07/04--07/08:

TV On the Radio, Return to Cookie Mountain

I guess this was their “breakthrough” album? It was the first one I heard, I shant pretend to be an extra-cool early adopter. But, me being me, the fragile beauty and rich textures of it made me quickly hunt down all previous material and read up on the group. I read a long feature on them and on the making of the record. It talked about how recording Return to Cookie Mountain was a surprisingly communal experience, with friends and fellow musicians constantly in and out, listening, contributing, giving advice, and even the reporter himself pulled in to record backing vocals at one point. They’ve continued to impress, with Dear Science, (The comma is in the title) taking the top spot for me and Nine Types of Light another really strong contender. I am a fan, is what I’m saying.

TV On The Radio, “Wolf Like Me”


Public Enemy, It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back

Still a powerful listen, in spite of the years. Really, when you think of the state of mainstream hip hop right now, if anything, it becomes more powerful. Once upon a time, there was a hugely successful rap group with a radical political message who helped force Arizona to acknowledge the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday. Be kinda nice if the labels had the guts to support similarly-minded artists today. The only weak spot in their message is their anti-anti-sampling pitch. Chuck D has been ahead of the curve on music trends for as long as he’s been a public figure, but he was really wrong on that issue.

Public Enemy, “Don’t Believe The Hype”


Holly Miranda, The Magician's Private Library

Speaking of TV on the Radio, I picked this up primarily on the strength of TVOTR’s Dave Sitek in the producer’s chair. He leaves an unmistakable fingerprint, whether with his day job, doing Tom Waits covers with Scarlett Johansson, producing for Wale, doing his own thing as Maximum Balloon, or here. But with Holly Miranda, his presence and personal musical leaning don’t completely overshadow hers. While The Magician’s Private Library shares some sonic qualities with Sitek’s many works, it has plenty moments that clearly belong wholly to Miranda. It’s a dreamlike, mystical listen, running the gamut from playful to sorrowful, and really good late night quiet time music. I think I listened to some of this playing Ninja Gaiden 2 after I’d finished drawing. That was less appropriate.

Holly Miranda, “Waves”


John Coltrane, Giant Steps

Honestly, probably my favorite Coltrane. Maybe I should champion more ambitious material like A Love Supreme and more challenging material like Ascension (and I do), but music, even jazz, doesn’t always have to be about pushing the envelope. Sometimes, a legendary figure just doing what he does best alongside some of his best collaborators is enough. And it’s sort of hard now to appreciate what a radical change Giant Steps was at the time. Coltrane basically reinvented what improvisational jazz could be on this record.

John Coltrane, “Naima”


Rapsody, Thank HER Now mixtape

Rapsody is backsody with another 9th Wonder-shepherded collection. Her delivery seems to get a little sharper each time we hear from her, and a fine collection of guests (including Raekwon, Phonte Gallo, Jean Grae, Laws, and Mac Miller) keep things surprising. My major issue would be, at 20 tracks, it is a bit long. There’s such a thing as too much fun. But fun’s fun and free’s free, so don’t let that stop you from checking this out. You can download it here.


Rapsody with Mac Miller, “Extra Extra”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3bBT43ZSiM

Jean Grae, Cookies Or Comas mixtape

Jean Grae is ready to take over, I think. She stole the show in her guest turns on Talib Kweli and Pharoahe Monch’s albums, she did it again on the Rapsody mixtape, and now her own mixtape is finally out. Allegedly a warm-up exercise for her upcoming 4th official album Cake or Death, Cookies Or Comas is strong enough to be an official album itself. Jean’s wordplay only gets more and more sophisticated, and she continues to walk the tightropes that make her so engaging, balancing between serious and funny, between classic hip hop braggodocio and personal stories. She does it all admirably, and I’m hoping this is the year she finally gets the credit she deserves for it. Hear for yourself, it’s a free download here.


Jean Grae, “You Don’t Like It”


Warm Brew, Warm Brew EP

Wrapping up the free mixtape portion of our show this week is Warm Brew, whose EP I stumbled upon and gave a shot while getting Jean’s mixtape. Warm Brew are a young crew out of CA, rapping fun, laid back flows over classic soul samples. It’s a breath of fresh air, frankly, compared to a lot of their peers, and they know it, if their lyrics are any indication. It’s short, it’s good, it’s free. You should get it.


Warm Brew, “Go To School”


The Dillinger Escape Plan, Option Paralysis

This week’s final moments were rendered to the tune of DEP’s modern masterpiece. They’ve changed and evolved so much in their career that it’s hard to even compare their older material to their newest, but Option Paralysis is at least the best album since Greg Pucciatto became their singer. Maybe their best album, period. It places so many experiments, musical exploration and the classic energy DEP fans expect in a blender. The centerpiece, “Widower,” kind of sums it all up. Alternately shockingly tender and brutal, it merges so many musical ideas and styles, and is a powerful listen. Just like the album as a whole.

Dillinger Escape Plan, “Widower”

Yup.

--D