It’s a funny thing to find a song that portrays the working life you live, which is, at the moment, inside-wireman work in the context of substations. In any event, a rich song from years past about life in the trades - a life deserving many more songs than this age of the college-educated and college-focused workforce, unaware and ignorant of the trades.
Iced Out Audemars - Pop Smoke
What can I say more than that I’m in love the with a) the beat, b) the lyrics - “smack the reverend” - and, c) Pop Smoke’s rasp. He has some other works worth bumping. And, if you didn’t know, Iced Out Audemars refers to vey, very expensively bejeweled Audemars, a now-coveted, high-end watch.
Pop Smoke, tragically, was murdered in a home-invasion, in February 2020. RIP
Guy Ritchie Strikes, again
There’s a scene in Guy Ritchie’s Snatch where a cocksure pugilist lies prone, mouth agape and eyes shut, out-cold, on the dirt floor of a makeshift arena. As the viewer’s perspective widens, the peripheries fill with disputatious locals (i.e. travelers, gypsies, or “pikeys” in the Guy Ritchie universe) in arguing how best to dispose of the pugilist, Gorgeous George, who, on account of his repose, is presumed dead, and the boxer’s partner, Tommy, whose buffer of personal space dwindles as fast as his courage. “If Gorgeous doesn't wake up in the next few minutes Tommy knows he'll be buried with him. Why would the gypsies go through the trouble explaining why a man died in their campsite?”
The camera work and accompanying narration is just the right mix, but the music, starting when we realize that Mikey - the pikey prize-fighting Mighty-Mouse, who’s taut but undersized stature and persistent inebriation arose in his opponents unfounded confidence - delivers England’s most fluid and potentially lethal, right hook (really, a jab-hook hybrid). The barnyard fight and musical delivery may be alone worth the price of admission.
In his most recent work, The Gentlemen, Ritchie proves once again adept in retrieving, from some remote island of forgotten, now-unknown musical gems, an absolute treasure of a song.
I’ve posted both because you’re not likely to hear them otherwise (that is, of course, unless you’ve seen the movies). Cheers!
Party Girl (remix) - StaySolidRocky & Lil Uzi Vert
My obsession with Lil Uzi Vert continues unabated. I am both an overt and unapologetic proponent and consumer of his music and, to some extent, his quirky image. Props to StaySolidRocky for making this tune all the more interesting…but sans Vert, I’m not sure this tune sticks.
Forever's Gone - DRAMA
Another remarkable music duo that should encourage collaborations between musically inclined renegades to create over a Zoom meeting (hopefully in person, but…COVID). Be sure to check out DRAMA’s very interesting music videos. Her voice maybe one of the most appealing today.
Poor Georgie - MC Lyte
Far from MC Lyte’s most popular song, Poor Georgie relates the tragic tale of a promising young lover as told by one of the queens of late-80/early 90’s rap. Lyte’s has both bravado (the necessary component of all hip-hop) and narrative appeal, that bygone thread running through rap songs of old. This song, along with her “Paper Thin” offers a glimpse into the world of rap just before Dr. Dre’s G-funk era made much rap prior seem campy and naive by comparison. True, rappers were flirting with racier content, and there was NWA and 2-Live Crew, but prior Dre’s The Chronic, few had fully committed to what moralizers in the early 90’s termed gangsta-rap, a neologism whose nativity is as obvious today as its prevalence was then.
A side note: I discovered “Poor Georgie” on Sirius XM, when that was such a thing, before iTunes changed everything.
JU$T - Run The Jewels (feat. Pharrell Williams & Zach de la Rocha)
When I heard this in my friend’s car and asked, “who’s this?” He gave me the kind of look that says, “bro, maybe come out of that cave-home, once in a while.” In any event, the song is solid - but be forewarned: your subs may not be up to the task of the song’s bass. It’s good to hear Rage Against the Machine’s lead vocalist Zach de la Rocha collaborating.
Wifey - Qveen Herby
During COVID-lockdown we all had time to catch up on the important matter of binging entertainment television. I indulged in Ozark, which satisfied my longings for well-written, violent drama and included a number of interesting songs new to my ear. Such is the life of the music aficionado: the introduction of good music arrives when you least expect it, cycling in background at a restaurant, segueing between talk-radio segments and, as was the case during HBO’s Silicon Valley, playing soundtrack to your favorite streaming indulgences. Fans of Ozark may have missed this one.
Ain't That Funkin' Kinda Hard on You? - Funkadelic, Kendrick Lamar, Ice Cube
Would I be remiss to say that accompanying Kendrick Lamar, Ice Cube sounds less…er…interesting? Would I violate the inviolability of a hip-hop holiest of the holy to proclaim that this track would sound better without Cube? His lyrics and flow are good, but they’re just not as interesting as Lamar’s. Nevertheless, the pairing of Kendrick Lamar with Funkadelic will strike anyone with an ear for funk and hip-hop - i.e. good music - as an unmitigated success. As far as I can tell this album contains this song, only. And that’s a shame, of course, because hip-hop could use more of these collaborations/remixes. No disrespect to Ice Cube.
Sweet Va Breeze - DRAM
Have I mentioned the utter delectability of the sexy, slightly naughty R&B/hip-hop combination? The expansion of this niche is a sweet surprise. Let DRAM (pronounced like the “dram” in DRAMA) take you away, get you real high, and after he takes you to the moon and you return to daylight, you can get high some more. REAL LOVE. FEEL LOVE. TASTE LOVE.
You and I - Toro y Moi
A serene enchantment lies upon much of this music. The ideal backdrop for thoughtful conversation, it’s an edgy and appealing antidote to much in music. Since the production of his first album, Toro y Moi - whose real name is Chaz Bear - has produced an abundance of albums, mix tapes and singles, so much in fact, that it’s hard to believe he views his music has a hobby; his track record of plenty does, however, make sense of his proclamation as a self-described workaholic.
Might Be - DJ Luke Nasty
Prepare the incense, wine and candles, this song is sexy. Thanks to DJ Luke Nasty - whose name could use an upgrade but is too late to change - we have another addition to our incredible love-making playlist (everyone has one - or should!). Sure to be a hit. I should add that not only does DJ Luke Nasty look more hard than this love song would suggest, but he could stand to leave his exceptionally long tongue (not shown) in his mouth - just saying.
Shervin Lainez
Coffee - Sylvan Esso
Oh, how sweet it is to hear a voice whose sound has become cliche employed in so novel a way. Sylvan Esso’s sound and overall verve is contagious and spunky (check out the videos); they seem familiar, yet come with a heavy dose of the avant-garde.
WUTD - Genesis Owusu
For neither the first time nor last, I present another edition to the rebirth of funk. I heard this on a Bose headphone’s commercial (i.e. the one with the red-haired, white millennial cruising through a busy thoroughfare, the one with super hip black toddlers who apparently know good vibes when they hear them).
Miss Primetime (ft. Pell) - Big Gigantic
Reputable hip-hop work from a bad that’s new (to me, anyway). Being too lazy to research either Big Gigantic or Pell, I’ll leave you with this gem of a song.
The Chemical Brothers - Got To Keep On
Michele and Olivier Gondry direct a visually striking music video whose music I wouldn’t post otherwise. The choreography and, editing in particular, makes this mouth-wateringly stylish and sexy. The music provides the perfect backdrop for young, beautiful people with fountains of rhythm show us why Red Bull airs enormously successful dance competitions. Innovative and elaborate, satisfyingly without excess.
Mind Fields - No Vacation
Discovering more songs from this delightful SF band is proving rapturous. “Mind Fields” is the my latest discovery, and there’s little reason to believe that No Vacation has a few more treasures awaiting eager listeners. The band’s full-length album, Intermission, is the one you’ve been missing. Acquire it as soon as you can. Now!
Intermission
Ditch - Gus Dapperton
Nestle before your studio-grade speakers and notch up the bass ever so. If you’re so inclined. sip whiskey or light up. Gus Dapperton makes an array of music - and I look forward to plumbing the depths - but “Ditch”, with its synths and mesmerizing vocals, envelops and soothes. Never mind Gus’ hair-do. It’s weird.
Gus Dapperton gets cozy
Nadine (Memory Tapes remix) - Fool's Gold
Memory Tapes produced several popular remixes, enjoyed notoriety around 2008-2009, and put his listeners through two changes of name - Weird Tapes and Memory Cassette, each of which appears fickle and rather far short of the tectonic shifts in persona undertaken by David Bowie and Madonna. Because “Nadine” labors to get the point, I omitted the first half of the song. My apologies to Memory Tapes and Fool’s Gold, who are as likely to look at this post as they are to give a shit about my editing.
Dayve Hawk
Tulips - The Bilinda Butchers
You ever post a song and have so little to say about the artist that you don’t say anything?
