If you are anything like me, you are always on the look out for new music. My way hipper friend recently pointed me in the direction of a band called Cults, composed of the New York duo Madeline Follin and Brian Oblivion. This up and coming group has a sound that is very 1960’s esque, with the sound quality of their recordings taking you back to the essence of the period. Cults signifies a steady trend in contemporary music; a carefree whimsy conveyed through simple melodies and airy lyrics. I’ve posted some of Cults’ tracks below, hope you enjoy!
I have no idea what they are supposed to be doing here
Happy Father’s Day everyone! Be sure to call up your dad, especially if he introduced you to good tunes! And regardless if that is possible, be sure to take a listen to those tunes in his name!
With summer well underway, I bring you today a very interesting experimental artist from a very sunny place. Hailing from California, Teebs is one of the frontrunners of a new wave of music coming from the West Coast. Under the Brainfeeder label which Flying Lotus created, Teebs’ debut album, Ardour, presents us with highly hypnotic, electronic, hip-hoppish, beats. It is very experimental and definitely psychedelic, just look at the album cover in this youtube video for proof.
This song, Arthur’s Birds, starts off with a short sea-side bell and some ambient motor noises. It hums and warps for a bit before a vibrant fuzzy warm melody washes everything over. Made of synthesizers and bells, it resembles listening to Christmas music on a sunny beach.
Teebs shortly thereafter creates a very unique beat using only what seems to be filters and the resonance on the synths. It stalls for a second reminding you of the melody and then the beat drops again, this time with bass spicing it up.
The rest of the song essentially is this beat. The dreamy synths make you feel like you are floating in warm water while the beat gives off just the right amount of verve to create this sensation of awesomeness. Such emotions are hard to encompass and experimental hip-hop is the perfect medium.
Now listen to this song You’ve Changed:
The intro is much quicker. It sounds like the menu screen of some video game. Quickly some clicking noises in the background arise, creating a distraction for the coming transition. The original noises ease into something simpler and more relaxing. The bass then completes the song.
The song is fairly short, but it does not fail to entertain. It ebbs and flows as the beat slowly morphs, at certain points cutting the bass only to have it drop back in shortly thereafter. In my opinion this is the closest you can come to dance music without actually crossing over to the that dark side. It should become a new genre of music called “sway music”.
The entire is filled to the brim with songs like this. Short and sweet melodic goodness for the ear with the added beats that give it that swagger that makes you want to go outside and do anything you want. My only qualm with it is, if you cannot already tell, that the songs are quite repetitive. Nothing Magic can’t help anyway, and at least the artist gets the moods across and that’s all that matters.
Basically, it is a perfect example of that summer feeling which is so key to the psychedelic mindset, something I will definitely be exploring in future posts. And as for the repetitiveness of Teeb’s beats, they are just yearning to be remixed. DJ’s and the like, have at em!
I just saw the news as I got on my computer tonight. Even though Clemons suffered a massive stroke a few days ago it just seemed that the big man would fight through it and recover. I didn’t expect to see a report that he had passed away. So let’s say farewell to a legendary saxophonist.
Yes, my proclivity to make horrendous musical puns is lousy, but you will need to bear with me. This post is not about my diction. I’d prefer to preview the concert I will be attending later at B.B. King’s Bar and Grill where one of rock n’ roll’s best guitarists will be gracing the stage with his custom-built Fender Strat. I want to stress some words in that last sentence. One of rock’s BEST guitarists. You can see I am slightly disgruntled with Trower’s treatment in the world of top guitarist lists.
Here is my issue. Trower does not find his way onto the Rolling Stone Top 100 Guitarists List. I know it is only one list, but it is the damn Rolling Stone’s list and most people use Rolling Stone’s selections as a “best” guitarist indicator. You may not use the list as an indicator, but for those who are not knowledgeable enough to make an independent decision on the subject, the Rolling Stone list is an organized and concise reference. And this lack of recognition derides Trower’s skill and passion. I think it is time we start recognizing one of the rock’s most unappreciated guitarists a little more. If you have any question about his talent, watch this:
Trower is not only a guitarist, but also a solid lyricist who began his songwriting with Procul Harum (even though he is overshadowed because the band was stacked with great songwriters). He had previously been in a band with high-school friend Gary Brooker called the Paramounts, but after they disbanded Brooker founded Procul Harum and Trower ended up on deck in 1967. If you are familiar with Harum’s maritime baroque rock, the last sentence features an awful pun.
Even though Procul Harum featured a lot of dominant piano-rock, Trower shines through on some pieces like on “Something Following Me” where his fuzzy guitar solo is unique and executed well.
Trower’s guitar success did not fully evolve until he left Procul Harum and started his own Robin Trower Band. This band focused on guitar-based rock and spacey soloing. Trower focuses a lot of attention to music released in 1973-1977, where he gathered five certified gold releases and truly cemented his status among some of rock’s finest guitarists. A review of the concert will be up tomorrow. Enjoy the day!
Adam Wade? Isn’t he that guy who hosted that game show Musical Chairs back in 1975? Yes, indeed, but did you know that Wade also released several singles on both Coed and Epic records in the 1960s? Well, that’s why I am here.
Adam Wade can definitely fit into the expansive category of singer, who is also quite proficient in other creative fields. He actually started his odd career as a lab assistant to Dr. Jonas Salk. For those of you who have completely forgotten 9th grade biology, Salk invented the vaccine for polio. Wade’s passion for singing outlasted his scientific endeavors and he followed in the vocal tradition of Johnny Mathis and Nat King Cole. Wade moved to New York in 1960, played the Copacabana, and was consequently snatched up quickly by the eastern doo-wop inspired Coed records (the record label of the Duprees and The Crests).
Wade, like Mathis, took on good-looking male performer status like many vocalists were doing at the time, but he did not use this as a crutch. He was a prolific performer and his large collection of releases were rich in quality and quantity. Throughout the 1960s, beginning with his single Ruby/Too Far in 1960, Wade released several singles each year of the decade and this included full-length LPs. Here are a few highlights:
“Ruby”/ “Too Far” was Wade’s first major success in 1960
“Take Good Care of Her” hit #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1961
“As If I Didn’t Know” hit #10 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1961
“The Writing on the Wall” hit #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1961
After switching from Coed Records to Epic Records in 1962, Wade experienced a steep decline in singles popularity and after several years of unsuccessful recordings, Wade dropped the music studio for the movie studio and thus started a long career in acting, highlighted by his hosting of “Musical Chairs.” Wade became the first African American to host an American game show. The show, which had contestants fill in lyrics, allowed Wade to sing and act. After the show he went back into music in 1978 with funkier recordings and then back into acting, switching off between music and acting and usually combining the two in theater.
Suggested Listening
I am going to embed “The Writing on the Wall” because I think it best demonstrates his textured croon.
The Music Court 