video review: '3001: a laced odyssey' by flatbush zombies

Man, I wish I had liked this album more... eh, it happens. Good, not great.

Next up... whoa, suddenly my schedule filled up fast, so let's see if I can finally finish this Mount Moriah review before Denzel Curry and so many more - stay tuned!

album review: '3001: a laced odyssey' by flatbush zombies

I don't tend to cover many mixtapes, if I do at all.

And believe it or not, I actually have my reasons. I do recognize that some artists - especially in hip-hop - will release some great work on mixtapes, and that if you're not on top of the mixtape scene, you can fall behind on who has buzz, especially in the Internet age. Now that's not saying I don't occasionally listen to mixtapes that get sent my way, but if I covered every tape that gets dropped or sent to me, I wouldn't be covering any other genres besides hip-hop. And let's be brutally honest: while you can argue that there are a few artists who defined or redefined their best work on tapes, the majority use them as a cheap stopgap to drive buzz in an industry where hype is more fleeting than ever before. That's why I have a lot of respect for artists who might drop less records and overall projects, but the ratio of quality tracks to filler or garbage is more consistent.

But what this has meant is that while I've heard about Flatbush Zombies, a New York hip-hop trio out of Brooklyn affiliated with The Underachievers and Pro Era, known for a kooky style of flow and delivery that careens through smoky production with bars that manage to stick more than I expected, I hadn't really explored many of their projects in detail beyond a few singles. And while they had a few mixtapes and that collaboration EP with The Underachievers, 2015 had been a very quiet year for the Flatbush Zombies, which made the announcement about this record probably more of a surprise than it should have been, at least for me. But I figured now was as good of a time as any to dig in, so what did I get?

billboard BREAKDOWN - hot 100 - march 26, 2016 (VIDEO)

It was better, but Lord only know that when Ariana comes in next week where the charts will take us - there's too much instability at the top to hold for long.

Regardless, Flatbush Zombies coming tonight, then probably going to finally cover that Mount Moriah or Denzel Curry... and then coming up this weekend is one of my most anticipated projects of this year, so definitely stay tuned!

billboard BREAKDOWN - hot 100 - march 26, 2016

So I get the feeling that the universe saw the charts last week, wondered how the hell they could let that much concentrated awful pile up, and sprung into action to correct it. And as a result... okay, it wasn't amazing, but definitely a major improvement. And while I knew Kendrick was going to land a few songs - thankfully enough to compensate for Meghan Trainor - I didn't expect that we'd also get hits from Jake Owen and Shakira, two of the most naturally charismatic performers in the past fifteen years, so we're bound to get an upswing, right?

video review: 'varmints' by anna meredith

Holy God, this review was so damn difficult to write, but so worth it, fantastic release.

Next up, Flatbush Zombies... but of course, Billboard BREAKDOWN first, so stay tuned!

album review: 'varmints' by anna meredith

So on the topic of musical genres I've been neglecting, I haven't covered as much electronic music as I'd like this year. And again, I wouldn't say all of this is my fault - there hasn't been any records from that space in 2016 where the hype has blown me out of the water, outside of that Kygo record that keeps getting delayed. So I figured I'd go back into the indie scene to find something...

And here's where we hit a bit of a snag. See, there's been some buzz surrounding the long-awaited debut album from British producer and composer Anna Meredith, who has performed alongside James Blake and who has been making big splashes in music over the past ten years... in classical music. And this makes more sense than you'd expect - in recent years there has been a surprising amount of crossover between classical music and the electronic scene, especially on the avant-garde where melodic experimentation is much more prevalent. 

And here's where I have to confess that despite having a classical background in theory and piano, the more I delve into classical music and opera the more I keep discovering how woefully incomplete my knowledge is. That's one reason I've always shied away from covering more jazz records - as much as I'm coming to like and appreciate it, I feel there is so much more history and albums I need to absorb before I can consider myself a credible critic of that genre. I'll confess to having a little more knowledge built up over the past two years with electronic music, but I didn't expect Anna Meredith to make things easy - this is a woman who has written operas and orchestral arrangements, if she was going into electronic music, we could be getting some out-there material.

But might as well have a challenge, so I dug into her debut album Varmints - what did we get?

video review: 'mystical future' by wildernessking

Goddamn, I need to keep remember to cross-post the video to here, this is happening more than it should.

Okay, (finally) Anna Meredith and Flatbush Zombies, so stay tuned!

album review: 'mystical future' by wildernessking

So one of my personal resolutions for this year is that I'd make time to cover more black metal I found a lot to really like last year and Panopticon's Autumn Eternal landed on my year end list for my top albums of 2015...

And thus far, I've been failing miserably. To be somewhat fair to myself, it's not like I've seen or heard about much in this genre that's gotten waves of critical acclaim - my general sources have been pretty dry here - but I also don't think I've put in enough due diligence to cover the acts that have gotten a little hype. So as before with Vallendusk, I looked up the one guy I trust on YouTube to mention some interesting black metal - that'd be Myke C-Town - and saw that he had covered the sophomore release from South African band Wildernessking, so after seeing how much praise their 2012 debut The Writing Of Gods In The Sand received, I decided to give it a shot.

And wow, I'm glad I did. I'll admit I don't always have the best frame of references when it comes to black metal and I can't quite say I was immediately wowed by Wildernessking as I was by the insane riffing of Vallendusk or the genre-bending of Panopticon or the weird avant-garde tendencies of Wolves In The Throne Room or the progressive touches of In The Woods..., but there was something subtle about Wildernessking that really sucked me in. Atmospheric touches that recall post-rock, riffing and grooves that had touches of post-hardcore but still had enough grime and intensity to fit within black metal, and enough focus on melody to really stick with me. Plus - and I'll wholeheartedly admit it's inconsequential but a great touch regardless - they actually posted their lyrics, which considering how deeply they buried their vocals was a real plus. So with the knowledge that their sophomore album was going to be going even harder, I picked up Mystical Future, looking forward to five songs of blisteringly potent black metal - did I get it?

video review: 'untitled unmastered' by kendrick lamar

Well, this turned out better than expected. Then again, it's Kendrick, so go figure.

Next up, I think I need to talk about some black metal, so stay tuned!

album review: 'untitled unmastered.' by kendrick lamar

Let's talk a little bit about performance art, and Kendrick Lamar specifically.

Now I don't think anyone can deny, even if you're not a Kendrick Lamar fan, that he hasn't made a considerable impact in modern hip-hop, and not just on record. Indeed, one thing that has always stood out for me is how strong a live performer he is, bringing the same sort of visceral energy he has on record into some pretty potent songs with impressive stagecraft. To put it another way, very few artists would ever dare to perform a song as visceral as 'The Blacker The Berry' at the Grammys. You could easily make the argument that Kendrick takes his live performances as opportunities to craft unique and incendiary artistic statements outside of just the music, showing a rare gift for theater that I really appreciate.

And nowhere is that more apparent than the 'untitled' series. For those of you who aren't aware, through a series of live shows Kendrick has been slipping in tracks that nobody recognized from any album. They had no name or recorded version, the only time you could hear them was if you found a live video - in other words, the definition of modern performance art. And while I doubted they were free-form pieces that Kendrick was coming up with off the top of his head mid-performance, they were very much unique in their presentation, to the point where it might have been inevitable for them to be bundled and sold eventually, I almost didn't want it. There's something intangible in the live spontaneity of the performance that felt truly special, and to put it on wax... well, would the energy be the same, would they have the same magic?

Well, now it's time to test that theory, because out of nowhere Kendrick released a surprise record called untitled unmastered containing eight of these mysterious unnamed tracks, and because it's Kendrick Lamar, everyone online lost their minds. To me, I had significantly lower expectations - not just that these might not capture the spark of performance, but might just end up being a collection of glorified b-sides not good enough to land on To Pimp A Butterfly or good kid, MAAD city. Was I right?

billboard BREAKDOWN - hot 100 - march 19, 2016 (VIDEO)

Ugh, this week really blew. God, I hope that next week gets better with Kendrick, 'cause this was rough.

But speaking of Kendrick... well, stay tuned!

video review: 'mottherboard' by lmno

I'm amazed how well this album turned out. Again, I shouldn't be, but still, for a first time producer even with some help from DVINE1, LMNO nailed this. Definitely want to hear more, this was great.

Next up... oh, okay, I'll talk Kendrick after Billboard BREAKDOWN, so stay tuned!

billboard BREAKDOWN - hot 100 - march 19, 2016

So remember last year when there was a major push behind songs that were linked to the Academy Awards and John Legend and Common rode 'Glory' to some reasonable chart success? Yeah, this year served as the rebuttal to that on the charts, because while the Academy Awards had some impact on the Hot 100, they didn't nearly have as much impact as last year, mostly because 'Writing On The Wall' has been generally panned by everyone except the Academy. But much like everyone else, I'm choosing to ignore Sam Smith and that song... but unfortunately the option is instead to focus on this week, and yikes, it's been a while since I've seen things this bad. Strap in, folks, this gets ugly.

album review: 'motherboard' by lmno

Those of you who follow this channel know that I'm a fan of LMNO - or at least you'd assume that, given how many times I've covered him in detail. This will be my fifth review of one of his projects, and while for many artists that might encompass their entire career, LMNO is the sort of guy who will continue to push out records at frankly an alarming rate. Hell, back in 2010 he released ten albums in one year with a variety of different producers - at some point, I'm amazed he hasn't run out of ideas or things to say, because he's not the kind of guy to make it easy on listeners either, thanks to off-beat lyricism, high-concept songs, and a vocal tone and delivery which some have described as a little monotonous but also has emotive subtleties I think are underappreciated.

But there's one thing LMNO has not done in his years of releasing underground records, and that is produce an album himself - and let's make this clear, taking that additional step is a big one. Sure, you'd think that a veteran MC would know the best beats he could flow over - and let's be honest, I'm fairly certain LMNO could flow over anything - but production is an acquired skill. Most people with the right tools can structure a beat, but speaking as someone who once tried to produce an album, pairing a beat with a good melody and then the production to feel cohesive and not sound like absolute ass is a goddamn art and is so much harder than it looks or sounds. As much as I've ragged on producers like DJ Mustard or Mike Will Made It or Jay Joyce, I'm not going to deny how difficult good production is.

So I had reason to be worried when I heard that LMNO was going to be producing his newest album himself, called Motherboard, but I was intrigued, especially because word was it was going to be more electronic and experimental, mostly influenced by fellow underground artist DVINE1, with minimal samples and more live instrumentation. So even if this was going to be a disaster, it sounded like the sort of experimental risk that I've been wanting LMNO to take for years now, so you can bet I was covering it - did it work?

video review: '99¢' by santigold

Well, this took entirely too long to come out. Still a solid record, but it really did require a lot to get done.

Next up, probably Kendrick or LMNO - or both, if I have time. Stay tuned!

album review: '99¢' by santigold

So here's a piece of an argument that I really can't stand: 'well, it's better because he or she did it first', the idea that something is inherently superior because the creator might have been the one to imagine or realize it before anyone else. I get the principle behind this argument - you could argue that building off an established sound requires less work than inventing something brand new - but it can also discount when an artist takes an established foundation in a direction that even the originator never could.

In the case of Santigold, however, it might be one of the rare cases when you can see the ripple effects of her music spanning the past several years of pop music, where she was just ahead of the punch. She started off as the frontwoman of the punk band Stifled, which released two albums in the mid-2000s, but by the time she dropped her solo debut Santogold in 2008, you'd never know, as it blew through synthpop, reggae, and much of the electronic textures that would come to dominate mainstream pop for the next five years. The immediate and most common comparison is M.I.A., but I found Santigold much more likable, partially because she has a great grasp of melody and tightness in her writing, and partially because her writing had a deft touch that might not be as vibrantly scattershot as M.I.A., but ultimately felt more cohesive and considered. Now I found that debut to be pretty uneven at points - and yet when she came back with Master Of My Make-Believe in 2012, I'd argue it's one of the best pop records of that year. The writing and grooves were so well-realized, balancing electronic and organic amazingly well, it was an album that won me over fast, even if I do think the energy fades a bit in the final tracks.

So in other words, after four years of being out of the spotlight, and with the knowledge that Santigold has the sort of forward-thinking production that could take her in a fascinating direction, I was definitely on board here. So what do we get on 99¢?

video review: 'i like it when you sleep, for you are so beautiful yet so unaware of it' by the 1975

I'm amazed this review hasn't been torn to shreds yet, even though it is more positive. Ah well, goes to serve what my presumptions will be.

Next up... probably Santigold or LMNO or Mount Moriah... but who am I kidding, that Kendrick release is definitely coming, so stay tuned!

billboard BREAKDOWN - hot 100 - march 12, 2016 (VIDEO)

Well, this is a late post - late episode too, but that's what happens when your software craps out. Oh well.

Next up, the 1975... well, the video that is.

album review: 'i like it when you sleep, for you are so beautiful and yet so unaware of it' by the 1975

There's been a thinkpiece making its rounds on a few music websites questioning the continued viability of the album review, or at least the written album review. Where it was once something that could influence audiences or artists or even drive sales, many major publications have seen in the rise of the internet consumers who care less about critics and more about being guided by their own taste, the democracy of public opinion. Now this is very much a mixed blessing: on the one hand it's seen the embrace and re-analysis of pop music, giving real critical consideration to what was usually derided... but you could also argue that unless the critic has a large enough following, it's not going to help the independent, weirder acts that used to rely on a review to break out. What's more concerning is that it's seen the lines between criticism and promotion blur, especially when sites and channels rely on hits to stay afloat, and it's also led me as a critic to reassess what my role as a critic can be. And in this case, it's twofold: operating as a filter to all the acts I hear throughout the year, especially in my recommendations; and providing as much in-depth analysis as I can to improve the quality of individual reviews. 

And yet no act has so divided traditional critics and the general public as The 1975, and I think I can explain why. When I covered their debut album in 2013, I was like many critics in identifying their blatant 80s influences and self-aware self-absorption that was balanced on the edge of emo - in other words, shallow, derivative, and kind of insufferable. And yet I was also like a lot of their diefans in not really caring all that much, or at least more able to relate, mostly because the group had a gift for gleaming, slightly offkilter riff-driven hooks, great basslines and saxophone, with a distinctive vocal delivery from Matthew Healy and lyrics that had a surprising amount of insight if you read between the lines. In other words, I thought their debut was a real slice of greatness, and while their social media shenanigans got a little tiresome - along with a title for the new album that stank of emo pretension - I figured what the hell and dove into The 1975's sophomore record, which from the hype and lead-off single was reportedly weirder and more colourful than their sleek debut. What did we get?

billboard BREAKDOWN - hot 100 - march 12, 2016

I've said before there are certain weeks on the Hot 100 that are deceptive, appear quieter than they actually are because nothing seems to be really shaking up the top. And hell, it'd almost make sense, the week between the Grammys and Academy Awards, nothing really exploded here, right? Well, not quite, because if you delve deeper you'll find a fair few big shifts and dropouts, setting the stage for what could be the new songs of spring to flood in coming weeks.