as Cosmogramma, I feel like I would not have been able to tell the difference between the two works
I also feel that most of the individual songs get somewhat lost to me. Other than the singles, many of his songs pass right by me without notice. I think this is an unavoidable consequence of having a large number of short tracks on each album that all flow seamlessly into one another. It builds a strong atmosphere, but I had to go back and actually search track by track to find the ones I liked. I generally liked this album, but it was not distinct in my mind at all. Without it leaving any sort of lasting impression on me, I find it hard to say that it was one of his better works, but if you are fan of Flying Lotus, you will definitely enjoy it.
It took me a long time to appreciate Grizzly Bear's musical style. My first exposure to their sound was through their amazingly successful album Veckatimest, and for a time I found myself bored with their music. Eventually one day, while listening to Veckatimest in the tranquil setting of UVic's library, the quiet beauty of their music hit me. Their vocal harmonies are complex and haunting, the guitar work is dazzling, and it is all composed with a minute attention to detail that gives their music the dignified beauty of a church hymn.
Grizzly Bear rewards you for the attention you put into them. Many of the intricacies in their music are not noticeable on the first listen, but the band is easy to appreciate after sitting down and paying close attention to all of the different sounds you will hear. This density can be missed on a casual listen, but like closely examining the brushstrokes allows you to appreciate the work of a great painter, sitting down with any Grizzly Bear album will reward you with a great experience.
This is all still true for Grizzly Bear's new release Shields. Even though this new album is altogether more lively than much of their earlier work, they still consistently craft beautiful atmospheres with their meticulous instrumentation.
The opener, and single, "Sleeping Ute" is torrential. The guitar work soars and crashes with the cymbals and drum rolls, like waves in a storm and the guitar effects they introduce at 2:07 adds a level of gloss to this track that would make Ratatat drool. The next track "Speak in Rounds" emerges from the sea foam of the opener, and starts out much more relaxed with some beautiful vocals from Daniel Rossen. Before long though, the pace picks up again and acoustic guitars dominate the landscape.
There are some slower tracks on this album such as "The Hunt," "Adelma," and "What's wrong." These songs all feature Rossen's voice alone, usually backed by just organs or keys and percussion. Grizzly Bear can vary its instrumentation quite a bit and still sound very coherent on the album level, and its nice to see that when they use more instruments and take more time they really run wild with it successfully. A nice balance between their two extremes of serene beauty and energetic brilliance is the 7:00 minute closer, and my favourite track "Sun in Your Eyes."
The density of this album is truly astounding. Only two of the songs are under four minutes, and of that "Adelma" is just a short, atmospheric, breather between some of the most engaging songs. The slower songs are well placed, and they give the album a smooth flow without too much down time and without burning you out. Whereas on Veckatimest, I found that the slow pace made it hard to engage with upon a first listen, this album had me engaged from the moment I pressed play, and I find myself coming back again and again to examine the complexity in more minute detail.
Before writing this review, I really thought intensely about how I was going to approach reviewing a rap album. My biggest challenge in reviewing Killer Mike's R.A.P. Music was this whole situation right here:
Street cred not pictured
This was something I actually felt I needed to account for in order to present this review. I realize that there is a large cultural gulf between me and Killer Mike, which sometimes makes me cringe at his ghetto repping, and it also can make it difficult to appreciate the magnitude of the political and social problems that Mike discusses in this work. Despite this, I did really enjoy this album. With these things in mind, I present you Killer Mike's R.A.P. Music. Brace yourself, it's a long one.
This album's opener "Big Beast" really starts it off on the right foot. The first line "Hard core G shit, homie I don't play around..." should give you a good idea of what is to come. It's incredibly aggressive and the percussion, which moves double time for most of the song, really helps bring the fire. The guest spots on this track from Bun-B, T.I., and Trouble all completely nail their verses with ease of the seasoned veterans they are. Mike holds his own with these other hip hop stars, which should be expected as this is his sixth album.
The high energy powerhouse keeps up all the way through to the track "Reagan" which exchanges the energy for a simmering anger and hatred for Ronald Reagan, and the system of economics he spawned. After Mike finishes repping the south and his ghetto style, he really surprised me by delivering some incredibly self aware lines about the rap community:
"So it seems our people starve from lack of understanding Cause all we seem to give them is some balling and some dancing And some talking about our car and imaginary mansions We should be indicted for bullshit we inciting"
This track also has some searing critiques of the war on drugs. This song is quite similar in intention to the next song, "Don't Die" which is about shooting some crooked cops, who break into his house without a warrant. In this song, Mike also reveals that his dad was a cop, which is not something just any thug would do, and it really starts to reveal the depth of Mikes character. He is a thug, he is political, he is a southern gentleman, and he is so much more.
The diverse range of material that Mike is able to discuss on this album is what ends up being the cherry on top of the crisp production by EL-P, and Mike's consistently large and infectious presence on all the tracks. He talks about feeling like an outcast in his early life for reading a lot, comparing his life in the streets to being Jack in The Lord of the Flies on "Willie Burke Sherwood". He also talks about being a southern man, which is a large part of his identity causing him to carry a "blunt and a bible and gun..." in "Southern Fried."On top of this, Mike is very reflective and honest about his life decisions, both positive and negative, which is another admirable quality of his music.
Religion also plays a major role in Mike's music even if "(He's) never really had a religious experience in a religious place." Songs like "Southern Fried," "Ghetto Gospel," and the closer "R.A.P. Music" have very religious themes, and the church organs and hand claps have a very southern Baptist feel to them. In the closer, Mike discusses how rap music is his religion, and I would agree. This album is infused with a certain integrity and ferocity that one could only expect from a person totally devoted to their craft like Mike clearly is.
This album is fantastic. From wall to wall, every song is brimming with good lyrics, tight rhyme schemes, and I haven't even had a chance to really discuss EL-P's amazing beats that back each song. There is no dead space or downtime anywhere on this entire album, which can make it feel tiring after a little while, but Mike's constantly engaging lyrics will keep you testifying and nodding along all the way through. Amen.
