Culture Greyhound

The Weeknd – What You Need from NovStru on Vimeo.

Every Saturday, I post a 15-20 minute podcast featuring some tracks I’ve been jamming the previous week, as well as some commentary and random musings from yours truly. Enjoy!

Tracklist:

Kendrick Lamar – A.D.H.D.
Roadrunner – Spinning
Guards – Do It Again
The Joy Formidable – A Heavy Abacus
Kendrick Lamar – No Makeup (Her Vice)

Today I continue a series of posts dedicated to the best albums of the last decade, posting analysis of one album at a time.

31. Justin Timberlake – FutureSex/LoveSounds

I’m frankly not surprised Timberlake’s put down a microphone and shelved his dancing shoes for mediocre acting. There was no way he was gonna top this. Marked as a progressive foray into more suggestive lyrics and sex-soaked sounds, FutureSex/LoveSounds is a mish-mash of homages to the greats before him – Prince, Pendergrass, Michael. While not necessarily a lyrical beacon of brilliance, musically speaking, Justin’s second album is TONS better than Justified, which was basically an intro to the post-N’Sync bad boy.

The finest tracks here are probably producer Timbaland’s last GREAT ones, including “My Love” and the minimalist, classic, fantastic “SexyBack.” Medleys just as infectious as the songs they transition envelop the album, which sounds designed specifically for an evening of promiscuous fun. The first half is drinking, dancing, and going home with someone you don’t know. The second half winds everything down with pleasant slow jams and Timberlake’s reminding you the kid’s got pipes.

So if you just came back from the cineplex pissed that you just spent $10 on another shitty JT movie (he’s been on a roll of crap this year…Bad Teacher? Friends With Benefits? In Time?), my advice is to crank this up and grind and sway with your lady. It’s times like these, when our favorite boy band stars become undeserved A-list actors, we can reminisce on the moments when they focused on honing their true strengths.

Listen to FutureSex/LoveSounds on Spotify.

Another mindless post. This video rules.

I’m way behind on this one. Released back in July, Kendrick Lamar’s Section.80 is another hip-hop highlight from a year already packed with them. “A.D.H.D.” is an instant sing-along, “Makeup” is a reflective piece on a woman’s inner (and outer) bruises, and “Rigamortis” is a lightning-fast brag-off featuring more self-congratulatory sentences than Kanye could keep up with.

By the time “Chapter Ten” shows up, we’re being asked if we’ve been taking notes. Simultaneously charming, gritty, serious, hilarious, catchy, grimy, and progressive, there’s a lot to take in here. On the outro, Lamar gives us his ultimate declaration, a summarization of himself and the creation he has delivered: “I’m not the next pop star, I’m not the next socially conscious rapper, I’m a human fucking being.” Introspective, decadent, intelligent, challenging, complicated, maybe bipolar – if there’s one thing Section.80 feels like, it’s human.

Listen to Section.80 on Spotify.

It’s finals week, and I am worthless. So much work…Here’s some videos, maybe tomorrow will be better, but no promises.

Gauntlet Hair – Top Bunk. from Neighborhood Watch on Vimeo.

Every Saturday, I post a 15-20 minute podcast featuring some tracks I’ve been jamming the previous week, as well as some commentary and random musings from yours truly. Enjoy!

Tracklist:

Black Bananas – Rad Times
Rihanna – You Da One
Black Keys – Gold On the Ceiling
Bleached – Electric Chair
Blink 182 – Wishing Well

One of the finest blogs out there for music and literature geeks, Largehearted Boy, has begun compiling 2011 year-end lists. Since this is primarily a music blog, I really only care about the music aggregate, which you can find here. Check it daily from now until they quit, as updates are happening regularly (they compile update posts if you miss a day or two). I also recommend becoming a regular reader of the blog overall, because it’s one of the best out there.