Kanye posted new "24 Hour Karate School" from Mos Def. Track was produced by Jay Z beatmaker Ski Beatz. Track showcases all the low key too high to pronunciate flow that we all have come to dig.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Beck's Record Club/Skip Spence's Oar
Beck's Record Club is currently covering Alexander "Skip" Spence's Oar. Jamie Lidell sings vocals on "War in Peace" which features some great guitar solos by Wilco guitarist Nels Cline. "Weighted Down" features Feist on lead vocals and has a deeper impact than "War in Peace." Regardless, both tracks are amazing and caused me to immediately add Skip Spence's Oar to my Amazon Wish List. I suppose that's the point of all of this.
Friday, December 18, 2009
Winter Mix-In a Recession
*disclaimer: The songs in this mix are songs that I enjoy and figure people should hear. If you own the copyright and want them taken down, please contact and I will do so.
The Holidays are an emotional running in from the cold. A time to warm near a fire place, eat until stuffed, and pass along some long overdue love in form of material gestures. Today, in 2009, it is a greater struggle to the confront the chill that Winter poses. The contrast between gloom and cheer is never more apparent than in the month of December.
In a Recession, isn't depressing or pessimistic; however, it starts with the understanding that it is cold outside, it is poor outside, it is hard to live during the Winter. As the mix plays, it, like us, seeks refuge in warm tone and Holiday flavor. Due to time constraints, it isn't a fine tuned mix; but, In a Recession is a rough sketch of how this time of the year feels to me.
May we never be too proud to come in from the cold and accept a warm meal. Once inside, may we never forget what it was like to freeze, nor, hide from what it means to live.
[DOWNLOAD]
winter mix- in a recession (68mb)
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Best of '09: Animal Collective/Merriweather Post Pavilion
Tons has been said about Animal Collective's Merriweather Post Pavilion, so its hard for me to say something that hasn't been already. I suppose, when you set aside the record itself, this album is far larger than the sound Avey Tare (David Portner), Panda Bear (Noah Lennox), and Geologist (Brian Weitz) created. This album marks the emergence of a creative powerhouse. From the cover/packaging to the actual music itself, nothing is bland and nothing is expected. Most writers always solute the blank page. The idea that the power within any creater is the ability to make something out of nothing. When listening to music (especially the basic variety) you can usually come to the conclusion of how one achieved the sound. Try doing that with any song on Merriweather Post Pavilion. I can remember upon first listen wondering how the fuck a band could conceptualize such an intricate sound. Animal Collective, like everyone else, started with a blank page and through whatever process made intricate electronic music palatable to the masses.
"My Girls" descends from the universal unknow to a shimmering array of vocal harmony and wet percussion that expresses an apologetic need for simplicity, "there isn't much that I feel I need/a solid soul and the blood I bleed/But with a little girl, and by my spouse/I only want a proper house." SImplicity in ethos, but, never in its musical expression, MPP contains songs that need multiple lessons. I remember giving my brother, college age, the CD already knowing that this disc best plays to the ears of those that aren't still hearing "Poker Face" on a weekly basis (my brother doesn't subriscribe to the GaGa but its party music and hears it nonetheless) I thumbnailed a few tracks for him, noting my infatuation with "Brother Sport" and that it is a "song that grows on you." A month later when we met up at Coachella, I asked him what he thought of MPP. He liked it...nothing special,but, he liked it. Perhaps he didn't get it. I asked about "Brother Sport." He claimed it was the song he liked the least. This couldn't be true. "Brother Sport," in a panicked spurt of description, is fire, it is revolutionary, it is my favorite. He needed another listen. I countered with simply playing it on the way to the festival. I can't remember his exact words, but, I do remember him realizing what made the song so special. Its magic lying within the prolonged build up of electronic twinkle to then drop off into resonate vocals and light tribal percussion. This traditional song structure plays like that of a great realization and is the most potent way to arouse emotion. Perhaps my brother didn't understand it to this degree, but, he absolutely felt the wonder.
Merriweather Post Pavilion is full of these moments. So it is no surprise, that Animal Collective orchestrated an album that was talked about, mulled over, understood, and misunderstood. Amidst the pumping bass, Beach-Boy-like vocal harmony, and electronic sampling, Animal Collective calmly says, "all you need is your mind and a few simple tools to be something special."
To the blank page.
Animal Collective:: Brother Sport
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
WU LYF/"Heavy Pop"
The mysterious group/artist WU LYF is something to get excited about. I have never heard anything like it and wouldn't know what genre to compare it to. "Heavy Pop" is a piece of work that shows the potential of music as a way to paint an environment. Listen to it and decide where you think the singer is. Is he on an island, at the beach, in a studio, in a club... Where you are coming from is equally, if not more, important than what you have to say.
I saw him singing in a prison-like 4x4 cement room. Crying out madly for attention and despite his isolation. While, there is a bed of instrumentation, the singer feels utterly alone and a times you often loose sound of the guitar and drums. What has been called "Heavy Pop" is cathartic, love-deprived, tortured, and a well executed musical emotion.
Alex Bleeker and the Freaks/"Oh Boy" (girls cover) ft. Molly Sarle
Alex Bleeker and the Freaks along with Molly Sarle of Mountain Man covered an unreleased Girls' song "Oh Boy." As posted by Chocolate Bobka, Bleeker and Sarle give a truly emotional and heartfelt rendition of the song. The song is mournful while trying to be hopeful. You could hear a pin drop at this live show hinting that this is undeniably a gripping piece of music.
J. Tillman/Townes Van Zandt Cover
The fine tastemakers over at Aquarium Drunkard first introduced me to J. Tillman with a a post of a live performance in Sacramento. J. Tillman channels southern rock that leans more towards country, but, bares more soul than your popular country station. Great earthy rock music that makes you want to sell everything you got, hit the road, and live free. Check out the Drunkard's newest Tillman post here.
Mos Def/"Supermagic"
"Supermagic" is one of the best lead-off tracks for an album I have heard in sometime. Unfortunately, it sets a tone for Mos Def's 2009 Ecstatic that is never maintained and you crave the duration of the record. Perhaps that is the magic of the track. Whether it is for his own album (Ehtiopium/sampling Ehtiopian music) or for Mos (sampling Turkish psych Sleda), Oh No takes ethnic/world music and produces another monster in "Supermagic." Ecstatic was good, not stellar or mind blowing, but good. "Supermagic" is mind blowing.
Million Young/"Hammock"
Florida's Million Young sounds like everything you associate with the south eastern state. Upbeat, sunny, but always sort of tacky like when you spill soda on the ground and its not properly wiped up. Million Young's "Hammock" is just that, with bright acoustic guitar and a club baseline. Its both Miami and the Keys, but, never Orlando (the Anaheim of the east).
Futurebirds/EP
Aquarium Drunkard pans the spotlight to the Futurebirds EP. It being the Holiday season, the two selected Futurebirds tracks are fit to warm the frigid with exceptional harmonies and soul. Put this on while your huddled next to your space heater.
Moon Duo/"Stumbling 22nd St."
Moon Duo is Erik Johnson of Wooden Shjips and Sanae Yamada. The two show what is in store with the first single, Stumbling 22nd St," from their upcoming 2010 release b/w Woodsist. Moon Duo is lo-fi spook, perfect for any Halloween mix, with "Stumbling 22nd St." playing like a soundtrack for a horror film set in 19th Century London (cobblestone streets and all). The victim, drugged and vulnerable, tries to get to safety while his Jack the Ripper-type killer stalks calm and patient. A fly trying to shake free of the web.
Po Po/"Knife Iz Yung"
We could all point and laugh like kids on the playground at Po Po's (Poh Poh or Pu Pu) name, but, from the sounds of it they would in turn probably just kick your ass with their Bollywood lo-fi garage rock. Chant worthy and fist pumping, "Knife Iz Yung" is a great live interlude track with amazing recorded distortion. Their 2010 debut is out via Mad Decent and is due for some production love from Diplo and Ariel Rechtshaid. Who's laughing now. Po Po!
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Lunatic Mix 5: Light Years
*disclaimer: The songs in this mix are songs that I enjoy and figure people should hear. If you own the copyright and want them taken down, please contact and I will do so.
Here's the 5th Lunatic Mix : Light Years. 5th?? Where are the other 4? It just so happens, I've been making mixes long before I started blogging...so the other 4 are on their way...in time.
Light Years is a mix that I created to put the world on hold, even if just for an hour...or six. I've always been envious of an astronauts perspective. How insignificant all must feel when finally back on Earth. These are songs that, if for a moment, help me get the right perspective.
Take a trip to my outer space:
Fever Ray/ "Now's the Only Time I Know" (j-wow remix)
Fever Ray's S/T is one of my favorite albums of 2009 and electronic artist Karin Dreijer Andersson's (of The Knife and Honey is Cool) debut. The album plays a lot like the phenomenon of an eclipse. The bleak instrumentals mask, but don't impede, Andersson powerful drone; and in turn her vocals coddle/surround the rich blacks creating a subtle contrast of tone. While the album concocts some of the most intricate music-inspired-moods, it does not position itself for more of a popular listen in electronica or any genre. It is niched.
That was until J-Wow (of Buraka Som Sistema) turned "Now's the Only Time I Know" into a rave-party-banger, making Andersson's vocals less meditative and more dance inspiring. J-Wow doesn't remove the introverted soul from the track entirely, but rather, just makes it get out on the dance floor. One of the best remixes this year!
Pitchfork gave a shout out for this track to appear on Diplo's next mixtape. I wouldn't mind hearing that...
Friday, December 4, 2009
Vivian Girls/"He's Gone" (chantels cover)
Vivian Girls cover of the Chantels' "He's Gone" is stripped of most instrumentation and of course showcases the band's exceptional vocal harmony. The Vivian Girls are constantly on the road and now its in support of their album, Everything Goes Wrong, released this past Fall (9/8).
[via gvsb]
James Franco: Performance Art
James Franco, of Freaks and Geeks, Spider Man franchise and Milk, is going to be on 23 episodes of General Hospital...ask me if I care. Enough to post about it? Initially no, but as originally reported Franco, is doing this as performance art. Say what???
"...Most performance pieces before the 1970s were not well recorded. All that remains of some works are scraps of various media. This wasn't simply a result of oversight. Chris Burden never intended his early pieces to be filmed because he was concerned that the films would be seen as the work rather than as a record of the work. He was more interested in completing the act than getting the greatest number of people to see it. He worried that people would regard the film as the full experience when anyone who has watched a stage play on film knows, it is never the same as seeing it live...."
If at all interested, please read his entire op-ed piece for the Wall Street Journal where he does not defend his decision but rather intelligently discusses the history of performance art in relation to his motives. I can respect that.
[via Hollywood Reporter]
Salvador Santana/"Keyboard City" (dan deacon remix) [ft. gza]
The constant intermixing-world of remixes can produce some pretty strong material. Salvador Santana, Carlos Santana's son, first remixed "Keyboard City" where GZA does a verse on the track. Dan Deacon then took the remix of "Keyboard City" and remixed the remix. Deacon ups the keyboards and adds his signature distorted synth.
[via Pitchfork]
Sleigh Bells/"Infinity Guitars" on Tunnelvision
I am really only posting this video because of where it took place and because I have posted Sleigh Bells before. The performance isn't amazing, however, it took place at rap mogul Damon Dash's basement venue, Under 100, in Manhattan. Dash, Mos Def, and Curren$y were on hand for Sleigh Bells, Javelin, and Knife Hyts performance on the venue's inaugural night. What is with the crowd and their lack of groove. No rocking out in sight!
better on track?...
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
'09: Real Estate, S/T
Writing in the blogosphere can start to seem like a cut and paste affair: "I read this, I found this" Drag, Right Click, COPY, Right Click, PASTE, type three grabbing lines of information, and POST. But, that's not why I started my blog. I started the ZenLunatic to be about my taste. I want it to sound from me.
So, in an effort to make my 2009 taste-making more genuine, I have organized a format in which I will post my favorite albums of 2009. In the same vain as Aquarium Drunkards' Decade Piece, I will consistanty post my favorite albums in no particular order from now (end of November) to the end of the year. My goal is that these albums feel as happenstance of a discovery as they did when I first put the disc in my car CD player.
2009 served as a moment in my life where I was clearly starting to define my taste in music. I started ZenLunatic in March of this year , originally out of boredom and fear (to do something meant you weren't failing). So every morning, when I found myself out of work, in my sweat pants, and wired from too much coffee, I wrote about music. It started simply because. As I continued to explore and dig deeper, I found myself exposed to another universe of artists, genres, and creative possibilities. The world of music, as experienced via the web, is an energizing and hopeful place where artists communicate and survive all while remaining dreamers. I hold fast, that our likes and dislikes (opinions) are the guards to what food, what music, what art, what film, what people might come asking to take residency in the place that makes you, you. While exercising my ability to discover within the Clear Channel-less realm of music, I learned that finding what you like and don't like is the same as finding who you are. The following albums are the ZenLunatic.
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I've said it this multiple times this year, but, I'll say it again: "Real Estate is my favorite band to emerge in '09." I consider myself a young buck to the music game and Real Estate makes a good companion. Themselves having only been active since 2006, their first volume of material didn't hit the web, vinyl, and disc until this year. From Jersey, the band creates a sound rooted in the Shore. Not the Shore that has been showcased on MTV's True Life (jager bombs), but, the Jersey Shore that strikes any westerner as a contradictory idea. Oceans get cold? Sand can be covered with snow? As contradictory as frigid beaches might sound, so does Real Estate's music.
The album maintaina a common thread of low key optimism that doesn't promise you anything but would never think of taking anything away either. "Beach Comber" is the corner stone of the record, a song about a Beach Comber (the dudes that scan the beach with a metal detector). Analogous to the beach comber is every young human finding their way through life and everyday altering what it is they ultimately value. What is it that we are looking for? Through the multitudes of sand, the excitement and anticipation of finding grand treasure, we realize we are happiest when just looking. Hence, the music follows the lyrical content in rejoicing in a beach sway like a breeze through Palm leaves. "Beach Comber" states the ethos of Real Estate.
Real Estate rests upon their laurels of melodic, low key, and lo-fi indie rock. Real Estate's music is carried primarily by the fresh sound that Martin Courtney has brought out of his guitar. Aquatic, much, like the reflection of a swimming pool, the guitar seems suspended, but always moving. Melodic and upbeat but never overtly optimistic, weather in lyric or instrumentation, Real Estate's s/t never cuts too deep, nor, steps on your toes with idealism. It simply creates a nostalgic backyard BBQ environment where the sun is out and the vibes are chill.
Small Black/"Despicable Dogs" Video
A surprisingly amazing video directed by Yoonha Park. The video for Small Black's "Despicable Dogs" is a character study of singer-keyboardist Josh Kolenick's surfer uncle. Kolenick's uncle exudes the machismo of Chuck Norris, however, Park does a stellar job of digging deeper to portray the man's soul separate from his ambition. Life is composed of doing. Whether it's working a 9-5, surfing, washing your car, watching a movie, going to the local liquor store...all things done make up the landscape of a today and eventually a lifetime. Do what it is you enjoy.
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