#Ive been missing their old lps lately | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

jayhawksofficial · 1 year

Text

Random Archival Dig 10 (3-2-23)

More from The Jayhawks Archive HERE

Compilation Special Edition - part 1

Jayhawks music has appeared on a number of compilations over the years dating all the way back to 1986 (see below). These releases have included many radio station live session collections, promo samplers, some totally random concoctions and even a few film soundtracks.

Here's an interesting one from 2006, a benefit CD released in the wake of the Hurricane Katrina disaster - For New Orleans: A Benefit For The Musicians' Village Habitat For Humanity, featuring Dan Wilson, Marshall Crenshaw, Indigo Girls, Jeff Buckley and several Twin Cities artists, including a rare, exclusive Paul Westerberg track under the guise of "PW & The Honky Heartattax." The Jayhawks, who were on hiatus at the time, contributed "Caught With a Smile on My Face," an early 2000s demo recorded at Flowers Studio in Minneapolis that originally appeared on the More Rain bonus disc of the 2003 deluxe edition of Rainy Day Music. Gary Louris also contributed a brief essay to the booklet. The Jayhawks didn't have an official website at the time so the old Jayhawks Fanpage (RIP) was listed instead.

"Caught With a Smile on My Face" made a handful of live appearances in 2003, a one off in 2016 and has also been performed by Gary Louris on some of his livestreams in recent years.

youtube

The Jayhawks first compilation appearance was in 1986 on Big Hits of Mid-America, Volume IV, released on LP by Twin/Tone, the legendary Minneapolis indie label. The Big Hits compilation series started in the mid 60s with two volumes on the Soma label, featuring many classic Minnesota bands of the era (The Castaways, The Underbeats, The Gestures, et al). Twin/Tone revived the series in 1979 with a 2LP set that collected many of the best local acts at a time when the punk and new wave scenes were exploding. Big Hits 3 very much helped to (re)establish the Twin Cities as one of the key music scenes in the country, a reputation that it still holds to this day.

The 4th Big Hits volume came out at a time when Twin/Tone was in a transitional period. They had already lost their 2 biggest artists, The Replacements & The Suburbs, to the majors, with Soul Asylum soon to follow (although The Replacements rhythm section does appear here on one track).

Big Hits 4 is of special interest to Jayhawks fans:

It features an early track unique to this compilation, "Jesus in the Driver's Seat," which was a popular song in the band's live act at the time.

Interestingly, all of Louris' former band mates in Safety Last appear here in a couple of places: backing about-to-be Replacement Bob "Slim" Dunlap on one of his songs and on a song by Twa Corbies (Lianne Smith and Jim Tollefsrud), which also features guitarist Dan Gardner, who would briefly play with The Jayhawks in 1988 after Louris took time off after a serious car accident.

Finally, the late Caleb Palmiter, who had formed a short-lived, early version of The Jayhawks with Mark Olson in 1984, is here with The Magnolias playing bass on a song he co-wrote.

Jayhawks tracks would also appear on Twin/Tone promo samplers in 1989 and 1992. A few years after Big Hits 4, The Jayhawks signed to Twin/Tone who would release Blue Earth in 1989, which directly led to the band signing a major label deal. The rest, as they say, is history.

Big Hits 4 has never been physically reissued and is mostly missing from the streaming platforms, but it is available on Apple Music HERE with song previews.

The Jayhawks artist page at Twin/Tone HERE

Twin/Tone compilation page with song previews HERE

1989 Twin/Tone Jayhawks bio

#Youtube

2 notes · View notes

warmau · 4 years

Text

☆ [nostalgic] summer romance!au taeil~ happy late birthday moon man!! | find others here: johnny | haechan

part of you is sad that the closest you’ll ever be to him is at a safe distance

peering out of the window and into the baseball field below

you can kind of make out the details of his face from here, but you can’t see the birthmark on his neck or the glint of starlight thats always somehow in the deep back of his eyes

you can see the worn-out back of his uniform jersey - spelled out in hand-stitched letters - moon

but part of you is happy that you can at least enjoy the comfort of knowing he’s nearby

just the little whisper of the fact that his joy is minutes away from yours

you lay your head down on the desk

its the last day of classes and summer is begging you to go outside and enjoy it

but summer also means you wont see him anymore, even if youve only been seeing him from far away

not seeing him at all is a feeling you cant wrap your head around - no matter how many times youve tried to

“what are you doing?”

a hand comes down on the corner of the desk and you peek up to see the familiar, yet frowning face of your friend doyoung

he’s got the same baseball uniform on - he’s the pitcher for the schools team

“sorry, im about to leave-”

you slowly pull yourself together and up out of your chair, but doyoung interrupts before you can gather your things

“no, im asking what are you doing? this is the last day of classes and unless you tell taeil how you feel - you’ll have to wait months to see him again!”

im ok with that, admiring in secret is kind of a talent of mine

is what you want to say

but its too late because doyoung has taken you by the wrist and is tugging you out the door and down the stairs

you have just enough energy to pull away when you both come to a stop in the middle of the sandlot

taeil turns just as you want to break away, he smiles and says your name

doyoung lets go and everything around you looks like it might start floating, taeil included

because you didn’t even know he knew your name

“well, ill leave you two alone”

doyoung disappears - not that you pay any attention - all of your senses feel like they’re being overridden as taeil comes closer

his black short bangs are stuck to his forehead with sweat from practice, his skin glows under the hue of the afternoon sun

“do you have any plans for today?”

“n-no. i was just going to walk home.”

“can i walk with you?”

he swings his bat over his shoulder and waits expectantly for your answer

at this close a distance, its all visible

the birth mark - the universe in the dark browns of his eyes, the little blemish on the side of his cheek

you swallow a lump thats threatening to close up your throat

“sure”

you’re both walking slow, the other members of the baseball team have already trotted passed you

throwing whistles and waves your way before disappearing into the summer air, some people have passed you as well - on their way from work or classes

but still, that feeling like everything is gently out of place, lingers over you

because you don’t get it - why are you here? since when did your crush have any sort of interest in you?

“i asked doyoung why you never come to any of our games.”

taeil suddenly says, looking at you from the corner of his eye

his smile is a little teasing, and so is his tone, but it doesnt stop you from flustering

“oh- i just - i have book club so-”

“don’t worry, he told me.”

“im starting to worry about what else he told you,,,,,,,”

you murmur without a second thought, before covering your mouth with your palm

but its too late, you know taeil has heard you, and that smile widens a little more

“he told me, even though you dont come to any games, im your favorite player.”

you both come to a stop at the same time

“so ive been thinking about it, why id be your favorite if you dont even like baseball.”

you think youre shoulders start to shake a little, maybe its your imagination, but you think you can feel nervousness creep its way all around you

hes talking so casually, but you dont know what it means and you dont want to be told - on the last day of school - that your feelings have been discovered and rejected

you were sure you could just carry them on with you until graduation and then never tell taeil how much you really did like -

“and i think i know why.”

he takes a second to tuck his bat back into the pocket of his bag, then he reaches out and locks your fingers with his in a safe, steady grasp

he starts walking and you have to push yourself to stumble after him

because you cant believe it but ,,,,,,,,,, you didnt get rejected

in fact you think this means,,,,,,,,youve been confessed to too

taeil doesnt kiss you when he drops you off at your doorstep, he asks for your number and tells you to meet him on the weekend to watch him train at the park

you expect a message on saturday morning, but you get one fifteen minutes later

by the way, i like you.

sorry if i didnt make it clear, im bad at these things.

but,,,,,,,,i like you. i really like you.

who knows how many times you reread those messages, holding your phone close to your heart and then bringing it up to mouth the sentences over and over

on saturday, you see taeil and doyoung - both already with their baseball equipment on

taeil is swinging the bat as he warms up when doyoung pulls you aside by the elbow

“so, are you guys dating now?”

“all he did was walk me home do-”

“but he likes you, and you like him!”

doyoung’s wide eyes are searching for an answer and you just feel a shyness overtake you because, well, you dont know what this is

youre just happy to be here - beside him

but doyoungs question does weigh on your mind, even when the training is over and its just you and taeil and hes offering to take you somewhere for dinner and you blurt out;

“is this a date?”

taeil chuckles

“i hope it is - arent people who are dating supposed to go on dates?”

the summer descends into hot, long days - and before when the stickiness and heat used to irritate you, now youve found yourself falling in love with it

laying on a park bench, eating ice-cream and watching your boyfriend practice until the fireflies came out

then you’d sit up, watch him take his hat off and abandon his bat in the grass

stretch out, exposing the strong lines of his arms and back before joining you on the bench, getting kisses for another day of practice well spent

sometimes he’d end practice early, or show up at your doorstep when you didn’t plan to meet and take you to the beach

splash around in the waves and then rest his head on your stomach under the umbrella - shared towel spread out beneath you

he’d fall asleep there, and you’d open up a book you’d brought with you - only distracted when taeil finally shifts awake and presses kisses to your skin

you learn how to hit a homerun with his arms wrapped around you for support

you learn that he harbors an extensive collection of LPs that you shift through when the summer rain has come out and he cant go out to the park, instead you’re on the floor of his bedroom picking dreamy songs to play and dance to, washing out the sound of thunder from outside his windows

you learn where taeil is most sensitive, right below his ribcage - when you end up splaying your palm on the skin there an digging your nails in just a bit - he makes a sound and grabs your arm, pulls you down to muffle out some string of curses against your lips

you learn a lot that summer, but most of all you learn that you were never happier pinning from a distance than you are from experiencing the real thing

you hate to admit outloud, but you thank doyoung for giving you the push to finally enter the bubble around taeil you never thought you’d be welcome into

and doyoung just grins, says “i told you so”

and forgets to mention that he’s actually known about not only your feelings, but taeil’s all along - ever since a home-away game where taeil had asked doyoung before they’d climbed onto the bus

“whose your friend? the one whose always looking out of the window?”

when the summer starts to shift herself into the fall, and the heat dwindles down

you find yourself wearing that shirt, the one with ‘moon’ handstitched on the back, as taeil wraps a hand around your waist and tugs you into his side on the bus ride home

you go back to classes soon, and your time will be short between schoolwork and his practice

he presses a small kiss on the top of your hand and you want to give him back the shirt before you get off at your stop

but he stops you, those starlight eyes sparking, “you should keep it.”

so you do

you keep it and are amused when you see taeil get a new one, this one doesnt have his name handstitched on the back though - its printed in shiny black letters

you run your hands over the name sometimes when you miss him

waiting for a latenight call with good news

“we won the game!”

you rub your sleepy eyes and murmur that you’re so happy, before you two hang up you hear him whisper - like he always does

“i love you, i hope you dream of me”

even now, all these years later, when taeil’s become an all-star player for one of korea’s biggest baseball teams

and you’ve fallen asleep watching one of the live games

when he gets home, your husband kicks his shoes off and drops his bag

sees you spread out on the couch

the sports channel glaring

that old uniform shirt from his high school days tucked in your arms

he leans down, kisses your forehead and he whispers

“i love you”

you shift

eyes opening to meet his with a half smile and yawning as you say;

“i was dreaming of you.”

#im late i know............but it was like so hard to write this without being like taeil [breakdown]#nct scenarios #nct imagines #nct au #taeil scenarios #taeil imagines #taeil au #member: taeil #sfw #nct 127 scenarios #nct 127 au #nct 127 imagines #taeil #nct 127 #baseball!au #happy late birthday my baby T___________T

387 notes · View notes

tumblunni · 6 years

Text

Ohhh fuckin geez at least let me has a pikachu

Today's update: still feeling all fucked up from Everything Happening At Once, also getting a migraine from all the stress the other day and how i basically didnt sleep for two days and then passed out today and lost the entire 24 hours. Like man i cant even say the family shit was yesterday?? It just feels that way cos i spent all of today either sleeping, crying or crying on the phone to the bank and the stupid online game store that took my money for pokemon preorder yet didnt send me the actual game. GAHHHH and ive forgotten to Eat Food for like the whole three days all this shit has been going down, aside from a handful of Starburst candy my sis gave me during our Big Awkward Moment. And the energy drink i chugged on the way there to meet her because Fuck I Need Awakeness To Comprehend This Shit. I think my stomach is exploding in on itself.

Anyway! ANYWAY!! Gahhh! Anyway!

Thank you mega fuckin big much to the friends who leant me money AGAIN, both to catch the midnight bus to meet a long lost sibling and also to fix this stupid game preorder bollocks. God what the fuck is up with my life? I feel so guilty asking for money and man you guys have leant me like 300 in the last 3 months! Fuck i hope this stupid cavalcade of finance problems stops soon and i can start paying you all back because JESUS CHRIST. I feel like my skin is melting off my bones whenever i think about how much i dont deserve such great friends! 'welp yeah theyre wonderful people, guess i lost an arm' You ever wanna cringe yourself into a little ball from embarassment? Yeah like that but so much that i disintegrate into atoms.

SO I HOPE! FOR FUCKIN GODS SAKE! That this stolen money zero game bullshit gets resolved soon. But there's no chance of it taking less than a week, so thank you SO MUCH for helping me place another preorder at a different more reliable shop! This is what i get for fuckin going bargain hunting aaa. I ordered pikachu version just in case the original order does somehow turn up, cos it was eevee version. But i got none of the preorder bonuses anymore and no pokeball controller on this. I guess maybe itll make my second playthru more fun if i can finally use the damn controller, haha! And this second copy is probably gonna arrive quite late now cos i missed the preorder window. But it should be either on saturday or monday which is way better than waiting a month or something chasing up this bullshit! And hopefully also in a week or two i will get the money back from selling alll those preowned games, and it can go towards A: GROCERIES and B: repaying bebst friends of reckless money giving. You guys are fuckin nuts, seriously!! And man god i hate that im still suffering this knock-on effect tight finances bullshit from the stupid mental hospital thing 3 months ago. I mean i failed to even last a month there and its cost me almost a thousand pounds in terms of stocking up the stuff to be able to move house temporarily, all the mobile data i had to use while being without internet while i was there, all the miscellaneous expenses along the way, and then all the bill debt and having to restock tolietries and groceries and everyries when i got back home. Sighhh! And i feel guilty that i bought a stupid warhammer starter kit around halloween and i still havent even opened it because The Guilt. Like man i should have somehow predicted there would be more money trouble and saved that money rather than make a selfish purchase. But like it was the cheapest beginners kit anyway and i even haggled a discount for getting the figures without the paint. And now im being selfish and getting this pokemon game!! Twice!! Because stupid fuckin online banking nonsense!! Godddd give me back my money so i can give it to my friendsssss

So yeah in summary Bunni Feel Bad and also Overwhelmed and also Bad. But hopefully stuff is sorted now. Gah!

Also probably will be some delay on doing a lets play of this new pokemon cos i dunno when its gonna arrive and also i feel Big Sick now and need to chug a paracetamol and eat a loaf of bread before i die. Hope i dont spend all weekend just passed out on the sofa from Too Much Braining In One Day. Srsly why did this all happen all at once...

Also i probably wont go with the idea of twin protagonists headcanon for this LP, cos the whole Untimely Lost Sibling Madness kinda made that a sore spot to think about. One good side of getting the version i didnt want is that i can pick the female protagonist if i get pikachu version, and go with the personality i was gonna use for the female sibling. Cos actually it seems that your rival dude's perosnality is kinda simular to what i was gonna do for the male sibling? Could just have that sort of relationshup as a best buddies thing. And playing as a sassy roughhousing jock girl protag is gonna be more fun than playing The Nice And Shy Dude which is basically what i always do in every game cos its just me??? Would get more fun character lets player contrast with protagonist Darcy.

Also fuck i am gonna have SO MUCH to talk about in this first episode! Watchers who dont follow me on tumblr are gonna be so confused. "Hey youtube i just got out of mental hospital and found my long lost sister who thought i was dead, anyway never mind that lets talk about pokemon! I was gonna say i dont have any baby pictures of me when the original Pokemon Yellow came out, but here's the one i found on a facebook obituary for myself yesterday..."

What the fuck is my life, seriously?

Also if my starter ends up being a male pikachu im gonna name it Chuppy after my original one in pokemon yellow. And if its a girl i'll call it Ghostwriter after my mimikyu and pretend that its a mimikyu that just has an extra high quality disguise. Seriously, picturing all of these cute antics and tiny costumes on mimikyu makes it all even sweeter to me! I love ghosties!!

LOL I JUST REALIZED MAYBE IM A GHOST TRAINER COS I WAS "DEAD" ALL THESE YEARS AND DIDNT KNOW IT

Seriously man if there are any parents out there reading this, dont fuckin lie to your 4 year old that her sibling is dead just because the dad divorced you. There are no words for how fucked up this is. Except 'oh i guess thats why my favourite digimon frontier character is duskmon'. I fuckin thought that plot was unrealistic when i first watched it! XD actually i think duskmon is straight up my favourite digimon design and the one i'd probably pick as my partner, even though i prefer Impmon's plot from the third season. I kinda wanna go make a fanmade full evolution line for Duskmon now?? Man why am i getting so wildly off topic!

I really need to eat a food and sleep a sleep

2 notes · View notes

jonathantaylorthomas · 7 years

Text

Taylor Swift's New Album 'Reputation': Everything We Know, Everything We Want

The Old Taylor can’t come to the phone? Long live the New Taylor. Reputation is one of this fall’s most tightly guarded secrets; Taylor Swift’s sixth album is her first in three years, her longest vacation ever. So far, each Swift LP has been a major musical departure. But this time, she isn’t letting any secrets slip, declining interviews and, somehow, avoiding paparazzi detection wherever she may be. All we have to go on is a quote from a source close to the project who tells Rolling Stone, “Reputation is lyrically sharper and more emotionally complex than 1989. This music has and will continue to speak for itself.”

So what do we know about Reputation? We know it has 15 songs; “…Ready For It?” will be the first track and “Look What You Made Me Do” will be the sixth. We know it drops on November 10th, which happens to be Richard Burton’s birthday. (What if that makes Reputation the Burton to Taylor’s Taylor? What if she is about to marry herself and embrace her muse as her soulmate?) It’s one day before the nine-year anniversary of Fearless, which came out in 2008 on November 11th, whereas she usually prefers to pounce in late October, as she did with Speak Now, Red and 1989. So here’s a rundown of all the clues to the burning mysteries around Reputation – what we know for sure, what we wonder, what we want, what we hope.

The sound. The first two singles are moody electro-pop: the Hot Topic quasi-goth blare of “Look What You Made Me Do” (produced by Jack Antonoff) and the hip-hop island breeze of “…Ready for It?” (produced by Max Martin, Shellback and Ali Payami). “Look What You Made Me Do” is Sal-Tay in supervillain mode; “…Ready for It?” is sultrier and far superior. Neither sounds like any of her previous work. But drastic swerves are what Swift does. All five of her previous LPs have developed a sound she could have milked for years – but she’s never made the same record twice, even when that’s what everybody wanted, from her record company to her fans.

Last time the world was hoping for Red II: Fifty Shades Redder, Red III: Revenge of the Scarf or Red IV: Maple Latte Massacre, but instead she made 1989, an album as far from Red as Speak Now was from Fearless. Nobody sane would have advised her, “You know what you should do next? Make an album that sounds nothing like Red, but exactly like Erasure or the Pet Shop Boys.” Yet Swift followed her own muse and turned out to be right – when it comes to high-risk moves that pay off, she’s gone five for five. So whatever she tries on Reputation, it won’t be what she did last time.

The romance. The line that jumps out from “…Ready For It?” is “He could be my jailer / Burton to this Taylor.” Not her usual kind of love story. Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor got married and divorced twice, which by 1970s standards made them the ultimate glamour couple – even Sonny and Cher only got to break up once. Their boozy jet-set affair lasted a total of (hmmm) 13 years, despite the fact that they basically loathed each other. Burton was fond of referring to Liz as “MGM’s Little Miss Mammary,” while she called him “the Frank Sinatra of Shakespeare.” By the time Liz was Swift’s age, she was on Husband Four; Burton was Five (and Six). So Liz and Dick weren’t exactly Romeo and Juliet – their Shakespearean duet was a 1967 film adaptation of The Taming of the Shrew. Fans have speculated the song is her ode to her beau of the past year, British actor Joe Alwyn – currently filming Mary Queen of Scots, where he plays the lover of Queen Elizabeth. Burton once got an Oscar nomination playing her father, King Henry VIII.

The playlist. Her Spotify playlist “Songs Taylor Loves” is loaded with sad weepy ballads – the side of her music missing from the two new singles. It’s also full of younger artists – from pals like Selena Gomez and Ed Sheeran to country upstarts like Maren Morris and Brett Young to indie brooders like the National and Bon Iver. But none of the legendary names Swift usually loves to invoke – the girl named after James Taylor isn’t bumping “Fire and Rain” these days. Is the playlist representative of her new music? Or is she digging these tearful ballads because she’s no longer writing them?

The cover. She’s wearing black lipstick, clearly a sign that Old Taylor is dead, given her affection for the red-lip classic thing. She gazes blearily through newspaper headlines spelling her name – math experts have counted her name on the cover 899 times. The cover’s weirdest detail: the Richard Hell-like torn sweatshirt, stitched up to create five triangular peaks, one for each previous album.

The magazines. The exclusive Target edition comes with two different 72-page magazines full of Swift’s poetry, watercolor paintings, handwritten lyrics and fashion photography. (Oh, pop stars – always secretly fantasizing about being editors of print magazines.) Judging from the cover of Reputation magazine, the typographical sensibility evokes the famously experimental (and often illegible) 1990s music mag Ray Gun.

The snakes. She’s teased the album with serpentine imagery – want to buy a $60 Gold Snake Ring? Either she’s a budding herpetologist or she’s reviving her Kimye feud. You remember – from last summer, before Kanye’s 5150 or his rock-bottom moment ass-kissing the new President. But it’s safe to surmise the feud factor will be the least intriguing aspect of Reputation, since her celebrity conflicts have been fruitless musically for all the artists involved. “Look What You Made Me Do” is much stronger than Katy Perry’s “Swish Swish” or Kanye’s “Famous,” but that’s hardly an achievement given how those remarkably wretched gaffes sandbagged the albums they were intended to launch. All evidence indicates that we’re in a post-beef era where nobody cares about pop-star feuds, since we’ve got more pressing problems. Swift sending Cardi B flowers to congratulate her on “Bodak Yellow” hitting Number One – even though it replaced “Look What You Made Me Do” – is much more in step with the 2017 zeitgeist than snake emojis, which are so last year. And you have to love how Cardi B made sure to document the flowers on Instagram, to thwart any would-be Cardor truthers.

The Drake factor. Be on guard for Drizzy content. Last year, while the rumor mill was full of reports of them hanging out and possibly working together, the two did linked Apple Music ads, one with Taylor lip-synching the Drake/Future collabo “Jumpman” and the other with Drake doing “Bad Blood.” Since Aubrey Graham is the only pop star on earth who can approach Tay’s feelings-per-minute ratio, the mind reels at how they might sound together – let’s just say they could go from zero to 100 real quick.

The shirt. The “Look What You Made Me Do” video ends with an attention-grabbing shot of Swift in a “Junior Jewels” t-shirt decorated with her friends’ names. Squadologists plotzed at the roll call, from Patrick Stewart (he’s on it twice? Make it so!) to Abigail (the “Fifteen” bestie whose wedding had Swift as a bridesmaid last month). Who’s lurking on the back of the shirt? And who’s a blank space? The most high-profile absence was Karlie Kloss, currently seen in a new Cole Haan ad campaign with well-that-escalated-quickly pal Christy Turlington. (In Elle a few weeks ago, K.K. gushed, “I am surrounded by extraordinary women – from my mom and sisters to role models like Christy Turlington, Melinda Gates, and Sheryl Sandberg, and many more.”) Will Reputation offer a state-of-the-squad update?

The exes. Just because Swift seems to be in a functional relationship, is that any reason she should keep a dignified silence about her Long List of Ex-Lovers? Dignified silence is not this lady’s style. Between Tom Hiddleston and Calvin Harris, she has some real content opportunities. In the new video, Zombie Tay digs a grave marked “Nils Sjoberg,” her ghostwriting pen name; there’s also an empty engagement-ring box. Perhaps she’s mocking Harris for both his career and love life, given that Nils Sjoberg is an anagram for “Jobless Ring”? Or maybe she’s accusing him of swiping her work, since it’s also an anagram for “Robs Jingles”? Or maybe – just maybe – anagrams are meaningless and dumb coincidences?

The tour. One thing Swift has made clear over the years – she’s not into looking back. In the spirit of Madonna or Bowie, when she tours, she focuses on the new songs, not the hits of yesteryear. It was a shocker when she left “All Too Well” off most stops of the 1989 tour, just as she left “Enchanted” and “Long Live” off the Red tour. But given the choice between reprising the oldies or showing off her new songs, she’ll go new every time. And that goes for her albums as well – she’s never been an artist who repeats herself. Don’t expect her to start now. “Honey, I rise up from the dead, I do it all the time”? Bring on the New Tay-stament.

#rolling stone magazine #Taylor Swift

140 notes · View notes

tink-bell · 7 years

Photo

Write a crack!ship au for one of your characters. Definition of a crackship: seriously this shit can’t happen but in an alternate universe

let me just say this disturbs me on SO MANY LEVELS i feel dirty and this isn’t even that dirty of a thing !!

AKA

Four times Tinker most definitely did not hook up and one time that they did.

The party was loud and there was so many sweaty bodies. Tink was in the midst of them, loud bass thrumming through her body and only enhancing the high she currently felt. Nights like these were her favorite. Everything blurred together blending into one colorful evening accentuated with loud music and the feel of skin pressed together.

How many people had she enticed? How many had enticed her? There was no real way to tell. All she knew was that at some point a sensory overload had occurred and she had to get away. The newly dyed green haired pixie knew that if she didn’t she’d end up near fucking someone on what they called the dance floor. Really it was nothing more than a large living room with all the furniture pushed out of the way to create ample space for everyone to congregate and gyrate.

It was on this short breather that Tink first caught sight of the tall gangly boy. He was surrounded by a group of four, maybe five; the way Tink’s vision kept swimming certainly wasn’t helping her keep count but that didn’t matter. They were faces that she recognized from Pixie’s and from her classes at Uni. One boy she’d hooked up with multiple times, a girl she’d seen giving furtive glances. But it wasn’t any of those that mattered. It was the tall one, a barely there smirk on his lips as he smoked, that had drawn her attention. She moved quickly, with purpose, to stand in front of him. “Mind if I bum one?” She motioned to the cigarette that dangled between his lips with a raised eyebrow before grinning as he offered her one.

She lit it easily with the offered lighter and then moved to lean against the low wall they were perched near. Discreetly she eyed him, taking him in further now that she was closer and he wasn’t wishy washy the way he had been. Spotting his shirt, she smirked fuller, even going so far as to huff a laugh. At the raised eyebrow she shook her head before speaking. “Bigmouth Strikes Again,” she said simply, nodding to the boy and his shirt.

II.

The second time they meet they’re both scavenging the racks of Scat Cat’s music shoppe. It was Tink’s day off from Pixie and she’d decided that it was high time to update her music collection. Not that it wasn’t banging anyways. Her taste in music was magnificent, even if she did say so herself. If it was recorded during the seventies or eighties, Tink had it. That was her niche.

There had been a rumor that Scat Cat had gotten something in that was precious and something she’d been looking for. It was the ‘67 London LP of Their Satanic Majesties Request and God was it beautiful. It would round out her collection and she was certainly ready to dish out the money for it. Even if it meant being a mite late on her rent that month. It’d be alright because the sweet, sweet voice of Mick Jagger could lull her into a false sense of security any day.

Course fate or whatever other bullshit you believed in would have it’s say as she neared the designated section for such a beauty. Lo’ and behold tall and gangly from a few weeks before was there, long spindly fingers traipsing over covers like they were piano keys. Tink immediately wondered what else those fingers were good at before inwardly chiding herself. Wouldn’t do to get all worked up inside of a record store with no one to help take care of her sudden need. There wasn’t even a dingy bathroom to retreat to with a stranger for a quickie.

Never the one to shy away from a cute boy or girl, Tink soldiered on. She wanted the vinyl, after all. And if she came away with a phone number there was nothing wrong with that.

“I’ll have to fight you if you take the Stones album. I’ve been waiting for Scat to get that in for ages,” she whispered, leaning close to him before taking a quick step back. Her face was alight with mirth and she waited for him to respond, grinning when he muttered about music elitists and hipsters, to which Tink took mock offense. “I may be a music elitist but I am no hipster, I assure you... I never did catch you’r name, you know.” She moved to stand next to him, her own fingers moving through the vinyls until she found what she was looking. For a moment she lingered, thinking he wasn’t going to answer her, before turning to head towards the register. “Berlioz. It’s, uh, it’s Berlioz.” He finally gave away, causing Tink to flash him a wide grin over her shoulder. “Tink. Catch you around, Berlioz.”

III.

It’s some months before Tink and Berlioz cross paths again. So much so that Tink begins to think he was just an illusion. A beautiful illusion that her mind made up to combat the fact she’s felt rather lonely the past couple of months. Not that there hadn’t been many that had graced her bed but other than that she felt she was missing something. A something she didn’t like to ever really examine because she was determined to be the free spirit she’d always been. There was no time for any sort of commitment. The biggest commitment in her life was Pixie’s and she had intended for it to stay that way.

Now when things became too much, when Tink felt that her thoughts would swallow her whole, she repeated the same pattern. Wallow for a bit the get high then grab a bottle of her favorite tequila then make her way to the park. Nothing stopped her in her quest. Not rain or snow or really windy days. The day it all eclipsed inside of her it was a wonderfully sunny day, odd for fall but Tink would take it, with billowy clouds that took shape. Blissed out of her mind, Tink had decided it’d be the perfect day to lay outside on the grass, head propped up by her tattered jean jacket.

Unlike the other times their paths had crossed, Berlioz approached Tink. There was no mistaking the bright hair of the faerie nor the absolutely tattered clothes she wore. The small faerie was so out of her mind that didn’t even really notice another had joined her until that deep voice broke through the haze of her thoughts. “Finding any cool shapes?” He’d asked. At the question Tink had laughed, instinctively curling towards the presence. “Found a crab with a top hat earlier. He looked right posh,” she hummed, resting her head against his shoulder as he laid out beside her.

They laid like that for what felt like only minutes, each one pointing out ridiculous cloud shapes and giggling, before the sun began to set. It made Tink sigh out softly as she stirred, blinking heavy eyes in the process. Really, she had felt comfortable with Berlioz, content to just lay there as her high worked it’s way through her. As it faded, though, she felt a sense of dread at having to walk away from this rather nice afternoon with him. “Feel like comin’ back to mine? Got some MJ and really good music. Unless you’re too cool to hang out with a music elitist,” she smirked. That smirk turned to a grin as Berlioz stood and nodded, motioning for her to lead the way.

IV.

Tink and Ber were nearly inseparable. Where one went the other could soon be found. Their now mutual friends called them disgusting, swore that sooner or later they’d get together. What they didn’t know though. Spoilers, darlings. Regardless, the pair spent more time together than they did apart. Tink wouldn’t have had it any other way. That place inside of her that had felt empty for so long, no longer felt that way. Slowly it had been filling, making instead a home for a certain tall and gangly boy.

It didn’t matter that there was an almost considerable age difference. Tink being twenty-four and Berlioz being just barely eighteen. What mattered was that they were comfortable around each other. Didn’t feel the need to pretend. They spent hours curled together, high as fuck, listening to music; new and old. It was all pretty G rated but TInk didn’t mind. This one relationship was fine without sex. It didn’t need to be defined by that because it just felt-- right.

But around the fifth month of their ‘hanging’ out dating Tink got her first inkling that things might actually progress to that level.

They’d gone to the Next Town Over for a proper night out. One that they didn’t have to be interrupted by any of their friends. God knew they’d crashed many a date in the past and really, Tink just wanted Berlioz to herself; just as much as Berlioz wanted Tink to himself. There wasn’t much of the movie that they could remember, most of it had been spent with eyes closed and lips pressed together, but from what they had seen it looked pretty boring. Something they could report to their friends when they eventually made their way back to Swynlake.

Phones shut off and retired to Tink’s flat for the evening, everything was going rather well. Tink had turned on the heater because it was cold as hell but they had still forgone most of their clothes as they laid buried under a fort of covers on her bed. Again, eyes had been closed and lips pressed together as hands roamed and explored, each set mapping out their partner with immense concentration.

Course that was when their friends most definitely used the key under the mat and came barging in, interrupting said explorations with very little dignity. Pouting while trying to cover her more exposed bits, she looked towards Berlioz with exasperation on her features as the gang all crowded around. “We need new friends.”

While Tink had proven that most things come about from spontaneity, sometimes she liked to plan things. Those things included birthday celebrations, graduation celebrations, and other such things. Her favorite, of course, being birthdays. Luck had it that hers and Berlioz’s were mere days apart. Which meant that there were three days in which they could celebrate. An entire glorious weekend to be spent celebrating between their friends, themselves, and their family.

Two of those groups were quite tiring. So tiring. Especially family. Berlioz’s family definitely didn’t like her and Tink’s family was very partial to him. Best to say they’d be avoiding familial engagements altogether.

It was their friends that proved to be the most tiring. The gang had all come together for a massive night out. There was booze, there was drugs, there were so many body pressed together until they all became one. It was an epic celebration. Something fit for the two of them. Only they would have preferred to be have celebrated by themselves. Something small rather than large and raucous. It was nice, though, and they thoroughly enjoyed the time spent with friends and each other; the two of them pressed tight together in an attempt to shut out the world.

The last of the celebrations were their favorite. It was just them, hidden from the world in Berlioz’s studio. He’d wanted to show Tink something and she readily agreed. In her opinion Berlioz would be the next Bowie or Prince. He had an ear she wished she’d had. An ear and an ability to put different components together into something... incredible. Plus she loved being able to say that she was dating a musician. Something only made better by the way Ber looked whenever he had an instrument in hand. Just pure bliss, nirvana right there in front of her.

But just as she could get side tracked in his music, she could also get side tracked in him. In the way his lips felt against hers or the steady and sure way his hands moved along her body. Tink was not a firm believer in delayed gratification, she preferred her gratification instant thank you very much, but this... Putting this off with Berlioz, all those interruptions and delays, it had been worth it. Every single nerve ending was on fire, bringing her nothing but complete pleasure as they went along slowly.

Clothes were discarded slowly, not carefully, thrown over chairs and equipment. There was laughter and teasing quips as they both chased something that was always just out of their reach. It was built up passion, desire, want. Everything Tink had been chasing all those months ago built into this one boy who had somehow made a place for himself inside of her, moving constantly within her. It was a push and pull, give and take, both reaching and reaching for release. And when it finally came they collapsed into a heap together, curling around one another until they couldn’t tell where one began and the other ended.

#bdrpwrimo #i had to be so vague about all of this #tink rioted the entire time #idk how i feel about this yet

2 notes · View notes

airadam · 5 years

Text

Episode 122 : Drop It Heavy

"Scripture tell me no one excluded when rain drippin'..."

- Tobe Nwigwe

This month has been a rough one, but here we are once again with a brand new selection for your headphones and speakers! We remember the great KMG, and then sprinkle the selection with some strong UK tracks, overlook gems, rapid genre jumping, and one absolutely amazing remix. While individually there aren't many obscurities in the mix, I'll be impressed if anyone already knows every track on here...

Twitter : @airadam13

Playlist/Notes

Above The Law : V.S.O.P (Remix)

Been waiting a long time to play this one - it was quite a few years of looking to find a decent 12" copy (thanks Discogs!), and then it was one I was determined to save for an anniversary of KMG's passing. The original from the excellent "Black Mafia Life" is proto-G-Funk, but this version puts a just a touch of extra chaos (and bass) into the mix, courtesy of Cold 187um on both occasions. An ode to late-night partying and cognac, but still bringing the battle edge to the second verse, this has KMG handling the hook solo but going back and forth with Cold 187um on the mic. A much underrated tag team from the west!

Jigmastas : Too Ill (Instrumental)

I love the fact that the "Resurgence" album came with a complete set of instrumentals, just so you can get that DJ Spinna flavour undiluted - here's just a taste!

Tobe Nwigwe ft. FAT : PEEP GAME

Another #GetTwistedSundays killer! I'm bringing this Texan back for a second appearance in the last four months, with a track I think a lot of you will really enjoy. The producer Nell brings a fresh style, with some great change-ups in the beat - and the other half of the bargain is held up with skills galore. Tobe absolutely crams meaning (and syllables) into his devastating monotone flow, and his wife FAT provides a great spoken-word-like breakdown in an efficient eight-bar appearance. This is a trio of brilliant artists (along with their video crew) doing amazing things.

BADBADNOTGOOD ft. Kaytranada & Snoop Dogg: Lavender (Nightfall Remix)

Canada's BBNG first released the original version of this track on their "IV" album, but Snoop Dogg heard it and somehow knew it could benefit from his own unique enhancement! This version ended up as an inclusion on his 2017 "Neva Left" album; his added verse addressing police brutality, in addition to the controversial video, thrust it into the consciousness of a much larger audience.

DRS : All Time High

I was reminded of this track from the new "From The Deep" LP when DRS performed it live at a Manchester International Festival event recently. He's one of the most important artists the Manchester scene has ever had, with his influence spreading far and wide - whether fully acknowledged or not. While he's now mostly known for his drum & bass work, he was of course one-third of Broke 'n' English (alongside Strategy and Konny Kon) and this album has him displaying his Hip-Hop skills over the production of Pitch 92.

Lowkey : Hand On Your Gun

If you like politics in your Hip-Hop, then Lowkey is someone you should definitely be checking for - a British MC of Iraqi descent, he brings his worldview to the mic with strength every time. His second album, "Soundtrack To The Struggle" gives us this stinging condemnation of some of the big players in the global arms trade, with ShowNProve providing the Wild West-themed track.

Kaytranada ft. Karriem Riggins and River Tiber : Bus Ride

A nice instrumental from the "99.9%" album. The guest star Karriem Riggins gets busy on the drums in a subtle way through most of the track before showing out right at the end with a little double-time flair!

Children of Zeus : Respect Mine

"Travel Light" is now a year old and it's still getting just as much play as it did on release! Juga-Naut on production, Mr.Thing on the sharp cuts, and Tyler and Konny Kon putting it down on the mic make up a major league quartet.

Robert Glasper Experiment ft. Norah Jones : Let It Ride

As strong as this track is, it's not even one of my top three from "Black Radio 2", which speaks to just how good that album is! Mark Colenburg earns his money on the double-time drumming that you'd think had to be a programmed drum machine, setting a furious pace that the rest of the groove languidly follows. The bass and piano are low-key and do their thing without upstaging Norah Jones on the vocal of this classy cut.

Janelle Monáe : Cold War

This is an absolutely furious cut. The video is definitely worth a watch - similar to the one for Sinead O'Connor's "Nothing Compares 2 U", it stays focused on her face for the entire running length and is packed with emotion, as are the lyrics. Clearly one of the standouts on "The ArchAndroid", with the themes of isolation and struggle articulated by one of the best artists of this era.

OutKast : B.O.B

I've been wanting to do the blend from "Cold War" to this for ages! One of my favourite tracks from this duo, this pretty much made my brain explode when I first heard it back in 2000. I was surprised to find out recently that this wasn't a big hit even on the R&B/Hip-Hop charts, but they were actively trying to go against the grain and a lot of the audience probably just wasn't ready. To me, this is Andre and Big Boi at the peak of their lyrical games, keeping up with a track that really would fit the name "organised noize" - but was actually produced by the group themselves alongside Mr.DJ. That's a real gospel choir you're hearing on the hook and the outro, a really serious guitarist letting loose all over the track, and a real MPC being beaten into submission for those drums. Stone classic from the "Stankonia" LP. Oh, and "got a son on the way by the name of Bamboo"? Well, time flies...

[The Alchemist] Cam'ron : Wet Wipes (Instrumental)

This fit the bill here as something electronic-sounding that was also half the speed of the frenetic OutKast track, allowing us to come back down to earth a bit. The Alchemist cooked up a thudding, menacing beat for what was a typically disrespectful Cam'ron track from 2006's "Killa Season". This was actually Alchemist's first MPC beat (he was a devotee of the ASR-10 up to this point) and has the chopping and aggression that is very reminiscent of a track he did years later, Raekwon's "Surgical Gloves".

The Lady of Rage : Raw Deal

I finally sat down to listen to the "Necessary Roughness" album from front to back for the first time recently, and I can confirm that it was indeed slept-on. This was probably a consequence of it being pushed further and further back by Death Row, until it finally got a very quiet release in 1997. If you'd forgotten about the skills that made her a people's favourite, here's a reminder over a Daz Dillinger and Tyrone Wrice beat, laid-back enough to give her the space to get busy.

Glenn Lewis : Don't You Forget It (Curtis Lynch Remix)

FIRE 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥! The original Glenn Lewis cut from "World Outside My Window") has always been a favourite of mine, and it's one you don't want to mess up with a clumsy remix - for example, the Desert Storm attempt with the most "missing the point" guest rap verse in music history. I can't remember how I found this one, but it stunned me - the re-interpretation is perfect. Lewis is from Trinidadian and Jamaican roots, and the move to connect with someone like London's Curtis Lynch for this remix was a natural but also an inspired move. It sounds like this one has been re-voiced rather than just swapping instrumentals, and it's a rootsy dancehall masterpiece with the drums, bass, and every single accent on point. Turn this one all the way up!

London Grammar : Non Believer

I'm not even sure what genre you'd count this as - Wikipedia claims "indie pop", but even that doesn't quite hit the mark. For me there are definite vibes of what they used to call "trip-hop" - I can imagine previous eras of Portishead or Massive Attack doing a tune like this. This track from "Truth Is A Beautiful Thing" is itself a melancholic beautiful thing, with Hannah Reid's crystal-clear vocals soaring over the moody beat.

Sean Price & Illa Ghee : 2Pac by the Locker

If you know "Juice", you know what this title is all about! I'd describe the track as "short and sweet", if there was anything remotely street about it. Sean P and Illa Ghee come through like a pair of brass knuckles as they do on every other cut on the "Metal Detectors" EP - just beasting.

Jake One : Gangsta Boy (Instrumental)

Coming through slamming like a new take on Dre's "Lyrical Gangbang", this is a monster of a beat from Jake One's "White Van Music Instrumentals". It had to be, since the MCs on the vocal version are the rugged neva smoove M.O.P.

Raekwon : Canal Street

Raekwon is one of the greatest picture painters in Hip-Hop history and this is an absolute art masterclass. From the first lines "All of our fathers is bank robbers, holding TECs/Eights of hero'n, shooting in the steps" he grabs your mind's eye and never lets it go until the track ends. Flawless street imagery all the way from "Only Built 4 Cuban Linx...Pt.II" to such an extent that the video actually takes away from it! Icewater Productions bring a fairly well-used sample in that brings the crime-flick menace the lyrical content demands. One nice touch on the production side - the sudden turn up of the volume in a matter of a beat or two in the transition from the intro to the first verse - definitely makes it hit you in the chest.

Please remember to support the artists you like! The purpose of putting the podcast out and providing the full tracklist is to try and give some light, so do use the songs on each episode as a starting point to search out more material. If you have Spotify in your country it's a great way to explore, but otherwise there's always Youtube and the like. Seeing your favourite artists live is the best way to put money in their pockets, and buy the vinyl/CDs/downloads of the stuff you like the most!

Check out this episode!

0 notes

alexanderking · 7 years

Text

Another top 20 Albums of 2016

So I didn’t post any of my old lists up here but...

...’Another late list of last years albums for yer! I’m going strictly with albums this year...

“Have I left anything out?”- Albums et al of 2015:

Nicholas Payton- Letters: Nicholas Payton follows up ‘Numbers’ with ‘Letters’; music written and played for each letter in the alphabet. While this didn’t blow me away, there were some nice pieces on here. I really like ‘B’, ‘I’ and ‘X for Patrice Rushen’

Native Dancer- EP Vol. 1: This is a name I see on the live circuit a fair bit. I initially neglected going to their shows (surprise, surprise), but they appeared at the Jazz Re:Fest last July and delivered some truly impressive music; I was kicking myself for about a minute for not listening to their stuff earlier...

...Errr...I can’t think of any more...please feel free to make suggestions here...

...2016:

20) Ab-Soul- Do What Thou Wilt.:

I did like this slightly more than ‘These Days...’. I find this album as Ab-Soul sharing various thoughts and ideas without fully committing to them, although there is a fair bit of questioning gender roles on here. My favourites include ‘Huey Knew THEN’, ‘INvocation’, ‘Beat the Case’ and the vulnerable ‘Evil Genius’.

Random Note: If Black Hippy were the TMNT, I reckon Soul would be Mikey...

19) Josef Leimberg- Astral Progressions:

I got on to this one pretty late; I came across this on Bandcamp’s top 100 list. Some nice melodies and some strong playing on here. Unfortunately the song that caused me to buy this album (‘Interstellar Universe’) is by far the best musically for me. ‘As I Think of You’ and ‘Between Us 2′ are pretty good runners up...

18) Derrick Hodge- The Second:

Derrick Hodge gives us another solo album with ‘The Second’. This album has elements of Hip-Hop, Blues, a bit of Folk, Jazz (obviously), Soul and a strong element of the modal sound present in a lot of electronic influenced music (I’m referring to artists like ‘Floating Points’, ‘Kelsey Lu’, ‘Little Dragon’, and so on...). The last quarter of this project is the strongest part for me. Shouts to Freda for bringing this to my attention...

17) Danny Brown- Atrocity Exhibition:

‘Some interesting experimental Hip-Hop to be found on this project. The subject matter comes across samey at first, but a few listens and some research into Danny Brown has me concluding that this album is be a reflection of his drug fuelled days...I could be wrong...

16) Terrace Martin- Velvet Portraits:

I felt that the really stand out tracks are blocked out by a fair bit of filler. However, the strong pieces are those that I’ve gone back to quite often over the year. ‘Favourites are ‘A Tribe Called West’ and ‘Think of You’...

15) ScHoolboy Q- Blank Face LP:

I initially ignored this album (shock horror -_-), but my friend Dan had tweeted about how good this album was. It encouraged me to check it out: I wasn’t disappointed. ‘Definitely the strongest offering from TDE last year. ‘Kno’ ya Wrong’ and ‘Ride Out’ (one of Sounwaves hardest beats in a while) are standouts.

Random Note: If Black Hippy were the TMNT, I reckon Quincy would be Raph.

Another Random Note: This thought trail is based on my tendency to associate Hip-Hop artists (usually groups) with colours, and loosely based on the model sheet ‘The Line Animation’ did for their vine of the TMNT. If on the off chance’ you’re curious...:

http://thelineanimation.tumblr.com/post/153342691923/turtle-assemble-progression-reel-and-model-sheets

...But I digress...

14) Incognito- In Search of Better Days:

Although by now I feel pretty clued up on what to expect from this band sonically, I ended up really enjoying this project more than recent offerings; their best since ‘Tales From The Beach’, although feature spots from bassist Stuart Zender, drummer Richard Spaven, and vocalist Vula Malinga, help in revitalising their sound...

13) Collective Peace- Introducing Collective Peace:

While I didn’t find much new in the Neo soul sound Collective Peace bring, I did find myself coming back to this album quite a lot. This album makes it this far up the list on the strength of ‘Sun Chaser’. ‘Let the Music Play’ and ‘Track IV’ do really well on a clear day also...

12) Aisling Iris- Night Time Moves:

‘Another recommendation from Miss Laidlaw; She shared this album on twitter. I clicked the link and: I always forget how much I like Drew Horley’s production until I hear it again. Some strong melodies and Aisling Iris touches on love, loneliness, lust, being true to your dreams and the current political climate over these 13 tracks...

11) David Bowie- ★:

Over the past year and a half, I’ve done slightly better at taking recommendations from friends (even though I discover most things through someone else o_O). During the wake of Bowie’s passing, this album had received a lot of kudos and so on it went. I found myself sucked into the melodies and some of the soundscapes, particularly ‘Girl Loves Me’ and the title track. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised as Bowie was always quite forward thinking in his approach to musical trends...

10) Nicholas Payton- Textures:

It’s no secret that I find Nicholas Payton- The Blogger quite cantankerous and unnecessarily miserable when speaking on music (there were quite a few points I agreed with in that ‘Black Messiah’ blog, but the delivery... *sigh*). The Musician however, has some pretty good ideas. This album was composed based on the textures an artist painted. Musically I can hear Odd Future (‘Hard’) or Terence Brown (‘Fuzzy’/‘Sticky’) creating something like this...

9) Solange- A Seat at the Table:

‘Don’t Touch My Hair’ was doing the rounds and so, having enjoyed ‘Solo Star’ (yep. That long ago...), I gave this a listen. I adore the subject matter along with the honesty to keep in mind “Not everyday ‘woke’, somedays take it easy”. I found a lot to enjoy on this project...

8) Claffy- Claffy:

Alexander Claffy presents us the stages of going through a break up; from travelling alone once more, to removing his things from his exe’s flat, to acceptance...only to lament once more with my favourite break-up track this year, ‘Epilogue’...

7) Robert Glasper Experiment- ArtScience:

While this band has been quite consistent with their output this year, I enjoyed this album the most. ‘My favourite works from the Experiment since ‘Festival’, and so great to see the whole group (particularly Casey) even more involved in writing the music. ‘No One Like You’ is my go to track on here.

Random Note: ‘You’ is used a lot in the track listing...Is ‘You’ the new ‘Love’?...

6) A Tribe Called Quest- “We Got It From Here...Thank You 4 Your Service”:

I pretty much agree with ‘The Guardian’s’ review of this album: “...loses focus in the last third, but the first two takes no prisoners lyrically or musically!..”. Nairobi comes correct with his bars on ‘The Space Program’. ‘Solid Wall of Sound’ and ‘Dis Generation...’ has the tightest super rapping I’ve heard since ‘Move yer Self’ by the Procussions. ‘Kids...’ is my favourite on here with tight solo verse followed by tight cyphering.

Side Note: The liner notes are definitely worth a read...

5) Corinne Bailey Rae- The Heart Speaks In Whispers:

‘Another artist I ignored while she was doing the touring circuit last spring. Hearing that she worked quite a bit with the Strother sisters (KING) caused me to check this album out. ‘Green Aphrodisiac’ was on repeat (I was relieved to find that this song wasn’t about smoking weed). ‘Loved the vulnerability in ‘Hey, I won’t Break Your Heart’, the synths in ‘Taken By Dreams’ and the echoey acoustics of ‘Night’.

Side Note: I found that this album feels more complete without the bonus tracks...

4) Kev Choice- 88 Steps to Eternity:

This musician/emcee has been pretty relentless with his output since ‘Oakland Riviera’ in 2014. I was stoked to hear that Kev was releasing an instrumental album and was impressed with what I heard. This album takes from Jazz, Soul, Hip-Hop and Trap. I found the A-Side was superior to the B-Side...

3) KING- We Are KING:

‘We Are KING’ has been five years in the making. Despite hearing bits and bobs over the wait, I thoroughly enjoyed the complete product. My favourites include the glistening ‘The Right One’ and ‘Red Eye’, although ‘Supernatural’ and ‘The Story’ feel very much enhanced with their introductory movements. This was another project where I found the A-Side more compelling than the B-Side...

2) Soweto Kinch- Nonagram:

Soweto returns with a 96 minute journey of instrumentals and some rap tracks that attempts to convey ideas around the nine sided Nonagram. While I couldn’t quite figure that out, I have found myself replaying this album often too. Many of the instrumental pieces bring images of being at the start of some kind of challenge, whether it be building something, solving an equation, or just living...Had I not got this in November, I’m sure that ‘Soul Bearings’ would’ve been my most played track this year...

Esperanza Spalding- Emily’s D+Evolution:

After this album’s release in March, I heard very little discussion about this project from other outlets. I myself however revisited this project throughout the year. ‘Emily’s D+Evolution’ shows a somewhat departure to the soft, sunniness we got from ‘Radio Music Society’, to deliver a Jazz/Rock fusion LP with the straight ahead attitude of a pop record. My favourite is ‘Noble Nobles’; this reminds me of something Thundercat might write. A very close second goes to ‘Ebony and Ivy’; ‘bonus points for the fact that my nieces enjoy this song too.

Random Note: This was another project in which I found it felt more complete without the bonus tracks...

Honorable Mentions: I’m only going for 10 this year; my previous lists have seen the honourable mentions list be longer than the top 20 list itself...

Yussef Kamaal- Black Focus:

‘An electronic/broken affair. The standouts are pretty great but I enjoyed the above more...

Anderson. Paak- Malibu:

...I’m sorry to say I have yet to fully get Anderson. Paak. There were definitely some strong pieces on this album, but I wasn’t that enticed by the rest...His live performance was brilliant though...

Chance The Rapper- Colouring Book:

This deserves a mention fully on innovation and general positivity musically. This wasn’t something I revisited that much however...

Kanye West- The Life of Pablo:

This album is effectively a culmination of all of Kanye’s stages so far. There’s an element from each earlier album on here. While I’m not feeling all of this album I cannot deny Kanye’s ideas...

Isaiah Rashad- The Sun’s Tirade:

This album goes from hip-hop to trap influenced hip-hop...or is it hip-hop influenced trap?...I found the latter more intriguing, although ‘Bday’ gets a shout...

Hiromi- Spark:

The Hiromi Trio project grace us with another project with sounds ranging from ferocious to gentle and everything in between. I just enjoyed the above more...

Chantae Cann- Journey to Golden:

There some lovely melodies and vocals on here. I felt like the 11 tracks are actually more like 6 or 7 pieces of music and so I felt a little cheated...

Music Soulchild- Life on Earth:

As far as standard RnB goes, there’s a fair bit to like on this album. I’m really feeling the head nod factor of ‘Heart Away’. I was a bit confused with the message in ‘The Girl’. I still enjoy that track as a slow jam though...

Kendrick Lamar- Untitled. Unmastered.:

Kendrick gives us what is effectively an anthology project containing demos from the ‘Butterfly’ sessions. Untitled’s 1-3, 5, 6 and the first half of 7 are strong. I found ‘Untitled 08′ paled in comparison to the live performance. I haven’t found myself returning to this that much...

Random Note: If Black Hippy were the TMNT, I reckon Kendrick would be Donnie (Be honest. Who thought I was going to say Leo?)

Childish Gambino- “Awaken, My Love!”:

My relationship with funk is flaky at best. To illustrate the point, the standouts for me are ‘Riot’ and the reflective ‘Stand Tall’...

0 notes

airadam · 7 years

Text

Episode 102 : Play With Joy

"Give me a minute, I'll give you my spirit."

- Konny Kon

Another month, another mix to keep your ears nourished! Listen out for Juice Crew appearances and connections throughout the selection, after Manchester witnessed them tear up the stage this month. We've got some soulful numbers, turntable wizardry, and quotables for days. Let's get it started...

Twitter : @airadam13

Playlist/Notes

Cesar Comanche : A-Game

With the intro and all that, this is a track that needs to be at the start of a mix, and as such I've been saving it for quite a long time. One of my favourites from the original days of the Justus League, this track is from Cesar's second album "Paper Gods", and is a great ode to working hard in music and not being a hanger-on or a daydreamer; as the title suggests, bring your A-game. 9th Wonder is on the beat, slapping that snare as always!

Kev Brown : The Beat Tape (Instro)

One of the instrumentals from the "Selective Hearing" LP; nothing super complex, just a good example of doing something funky with a handful of elements. The insertion of that "yeah" sample is worth the price of admission!

Kool G Rap & DJ Polo : Letters

Another one I've had in the "to play" list for ages, it's a straight mic workout for G Rap taken from his final album in collaboration with DJ Polo, "Live and Let Die". As an aside, I didn't realise that the album was shelved some time after initial release because of the controversial cover art! Luckily, it got a re-release so you should be able to find it - there are some excellent tracks on there. As with most of the rest of the album, Sir Jinx, best known for his work with Ice Cube, handles the production; a nice funky soul sample forms the basis of the track.

Wordsworth : Feel Me

Hadn't given "The Picture Album" a listen in a long time and had totally forgotten about this Ill Poetic-produced track - I was looking to include something featuring Masta Ace but this got the nod instead, as it were. "Feel me internally"? Hold that thought, we're coming back to it later in the show...

Bumpy Knuckles : Lazy

One of those tunes you can drop on a mixtape or in a club night full of real heads. DJ Premier on the beat with a meat-and-potatoes drum pattern underpinning a disjointed string sample, and Bumpy going in on the mic straight line style. Bonus points for him impression of crying MCs in the intro :) We will definitely return to the "Konexion" album again!

Big Daddy Kane, Jay-Z, ODB : Show & Prove

The full version of this tune from the 1994 "Daddy's Home" album is long! Coming off a loop of the DJ Premier beat, I actually missed off the first three verses (Scoob, Sauce Money, and Shyheim) and jumped in at Kane's appearance. A then mostly-unknown Jay-Z can be heard here with his old style, and ODB shuts it down on the final verse, overwhelming the track with sheer force of personality! Three Brooklyn kings, no question. The sharp-eared amongst you will find the last word on the tune very familiar...

[Pete Rock] All City : Priceless (Instrumental)

I played the vocal version of this many moons ago on episode 12, and Pete Rock's beat fits brilliantly here - a bridge between the explosion that ends the previous cut, and the tempo of the one that follows...

Top Rawmen : Symphony 3000

I'm amongst friends here, so I can admit it - at least partly due to cultural differences, I didn't realise for years that this turntablist crew's name is a pun! Yeroc, Nando, Nomad, Mike c, and Jay Slim brilliantly execute the concept of a turntable version of the Juice Crew classic "The Symphony" on this selection from "Return of the DJ, Volume IV". The beats are sampled/cut/reworked from that 1988 record, and several quotes from the track get sliced and diced here too.

Camp Lo : Cookers

This Ski-produced B-side (you know the deal) from the "Trouble Man" single bangs hard in a specific way that often makes it tough to fit into mixes, but I think this is a good spot for it! There's a detail worth noting on this one - check how Sonny and Geechi start each two-bar phrase of the first verse with their syllables landing dead on each hit of the kick drum.

Diamond D ft. Kurupt and The Alkaholiks : We Are The People Of The World

Diamond just keeps on going - with a record collection and a mind like his, the beats will hopefully keep on coming for a long time yet! His 2014 album "The Diam Piece" is a producer-centred project where he brings in a star-studded roster of guests to bless his beats; on this cut, we get veteran West Coast lyricism from the 'Liks and Kurupt, keeping it positive. I do need to stop giving myself these awkward bar counts to mix with though...

J-Zone ft. Has-Lo : Caddy Coupe

I love seeing people win, so this track works on two levels; firstly, it comes from "Fish 'n' Grits", an excellent album from the latter phase of J-Zone's musical career, and secondly because of the story. I can totally get behind a real-life tale of a man treating himself to a bit of luxury after a hard working life; it's just a genuinely nice story. Philadephia's Has-Lo takes the second verse to expand the theme a little more, and Zone's production (in all senses of the word) is excellent and inventive as always.

Trifeckta : First Time (Janet Jackson Flip)

I wanted to bridge here with something having a bit of 80s style and also some soul, and finally found the right beat on the Producers I Know compilation "The 80s Beat Tape" - which I'm sure we'll visit again. St.Louis'/NYC's Trifeckta dices up some Janet Jackson and tops it off with some skilled drum machine work.

John Legend and The Roots : Hang On In There

Somehow the "Wake Up!" collaborative project slipped by me until recently, despite being years old! It's mostly made up of covers of old soul records, and they're done well. Here's one example, their take on the low-key 1972 classic "Hang On In There" by Mike James Kirkland, with a beautiful groove and a solid message.

Children of Zeus : Rock You Internally

Yet another great cut from Konny Kon and Tyler Daly, both of whom are in fine rhyming style right here - classic tag team vocal styles. No slouches on the boards either, they cook up a quality beat from a classic soul sample. "The Story So Far..." is an essential purchase...and that's just a collection of their past work. The album, when it comes, is really going to be something.

Ill Camille : Take A Ride

Ill Camille is an artist coming out of Los Angeles who gets much respect from those in the know. While her latest LP "Heirloom" is getting rave reviews, here we go all the way back to 2011's "The Pre-Write" for a track which I think features the sadly late Alori Joh ; they collaborated on a version of this track I've seen titled as "Take That Ride". Camille handles her business here lyrically, and the hook is very nicely done as a bonus. I've not got any credits indicating who produced it, but I do like the beat - incidentally, all that EQ/filtering going on towards the end is part of the track itself!

KING : The Greatest

I don't know how many times I've played this track this year, but it's a lot. Paris Strother kills it on this production (as she does on the whole "We Are KING" album), and on the mic along with the other two members for this ethereal and grooving tribute to the great Muhammad Ali. If you're hearing it for the first time, it deserves an immediate rewind - alternatively, watch the excellent 8-bit-styled video :)

Tall Black Guy : Sade's Taboo (Sweetest Taboo Blap-Up)

The brother from another mother (and father) once again shows you how he flips well-known samples into his own head-nodding, shoulder-slumping style!

Craig G : W.F.W.T (What's Fuckin With That)

Ending things on an up note, we take a track from the amazingly titled "I Rap and Go Home" album. The Juice Crew veteran gives you a small window into his life as a live performer..and he loves it! Again, I like to see people win and so it's nice to know that Craig's working life is pretty awesome. Vaporworldz isn't an artist I've heard of before, but this beat is on-point; a light, cheerful head-nodder with a little reggae seasoning in there. I hope Craig G and the rest of the crew left Manchester with happy memories - although we couldn't help much with the weather, sadly.

Check out this episode!

0 notes