Ever since I can remember, my father has hated the word fuck. I, however, kinda like it. It’s served me well, expressing my thoughts when I lacked the more appropriate words – it has so many uses. Yes, it can be crude & inappropriate, but it can express something like no other word can. It may even shock some at times, for example – when used in music, but isn’t that the fun in it anyway?
Now, when I talk about it being used in music, I don’t mean by those hip-hop hooligans, they tend to overuse it. I’m talking about when a musician drops it when you’re least expecting it. A good example is Solid Gold’s “Just Like Everyone Else”. Zach Coulter’s voice is anything but crude, but when he slips in the good ol’ fuck bomb, it gets your attention. It was surprising at first, but after a while you start to understand its purpose. How else could you express such hurt & anguish from an ex-love? Just picture the song without all the fucks, it’s just not as affective. I gotta give credit to Coulter for his use, and not overuse, of the word. Well played, sir.
If your in Minneapolis tonight, Solid Gold is playing at the Weisman Art Museum at 9. I may hit it up if I’m over in the Twin Cities tonight.
Edit: I just looked at the website and it’s sold out… fuck.
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I’m getting back to my rock roots, and from no better place than Minneapolis. But don’t worry, hip hop is still my first love (well, technically that would be rock…). I just want to diversify my music library to genres other than hip hop & electronica (I think hip hop’s at about 80%, right now). But who gives a fuck about all that, let’s get to the Gold…
I first set my ears on Solid Gold a couple months back when tuning into GAYNGS’s debut album Relayted. The trio teamed up with Ryan Olson of Mel Gibson and the Pants, among others, to do a collaborative project that’s nothing short of sexy smooth. Where GAYNGS is a seductive gang-bang of Minneapolis musicians, Solid Gold would more of a glam-rock/synth-pop band with lead singer Zach Coulter’s voice, which sounds a hell of a lot like George Michael’s. I’m still not quite sure what genre to categorize this under, but for once in a long time I’ve opened up to rock that isn’t 40 years old (there are a few exceptions – mostly ’80s/’90s rock). I should note, however, my first listen through the album wasn’t anything to boast about, but once I got use to the sound… I was hooked – this is especially for my hip hop fans, give it a couple listens before you move on.
If anyone could help me define/classify this, it would be much appreciated. I wanna start looking for similar sounds and you could be a real help. +If you do I may just post more… just maybe.
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GAYNGS releases their first album, Relayted, today, so I thought I would feature another song of theirs to kick it off. This may not be “The Gaudy Side of Town“, but it sure as hell has some good vocals (especially the chorus), and one hell of a sax – and you know how much I love sax(ophones). The one thing I didn’t care for, though it’s not that crucial, is that the ending drags on for a while. It’s not necessarily that bad, but I kept on wanting to hear more of those smooth-ass vocals.
I had a little difficulty with classifying what genre GAYNGS would belong to (I think I mentioned this in the previous article on them). I would say soul or R&B, but a lot of the album has some featured artists that range from hip hop to rock. Check out the album on Amazon or hit me up for a link, and tell me what you think (especially if I hit you up with a link!).
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I was prett-ay, prett-ay excited about featuring GAYNGS. Not only does the group reside in good ol’ Minnesota, but a one of a kind talent is heading it up, Ryan Olson. Ryan is one of the key members of Mel Gibson and the Pants. If you don’t know who they are, don’t worry, not many/enough people do; however, the group has some of the most talented sons of bitches I’ve ever come across.
But let’s get back to GAYNGS… I had a little trouble deciding what genre to classify the group (it’s not a strong point of mine), but I thought R&B fit best. You could also throw in electro, pop, rock and whatever else, but genres are all tending to mash up these days anyway. From the first song on the album, “The Gaudy Side of Town”, I was hooked. The production on it is phenomenal, and some of the vocals took my breath away, literally (well, not literally, but I wanted to emphasis the point). The only part of the song I didn’t really care for was the vocals @ around two minutes. I don’t exactly know who it is (not a lot of information out there on the album), but I recognize his voice in other songs and he sounded a lot better. Here it sounds like the back of his throat is closed off. Oh well, it hardly takes away from the song, I just needed to put a little criticism in there.
The full album will be released on May 11. GAYNGS will be debuting it at First Avenue & 7th Street Entry on May 14. It’ll be a prom theme based on the last song of the album, “The Last Prom on Earth”. Tickets will be $15 per person, so if you’d like to go… and don’t have a date… I wouldn’t mind a night out on the town ;). You can pre-order at Ticketmaster or at the door. Make sure to check back in, i’ll definitely be featuring more of this fine group.
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