Culture Greyhound

Ford & Lopatin (Games) – Emergency Room

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YACHT – Dystopia

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Childish Gambino – Freaks and Geeks (Star Slinger Remix)

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Wiz Khalifa – The Race

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Pusha T – I Still Wana feat. Rick Ross & Ab Liva

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Above you can stream/download the new full-length self-titled album from Birmingham’s the Grenadines, an awesome psych-rock outfit with a Southern tinge.  “Reservations” evokes the grungy dirge of sludge rockers Black Mountain, but the crew has a distinct, positive range in melody as well, as is shown by the beautiful “Firecracker” and “Counting Backwards.”

The LP is a quick listen, clocking in at just under 35 minutes with twelve songs, most of which are under three minutes.  It’s a fine introduction to a group I’m certain we’re going to be hearing more about in the future.

I’m making it a lifelong goal to get the Grenadines to tour with St. Vincent.  Then they can tour Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. …let the record show I was the first person to ever do that joke.

J Mascis – “Not Enough” from stereogum 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:

Gold Panda – Marriage (Star Slinger Remix)
Jamie Woon – Lady Luck
Wolf Gang – Dancing With the Devil
Tyler the Creator – Yonkers

Download the EP here. All proceeds go to aid for Japan in their time of need.  Hear the first track, a remix from Star Slinger, below.

The Morning Benders – Cold War (Star Slinger Remix) buy & support japan by Star Slinger

Up until the 80’s, Daryl Hall and John Oates were basically a one-hit wonder, scoring with “Rich Girl” and then all but disappearing from the charts until their breakthrough years later, eventually surpassing the Everly Brothers as the most successful duo in pop music history.  It wasn’t until they lost their Philly soul influences and incorporated the burgeoning New Wave sound that the group’s legendary chart run took off.

Critics always lambasted Hall & Oates for bastardizing Philly soul, and that is probably true, increasingly so as their career continued.  But no one can deny the pop chops – the duo could write pop tunes like no other, many of which were Top Ten hits, and a few earned the top spot.  Recently, I went through the never-ending Essential Hall & Oates collection – a three-disc affair of gold hits, album cuts, and forgotten gems.  The shift is not immediate, but it’s clear – like most groups that made a successful transition from the 70’s to the 80’s, Daryl and John hung up their acoustic guitars and plugged in drum machines and synthesizers to keep up with the changing times.  The results were mixed, and not all of their hits stand the test of time or age well, but there are a few that are bona fide classics.

Hall & Oates – I Can’t Go For That (No Can Do)

Hall & Oates – You Make My Dreams Come True

Hall & Oates – Maneater

Hall & Oates – Out of Touch

Hall & Oates – Private Eyes

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

40. At the Drive In – Relationship of Command

Admittedly, I didn’t really get At the Drive In upon first listen to Relationship of Command, their best and final album.  It wasn’t until some time after their breakup that I dusted it off and gave it another shot, and from then on it became a staple for my road trips and, even recently, my city commutes.  I blame my myopia on high school ignorance and misdirected expectations; I was yearning for a fix to my Rage Against the Machine obsession (who had recently called it quits), and first single “One Armed Scissor” seemed to suggest to me At the Drive In were apt to fill the void.

Obviously, that was unfair to the sheer punk this crew were offering the masses – where Rage gets their prowess from old-skool hip-hop, the aggression of At the Drive In can be found in the slicing choruses of “Arc Arsenal,” the tongue-in-cheek comedy of “Rolodex Propaganda,” and the undeniable infectiousness of my personal highlight, “Pattern Against User.”

As we can all see today, this was the El Paso group’s high point – the always-convoluted Mars Volta and the downright terrible Sparta have been poor alternatives to the focus that we discovered on Relationship of Command, and for that matter, At the Drive In as a whole.  While we all anticipate/dread the reunion at Fun Fun Fun Fest 2015 (where they will play Relationship in its entirety), we still have this album to keep us banging our head, maniacally shaking our oversized Omar-homage hairdos.

At the Drive In – Pattern Against User

At the Drive In – One Armed Scissor

At the Drive In – Enfilade

Today I continue my ongoing feature showcasing my personal picks for the best songs of the past decade, posting ten songs at a time.

40. Junior Senior – Move Your Feet

Lost to the forgotten one-hit wonder ether that is the early 2000’s indie world, Junior Senior’s most memorable track is one of the decade’s best, and definitely one of the danciest.  The duo was a profile-worthy pairing – a skinny little straight guy and an overweight, flamboyantly gay guy.  The spirit was one of fun-loving shimmying and partying, and “Move Your Feet” is the highlight.

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This week the second of a two-part series dedicated to SXSW 2011

Playlist:

Dominique Young Unique – What About Me?
Tennis – Marathon
Baths – Maximalist
Sharon Van Etten – Don’t Do It
DOM – Living In America
Thrift Store Cowboys – Silence Depends On the Dose