Friday, October 04, 2013

Heavy Rotation 10-4-13



Earl Sweatshirt-Doris


The West Coast hip-hop movement has been filled with moments of brilliance, violence and straight up silliness.  Quasimoto was this guy back in the day who got kind of emotional at times.  Perhaps, Drake’s openness framed Earl Sweatshirt’s, yet it feels so much more raw, straightforward and honest.  Earl says, directly, “I’m depressed.”  What?  An MC letting his guard down that low is a pretty new thing to me.  Then, on the other hand there is a song about fucking freckles off a bitch’s face.  So, it is a mixed bag of maturity.  Yet, unlike Drake, who pours out his heart again and again, this kid is still protecting it.  He is only 21 or something and he should protect it.  Yet, this album has some of the best sounding beats I’ve heard in a while (since early Qausimoto/GZA?) and his delivery is priceless. 


Sonny and the Sunsets-Longtime Companion
This album came out in 2012 and he has a new one this year, which is also really good.  I’m spacing the title at this point, but it is really good and has a bit better production value than this one.  I looked up Sonny’s name beforehand, but I want to make you, dear readers look that up yourselves because it is fun to investigate things on your own.  Anyway, this amazing album came up as a recommendation on Spotify.  I listened to it and I thought, this is a divorce album.  It turns out it was.  Yet, what is brilliant about it is that it is as open as open can be.  He spares us from too many personal experiences, which could alienate a shitty episode from listeners.  You know that he and his wife had spilt up, yet he makes that break up as universal as possible.  You feel him, in ways, kind of letting go as he sings, yet you’re not sure if he wants to give her up completely.  His voice only says so much.


Other Stuff:
Galaxie 500- This is Our Music
Townes Van Zandt- Live at the Old Quarter
Bruce Springsteen- Nebraska
Pavement-Slanted & Enchanted
Drake- Nothing Was the Same
Neil Young-Zuma