#Pitchfork Music Festival 2016

[nofatclips]

Female Vampire by Jenny Hval, live at Primavera Sound Festival 2016, Barcelona

[brookston]

Holidays 11.5

Holidays

American Football Day

Bank Transfer Day

Bonfire Night (UK)

Book Editors Day

Britney Day (Las Vegas)

Burning of the Tar Barrels (Ottery St. Mary, Devon, UK)

Christian Visibility Day

Cinco de Noviembre (Negros Island, Philippines)

Colón Day (Panama)

Commercial TV Broadcast Day

Elvis Has Left the Building Day

Feast of No Return

Firewood Day

Flux Capacitor Day

Foreign Intelligence Service Day (Kazakhstan)

Genghis Khan Day (a.k.a. Chinggis Khaan Day)

Gunpowder Day (UK)

Guy Fawkes Day (a.k.a. Guy Fawkes Night; UK)

International Day of Fairy Tale Characters

International Day of the Clown

International Prosthetics & Orthotics Day

International Romani Language Day

International Volunteer Managers Day

Kanakadasa Jayanthi (Karnataka, India)

Military Intelligence Day (Armenia; Russia)

National Cash Back Day

National Concrete Appreciation Day

National Day of Democracy (Palau)

National Erik Day

National Flora and Fauna Day (Indonesia)

National Love Your Red Hair Day (Ireland)

National Luke Day

National Medical Cannabis Day

National Men’s Hair Color Confidence Day

National Pride Day (Mongolia)

National Redhead Day

National Sneaker Day

Negros Revolution Day (Philippines)

Ottery St. Mary Tar Barrels (Devon, UK)

Parkin Day

Personal Record Day

Pope’s Day (a..k.a. Pope Night)

Puno Day (Peru)

Tori No Ichi (Rooster Day #1; Japan)

Turkey Day (French Republic)

Turning the Devil’s Stone (Devon, UK)

Velleda Asteroid Day

World Day of Caregivers

World Day of Cinema

World Interact Day

World Tsunami Awareness Day

Food & Drink Celebrations

Denog Day (Drake’s Brewing)

National Chinese Take-Out Day

National Doughnut Appreciation Day

National Hot Sauce Day [also 1.22]

Wiggle Jiggle Jell-O Day

Independence & Related Days

Day of the First Shout For Independence (El Salvador)

First Cry of Independence Anniversary Day (Ecuador)

Istoria (Declared; 2009) [unrecognized]

Kocistan (Declared; 2016) [unrecognized]

1st Tuesday in November

Election Day (US) [1st Tuesday after 1st Monday]

International Skeptics Day [1st Tuesday after 1st Monday]

Taco Tuesday [Every Tuesday]

Takeout Tuesday [1st Tuesday of Each Month]

Target Tuesday [Every Tuesday]

Tater Tot Tuesday [Every Tuesday]

To-Do List Tuesday [1st Tuesday of Each Month]

Tranquil Tuesday [1st Tuesday of Each Month]

Trivia Tuesday [Every Tuesday]

Two For Tuesday [Every Tuesday]

Weekly Holidays beginning November 5 (1st Full Week of November)

None Known

Festivals Beginning November 5, 2024

Pitchfork Music Festival (London, United Kingdom) [thru 11.9]

Mutations (Brighton, United Kingdom) [thru 11.9]

Feast Days

Albert Camus Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

All Jesuit Saints and Blesseds (Christian)

Bertille, Abbess of Chelles (Christian; Saint)

Domninus (Christian; Saint)

Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist (Christian; Saint)

Episteme (Christian; Saint)

Festival of Amun (Ancient Egypt)

Galation (Christian; Saint)

Guido Maria Conforti (Christian; Saint)

Herne’s Day I: Prey (Pagan)

Jan Zrzavý (Artology)

John Berger (Writerism)

Louise the Chicken (Muppetism)

Magnus (Christian; Saint)

Marie de Molina (Positivist; Saint)

Nones of November (Ancient Rome)

Oral Sex Day (Pastafarian)

Philips Koninck (Artology)

Pietro Longhi (Artology)

Raymond Duchamp-Villon (Artology)

Richard Cosway (Artology)

Sam Shepard (Writerism)

Triads Day (Celtic Book of Days)

Turning the Devil’s Boulder (Shebbear, England; Everyday Wicca)

Wet Wellington Wednesday (Imps and Gremlins; Shamanism)

Wuwuchim Fire Ceremonies begin (Hopi) [16-Day Festival]

Zachary, Pope (Christian; Saint)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Dismal Day (Unlucky or Evil Day; Medieval Europe; 21 of 24)

Egyptian Day (Unlucky Day; Middle Ages Europe) [21 of 24]

Fatal Day (Pagan) [22 of 24]

Fortunate Day (Pagan) [45 of 53]

Tomobiki (友引 Japan) [Good luck all day, except at noon.]

Unlucky Day (Grafton’s Manual of 1565) [50 of 60]

Premieres

The Beach Party (Disney Cartoon; 1931)

Best of My Love, by The Eagles (Song; 1974)

The Broken Sword, by Poul Anderson (Novel; 1954)

Bryan Adams, by Bryan Adams (Album; 1980)

Carpe Jugulum, by Terry Pratchet (Novel; 1998) [Discworld #23]

Chess Story (a.k.a. The Royal Game), by Stefan Zweig (Novel; 1942)

Coma, by Robin Cook (Novel; 1977)

Death Has Deep Roots, by Michael Gilbert (Novel; 1951)

The Eternals (Film; 2021)

Fear of Flying, by Erica Jong (Novel; 1973)

Finch (Film; 2021)

Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, by Elton John (Album; 1973)

Hello, I Must Be Going!, by Phil Collins (Album; 1982)

Her Honor the Mare (Fleischer/Famous Popeye Cartoon; 1943)

Immigrant Song, by Led Zeppelin (Song; 1970)

The Incredibles (Animated Pixar Film; 2004)

Interstellar (Film; 2014)

Into the Woods (Broadway Musical; 1987)

The Iron Man, by Ted Hughes (Novel; 1968)

Justified, by Justin Timberlake (Album; 2002)

Madman Across the Water, by Elton John (Album; 1971)

The Man from Snowy River (Film; 1982)

Manon of the Spring (Film; 1987)

The Marbleheads, Parts 3 & 4 (Underdog Cartoon, S3, Eps. 15 & 16; 1966)

The Matrix Revolutions (Film; 2003)

Megamind (Animated Film; 2010)

Morning Edition (Radio Series; 1979)

My Generation, by The Who (US Song; 1965)

The Nat King Cole Show (TV Variety Show; 1956)

The Old Mill (Silly Symphony Disney Cartoon; 1937)

127 Hours (Film; 2010)

One Mississippi (TV Series; 2015)

Out Foxed (Tex Avery Droopy MGM Cartoon; 1949)

Past Tense, 23rd Jack Reacher book, by Lee Child (Novel; 2018)

Porky in Egypt (WB LT Cartoon; 1938)

The Remains of the Day (Film; 1993)

Savage Night, by Jim Thompson (Novel; 1953)

Starship Troopers, by Robert A. Heinlein (Novel; 1959)

Sugar and Spies (WB LT Cartoon; 1966)

Three for Breakfast (Disney Cartoon; 1948)

True Grit, by Charles Portis (Novel; 1968)

Two Weeks to Live (TV Mini-Series; 2020)

Unchained, by Johnny Cash (Album; 1996)

You’re An Education (WB MM Cartoon; 1938)

Today’s Name Days

Bernhard, Berthild, Emmerich (Austria)

Elizabeta, Emerik, Fibicije, Imbro, Mirko, Modesta, Zakarija (Croatia)

Miriam (Czech Republic)

Malachias (Denmark)

Vaho, Vahto, Vahur (Estonia)

Reima (Finland)

Sylvie, Zacharie (France)

Emmerich, Hardy, Zacharias (Germany)

Epistimi, Galaktion, Linos, Silvanos (Greece)

Imre (Hungary)

Cesareo, Zaccaria (Italy)

Late, Lote, Šarlote (Latvia)

Audangas, Elžbieta, Elzė, Florijonas, Gedvydė (Lithuania)

Egil, Egon (Norway)

Blandyn, Blandyna, Dalemir, Elżbieta, Florian, Modesta, Sławomir, Zachariasz (Poland)

Epistimi, Galaction (Romania)

Imrich (Slovakia)

Ángela, Isabel, Zacarías (Spain)

Eugen, Eugenia (Sweden)

Perdita, Tiara, Tiera, Tierra, Swain, Swana (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 310 of 2024; 56 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 2 of Week 45 of 2024

Celtic Tree Calendar: Hagal (Hailstone) [Day 10 of 28]

Chinese: Month 10 (Yi-Hai), Day 5 (Gui-You)

Chinese Year of the: Dragon 4722 (until January 29, 2025) [Wu-Chen]

Hebrew: 4 Heshvan 5785

Islamic: 3 Jumada I 1446

J Cal: 10 Wood; Threesday [10 of 30]

Julian: 23 October 2024

Moon: 13%: Waxing Crescent

Positivist: 2 Frederic (12th Month) [Cosimo De Medici the Elder]

Runic Half Month: Wyn (Joy) [Day 14 of 15]

Season: Autumn or Fall (Day 44 of 90)

Week: 1st Full Week of November

Zodiac: Scorpio (Day 13 of 30)

[brookstonalmanac]

Holidays 11.5

Holidays

American Football Day

Bank Transfer Day

Bonfire Night (UK)

Book Editors Day

Britney Day (Las Vegas)

Burning of the Tar Barrels (Ottery St. Mary, Devon, UK)

Christian Visibility Day

Cinco de Noviembre (Negros Island, Philippines)

Colón Day (Panama)

Commercial TV Broadcast Day

Elvis Has Left the Building Day

Feast of No Return

Firewood Day

Flux Capacitor Day

Foreign Intelligence Service Day (Kazakhstan)

Genghis Khan Day (a.k.a. Chinggis Khaan Day)

Gunpowder Day (UK)

Guy Fawkes Day (a.k.a. Guy Fawkes Night; UK)

International Day of Fairy Tale Characters

International Day of the Clown

International Prosthetics & Orthotics Day

International Romani Language Day

International Volunteer Managers Day

Kanakadasa Jayanthi (Karnataka, India)

Military Intelligence Day (Armenia; Russia)

National Cash Back Day

National Concrete Appreciation Day

National Day of Democracy (Palau)

National Erik Day

National Flora and Fauna Day (Indonesia)

National Love Your Red Hair Day (Ireland)

National Luke Day

National Medical Cannabis Day

National Men’s Hair Color Confidence Day

National Pride Day (Mongolia)

National Redhead Day

National Sneaker Day

Negros Revolution Day (Philippines)

Ottery St. Mary Tar Barrels (Devon, UK)

Parkin Day

Personal Record Day

Pope’s Day (a..k.a. Pope Night)

Puno Day (Peru)

Tori No Ichi (Rooster Day #1; Japan)

Turkey Day (French Republic)

Turning the Devil’s Stone (Devon, UK)

Velleda Asteroid Day

World Day of Caregivers

World Day of Cinema

World Interact Day

World Tsunami Awareness Day

Food & Drink Celebrations

Denog Day (Drake’s Brewing)

National Chinese Take-Out Day

National Doughnut Appreciation Day

National Hot Sauce Day [also 1.22]

Wiggle Jiggle Jell-O Day

Independence & Related Days

Day of the First Shout For Independence (El Salvador)

First Cry of Independence Anniversary Day (Ecuador)

Istoria (Declared; 2009) [unrecognized]

Kocistan (Declared; 2016) [unrecognized]

1st Tuesday in November

Election Day (US) [1st Tuesday after 1st Monday]

International Skeptics Day [1st Tuesday after 1st Monday]

Taco Tuesday [Every Tuesday]

Takeout Tuesday [1st Tuesday of Each Month]

Target Tuesday [Every Tuesday]

Tater Tot Tuesday [Every Tuesday]

To-Do List Tuesday [1st Tuesday of Each Month]

Tranquil Tuesday [1st Tuesday of Each Month]

Trivia Tuesday [Every Tuesday]

Two For Tuesday [Every Tuesday]

Weekly Holidays beginning November 5 (1st Full Week of November)

None Known

Festivals Beginning November 5, 2024

Pitchfork Music Festival (London, United Kingdom) [thru 11.9]

Mutations (Brighton, United Kingdom) [thru 11.9]

Feast Days

Albert Camus Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

All Jesuit Saints and Blesseds (Christian)

Bertille, Abbess of Chelles (Christian; Saint)

Domninus (Christian; Saint)

Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist (Christian; Saint)

Episteme (Christian; Saint)

Festival of Amun (Ancient Egypt)

Galation (Christian; Saint)

Guido Maria Conforti (Christian; Saint)

Herne’s Day I: Prey (Pagan)

Jan Zrzavý (Artology)

John Berger (Writerism)

Louise the Chicken (Muppetism)

Magnus (Christian; Saint)

Marie de Molina (Positivist; Saint)

Nones of November (Ancient Rome)

Oral Sex Day (Pastafarian)

Philips Koninck (Artology)

Pietro Longhi (Artology)

Raymond Duchamp-Villon (Artology)

Richard Cosway (Artology)

Sam Shepard (Writerism)

Triads Day (Celtic Book of Days)

Turning the Devil’s Boulder (Shebbear, England; Everyday Wicca)

Wet Wellington Wednesday (Imps and Gremlins; Shamanism)

Wuwuchim Fire Ceremonies begin (Hopi) [16-Day Festival]

Zachary, Pope (Christian; Saint)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Dismal Day (Unlucky or Evil Day; Medieval Europe; 21 of 24)

Egyptian Day (Unlucky Day; Middle Ages Europe) [21 of 24]

Fatal Day (Pagan) [22 of 24]

Fortunate Day (Pagan) [45 of 53]

Tomobiki (友引 Japan) [Good luck all day, except at noon.]

Unlucky Day (Grafton’s Manual of 1565) [50 of 60]

Premieres

The Beach Party (Disney Cartoon; 1931)

Best of My Love, by The Eagles (Song; 1974)

The Broken Sword, by Poul Anderson (Novel; 1954)

Bryan Adams, by Bryan Adams (Album; 1980)

Carpe Jugulum, by Terry Pratchet (Novel; 1998) [Discworld #23]

Chess Story (a.k.a. The Royal Game), by Stefan Zweig (Novel; 1942)

Coma, by Robin Cook (Novel; 1977)

Death Has Deep Roots, by Michael Gilbert (Novel; 1951)

The Eternals (Film; 2021)

Fear of Flying, by Erica Jong (Novel; 1973)

Finch (Film; 2021)

Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, by Elton John (Album; 1973)

Hello, I Must Be Going!, by Phil Collins (Album; 1982)

Her Honor the Mare (Fleischer/Famous Popeye Cartoon; 1943)

Immigrant Song, by Led Zeppelin (Song; 1970)

The Incredibles (Animated Pixar Film; 2004)

Interstellar (Film; 2014)

Into the Woods (Broadway Musical; 1987)

The Iron Man, by Ted Hughes (Novel; 1968)

Justified, by Justin Timberlake (Album; 2002)

Madman Across the Water, by Elton John (Album; 1971)

The Man from Snowy River (Film; 1982)

Manon of the Spring (Film; 1987)

The Marbleheads, Parts 3 & 4 (Underdog Cartoon, S3, Eps. 15 & 16; 1966)

The Matrix Revolutions (Film; 2003)

Megamind (Animated Film; 2010)

Morning Edition (Radio Series; 1979)

My Generation, by The Who (US Song; 1965)

The Nat King Cole Show (TV Variety Show; 1956)

The Old Mill (Silly Symphony Disney Cartoon; 1937)

127 Hours (Film; 2010)

One Mississippi (TV Series; 2015)

Out Foxed (Tex Avery Droopy MGM Cartoon; 1949)

Past Tense, 23rd Jack Reacher book, by Lee Child (Novel; 2018)

Porky in Egypt (WB LT Cartoon; 1938)

The Remains of the Day (Film; 1993)

Savage Night, by Jim Thompson (Novel; 1953)

Starship Troopers, by Robert A. Heinlein (Novel; 1959)

Sugar and Spies (WB LT Cartoon; 1966)

Three for Breakfast (Disney Cartoon; 1948)

True Grit, by Charles Portis (Novel; 1968)

Two Weeks to Live (TV Mini-Series; 2020)

Unchained, by Johnny Cash (Album; 1996)

You’re An Education (WB MM Cartoon; 1938)

Today’s Name Days

Bernhard, Berthild, Emmerich (Austria)

Elizabeta, Emerik, Fibicije, Imbro, Mirko, Modesta, Zakarija (Croatia)

Miriam (Czech Republic)

Malachias (Denmark)

Vaho, Vahto, Vahur (Estonia)

Reima (Finland)

Sylvie, Zacharie (France)

Emmerich, Hardy, Zacharias (Germany)

Epistimi, Galaktion, Linos, Silvanos (Greece)

Imre (Hungary)

Cesareo, Zaccaria (Italy)

Late, Lote, Šarlote (Latvia)

Audangas, Elžbieta, Elzė, Florijonas, Gedvydė (Lithuania)

Egil, Egon (Norway)

Blandyn, Blandyna, Dalemir, Elżbieta, Florian, Modesta, Sławomir, Zachariasz (Poland)

Epistimi, Galaction (Romania)

Imrich (Slovakia)

Ángela, Isabel, Zacarías (Spain)

Eugen, Eugenia (Sweden)

Perdita, Tiara, Tiera, Tierra, Swain, Swana (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 310 of 2024; 56 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 2 of Week 45 of 2024

Celtic Tree Calendar: Hagal (Hailstone) [Day 10 of 28]

Chinese: Month 10 (Yi-Hai), Day 5 (Gui-You)

Chinese Year of the: Dragon 4722 (until January 29, 2025) [Wu-Chen]

Hebrew: 4 Heshvan 5785

Islamic: 3 Jumada I 1446

J Cal: 10 Wood; Threesday [10 of 30]

Julian: 23 October 2024

Moon: 13%: Waxing Crescent

Positivist: 2 Frederic (12th Month) [Cosimo De Medici the Elder]

Runic Half Month: Wyn (Joy) [Day 14 of 15]

Season: Autumn or Fall (Day 44 of 90)

Week: 1st Full Week of November

Zodiac: Scorpio (Day 13 of 30)

[lucloulou1963]

Girl Band perform "Paul" | Pitchfork Music Festival 2016

[sinceileftyoublog]

30 (Technically 34) Albums We Loved That Happened To Come Out in 2020

So much has already been said and written about this cursed past year, but a few good things came out of it, including the music. Album-wise, like many before it and many to come, it was an embarrassment of riches. But even with so much time on our hands to devour new tunes, it was often old favorites, songs of comfort or familiarity that garnered the heaviest rotation. For many artists, too, it was a year ripe for revisiting or reissues of old material, looking at existing songs with fresh and new perspectives. Simply put, with so much to listen to, new and old, the prospect of ranking a finite number of albums felt not only daunting, but frankly a bit stupid. Maybe we were late to the game, but 2020 taught us that music should and can be appreciated in multiple contexts, not limited to but including when it first came out and when it was heard again and again, even if years later. The records below--listed in alphabetical order--happened to be released in some form in 2020, whether never-before-heard or heard before but in a different format. And the only thing I know is that we’ll be listening to them in 2021 and beyond.

Autechre - SIGN & PLUS (Warp)

The legendary British electronic music duo surprise released SIGN a mere month and a half after its announcement and then PLUS 12 days later. The former was a beatific collection of soundscapes that belied the band’s usual harsh noise, while PLUS embraced that noise right back, drawing you in with the clattering chaotic burbles of opener “DekDre Scap B” and lurching forward. -Jordan Mainzer

Against All Logic - 2017-2019 (Other People)

The perennially chill ambient house artist Nicolas Jaar had a busy 2020, as usual, releasing two albums under his name, Cenizas and Telas. But it was 2017-2019, the follow-up to the debut album from his Against All Logic moniker, that came first and throughout the year helped to illustrate Jaar’s penchant for combining inspired samples with club beats and tape hiss. Take the way the lovelorn vocals of “Fantasy” or soulful coos of “If Loving You Is Wrong” war skittering, scratchy percussion and cool arpeggios, respectively: Jaar is coming into his own as a masterful producer almost a decade after he released his first full-length. Oh, and bonus points for including none other than Lydia Lunch on a banger so blunt it would make Death Grips blush. - JM

Bartees Strange - Live Forever (Memory Music)

Like many, my introduction to Bartees Strange was through Say Goodbye to Pretty Boy, his EP of The National covers. Creativity and shifting perspectives shine through each song’s reimaging, like flipping the coarse, almost manic “Mr. November” into something softer, more meditative. It felt like a mere peek into what was to come on Live Forever. Bartees Strange is a world-builder. Each track on his debut unfolds and welcomes you to a wildly engaging tableau, a fully constructed vision. “Jealousy” opens with soft vocals and birdsong. “In a Cab” is the slick soundtrack to racing through a cityscape in the rain, seeing the blurred lights of the high-rises above as you pass by. “Kelly Rowland” warps wistful pop song feelings. “Flagey God” takes you into a dark, pulsing club while only a few songs later, “Fallen For You” wraps you in echoed vocals and romantic, raw acoustic guitar.

It’s an accomplishment to craft an album of individual songs that stand strongly on their own but still feel cohesive. 2020 wasn’t all bad. It gave us Live Forever, a declaration of an artist’s arrival. - Lauren Lederman

Charli XCX - how i’m feeling now (Atlantic)

Back in the spring, many of us wondered who would put out something great in 2020’s quarantine. It was hard to imagine that the intensity of a global pandemic would really allow for artists to embrace creativity. That thought carries the same eye-roll inducing feeling of “We’ll get some great punk music out of a Trump presidency,” but of course, Charli XCX delivered. Through live workshops with fans and longstanding collaborators, she delivered songs to dance alone to in your bubble. Charli embraces the unknown of the moment but clutches onto what’s familiar. Under the glitch-pop veneer of the album, she digs into the anxieties of not just this moment of time but of the bigger questions we all confront: trajectories of relationships with friends, romantic partners, ourselves. Album standouts “forever” and “i finally understand” embrace that feeling of both looking for control and accepting the lack of it. Charli is a master at balancing this. - LL

Christine and the Queens - La Vita Nuova (Because Music)

Named after a Latin text by Dante Alighieri about missing a woman who has died, Chris’ La Vita Nuova is not about mourning a death but instead about loneliness and isolation, post-relationship or otherwise. It doesn’t bang quite like her previous two albums, but it hits harder than ever.

Read our full review here.

Dogleg - Melee (Triple Crown)

Released on March 13th, right as the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Melee was supposed to be supported by three cancelled tours–SXSW, an opening slot for Microwave, and an opening slot for Joyce Manor–and an appearance at this year’s cancelled Pitchfork Music Festival. Listening to the songs on the record, you can only imagine how they translate: the jerky momentum of “Bueno”, build-up of “Prom Hell”, gang vocals of “Fox”, clear-vocal anthem of “Wrist”, and odd groove of “Ender”.

Read “Buckle Up, Motherfucker”, our interview with Dogleg.

Dua Lipa - Future Nostalgia & Dua Lipa/The Blessed Madonna: Club Future Nostalgia (Warner)

Where Dua Lipa’s much-anticipated second album Future Nostalgia succeeded was in its disco anthems and retro, club-ready beats, so who better to bring out the best of the record than The Blessed Madonna? The turntablist masterfully curates a mix of heavy hitters of the charts and the underground that not only offers an essential complement to Future Nostalgia but transcends it. Sending the tracks out to various producers and singers for features and then adding her own samples on top, she invites you to peel back the layers, enter a YouTube rabbit hole of sample searching as much as bopping along.

Read our full review here.

Emma Ruth Rundle & Thou - May Our Chambers Be Full (Sacred Bones)

Roadburn Festival has long been on my bucket list, and since the pandemic showed me how much live music can be taken away in a flash, when it’s safe again to travel and go to a festival, I may just pull the trigger and go--especially considering it’s the springboard for such fruitful and inspired collaborations as the one between Louisville singer-songwriter Emma Ruth Rundle and Baton Rouge sludge dwellers Thou. Rundle embraces the heavier opportunities on the follow-up to her incredible 2018 record On Dark Horses with the ever-flexible Thou backing her up vocally and instrumentally. Slow-burning opener “Killing Floor” offers a familiar introduction to fans of both--sort of what a Rundle/Thou song would sound like--before grunge chugger “Monolith” introduces huge, catchy riffs and “Out of Existence” a True Widow-esque dirge, newfound inspirations for both artists bringing the best out of each other. - JM

Fiona Apple - Fetch the Bolt Cutters (Epic)

What makes Fetch the Bolt Cutters stand out among Apple’s catalog and music in general is the clarity with which Apple seethes at those who have wronged her, whether ex-boyfriends or patriarchal oppressors, and looks to her relationships with other women for peace of mind.

Read our full review here.

HAIM - Women in Music Pt. III (Columbia)

For HAIM, the title Women in Music Pt. III is suggestive that, more than their previous two records, their third centers around the experiences of being an all-female band in a historically white cis male-dominated scene, at least one that wouldn’t call catchy riffs written by a man “simple” or call attention to the faces a man makes while playing. What it doesn’t let on to is how deeply personal the record is, how, by unabashedly embracing genres and styles of music that they love, HAIM have made far and away their best album. Co-produced by the usual suspects, Danielle Haim, Ariel Rechtshaid, and ex-Vampire Weekender Rostam Batmanglij, it’s instrumentally and aesthetically dynamic and diverse, consistently earnest without devolving into cheese.

Read our full review here.

Irreversible Entanglements - Who Sent You? (International Anthem)

I’ve been captivated by Irreversible Entanglements ever since I first saw them at Pitchfork Music Festival 2018. The radical poetry of Camae Ayewa (aka Moor Mother) is the perfect front for a ramshackle mix of Luke Stewart’s spidery bass, Tcheser Holmes’ weighty drums, and a horn section that concocts tones that range from hopeful to desperate. At their best, Who Sent You? is a shining example of celebratory Afrofuturism and metaphysics that makes the urgency of Ayewa’s more concrete and political words all the more necessary. “No Más”, composed by Panamanian-born trumpeter Aquiles Navarro, is a declaration against imperialist oppression, while the stunning title track flips the switch like a Kara Walker painting, as Ayewa’s the one interrogating the police officer terrorizing her community. “Who sent you?” she repeats, never spiraling, grabbing a hold of the power and never letting go. - JM

Jeff Parker - Suite for Max Brown (International Anthem/Nonesuch)

It’s Jeff Parker’s mom’s turn. After 2016′s The New Breed ended up being a tribute to the guitarist’s father, who passed away during the making of it, Parker decided to pay tribute to Maxine while she was still alive. Suite for Max Brown (Brown is his mother’s maiden name; Max is what people call her) is a genre-bending collection of tracks inspired by Parker’s DJing, juxtapositions of sequenced beats with improvisation that certainly sound like the brainchild of one individual. Indeed, Parker plays the majority of the instruments on it and engineered most of it at home or during his 2018 Headlands Center residency in Sausalito, CA; though all of the players and the vocalist (Jeff’s daughter Ruby Parker) on The New Breed show up, plus a couple trumpeters (piccolo player Rob Mazurek and Nate Walcott of Bright Eyes) and cellist Katinka Kleijn, Suite for Max Brown is a distinctly Jeff Parker record.

Read our preview of Jeff Parker & The New Breed’s set at Dorian’s last year.

Jeff Rosenstock - NO DREAM (Polyvinyl)

Jeff Rosenstock throws us right into the spinning, manic energy of NO DREAM, his latest release from a seemingly endless well of music that never lacks urgency. It’s a reminder that though it’s been a strange year, the issues Rosenstock tackles here aren’t new. There’s no interest in making you feel comfortable here. On the album’s title track, Rosenstock sings, lulling you into a false sense of security, “They were separating families carelessly / Under the guise of protecting you and me.” But reality sets in, and the hazy guitars spin out as he spits, “It’s not a dream!” and, “Fuck violence!”

My image of Jeff Rosenstock in the year 2020 is masked up with “Black Lives Matter” scrawled across the fabric of his mask in Sharpie, performing album highlight “Scram!” on Late Night with Seth Meyers as high energy as ever. It felt like watching someone send out a beacon, both a distress signal and a call to arms. - LL

Jessie Ware - What’s Your Pleasure? (PMR/Friends Keep Secrets/Interscope)

I am not someone who goes to clubs. I don’t “go out dancing,” preferring to let loose in the privacy of my own home or a trusted friend’s house party. But Jessie Ware’s What’s Your Pleasure? makes me think I could embrace a night out like that, once the world opens up again, of course. The album is filled with syncopated disco beats that feel fresh and classic all at once. The abundant horns and strings on “Step Into My Life” are decadent, like light bouncing off sequins in a dark room. Ware’s voice is slinky and velvety one moment, windswept like her album cover the next. It’s songs like “Save a Kiss” that embrace both, allowing her to show off her range. - LL

Laura Marling - Song for Our Daughter (Partisan)

With sparse production, mostly from her but with additions from Ethan Johns and Dom Monks, Marling foregoes the comparative maximalism of the Blake Mills-produced Semper Femina, her last proper full-length, and 2018′s LUMP collaboration. The songs aren’t simple, but they’re succinct, and every element, from Marling’s finger-picked guitars, the occasional slide guitar, and that unmistakably calm voice, sometimes alone and sometimes layered, fits. It’s her most universal set of songs yet, centering around the times when we’re apart from one another but reflecting on when we were together and when we might be together again, with no guarantees.

Read the rest of our review here.

Les Amazones d’Afrique - Amazones Power (Real World Records)

The groovy pan-African collective expands upon their debut Republique Amazone and then some with Amazones Power, a tour-de-force statement of female empowerment in the face of oppression against women throughout the African diaspora. Indeed, the album is more than just songs boldly decrying FGM, though those demands ring heavily. Instead, the group goes further, delving into gender power structures in marriage on “Queens” and selectively finding strength in tradition on “Dreams”. And this time, they include men to stand alongside with them. “Together we must stand / Together we must end this,” sings Guinean musician/dancer/artist Niariu on opener “Heavy” in solidarity with features Douranne (Boy) Fall and Magueye Diouk (Jon Grace) of Paris band Nyoko Bokbae. But perhaps it’s her kiss-off on “Smile” that hits hardest: “I shut up for no one.” - JM

Lianne La Havas - Lianne La Havas (Nonesuch)

The British singer-songwriter’s much anticipated follow-up to 2015′s Blood was better than I could have ever imagined. A song cycle about life cycles--of nature, of lives, of a relationship--inspired by an actual breakup, Lianne La Havas is a contemporary neo soul masterpiece. Overview opener “Bittersweet” is an instant earworm, La Havas’ coo-turned-belt filling the space between classic and increasingly emotive slabs of piano and guitar. Funky, lovestruck strut “Read My Mind” is the soundtrack for the unbridled confidence of finding new love. Yes, the doubts begin to sow on the fingerpicked melancholy of “Green Papaya” and “Can’t Fight”, and where the album goes from a simple narrative perspective may be predictable: They break up, they don’t get back together, La Havas enjoys her independence. But the depth of the arrangements and assuredness of La Havas’ singing is a product of an artist starting to really show us what she can do. And how many people can pull off a Radiohead cover like that? - JM

Lomelda - Hannah (Double Double Whammy)

What does it mean to title an album after yourself? Lomelda’s latest album is centered around discovering more about yourself while not always having the answers. Despite the lyrical content, the album is self-assured. Hannah Read’s voice feels as steady as ever as it navigates these twisting questions, like the way the world can shift after a kiss. She finds power in softness and reflection throughout the album, like when she explores the mantra-like words of “Wonder” or through a reminder to do no harm in “Hannah Sun”. In a year that allowed for perhaps more reflection than usual, Hannah makes space for the questions that arise out of figuring yourself out, of making sense of the messiness of it all, wrapped in warm guitar, balanced vocals, and steady drums. - LL

Moses Sumney - Grae (Jagjaguwar)

“Am I vital / If my heart is idle? / Am I doomed?” Moses Sumney famously sang on his stunning 2017 debut Aromanticism, an album that saw him developing his acceptance of being alone. grae, his two-part 2nd full-length, and his first since officially moving from L.A. to the Appalachian Mountains of Asheville, North Carolina, doubles down on themes of heartbreak, but instead of being sure in his seclusion, he embraces the unknown. The album teeters between interludes of platitudes about isolation and ruminations on failed human connection, and maximally arranged clutches of uncertainty. “When my mind’s clouded and filled with doubt / That’s when I feel the most alive,” Sumney coos over horns and piano on slinky soul song “Cut Me”; it’s an effective mantra for the album.

Read the rest of our review here.

Norah Jones - Pick Me Up Off The Floor (Blue Note)

At the time we previewed Norah Jones’ 7th studio album, she had only released a few tracks from it. Turns out the rest was just as powerful. From the blues stomp of “Flame Twin” to the rolling piano stylings of “Hurts to Be Alone”, Pick Me Up Off The Floor is an album full of jazzy orchestrations and soul and gospel-indebted arrangements, Jones’ silky, yearning voice tying together the simple, yet lush and deep instrumentation. And that other Tweedy feature, that closes the album? It’s a heartbreaking portrait of loneliness, one of many on a record that still manages to celebrate being alive all the while. - JM

Phoebe Bridgers - Punisher (Dead Oceans)

Phoebe Bridgers is a master of details. Her lyrics shine when they get specific. They range from the mundane to morbid: A superfan’s ghost-like wandering under a drugstore’s fluorescent lights, a skinhead likely buried under a blooming garden, reckoning with the you in “Moon Song”’s lines, “You are sick, and you’re married / And you might be dying.” Bridgers has always been able to set a scene meticulously, and Punisher arrived with 11 songs that expanded that skill, both lyrically and musically, with her dark humor intact and a fuller sound that includes her boygenuis collaborators’ harmonies. - LL

PJ Harvey - To Bring You My Love: The Demos & Dry - The Demos (Island)

Yes, revisiting Dry’s demos as a separate entity is still worthwhile. Harvey’s powerhouse vocal performance carries the acoustic strummed “Oh My Lover”, while the comparatively minimal arrangement of “Victory” highlights bluesy riffing, call-and-response harmonies, and layered guitar and vocals. The singles, the slinky and sharp “Dress” and propulsive anthem “Sheela-Na-Gig”, hold up to their ultimate studio versions, too. But it’s the To Bring You My Love material that provides novelty because it’s never been released and more so because it encompasses the greatest aesthetic contrast from the album. From the warbling hues and guitar lines of the title track to the tremolo haze of “Teclo” to the crisp snares of “Working With The Man”, the demos show a continuity and level of cohesiveness with the diversity of Dry and Rid of Me not shown on the studio version of Harvey’s more accessible commercial breakout. (Predictably, the album’s most well-known song, “Down by the Water”, is the closest to its eventual version.) “Long Snake Moan” is simultaneously more spacious and more noisy, its garage blues a total contrast to the lurking “I Think I’m A Mother” and swaying shanty “Send His Love To Me”. And “The Dancer” fully embraces its flamenco influences, hand claps and all.

Porridge Radio - Every Bad (Secretly Canadian)

Is there a better opening line than “I’m bored to death, let’s argue”? That kind of duality is found across all of Every Bad as it grapples with the frustrations and anxiety of trying to figure it all out, whatever that might mean for you. “Maybe I was born confused, but I’m not,” vocalist Dana Margolin repeats throughout the opening track, roping in listeners with the dizzying feeling of trying to make sense of yourself. The band’s guitar and synth sound coupled with Margolin’s howl makes for a dance party filled with dread, rendering Margolin’s already strong, repetitive lyrics even more spiraling. And yet, by the time we get to “Lilacs”, a glimmer of something else shines through as the music gets more manic and Margolin’s voice begins to soar: “I don’t want to get bitter / I want us to get better / I want us to be kinder / To ourselves and to each other.” - LL

Sault - Untitled (Rise) & Untitled (Black Is) (Forever Living Originals)

Yes, Black Is still pulls plenty of devastating punches. “Eternal Life”, a segue from the gospel boost of “US”, juxtaposes a deliberate drum beat with zooming synths, both ascending like a chorus of angels, as they sing, “I see sadness in your eye / ‘Cause I know you don’t wanna die,” presenting the oppression of Black life at the hands of white supremacy in inarguable terms. Ultimately, though, it’s the anthemic nature of the songs, resistant of platitudes, that shines through. “Nobody cared / This generation cares,” says Laurette Josiah on “This Generation”. Whether she’s talking about young people in general or the latest generation of young Black leaders, the sentiment is reflected on songs like “Black”, wherein over dynamic, sinewy instrumentation, the singers alternate between encouragement, support, and love of the self and others.

Read our full review here.

Shamir - Shamir (self-released)

Shamir’s voice is a bright beacon in a sea of conventional singers. Shamir captures the effervescence of pop music and weaves it together with elements of country, alt rock, and diary confessional lyrics all supported by the emotion and range of his vocals. There’s something for everyone across the album’s 11 shimmering tracks. Lead single and opener “On My Own” feels like a declaration of self and self-sufficiency, an anthem of a breakup song. The almost pop-punk bounce of “Pretty When I’m Sad”, paired perfectly with lines like the angst-ridden, “Let’s fuck around inside each other’s heads,” feels impossible to not bop along to. The twang of “Other Side” would put a country crooner to shame. That’s the power of Shamir. His voice has the ability to smoothly convey joy, resilience, and humor. He uses elements of several genres, not just the dance-pop of his debut, to build a unique album that gives listeners so much to sift through and, of course, dance to. - LL

Songhoy Blues - Optimisme (Fat Possum)

If Songhoy Blues’ second album Resistance lacked “the grit of its predecessor,” it’s clear from the hard rock stomp of the opening track of Malian band’s third album Optimisme that they rediscovered their mojo. More importantly, they couple this maximal brashness with tributes to those who make their world a better place: fighters for freedom, women, the young. It’s perhaps the first Songhoy Blues record to truly combine the celebratory nature of their desert blues with a balanced mixture of idealism and vigor. - JM

Spanish Love Songs - Brave Faces Everyone (Pure Noise)  

How can you find hope in hopelessness, or optimism when every news story points to cruelty? Is it naïve to keep searching for light in the dark? I don’t think so, and I don’t think Spanish Love Songs does, either. I’d like to think we both believe that’s not naivety, but power. It’s the embers you need to really ignite a flame. After all, this is the band with a song titled “Optimism (As a Radical Life Choice)”. It’s a band whose crunching guitars and earnestness insist that despite death and depression and addiction, the instinct to survive shines brightly above all. That relentless hope resurfaces across Brave Faces Everyone’s 10 tracks even as it works through the bleakness of everyday life. - LL

Tashi Dorji - Stateless (Drag City)

The magnum opus from the Asheville-based picker is a group of evocatively titled, disorderly songs about the desolate hellscape of America for outsiders and immigrants. Enigmatic in its nature, not exactly narrative, Stateless combines Dorji’s urgent strumming with moody motifs, captured beautifully in a studio setting for maximum emotional wallop. - JM

Touche Amore - Lament (Epitaph)

Is this what an almost uplifting Touche Amore album sounds like? It’s cathartic in a newer way for the band, especially after the beautifully rendered grief of Stage Four. Lament loses none of the band’s aggression or urgency. “Come Heroine” thrusts listeners into that urgency and introduces a moment of warmth, Jeremy Bolm’s vocals still rasping and insistent: “You brought me in / You took to me / And reversed the atrophy.” The bounciness of “Reminders” may seem close to optimism, but a sharper look at the lyrics uncovers more than blindly looking to the things that bring joy. “I’ll Be Your Host” is reflective, a few years removed from Touche Amore’s previous album and the immediacy of loss, self-aware and growing, but still raw. The album closer, “A Forecast”, takes a turn, a lone voice and piano acting as a confessional before giving way to thrashing guitars and the realization that growth and reckoning with trauma doesn’t mean minimizing it. It means learning to keep moving forward and to stop for help when you may need it. - LL

Waxahatchee - Saint Cloud (Merge)

The best album yet from Katie Crutchfield is inspired by positive personal change (getting sober, dealing with codependency issues, her blossoming love with singer-songwriter Kevin Morby) and reflections on family and friends. Named after the suburb of Orlando where her father’s from, Saint Cloud is a genre-hopping collection of stories and feelings that doesn’t necessarily follow any semblance of narrative. On opener “Oxbow” and country-tinged ditty “Can’t Do Much”, Crutchfield’s increasingly aware of the need to pick your side and your battles, whether in the relationship between two people or between the allure of the bottle and the next-day hangover. Some of the best songs on the album see her finding commonalities with others as a means towards self-love. Gentle strummer “The Eye” refers to her natural creative relationships with Morby and her sister Allison. “War” she wrote for herself and best friend, who is also sober, the title a metaphor for one’s fight to remain substance-free. “Witches” is an ode to her best friends, including Allison and Snail Mail’s Lindsey Jordan, all equally frustrated by the toxic nature of the music industry and the world at large, ultimately lifting each other up because they simply have each other.

Read our full review here.

[peppersjam]

My Top 10 Albums of 2020

Ok, it's nearly February. Let's do this.

Revisiting the 2019 list, I'm struck by how my taste hasn't really changed. All of those albums are still in my regular rotation. This might be the first time that's been true year over year. The only one that has sorta fallen off is My Finest Work Yet but that's just because it's up against Andrew Bird's entire oeuvre.

Runners up: - Fleet Foxes - "Shore" (I got into Fleet Foxes pretty heavily in the Fall when this came out, but I found myself gravitating to their older albums. It's hard to disentangle that) - Caribou - "Suddenly" (It's good) - The Avalanches - "We Will Always Love You" (Also good) - Four Tet - "Sixteen Oceans" (Yes, good)

The pre-2020 albums that should've ranked:

Sharon Van Etten - "Tramp" (2012)

Sharon Van Etten - "Are We There" (2014)

Sharon Van Etten - "Remind Me Tomorrow" (2019)

🙃

10. Fiona Apple – Fetch The Bolt Cutters

I didn't listen to Fetch The Bolt Cutters many times, but it was one of my most memorable listens of the year: I took a day off of work for the first time since COVID protocols began, and I went on a long walk around Pittsburgh with FTBC in my ears. It's hard for anything to live up to a Pitchfork 10/10, but for one afternoon, at least, I agreed.

9. Sylvan Esso – WITH

A live album? But Sylvan Esso dropped a new new album this year. And wait, I've never even had any Sylvan Esson on my year-end lists before!

I miss live music so much. I didn't know that I would, though. Lately I've found myself (like many 30-somethings, probably) having a little bit less fun at concerts than I used to. They're too loud and you have to stand still for too long if you want to have a good view of the stage, and people don't dance as much as you wish they did, etc. etc. The last show I went to was Big Thief at The Fillmore in late November 2019. I stood up front like I used to (sore legs and all), but thank god I did.

WITH is not just a live album but a concert film. They formed a band of their musical friends and performed as a large group rather than as a duo, and the result is, surprisingly, my favorite Sylvan Esso album.

Ugh, and the crowd singing on "Coffee," "my baby does the hanky panky... my baby doessss..."

8. Perfume Genius – Set My Heart On Fire Immediately

This is yet another spectacular entry into the Pefume Genius catalog. Shrug emoji.

7. Taylor Swift – folklore / evermore

CHEATER ALERT! Two albums for the price of one! If I had to pick one of these to keep on a desert island, I'd probably pick evermore. It might be recency bias, but Taylor sounds like she's having more fun on that one. Regardless, Taylor delivered on (a) making TikTok go absolutely bananas trying to decipher hidden messages and (b) giving us the ultramainstream National(Dessner)-produced pop we didn't know we needed.

6. Charli XCX – how i'm feeling now

This album was a perfect palate cleanser to 2019's underwhelming-to-me Charli. She managed to capture the essence of being in COVID lockdown without losing sight of what makes her Charli XCX (i.e., all caps EARWORMS).

5. Adrianne Lenker – songs / instrumentals

CHEATER ALERT PT. 2! I talked a lot about Big Thief on my list last year because of their double whammy of U.F.O.F. and Two Hands (for which I did not, mind you, cheat). Adrianne's 2020 albums were released on the same day, so they're basically one album (right?). Adrianne spent some time with a binaural mic in a cabin in Western Massachusetts and recorded - complete with diagetic birds and windchimes - the most intimate indie rock/folk album I can recall. That entire sentence is Steve catnip.

4. Waxahatchee – Saint Cloud

I had a big Waxahatchee phase in 2018, so I was looking forward to 2020's Saint Cloud, especially after seeing glowing reviews. But I bounced off of it hard after a couple listens.

Sheep that I am, I decided to give it another shot when it started showing up at the top of end-of-year lists. And of course, I loved it.

3. Andy Schauf – The Neon Skyline

This is the only album on this list that I listened to pre-COVID. So there's something special here, for sure. It hooked me with its storytelling, which is smaller in scale than a lot of "story" music. But the smallness is key because it makes everything plausible. There are a bunch of "sad" albums on this list, but none of them wrecked me quite like this one.

2. HAIM – Women in Music Pt. III

Pt. III improves on the HAIM formula in every way. The choruses are catchier and the experimental bits are weirder. I think HAIM may have blown up this year if it weren't for gestures broadly. Not saying they aren't successful as is - but this is an album full of should-be festival hits.

1. Phoebe Bridgers – Punisher

Phoebe's Punisher arrived at the perfect time. Me and everyone on TikTok (at least the TikTok that I was algorithmed into) needed a sad album to lose ourselves in. A lot of these people didn't know Phoebe before this album. I'm jealous of their getting to discover this and Stranger In The Alps and boygenius (and BOCC, I guess) at the same time.

When I saw boygenius in 2018 (HOW was it that long ago?) I came away stunned by Lucy's performance and Julien's raw emotion (mirroring my thoughts from her captivating Outside Lands set in 2016(?!)). But I didn't know exactly what I thought about Phoebe.

I figured it out though! It was very obvious and I am very dumb for not realizing it until Punisher. Phoebe is a brilliant writer. She captures everything with a specificity that that simultaneously draws you into her brain and ejects you out into space.

So it wasn't just that we collectively wanted (needed) a good cry, it's that we were asking (begging) to be ejected from Earth completely, to return when everything was some facsimile of normal again. Phoebe delivered - not just with her patented ballads but with the hilariously uptempo "Kyoto" that asks us to dance alone in our apartments to I wanted to see the world / through your eyes until it happened / then I changed my mind. Yep, this was the perfect year for the equal parts earnest, funny, and sad 2nd Phoebe album.

[junkalow]

Carly Rae Jepsen - Boy Problems (Live at Pitchfork Music Festival 2016)

[fettkakao]

Cliquey Bitches is a Los Angeles punky-pop supergroup brought to you by pals Seth Bogart (Hunx & His Punx, etc.), Alice Bag (The Bags, etc.), and Allison Wolfe (Bratmobile, etc.). In the summer of 2018, after filming a skit as a make-believe band for Seth Bogart’s World of Wonder TV series Feelin’ Fruity, the trio decided to create a project band for reals. Featuring Wolfe (Scorpio) on lead vocals, Bag (Scorpio) on keys and backing vocals, and Bogart (Pisces) on guitar and drum machine, Cliquey Bitches delivers melodic punky-pop narratives of lust gone wrong, game-playing big mouths, and straight-white-dude dominance in “alternative” music. 

Cliquey Bitches played three shows under three different names: as Double Scorpio opening for Screaming Females and Kitten Forever at Los Angeles’ Bootleg Theater, as Scorpio Scorpio at the Ace Hotel for Palm Springs Pride, and finally as Cliquey Bitches sharing a bill with the Younger Lovers for Punky Reggae Party at La Cita, Los Angeles. In October and November 2018, the project band recorded six songs with Mark Rains at Station House Studio in Echo Park. These songs comprise Cliquey Bitches’ Scorpio Scorpio EP debut on vinyl for Fettkakao.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Alice Bag (“Slice”) is a singer/songwriter, musician, author, artist, educator and feminist. Alice was the lead singer and co-founder of the Bags, one of the first bands to form during the initial wave of punk in Los Angeles. The Alice Bag Band was featured in the seminal punk rock documentary, The Decline of Western Civilization. Alice went on to perform in other groundbreaking bands, including Castration Squad, Cholita, and Las Tres. She is the author of the critically acclaimed memoirs Violence Girl and Pipe Bomb for the Soul. Her self-titled debut solo album received critical acclaim and was named one of the best albums of 2016 by AllMusic. Her second album, Blueprint, made Best of 2018 lists at NPR and the Los Angeles Times. Bag’s third album, Sister Dynamite, was released in April 2020. 

Allison Wolfe (“Pebbletz”) co-founded the fanzine Girl Germs, all-girl band Bratmobile, third wave feminist punk movement riot grrrl, and non-profit music festival Ladyfest within the 1990s Olympia, Washington and Washington, DC indie music scenes. She also sang in Cold Cold Hearts, Deep Lust, Partyline, Cool Moms, Sex Stains, Ex Stains, and Cliquey Bitches. She lives in Los Angeles where she got a masters in specialized journalism in the arts from the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. Wolfe is a freelance music journalist and produces I’m in the Band podcast, teaches English, DJs, sings in Magic Witch Cookbox, and is slowly-but-surely working on an oral history of riot grrrl book and audio archive.

Seth Bogart (“Gluetz”) is a multidisciplinary artist and musician living in Los Angeles, California. His work has been shown at 356 Mission, Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit, Fierman Gallery, Soccer Club Club, Participant Inc, MoCA, One Archives, and more. Bogart’s art and music have been featured in publications such as the New York Times, Interview Magazine, The New Yorker, Pitchfork, and The Observer. His latest solo album, Men on the Verge of Nothing, was released in September 2020. Bogart is also a member of the band Hunx & His Punx (and formerly Gravy Train!!!!!) and runs the fashion/art/music shop Wacky Wacko.

[yousayparty]

The right place, the right time, and the right amount of exclamation marks

The history of Vancouver via Abbotsford British Columbia’s You Say Party is a storied one. Imagine this: trapped in a never ending nightmare of suburban dystopian hell, you form a band. With the simple adjective of having fun, spreading a message, making people dance - you leave the confines of a religiously stifling community. Within a few years you’re playing the world’s top festivals, winning awards, and wooing critics.

But now I find myself piecing foggy bits of memory fragments together with duct tape and hairspray. Like stickers on a dive bar bathroom stall, I know I was there. But why and for how long? I feel like I’m sifting through a shoebox of handbills and press clippings like some True Crime podcaster placing myself at the scene.

I’m not sure where I first heard the name You Say Party! We Say Die! but it caught my eye. It was an era of exuberant band names. !!!, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Shout Out Out Out Out, Hot Hot Heat, Fake Shark- Real Zombie! And my own band GoGoStop! It was also a time when bands out Vancouver’s sleepy conservative suburbs were starting to break out: Witness Protection Program, The Hand, Fun100.

It was exciting. There was a sense of community. Of people just wanting to have fun. Perhaps we were shaking off the anxieties of a post 9/11 world, or shrugging off the self seriousness that was emo and hardcore. We still made mix tapes and zines- scoured Terminal City and The Straight for new bands. There was this new social networking craze called MySpace that had yet to be a ubiquitous omnipresent corporate behemoth that dominated every corner of our lives. We were called Scenesters not Hipsters. Everyone was in an art collective.

Adorned with white belts and one-inch pins; asymmetrical hair cuts and red velvet blazers we set out to prove Vancouver wasn’t No Fun City at now long shuttered venues like the Marine Club, the Pic Pub, and Mesa Luna. I didn’t drink at the time so dancing, and by extension dance punk, had become my saviour- bands like The Rapture, Les Say Fav, Pretty Girls Make Graves to name a few. When Mp3 blogs became a thing, I immediately downloaded The Gap from their 2005 debut Hit The Floor! and loaded it on my 100 song iPod shuffle. I like so many others, became an instant fan.

I moved into what could only be described as a punk rock compound- 3 houses that were owned by a former Christian sect that we dubbed Triple Threat. Members of Bend Sinister, No Dice, Witness Protection Program, and Devon Clifford from You Say Party and Cadeaux (and Whiteloaf) all lived there. He drove an orange 1981 Camaro Berlinetta to match his bright red hair and big personality. We would walk to the greasy spoon Bon’s Off Broadway to get terrible but cheap breakfast and to watch The coffee Sheriff pour undrinkable refills of sludge. It was like living in the movie Withnail and I, but funner. We all wore pins that said Do You Party? on them.

It felt like Vancouver was blowing up and You Say Party was the hand-clapping drum majorette leading the pack. Ladyhawk, Black Mountain, Radio Berlin, New Pornographers, Destroyer, S.T.R.E.E.T.S., The Doers, They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? And The Organ highlighted just how tight-knit and diverse our scene was. Relentless touring and glowing reviews for You Say Party’s sophomore Lose All Time ensured they were head of the class, despite being unable to tour the US due to a previous border snafu.

Lose All Time sat on top of the Earshot charts for what seemed like forever. Famous for their frenetic live shows, and aided by stunning videos, their sophomore effort was a clear progression from Hit The Floor! It still harnessed the visceral rawness of their origins, but hinted at a confidence and maturity that was to come. The title of Lose All Time was a reference to the discombobulation of constant touring and it too was a hint of what was to come.

The touring would take its toll. Fuelled by Chinese Red Bull; a well document public dustup between band members at a bar in Germany would throw everything into uncertainty. But it was that turbulence that would set the stage for XXXX and after a restorative tour to China, the stage was set for the penultimate You Say Party record. 

Flash forward to 2009 and the city was on edge. Everything was about to change. Vancouver was preparing to host the world amidst the unfolding Great Recession. Anti-Olympic protests ramped up. A gang war raged in the streets and made international headlines, tucked behind Swine Flu hysteria and the ongoing imperialist war on Iraq.

It seemed like all the venues started closing and all our friends were moving to Berlin or Montreal. We starting looking in. Is this the city we want? Was it just growing pains? This kind of introspection is clearly reflected in XXXX. If Lose All Time was a record the band wanted to make, XXXX was a record for the people; a record for the city of Vancouver; a record for 2009.

"I finally feel like a singer, rather than a dancer who loves being in a band" said Becky Ninkovic at the time. It’s a perfect quote. One that succinctly captures the maturity and focus of the record. After a breakdown for Ninkovic, a year of rest and vocal lessons, Exclaim! announced XXXX to be a career resuscitation.

And it was. Going back now and rediscovering the record is such a magical thing. Opening for You Say Party with my band Taxes in 2008, I was impressed with the new material even if was a little jaded (I mean I was almost 30). But now with time and space I can see the songs they were working on were truly timeless. Laura Palmer’s Prom could so easily slot in with the latest 80s synthwave revival along alongside bands like Lust for Youth, Lower Dens, and Chromatics.

Overall, XXXX sounds like an exhale. A moment of stillness when you know you’ve made something extraordinary. When you know all those moments combined; moments of sheer terror, adrenalin, elation, boredom, and longing- culminate in a piece of art that once you let go of it- you just know in your gut that it’s right. It draws you in, wrestles with a brooding tension, then sends you into a churning whirlwind of tight drums and buzzing synths. It’s a remarkable achievement.

There’s plenty of vintage YSP sass throughout. “She’s Spoken For”, “Make XXXX”, and “Cosmic Wanship Avengers” are all classic synth punk gems, but the it’s in the subdued that the album really grips. “Dark Days”, “There is XXXX (Within My Heart)” and the sprawling Kate Bush like ballad “Heart of Gold” are the hallmark of a band that is comfortable exploring the limits of their genre. While lyrically quite positive, the melodies are daunting. Indeed, as Pitchfork put it, “the slower pace and more sentimental outlook of XXXX gives listeners the necessary space and encouragement to surrender to the band's emotional message”.

And it was a message they would finally return to the US with in 2009. The band was poised for mainstream breakout success. They were long listed for the Polaris and they won a Western Canadian Music Award for Best Rock Album of the year. Much has been written about what would happen next. I don’t want this article to be about the tragic onstage death of drummer and friend Devon Clifford, but it’s inexorably linked to the band’s story.

And I can only really tell it from my point of view. I wasn’t sure I would go to the funeral but a mutual friend told me that Devon would want me to go. Portland Hotel Society, a local housing provider which Devon had thrown the weight of his passion behind, rented a bus to drive out to Abbotsford. I held up pretty well until my friend Al Boyle got up to play. Then some yelled “Spagett”. Then Krista and Becky sang “Cloudbusting” and I lost it.

The band would try to carry on. Krista would leave the band and Bobby Siadat and Robert Andow of the band Gang Violence would fill in for touring.  When that didn’t go as planned Al Boyle who had been in the punk band Hard Feelings with Devon would replace Bobby. They officially went on hiatus in 2011 only to reunite a year later with Krista back on keys and a drum machine in place of Devon.

And while the band’s self titled 2016 release would be their moment of closure, the reissue of XXXX is one of celebration. Celebration of what they made with Devon. Celebration of a near perfect moment in time. A capsule of a entire city at it’s peak. The band has changed. The scene has changed. And I’ve changed. But there will always be XXXX within in our hearts.

'Cause every time it rains

You're here in my head

Like the sun coming out

Ooh, I just know that something good is going to happen

And I don't know when

But just saying it could even make it happen

Sean Orr Vancouver, BC January 2020

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We are so excited to reissue a limited run of XXXX on clear vinyl through Paper Bag Records Vintage for Record Store Day on August 29th! Support your local stores & grab this album on vinyl for the first time in 10 years! https://recordstoredaycanada.ca  #yousayparty #YSPWSD

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About Sean Orr Sean Orr is a writer, musician, artist, activist, and dishwasher living and working in the unceded Coast Salish territories of Vancouver, B.C. Besides his twice weekly news column in Scout Magazine he writes for Beatroute and has written for Vice Magazine and Montecristo among others in the past. He’s the frontman in the punk band Needs and also has a pickle company called Brine Adams. Twitter | NEEDS | Tea & Two Slices | Flickr

[stephenmalkmusofficial]

Top 10 Albums of 2019

Good morning everyone! I can’t believe it’s a whole new fuckin’ decade. 2019 was a great year for music, while a lot of my old favorites put out some lackluster releases (*cough cough* Sleater-Kinney, Weezer), newer and younger bands that I also love really stepped up to the plate and put out what ended up being my favorite records this year, we’ll get to that soon though. First let’s start with some

Honorable Mentions: Avey Tare - Cows on Hourglass Pond Angel Olsen - All Mirrors Jeff Rosenstock - Thanks, Sorry! Big Thief - U.F.O.F. Better Oblivion Community Center - Better Oblivion Community Center Chris Farren - Born Hot

10. Big Thief - Two Hands

Big Thief have consistently blown me away this decade in making really vibrant, urgent, and important music. Their sophomore effort, Capacity, is probably one of my favorite albums of the past ten years. The unique way that the guitars, bass, drums and vocals all blend with each other make the folk rock they develop seem so spellbinding. After the ethereal UFOF from May of this year, Big Thief came crashing back down to earth with Two Hands, and I love the way the band makes themselves feel so close and intimate, playing together in a mostly live setting (while UFOF involved a lot of effects and overdubs). There’s a range of musical emotions at play here from pounding out one of their longest and most aggressive songs “Not”, which might be my favorite song of the year, to quickly follow up that track with a quiet, haunting ballad “Wolf”. What an effective back-to-back. Big Thief proved this year that they’re a damn important band, and I’m glad I’m listening.

9. Black Midi - Schlagenheim

At first, I wasn’t exactly sure what black midi was, or what they were doing. I saw lots of people on Twitter either hyping them up, or making fun of the hype by making absurd jokes about them. It seems however, the band is in on the joke, wearing huge cowboy hats on stage, meshing two or three different graphic design styles together for their promo materials, and then when I saw them in November, the singer kept quoting a line or two from “Stronger” by Kanye West, eventually throwing it into their closer “bmbmbm”. I finally tapped into their sound by checking out their live video for their song “Ducter” and Pitchfork Festival, and was instantly captivated by how different yet familiar their sound was. It was clear that as musicians, they were super tight and together, while at the same time going on crazy tangents. Each time I revisited this album I found something refreshing and new that I think a lot of other post-punk/whatever bands are too afraid to do. I’m excited to see how these guys grow and evolve since they’re so young, but I’m glad I got to be in on the ground floor.

8. Stella Donnelly - Beware of the Dogs

I’m not sure what exactly led me to check this album out, but after I listened to it I realized my friend Anne had put two songs from it in a playlist she made me earlier in the year (thanks Anne if you read this). Right when the first song came on, I was instantly entranced by Stella’s sweet, upbeat voice combined with a twee-adjacent instrumentals and lyrics about womanhood, feminism and shitty men that undercut everything else. This record is really vital, and is catchy and sugary-sweet enough that it kept me coming back for more, each time appreciating Stella’s message more and more. 

7. Strange Ranger - Remembering the Rockets

Strange Ranger had been, for me at least, a band that I was the only one not getting. I checked out their first two records earlier this year, they’re sprawling, epic and dreamy, but nothing about them really made me want to revisit them. Then I decided to check out this record, and it seems that they distilled everything they had been going for and made it more accessible. This record at times feels like it’s taken directly from a hazy alt-rock band’s studio from 1998. Somewhere between Smashing Pumpkins, blur and The Rentals. It’s sweet and dreamy while also getting a little noisy and weird at times. I’m glad something finally clicked for me with this band, now I gotta go get the rest to click.

6. Deerhunter - Why Hasn’t Everything Already Disappeared?

Full disclosure, Deerhunter have become one of the most important bands in my life this past year, which is probably why this record is here (not a lot of people liked it and I can understand why), but this album definitely was a grower. After delving into their past few releases from this decade (Monomania, Fading Frontier) this album seemed like the next logical step. It’s clear cut and probably the least dreamy Deerhunter have ever sounded, but it’s not without reason. Bradford’s musings on the highlight “What Happens to People?” is a lament about modern life, and trying to search for a point, and the production brings everything clear and upfront so the band and the listener can ponder these things together. Definitely rewarded multiple listens.

5. Laura Stevenson - The Big Freeze

Laura has easily become one of my favorite solo artists over the past year or so. At first, in the context of being pals with one of my all-time favorite punk artists, Jeff Rosenstock, it was hard for me to wrap my head around someone’s music who was so soft, sensitive and reserved as Laura’s was. However when I booked her to play at a small cafe across the street from my school last December (shout out to the Parlor), it was incredible to see her in her own element. Here, she played at least 4 or 5 songs that are on The Big Freeze, which stands as a monument to Laura’s songwriting, she recorded this album in her childhood home, which only adds to the intimacy that she’s creating here. Listen to Laura Stevenson.

4. Mannequin Pussy - Patience

Mannequin Pussy have become one of my favorite bands over the past couple years. Their 2016 record Romantic was one I came to late but found hard to put down once I started listening, often listening to it twice in a row. Here, Patience builds on everything that made Romantic great and brings it to the next level. Drunk II stands as a testament to a new era of epic breakup songs (see also, Night Shift by Lucy Dacus). The personal highlight for me was “Fear/+/Desire”, and of course seeing them live in their hometown of Philly was incredible. Such an important band!!

3. Tyler, the Creator - IGOR

I’m pretty sure that Tyler’s 2017 Scum Fuck Flower Boy was a tribute to a relationship, and IGOR is the breakup. With Pinkerton being my favorite album ever, I have an affinity for breakup albums. IGOR flows so well and the message and idea is super cohesive, so of course I listened to it all the way through a bunch. I really liked the production and beats he used here too, they were grimy and lo-fi which made the whole effort feel that much more raw. Tyler has really grown into his own into a mature artist who uses the album form to tell a really compelling story, I really loved this record.

2. DUMP HIM - Dykes to Watch Out For

Watching DUMP HIM grow into the vital and fierce punk band we all deserve has been a pleasure to watch, and it all comes together so clearly on DTWOF. The production brings all the ripping guitar solos, excellent drum fills and amazing bass work to the front, as well as Jac and Mattie’s laments on trauma, community and being queer in today’s world. This is a really great and important record, go listen to it!

1. Prince Daddy & The Hyena - Cosmic Thrill Seekers

Prince Daddy have become one of my favorite bands to follow in the past 4 or so years. Their first two records were addicting, but this record feels transcendent, most certainly worth the almost 3 year wait. This record feels like what Weezer’s abandoned Songs From the Black Hole would’ve ended up like, but even better and touching upon vital themes of mental illness, love and friendship. This album is nothing short of epic, and I love it so much. Here’s to a better 2020!

[blackkudos]

Chance the Rapper

Chancelor Johnathan Bennett (born April 16, 1993), known professionally as Chance the Rapper, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, actor, and activist.

Born in Chicago, Illinois, Chance the Rapper released his debut mixtape 10 Day in 2012. He began to gain mainstream recognition in 2013 after releasing his second mixtape, Acid Rap, which gained critical praise. He then released his third mixtape, Coloring Book, in 2016, which garnered further critical acclaim and attention. It earned him three Grammy Awards, including the award for Best Rap Album; upon winning, it became the first streaming-only album to win a Grammy Award, and peaked at number eight on the Billboard 200. His debut studio album The Big Day was released on July 26, 2019.

Alongside his solo career, Chance the Rapper is a member of the Chicago collective Savemoney, and is the vocalist for the band the Social Experiment; they released the album Surf in May 2015, led by trumpeter Nico Segal. He is also involved in social activism in the Chicago community where he resides.

Early life

Chancelor Johnathan Bennett was born in Chicago, Illinois. His father, Ken Williams-Bennett, was an aide to the late Chicago mayor Harold Washington and then-Senator Barack Obama. His mother, Lisa Bennett, worked for the Illinois Attorney General. Bennett grew up in the middle-class neighborhood of West Chatham on Chicago's South Side. When Bennett was sixteen, his father began to work in the Department of Labor during President Barack Obama's first term. Bennett personally met President Obama in his youth and discussed his aspirations to be a rapper, to which Obama responded with "word". Bennett was originally going to move to Washington, D.C. following Obama's win in the 2008 presidential election, though those plans eventually fell through. Bennett attended Jones College Prep High School where he was a member of the Jewish Student Union.

Bennett's interest in music began with Michael Jackson, who he exclusively listened to on cassettes until the fifth grade. Growing up, Bennett's parents were constantly playing music, including Billie Holiday, Sam Cooke and other artists in the jazz and gospel genres. Bennett began listening to hip-hop after hearing "Through the Wire" by Kanye West on the radio while walking through Hyde Park, Chicago. After finding out the song was on West's debut album The College Dropout, Bennett purchased the album, making it the first hip-hop album that Bennett listened to. Bennett considers West a huge influence on him and has said that he was inspired to begin rapping by West. Bennett and West met each other in August 2014 at Bonnaroo Music Festival.

Bennett began rapping in the sixth grade when his cousin let him start using his studio. In his freshman year at Jones College Prep High School, Bennett formed the hip-hop duo Instrumentality alongside a friend. Many of Chance's earliest performances took place at the YOUmedia Lyricist Loft at Harold Washington Library in Chicago. After placing second in a local songwriting contest, Bennett met then-Chicago Mayor, Richard M. Daley who enjoyed his music. Bennett spent most of his junior year and a small amount of his senior year writing a draft for his debut project, 10 Day, which was later released after Bennett was suspended for ten days after being caught smoking cannabis.

Music career

2011–2012: Career beginnings and

10 Day

At Jones College Prep High School, some of his teachers ridiculed his aspirations to become a musician. In early 2011 during his senior year, following a 10-day suspension for marijuana possession on campus, Bennett recorded his first full-length project, a mixtape entitled 10 Day (also known as #10Day). In December 2011, he released a song titled "Windows", and publicly announced his 10 Day project. In February 2012, Bennett was highlighted as one of Complex magazine's "10 New Chicago Rappers to Watch Out For". Bennett says he spent "about eight months recording, writing, and making connections off of the hunger to put out something". Bennett released the mixtape on April 3, 2012, and it has since been downloaded over 500,000 times via mixtape-sharing site DatPiff. The mixtape was well-received locally and helped Bennett make connections with producers such as Chuck Inglish, Kenny Jame$ and Blended Babies. The mixtape also grabbed the attention of Forbes magazine, which featured it in the publication's Cheap Tunes column.

2012–2015: Acid Rap and The Social Experiment

In July 2012, Bennett appeared on American rapper Childish Gambino's sixth mixtape, Royalty, on the track "They Don't Like Me". Gambino would go on to ask Bennett to join on his first concert tour of North America as his opening act.

On April 30, 2013, Bennett released his second mixtape, Acid Rap, on DatPiff. The record has been downloaded over 1.5 million times. Bennett enlisted guest appearances from Twista, Vic Mensa, Saba, BJ the Chicago Kid, Action Bronson, Childish Gambino and Ab-Soul. Acid Rap was well-received by critics. At Metacritic, the mixtape received an average score of 86, based on 21 critics, which indicates "universal acclaim". It was nominated for Best Mixtape at the 2013 BET Hip Hop Awards. On May 6, 2013, the song "Paranoia" (produced by Nosaj Thing), after initially being featured as a hidden track on Acid Rap, was released as a contribution to Yours Truly and Adidas originals' "Songs from Scratch" series.

In June 2013, Bennett was featured in a commercial for MySpace as part of their relaunch, alongside fellow American rappers Mac Miller, Pharrell Williams and Schoolboy Q, among others. In July 2013, Acid Rap debuted at number 63 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, due to downloads on iTunes and Amazon. In August 2013, Bennett performed at the Chicago music festival Lollapalooza. Acid Rap was listed on multiple 50 best albums of 2013 lists, including 26th for Rolling Stone, 12th on Pitchfork's list, and ranked 4th by Complex. It was also listed as one of NPR Music's 50 Favorite Albums of 2013. Bennett began his Social Experiment Tour in Champaign, Illinois, on October 25, 2013, lasting until December 19, 2013.

In March 2014, Bennett appeared in a shoppable online video for Dockers, promoting the brand's spring line, in which Bennett talks his style, love for creating music, and how it feels to live in Los Angeles. On May 5, 2014, XXL revealed Bennett was included in their annual freshman class, alongside fellow up-and-comers Isaiah Rashad, Ty Dolla $ign, Rich Homie Quan, Vic Mensa, August Alsina, Troy Ave, Kevin Gates, Lil Bibby, Jon Connor, Lil Durk and Jarren Benton. During Fall 2014, Bennett and other artists participated in Verge Campus tour. In November 2014, Bennett was presented Chicago's "Outstanding Youth of the Year Award" by Mayor Rahm Emanuel.

In January 2015, Bennett was listed number 7 on the "Forbes 30 Under 30" 2015 music list. In March 2015, Bennett released a short film called Mr. Happy, which was directed by Colin Tilley. Mr. Happy centers around the main character, named Victor, who is struggling from depression and was attempting to commit suicide. After many failed attempts to kill himself, he discovers Mr. Happy. On April 30, 2015, Bennett gave a lecture at Harvard University's Hiphop Archive & Research Institute. Just before midnight on May 28, 2015, Surf was released for free on the American iTunes store as an iTunes Exclusive. The album received high acclaim from music critics, receiving an aggregate score of 86 on review site Metacritic, which indicates "universal acclaim", based on 17 reviews. In June 2015, Bennett performed at the Bonnaroo Music Festival in the superjam concert collection. He also made a guest performance with fellow rapper Kendrick Lamar, on stage with Earth, Wind & Fire. On July 19, 2015, Bennett and Lil B announced that they recorded a collaborative mixtape. The two rappers released it on August 5, titled Free (Based Freestyles Mixtape).

On October 13, 2015, Bennett released a video for a new song, titled "Family Matters", on his website. The song, which shares the same name as his fall 2015 tour with D.R.A.M., Metro Boomin, Towkio (and Hiatus Kaiyote on select dates), is a rework of the Kanye West song "Family Business" from his 2004 album The College Dropout. A few days before this, a video surfaced online of Bennett performing a new song live, ending the song by saying the words "third mixtape", leading many to believe the wait might be coming to a close for his next release. On October 27, 2015, Bennett premiered a new song, titled "Angels" featuring Saba, on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. On December 12, 2015, Bennett performed on Saturday Night Live, on a new song, titled "Somewhere in Paradise".

2016–present: Coloring Book and The Big Day

In 2016, Bennett was a prominent figure on Kanye West's album The Life of Pablo, co-writing and appearing on several tracks, including "Ultralight Beam", "Father Stretch My Hands Pt. 1", "Famous", "Feedback", and "Waves". According to West, the album's release was delayed due to Bennett's desire for "Waves" to make the album's final cut. Bennett was also featured on a track titled "Need To Know" on Macklemore & Ryan Lewis's album This Unruly Mess I've Made. The following March, Bennett was featured on Skrillex's remix of Hundred Waters' "Show Me Love". On April 16, 2016, Chance and other musicians, including Alicia Keys, Busta Rhymes, Janelle Monáe, and J. Cole, met with President Obama at the White House to discuss the My Brother's Keeper Challenge initiative.

On May 12, 2016, Chance's third mixtape, Coloring Book (promoted as Chance 3), was released, streaming exclusively on Apple Music. In the first week, the mixtape was streamed over 57.3 million times, which was equivalent to 38,000 units sold, debuting at number eight on the US Billboard 200 chart. It became the first release to chart solely on streams. The mixtape was met with widespread acclaim from music critics, and on review aggregator site Metacritic, received an average score of 89, based on 21 critics, which indicates "universal acclaim". On July 13, at the 2016 ESPY Awards show, along with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, he performed a tribute song titled "I Was A Rock" for the late Muhammad Ali. On August 16, 2016, Chance wrote the single "We the People" paired in a Nike commercial titled "Unlimited Together", a film directed by Hiro Murai. A second commercial was released on October 4, by Nestlé, to promote the Kit Kat bar, with Chance starring in costume remixing their jingle. On September 15, 2016, Chance began his Magnificent Coloring World Tour in San Diego.

Bennett announced the Magnificent Coloring Tour with an event called Magnificent Coloring Day Festival at Chicago's Guaranteed Rate Field, with a line up including Lil Wayne, Young Thug, Skrillex, Tyler, the Creator and Lil Uzi Vert, taking place on September 24, 2016, being the first-ever music festival at U.S. Cellular Field. This one day festival event also featured a surprise appearance by Kanye West. Bennett launched a campaign in conjunction with rapperradio.com to get his music on the radio on August 17, 2016.

In September 2016, H&M solicited Bennett to headline their new campaign. In November 2016, he continued on the Magnificent Coloring World Tour, but cancelled the rest of his shows on the European leg due to personal reasons. In November 2016, Bennett announced during an interview with DJ Semtex that he was working on his debut album. Bennett was offered a chance to sign with Kanye West's GOOD Music in December 2016, though he refused due to his popularity as an independent artist and the freedom of not being attached to a label. In an August interview about his debut album, Bennett said he may sell the album, a departure from his previous projects' free distribution format. After a report was leaked claiming that audio distribution platform SoundCloud was close to bankruptcy and had laid off most of its workers, Bennett had a phone call with SoundCloud CEO Alex Ljung. Following the phone call, Bennett went onto Twitter, posting that SoundCloud is "here to stay". It was later reported that Bennett was just reflecting on what Ljung had previously published in a press release following the leak. Soon after, Bennett released a SoundCloud exclusive track with Young Thug called "Big B's" to benefit the platform, a surprise move that was planned in response to the SoundCloud bankruptcy leak.

In February 2017, Bennett performed at the 59th annual Grammy Awards, receiving 7 nominations and winning 3 Grammys. His performance featured Kirk Franklin and Tamela Mann, along with a gospel choir and orchestra conducted by Tom Brooks. On July 13, Bennett performed a NPR Tiny Desk Concert where he recited an original poem. The poem, entitled "The Other Side", was crafted on his ride from his hotel, in Washington D.C., to the NPR music offices and was written with black marker on typing paper. Chance also performed, "Juke Jam", a song off of his album Coloring Book, and a cover to Stevie Wonder's song "They Won't Go When I Go" released in 1974.

In July 2017, Bennett was nominated for an Emmy Award for his song "Last Christmas" that was performed on Saturday Night Live. He shares the nomination with Kenan Thompson, Eli Brueggemann, and Will Stephen in the category for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics. In August 2017, Bennett headlined day three of Lollapalooza at Grant Park in his hometown of Chicago. His performance drew record crowds with some estimates making it the largest attended performance in the event's history. In November 2017, Bennett curated and headlined the Obama Foundation community event at the Wintrust Arena in Chicago. The event capstoned the inaugural Obama Summit event which featured special guests including former President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, Andra Day, Gloria Estefan, Aziz Ansari, Lena Waithe, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and more.

In 2018, he featured on "Logout", a song from Saba's album Care for Me and "Best Life" from Cardi B's debut album Invasion of Privacy, and released 4 new songs in July. Bennett performed at Mac Miller: A Celebration of Life on October 31, 2018, a tribute concert celebrating the recently passed rapper Mac Miller. On November 29, 2018, Bennett released 2 new songs, "My Own Thing" and "The Man Who Has Everything", and announced on February 11, 2019, that his debut album would be released sometime in July of that same year. During Super Bowl LII Bennett appeared alongside The Backstreet Boys in a commercial for Doritos with the two artist performing a remix of "I Want it That Way" In May of that year Bennett was featured in Ed Sheeran's song "Cross Me" On July 26, 2019, Bennett released his debut studio album The Big Day.

In 2019, he wrote the song "True Kinda Love" for Steven Universe: The Movie alongside Rebecca Sugar, James Fauntleroy, Macie Stewart, and Julian Sanchez, with vocals being performed by Estelle and Zach Callison. In December 2019, Bennett cancelled his "The Big World Tour" for the second time in order to spend time with his newborn daughter.

In January 2020, it was announced that Bennett will be the host of the reboot of Punk'd that will air on the streaming service Quibi.

Artistry

Musical style

Bennett has stated in interviews with XXL and Complex that Kanye West, James Brown, MC Hammer, Prince, Lupe Fiasco, Common, Young Thug, Lil Wayne, Esham, Eminem, Souls of Mischief and Freestyle Fellowship have influenced him. When asked about the gospel influences in his music, he also has stated that Kirk Franklin is one of his favorite artists, and his favorite composer.

Bennett's music has been described as versatile and uplifting. His music generally contains jazz-inspired melodies and gospel influences. Bennett's lyrics usually have references to Christian theology, his struggles with his faith and his upbringing. Chance incorporates choirs into his music to attempt to maximize the gospel undertones. Sharde' Chapman at HuffPost has described Bennett's lyrics as "creative" and "colorful".

Bennett often does traditional singing songs, and possesses a light-lyric tenor voice with an expansive vocal range that spans three octaves. Bennett's vocal range reaches its extreme low at the bass F♯ (F♯2), and rises to its peak high at the tenor high F (F5).

Fashion

Bennett's fashion style is a large part of his public image, and he has taken interest in the industry. Bennett has designed hats for the Chicago White Sox. The Hollywood Reporter has said that Bennett is "redefining fashion" with his style of generally wearing overalls and contesting traditional hip-hop fashion norms. Bennett wore a suit that was meant to imitate Michael Jackson at the 2017 BET Awards. Bennett was seen wearing Thom Browne clothing at the 2017 Grammys. Bennett has been known to wear a signature hat with the number three on it. “I’ve rationalized it to myself that it stands for the third mixtape, the Holy Trinity, and the three-pronged family of myself, my daughter, and my girl.” Bennett said in an interview in regards to the meaning of the number three.

Activism and politics

Bennett's father, Ken Bennett, has been involved in Democratic Party politics on the local and national level. Ken Bennett worked for Barack Obama as a presidential appointee and as an aide. Ken Bennett also worked on Obama's presidential campaign in 2008, and has worked as an aide to Mayor of Chicago Rahm Emanuel and as 2019 Chicago mayoral campaign co-chair for Toni Preckwinkle. Despite his family's ties to the Democratic Party, Bennett has called himself an independent voter, though he has a history of supporting Democrats. Bennett volunteered with Barack Obama's reelection campaign by phonebanking in Hyde Park, Chicago and has given speeches at the University of Chicago Institute of Politics.

In November 2014, Emanuel named Bennett as Chicago's Outstanding Youth of the Year for his activism. Bennett's work to support Chicago youth includes hosting Open Mike nights for Chicago-area high school students in collaboration with Chicago Public Library, which drew the attendance of fellow Chicago natives and celebrities like Hannibal Buress and Kanye West. In December 2015, Bennett joined with Detroit-based nonprofit group Empowerment Plan to start an initiative called Warmest Winter 2016. The initiative raised money to give 1,000 specially manufactured coats, which doubled as sleeping bags and shoulder bags, and were manufactured by homeless citizens of Detroit, to homeless citizens of Chicago. In June 2016, he hosted the Teens in the Park event, a free youth festival on Chicago's Northerly Island that drew an attendance of 3,300.

Bennett co-created a new nonprofit called SocialWorks in September 2016, an extension of his Open Mike program which aimed to create youth programs for residents of Chicago, among other goals. Open Mike nights and the Warmest Winter initiative later became part of SocialWorks.

Bennett has actively fought to combat gun violence in his hometown of Chicago and in 2014, along with his father, promoted the "#SaveChicago" campaign. The campaign sought to stop gun violence over Memorial Day Weekend. During 2014's Memorial Day weekend, Chicago went 42 straight hours without a shooting. Bennett met with President Obama at the White House on April 16, 2016, to discuss My Brother's Keeper Challenge, an initiative of the United States Federal Government to promote intervention by civic leaders in the lives of young men of color to address their unique challenges and to promote racial justice, with other musicians, including Alicia Keys, Busta Rhymes, Janelle Monáe, J. Cole, and others. Bennett started a Twitter campaign for May 23, 2016 using #May23 to stop gun violence for 42 hours.

On March 6, 2017, after a meeting with Governor Bruce Rauner that did not go well only days before, Bennett announced his intention to donate $1,000,000 to Chicago Public Schools in order to help offset the lack of government funding provided. Following this, a movement arose to try and inspire Bennett to run for mayor of Chicago. This was backed by fellow media personalities including musician Drake.

Bennett is an outspoken critic of President Donald Trump, having criticized him numerous times and drawn comparisons to former President Barack Obama. During the 2016 Presidential election, Bennett said he was not scared of a Trump presidency. When asked why by GQ, Bennett said "You gotta just understand, like, shit has been fucked-up, right? Like, 'Make America Great Again', that's not a real thing because shit ain't really switched up for [white middle class]". Bennett endorsed Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton on October 6, 2016, expressing concerns about the way she was treated in the media and also expressing that she could "fix Chicago" and led a "march" to numerous polling stations with thousands of Chicagoans. Following the victory of Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election, Bennett said "Trump was going to win, anybody in the world who's surprised by the election of Donald Trump has been ignorant of racism, and the tides and patterns of American history and world history." In February 2017, Bennett posted publicly on Twitter that he was worried President Trump was going to change constitutional term limits. Bennett has compared Trump's fascination with Chicago to "going to war". In August 2017, Bennett claimed to have a "bigger voice than Donald Trump". Bennett also became an outspoken critic of Chicago Mayor Emanuel later in his term, though his father had worked for Emanuel and he himself had earlier accepted Emanuel's support.

Bennett has been an active Twitter user, with several of his tweets on social issues going viral. For example, Bennett garnered attention from Time magazine when he tweeted criticism of an article titled "In Wake of Weinstein, Men Wonder If Hugging Women Still OK". Following Kanye West's Tweets announcing his support of Donald Trump in April 2018, Bennett tweeted in support of West's freedom to choose to be Republican, sparking controversy among his fanbase. Trump later tweeted thanking Bennett for his support of West, though Bennett disavowed Trump's praise.

In July 2018, Bennett purchased the Chicago journalism website Chicagoist from WNYC. The website had been inactive since it was abruptly shut down by former owner Joe Ricketts in November 2017, and Bennett planned to relaunch the website later in 2018. Chicagoist did not relaunch in 2018, and it is currently planning a 2019 reopening, according to its website.

In the 2019 Chicago mayoral election, Bennett was an active supporter of Amara Enyia. Bennett initially endorsed Enyia at a press conference in October 2018. Bennett campaigned with Enyia and made major donations to her mayoral bid. Fellow rapper and Chicago native Kanye West also donated to Enyia's campaign. In the February 2019 election, Enyia finished fifth out of fourteen candidates, and did not advance to the mayoral runoff. Lori Lightfoot and Preckwinkle, who had hired Chance's father as campaign co-chair, instead advanced to the runoff. In the runoff, Bennett endorsed Preckwinkle, criticizing Lightfoot as having worked against the interests of Chicago's black community.

In 2020, Bennett will be honored by Unicef at their annual gala in Chicago with the UNICEF Chicago Humanitarian Award.

Personal life

Bennett lives in his hometown, Chicago. Bennett once shared a house in North Hollywood with James Blake. Describing his time in North Hollywood, Bennett called it "ungodly". After graduating from high school, Bennett attended a community college for a week before dropping out. Bennett has taken numerous recreational drugs during his lifetime, including LSD and Xanax, but has since stepped away from them.

Family

His younger brother, Taylor Bennett, is also a rapper. Both brothers began rapping at the same time and have a similar style. Both the rappers also draw inspiration from Chicago native Kanye West.

In July 2015, Bennett announced that he was expecting his first child with his girlfriend Kirsten Corley, whom he began to date in 2013. In September 2015, Corley gave birth to their daughter, Kensli. Kensli was kept out of social media until December 31, 2016, when Bennett posted a picture of her on Instagram. In May 2016, after they had stopped living together, Corley wanted the courts to declare Bennett as the father of their daughter, requiring him to pay child support.

In February 2017, Bennett's child support case reopened in an attempt to work out child support terms and a parenting schedule as Bennett and Corley moved to separate residences. The Chicago Sun-Times published an article about a dispute between the two in March 2017. Bennett replied to the article saying "Y'all better do y'all jobs and stop worrying about how good my family is. Just a friendly reminder. Don't let anybody get between you and your family." On March 21, 2017, the dispute was settled out of court. Corley and Bennett reconciled, and on July 4, 2018, they became engaged after 5 years together. The two married on March 9, 2019 at the Pelican Hill Resort in Newport Beach, California with guests including Kim Kardashian and Kanye West.

Bennett spends much of his free time with his daughter, and frequently takes her on outings. These have included a Chicago Bulls basketball game, meeting the Obamas and working out.

In September 2019, Chance's wife Kirsten announced they had their second daughter named Marli.

Christianity

Bennett is a Christian and refers to Jesus Christ in many of his songs. Bennett was raised as a Christian by his grandmother but later fell out of the faith. He rediscovered his faith when his daughter was born with atrial flutter. Speaking about the situation, Bennett said "[I just] pray a whole lot, you know, and need a lot of angels and just see shit in a very, like, direct way. And…you know, God bless everything, it worked out well." Bennett wrote on Twitter following the situation on January 31, 2016, "Today's the last day my old life, last day smoking cigs. Headed to church for help. All things are possible thru Christ who strengthens me."

Bennett has labelled himself as a Christian rapper following the release of his mixtape Coloring Book. Bennett believes that God is to thank for his blessings and his success. He has attended multiple dates for Kanye West's Sunday Service, most notably performing his verse on "Ultralight Beam" at Coachella 2019 and in his hometown at Chicago's Huntington Bank Pavilion.

Discography

10 Day (2012)

Acid Rap (2013)

Coloring Book (2016)

The Big Day (2019)

[houseofvans]

VANS HOUSE PARTIES | VINCE STAPLES 

Friday night Vince Staples lit up House of Vans Chicago, kicking off a string of Vans House Parties this summer. The 25-year-old rapper and producer has collaborated with a majority of the hip hop community including Mac Miller, Odd Future, and is a member of hip hop trio Cutthroat Boyz. The Long Beach native made his solo debut with 2015's Summertime '06 principally produced by Grammy Award-winning producer No I.D. The album earned acclaim from Pitchfork, Billboard and Rolling Stone. Summertime '06’s success led to a performance at the 2016 Osheaga Music Festival and landed him at number 4 on Stereogum's end of year list.

In 2018 Staples dropped this third studio album, FM!. Consequence of Sound applauded the record for its authenticity saying "FM! features the rapper in his raw form and representing his love for the west coast. Whether you decide to hit play in chronological order or skip around, this album will have you bobbing your head at any point."

You can grab tickets to see Vince Staples on tour this summer and stream his latest album FM! here.

Photos: Daniel Boczarski

[lemondice]

Songs About Water and Death song origins, pt. 2

Made it Out Alive:

This song started as a jam in the practice space on a riff structure Mia had created, I think inspired by early-2000s rock like Jet and the Strokes.  Lyrically, I wanted to write something with a sense of humor, since we had quite a few bleak songs on the album and plenty more dark ones; the riff and beat had a pretty upbeat feel so it fit atmospherically.  Once I had the basic idea, it was just a matter of coming up with as many ludicrous rhymes as possible - finally, at the end, I decided to add a serious ending to give a tiny bit more weight to the song.

Thirst:

We sat down to figure out the music that would become Thirst together, and I had an idea to write something a little more dancey, a well that I would go back to some more on our later songs, so this song started with the drumbeat and built up from there.  I think there are some later songs that pull off ‘dancey’ more cleanly - this one always feels more like a Nine Inch Nails-style doom march, but nothing wrong with that.  Lyrically, I set myself the assignment of writing a song from the perspective of Hillary Clinton - I was not a big fan of her following the 2016 primary so I thought it would be a nice challenge to get inside her mind during the contest.

Man of Glass:

I believe this one also started with the drum beat and was built up from there with that nice crunchy Sonic Youthy riff.  Lyrically, I was experimenting with writing a fairytale story, the kind you could find in a kids book of legends.  Not too much to say here.

Girl With the Cat Eyes

How to tell we are not Rush in one easy step: this is the only song on Songs About Water and Death in a time signature other than 4/4.  Girl With The Cat Eyes actually had its origin several years ago, when I was living in Pittsburgh.  One day while out walking, I randomly had the idea - what if you found out that a distant acquaintance of yours had gone missing or been found dead, and the last thing they wrote was something dedicated to you and addressing you as “The Guy With the Face”?  It was the double mystery - why were you so important to this distant stranger that you were the last thing they wrote about, and what does “The Guy With the Face” even mean?  I brought this idea to Mia and she liked it, so we set out to write it as one of our rare ballads.  “Guy With the Face” was a little goofy, and Mia was going to sing it, so I changed it to “Girl With the Cat Eyes”.  This was one of our earliest songs, early enough to make it to our first ever gig in September 2017 but not quite favored enough to make it onto Storms and Snakes.

Red Stage

The name of this one is a direct reference to the Pitchfork Music Festival 2016 stage where Brian Wilson performed Pet Sounds.  It was an amazing show, and one I was very glad to witness, but it was also deeply sad - Brian was clearly not in great health, and had to let the other performers take the lead on most of the songs (though when he did sing, it still sounded fantastic).  He also wasn’t playing anything, so for most of the set he was just there in the center of the stage sitting in a chair.  I felt quite bad for him - here’s this visionary genius, on stage performing his masterpiece, and his body has failed him to the extent that he has to put it in the hands of others.  So I turned that into a lyric from his perspective (come for Hillary Clinton’s perspective, stay for Brian Wilson’s perspective!) tied in with some ocean metaphors about wanting to be swept out to sea rather than witness that happen to me (of course, we’ll see how I feel when I get older...)  And of course I got a nice little wink in by putting a Beach Boys title to each verse.  Instrumentally, we were starting from the song concept, so we tried to make it a less traditional beat and more of a Beach Boys/60s style production, especially in the drums, but filtered through our traditional distortion it makes quite a cool blend.  One of my favorites off the album.

[sinceileftyoublog]

Dogleg Interview: Buckle Up, Motherfucker

BY JORDAN MAINZER

Earlier this year, Michigan punk four-piece Dogleg released one of the most blistering, endlessly playable debuts of the year in Melee, which, yes, is a Super Smash Bros. game. At this point, much has been written about the band, from their beyond wild live shows to their Pokemon-referencing and video game-playing prowess. Lost in the shuffle is that 2020 was poised to be their year to gain even more of a national following. Released on March 13th, right as the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Melee was supposed to be supported by three cancelled tours--SXSW, an opening slot for Microwave, and an opening slot for Joyce Manor--and an appearance at this year’s cancelled Pitchfork Music Festival. Listening to the songs on the record, you can only imagine how they translate: the jerky momentum of “Bueno”, build-up of “Prom Hell”, gang vocals of “Fox”, clear-vocal anthem of “Wrist”, and odd groove of “Ender”. The band agrees that playing live is what makes them Dogleg: “Our live shows is what made us the forefront of the DIY music scene for as long as we were with such little released music,” bassist Chase Macinski told me over the phone in April.

The band’s self-titled debut EP--at the time, the band was simply a solo project of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Alex Stoitsiadis--was released in 2015. Full-band follow-up Remember Alderaan? (Macinski, drummer Parker Grissom) came out in 2016. In the four years between EP2 and LP1, Dogleg took their time writing what would become Melee but wasted no time debuting unreleased songs as they were finished. It was not just their energy, but their steady stream of new material that garnered the band a growing fan base, local and beyond, and eventually a deal with venerable indie punk label Triple Crown Records. “Fox” and “Kawasaki Backflip” were released as singles last November and February, respectively, and the generated hype garnered them rave reviews from publications like Pitchfork that, 10-20 years ago, probably would have scoffed at them.

Dogleg’s bigger moment--they’ve certainly had plenty of already big ones--may be on hold. Macinski continues his day job as a janitor in Southfield, about 20 minutes northwest of Detroit, while Stoitsiadis has played around with live-streamed acoustic and solo electric sets. While the group approach to writing that allowed the band to flourish when making Remember Alderaan? and Melee may not be possible without a completely reopen Michigan, and while Dogleg won’t be able to feed off of crowds for a bit, I have no doubt they’ll come back when they can with an even greater drive.

Read my interview with Macinski below.

Since I Left You: To what extent can Melee be fully appreciated without the context of the Dogleg live show?

Chase Macinski: I think you get a feeling for it. You understand it. But you still haven’t experienced it. We have been playing these songs for a long time. “Headfirst” for example, we basically had that song written by the time Remember Alderaan? came out in 2016. But we didn’t want to include it on the EP because it was close but not finished. Two weeks later, I’m pretty sure we wrapped it up, and then we were like, “Cool. We have the first song for the new album.” At that point, we thought it was time to make an album. We were playing it ever since it’s been done. As we were writing songs for the album, we were incorporating them into our live shows. A year ago, when the album wasn’t even out, half our set was still this album. Locals who saw us on the most recent tour we got to go on did catch that experience but didn’t get the whole context of the album, you know?

SILY: "Headfirst”, especially, is the most maximal song on the record.

CM: Oh yeah.

SILY: At the same time, when I read reviews of your music that say things like, “Dogleg plays loud,” or “Dogleg has energy,” it seems to leave out the complexity of the arrangements. The stop-starts, the drum fills, the crescendos. There’s a lot going on in the music, beyond it obviously being loud and fast. Can you talk about achieving a balance between raw energy and composition?

CM: We want to build up a lot of tension when we play, and we keep that in mind when we’re writing songs. We definitely try to think of, “What’s really hype? What builds up a lot of energy? What gives us butterflies in our stomach and makes us really jazzed up to hear this or anxious?” For the live shows, since we focus so much on those details, the start-stops and crescendos, it fills itself in pretty easily since we’re all focused on that and on the same page in terms of execution, that it just happens, and on the other side of that, we’re trying to be as energetic and involved and engaging with the music as possible. What we do in theory helps us out in practice, if that makes sense.

SILY: How did you approach the sequencing on Melee?

CM: We took it very seriously. It took us a lot of time to figure out what order the songs should be in. I immediately said we should start the album with “Kawasaki Backflip”, and I got some backlash on that. The other two contenders for the first track were “Fox” and “Prom Hell”. “Prom Hell” had more of an argument than “Fox” did. My attitude was, “‘Kawasaki’ starts off like a roller coaster, and that intro guitar riff is just like, ‘Buckle up, motherfucker.’ Let’s go for a ride.’” I really thought it had that tension immediately out the gate and blasted you with what could be a middle ground for the entire album, where I thought “Prom Hell” didn’t really address or show you what you can fully expect on this. For the first track, you might think something differently. After that, it was a lot of, “Okay, how does one song end and another begin?” We thought a lot about what key songs were in, what note songs ended on, how they ended, what the band was doing, what they sounded like, and then we thought about the same thing for how songs begin. “How does this one start? Does it start full-band, just guitar, drum fill?” We wanted to make sure we weren’t being too repetitive and created a sense of flow that could make one song go into the other. We even incorporated those moments where we were very specific about the time change between “Kawasaki” and “Bueno”. We were very specific about when “Kawasaki” ended and how much time passed between that and for you to hear the drums of “Bueno”. We wanted it to be an exact timing just for enough tension to be built up.

SILY: Were there any considerations to the thematic sequencing of the songs?

CM: No, not really, other than when we wrote “Ender” and decided to call it “Ender”, we knew it would be the last song. Otherwise, there wasn’t thematic sequencing because the lyrical content and the themes through the lyrics throughout the album were Alex’s thing. We write a song, and when the whole band writes the song, it’s an instrumental. Then, Alex comes up with a melody, and we all pitch in with what the lyrics might sound like, and Alex writes all the words. I’ve contributed when he’s got writer’s block and have helped him out a bit there, but for the most part, all of the themes for the lyrics he puts in. 

SILY: There’s a line on “Kawasaki Backflip” that does seem like an appropriate introductory mantra to the record: “We can destroy this together.”

CM: Yeah, I mean, I think that’s a pretty powerful statement as an introductory song on the album. “Kawasaki”’s that “buckle up” song, as well, so the instrumental aspects definitely lead into that idea of “get ready for what you’re about to experience.”

SILY: A song like “Cannonball” is a bit more swaying instead of clearly uptempo. When you go into write as a unit, do those differences occur naturally, or are they forced with any sort of intention?

CM: “Cannonball” I would say occurred naturally because we wrote the song as we were practicing one day. In between songs we were practicing and making noise, I played that main verse riff, that A to C progression. I was just bored, not thinking, and playing my bass, waiting for Alex and Parker to be like, “Okay, let’s play another song.” While I was doing that, Alex was like, “Yo, what’s that?” I was like, “I don’t know, I was just messing around.” We started building on that and took that swaying feeling for what it was, and the lyrics to add to that--I think “Cannonball” was maybe the 4th, maybe 5th song on the album, so we didn’t have any idea what would be on it at that point. We knew it was a Dogleg song.

SILY: On “Ender”, are those actual strings in the outro?

CM: Yes, those are our friends who go to music school in Chicago. We know them from the School of Rock music program we all did when we were in middle school and high school. They were home for summer vacation and had their instruments, and we asked, “Yo, can we record y’alls playing violin”...I forget the other instrument. [Editor’s note: It’s double bass.] Those are actual strings. Honestly, I thought they played the parts so well, I made a comment that, “I don’t think people will think this is real because it sounds so genuine and good.”

SILY: I actually assumed it was a synthesizer.

CM: It’s legit. They’re just really good at playing their instruments. The horns are real as well.

SILY: What’s the story behind the cover art?

CM: The cover art is Alex’s aunt’s artwork. She’s a really great artist, and we’ve used her designs in the past. If you’ve ever seen the dog pack t-shirt, where it’s the bunch of dogs in watercolor--it’s also the artwork of our first EP--she also did that. She just really likes drawing dogs. We’ve never really commissioned something from her--she’s always already made something that we’ve thought is really cool, and then Alex asks her whether we can use it for the band, and she says, “Yeah, sure go ahead.” One day we were playing a show in 2017, way before we had half the songs on the album written, before “Fox” was even an idea. [Alex] was scrolling through his aunt’s Instagram and came across that picture. I saw it out of the corner of my eye and was like, “What is that?” He just goes, “It’s just something my aunt made.” I was like, “That is a fucking phenomenal piece of art. We have to use that for our album artwork.” He was like, “Okay.” He asked, we got permission. We made no edits to it. I don’t know when it was drawn or made, but when I saw it, I immediately knew it was perfect.

SILY: Is she a fan of the band?

CM: Yeah, she likes the band. She thinks it’s really cool.

SILY: Have any of these songs evolved, from the song structure to the performance, as the fans get to know both the recorded and live versions?

CM: We play the songs faster live, that’s for sure. Before we did any recording for the album, we had to decide on a tempo we wanted to play them at for the album. But since the songs were written, it’s just whatever tempo we’re feeling. For Melee, none of the song structures have really changed. But for the Dogleg self-titled EP, a lot of those songs, we play very differently live. Alex did that all by himself, recording, drums, bass, vocals, guitar. When we got incorporated in the band, that’s when we had the ability to put our spin on it. We changed and added those stop-and-go’s, different solos. No major changes to structure, but they feel more like Dogleg songs you’d expect to hear today.

SILY: Have you written anything during quarantine?

CM: Alex has been making some riffs, but we haven’t written any music. Alex says it’s pretty difficult for him at the moment. The songwriting process for every song on Melee and every song on Remember Alderaan? has been a band experience: Someone comes to the table with a riff, melody, one piece of the puzzle, and then the entire band fleshes it out. It’s pretty difficult for us to write music at the moment when we can’t get together.

SILY: Is there anything else next for you? Are you releasing any more music videos?

CM: We have some ideas. Nothing fleshed out yet. The last thing we did was the “Wartortle” video. We also have the Eureka [Records] sessions, which were all filmed before Michigan was put under lock down. We have some guitar play-throughs that will get out eventually, where it’s Alex playing along with the songs.

SILY: Is there anything you’ve been listening to, watching, or reading during or before quarantine that’s inspired you, comforted you, or caught your attention?

CM: I’ve been listening to a lot of music that I’ve listened to in the past. Once I graduated college and was really active in the temporary jobs I had and on the road, I stopped using Spotify for a long time even though I still had my account. My senior year, my Spotify minutes were huge: You listen to music when you study, do homework, whatever. Once I graduated, I couldn’t listen to music while doing things. A year ago, I was working at a hospital on a research project, and you’re not allowed to listen to music during work. I had like 15% of the music usage I did the previous year. So I’ve been revisiting a lot of old music. I’ve been listening to a band called Colossal. I forget the name of the album--it’s the only one I have in my car. The first track is called “The Dusk of Us” so it’s the first thing that comes to my mind. [Editor’s note: It’s Welcome the Problems.] Phenomenal album, really nice. I’ve listened to that a lot. My roommate has an extra PC, so I’ve been playing a lot of PC games, which I haven’t done in a long time because I don’t have a PC that can keep up. I’ve been playing [Civilization VI] with friends over Discord, which is nice, because I haven’t talked to them in a while. I haven’t really been reading anything, and I’ve been trying to watch movies I’ve been expected to watch for a while. Yesterday I watched The Matrix for the first time. 

Melee by Dogleg

[nuclearblastuk]

ORANSSI PAZUZU // Sign Worldwide Deal With Nuclear Blast Records + Currently On US Tour w/ INSECT ARK!

ORANSSI PAZUZU and Nuclear Blast Records announce a worldwide partnership for the band's upcoming albums.

The band in their own words: "Greetings from the US! We're currently on the road with our first North American tour going smoothly, in large part thanks to our superb crew, Nanotear and the amazing INSECT ARK. Meanwhile, the new ORANSSI PAZUZU album is currently being finalized and will be complete during the next few weeks. There will be a high dosage of psychedelic alchemy on this one. The new sonic realms feel simultaneously natural and fresh to us and we look forward to serving them to your hungry ears. We are also playing some of the new stuff on the ongoing North American shows. While we have your attention, we'd also like to take this opportunity to announce new partnerships. Firstly, we have signed a management pact with FlyingFox AB. We are thankful for receiving the mega-level advisory skills of Erin Lynch, who has already proven herself a worthy companion. Secondly, we are psyched to announce that we have signed a recording deal with Nuclear Blast Records, who will be handling the worldwide release of the new album in 2020! Special thanks to Jens Prueter (Head of A&R, Nuclear Blast Europe) for understanding and respecting the band's identity. Thirdly, from now on, our show booking in Europe will be handled by Doomstar Bookings. If you want to book ORANSSI PAZUZU, get in contact with Zoltan! On top of all this, we are massively excited to announce that we will be doing a very special show at Roadburn Festival 2020, as part of James Kent's (aka PERTURBATOR) curation. We are humbled to have been asked once again to return to this great festival, in which we will play the new album in its entirety, live, for the first time prior to its release! And in case you missed the news yesterday, we're also confirmed for Inferno Metal Festival in Oslo, Norway! In the meantime, catch us at one of the North American shows that we are touring right now. Thanks for your support!"

 Since birth, ORANSSI PAZUZU, 'The Demon Of The Wind With The Colour Of Cosmic Energy,' has never been satisfied to stick with a formula. Each album has seen the band expand upon its previous incarnation and then, like a supernova, blow it up and transform again into something recognisable but completely new. The band was formed in 2007 by Jun-His (vocals, guitar) and Ontto (bass guitar), who started jamming with Korjak (drums), and Evill (synthesizers, organ, effects) in order to travel into uncharted musical territories. During its initial months the band wrote songs collectively, fusing together various influences from space rock to black metal, to capture different states of mental cosmos. These early songs were recorded in Korjakʼs family cabin in the late summer of 2008 and released as Muukalainen Puhuu in 2009. In 2009-2010, ORANSSI PAZUZU played shows around Finland and continued to write music that twisted towards more metallic and aggressive moods. In September 2010, they played first concerts outside Finland in Germany and the Netherlands. Kosmonument, their second full length album, a concept album about a drifter lost in the void, was released in October 2011, followed by various European festivals in 2012, including Roadburn Festival and Hellfest. A year later, the band decided to work with Jaime Gomez Arellano (GHOST, PARADISE LOST etc.) and travelled to his Orgone Studios in London to record their third album Valonielu in 2013 which was presented live on their first full European tour shortly after. ORANSSI PAZUZU returned in 2016 with the mindbending Värähtelijä; an album which continues in the vein of their previous album, giving the band much more room to diverge and explore the vast regions of hypnotic progressive psychedelia and the nebulous outer limits of Scandinavian black metal. Pitchfork wrote: "Four albums into their career, the Finnish quintet ORANSSI PAZUZU may have at last sidestepped the confines of the tag 'black metal.' Their latest 69-minute opus folds in krautrock, electric MILES DAVIS, stoner, thrash and more, finding the band lost - wonderfully, strangely somewhere between heaven and hell." Spin called it "one of the most exciting, least predictable metal albums in recent memory" and also Decibel honored it with a 9/10 review: "ORANSSI PAZUZU's psychedelia is grim, foreboding and intensely original, like if 'Set The Controls'-era PINK FLOYD took a wrong turn during an LSD trip and ended up in an uncharted hell dimension." In 2018, ORANSSI PAZUZU and their Tampere cohorts DARK BUDDHA RISING, known for their grandiose slug-paced ritualist doom metal, recorded a new album, which was released on Svart Records on April 5th, 2019. The amalgam of these two entities was melted as one on »Syntheosis,« and released under the moniker WASTE OF SPACE ORCHESTRA. »Syntheosis« is based on a commissioned work for Roadburn Festival and was performed live in April 2018 in front of over 3,000 people. 

The journey through space and time continues.

ORANSSI PAZUZU live: w/ INSECT ARK 17.10. USA Baltimore, MD - The Metro Gallery 18.10. USA Raleigh, NC - Kings 19.10. USA Atlanta, GA - 529 21.10. USA Austin, TX - Barracuda 23.10. USA Mesa, AZ - Club Red 24.10. USA San Diego, CA - Brick By Brick 25.10. USA Berkeley, CA - Cornerstone Craft Beer & Live Music 26.10. USA Portland, OR - Star Theater 27.10. USA Seattle, WA - Chop Suey 2020: 12.04. N Oslo - Inferno Metal Festival 16. - 19.04. NL Tilburg - Roadburn Festival ORANSSI PAZUZU is: Korjak | drums Ikon | guitar Evill | percussion, keyboards Ontto | bass guitar Jun-His | vocals, guitar More info: www.facebook.com/oranssi-pazuzu-58437793552 www.instagram.com/oranssipazuzu www.oranssipazuzu.bigcartel.com www.twitter.com/oranssi_pazuzu www.nuclearblast.de/oranssipazuzu

[onestowatch]

30 Artists to Watch on Tour This Summer 2019

Break out your sunblock! The spring rains have gone, school is out, baseball season is in full swing, and the beach is calling your name. That’s right, it’s finally summertime. However, with all the barbecues and camping trips come some important decisions to make. Hundreds of killer up and coming artists are hitting the road to show their performance chops on the festival circuit or at your local rock club, and you only have about 90 days to squeeze in as much live music as you can before it’s time to buy your next set of textbooks. Lucky for you, we’ve got you covered. 

Your friends over at Ones to Watch have compiled a list of 30 must-see acts on the road this season, so just pour yourself a glass of lemonade and decide which of these shows is going to be the highlight to your summer.

+ Follow & press play on our custom playlist before your next show!

PUP

Genre: Anthemic alt-rock that’ll have you throwing your middle fingers up

These Toronto rockers embody defiance in every facet of their being – in fact, their name is an acronym for “Pathetic Use of Potential.” How punk rock is that? Your mom might not understand you, but the crowd at these shows in the wake of their 2019 release Morbid Stuff sure will.

Grab tickets!

Jade Bird

Genre: Immaculately written folk-pop with entrancing vocals

The release of Jade Bird’s self-titled debut album in April 2019 had the indie music scene stunned by the unassuming Brit’s poignant lyrics and old soul vocals. The successful release saw the spunky 21-year-old landing a spot supporting Father John Misty and Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit on their co-headlining tour along with a slew of festival dates.

Grab tickets!

Moneybagg Yo

Genre: Hardcore rap over relentless trap beats

Memphis, Tennessee native Moneybagg Yo released his raucous sophomore 43VA HEARTLESS album in May 2019. Praised for his dedication to grinding out content (Moneybagg has released ten mixtapes with 12+ tracks each since 2016, in addition to his two LPs), the rapper landed a support slot on Wiz Khalifa’s 2019 ‘The Decent Exposure Tour’ alongside Playboi Carti and French Montana.

Grab tickets!

Denzel Curry

Genre: Fervent rap characterized by political lyrics and booming hooks

Denzel Curry has been bubbling under the surface of the rap scene since his first mixtapes dropped in 2012. Known to be outspoken on political issues like police brutality, the Floridian gained further notoriety with a viral cover of anti-establishment rock group Rage Against the Machine’s “Bulls on Parade.” Curry has a jam-packed summer planned, with dates supporting Billie Eilish, festival appearances, and a series of shows with $uicideboy$.

Grab tickets!

Dead Horses

Genre: Down-home folk lush with vocal harmonies and springy mandolin

Dead Horses’ most recent album, My Mother the Moon, navigates a wealth of difficult topics like mental health, familial displacement, and opioid addiction via raw vocals and filigree strings. Having released two singles in 2019 to positive reviews, the folk duo is hitting the road for series of dates this summer, including one show supporting The Who on their ‘Moving On! Tour.’

Grab tickets!

Cuco

Genre: Bilingual dream pop perfect to ease your hangover

Los Angeles-based heartthrob Cuco is rising quickly to the top. After the release of his genre-bending Chiquito EP last year, the 19-year-old secured a high profile record deal with Interscope. Cuco has a busy summer planned, with 17 US headlining dates and one festival date, so be sure to catch his unique blend of hip-hop and dream pop while the sun is still shining.

Grab tickets!

Chase Atlantic

Genre: Titanic alt-pop imbued with hip-hop influence

Ones to Watch is beyond thrilled to present Australian powerhouse Chase Atlantic’s summer tour. The 3-piece band defies categorization, drawing influences from acts ranging from Tame Impala to The Weeknd. With three singles already released this year, you can be sure that Chase Atlantic is brewing up something exciting – see for yourself what they’ve got in the works when they stop by your city.

Grab tickets!

Kim Petras

Genre: High-energy pop that’s the soundtrack to Pride Month

German songstress Kim Petras has been on an absolute tear this year, releasing a whopping nine singles in the lead up to the release of her hotly-anticipated project, Clarity, hitting shelves on June 28. The ethereal seductress will be finishing up the US leg of her ‘Broken Tour’ at the beginning of this summer before returning home to Europe for a series of festival dates.

Grab tickets!

Sigrid

Genre: Inventive electro-pop drawing influence from disco and R&B

Sigrid KO’d the pop world this year with her banger-packed debut album Sucker Punch, which garnered critical acclaim from sources like Pitchfork and Rolling Stone. The rising star will be hopping across the Atlantic all summer, playing stints in the UK, the US, and her native Norway.

Grab tickets!

Slayyyter

Genre: Unapologetically promiscuous pop made to shake the club

St. Louis native Slayyyter built herself a devoted following via SoundCloud and Twitter before gaining widespread acclaim for her earth-shaking style of dance pop. The femme fatale has already had momentous 2019, highlighted by her provocative singles “Mine” and “Daddy AF,” and an upcoming collaboration with Azealia Banks, on top of a nearly sold-out debut headline tour.

Grab tickets!

Snail Mail

Genre: Indie rock sporting dynamic vocals and shades of punk

Lindsey Jordan began her Snail Mail project while in high school, eventually leveraging her deft songwriting and entrancing voice to score a record deal at the tender age of 18. Having supported artists like Girlpool on tour, Snail Mail hits the road this summer as a headliner in order to steal hearts with her carefully curated brand of melodrama.

Grab tickets!

Matt Maeson

Genre: Soul-baring indie-folk that revels in grey areas

Nobody can tell a story quite like Matt Maeson. The singer-songwriter has had a tumultuous life, struggling with drug addiction and spending time in prison, but has emerged on the other side with a unique perspective on life that he expertly elucidates through his work. Ones to Watch is delighted to present his ‘The Day You Departed Tour’ this summer.

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LANY

Genre: Hooky, synth-driven alternative pop

LANY has perfected the art of weaving together synths, vocals, and infectious beats to articulate emotions that words can’t describe. If their latest album, Malibu Nights, is anything to go by, experiencing their expansive wall of sound live should top your list of summer to-dos.

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Clairo

Genre: Minimalist indie-pop with enchanting vocals

Clairo’s misty vocals and raw anecdotal lyrics have seen her quickly rise through the ranks of up-and-coming indie prospects. The Boston native released her most recent single “Bags” in May, laying the groundwork for her long-awaited full-length debut IMMUNITY, set to release this August. If you’re lucky enough, you might just get a peek at what’s to come during one of her live sets this summer.

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Mansionair

Genre: Incorporeal indie-electronica that will have you floating

Mansionair gained notoriety for their live performances before the group was even officially formed, with frontman Jack Froggatt’s dreamy vocals drawing crowds to various Brooklyn and Paris clubs. With the addition Alex Nicholls and Lachlan Bostock, the group coalesced and built a resume that includes tours supporting Chvrches and London Grammar – so you can be certain that their live show is not something you want to miss.

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Scarypoolparty

Genre: Emotive singer-songwriter backed by virtuosic guitar

Alejandro Aranda writes music under the moniker Scarypoolparty, piecing together immaculate vocals with a mosaic of expertly fingerpicked guitar. Gaining notoriety after a stint on the TV series American Idol, the young talent is setting out this July to play rooms across the United States. PLUS, he just announced a massive tour in the fall.

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Chloe Moriondo

Genre: Subdued indie sounds with shimmery vocals

Chloe Moriondo garnered the attention of indie fans everywhere via her YouTube channel, where she began by performing covers from the comfort of her bedroom. Having amassed a following on that platform totaling nearly two million users, the teen singer-songwriter is embarking on a US tour this summer in addition to playing two dates in London.

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HOMESHAKE

Genre: Atmospheric indie with lo-fi synths and R&B flavors

Montreal-based singer-songwriter Peter Sagar began his solo project, HOMESHAKE, in 2014 after performing as a touring member of Mac DeMarco’s band. The artist has since released four full-length albums packed with turgid but meticulous arrangements and complex, R&B-inspired instrumentation. You can catch HOMESHAKE across the western United States this August, touting tracks from his 2019 release Helium.

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Jakob Ogawa

Genre: Smoldering bedroom pop that oozes blissful sensuality

Norwegian crooner Jakob Ogawa specializes in making slow-burning, soulful music that will keep you warm even during a Scandinavian blizzard. Hear him perform his most recent single, “All I Wanna Do,” and other smooth bedroom jams when he plays 11 cities across the US this August.

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PENTAGON

Genre: Earth-shaking K-Pop that’s bringing back the boy band

We all know bands like BTS and BLΛƆKPIИK have shattered international barriers and brought Korean pop music to America. Rocketing up through the ranks of this newly popular genre is PENTAGON, a 9-piece boy band that delivers powerhouse vocals over massive dance beats. K-pop is known for its extravagant live production, so catching the band’s ‘PRISM’ concert tour this summer is a must.

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ViVii

Genre: Glistening indie-pop that builds impenetrable walls of sound

Consisting of husband and wife Emil and Caroline Jonsson, ViVii’s clever approach to songwriting is notable due to its use of instruments not usually heard in pop, including a zither the pair inherited from a deceased babysitter. If you want to see something totally different, catch ViVii on tour in the US or Norway.

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slowthai

Genre: Spitfire rap with no fear of confrontation

English rapper slowthai released his Nothing Great About Britain album this May, a powerful debut that relentlessly critiques an era of British politics marked by the country’s departure from the European Union. If you want a little history lesson on Brexit along with your hip-hop fix, make sure to snag some tickets for one of slowthai’s headline dates or festival appearances while he’s all over the world this summer.

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Ivy Sole and PARISALEXA

Genre: Sultry R&B to set the mood

We’d be remiss to miss either of these R&B queens this summer, so we were thrilled when we found out we could hear both of their silky vocal riffs at the same show. If you’re anywhere near the West Coast during the last week of June, cancel all your plans and bow down.

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Aries

Genre: West Coast hip-hop’s chilled-out cousin

Aries is the epitome of DIY success, growing a cult-like fanbase via his self-directed music videos on YouTube. Boasting earworm hooks and mellow beats, catch Aries live to see why Spotify decided to make him the poster boy of their popular Anti-Pop playlist.

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Jamila Woods

Genre: A verifiable emblem of modern soul

Jamila Woods made a splash before even releasing her debut album when she showcased her irresistibly smoky vocals on the hit track “Blessings” from Chance the Rapper’s GRAMMY-winning Coloring Book. Three years and two albums later, Woods is gearing up to drop some jaws with her lyrical flow on her West Coast summer tour.

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Koffee

Genre: A potent cocktail of Caribbean dancehall and American hip-hop

Koffee is Jamaica’s hottest export, breaking out with her rapturous debut EP in March of this year. Though the five-foot-nothing teen is endearingly bashful offstage, when you experience her authoritative flow this summer you’re going to learn firsthand that nobody knows how to party like a Caribbean.

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Ambar Lucid

Genre: Psychedelic indie with Latin influence

Ambar Lucid is a one-woman bastion of musical prowess, self-taught on a handful of instruments and credited as the sole producer and writer on each of her projects to date. Of New Jersey birth and Mexican/Dominican descent, Lucid often draws on her heritage as inspiration for her work. Catch her buttery vocals in both English and Spanish this summer while she’s on tour with Mon Laferte.

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half·alive

Genre: Alt-funk? Groovecore? You decide

Legend has it that if you cut open each of the members of Long Beach-based trio half·alive, funky jams leak out instead of blood. half·alive makes music that might defy genre, but it will definitely get anyone dancing. They’re playing dates across the US and Australia this summer, and if you happen to be at Lollapalooza, make sure to check out their Ones to Watch-presented aftershow.

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Hippo Campus

Genre: Hooky indie rock perfect for a scenic road trip

Minnesota four-piece group Hippo Campus has developed a recipe consisting of shimmery guitars, eclectic drum beats, and deliciously catchy vocals that will give you the tastiest indie-rock treat every time you switch them on. Go to their show and try not to sing along – we’ll bet the farm that you can’t.

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Alt Nation’s Advanced Placement Tour

Genre: The best in up-and-coming alternative acts

Live Nation and SiriusXM have partnered together to present a 15-city tour featuring our picks for alt-rock bands that are shaking things up in 2019. Starring Bloxx, Warbly Jets, and Hembree, this show will have you clearing out the garage to make space for your band.

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