Tag: #czarface

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Spring Forward — Less Sleep, More Songs

Of course it being the weekend and finally having an opportunity to sleep in a little, my body decides to wake up even earlier than during the week (4am instead of the normally sporty 5), compounding the deficit we’ll all shortly have with the extra hour of sleep we lose tonight.  Whether you lose a bunch like me or you lose just the single hour tomorrow, there’s a ton of new stuff out to help you wile away the time.  It’s another sign of the coming spring after a long stretch of cold, barren months — new songs and albums popping up like bright green growth from last year’s bulbs. It’s a welcome sight and hopefully bodes well for a bounty harvest. Since there’s so many I’ll bore you less with my insights than normal (the eight of you got your wish!), so without further ado let’s kick off a round of Sunshine Speed Dating!

DING! “Hi, what’s your name? Grian? How do you spell that? Oh you’re in a band? What’s it called?  Oh…….[long pause] you know that place is filled with assholes and idiots, don’t you…” [cue both parties looking at their watches, neither of whom are actually wearing one] First up meet Fontaines D.C., a band from one of the best places on earth (Ireland) whose name calls out one of the worst (this shitbox) and whose frontman’s (Grian Chatten) I’m still not sure how to say.  Don’t let the monikers keep you away, though, as these guys have some pretty catchy tunes on their debut, Dogrel, which comes out in April.  None moreso than the lead single, “Big,” which is the perfect soundtrack for one of these rounds — bright, energetic, and just about two minutes long.  Give it a ride here:

Next!  “Oh you look familiar — Czarface, isn’t it? Something’s a little different, though — did you ombre your hair?! No? You just brought in another emcee?  Mmm…I dunno, I still think you did something to your hair…”   State of the strands aside, the touch of color Czarface bring to their already good getup is Ghostface, teaming with his Wu brother Inspectah Deck (along with Esoteric and 7L) for the first time since that band’s official albums. This group continues its recent pattern of pairing with another big name act to make an album (along with their overall hit or miss streak), dropping this on the heels of last year’s partnership with MF Doom. Similar to that one, it’s got a couple good tracks on it, including this puppy, “Mongolian Beef,” so check out the latest fishscale here:

 

Next up — “Oh hi! Good to see you again — Will, isn’t it? Ha, yes, not Will-i.am, that guy’s a bit of a clown. You have spent the last few years re-recording your early material as synthy dance tracks, though, so…” [insert awkward silence and shuffling] The Will in this case is Toledo, the frontman/brainchild of Car Seat Headrest, and while he has spent more time reworking (“improving”) old songs than I’d like (as on last year’s Twin Fantasy), it seems like he’s been writing new material based on some recent shows. One of those tracks is “Can’t Cool Me Down,” which despite the nearly two minute synth intro (honestly — if one more band starts dicking around with synths………..) is a pretty catchy tune.  We’ll see what else he churns out — in the meantime, see what you think:

Neeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeext! “Oh hello! My that’s a lovely accent you have.  Oh all five of you have it — meoooow!  Where are you from again?  Oh nice — ha yes I’m sure you all have a tremendous amount of thunder down under, but I’m quite fine not seeing it firsthand, thanks…” The lads with the didgeridoos in their Dockers here are the Aussie quintet Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever who look to be coming back from their full-length debut last year (which landed at #13 on my list) and releasing some new material.  The first single is “In the Capital” (which apparently will be followed by one called “Read My Mind,” based on the cover) and it’s another winner in the vein of War on Drugs or Roadkill Ghost Choir — bright guitars, shining melody, and the perfect soundtrack for a drive on the coast with the windows down. Take it for a spin yourself:

NEXT! “HELL-o, laaaaaaaaaaDEEZ… Pleased to make your acquaintance.  Or should I say ‘acquaintances.’  Cuz there’s three of you.  I’m good at counting. I took math a bunch.  In school.  What?  No I’m not nervous. Why would I be? Girls don’t terrify me. I read an article on what they search for on porn sites and it totally didn’t make me break into a sweat…” (Side note — I’m very worried about what’s happening in Iowa, Missouri, and Maine… special shout out to the Uzbek women as the globe’s sole proponents for research on MILfs) The ladies in question here are Mary Timony’s posse from Ex Hex who are back for the first time since their debut, 2015’s aptly named Rips (which landed at #13 on that year’s list), and it sounds like they’ve lost none of their edge the past four years.  They’ve already released a couple singles from the upcoming album (It’s Real, due out March 22nd), but this third one “Rainbow Shiner” is my favorite so far — another ripper right in line with 80s rockers from Joan Jett and Heart (and their debut). Break out the leather and Aqua Net and crank up the volume:

NEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEXT! “What’re you doing here? I thought you were dating the Waxahatchee lady? She’s got a pretty voice — I love her first couple albums.  The covers you two have been doing together are pretty great, too.  Hey has anyone ever told you you sound a lot like Bob Dylan?  Oh all the time?  Literally every person you meet?  Well that’s a bummer.  You really do sound just like him, though…”  That’s right, the boy who sounds like the bard is back again, ready to drop another album full of gems on a mostly unsuspecting population.  That’s a real shame because Morby has quickly become one of my overall favorites, dropping a string of great albums the past few years — City Music landed at #4 on my 2017 list, Singing Saw at #6 on my 2016 one, and Still Life at #10 on my 2014 one.  He’s back with another full length (Oh My God, due out April 26th), which he says will tackle religion and spirituality.  Seems like a dicey proposition, but based on the initial track will likely be worth a listen.  It’s a different subject matter for him and maybe as a result so is the sound he’s surrounding it with — in addition to the hand claps there’s also flute, sax, and piano with almost nary no guitar to be found.  It still works, though, so we’ll see what the rest of the album brings — in the meantime check out “No Halo” here:

LIGHTNING ROUND! “Oh man! You used to be in the Walkmen! (You guys were one of my absolute faves) But now you’re doing solo stuff (that’s also been really good, very glitzy and Sinatra-like) and you did one album with the dude from Vampire Weekend (I know he left, but you’ll be fine — that’s why you’re here!) but you also did an album with your old guitarist in there that no one heard about (Dear God). It came out three years ago?  Eesh, I’m really sorry — well I really like the one song I found, “Proud Irene” — I’m going to go look for the rest of the album now.  Hope to see you again soon — good luck!”

DING! “Oh hey, you’re the guy who sounds like Dave Grohl when he sings!  I love Dave Grohl.  He seems like the coolest dude.  I’d love to have a drink with him or just hang out. He is just so funny! And MAN what a drummer — our generation’s John Bonham. Do you know Dave Grohl?  Oh right sorry — no I really like your band Pile too.  I’ve written about em a couple of times on my blog.  Well, don’t get too excited, literally like eight people read it.  But I try. One day I’ll break into double digits… Anyway, I really dig you guys. You really rip when you let loose.  I’m glad to hear you’ve got a new album coming out (Green and Gray, due May 3).  The first single is pretty cool — I’m not sure what a “Bruxist Grin” is (is that the smile of a Marxist Teddy Ruxpin or something? I should look it up…) but it sounds cool.  I’m looking forward to the rest of the album — hopefully it rocks a little more than Hairshirt, that was a little weird…”

DING! “OOOOH Chemical Brothers, you guys NEVER come to the States.  It’s an honor!  I saw the video for “We’ve Got to Try” and it’s pretty great.  Where’d you get the idea to have a dog drive a racecar? And then become an astronaut! Ha, that was really funny.  My dog doesn’t do much but snuggle and fart — sometimes at the same time.  Just like my wife!  I kid, I kid.  Anyway, I’m glad to see you guys have a new album coming out soon (No Geography, due April 12th) — your ninth!  That’s super impressive.  You guys are always really good — I’m looking forward to hearing the rest of the album.  By the way — can you please do some shows in the States? I’m too lazy to travel and afraid of foreign food — just fast food and golf carts for me.  Just like the President!  Wait where are you going? It’s nothing to be ashamed of!”

DING! “Wow. That is a huge glass of red wine, Mr Berninger.  What is it, merlot? Remember that scene from the movie Sideways? ‘I am NOT drinking any fucking merlot!’ That was a pretty funny scene.  That guy kind of reminds me of you.  Bearded, smart, kind of cranky and forlorn. Do you know him? I think we’d get along well together — I mean, YOU’D get along well together.  I’m nothing like that… Anyway.  I love your band — the new single’s nice.  The female vocalist was a nice touch, but I wish you guys would let up with the electronic stuff a bit, though.  You trying to be Radiohead or Bon Iver?  Wait Justin Vernon is really tight with your guitarist? And they were actually in a band together and curated a festival last year? Oh wow right, I forgot.  Anyway, you guys always make my year end lists (2017, 2013, 2010, and 2008) and Boxer’s one of my all-time faves.  Yeah yep, I write a blog, one day people will read it, it’s about the love of the music and doesn’t matter how many people hit it, I know, you’re right.  Boxer, though, what an amazing album.  It was the soundtrack to one of my old relationships and its explosive end.  Yeah it was a MESS. That is kind of a dark album. Time, too.  Man oh man, what a show… but we get out of it — you’re right. I’m glad you’re in a better place, too, Mr Giamatti — hey do you mind if I have a sip of that merlot?”

DING! “Dan Auerbach! Man I love your band.  You and Carney have been faves since thickfreakness. I’ve seen you live like a gajillion times.  There was one stretch where either you or the band were at Lolla for like five years straight.  It was almost like you were the house band! I’ve written about you a ton too — Attack and Release was my album of the year back in 2008 and Turn Blue came in second in 2014.  What? Oh yeah I have a blog.  No, not many people read it, you’re right.  Ha yep, you have more albums than I have readers, that’s probably true. Very funny, Mr Auerbach…  Anyway, I know you’ve been busy producing a bunch of people the past few years — Pat too — but I’m really glad to hear you two have an album coming out soon. Yeah I know it doesn’t sound very different from your other stuff, but that’s ok — the world could use a little consistency and rock and roll right now.  Yeah, I know Greta’s doing rock and roll — have you heard their lyrics though? Fucking cornball fantasy nonsense and cheesy cliches about getting high when you’re low. Wait you guys have a line like that too?  In this song?! I’m sure it’s just a coincidence — I didn’t mean you guys were corny.  I love you guys — come back!”

DING! FINAL ROUND!  “Oh hey Local Natives! You guys are great — and back with TWO new singles?!  Who are you trying to impress?  Ha oh right, me, that’s why you’re here. “Cafe Amarillo” was nice and I really liked “When Am I going to Lose You.” I saw Kate Mara in the video for that one — she’s really pretty.  Did you get nervous talking to her? That never happens to me, but I hear it does to some people. Particularly when you think about what they’re thinking about.  Like — do you know what girls in New England look for on the internet?  Squirts, and I don’t think they’re talking about the beverage… Anyway, you guys are great — I love how chill your albums are.  Your last one made my year end list (Sunlit Youth, #8 in 2016). What?  Yeah I have a blog.  No, I know not many people read it.  Yeah I could see why you’d think that’s a big waste of time.  Yeah particularly when I’ve been doing it for over ten years.  For this page.  Other ones were…..exactly the same.  But yeah, you guys are great.  Hey it’s really been fun to talk to you — where’s Berninger with that fucking merlot…”

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Warm Voices, Wu Brothers, and a Song About Antarctica

I’ve been holed up as part of the annual holiday hideout, stuffing my face with libations of all forms while working on the year end review (I’m sure the eight of you are fiending for it, but rest easy — I’ll post it in a week or two), but wanted to surface in the interim to highlight a couple catches I made in my cave. First is the latest single from fellow Chicagoan Jeff Tweedy’s new album, WARM, which dropped last week. I’m still working through the album (early indications are you might see it in a couple weeks), but there’s no point sitting on this one as it’s an instant winner. Bright melody, smart, slightly sad lyrics — another gem from Jeffrey. (And while you’re listening, give a look at the music he says helped make him who he is, courtesy of Pitchfork. Some interesting selections and insights, particularly his love of Missy and “The Message.”)

Next comes the first single from the upcoming Czarface album. Their last one, a pairing with fellow rap/comic hybrid MF Doom was a surprising disappointment, sort of the equivalent of bacon ice cream. (“I like both of these things separately — why are they not better together!?”) This one’s another collabo and finds the team adding another Wu member, however temporarily — that of Ghostface, one of the few Wu-bangers still rapping. (Meth, when will you ever come back???) Hopefully this one’s an indication of what’s to come, as it’s a return to some of the best stuff off the early Czar albums (and on point with the best turns off Ghost’s recent offerings). It’s a solid listen — give it a ride here:

Following that comes the latest from the ever-productive Bob Pollard and beloved Guided by Voices who released two EPs yesterday (part of the two others they plan to release, which I guess form together like Voltron to make up their first album of the year — one of two planned so far). As I recently wrote, some of the new stuff sounds really good (“Cohesive Scoops” and “My Future in Barcelona” among them), but this one wasn’t in the setlist the night I saw them. It’s another winner, though — hopefully the rest of the album keeps up the trend. Give it a listen here:

Shifting gears a little we’ve got the first single from the Chemical Brothers’ upcoming album, which will be the duo’s ninth. They’ve remained a steady force, albeit in the background compared to current electromonsters like Aoki, Skrillex, and others, but the material has been consistent throughout. Maybe not as irresistibly exhilarating as Dig Your Own Hole or their live album Brothers Gonna Work It Out (one of the all-time best DJ sets), but there have been moments like that amidst more nuanced, mature offerings. We’ll see what this one has in store for us — so far it’s got a solid song with an entertaining video to get us started. Check it out here:

Last up we’ve got a seasonally appropriate offering, a new Christmas song from the Minus Five, which pairs Death Cab frontman Ben Gibbard with a pretty winning song about spending the holiday in Antarctica. It’s even got a cute video with a penguin — what more could you want? So strap on your Santa hat and give it a listen — and I’ll see the eight of you in a few weeks with the vaunted year end list!

— BS

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Doom and Diplo-macy, Pumpkins and Jewels — A Medley of Neutral Milk

Well — I had planned to pop in for a quick update since I’d caught a couple interesting items worth flagging over the week, but of course all my simple pleasures must become infuriatingly over-complicated clusters lately, so it’s taken me over an hour to find a way to log in here as my computer thinks the site is malicious and it keeps telling me my passwords are wrong (and won’t allow me to change them).  Fucking GD technology…

AAAAAAAANYhow — I finally found a way in, so before Agent Smith and his cronies find me here’s a couple things to wrap your ears around…  We’ll continue the trend of the last post and keep riding around on our hiphoppopotamus, stomping ’round the riverside in search of some banging beats. First find is the lead single from the upcoming collaboration between MF Doom and Czarface, the side project of Wu-tang’s Inspectah Deck (along with Boston duo Esoteric and 7L).  I’ve always thought Deck was the most underappreciated and lyrically lethal member of the Wu (check his verse in “Protect Ya Neck” for but one outstanding sample), but like almost everything about those guys, what you often get is a frustratingly inconsistent tangle of tunes to sort through. So the Czarface project, which is three albums in at this point, is an at times exciting endeavor, with verses from fellow Clansmen Ghostface, GZA, and Meth, along with efforts from Action Bronson, Large Professor, and even DJ Premier, but also occasionally muddled and mediocre. (The comic book backdrop for rap is somewhat tired at this point, similar to the martial arts influences of Deck’s original group.)

Doom is the same way — at times brilliant lyrically, throwing out choice lines over killer beats — but too often he gets tripped up in schtick: trying to be funny, or adhering to closely to the cartoony gimmick of his comic book alter ego (or both).  Which is why this pairing makes perfect sense, makes you a little nervous, and makes you salivate.  They’ve worked together before — “Ka-Bang!” on Czarface’s second album, 2015’s Every Hero Needs a Villain was a highlight on what I still think is that outfit’s strongest outing — and the single is pretty solid.  There’s just that note of hesitation in your head because you suspect the album (due out in March) will be another up and down affair and not the home run you hope for.  Time will tell, but in the meantime enjoy the single (and check out the second album):

Next are a couple more singles to entertain the ears from a pair of hip hop influenced producers, one from BOOTS and one from the tireless Diplo.  First is BOOTS’ latest, which again pairs him with favorites Run the Jewels (a duo who is nothing if not consistent — pure fire purveyors for three straight albums now!) and the marriage still works.  Mike and El’s verses are hands down the best part of the song, which get a little limp when BOOTS and Cristin Milioti are cooing at the end, but as usual it’s worth the price of admission to hear those two go to work.  So come on in and check it out yourself:

As for Diplo’s latest, it has him showcasing some new feathers, which is a nice change of pace.  Instead of his usual high octane numbers with battle bots squaring off against reggae Rastas in a sweaty dancehall, he goes downtempo (and downright cinematic) in this one.  Featuring Virginia rapper DRAM, this one’s a languid little thing bound for car commercials or movie trailers.  Good to see Dip showing his range and continuing his sonic explorations.  Check it out here:

We’ll close with a couple articles on indie acts/albums near and dear to my heart — first a solid writeup on the 20th anniversary of Neutral Milk Hotel’s In the Aeroplane Over the Sea, which as the article details is a much-beloved — and much-maligned — gem from the late 90s. I fall into the former camp (I still remember how gobsmacked I was by the ‘nothing else on planet Earth sounds like this’ carnival of a lead single, “Holland, 1945”), but along with the author I get what can drive people into the latter (Mangum has a voice similar to Corin Tucker from beloved Sleater-Kinney, you either love it or hate it immediately).  It still holds up for me all these years later, though, particularly the nakedness of it, that uncomfortable, unabashed openness. “Oh Comely” is the one I come back to most, its beautiful melody and unbridled angst feeling like bleeding out in a bathtub, with Mangum’s knocking on the guitar acting as an ebbing heartbeat before the brass band marches in and drives you back to life.  It, like most of the album, is a strange, spellbinding affair — but one that’s not easy to ignore. Pop this one on while you read the writeup:

Last we’ll close with another solid list from Stereogum that follows on the heels of the announcement that hometown legends Smashing Pumpkins would be going on tour again soon, but this time with some noteworthy restrictions. One, it would be the first time this much of the original lineup would be performing — Corgan and Chamberlain would remain from recent lineups, but this time it’ll be a real Jim Jam as guitarist James Iha will accompany the pair on the road (though still no D’arcy).  Two, they will only play tunes from the early albums — Gish through MACHINA — which means these setlists are going to be chock full of classics.  Three, as any good Chicagoan would they’ve decided to give DC the middle finger and steer clear of this shitbox, so I might be fueling up for a road trip soon.  The news has me pretty excited, and I’ve been on a bit of a bender since then, going back through my favorite tunes that didn’t make the list  (Stumbleine? Silverfuck?), but they do a decent job hitting the high notes.  Their number one of “Cherub” is a no-brainer, but for me nothing will top the break at the end of “Rocket” for my vote for the band at its most exhilarating.  Click play and crank it as loud as you possibly can — and get ready for the release.  Until next time, amici…