#Black Thought Streams of Thought Vol. 1 EP

[thejoyofviolentmovement]

New Video: Danger Mouse and Black Thought's Posthumous Team Up with MF DOOM

New Video: Danger Mouse and Black Thought's Posthumous Team Up with MF DOOM @blackthought @BMG @NastyLittleMan @theorielco @MFDOOM

Danger Mouse (born Brian Burton) is arguably one of the most versatile and prolific artists and producers in music right now: As an artist he has been one-half of Broken Bells and Grammy Award-winning Gnarls Barkley. As a producer, he has recorded collaborative albums with  Yeah Yeah Yeahs‘ Karen O and the late, legendary MF DOOM. And he has worked with Adele, U2, The Black Keys, Gorillaz, Red…

[strangledeggs]

The Best Albums Of 2018

If you want to see a full review of any specific album on this list, or are wondering why a particular album did or didn’t make the top 10, or are wondering why an album you like from the year in question isn’t on this list at all, send me an ask about it and I’ll try and respond!

The Top 10

Room 25 by Noname

Invasion Of Privacy by Cardi B

A Laughing Death In Meatspace by Tropical Fuck Storm

Wide Awake! by Parquet Courts

Whack World by Tierra Whack

Superorganism by Superorganism

Transangelic Exodus by Ezra Furman

Be The Cowboy by Mitski

Oil Of Every Pearl’s Un-Insides by SOPHIE

Três by Thiago Nassif

The Rest

Care For Me by Saba

Conexão EP by Amber Mark

DAYTONA by Pusha T

Dirty Computer by Janelle Monae

Ephorize by CupcakKe

Foreign Ororo by Riton + Kah-Lo

Guatemaya by Doctor Nativo

Hive Mind by The Internet

I Can Feel You Creep Into My Private Life by tUnE-yArDs

Interstate Gospels by The Pistol Annies

Queen by Nicki Minaj

Quite A Life by Lyrics Born

Record by Tracey Thorn

Snares Like A Haircut by No Age

Streams Of Thought Vol. 1 by Black Thought

Tantabara by Tal National

Temet by Imarhan

The Terror End Of Beauty by Harriet Tubman

DROGAS WAVE by Lupe Fiasco

There’s A Riot Going On by Yo La Tengo

Things Have Changed by Bettye LaVette

Twerp Verse by Speedy Ortiz

Twin Fantasy by Car Seat Headrest

Un Autre Blanc by Salif Keita

What A Time To Be Alive by Superchunk

What Happens When I Try To Relax by Open Mike Eagle

Your Queen Is A Reptile by Sons Of Kemet

Coming off of a previous year I described as lackluster, this is more like it. 38 albums in total, but more importantly, I had a particularly difficult time picking the top 10 for this year. The top 3-4 proved especially difficult – I was pretty certain after a while that Noname’s “Room 25”, perhaps the peak of what one can accomplish with the “personal is political” mantra, was going to take the top spot, but was I prepared to admit that Cardi B’s pop triumph “Invasion Of Privacy” was better than Parquet Courts’ best album yet? And so, apparently, was Tropical Fuck Storm’s unrelenting “A Laughing Death In Meatspace”? It hurt me to rank some of these things the way I did, but because of this, I’m fairly confident that you could pull any of the top 10 albums at random and have a great time regardless. Just make sure to watch the videos for Tierra Whack’s album, too, since they’re a whole work of art in themselves (it’s 15 minutes of your life for one of the most creative hip-hop visual spectacles of the century so far, come on, just do it).

What’s more, typing out the rest of the list made me realize what an awesome year this was simply by how many I realized I was sad to have to leave out of the top 10. Let me tell you, in any number of weaker years (like the last, or perhaps the next one, as you’ll see), contributions by Speedy Ortiz, Superchunk, Open Mike Eagle, Harriet Tubman, No Age, The Pistol Annies, Saba, Amber Mark and more would have made it into that upper tier. It’s a true testament to the strength of this year’s releases that they didn’t; I would strongly recommend checking out much of the second-tier list as well if you’re looking for the outstanding accomplishments in hip-hop, country, indie rock, desert rock and believe it or not, avant-garde jazz (Sons Of Kemet deserve a shout-out here, too, for their unique brass band approach).

One strange quirk I’ve noticed about this year is that it features several artists who seem either to have peaked here, releasing a lesser follow-up in the next few years, or who have yet to release a follow-up at all. Parquet Courts, No Age, Noname, Nicki Minaj, Pusha T, The Internet, Cardi B, Tierra Whack, Mitski, Superorganism and sadly even Tropical Fuck Storm and the aforementioned Sons Of Kemet all fall into these categories to varying extents. Hopefully I’ll be proven wrong in some way on at least a few of those soon, but even if they don’t bounce back, many of those artists can rest easy knowing they’ve created at least one masterpiece, which is more than most can say.

Speaking specifically to a few trends I noticed from the previous year, I will acknowledge that “mainstream”-leaning pop remains under-represented here, though I think this may just be my general bias as a critic to ignore most of it or even to recognize that the stuff that makes it on to my radar as interesting enough to write about is still too inconsistent to make a year-end list in terms of quality. Then again, I put Cardi B, breakout pop-star of the year, at #2, so you can’t complain too much there. Second, I should clarify that while I said in the previous year’s essay that I was ready to re-listen to Mount Eerie’s follow-up grieving-process album “Now Only”, I ultimately felt that it couldn’t hold its own against the other albums I selected for this year’s list. Which, again, is just an indication of how good 2018 was; nothing against “Now Only”, it’s still a very good album and you should listen to it if you...enjoyed(?) “A Crow Looked At Me”.

Finally, I’m glad to see a bit more music from outside the “western” pop sphere sneaking onto this year’s list as well. Thiago Nassif’s Tom Zé-like “Três” made the very end of the top 10, but you’ll find Guatemala’s Doctor Nativo, Nigeria’s Kah-Lo, Niger’s Tal National, Algeria’s Imarhan and Mali’s Salif Keita elsewhere on the list, each of which is worth checking out and each of which brings their own unique sound to the table. And on a sadder note, it’s still hard for me to believe SOPHIE is no longer with us after releasing such a final masterwork as “Oil Of Every Pearl’s Un-Insides”. We truly lost a once-in-a-generation talent with her.

[dailymusicthoughts]

What did I listen to while I was having a dead hand? Good question

The Cure - Japanese Whispers [9/10]

Boards of Canada - Old Tunes Vol. 2 [8-9/10]

Black Thought - Cheat Codes [8/10]

Fugazi - Furniture [8/10]

The Beach Boys - The Beach Boys Today! [8/10]

Miles Davis - Neferiti [8/10]

Duster - Apex, Trance-Like [8/10]

Red House Painters - Old Ramon [8/10]

Kate Bush - Lionheart [8/10]

Crystal Castles - Crystal Castles [7-8/10]

Flying Lotus - Pattern+Grid World [7/10]

Radiohead - Iron Lung [7/10]

Aphex Twin - Collapse EP [7/10]

Lana Del Rey - Born to Die [7/10]

Viktor Vaughn - (VV:2) Venomous Villian [7/10]

Concteau Twins - Garlands [7/10]

Black Thought - Streams of Thought, Vol. 3: Cane and Able [7/10]

Kendrick Lamar - Kendrick Lamar EP [7/10]

Duster - Transmission, Fux [7/10]

Miles Davis - Sorcerer [7/10]

Miles Davis - Miles in the Sky [7/10]

Dirty Projectors + Björk - Mount Wittenberg Orca [7/10]

Wire - Read and Burn 1 [7/10]

El Michels Affair & Black Thought - Glorious Game [7/10]

Kendrick Lamar - Overly Dedicated [6-7/10]

Prince - Art Official Age [6/10]

The Rolling Stones - Black and Blue [6/10]

Death Grips - Gmail and the Restraining Orders [5-6/10]

Gorillaz - Cracker Island [5/10]

Pixies - Doggerel [5/10]

RZA - Only One Place to Get It [5/10]

Weezer - SZNZ: Spring [4/10]

[mrscorpio]

[Electronica/Beats] MrScorpio's HOUSE FIRE Podcast #298 - May Flowers Edition 05 May 2023 Mixcloud: http://bit.ly/Mixcloud298 D/L: http://bit.ly/DL-HF298 Shows: http://bit.ly/ScorpioPodcasts Feat: Name/Artist/Album People of the Kemet (Dub Version)/Byron The Aquarius/Black Man Of The Echo Tree Stand (Club Mix)/Honey Dijon/ Cor.Ece/Stand Alto Adige (Original Mix)/Steve Bug/Alto Adige Spoons (feat. MNEK & Syron) (CERCA Remix)/Rudimental/Home (10th Anniversary Edition) Raw Meat/Shortcut/Raw Tools, Vol. 1 Raw Sax (Original Mix)/Ralph Session/Shir Khan Presents Black Jukebox 35 The Best Is yet to Come/Scan 7/Heist Classics Vol. 01 Peligrosa (Original Mix)/Black V Neck/ Buitano/Peligrosa Friends (Extended Mix)/Dimitri Vegas/ Steve Aoki/ Chapter & Verse/Friends Move Left Move Right (Extended Mix)/Chapter & Verse/Move Left Move Right Me and You and Her/Adryiano/Heist Classics Vol. 01 A Milli (SIDEPIECE Extended Mix)/Lil Wayne/ SIDEPIECE/A Milli Profit/Ivy Lab /Ivy Lab Immortal/Hamdi/Immortal The Swamp/Drone/Dance With the Devil Grateful/El Michels Affair & Black Thought/Glorious Game DEMONS/SBTRKT/Toro Y Moi/THE RAT ROAD Gamebreaker feat. Earl Sweatshirt/Domo Genesis & The Alchemist/No Idols + Bonus Track 4th Feb (Stay Awake)/Alfa Mist/Variables Receipts feat. Snook Da Crook & Supreme Cerebral/Budamunk x Ill Conscious/Sakanoue EP Round Midnight/The Doppelgangaz/Black Cloak Lifestyle (Deluxe) Space For The Kidd/Move 78/Space For The Kidd / Neuralgia Three Drums/Four Tet/Three Drums Charade/Dame Black & Project Logic/Pardon Me If You Feel Away EP Today/Homeboy Sandman/Still Champion Screens Fallin/Curren$y & Jermaine Dupri/For Motivational Use Only Vol. 1 Look at This/Royce Da 5'9/The Heaven Experience EP Almost Midnight Jazz/ChasBeats/Neon City Dreams Cosmic Changes/Adrian Younge & Ali Shaheed Muhammad/Lonnie Liston Smith JID017 Send me your tracks at Soundcloud: http://soundcloud.com/mr_scorpio Check out all your tracks on my show THE HOUSE FIRE/ every other Friday @6-8 PM GMT on InvaderFM: http://invader.fm Stream the podcasts at my Mixcloud: bit.ly/MrScorpiosShows Friend me up on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/mrscorpio247 Look me up on Tumblr: http://mrscorpio.tumblr.com Shoot me your videos on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/MrScorpio Peace, Scorp

[anosci]

(302-317 albums etc that I’ve listened to this year, copied from twitter) (now with art. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] [20] [21] [22])

names and thoughts below cut

302/ Protohype - Puppy Crew (2016) one of those albums that doesnt quite hit with me, today, in 2023. mostly. "100" hits a groove just enough for me to jam B) "Dubs & 50's" is fun too

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303/ VA - Various V (2023) acid label, bleep vibes :D "To Create Is To Live Twice" has a really nostalgic sound to it, for me anyway. uziq plus some british acid ykno? immediately a big fav. the more pure acid stuff doesn't quite vibe with me this time, except "zAVONDJE 303".

---

304/ Towa Tei - ZOUNDTRACKS (2023) a surprisingly soft and cute sound. chopped bossa or something? short but sweet fav with "ANANAS" like an intermission between heavier funk. …if not softer, like "AMIKO" or even "OPEN"

---

305/ Conforce - North To South Part 1 & 2 (2016) a kind of mixed bag for my tastes, despite its cohesion. "Eclipse" i like this the most, EXCEPT that clap. calm down lol "TKY" is 2ndfav tho i kinda wish the bass were more established (longer tail) also: "Reverse". hits good

---

306/ VA - IT'S ALL OR MUFFIN!!!11! XD SQUEE!11!! (2023) whoops i missed this anyway, my favs: "RIPJMAN" i emember :') "Shattered Splinters of Memries Past" kind of a mess but a nice one "WHERE'S MY MAIL" much love for fooz's dist beat sensibilities "WiERDO RAVE ViRUS!!" yeah!!!!

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307/ MPU420 - BPM1 (2023) i was excitedly bracing for some lush bocscapes but got some banger analogue synthjams instead. apparently mpu420 != mpu101. lol. anyway. extremely solid beats if you like your circuitry.

---

308/ Xilent - Your System Remix EP (2016) another older 4track wob EP that's exactly glass half full. the two tracks i dig: "Next Time (Far Too Loud Remix)" this is gross. i love it. "Reborn VIP" im a sucker for loud midtempo. this hits right.

---

309/ VA - Chronicles of Time (2016) huge bag. im just gonna list my top 3: "Green Memories" man that's a good jazzyprog rendition. lush acc. "Where The Monsters Hide" a really nice take on an understated track! "The Brink" beautiful rendition of a beautiful tune

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310/ (music compo from qbparty 2023) 'salrite. gotta say that "Hungary" is great tho. deserved winner. it's kinda cheesed as a mod file but the result bangs so hey ok

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311/ litmus* - ルミちゃんなでなで (2023) fun dance candy selection. intro track: man i could go without the vocals but. i love those wobs. it'd be an EASY highlight if not for that :| "Lonely Dog" second fav, also by a wide margin. "Nostalgia 13" is funny bc accurate title lol

---

312/ Captive Portal - Toy Sounds Vol. 2 (2023) its alright. it doesn't really capture me specifically, but it's hard to not admire the hand crafted feel within. "Can't Read Cursive" is the highlight for me. its a clubby texture but filtered through… something, lol.

---

313/ (all music entries from Nova 2023) i do appreciate some of the oddities in here, but not much is rly speaking to me tbh… except "super waterworld". its 2 cute. it won my heart.

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314/ (all music entries from Black Valley 2023) p nice selection! "Eternal Sunspots Of The Childlike Mind" shouldve nabbed 1st in streaming imo! same for "Her name was Holly Schiiet" in chip! delicious rez! in fact i think thats my fav entry of all of the tunes

--

315/ (all music entries from Evoke 2023) a so-so collection to my taste. but then "Outsider charge" feels modular in a way that kinda vibes with me?? lol idk "Stratospheric" stands out as my fav from this selection

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316/ (all music entries from Xenium 2023) all over the place etc "sparkling pantograp" has a fun crinkly laser sound i cant help but admire the entire exemzk compo is shockingly good!!! less impressed with the streamed compo but "Sliced Thoughts" do slap.

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[renaissancedreams]

While y’all waiting on Kanye, I’m listening to this. This EP is 🔥🔥🔥🔥 Black Thought x 9th Wonder

[yasbxxgie]

I heard murder ran this vast, deserted land Since back when Burning Man was blacks in Birmingham Before the presidential election diversion scam Matter fact, before they clapped Franz Ferdinand

Black Thought, Streams of Thought, Vol. 1: Twofifteen

[389]

New Releases 12.4.20

ELECTRONICA, AMBIENT, EXPERIMENTAL

Barker - BARKER001

Cache 02 V/A [SVBKVLT]

Machine Nature V/A

Evitceles - Enter My Dream

Fmvee - Who Do U Love?

He Did - Permaneced

Mobile - Mobile

The Black Dog - Further Fragments

Hiiro Issiki - 1000 Plateaux

Mark Fell and WIll Guthrie - Infoldings / Diffractions

JUNGLE, BREAKS, DNB

THUGWIDOW & Bruised Skies - Requiem For A Sesh

Gag Reflex - The Fae

Sonic - The Eye of Jupiter

Outrage - K Zero 9

Outrage - Twisted

Outrage - Zer0 BPM

Outrage - Creeper

Outrage & Digital - Make or Break

Raiden & Meth - The Projects

INVT - DURO

Gremlinz, Stranjah & Thought - Beware Boy in the Corner

Subjoi - Bias

ELECTRO

Metaphysical City Riders V/A

Kuldaboli - Ekkert nema ískaldur veruleikinn

DJ MELL G, DESTROY - DESTROY MELL G

Larionov & St. Theodore - Thunderstrike EP

DMX Krew - Modern Body EP

CLATTERBOX - Destination London

BASS

DJ Haus, Interplanetary Criminal - Machine Learning (Interplanetary Criminal Remix)

Cassius Select - Heavyweight

French II - Control

DJ Crisps - Diamonds

Circuit 900 - Halite

SYZ - Bunzunkunzun

LEFTFIELD HOUSE/TECHNO

Fury V/A [Listening Blue Records]

Krust - TEOE Remixes #1

James Bangura - Interpretation of Sound

Iron Curtis, Johannes Albert - Moon I

Sputnik One - Warm Body EP

alllone, B.Visible - Katana

AAAA - Runts

Ballet Mechanique - Embody EP

Various Artists - 10.02 [Don't Be Afraid Records]

Nous'klaer Audio - Best of 2020

Robert Fleck - Hi Press

TECHNO

DREC TAPE, VOL. 1: ISOLATION IS MADNESS (FROM DREC WITH LOVE)

YA - Exchanged

Isserley - Hardcore

Franz Jager - Roots

Radial - Partch Exercises

Lathe - Code EP

DJ Deep - Fosph EP

INDUSTRIAL, EBM

Dominique - Liminal Space

Loods - Pure Bliss Meltown (Gerd Janson Dance Remix)

Denial Of Service - False Positives

Free Range - Camry Horses

FOOTWORK, JUKE

DJ Earl - Bass + Funk & Soul

UK GARAGE

Wilfy D - VITD003

John Steel, Ian Campbell - Picture This

HOUSE, DISCO

5 Years of Shall Not Fade Compilation V/A

Robert Hood - Nighttime World, Vol. 1

Mod Man - Waveshaper

Bryon The Aquarius - What Up Doe? Vol. 2

Bella Boo - Let's Go Out

Eversines - Plooi

Alex Falk - Blue Jellies

Alden Tyrell - All We Need

Justin Zerbst - From City Lights

TJD Label Sampler Vol. 1

Rossi. - Checkpoint.

Key Elements - Remixed Album

Golden Donna - The Truth About Love

Black Acre: A Year Under V/A

David Bay - Zissou Edits Best Vol. 1

Lorenzo Morresi, Tenderlonious - Cosmica Italiana

Lorenz Rhode - Sandpaper

VIGI - Rhodes Island

CARTEL PRODUCTIONS - Cartel

All available now for streaming: Apple Music, Youtube, Spotify etc.

[bboyplankton]

Hip-Hop/Rap Albums 2020

1. Mac Miller – Circles (Deluxe)

2. Royce Da 5’9” – The Allegory

3. Asher Roth – Flowers On the Weekend

4. Pop Smoke – Meet The Woo 2 (Deluxe)

5. Run The Jewels – RTJ4

6. Larry June – Adjust to the Game

7. Jadakiss – Ignatius

8. Jay Electronica – A Written Testimony

9. RJD2 – The Fun Ones

10. Westside Gunn – Pray for Paris

11. Joell Ortiz & KXNG Crooked – H.A.R.D.

12. Denzel Curry – Unlocked

13. Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist – Alfredo

14. Nick Grant & Tae Beast – God Bless the Child – EP

15. Duckwrth – SuperGood

16. Black Thought – Streams of Thought, Vol. 3: Cane and Abel

17. Lecrae – Restoration

18. Joyner Lucas – ADHD

19. T.I. – The L.I.B.R.A.

20. Nas – King’s Disease

21. Wale – The Imperfect Storm – EP

22. Sa-Roc – The Sharecropper’s Daughter

23. Larry June – Cruise Usa

24. Deanté Hitchcock – Better (Deluxe)

25. Russ – Shake The Snow Globe (Deluxe)

26. TOBi – Elements, Vol. 1

27. The Lox – Living Off Xperience

28. Kid Cudi – Man On The Moon III: The Chosen

29. Duke Deuce – Memphis Massacre 2

30. Benny the Butcher – Burden of Proof

31. Redman – 3 Joints

32. Eminem – Music To Be Murdered By (Deluxe)

33. Styles P – Styles David: Ghost Your Enthusiasm

34. Statik Selektah – The Balancing Act

35. Larry June – Numbers

36. Jack Harlow – Sweet Action

37. Armani Caesar – The Liz

38. Spillage Village, JID, & EarthGang – Spilligion

39. Juicy J – The Hustle Continues

40. Pop Smoke – Shoot for the Stars Aim for the Moon (Deluxe)

41. Lupe Fiasco & Kaelin Ellis – House – EP

42. Tobe Nwigwe – Cincoriginals

43. Reason – New Beginnings

44. Big Sean – Detroit 2

45. D Smoke – Black Habits

46. Megan Thee Stallion – Suga

47. Wiz Khalifa – The Sage of Wiz Khalifa

48. Nappy Roots – 40rty

49. Larry June & Harry Fraud – Keep Going

50. KXNG Crooked – Flag

51. Cookin Soul & Larry June – Orange Season (Deluxe)

52. Busta Rhymes – Extinction Level Event 2: The Wrath of God (Deluxe)

53. Conway the Machine – From a King to a GOD (Deluxe)

54. Russ – Chomp – EP

55. 21 Savage & Metro Boomin – Savage Mode II

56. Problem – Coffee & Kush, Vol. 1

57. Animé – Limbo (Deluxe)

58. Dizzy Wright – My Hustle Unmatched

59. Westside Gunn – Who Made the Sunshine

60. Jaden – CTV3: Cool Tape Volume 3

61. Jack Harlow – That’s What They All Say

62. Max B – Charly – EP

63. Skepta, Chip, & Young Adz – Insomnia

64. Problem – Coffee & Kush, Vol. 2

65. Future – High Off Life

66. Logic – No Pressure

67. Action Bronson – Only for Dolphins

68. Boldy James & Real Bad Man – Real Bad Boldy

69. Joey Bada$$ – The Light Pack – Single

70. Terrace Martin – Village Days

71. Tobe Nwigwe – The Pandemic Project

72. Dave East – Karma 3 (Deluxe)

73. Berner & Larry June – Cooks & Orange Juice

74. Moneybagg Yo & Blac Youngsta – Code Red

75. Meyhem Lauren & Harry Fraud – Glass 2.0

76. Gucci Mane – Gucci Mane Presents: So Icy Summer

77. B.o.B – Somnia

78. Westside Gunn – Flygod Is an Awesome God 2

79. Kyle – See You When I am Famous

80. Hit Boy, Dom Kennedy, & courtesy of half-a-mill – Also Known As

81. Cassie Veggies & Rockie Fresh – Fresh Veggies 2

82. Boldy James & The Alchemist – The Price of Tea in China (Deluxe)

83. Tory Lanez – New Toronto 3

84. Common – A Beautiful Revolution (Pt. 1)

85. Public Enemy – What You Gonna Do When The Grid Goes Down?

86. Papoose – Endangered Species

87. The Alchemist – A Doctor, Painter & An Alchemist Walk Into A Bar

88. A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie – Artist 2.0 (Deluxe)

89. YG – My Life 4Hunnid

90. Lil Baby – My Turn (Deluxe)

91. Rare Sound & K Camp – Rare Family

92. Tsu Surf – MSYKM

93. The Alchemist – The Food Villain

94. Goodie Mob – Survival Kit

95. SAINt JHN – While The World Was Burning

96. Scribz Riley – Wish Me Luck

97. A$AP Ferg – Floor Seats II

98. Mozzy – Beyond Bulletproof

99. Akon – Ain’t No Peace

100. Joyner Lucas – Evolution

101. Stalley – Cake – EP

102. Mickey Factz – Warped Collages

103. Jeezy – Twenty/20 Pyrex Vision

104. Young M.A. – Red Flu

105. Blac Youngsta – F*ck Everybody 3

106. Megan Thee Stallion – Good News

107. King Von – Welcome to O’Block

108. Mozzy – Occupational Hazard

109. King Von – Levon James

110. Vic Mensa – V Tape

111. DaBaby – Blame it on Baby (Deluxe)

112. Don Toliver – Heaven Or Hell

113. K Camp – Kiss 5 (Deluxe)

114. Lil Uzi Vert – Eternal Atake

115. Fetty Wap – You Know the Vibes

116. French Montana – CB5

117. 2 Chainz – So Help Me God!

118. T.R.U & 2 Chainz – No Face No Case

119. Bia – For Certain

120. Drake – Dark Lane Demo Tapes

121. Future & Lil Uzi Vert – Pluto x Baby Pluto

122. Mulatto – Quuen of Da Souf (Deluxe Version)

123. Rich the Kid – Boss Man

124. Jeezy – The Recession 2

125. Meek Mill – Quarantine Pack – EP

126. Lil Wayne – Funeral

127. Da Baby – My Brother’s Keeper (Long Live G)

128. Lakeyah – Time’s Up

129. G-Eazy – Everything’s Strange Here

[thejoyofviolentmovement]

New Video: Danger Mouse and Black Thought Team Up with A$AP Rocky and Run The Jewels on a Glitchy Roller Coaster Visual for "Strangers"

New Video: Danger Mouse and Black Thought Team Up with A$AP Rocky and Run The Jewels on a Glitchy Roller Coaster Visual for "Strangers" @blackthought @BMG @NastyLittleMan @theorielco @asvpxrocky @runjewels @KillerMike @therealelp

Danger Mouse (born Brian Burton) is arguably one of the most versatile and prolific artists and producers in music right now: As an artist he has been one-half of Broken Bells and Grammy Award-winning Gnarls Barkley. He has recorded collaborative albums with  Yeah Yeah Yeahs‘ Karen O and the late, legendary MF DOOM. As a producer, he has worked with Adele, U2, The Black Keys, Gorillaz, Red Hot…

[yayodancing]

1. Kanye West - Yeezus

2. Playboi Carti - Die Lit

3. Young Thug - Barter 6

4. Frank Ocean - Blonde

5. Future - Monster

6. Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

7. Travis Scott - Rodeo

8. Drake - Nothing Was The Same

9. Rich Gang - Tha Tour: Pt. 1

10. Chief Keef - Finally Rich

11. Kendrick Lamar - Good Kid, MAAD City

12. Future - DS2

13. Waka Flocka Flame - Flockaveli

14. The Weeknd - House of Balloons

15. Travis Scott - Days Before Rodeo

16. Kanye West - The Life of Pablo

17. Schoolboy Q - Habits & Contradictions

18. Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp A Butterfly

19. Blood Orange - Negro Swan

20. Lil B - 6 Kiss

21. Chief Keef - Almighty So

22. ILoveMakonnen - ILoveMakonnen (EP)

23. Tyler, The Creator - Bastard

24. Frank Ocean - Channel Orange

25. Lil Peep - Come Over When You’re Sober Vol. 1

26. 21 Savage & Metro Boomin - Savage Mode

27. Spaceghostpurrp - Blackland Radio 66.6

28. Migos - Culture

29. Kid Cudi - Man On The Moon II

30. Lil Uzi Vert - LUV Is Rage

31. Lucki - Freewave 3

32. Drake - Take Care

33. Travis Scott - Astroworld

34. XXXTentacion - ?

35. ILoveMakonnen - Drink More Water 4

36. Tame Impala - Currents

37. Key! & Kenny Beats - 777

38. Kendrick Lamar - DAMN.

39. Lil Yachty - Lil Boat

40. Playboi Carti - Playboi Carti

41. Father - Young Hot Ebony

42. ARAABMuzik - Electronic Dream

43. James Blake - Overgrown

44. Pusha T - Daytona

45. Earl Sweatshirt - EARL

46. Rick Ross - Rich Forever

47. Kodak Black - Institution

48. Sahbabbi - SANDAS

49. Tay-K - #SantanasWorld

50. King Krule - The OOZ

51. Lil B - Blue Flame

52. Mac Miller - Faces

53. Young Scooter - Street Lottery

54. Gucci Mane - Mr. Zone 6

55. Young Thug - 1017 Thug

56. Chief Keef - Bang 2

57. A$AP Rocky - Live.Love.A$AP

58. Lorde - Pure Heroine

59. Childish Gambino - Because The Internet

60. Danny Brown - XXX

61. Roc Marciano - Marcberg

62. Rihanna - Anti

63. Kanye West & Jay-Z - Watch The Throne

64. Drake - If You’re Reading This, It’s Too Late

65. Juicy J - Rubbaband Business 2

66. XXXTentacion - 17

67. Big Boi - Sir Lucius Left Foot

68. Baby Keem - Die For My Bitch

69. Lana Del Rey - Born To Die

70. Pusha T - My Name Is My Name

71. Lil Peep - Hellboy

72. Ab-Soul - Control System

73. MGMT - Congratulations

74. Fetty Wap - Fetty Wap

75. FKA Twigs - LP1

76. Kids See Ghosts - Kids See Ghosts

77. Gunna - Drip Season 3

78. Trippie Redd - A Love Letter To You

79. Lil Uzi Vert - Lil Uzi Vert Vs The World

80. JPEGMafia - All My Heroes Are Cornballs

81. Sleigh Bells - Treat

82. Chief Keef - Back From The Dead 2

83. Future - 56 Nights

84. Vince Staples - Summertime 06

85. Lil Keed - Long Live Mexico

86. 2 Chainz - TRU REALigion

87. Young Thug - So Much Fun

88. Travis Scott - Birds In The Trap Sing Bryan McKnight

89. Blood Orange - Angel’s Pulse

90. Rick Ross - Teflon Don

91. Lucki - Watch My Back

92. Earl Sweatshirt - I Don’t Like Shit, I Don’t Go Outside

93. Future - Future

94. Future - HNDRXX

95. Migos - YRN

96. 21 Savage & Offset - No Warning

97. Gucci Mane - Trap Back

98. Curren$y - Pilot Talk

99. Main Attrakionz - 808s & Dark Grapes 2

100. Tyler, The Creator - Flower Boy

1. Kanye West - New Slaves

2. Chief Keef - Love Sosa

3. Travis Scott - Drugs You Should Try It

4. Lil Uzi Vert - XO Tour Lif3

5. Soulja Boy - Xan With That Lean Pt 2

6. Frank Ocean - Nights

7. Young Thug - Danny Glover (2 Bitches)

8. Lil B - Pretty Boy Remix

9. Future - Codeine Crazy

10. Playboi Carti - Flatbed Freestyle

11. Metro Thuggin - The Blanguage

12. Kanye West - Runaway (feat. Pusha T)

13. Chief Keef - Don’t Like (feat. Lil Reese)

14. Father - Look At Wrist (feat. ILoveMakonnen & Key!)

15. Gucci Mane - Beat It Up (feat. Trey Songz)

16. 21 Savage & Metro Boomin - No Heart

17. Migos - Bad & Bougee (feat. Lil Uzi Vert)

18. Kendrick Lamar - Untitled 02

19. Meek Mill - Dreams & Nightmares

20. Blood Orange - Dagenham Dream

21. Kid Cudi - GHOST!

22. Kodak Black - No Flockin

23. Waka Flocka Flame - Hard in the Paint

24. Tyler, The Creator - Yonkers

25. Travis Scott - 90210 (feat. Kacy Hill)

26. Lil Peep - White Wine (feat. Lil Tracy)

27. Juicy J - Zip & A Double Cup

28. Frank Ocean - Thinkin Bout You

29. Young Thug - Check

30. Kanye West - Monster (feat. Jay-Z, Rick Ross & Nicki Minaj)

31. Rocko - UOENO (feat. Future & Rick Ross)

32. Young Thug - Hot (feat. Gunna)

33. The Weeknd - The Hills

34. Rick Ross - BMF (feat. Styles P)

35. ILoveMakonnen - Sex, Love & Extacy

36. Blood Orange - Dark & Handsome (feat. Toro y Moi)

37. Lil Yachty - 1 Night

38. Childish Gambino - Redbone

39. A$AP Rocky - Wassup

40. Odd Future - Oldie

41. Drake - Trust Issues

42. Travis Scott - Goosebumps (feat. Kendrick Lamar)

43. Travis Scott - Sicko Mode (feat. Drake)

44. Playboi Carti - Magnolia

45. XXXtentacion - Fuck Love (feat. Trippie Redd)

46. Future - Thought It Was A Drought

47. Schoolboy Q - n****Hs.already.know.davers.flow

48. A$AP Rocky - Kissin’ Pink (feat. A$AP Ferg)

49. Spaceghostpurrp - The Truth

50. Nicki Minaj - Beez In The Trap (feat. 2 Chainz)

51. Frank Ocean - Nikes

52. YNW Melly - Murder On My Mind

53. Earl Sweatshirt - EARL

54. Rae Sremmurd - No Type

55. araabMUZIK - Underground Stream

56. Tame Impala - The Less I Know, The Better

57. Solange - Almeda (feat. Playboi Carti)

58. Sahbabbi - Titanaboa (feat. T3)

59. Lil Keed - It’s Up Freestyle

60. Lil Baby - Freestyle

61. Kanye West & Jay-Z - No Church In The Wild (feat. Frank Ocean)

62. Kodak Black - Tunnel Vision

63. Fetty Wap - 679 (feat. Monty)

64. Lucki - Freewave Freestyle 1

65. Fat Trel - Respect With the Tech

66. Ab-Soul - Terrorists Threats (feat. Danny Brown & Jhene Aiko)

67. Jay Rock - King’s Dead (feat. Kendrick Lamar, Future & James Blake)

68. Rowdy Rebel - Shmoney Dance (feat. Bobby Shmurda)

69. Kanye West & Jay-Z - N****s In Paris

70. Tay-K - Murder She Wrote

71. Vince Staples - Norf Norf

72. James Blake - Life Round Here

73. Lil Uzi Vert - 20 Mins

74. Lil Peep - Beamer Boy

75. The Weeknd - What You Need

76. Migos - Versace

77. OG Maco - U Guessed It! (Feat. Key!)

78. Kendrick Lamar - Alright

79. Xxxtentacion - Sad!

80. Kendrick Lamar - Bitch Don’t Kill My Vibe

81. Frank Ocean - Channel

82. Drake - Hotline Bling

83. Chief Keef - Blow My High

84. Future - Throw Away

85. ILoveMakonnen - Tuesday

86. Main Attrakionz - Chuuuch

87. King Krule - Dum Surfer

88. Jai Paul - BTSTU

89. ZMoney - 2 16’s (feat. Valee)

90. FKA twigs - 2 Weeks

91. Sheck Wes - Mo Bamba

92. Waka Flocka Flame - Karma (feat. YG Hootie, Popa Smurf & Slim Dunkin)

93. Jidenna - Long Live The Chief

94. Young Thug & Travis Scott - Pick Up The Phone (feat. Quavo)

95. Juice WRLD - Lucid Dreams

96. Speakerknockerz - Lonely

97. Bobby Shmurda - Hot N****

98. Drake - In My Feelings

99. Young Scooter - Runnin Out Of Money

100. Frank Ocean - Siegfried

101. Rihanna - Consideration (feat. SZA)

102. Kodak Black - Like Dat

103. Migos - T-Shirt

104. Sleigh Bells - Infinity Guitars

105. Tame Impala - Borderline

106. OJ Da Juiceman - No Hook

107. Jamie XX - There’s Gonna Be (Good Times) (feat. Young Thug & Popacaan)

108. Beyoncé - Drunk In Love (feat. Jay-Z)

109. Lil Peep - Lil Kennedy

110. T.I. - All About The Money (feat. Young Thug)

111. Gunna - Drip or Drown

112. Waka Flocka Flame - My G

113. Tyler, The Creator - Earfquake (feat. Playboi Carti)

114. Lorde - Team

115. Usher - Climax

116. Big Boi - Shine Blockas (feat. Gucci Mane)

117. Fredo Santana - Jealous (feat. Kendrick Lamar)

118. Valee - Shell

119. Lucki - Glory Boy

120. Lana Del Rey - Video Games

121. Lil B - Wonton Soup

122. Lil Peep & Lil Tracy - Witchblades

123. ZMoney - Regular

124. Lil Reese - Us (feat. Chief Keef)

125. DJ Nate - Gucci Goggles

[beatsforbrothels]

Who the technical culprit? I don't mess with no vultures I'm electrical voltage, not the regular dosage Too obsessive compulsive, I'm a fuckin' explosive Mixed message in a bottle, I left with the postman I'm that arachnophobia, black petroleum Ceremoniously holy when at the podium Even though it's hotter than weapons-grade plutonium The people tryna check for the return of the Ichiban

[mrscorpio]

[Electronica/Beats] MrScorpio's HOUSE FIRE Podcast #289 - Most Dope For 2022 Pt 2 - 16 Dec 2022 Mixcloud: http://bit.ly/Mixcloud289 D/L: http://bit.ly/DL-HF289 Shows: http://bit.ly/ScorpioPodcasts Feat: Name/Artist/Album Washed Away/Kelela/Washed Away Darker Than You Think/Ohbliv/LewseJoints Eleven tattd/Knxwledge./HX.23 System/Sevdaliza/Raving Dahlia Blood And Marrow (Stro Elliot Remix)/Hiatus Kaiyote /Blood And Marrow The Avenues/Adrian Younge & Ali Shaheed Muhammad/Jazz Is Dead 011 Spirit/Cleo Sol/Mother Price Tags/Jazmine Sullivan/Heaux Tales/ Mo' Tales: The Deluxe Off The Wallstreet/Stro Elliot/Stro's Old Beat Farm You From London (feat. Little Simz)/SAULT/NINE Mercury/Steve Lacy/Gemini Rights Change The Beat(le)/MF DOOM & The Beatles/Sgt. Dumile's Lonely Hearts Club Band Ritz Barlton (Feat. Estee Nack) (Prod. By Don Carrera)/Westside Gunn/Peace Fly God Guilty By Association/Phro & Guilty Simpson/Guilty By Association EP Decadence feat. Kool G Rap, Revalation & DJ Jean Maron/M-Dot/Dining In Dystopia Don't Wanna Let You Go prod. by Oh No/Prozack Turner/Not Everybody Sleeps At Night (Casual, Guilty Simpson, Brother Ali, Ea- Ski, Jake One) Might Could Be Nice/Jimetta Rose/The Gift: Around The Way Queen Ninja Faire Défiler/Lord Beatjitzu/Ninja Terminator Sunshine/Homeboy Sandman/I Can't Sell These Edge Of Tomorrow (Feat. 2Mex) (Prod. By Mic Checkmate)/Wildchild/Omowale The Only Game/Bumpy Knuckles/Produced By Bumpy Knuckles Vol. 2 Mental (feat. Saul Williams/ Bridget Perez)/Denzel Curry/Melt My Eyez See Your Future Look To The Sky (Feat. Self Jupiter, Chali 2na & Gift Of Gab) (Prod. By Nottz)/Fatlip & Blu/Live From The End Of The World Vol. 1 Switch Sides /Method Man, Jadakiss, Eddie I, 5th PXWER/Meth Lab Season 3 : The Rehab Warm Thoughts/Flume featuring GrandeMarshall and Goldie Glo/Flume Essentials Sean Price (Prod. By Evidence)/Fly Anakin/Frank Kool (Feat. Fly Anakin & J Rocc)/LMD (LMNO, MED & Declaime)/Flying High F.I.E./Starvin B x DustVibes/Dad's House Runout/Knxwledge./VGM.19 Old Magic/E L U C I D/I Told Bessie The Unknown Comic/Your Old Droog/Yodney Dangerfield Black Pinot/Meyhem Lauren, Daringer, Action Bronson/Black Vladimir GHOST/SBTRKT, Leilah/GHOST Reverse Card/Domo Genesis/Intros, Outros & Interludes Hopeful feat. Jordan Rakei, Alfa Mist/Nocturne EP Come Hither/Buttering Trio /Come Hither Fazed Out/El Michels Affair/Yeti Season (Deluxe Version) Mountains/Charlotte Day Wilson/ALPHA Send me your tracks at Soundcloud: http://soundcloud.com/mr_scorpio Check out all your tracks on my show THE HOUSE FIRE/ every other Friday @6-8 PM GMT on InvaderFM: http://invader.fm Stream the podcasts at my Mixcloud: bit.ly/MrScorpiosShows Friend me up on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/mrscorpio247 Look me up on Tumblr: http://mrscorpio.tumblr.com Shoot me your videos on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/MrScorpio Peace, Scorp

[voskhozhdeniye]

Musical Obsessions 2018

Alessandro Cortini: SPIE

Aphex Twin: Collapse EP

Ari Lennox‘s Whipped Cream

Ariana Grande’s No Tears Left to Cry

A$AP Ferg's Plain Jane and its remix.*

Baka Beyond’s Illa Dhuinn

Beach House’s Lemon Glow

Beak>: >>>

Black Thought: Streams of Thought Vol. 1

Bob Schneider's The Bringdown*

Cardi B’s Bickenhead

The Caretaker: Everywhere at the end of time*

The Comet Is Coming’s Start Running

Davey Harms: Cables

Dej Loaf‘s Liberated

Demi Lovato’s Cool For the Summer

Dennis Lloyd's Nevermind

Echosmith’s Over My Head

The Field: Infinite Moment

Gas: Rausch

GoldLink’s Got Friends

Helena Hauff’s Qualm and No Qualm                           

Hour: Tiny Houses

Kendrick Lamar’s King’s Dead*

Kilo Kish: mothe

Migos’ Stir Fry and MotorSport*

Mitski’s Geyser and Nobody

MNEK‘s Tongue

Nils Frahm: All Melody and Encores 1*

Nine Inch Nails: Bad Witch

Nu Shooz’s I Can’t Wait

Pink's What About Us*

Pusha T: Daytona and The Story of Adidon*

r beny: Still devouring everything he releases

Rita Ora's Anywhere

Sarah McLachlan’s Possession

Sabrina Carpenter's Almost Love

Snapper: Snapper*

SZA’s Broken Clocks*

Tank’s When We and its remix*

Tim Hecker: Konoyo

Travis Scott’s Sicko Mode*

The XX’s Lips and Replica*

Bold and italicized indicates a favorite from this year.

I really didn’t listen to much this year, and really wasn’t head over heels for too much. Kilo Kish‘s mothe is my favorite release of the year. I loved Reflections in Real Time from 2016, but this is a different type of beast. mothe is a six song EP that comes in, wrecks havoc and leaves. It’s also inspiration for what I should try to do with the rack. 

A$AP Ferg: This should’ve been on last year’s list.

Bob Schneider: This is a weird one. They've been playing this at work for a while now, but I just found out who it was by. The pa system and reverb at work do weird things to some songs. This and Tegan and Sara's Goodbye Goodbye sound better to me in the store than when I listen to them elsewhere. The store adds space to the mix that isn't really there.

The Caretaker: So Everywhere at the end of time is a concept album. James Leyland Kirby (The Caretaker) has decided to no longer release music under that name. For his last release as The Caretaker he’s decided to give the moniker dementia. He began releasing volumes of the album in 2016 and will release the final volume(s) in March. The early movements are treated samples of big band jazz from the 30′s and 40′s. As the album continues, for a lack of better description he intentionally “Disintegration Loops” the tracks to simulate dementia. The upbeat jazz samples from the early volumes sound like doom drone in the the newer volumes. @thenightlymirror you should check it out if you already haven’t.

Kendrick: Future’s verse. FUTURE’S VERSE! SMH

Migos: That beat! That hook!

Nils: The most fun I’ve had at a concert. He’s cartoonish on stage.The album version of #2 doesn’t go anywhere near as hard as it does live.

Pink: That’s one of the few songs I hear everyday at work that I haven’t grown to hate.

Pusha: Daytona is too short and is over just when it really starts going, also what was Drake thinking?

Snapper: I was given that EP years ago for free at a record shop, but never listened to it till this year.

SZA: “I had a thing for dirty shoes since I was ten love dirty men.” Why did she put me out there like that?

Tank: I was going to call this the most over the top ridiculous song of the year along with the remix, but then I heard he was bi and saw that video of him preforming at a pride party and realized. He knows exactly what he’s doing. Salute to Tank.

Travis Scott: When Travis gets the energy right he really gets it right.

The XX: Their album from last year was on last year’s list as an obsession, but I didn’t consider it to be a top favorite. For some reason ‘Lips’ clicked with me a year later. ‘Replica’ too, but ‘Lips’ has become a full blown obsession to me.

  2017′s list

[motifsinthecity]

Favorite Albums: 2018

30 | Arctic Monkeys | Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino (Domino) 29 | Cardi B | Invasion of Privacy (Atlantic/KSR) 28 | Joyce Manor | Million Dollars To Kill Me (Epitaph) 27 | Candy | Good to Feel (Triple-B) 26 | Jesus Piece | Only Self (Southern Lord) 25 | Low | Double Negative (Sub Pop) 24 | Vein | errorzone (Closed Casket Activities) 23 | Sleep | The Sciences (Third Man) 22 | Logic | Bobby Tarantino II (Def Jam/Visionary Music Group) 21 | Death Cab For Cutie | Thank You For Today (Atlantic) 20 | Fucked Up | Dose Your Dreams (Merge) 19 | The 1975 | A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships (Dirty Hit/Polydor) 18 | Curren$y, Freddie Gibbs, The Alchemist | Fetti (Jet Life/ESGN/ALC/Empire) 17 | Black Thought, 9th Wonder, Salaam Remi | Streams of Thought (Vol. 1 & Vol. 2) (Human Re Sources) 16 | Alkaline Trio | Is This Thing Cursed? (Epitaph) 15 | Blood Orange | Negro Swan (Domino) 14 | Travis Scott | ASTROWORLD (Cactus Jack/Epic/Grand Hustle) 13 | Noname | Room 25 (N/A)  12 | Zeal & Ardor | Stranger Fruit (MKVA) 11 | Freddie Gibbs | Freddie (ESGN/Empire) 10 | The Armed | ONLY LOVE (No Rest Until Ruin) 9 | Pusha T | DAYTONA (G.O.O.D. Music/Def Jam) 8 | Vince Staples | FM! (Def Jam) 7 | Beach House | 7 (Sub Pop) 6 | mewithoutYou | [Untitled] / [Untitled] EP (Run For Cover) 5 | Foxing | Nearer My God (Triple Crown) 4 | boygenius | boygenius EP (Matador) 3 | Turnstile | Time & Space (Roadrunner Records) 2 | Nine Inch Nails | Bad Witch (The Null Corporation/Capitol) 1 | Deafheaven | Ordinary Corrupt Human Love (Anti-)

I've been thinking a lot recently about the meaning distance can afford us.

In many ways, distance creates the attachments that ground us in this lifetime. Distance defines our relationships to a multitude of persons, places, and things--perhaps even with ourselves, the persons we were, and the persons we might be. While we often measure our lives in relation to the material possessions and the status others hold, it is often the distance we must travel, both figuratively and literally, that dictate our ability to connect with others during our lives.

I found this theme of distance and meaning continually emerge as I listened to Deafheaven's latest offering in 2018, aptly titled, Ordinary Corrupt Human Love. At 7 tracks, the San Francisco five-piece continue to evolve their black-metal-by-way-of-shoegaze sound, which serves not only as an artifact to their place among their musical peers, but as a testament to how far they've traveled since their inception. Deafheaven's journey is indebted, in part, to the buzz Ordinary… has garnered regarding its aesthetic composition. That's because few bands in recent memory have been tied so closely to the duality of their sound, from the oppressive nature of metal to the sway and drift of shoegaze. Even Pitchfork joked it was the best Smashing Pumpkins album this year. However, such a narrow read brings a swath of opinions. Many a think piece have covered whether Deafheaven's brand of extreme music is "metal" enough, "pretty" enough, or simply authentic enough. Indeed, the chasm is wide in the hyper critical expanse of 2018's internet, but Deafheaven have never been interested in formula--they relish residence in the in-between--and the road to Ordinary… is littered with the pitfalls of expectations, ones they've judiciously set aside.

This is because the seeds for Ordinary's… lush mix of driving metallurgy and art rock can be found all throughout the bands prior releases; yet it's assembled here with a new sense of impressionistic romanticism. Four of the songs off Ordinary… orient listeners with the group's more traditional arrangements, where chiming melodies give way to frenzied guitar, thunderous drums, and rapturous solos. Ordinary… offers two strong contributions to these types of mainstay compositions, from the stutter-stop ascension and gossamer suspension of "Honeycomb" to the slashing and spiraling glory of "Glint." On both these songs, Deafheaven provide vibrant and electrifying arrangements that capture the extremity of the human condition. Guitarist Kerry McCoy offers invigorating and euphoric guitar melodies that seem to embody everything from pleasure, to pain, to sorrow, to joy, all married by George Clarke's impassioned and throaty howl. Again, the duality of Deafheaven's sound is only interesting as a surface observation. The real richness comes from the confluence of their influences, which render these songs with force and vitality.

While "Honeycomb" and "Glint" provide us with the familiar Deafheaven blueprint, the band's growth is certainly on display elsewhere on Ordinary… "Near" effectively breaks up the record with its shimmering glow and reverb-heavy drift as Clarke sings "Thought I saw you there/Wishing you were near…" There's a warmness to "Near" that's tender and firm, an evocative oasis in an otherwise dizzying record. Another strong standout is "Night People," a somber, gothic chamber piece, where Clarke duets with the resident queen of doom folk, Chelsea Wolfe.  Both Clarke and Wolfe's mournful harmonies come together over dusky piano and cavernous drums, contemplating eventual decay with mournful couplets, such as "And the black sand of your body slipped through…" and "I found myself at your side…" in what might be someone's penultimate moment in this lifetime. In some ways, the tenderness of "Near" and "Night People" represent complimentary meditations on dealing with distance. "Near" focusing on the longing we attach to the future, while "Night People" explores the agony of loss as our loved ones leave this life without us.

Indeed, the idea of distance is inescapable on Ordinary… If Deafheaven's breakout work Sunbather (2013) was about the disintegration of the self, and New Bermuda (2015) centered around the savagery and oppression of locality, then Ordinary… revels in the elegance of decay, a function of time and the inescapable truths we face as we are transformed by life's kiln. The band touches on this cycle of birth and death--how the world can throw our trajectory into far out places--on the album's closing track "Worthless Animal." Here, Clarke's rasp juxtaposes the innocence of a new born fawn:

When a fawn Stumbles into the road Honeydew high And deep in afterglow Mind swarming Mind small Honeydew high Transforming the soul

With the slaughter of a feral dog:

Then search to pin the legs Of the stalking dog That lends its teeth To sticky, sad bedlam War cries quake through lurching light

I bury a blade between its ribs Bear hug the soft canine frame Then smear ash Then smear the ash on its brow

Set against a "November Rain" by way of kraut rock guitar phrasing, "Worthless Animal" glistens like an unending ocean, holding close the beauty and tragedy that often shade life's mysteries. Deafheaven carefully hold the intimacy of innocence alongside the horror of our choices to show us the points between them aren't so far away--that a lifetime is simply a blink in an instant, a star in the sky, the distance between us. Ultimately, maybe distance serves as a function not just our relationships to persons, places and things, but to time and attachment as well. By this, I mean that we are all spending the time needed to find away to let go of that which no longer suits us, to ultimately transform our relationships to things, and become who we were always meant to be.

In the steps of many artists before them, Deafheaven settle on the notion that the only way to bridge the distance between ourselves, who we are, and other people, is through the imperfect ways we love one another. The band displays this on the immaculate "You Without End," which features airy guitar slides, angelic piano, and half-step drums, set against a whisper silk spoken word poem delivered by Nadia Kury. Indeed, "You Without End" is as vivid as the daydream it describes:

He pained, shifting his attention toward the mirror across the road Back into his daydream The spliff burned his fingers the second he drank, and he tossed it toward the gutter The smoke burned into his eyes, blinding him As he blinked through the tears, the pain began to recede Back down the promenade and homeward bound, as he approached the intersection of Brooklyn and Lakeshore, a flock of geese burst from the darkness and flew, shrieking into what was left of the evening.

Kury's evocative words give way to McCoy's dizzying and soaring guitar work, which erupts in dissonant ecstasy as Clarke exclaims:

Let it go as it grows on forever And let it go Let it go as it grows Breathe it in Let it go as it grows on forever And we breathe it in And we breathe it in And then the world will grow And then the world will grow And then the world will know Of all true love, true

"You Without End" is a reminder that time doesn't have to dull our spirit where love exists as a possibility for more. The way we bridge the gap between ourselves, the way we traverse the distances we face in this lifetime, they lend us purpose and meaning for ourselves and those we meet for as long as we know them. A connection like love is rooted firmly in the transformations we make in life, with and for others, and the extraordinary experiences we often face through ordinary means. What Deafheaven have done is provide an incredible statement on the power of love, that against all odds and in the face of all kinds of distances between us, we can endure with each other, without end. All we need is our ordinary, corrupt, human love.

[thechanelmuse]

Streams of Thought Vol. 1

Every time The Roots would drop an album, it would take me weeks and weeks to take it all in. Ain’t nothing change. At first sight, Black Thought's EP looks like an appetizer but fills you like a full course meal. I need a damn doggie bag. Bars overload.