As much as I love autumn, it turns out it's pretty hard to talk about exactly why without feeling like a twat. I could talk about the temperature shift, and the accompanying surge of childish excitement that you feel the first day you walk outside and see your own breath. Though we may now mark the season by the shift from iced coffees to hot lattes (as well as the return of the one true king of seasonal flavors, Pumpkin Spice), you might still recall fall as that time of year when your mother would start up again about the [...]
There’s been a lot of talk surrounding rappers whose sole purpose is nostalgia evocation. The phenomenon and its surrounding criticism seemed to gain traction with Freddie Gibbs and Big K.R.I.T., but there have been varying instances of young artists paying homage to the elders. SpaceGhostPurp is an especially apt example, hailing from Florida, essentially creating a 90’s Memphis Hypnotize Minds DJ Paul and Juicy J tribute tape (though this would meet heavy argumentation in the rap blogosphere). We shouldn’t be one bit surprised, as the artists who initially made rap music in the late 802s and 902s [...]
In typical BEB form, this post is –technically speaking– about six years past its "fresh" date. Hopefully most of you have already made yourselves familiar with The National 's contribution to The Black Sessions series – a French radio program begun in 1992 and hosted by Bernard Lenoir ("Bernard the Black", get it?). The band recorded this stunning 13 song set in 2005, while touring in Paris to promote Alligator . The set consists mainly of tracks culled from the aforementioned album, as well as the band's Cherry Tree EP. These bitter, blistering performances seem [...]
More news from old friends today. Tympanogram Records, the small label founded by our buddies over at Tympanogram , have announced their second pressing, a 73 from Rochester natives Old Tapes. The record will feature two tracks, the soft and tender "Farewell", as well as a new track, "What I Need Tonite". I've already made my schoolboy crush on this band pretty clear, so take my advice and scoop this one up before it's too late. Speaking of Old Tapes, did you know that their debut EP, This Is Goodbye , is [...]
The Deloreans return to BEB this week with a new track and video. "Dandelion" is a dreamy, acoustic ballad with a delicate-but-deadly hook that strangely recalls one of the loudest tracks off of the group's tremendous sophomore album , American Craze (Hint: sing "Leviathan" instead of "Dandelion" on the chorus) . The accompanying 8mm video captures the track's warmth and woozy romanticism. Check it out below, then head over to yonder bandcamp to pick up the song (and an additional live version) for just $1. Or, if you're a vinyl [...]
Toro Y Moi’s new EP, Freaking Out [Carpark Records], is by far the most up-tempo work that Chaz Bundick has put out under the Toro Y Moi name. Chaz continues to take new stylistic risks and this time he’s back with electronic offering. This jump back to the synthetic lands with varying levels of success. There are truly brilliant moments interspersed throughout the EP that make it more than worthwhile to pick up. If Underneath the Pine hadn’t driven home the point that Toro Y Moi is a multifaceted musical force worth reckoning with, this EP [...]
We've only had one other so far, but Friends With Music is rapidly becoming my favorite series on BEB. Today's bite-sized entry comes from Vancouver's own Teen Daze, purveyor of pristine and shimmering chillwaves. He has a new EP out in September, inspired by C.S. Lewis and entitled A Silent Planet . Take it away Jamison. Candy Claws - "Warm Forest Floor" This was the first song I had heard of Candy Claws, and it completely [...]
As alluring as the hypnotizing grooves of their Pure Wet EP were, Jensen Sportag are at their strongest crafting high-concentrate pop perfection. “Gentle Man” comes crashing in with some silky-smooth Phil Collins vibes (Phil-waves?). Hushed vocals slink around the room, guided by a seductive, pulsating rhythm. Gives new meaning to the phrase “bedroom project”. Stream “Gentle Man” below, and while you’re there, pick up the duo’s masterful Memory Tapes remix as well. Now if only we could squeeze a full [...]
I’m still undecided about the Twin Towers imagery and somewhat detached exploitative method of using it to surround your mix tape in controversy. Regardless, Twin Towers 2 - No Fly Zone from Waka Flocka and Slim Dunkin stand as the strongest Brick Squad Mafia release I’ve heard in a while. The critical consensus from uptight rap listeners and bloggers is that Waka Flocka “isn’t lyrical” and thus “can’t rap”. I’d argue Waka possesses one of the best deliveries and cadence controls in raps entirety. There’s something consistently raw about his lyrics, which come [...]
Teen Daze's music has always been very special to me. I think a lot of people have overlooked him in the past simply because he's labelled "chillwave" and his name isn't spelled "W-A-S-H-E-D-O-U-T". The truth is, Teen Daze's music outshines all his peers in terms of simple beauty. His recent Daytrotter session proves it. Teen Daze strips down his lush electronic arrangements and performs a 4-song set with just a guitar, a piano and his voice. I'm having a tough time deciding which version of "For Paulina" I prefer now that I've heard this. Hear his gorgeous renditions [...]
On their debut album, Irish dance outfit Le Galaxie play mix-and-match with their influences, get a few signals crossed in the process Let's start off with the positives. Half of this album is spectacular; the sort of fist-pumping bangers that typically are only found on a 90s Jock Jams compilation. What these tracks may lack in “substance”, they more than make up for in pure dance-floor thunder. “Solarbabies” sounds like 2 Unlimited by way of Daft Punk, or maybe a cut from a 2011 tribute to the [...]
Haven’t seen the internet go this wild for new material since … Kreayshawn’s “Gucci, Gucci” perhaps? ASAP Rocky has some otherworldly ability that enables him to rack up hundreds of thousands of youtube views and more Tumblr notes on one post than I’ve ever seen before. “Peso” is short and concise, but making the A$AP Rocky and Wiz Khalifa comparisons I previously denied ultra evident. Sonically, the track is reminiscent of a less corny Wiz in Kush & Orange Juice mode. The similarities end there, however, with the instrumental resembling a leftover from Main [...]
The only reason I neglected to attach this new mp3 to yesterday's post on the birth of Born Gold was because, as a GOBBLE GOBBLE fan, I recognized that "Alabaster Bodyworlds" was not a new song. It first appeared on Neon Graveyard back in 2009, back when GOBBLE GOBBLE was a lo-fi bedroom project. Fans only familiar with their live performances or more recent slew of bangers might be surprised to find out that not too long ago, GOBBLE GOBBLE sounded like this: GOBBLE GOBBLE // Born Stray The Neon [...]
It can be a struggle sometimes, finding the right words to describe a song. Give it too much thought and you can end up getting lost in minutia that won't end up meaning much to anyone other than yourself; too little and you wind up with "Uh, it has this one part... you know. I like that part." That said, I was hanging out on my friend's porch a few days ago. We were all taking turns DJing and when it came to me, I threw on Inc's "Swear". I hereby submit the following conversation between myself and [...]
What could've easily been the worst morning in recent memory started out when I saw a friend on twitter responding to a tweet from Coma Cinema . CC's tweet read simply thus: "RIP Gobble Gobble ". After a few brief moments of panic and despair at the thought one of my favorite bands disbanding before they could give us a proper full-length debut, I saw a few more tweets which shed some light on the situation. Apparently, Gobble Gobble (the band) would not be retiring at all, but simply shedding Gobble Gobble (the name) and finally stepping [...]
Before I had the chance to swoop this package deal I noticed Dylan talking it up on twitter, making the analogy that Friendzone is to Main Attrakionz as Clams Casino was to Lil B. That's no slight to the amazing producers Main Attrakionz have worked very successfully with either (Nem270, Beautiful Lou, Julian Wass & LWH). There's just something about Friendzone's production that brings out a beautiful pensiveness in Squadda and Mondre. Chuch - Main Attrakionz (Produced by Friendzone) After experiencing “Perfect Skies” and “Chuch” back to back, riding around [...]
I (Chris) have got a bone to pick. I read an email today asking me if I was sick of lo-fi surf rock bands as an introduction to some band I’ve never heard of and one that I am unlikely to hear ever again. Let's say... I wasn’t enchanted, partially because genre bashing is a bad way to promote a band. It was a loaded question, but I'll answer it anyways: No. I still love surf rock and am yet to burn out on it despite excessive listening. I had a girlfriend in high school who hooked [...]
“S.L.O.” seems to consist of Huntsville, Alabama rappers ST 2 Lettaz, Kristmas, and Bentley. S.L.A.S.H. additionally appears in the video slash song, but I’m not certain she’s a full time member. These three combined last year for the Db49 (Drunk Before 9) Happy Hour mix tape, and are essentially back under a different pseudonym. They just released the video for “Purple Onion”, their first single released with the new name featuring a wholly different sound from DB49. They wax poetic about their European exploits and bigger than local star status that seems to be downplayed by [...]
NHT Boyz invoke the spirit of old Bay Area mob music with their rapid-fire supercharged deliveries. They’re also some of the few rappers (and all three of them to boot) mixing creative punch lines with narrative raps, straying from being boxed solely into either category. As I’ve said before, with so much talent in the Bay Area, it’s often hard to keep up with artist’s hyper productivity, but NHT’s calculated drops are something to be admired in the Internet age. This is their first full tape dropped since 2010’s Power Triangle , [...]
After slugging through the recent surge of "dark" crooners and "icy" moaners, it seemed that the best "indie R&B" could hope to create was a sense of heartbreaking fragility. Despite my affinity for How To Dress Well and James Blake, the two have produced albums that appear to be afraid of their own shadows. There are seemingly deliberate "flaws" to both – HTDW's lower-than-lo-fi production and Blake's glitchy inaccessibility – and these artistic choices, while enhancing each album's sense of vulnerability and humanness, ultimately serve to intellectualize a genre that used to be characterized by excess, not essays. Not that that's [...]
Bears Eat Beats
Stream: Disclosure – When A Fire Starts To Burn
The Knocks - Memorial Day Weekend in Ibiza Vol. III Mix
Prince ensaya con “Even Flow” de Pearl Jam
NU DISCO | Louis La Roche – Say I’m Your No. 1
