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Action Bronson’s Insane Hot 97 Freestyle

January 16, 2015

It’s not a stretch to say that Action Bronson is one of the most consistently entertaining characters in rap. Without even getting into his raps, Bronson has his delightful cooking show “Fuck, That’s Delicious,” one of the most discernible images in hip hop, and a host of viral cinematic music videos, and a partner in Big Body Bes that is equal parts annoying and likable. When it comes to the rhymes, his obscure references, negative boasts, and next level vulgarity shape up to a raw listening experience that can get you to laugh out loud or scrunch your face in approval after a particular nice line. This Funkmaster Flex freestyle sparks both phenomenon, and led the legendary radio host to say that Bronsonlini is the “nicest in the game,” due to lines like: “If I die change my suit four times at the wake, and make sure I get my[...]

Chastity Belt – “Time To Go”

January 9, 2015

There was a dark time in my life where I lived in Iowa. Moving from Buffalo to basically the middle of nowhere, knowing absolutely zero people in the state, I was adventurous and looking forward to the next phase of my life. Since I knew absolutely zero people in Iowa, I tended to hang out by myself a lot. I beat Grand Theft Auto V twice, went on a lot of walks,  and tried basically every restaurant in the city limits. What is really up with Papa Murphy’s? That is the most backwards restaurant I ever encountered. I called ahead to order a pizza, showed up and they gave me a raw pizza. I thought it was a prank. IT WAS THE SAME PRICE AS A REGULAR PIZZA AND I HAD TO COOK IT! Back on track, during this time I felt removed from anything in the music scene, jealously[...]

Noisey’s “The Rap Monument”

December 19, 2014

After many months of anticipation, one of the most exciting and ambitious rap projects of the year is here. “The Rap Monument,” headed by prodo-wizard Hudson Mohawke and his team, and in conjunction with Noisey and Hennessy, is a 42 minute rap song featuring a slew of 30 rappers. Hennessy’s inclusion is important because you see it about every ten frames, but oh well, it’s liquid gold. This track has something for everyone. HudMo crafted a bombastic, horn-heavy beat that’s emulative of his style in the best way.  He switches it up along the way as to not let it get tiring while everyone gets their shot at delivering the best verse. If you’re looking to listen to a radio giant, Young Thug has his own mini-song in the middle of the track. Industry names like Danny Brown, Pusha T, Killer Mike, and YG have a some great verses. New[...]

Panda Bear – “Boy Latin”

December 15, 2014

Panda Bear’s music has always felt like daydreaming, or recapturing that awe struck feeling of childhood. Those deceptively simple repetitions and stoned tempos seem like they could go on forever, and are on full display here. While Animal Collective’s Centipede Hz, and fellow band member Avey Tare’s latest album were too Saturday-morning-cartoons for even their music, the tracks on Panda Bear Meets The Grim Reaper are great and one of the first releases to look forward to in 2015. “Boys Latin” and its polyphonic lines are like a cubist painting, where everything is broken down into little facets to reveal a bigger picture. Then the next section is the choir boy of one, and the only words you can understand: “Dark clouds resurface again, and a shadow moves in.” In a more just world, this song would be played at FAO Schwarz during every holiday. Watch the video below.

Death Grips – “Inanimate Sensation”

December 10, 2014

Death Grips is one of the biggest wild cards in music. Whether it’s dropping albums for free without their label’s permission, or no-showing at Lollapalooza, Death Grips do not appear to ever really give a fuck about the music industry. The trio of Zach Hill, MC Ride, and Andy Morin announced their disbandment along with a project earlier this year, and due to label obligations, they owe us one more album. “Inanimate Sensation” will serve as the lead single to that forthcoming album, entitled the powers that b. This song is a doozy. The video is set in a Space Jam-like arena with a fallen Jumbo-Tron taking center stage. On the video screen, Ride’s menacing presence guides us through a great track, but one that is almost uncomfortable to listen to. Death Grips production has always been top-notch, a standard of their music, and here it really shines through. Throughout[...]

Azizi Gibson – “Smoking With The Gods”

November 12, 2014

Maryland-turned-LA rapper, Azizi Gibson, is on the rise, and it seems to be his fate. Leaving family and college behind in his home state, Gibson headed west with the hopes of making it big. By chance, he ran into mega-producer Flying Lotus at a gym while he was couch surfing, and showed him some of his music. One thing turned into another and now Gibson is signed Lotus’ Brainfeeder label, and releasing dope music like “Smoking With The Gods.” In the video, Gibson blows trees with a personified Yahweh as the two cruise around outer space in an old school Benzo. Humorous and at times psychedelic, the video works as a great introduction to Azizi. He’s an artist that could and should blow up, and has the talent to go in several different directions with his tracks. On here, Gibson opts for the smoker’s anthem, and the catchy, monotonous hook[...]

Big Noble – “Peg”

November 10, 2014

The words “new music from Interpol” used to not send cringes down my spine. There was a time when this band was still good and that time is long up. Save for the throw-back opening track, El Pintor is another album that lacks the swagger Carlos D used to bring to the band. Still, my curiosity has remained strong whenever anything Interpol related is released,so naturally, the first track/video from Big Noble was at least click worthy. Big Noble is the side project from Interpol guitarist, Daniel Kessler, and upon first listen, its already better than most of Interpol’s last decade. Some of my favorite tracks from the band, “Untitled” and “Next Exit,” relied heavily on dreamy atmospherics, and that’s exactly what makes “Peg” so good. Its contemplative, minimal, and carries a lingering dense of dread that never really shows itself. The video pairs the song with gorgeous shots snowy[...]

Father John Misty – “Bored in the USA”

November 4, 2014

Ever since John Tillman stole the show while opening for Youth Lagoon a couple years ago at the Town Ballroom, I have been pining for some new music, and a proper follow up to 2012’s Fear Fun, from the former drummer of Fleet Foxes. Last night, Tillman’s alter ego of Father John Misty took over the Late Show with David Letterman stage with a massive string section to play the ballad, “Bored in the USA,” a cut from his forthcoming new album, I Love You, Honeybear. Tillman once again proves he is one of indie-rock’s best showman, frequently making himself comfortable on his piano as he casually laments on the dejected states of many of today’s post-grads and millennials, something the crowd seemed to eat up by the sounds of the laughter and applause. I Love You, Honeybear is set to drop on Tuesday, February 12th. FJM also announced some tour dates to[...]

Flying Lotus – “Ready Err Not”

October 31, 2014

Continuing the theme of spooky music videos around Halloween time is producer Flying Lotus. A single off of the super-critically acclaimed (and appropriately titled) Your Dead!, “Ready Err Not” is minimal-sounding, excellently produced song that I didn’t know was scary until this video. Straight out of the twisted mind of David Firth, the animator behind “Salad Fingers,”  “Ready Err Not” is a demented animation that looks into the lives of some deformed cannibalistic sub-humans. I’ve shown 5 people this video and every single one of them (dat sample size) voiced their uncomfortableness. It’s also an unconventional type of NSFW so if you don’t want to be looked at as the office weirdo I’d stay away for now. It’s artistic, intentionally off-putting, and allows you to re-imagine the song in a way that I know I didn’t see at first. Watch it below, and remember it’s NSFW.

Dreamers – “My Little Match”

October 31, 2014

No thanks to our current spooky season, I have been on a major found footage kick as of late with films like Afflicted, Wolf Creek, and in particular, the V/H/S series. The stories within a story, sort-of-anthology horror films have featured some truly disturbing video tapes of found footage hysteria, ranging alien abductions to zombie mountain bikers to the most fucked up cult I have ever seen. With a genre that is becoming increasingly played out, the films (a third was just released) have been a fun, and genuinely scary, watch. So I was happy to find the V/H/S inspired music video from surfy-grunge trio, Dreamers, in our inbox this morning. “My Little Match” is full of grainy clips of murders and other unexplained occurrences, plus a pretty clever use of a TV remote in the very V/H/S-type twist to finish. Its a fun watch right on time for Halloween. Watch the[...]

Ratking – “Cocoa 88”

October 24, 2014

Underground rap trio Ratking are defiantly New York. Hip hop videos have reached the point where luxury seems essential in every single music video. There’s gold, girls, and paradise almost every time. Ratking is one of those groups that disassociate themselves from this aspect of hip hop. They’ve said in the past that they’d like to be associated with punk more so than rap, and looking at videos like “Cocoa 88,” it seems like a reasonable request. The video is poorly lit, dirty, seemingly poorly shot, and filled with attitude as Sporting Life, Wiki, Hak, and guest emcee DJ Dog Dick (great name) post up around random spots in the big city. The face of the group is Wiki, a multiracial fireball who’s missing half of his teeth from taking a punch to the face. Peep the vid below, and watch a throwback to the dungeon days of rap.

Interpol – “My Desire”

October 22, 2014

Early aughts NYC post-punk darlings Interpol released a video for “My Desire,” the latest single off their underrated 2014 release El Pintor, and it’s a doozy. Directed by Markus Lundqvist, the atmospheric and mildly disturbing clip features the band providing a slow burning soundtrack to one man’s alcohol fueled mental breakdown in an otherwise pleasant roadhouse. It’s another great single from a band enjoying a revival of sorts after the ho-hum Interol in 2010 and a four year break that some thought signaled its end. Hopefully Interpol will return to WNY in 2015, but in the meantime…

Big KRIT – “Sway in the Morning Freestyle”

October 15, 2014

Forever one of the most underrated artists in hip hop, Mississippi rapper, Big KRIT, made an appearance on rap radio icon Sway’s morning show yesterday to hype up his upcoming album, Cadillactica. Though it took a little peer pressure, KRIT took the opportunity to spit a couple freestyle verses, the first off the top and the second a little preview of album, coming November 11th. With backing from the buttery guitar-based beat of Geto Boyz “My Mind’s Playing Tricks on Me,” he goes off for a few pretty sweet punchlines before the beat falls out and the show really starts. KRIT is consistently praised for having a killer flow, and to hear his southern drawl pick up to rapid fire speed acapella is almost startling. It doesn’t seem possible. His second, prewritten verse comes off of Cadillactica is a passionate, if not scornful message to those that doubt his talent. “KRIT is one of[...]

Various Artists – “God Only Knows”

October 8, 2014

Yesterday, the BBC released the video for their tribute to The Beach Boys legendary 1966 single “God Only Knows” featuring Brian Wilson and a tremendous all star cast of musicians, and it is beyond sublime. The Pet Sounds classic and “teenage symphony to God” got the deluxe treatment to raise money for the BBC’s Children In Need charity telethon, assembling a preposterous galaxy of talent to join Brian on the single: Elton John, Stevie Wonder, Dave Grohl, Brian May, Chrissie Hynde, Kylie Minogue, Chris Martin, Lorde, Florence Welch, Pharrell, Sam Smith, Emile Sande, Paloma Faith and a variety of other UK talent plus the BBC Orchestra and the Tees Valley Youth Choir. The brilliantly surreal video also features cameos by such BBC music luminaries as Jools Holland, Zane Lowe, and Lauren Laverne, and in true Brian Wilson (and Phil Spector) fashion, it still clocks in under 3 minutes. Only the BBC and[...]

Joey Bada$$ – “Christ Conscious”

October 1, 2014

The hype is building for the debut album from young Brooklyn rapper Joey Bada$$. Cleverly titled B4.DA.$$ (Before Da Money/BADASS), the album hopes to continue the streak of very strong records from Joey. 2012 saw the then 17-year-old release 1999, a mixtape of boom bap beats and a laid back flow of monotony. Joey appeared wise beyond his years as he narrated life on the street as well as life with the homies of Pro Era, and the project garnered critical acclaim (it remains one of my favorite mixtapes ever). Last year, Bada$$ released Summer Knights, again well-received, but with somewhat of a change stylistically. A characteristic of pre-Summer Knights Joey was his consistently smooth, easy flow. The new project saw him go in a direction aimed towards aggression. “95 Til Infinity,” “Amethyst Rockstar,” and even the rasta-flavored “My Yout” featured a harder, raspier voice from Joey, distinctly removed from his old[...]