A few years back, a respected blogger of mine told me that if you don’t have anything to say about a song, it’s not worth posting. But for me, sometimes the music is all I have to say. I can usually wrap a story around a song or at least put some entertainment with it, but sometimes I haven’t had enough time with the music and it’s just too hot to sit on.
Well, I’ve been sitting on Madeaux’s EP for far too long now. The first two tracks are especially worth looking into, with Madeaux’s usual piano playing in full melodic dress. See, not all that much to say, but if you take a look at the two you’ll understand why I couldn’t wait any longer.
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Independent record labels are sprouting up all over the place — in location & style. And the ones that are doing it right not only have a choice selection in catalogue, but also take the time to artfully craft their image as they do their artists.
Each of these 12 labels sport some of the most well respected producers & musicians that belong on this blog and create a culture with style around their music. On here I may point out a few that lack in proper online presence, but they are all doing it right when it comes to the perception of this era’s evolution in music labels.
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I remember telling a friend of mine that Daft Punk’s SNL sample was better than most music. Unfortunately, it’s also better than the final version of ‘Get Lucky.’ It’s not that the final with Pharrell on vocals is all that bad, even though I hear far too many criticize it to be, it’s just the sample outweighs the master and far better represents Daft Punk’s mystique & image.
The biggest issue on ‘Get Lucky’ goes to Pharrell. As much as I love the catch in his chorus, his intro (and really everything but the chorus) is outright amateur sounding. I usually criticize a song for not getting to the good stuff fast enough, but this should’ve road the beat out a bit longer, it deserves the solo time. In fact, that Nile Rodgers’ guitar strum is the only thing that’ll be remembered in the long run. Take a look at a few examples of this amazing sample in use and wait for more things to come from this simple guitar strum.
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I don’t know if the people of Rio have caught on to this shining tribute to their city yet, but I sure as hell would love to be the one to bring it to them. I’ve never been, but Theo’s Rio has given me a clear picture of how pleasant it must be.
Every time I listen to it, it’s like daydreaming back to that 1950’s Rio or some Hunter S. Thompson tropic stupor. Either way, Theophilus London and his Menahan Street Band have made me dream in Rio. I can’t wait for the sunny day where I play this for the first time there. Shit’s national anthem status.
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There are a lot of great builds & drops that I’ve heard before, but there’s not many that build as quickly and drop as smoothly as in Yuksek’s remix of ‘Right Now.’ And not many that catch like this chorus. The only thing I could go without is the indie interlude, but it picks up soon enough.
Also make sure to check out the original by Kostrok. Mighty different (not nearly as good).
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Minnesota’s ‘Bloom’ has finally convinced me to post my melodic dubstep mixtape and actually gave me the idea for a more appropriate name, melodic bass, although it’s all just words by now. So look out for that in the next coming weeks, but until then check out why Bloom has inspired me so much. Like I already hinted at, it’s got one catchy melody supported by a beautiful bass line.
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How have I only just been introduced to Goldroom I wanna say I first heard of him through his heavy Saguaro Mix, but I feel like I’ve known about him even before that. It could’ve been The Knock’s remix of ‘Only You Can Show Me,’ which I may like more than Goldroom’s original, or maybe not. Still undecided.
A thanks also goes to Goldroom for crediting Mereki on the track. Not enough producers credit their vocalists, surprisingly enough. I’ll admit I like to see titles clean, but vocals like Mereki deserve credit at the top as much as Goldroom’s name does.
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Like all the indie and most the music I listen to, I can’t quite spell out why I like what I like in the songs that I post here. Really, it’s just the right sounds conforming at the right time, I guess.
Tiny Tiny is straight up indie that I’m not quite sure on yet, my prowess with indie music is still in its infancy, but every sound of theirs has conformed right in my head so far. My favorite of theirs, ‘Take the Time,’ reminds me of of Robin Hood (Disney’s) or some song from a Wes Anderson film.
Make sure to check out Bordeaux if you’re into this. Similar voicemanship (not a real world).
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GRiZ has been reppin this Colorado-based style of electronic well recently. I talked earlier about Pretty Lights’ new track, ‘Around the Block,’ and it’s continuing the movement PL helped start, but GRiZ seems to be the man pushing it forward. With a much heavier style of bass, ‘Gettin Live’ is taking hip-hop samples and mixing that full sound electro in fresher than I’ve heard in sometime.
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Just another one of those ponder your life type nights and what tune to top it off. Toro y Moi’s other project, Les Sins, has one smooth little shit of a song, ‘Grind,’ which turns especially smooth when the vocals kick in.
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