Currently Listening To...

[TurtleFu]

it seems very demo tape-y, but I tend to think industrial music sounds demo tape-y anyways.

is it just okay in general or okay as a Kanye album? should it be judged as a stand-alone album or in comparison to Registration? eternal questions

[deadgrandma]

Sounds like Kanye heard Death Grips or even Tyler, The Creator and decided to do his own version.

Its best feature is that it's short.

Still don't get the appeal of this stuff. Hipster hop seems too 'in the moment' for me, much like 'nu-metal' (though I was a teenager when that was in its peak so I dug it :-p). I expect this all to be gone in 10 years time and replaced with whatever new white-safe version of hip hop is created from the bowels of technological advance.

As far as it being OK, turtlefu, seems Pitchfork jizzed their selves over it... 9.5. So yeah... :-p

[karateexplosion]

Originally Posted by TurtleFu

it seems very demo tape-y, but I tend to think industrial music sounds demo tape-y anyways.

is it just okay in general or okay as a Kanye album? should it be judged as a stand-alone album or in comparison to Registration? eternal questions

I'd say okay in general. If you attempt to compare it to his older works, you're gonna have a bad time. That said, I think it only works as a Kanye album in the echelon of popular music, so there's that.

In summary, lol Pitchfork.


Currently listening to various artists I haven't heard from the Neoclassical Punk Zydeco Rockabilly TV Tropes page. Interesting stuff, though I haven't found anything in particular that I'd like to investigate further.

Rolo Tomassi - I Love Turbulence

[SoulExperience]

Originally Posted by TurtleFu

it seems very demo tape-y, but I tend to think industrial music sounds demo tape-y anyways.

is it just okay in general or okay as a Kanye album? should it be judged as a stand-alone album or in comparison to Registration? eternal questions

New Slaves is like the only stand out track, mostly because of the lyrics. The rest is sooo meeeeeeeh

[Superficial Fan]

I said:

I don't know if it's really as hot as it seems right now

Look, it says so in the Guardian! It must be true! It must be true!

Anyway, very nice mix included with the article. Stunning to me to hear so many good tracks back to back, and there are others from this year I'm aware from the same UK dance pop milieu.

[Superficial Fan]

Meanwhile, back in the Middle East, it's official: Mohammed Assaf is the winner of Arab Idol. It may be unofficial, but I'd say he's a new master in Arab music. I hope he has a long career. This performance is just incredible, in my opinion:

Mohammed Assaf blowing the minds of the judges

Mohammed Assaf after winning

[Tokyo Jihad]

Because too many people have complained that they never heard of any of the music on my last year write up,I have made it my second half of 2013 resolution to do a better job of letting you know whats up with the year before December.

I will also try to not be too lengthy.

Cień chmury nad ukrytym polem - Stara Rzeka

Stara Rzeka is a polish post-rock outfit that demonstrates a great ear for progressive rock. You can listen to the track imbeded above, but really, listed to the first track on their bandcamp page. They shift from acoustic instrumentation, to black metal vocals, as well as some electronics artfully.

Once I was an Eagle - Laura Marling

As seems to be the case for every acoustic guitar-centric femaly folk singer as they move through their career, Laura Marling strips her sound down with her latest release. The most striking element of this album is it's structure. At seventeen tracks, it is very dense, and on top of that, the seventeen tracks blend together into what sounds more like 3 to 5 songs. Most notable is the first suite of songs which spans nearly the first half of the album. Evocative subjects, strong singing on this record.

Wormfood - Jamaican Queens

Detroit indie act Jamaican Quees pull together an impossibly strong debut built around jaunty pop songs with trip-hop beats and flourishes. It is a weird listen but incredibly catchy and fun. Not a weak link on the album.

Innocence is Kinky - Jenny Hval

Jenny Hval takes the stranger path crossing folk, alternaive, avant garde, and chamber pop. Her songs shift and mutate as does Jenny's personality. Hval brings a piercing voice and uses to welcome and unsettle and sometimes just creep out.

Magic Trix - Xenia Rubinos

Xenia Rubinos blends indie, alternative, and latin music in an ear busting debut. The beats thumb, the grooves are nasty, and Xenia owns the sound stage. Big surprise record.

Yo-Yo Blue- PLVS VLTRA
Soundcloud link
I know, no youtube. Be a trooper and suffer the extra tab to check her out though. Plvs Vltra conjures nostalgia in an alluring way that excites while still being decidedly chill.

I'll stop there for now, but hopefully you found six new favorite artists.

[Superficial Fan]

Liking this Stara Rzeka from the bandcamp site, so far. Interesting find. Update: fifth track in and this one in particular just reminds me too much of everything I used to listen to in high school and college, but have chosen to leave behind. Not that that makes it bad, but it probably makes it not something I'm looking for.

The vocals on this Jamaican Queens song are just too Bowie for me. Also not hearing trip hop.

Jenny Hval makes me want to ask: Jihad, have you ever heard any Art Bears?

Sorry to be quite so quick in my judgments.

Let's talk about Lulu James, well not really talk about because I don't have a lot to say but I think these are both really good, though the second is a little more disco/dance oriented (not entirely retro though, with its UK funky touches). Edit: wait, I want to say something about "Closer." When that "Don't you ever let me go" part comes in at around 2:15ish, that is good stuff. Of the two songs I think it has the most going for it in traditional full-scale musical terms, with bridges like that. And the video itself is a bit ho-hum.

Lulu James - Closer

Lulu James - Step by Step

[deadgrandma]

Jenny Hval... does every song sound like what PJ Harvey would consider a bside?

[EmilScherbe]

WAWAWAWA / Solaris (Bustan Abraham)

Originally Posted by matan-san

Akiko Shikata fans? just discovered her yesterday

while I was trolling YouTube around her Ar Tonelico songs,
I found the violinist of this video played some of it about 4 years ago.