Danny threatened to suspend his friendship with me if I didn’t start writing more posts. So in a frantic scramble, here’s something to say “ca va cool” to.
The Cool Kids are probably the hottest new thing to come out of Chicago. Self-described as “the new Black version of the Beastie Boys,” they’re hip hop for hipsters… hipster-hop you might say. BMX bikes, stunna shades, fruity pebbles, “with a little bit of gold and a pager.” This is the kind of stuff they rap about, spat over a minimalist beat to accentuate their catchy rhyming schemes. They’re not interested in pimpin or slappin hoes. As their name suggests, they’re more interested in just being cool. Trendy without trying. Fresh instead of hard.
Yes, yes, ya’ll. This track is a salute to the freshest era of hip hop with an anthemic chorus from a line in Nas’ “Made You Look”. It’s mostly a rapper’s brag, but instead of showing off how hard or street they are, they school wack emcees on how to be cool. Modern day fly machines. Graduates of Cooley High. They show off just how fresh they are with comparisons to Will Smith and references to the Safety Dance.
These other two songs are from their Collected & Compiled Mixtape. They’ve had one EP out for a while (Totally Flossed Out) and have recently released another (The Bake Sale) just a week ago. They don’t really care for release dates, and said that we can expect their album to drop “When Fish Ride Bicycles” … okay no, they didn’t really say that. They said it would be sometime this year. But that’s what the name of their album was reported to be.
They will also be performing at the Rock The Bells concert, with another of my chi-town favorites, Kid Sister, and not to mention a bunch of other hip hop legends and heavy weights.
Forgive me hipsters, indie scenesters and other high-brow readers of the blog. I’m about to commit a cardinal sin of the underground blogosphere - I’m about to blog about … Coldplay.
I wouldn’t typically, but I’m a huge fan of their new song Violet Hill, and have been listening to it on repeat for the last 28 hours (when it was posted on the band’s site for free download, Radiohead styles, for a week only).
As always, Chris Martin’s lyrics are a combination of poetic, meaningful, meaningless and singalongy:
Clearly I remember
From the windows they were watching
While we froze down below
When the future’s architectured
By a carnival of idiots on show
You’d better lie low
If you love me
Won’t you let me know?
The song, like the rest of the band’s upcoming album, was produced by legend Brian Eno, who has time and time again been enlisted by bands, like U2, to change their sounds and styles. Violet Hill is definitely somewhat of a departure from Coldplay’s typical style, and it kind of excites me for their upcoming album (Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends) due June 17th.
Since being posted 24hours ago, the song has been downloaded 600,000 times, and Last.fm has pointed out that the Coldpay figures are a record, exceeding even the most popular track from the Radiohead album that was streamed for free back in October. That notched up 22,000 listens in 12 hours. Ok - that’s all I’ll say about Coldplay - promise.
Nada Surf make perfect pop songs. And they’re really great songs too. I’m always surprised that they aren’t bigger than they are.
They hit huge in ‘96 with their massive single “Popular”, than they were dumped by their major label. 7 years later they came out with Let Go and have been working their way back up in the indie music scene.
Their new album Lucky is my new soundtrack for this summer. Each song just bounces with catchy hooks and pretty interesting turns. It’s very easy to listen to, but has enough depth to keep bringing you back, not revealing everything at first listen. The album’s center track, “Are You Lightning?” is one of my favorite love songs written in the past few years.
I also got the chance to go see them a few weeks ago at the beautiful Opera House. First thing i noticed was the much older crowd. I’m guessing most of them have been following them since 1996… I even spotted a couple of The Barenaked Ladies in the crowd. But anyways, it was a pretty solid show, of almost 2 hours of pop rock perfection.
Have a listen, and pick their music!
http://www.barsuk.com/shop/nadasurf
February; a month of snow, a month of history, a month of love, and a month of depressing comments by sad singles plowing through mouthfuls of sweet, delicious Ben & Jerry’s to counterbalance the bitterness of their loneliness (Full Disclosure: I’m on the Hallmark payroll). In order to mark the end of this momentous month, I figured a diverse mix of one-off love and non-love tunes that I really enjoy would be appropriate.
First off is from a band that I have previously repped on this site, Animal Collective. While I stand by my previous statement that Avey Tare is the weaker singer on Strawberry Jam, I picked up the bands previous release Feels, and was BLOWN AWAY by both the uniqueness of his vocals and lyrics, which give an impression of stream of consciousness despite the evident thought that went into the construction of images and metaphors. Grass is easily the most ’single-worthy’ track on the record, and for good reason - its beautiful, jarring, and honest.
Next up are the sweet European melodies of a 22 year old from New York, Zach Condon, known also as Beirut. The most recent long player, The Flying Cup Club, is a solid collection of songs. The word swoon gets thrown around a lot in reference to different music, but I definitely think it can accurately describe this track, A Sunday Smile.
Finally Tapes ‘n’ Tapes probably get a bit more attention than they deserve, but its not completely without warrant. The Loon contains a few throw away tracks, but the majority of the songs really get me, especially Manitoba.
And now for the explicitly non-love songs. First comes Man Man. The word crazy, much like swoon, gets overused to describe music, so I won’t use it here. Instead, I will say this - I am absolutely terrified of Man Man. Stay away from my house, but make more songs like this.
Lil’ Wayne is a God. No two ways about it. I can’t express how serious I am when I say this. This qualifies as a non-love song cause he took Young Jeezy’s ‘I Luv It’ and turned it from terrible to excellent (PUNtacular).
If you have any taste for whatever good hip hop there still is in mainstream, then the name “Child Rebel Soldier” (CRS) should already ring a bell. CRS is a hip hop supergroup consisting of Lupe Fiasco (the Child), Kanye West (the Rebel), and Pharrell Williams (the Soldier), and given the level of these artists’ independent success, I don’t have to point out how much of a big deal this is. The only song that they have out so far is “US Placers” which was released on Kanye West’s “Can’t Tell Me Nothing” mixtape last year, and was performed by Lupe Fiasco at last year’s Lollapalooza.
According to interviews with Fiasco, they’re planning to release an album by September of this year… all they have to do is to find some time to start working on it (read: expect delays). And, of course, there’s also the issue of Lupe Fiasco announcing his retirement after his third album “LupEND”. If he’s serious about that, this probably means that Child Rebel Soldier is just going to be a one album project… which is sad, but there’s no point crying about it until we see what this supergroup can accomplish on their first album. But if it’s anything like “US Placers” in its originality, which samples from Thom Yorke’s “Eraser,” then it’s sure to be exceptional.
Although the song US Placers doesn’t have an official music video yet, it’s getting a lot of attention on YouTube. Especially this one particular video that’s so well done, it could have even been the official video. It was directed by graduated film student Vashtie Kola, who is a close personal friend of Mr. Williams and is the stylist of the Skateboard P’s clothing lines Billionaire Boys Club and Ice Cream (find out more about this Downtown Sweetheart here). The video was filmed on an absolutely zero budget. The actors did it for free and the props were either all hers or borrowed from friends. The concept for the video is just as original as the song itself, portraying kid versions of the artists rapping over the song. Now without much further ado, here’s the unofficial video for CRS’s “US Placers” by VA$HTIE.
That’s it, that’s all. This band is absolutely amazing, and while there are few bands or musical acts that fly under my constructive-criticism-radar, the Fugitives are lucky enough to make the cut. Beyond other reasons, the Fugitives deserve the title of God’s-gift-to-new-wave-folk because they are lyrical Geniuses. I find a lot of artists in the indie movement, whether folk or not, have lyrics chalked full of metaphors that don’t make sense and/or words that sound good to music but don’t stand up without the beat…and frankly I’m sick of it.
The Fugitives lyrics are breathtaking when accompanied by an accordian, piano and accoustic guitar but also hold up simply as spoken word (no beat neccessary). The only way I can really describe the genuis of their lyrics is to quote a little (and quote a few others in contrast to really show them off):
The Fugitives: ”We built our dreams into an airport/ but couldn’t fly away ourselves/ because we’d covered the runways with bookshelves/ when we became too afriad to face/ traveling to the far corners of our imaginations/ and realizing the book was better in the first place.” (prairie eyes)
Immaculate Machine (who I love with all my heart, but just don’t compare lyrically speaking): “hear it over half-cut hedges/ spend too much on cheap umbrellas/ bought from our heroes/ maps won’t show us where we’re going/ all they are is just the boring facts/ relax.” (dear confessor)
The Fugitives: “I come to you in quietness/ and watch the day trail streamers/ like creases down your eyes/ and the whys and whens of what happens/ if time is passing/ are only a good thing/ your lips on and under my neck/ brightening like children’s lamps/ turned on in the dark/ they light sweet nostalgic kisses down my throat/ and yes/ they go down honest as the sunset/ spread like a blanket for the moon/ we sit and watch together/ as the whole world glows like a bedroom.” (french tatoo)
Crystal Castles: “broken tramp have you seen her/ I tried to love but now ill beat her/H….E…..R….P…..E….S…i can smell them through her dress/ your daddys wrong mother knows best/ she’s the one who brings me to life/ when i stab her with my hunting knife/broken tramp have you seen her/ i tried to love but now i’ve beat her.” (mother knows best…super creepy by the way.)
The Fugitives: ” I grew up amidst stained glass; I gave grave for my daily bread/ I’m a man who’s accustomed to worship/ so I want to worship you now/ to kneel before your body and rave into your flesh/ the repentant oaths of wicked men who aspire to rapture/ to shed tears that would make garlands against your skin/ to grant you a kiss fit for the king’s ring/ so I moved into your house, and I eat out of your pantry/ and every night I smell your hair, and listen to the street.” (french tatoo)
Aaron Carter: Then walked in/ The girl I’m crushin’/ And the kid spilled juice/ On my Mom’s new cushion. (Aaron’s party)
The Fugitives: “the scientists may well be God’s architects/ but their next discovery will be that the grand plan/ has been hidden in the pages/ of another religion’s holy books/ everywhere we look there is proof that life/ is just a bedtime story/ told to use by world weary journalists/ who sacrifice the truth for a gist/ that’s just a little more gory.” (headlines)
So the moral of the story is that if you want to listen to a mixture of spoken word, folk and hip hop in one breathtaking package, check out the Fugtivies ASAP (and if you’re not into folk, or hip hop, or spoken word — which is hard to believe — it’s worth it to check out their lyrics solo from their music). If you want to hear someone rhyme crushin’ with cusion…the Fugitives are probably not the band for you.
So, I read Pitchfork a lot. And by a lot I of course mean daily. And by daily I of course mean whenever my Profs become less than adequately engaging. Thus, I get a lot of my musical stylings from Pitchfork recommendations, especially the ‘Best New Music’ list. However, on occasion, it’s difficult to cut through the hype to see which records are actually worth spinning and which records are simply getting positive reviews because the writer knows a guy who knows a guy who robs a guy who plays in, say, Vampire Weekend (although I’m really getting into their demos). As Ca Va Cool Contributor / Headmaster / Generalissimo Dan suggested, I will be attempting today to cut through the hype with a clear head, open ears, and biting satirical wit. I will be giving you guys the top three records from 2007 that deserved the Pitchfork hype, and the top three records from 2007 that did not deserve the Pitchfork hype.
Put simply, I think that this is one of the great records of this decade, taking a place alongside Is This It?, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, Elephant, Turn On The Bright Lights, etc. etc. (you can insert your record of choice here to avoid argument). On Boxer, Matt Berninger crafts intensely personal stories in a more understated manner than on Alligator. However, what Berninger loses in ‘jaw drop factor’ he makes up for in understated beauty and one of the most accurate accounts of modern American life yet put to vinyl. Further, Boxer features beautiful orchestral arrangements that complement the band’s instrumentation while never overshadowing it. I could continue on for pages upon pages, but I won’t. I will simply ask you to pick up this record as soon as possible (get yourself a Christmas gift, you deserve it).
I have already written about this record once on Ca Va Cool, so I won’t say a lot about it. Its funky, its rocking, its OCD (Britt Daniel, who has previously written songs about fitted shirts and his tour manager, dedicates an entire song to My Little Japanese Cigarette Case), and, at times, its haunting. The Ghost of You Lingers crops a krautrock piano line while heavily reverbed voices swirl, asking the question “If you were here, would you calm me down, or settle the score?” However, when You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb starts up seconds later with its bubble gum hooks, Motown horns, and Phil Spector - esque production palette, it doesn’t seem out of place. That’s what makes this record so good.
M.I.A. is pissed off. She’s pissed at The War on Terror (being a Tamil Tiger might have something to do with that), the music press’ belief that Diplo was primarily responsible for Arular’s success, and a whole host of other issues that I fear my comfortable first world existence may be causing. However, instead of channelling that anger into the typical tools of protest so often seen among activist groups, M.I.A. has created a record spanning cultures and languages. While Arular seemed to sugar coat its political content with electro beats and fuzzy synth sounds, Kala takes its beats straight from the battle drum, ensuring that the listener knows M.I.A. would much rather fight you than dance with you, given the chance. This record is everything that I think hip-hop should be today which it unfortunately isn’t (although I love both Rich and Soulja Boy). Kala is swaggeringly confident, radical, sexy, absolutely terrifying, and a masterpiece.
And now to the bitchy section. Records that didn’t deserve the hype.
Of Montreal – Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer?
First of all, I don’t think this is necessarily a “bad” record. I really tried to get into it over the summer, but was unsuccessful. Missing Fauna has its moments – The production on the record is interesting and original, the hooks are solid, and Gronlandic Edit has got an excellent bass line. However, it wasn’t the career defining, genre changing, or intensely engaging record that Pitchfork made it out to be. I figure this won’t be a popular opinion, maybe I’m missing something, but I just don’t like this record all that much. Plus, I think I’m the only person on earth who doesn’t like The Past Is A Grotesque Animal. It’s really self indulgent people.
Again, maybe I just don’t get it. This record is weird, but not in a good way (just like Dan Deacon). To put it practically, if I was waiting in line at Pizza Pizza at 1:30 AM on a Thursday night and I somehow knew that the sweat pant clad, balding, mouth breathing guy behind me was the creator of Spiderman Of The Rings, all of my sheltered, Queen’s student paranoia would be confirmed. This record is not pleasing to listen to. I would suggest that you not listen to it.
Thank you for bearing through the length of this piece. I hope that at least some people have agreed with my general conclusions, and I sincerely apologise if you do not. Music is music, it all is excellent in one way or another, as long as it means something to you and connects with you in a positively. I hope the entire readership of this website enjoys a happy and healthy holiday season, and a prosperous and peaceful 2008. Plus, totally check this out.
Alas, the night Kevin Drew is playing Stages is also the night I am blindsided by a horrible cold right in the middle of exams. As I sit at home gulping orange juice, cooking tomato soup, and watching South Park in order to speed my recovery so that I may study diligently tomorrow, let me clue you into an excellent piece of music.
Today I bring you Spoon’s unfortunately titled Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga (who am I kidding, that’s an EXCELLENT title). This isn’t a new piece of music by any means, but it hasn’t been mentioned yet on Ca Va Cool and I felt the need to bring it in as I figure it will be on many contributors’ ‘Best Of 2007’ Lists. Spoon has been crafting excellent, bare bones rock and roll for about a decade. Despite early comparisons to the Pixies, the band has built a solid reputation for their funky, soulful, and OCD influenced tunes.
Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga is the best type of breakup record. Instead of wallowing in the proverbial pit of sadness so often reserved for excellent songwriters, Britt Daniel has crafted an all encompassing retelling of falling out of love. Daniels focuses on the minutia of a relationship instead of playing the blame game, and does it with a heavy helping of trumpet and saxophone. Also check out 2005’s Gimme Fiction if this sits well.
