In honor of the ten year and two week anniversary of College Dropout, I think it's only fair to rank Kanye's ten most terrific songs.
1. "Never Let Me Down (ft. Jay-Z & J. Ivy)" - The College Dropout
There's something about the beat poetry verse from J. Ivy and the surprise second verse from Jay-Z that really make this track stand out. It's one of the songs that proves both Jay-Z's and Kanye's impact on the genre as a whole and that's something to respect for sure.
2. "Stronger" - Graduation
Yes, this is by far the most mainstream Kanye song there is, but there's a reason for that. The Daft Punk sample mixed with Kanye's hard-hitting pop culture referencing verses prove that when Kanye wants to make a smash hit, he's going to make a smash hit.
3. "Hey Mama" - Late Registration
Anyone who says that Kanye is "Heartless" (ha...get it?) has never heard "Hey Mama." Kanye's just a big softy who loves his mommy. Plus, ever since his mother actually passed away in 2007, this song has taken on a whole new meaning to not just Kanye himself, but his fanbase, too.
4. "Blame Game" - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
Kanye took his game to "another motherfucking level," as Chris Rock would describe in the outro for the song on My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. One of the reasons this writer in particular felt this way is because of how grand he treats the entire album. Along with "All of the Lights," this song best exemplifies that. When you have Chris Rock to deliver a hilarious outro for a song after John Legend sang one of the best hooks of his life, you know you're doing big things.
5. "Jesus Walks" - The College Dropout
Sure, there's "Gold Digger." And just about any song from Yeezus could probably take this slot. But there's no way a top Kanye songs list could be compiled without mentioning "Jesus Walks." It's one of Kanye's deepest, yet catchiest songs of all time. Plus, this writer knows all the lyrics.
Pitchfork may be rapidly spinning into a self-righteous hype-machine, but every once in a while they give props to bands who really deserve it. Most of the albums that manage to snag the site's "Best New Music" title are exactly the type of music you'd expect Pitchfork to shower with accolades (Vampire Weekend, Daft Punk, The National, etc.), but occasionally they slap an under-the-radar album with the tag and give huge press to bands that really deserve to be heard by more ears. These are a handful of the albums Pitchfork really nailed last year.
This album is absolutely incredible from start to finish, and without Pitchfork's endorsement I doubt it would have found its way into quite as many ears as it did. The concept itself is nothing new (black metal mixed with shoegaze), but Deafheaven perfected it on this release. Emotional, exciting and completely enrapturing.
This album just makes you feel things. Light-hearted and gentle, but the content Jordan Lee discusses on these tracks is incredibly personal. Definitely one of the most interesting albums I listened to in 2013, and if you haven't, you're missing out.
I've said it before and I'll say it again: 2013 was the Year of The Crutchfields. This release from one-half of the two-sibling powerhouse, Katie, was much less aggressive than her sister Alison's release with Swearin', but just as engaging. Intensely personal and constantly compelling, Cerulean Salt definitely pulls the listener into its world and refuses to let go.
I don't listen to all that much electronic music, but most of what I do find myself latching onto tends to be ambient, ethereal stuff that thrives on vibe rather than the amount of people on the dance floor. This spot almost went to Darkside's incredible Psychic, but in the end, Immunity's swings between sunny ambient waves and more bass-centric dance tracks kept me going back throughout the year.
This album is all out punk in the most aggressive sense of the word. It took a few listens to warm up to the vocals, but once I did I was hooked. Intense, carefully-crafted bangers are all over You're Nothing, and they made me remember a side of punk that I had mostly forgotten about: actually enjoying music that sounds like it wants to rip me to shreds.
This is really nuts, this stuff. It really is. I
wholly recommend it, as the title of this blog would state. The band's from Cleveland and it's somewhere between some heavy, shirtless spitting Jesus Lizard or Pissed Jeans
or Shellac and a little wackier Flying Luttenbachers-type shindig.
This guy is a whacko, I can tell ya that
much. He releases about 37 albums every couple weeks and all of them
are mostly dope. This is his latest. It moves away a bit from his other work--a
little less repetitive synth arpeggios a la Tangerine Dream (or whoever else has
played synth in the past 400 years) and a little more emphasis on jazz
drums samples and overall confusion. Sounds kinda like Squarepusher but a
bit more nutso, ya know?
Yeah, yeah, it’s kinda noise rock, it’s kinda
punk or whatever. Sounds like Fugazi or someone else that sounds like that. I
do know that it’s all very well done and one could not possibly resist
listening to such a feat. I’m losing steam here but hey, it’s great. Check it out, live it up.
This was released a little bit ago, but hey, it’s
quite good and everyone who has ever listened to it thinks it’s kinda pretty
and it really is. Some good ol' field recordings blend in perfectly with some
mellow harsh-out noise vibes and they all sound just jolly.
Whoa, this is actually a pretty great thing. Even though some dumb blues rock riffs take over every once in a while, it just
makes sense in the worst way possible. Kinda like Naked City or some meta
postmodern start/stop intentional campiness-type act. Genuinely weird, wet and
wild, and who could want something more than that?
Just listen to this little windbag play the
clarinet with another nice guy doing nothing at all except hey, he’s really
twiddling some knobs there and holy hell it sounds just dandy. This is live and
it should be that way.
7. Zack Kouns - The Peasant Girl's Crotch Full of Stars
This guy’s a hack but his music is nice
enough to make a little list, so.
Concert hangovers are very real. Much like an alcohol-induced hangover, the physical symptoms (ringing ears, bruises, inability to move your legs, broken glasses from overweight crowd surfers) are rather easy to overcome given time and proper tools. The tougher symptoms are those which begin to consume your everyday life (listening to entire discographies on repeat, watching every music video the band has to offer, scouring the internet for set lists, deciding which photos are worth showing the world).
The following are a few bands that have induced some of my most inhibiting (yet delightful) concert hangovers of recent memory:
1. Frightened Rabbit
This band currently consumes me. Frightened Rabbit absolutely one of the tightest sounding bands I have ever seen. Somehow I managed to resist the urge to buy all of the band's LPs at the show (I still boughtSing the Greys there), but that resistance didn't last much longer as I purchased its 2013 effortPedestrian Verse two days later. These guys must be from some other world, as their lyrical honesty is unprecedented to my ears. Although that world is no fairy tale, it's a world where everyone's lives and relationships are just as shitty (and occasionally wonderful) as the rest of ours.
2. Nico Vega
The stage presence of lead singer Aja Volkman is astounding. Seeing that beautiful lady completely lose herself onstage while belting the lyrics to the band's tunes rendered every artist not named Nico Vega useless on my iPod for weeks. She rules.
3. The Cave Singers
Holy hell, these Washingtonian indie folk rockers are good. Peter Quirk sure knows how to work a stage with his killer dance moves and howling vocals as the band (which now features former Fleet Foxes multi-instrumentalist Morgan Henderson on bass and flute) backs him up with rolling licks and some groovy beats. I certainly can't help but mouth lyrics, bob my head and throw in the occasional hip shake when walking around town with The Cave Singers blaring through my headphones.
Buddy is the best guitar player out there. He is 77 years old and still pumping out killer blues albums. When he's on stage, he is ageless as he struts his absurd guitar and vocal abilities. Plainly put, the man has swagger. And I've had the blues everyday since seeing him.
I don't know about you guys, but when I hear a song I really like (nay, love beyond all measure), I put it on repeat until my ears bleed. Some of them are new-ish and others are throwbacks that came back into my life for some reason. Either way, here are my favorite songs of the moment (that I've probably heard too many times in the past week).
1. "Do I Wanna Know?" by Arctic Monkeys
When I finally got around to listening to AM, I immediately became hopelessly obsessed with it. This song in particular grabbed a hold of me and refused to let go. It's so simple and sexy and pretty much perfect. The video is pretty sweet, too. Arctic Monkeys kind of have a throwback thing going on right now and I'm really digging it. If you haven't listened to AM yet, drop what you're doing and get on it.
2. "Ugliest Son" by Diarrhea Planet
Yeah, this is an unfortunate band name, but don't let that deter you. Diarrhea Planet has it going on in the pop-punk scene. The band's brand of pop-punk isn't as polished as, say, Fall Out Boy, but it's got enough catchy hooks to keep you dancing. "Ugliest Son" is probably my favorite song on I'm Rich Beyond Your Wildest Dreams because it shifts between raw power and gorgeous fanfare riffs. Check these guys out if you haven't already.
Okay, this is definitely a throwback. Think all the way back to 2001. Remember "The Middle?" It's from the same album as this song, but "Bleed American" has some more head-banging power to it. I'm not sure what spurred my sudden fascination with this song again. I was having a weird night over the weekend and decided to listen to some old tunes when this track came up on shuffle. I had an exhilarating moment of sweet nostalgia, then proceeded to play it on repeat for the next half hour.
4. "Keep" by Pity Sex
Wow. This band came out of nowhere and hit me square in the face. Pity Sex is a shoegazey pop-punk band with abandonment issues. Yeah, I think that's a fairly accurate description. I'll stick with that. "Keep" is the second track on Feast of Love, a top contender for one of my favorite albums of 2013. The band's switches between a male and female singer, but I think the female singer's voice has the most emotion, especially on this song. "Keep my heart 'cause I don't want it back," she croons. Ugh, stop breaking my heart, Pity Sex.
5. "Barely Legal" by The Strokes
I'm going to be unoriginal and say Is This It is my favorite Strokes album. Yeah, I know, I'm boring. But whatever. That album is perfection and "Barely Legal" is my favorite Strokes song. Can Julian Casablancas serenade me with this, please?
6. "Within You Without You" by The Beatles
Fun fact: "Within You Without You" is my favorite Beatles song. I love psychedelic Beatles and this song is the pinnacle of that drug-induced stupor. I also have a thing for sitars. This song (along with "Love You To" from Revolver) makes me want to pick up a sitar and/or dance around my bedroom like carefree hippie.
As of right now, ...Like Clockwork is probably my favorite album of 2013. "Kalopsia" is a huge highlight for me mostly because of Trent Reznor's involvement. It starts out so quiet with some hypnotizing synths, then explodes into a heavy-hitting melody sung by both Reznor and Josh Homme. They work so well together, I think I might cry.
8. "You Complete Me" by Stabbing Westward
Not as many people are familiar with Stabbing Westward than I originally thought, and that makes me sad. I remember listening to Darkest Days in my mom's car all the time when I was a kid. I just assumed everyone knew this band. But if you don't, that's okay (kind of). Stabbing Westward was an industrial band in the late '90s that scored a couple minor hits on alternative radio. "You Complete Me" wasn't a single, but it's one of my favorite songs. It's got some cool electronic elements, but the chorus is what always blows me away.
I am not a huge fan of Kanye, but damn, Yeezus is amazing. Everyone kept fangirling over it, so I had to see what the fuss was about. I got halfway through the opening track before I said, "Well, shit. This is great. Dammit, Kanye!" I was totally prepared to hate it, but it's just so visceral and unapologetic. "Black Skinhead" goes hard, and I won't lie, every time it comes on while I'm walking somewhere, I automatically feel like the biggest badass on the planet.
10. "Royals" by Lorde
I kept hearing this song on the radio back home over the summer and I found that it had the power to completely change my mood. Lorde (a.k.a. Ella Yelich-O'Connor) is 16 years old. She has the voice of an angel twice her age. How is that even possible? "Royals" is so deceptively simple in terms of instrumentation, but Lorde's vocals take it to the next level.
Hey Rock Lobsters. This week I thought I’d walk you through what has been my life soundtrack lately. What do you listen to when you’re taking six classes too many, spend a significant portion of your week selling drunk food at Wings Over until 3 a.m., and still need to make time for your friends, the occassional hopelessly collegiate moment, and the HBO show you’re currently addicted to? Apparently this:
By now, everyone in ACRN
knows I’m obsessed with all things four-legged and fuzzy. Because of this, I’ve
decided to focus on my addiction for this week’s Exec Recs.
When it comes to
Pomeranians, I’m a big softy. Those fluffy bodies and silly grins always get
me. There are a number of these wholesome critters that have become Internet
famous lately, especially in the mainstream media. It’s safe to say they’re
more popular than human super stars.
1. Boo the Dog
In my opinion, Boo started it all. Known as “The
World’s Cutest Dog,” he has his own book, makes appearances on the Today Show
and has over six million followers on Facebook.
His fame started with a
few home videos uploaded to YouTube. In most of the videos, he just sat
there. He won the hearts of millions with his silly, short haircut. No special
tricks or talents--just a fluffy head and a pajama-like body.
At the age of 7, Boo is
living the high life. He gets flown out on locations and even works with
different charities to help children’s hospitals. He also has a best friend
named Buddy. They do everything together.
His owner was kept secret until an Internet rumor
began that Boo died. The Wall Street Journal investigated the scandal
and discovered Boo’s owner is Irene Ahn, a finance executive at Facebook. Now,
many speculate Boo may have been a ploy by Facebook to get some attention.
Whether this is true or not, Boo continues to warm the hearts of millions and
brighten our days with his silly head.
2. Gigolo a.k.a. Giggy
Giggy
is the most flamboyant Pomeranian in Hollywood. His owner, Lisa
Vanderpump, is one of the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. She
also has her own show called Vanderpump
Rules and is currently a dancer on Dancing
with the Stars. Though she is always in the spotlight, Giggy never leaves
her side.
He is always dressed up in
the latest fashions. This dog has more clothes than I will ever hope to
acquire. From suits to PJs, he has it all. I’m not positive about this, but I’m
almost certain everything they put him in is designer.
The most hilarious quirk
about Giggy is that he always looks sedated. Camera crews will be interviewing
Lisa and Giggy will just be lying there, eyes half opened. I’m not sure I’ve
ever even seen him walk on his own. He’s always being carried.
Also, since he’s
constantly being dressed up, his fluffy fur will stick out of his clothing
awkwardly. You can’t feel too bad for him, though--he has more celebrity friends
than any dog could hope for. Now that’s one classy pooch.
3. Toothless Tippy
The past two Pomeranians
I’ve mentioned are loved for their dashing good looks. Tippy, however, is
slightly less-fortunate looking. She has no teeth and her tongue constantly
lolls out of her mouth. It’s okay, though. I like to think of her as charming.
When Tippy was a puppy,
she was abandoned at the Humane Society. Her owner rescued her and she’s been
Instagram famous ever since. If you’re looking for a pick-me-up every once in a
while, follow @toothlesstippy. She’ll definitely put a smile on your face.
Exec Recs is a blog to which all 13 members of the ACRN Executive Board collaboratively contribute.
Here, you can find each of the ACRN Execs’ music-related recommendations at the moment.
Sometimes it’s silly, sometimes serious, sometimes throwback, sometimes brand spankin’ new. Exec Recs is all about musical musings and miscellany we currently dig – and think you should check out, too!
