Monthly Music Fix - March Dance Punk

Chillout, Dance Punk DubStep.

33forever Monthly Music Fix - March Dance Punk from 33forever on 8tracks.

This Moment (Progressive Mix) - Nic Chagall

Genesis - Grimes

Intersteller - Frankie Rose

Express Yourself - Diplo

D.D. - The Weeknd

Road to Hell - Sleigh Bells

Street Halo - Burial

Far Nearer - Jamie xx

Save the World - Swedish House Mafia

Monthly Music Fix - March Hip Hop

33forever Monthly Music Fix - March Hip Hop from 33forever on 8tracks.

Ronald Reagan Era - Kendrick Lamar
This mix tape came out in 2011 and i was slow on the pickup. Totally into Kendrick Lamar right now. Chill, great beats and an awesome flow. Excited to see what he ends up doing.

The Other Side - The Roots
The Roots released this as the end of 2011. The album is good, but i love this song.

Hands on the Wheel - Schoolboy Q (ft A$AP Rocky)
Schoolboy Q and Kendrick Lamar are apparently in the same crew. Love the use of Lissie's cover of Pursuit of Happiness. "Crush it bit, little bit, thats my pursuit of happiness."

Do Ya Thing - Gorillaz (ft Andre 3000 and James Murphy)
I like anything that could include Andre 3000, James Murphy and the Gorillaz. "New word: onomatopoeia."

Oxy Music - Schoolboy Q
Another great Schoolboy Q song.

So What? - Die Antwoord
These two or weird and crazy and alittle bit over the top. But, for some reason i dig it.

HiiiPower - Kendrick Lamar
More Kendrick Lamar. This set of lyrics from his second verse is awesome:

"Sorry mama, I can't turn the other cheek
They wanna knock me off the edge like a fucking widow's peak, uhh
And she always told me pray for the weak, uhh
Them demons got me, I ain't prayed in some weeks, uhh
Dear Lord come save me, the devil's working hard
He probly clockin' double shifts on all of his jobs
Frightening, so fucking frightening
Enough to drive a man insane, I need a license to kill
I'm standing on the field full of land mines
Doing the moonwalk, hoping I blow up in time"

I Fink U Freaky - Die Antwoord
You have to like moving alittle bit. I know, weird, crazy, over the top.

33forever Monthly Music Fix - Indie Rock

33forever Monthly Music Fix - Indie Rock from 33forever on 8tracks.

Sunshine In Chicago - Sun Kil Moon
You'd be forgiven for thinking this song is happy. Its not. Its about growing old. And now you're just doing a job that you used to think was awesome. my favorite line, "and fuck those girls were cute, now I just sign posters for boys in tennis shoes."

Rented Room - Craig Finn
This song made me realize why Craig Finn made this album. This is me paraphrasing Craig Finn's intro of the song at his Bottom of the Hill show: "remember when you were in college or in your twenties and you were living in a big house with all your buddies and every night you'd 'crush brews' and smoke weed?  That was awesome.  Heres the thing, when you're in your late thirties and your wife divorces you and you're living in a big house with a bunch of dude and crushing brews every night, it isn't awesome. It sucks. And its depressing." Great line in this song, "My pillow still tastes like your perfume."

Little Black Submarines - Black Keys
This is a black keys song. It is awesome.

Gasoline - Silent Comedy
This is a perfect song. The buildup and the lyrics. 

No Future/No Past - Cloud Nothings
Punkness.

No Future - Craig Finn
Great Craig Finn tune, again capturing growing older and again reflecting on the divorce. So many awesome lyrics in this song. here are a few of my favorites:
1. I guess that I was pretty much prepared for it, I was just stuck in my own sense of time/Rigid and depressed, needy, halfway-pissed and resigned
2. Parking lots and the office talk/Then punch my card at the coffee shop/Pretty sure we're all gonna die/Pretty sure we're all gonna die
3. Best advice that I've ever gotten was from good old Johnny Rotten/He said "God save the Queen"/He said "no future for you, no future for me"

Dramamine - Modest Mouse
Finally saw modest mouse live for the first time. I own every album and for one reason or another, I always missed them.  The show did not disappoint and met my expectations. This was a great highlight from the show. 


This Boy is Exhausted - The Wrens
For some reason I thought I had put this song on a playlist, but I couldn't find it. 


Wasted Days - Cloud Nothings
Just saw cloud nothings and it was a great show. This song is as awesome live as it sounds, "I thought i would be more than this."

2012 Valentines Mix - March Monthly Music Fix

33forever 2012 Valentines Day Mix from 33forever on 8tracks.

Valentines day mix that captures deep dependence. Enjoy!

Going to Georgia - The Mountain Goats
"The most remarkable thing about you standing in the doorway, is that its you and you're standing in the doorway"

Home - Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros
"Well hot and heavy/pumpkin pie/Chocolate candy/Jesus Christ/Ain't nothin pleased me more than you."

Plea From a Cat Named Virtue - The Weakerthans
"I swear I'm going to bite you hard
And taste your tinny blood
If you don't stop the self-defeating lies
You've been repeating since the day you brought me home
I know you're strong" 

The Ballad of Love and Hate - The Avett Brothers 
"He says, "Love, I'm sorry," and she says, "What for?
I'm yours and that's it, whatever
I should not have been gone for so long
I'm yours and that's it, forever
Your mine and that's it, forever" 

 

Conversation 16 - The National
"I'm a confident liar
Have my head in the oven so you know where I'll be
I'll try to be more romantic
I want to believe in everything you believe"

Please be Patient with Me - Wilco

This Year - The Mountain Goats
"and then Cathy showed up
and we hung out
trading swigs from a bottle
all bitter and clean
locking eyes
holding hands
twin high maintenance machines"


Slow Show - The National
"I wanna hurry home to you
put on a slow, dumb show for you
and crack you up"

So Fly - Childish Gambino
"You are the bestest, I will obey you"

Queen of Hearts - Fucked Up
"Hello, you must be David, I am Veronica - let’s be together, until we’re all finally crushed.”

Monthly Music Fix - Top Albums of 2011: #'s 1-6

33forever Top 6 Albums of 2011. from 33forever on 8tracks.

The Year of Hip Hop albums continues.  4 of my top 6 albums are hip-hop based (I'm not sure if you consider the Weeknd hip hop or not). In addition, I've combined both Weeknd albums as one album and combined The Childish Gambino's Camp and his EP dropped earlier in the year.


1. The Weeked - House of Balloons/Thursday.
The Weeknd dropped two amazing mixtapes in 2011. There was alot to love about the mixes: super chill beats, winding, sometimes coherent lyrics and a mystery behind the story. Mostly, just listen. "All these broken hearts on that pole/Man if pole dancin an art/you know how many fuckin artists I know." And then later, "She said make enough so I can try some/I thought takin drug just ain't you."  


2. Drake - Take Care
I could never have imagined that a Drake album would be in my top 5. Hate all you want. This is a great pop album and I am totally into Drake's emo album. "I be yelling out money over everything, money on my mind/Then she wanna ask when it got so empty/Tell her I apologize, happened over time/She says they miss the old Drake, girl don't tempt me"


3. Childish Gambino - Camp/EP
If Kid Cudi, Drake, Connor Oberst and Issac Brock created a child, it would be something similar to Childish Gambino.  Fantastic word play, over the top emotional lyrics with a great combination of self hatred, self awareness, over the top confidence, alot of pressure put on himself and more pop culture references than you can keep track of. Two samples from the two songs, I've picked.
From "Not Going Back" off of EP
"Whiskey-sippin,wanna drink the whole bottle
But these smart middle-class black kids need a role model
Fuckin hate me, that's what I'm used to
Suck a dick, we the shit, Metamucil
God damn, man, there's gotta be a better way
Than pill-poppin all these drugs so I can stay awake
Like I'm Jessie in this bitch, I'm so excited
There's a party at the top, you ain't invited"
And from Bonfire
"These rappers are afraid of him
Cause I’m a beast, bitch, Gir, Invader Zim
Gambino is a call girl, fuck you, pay me
Brand new whip for these n****s like slavery
Told me I was awful man, that shit did not phase me
Tell me how I suck again, my memory is hazy"

4. Bon Iver - Bon Iver
I like this album when it came out and then it just grew on me.  Everyone comments on the beautiful voice. I love the longing in this album. For Emma was a great album about heartache.  But this album captures a longing...a mature longing.  "Sold, I’m Ever/Open ears and open eyes/Wake up to your starboard bride/Who goes in and then stays inside/Oh the demons come, they can subside"


5. Fucked Up - David Comes to Life
A punk rock concept album.  And, abit of a love story at that, as evidenced in Queen of Hearts. "Hello my name is David, Your name is Veronica, lets be together, lets fall in love." But, my favorite song off the album is The Other Shoe.  Its a combination of anger and acceptance that the world is a crappy place. Everything is going wrong.  There is no light at the end of the tunnel. Even when it looks like something good is going to happen, you know that there is shit coming your way. "It can't be comfortable, when the whole things about to fall."
"We settle in but it's time to go,
Taken to sea by the undertow.
Love the smell but I hate the taste.
Feeling good is such a waste.
Loved the book but I hate the end,
Gained a lover but I lost a friend.
Straight to worst, from the best.
Nothing fills that hole in my chest."

5. Kanye West/Jay-Z - Watch the Throne.
Includes the song of the year, "Ni**as in Paris."  Its loud, garish, escapism "You escaped, what I escaped, you be in Paris gettin fucked up too." And I think its exactly what we all needed this year. "Ball so hard mutherfuckers wanna fine me."

Playlist:
Kanye West and Jay-Z - Ni**as in Paris
Fucked Up - Queen Of Hearts
Childish Gambino - Bonfire
Kanye West and Jay-Z - Otis
Drake - Headlines
The Weeknd - The Zone
Bon Iver - Holocene
Drake - Crew Love
Bon Iver - Calgary
The Weeknd - Glass Table Girls
Childish Gambino - Not Going Back
Fucked Up - The Other Shoe

Monthly Music Fix - Top Albums of 2011: #'s 5-15

Next up the top 5-15. Again in alphabetical order.

33forever 2011 Top 15-5 albums from 33forever on 8tracks.

A$AP Rocky - LIVELOVEA$AP
The flow is old school, but mellow mixes in the background. "a weirdo, but I'm real though."


Das Racist - Relax
A crazy freaking hip hop album.  Can we start calling this art-hop, challenging common notions of what music and hip hop are?  Further emphasized by the stage presence which is a combination of weird and flat out ignoring the audience.  "Yeah, I'm fucking great at rapping."


Dan Mangan - If I am Dead
This might be my only indie singer songwriter album. It received very little play, but its got a great mid-2000's sound to it.  The album deals alot with mortality, death, dying, living life. "Burn my remains/My stuff, the same/Bury my name/It's yours now anyway"


Danny Brown - XXXThis album was very close a top 5 album for me.  Danny Brown has a unique perspective in that he writes both from the perspective of a fiend and a dealer.  Dude looks like some homeless drug addict as well. The song XXX is a great example of this with some great lines:
"Dark nights tryna sleep stomach on fire/Delusional from hunger so I couldn't get tired"
"Words that rhyme together just appear all in my head/Sorta like Neo with them Matrix codes/I try to escape it hoping drugs a numb a soul"
"I never leave the house ain't slept in three days/Popping pills, writing, drinking and smoking haze"
"Cause if this shit don't work, n***a I failed at life/Turning to these drugs, now these drugs turned my life/It's the downward spiral, got me suicidal/But too scared to do it so these pills will be the rifle"
"Cause now its my turn if I fuck it all up/Took a while to get here now I depend on these drugs"


EMA - Past Life Martyred Saints
Weird emo chick rock. "Fuck California, You made me boring"


Girls - Father, Son, Holy Ghost
Beautiful, dark, depressing, melodic. "Nights I spend alone/I spend 'em runnin' 'round lookin' for you, baby"


M83 - Hurry Up We're Dreaming
This album was played with regular consistency. You just feel good listening to it, I'm not sure why.  You just bounce your head up and down. Incidently, the song on the playlist, "Midnight City" was Pitchfork's # 1 song of 2011. "The city is my church, it wraps me in its blinding twilight."



Tyler, The Creator - Goblin
Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All.  It seems there are two camps:
1. Buy into this album as a raw, authentic fantasy of someone with who is frustrated, upset and angry.  Yes, its juvenile, but thats sort of the point.
2. Hate the album for the mysoginistic, anti-gay, raping, killing, etc elements.
 I am clearly with point 1. Its art and the shows are fun. I got to mosh.
"Fuck a mask I want that ho to know its me."



Wilco - The Whole Love
Here's the thing.  You know you aren't going to love the Wilco album when you first listen to it. But you know that 5 years from now of all the albums that people were talking about in 2011, you're probably pretty confident you'll be listening to this one.  Remember what thought about sky blue sky and now you go to shows and hear Nels rip shit up on "Impossible Germany" and you're like holy shit, thats a great song.  This isn't Wilco's best album, but an average Wilco album is better than almost any other album...and if this album had been released by a random band that was not named Wilco in 2011, it probably would have received an 8.5 on pitchfork. And Nels. my god, that guy just freaking rocks hard. "I froze, I can't be so far away from my wasteland"



WU LYF - Go Tell Fire To The Mountain
No one really knows what the dude is saying 99% of the time, but it almost doesnt matter because you feel the longing, heartache and raw emotion coming out.

The Playlist:
Midnight City - M83
Trilla - ASAP Rocky (feat. ASAP Twelvy & ASAP Nast)
XXX -   Danny Brow
The Grey Ship - EMA
If I Am Dead - Dan Mangan
Vomit - Girls
Such A Sad Puppy Dog - WU LYF     
Art Of Almost  - Wilco
Michael Jackson - Das Racist 
Sandwitches - Tyler, The Creator (Featuring Hodgy Beats)

Monthly Music Fix - Top Albums of 2011 Honorable Mentions

The start of the 33forever top albums of 2011.  The following is a alphabetical list of albums that didn't make my top 16 albums of the year, but deserve a shout-out. I listened to them alot (James Blake and Washed Out were played nearly every friday night for a couple months), had a cool concert experience (Bright Eyes closing a show with the ladder song on piano), having long term staying power (My Morning Jacket, Radiohead), blew my mind for some reason or another (tUnE-YarDs, Shabazz Palaces, St. Vincent, Liturgy). All of them have at least one song that I love.

33forever 2011 Honorable Mentions from 33forever on 8tracks.

The Antlers - Burst Apart
This album is not nearly as ridiculously emotional as the previous album, but still packs an emotional punch. "You can't keep running out/kicking yourself off the bed/kicking yourself in the head/cause you're kicking me too."


Bright Eyes - The People's Key
Abit of a different Bright Eyes album. The narration throughout is strangely appropriate and works well with the albums theme of trying to understand...life and the afterlife. Connor on a piano, playing The Ladder Song solo was a live show highlight for me this year...killer. "I know now/how its gonna turn out/we got a calm down/or I'll lose my place/gotta get to the center/gotta get to the concern/run off with a dancer/gonna celebrate"

Cults - Cults
This years, indie poppy, who knows where they will be in two years album. It sounds poppy, but the lyrics are certainly dark. This song is about giving up all the happiness to rave on. Sorta punk!
"on a boat on the sailing ship, of my own /far away from it/give me death but don't give me this /i'll pass if that's ok /to rave on"

James Blake - James Blake
I probably played this album every friday evening for 2-3 months. Its a great album to just chill to. "I don't know about my dreams/I don't know about my dreamin anymore"

Liturgy - Aesethetica
You can just rage to this album. All the screaming and drumming and guitars. it doesn't even matter what they are saying. 

Mr. Mutherfuckin eXquire - Lost in Translation
Love this street rap mix tape. There is nothing about this mix tape this is remotely acceptable to play at work or with any sort of mixed company. It also includes one of my favorite hip hop lines of the year: "What's my name bitch/'Mr. eXquire'/don't forget the mutherfucker/without that its nothin"

My Morning Jacket - Circuital
Probably not the greatest MMJ album. But man, they rock so hard. 


Radiohead - The King of Limbs (including the TKOL Remix album)
The album makes the list if only because of the TKOL remixes. Its another great Friday evening album.

Shabazz Palaces - Black Up
While I've got alot of hip hop on my top lists, this is really the only "indie" hip hop album.  This album has a great mix of awesome beats, smooth flow and intelligent lyrics.  "Dynamic electromagnetic style sensors/Golden-tempered circles enjoyed only by the members/Heat sparkles, raining octaves upon the spinners"

St. Vincent - Strange Mercy
This is more of an art-rock album; with a huge rock edge. Annie Clark rocks hard.  "I don't want to be a cheerleader no more."


tUnE-YarDs - w h o k i l l
The most creative album on my list. Arty, dancy, rocky. Its all that and more. It may blow your mind. "I am no longer who you thought this would be" 


Washed out - Within and Without
Another regular Friday night chill album. 


Wiz Khalifa - Rolling Papers 
I was looking forward to this album so much. It was good, just not great. Or, at least it just didn't live up to my expectations. Still a good album.  "back in the day/money was short/I'm making it taller"


Youth Lagoon - The Year of Hibernation
Dreamy, basement tape lo-fi, hipster, indie...chill-wave.  "my whole wall is filled with posters/my whole life is filled with posters"

And here is a playlist with some selections from

Radiohead - Little By Little (Caribou Remix)

Washed Out - Eyes Be Shut

James Blake - The Wilhelm Scream

Youth Lagoon - Posters

Cults - Rave On

My Morning Jacket - Holdin On To Black Metal

St. Vincent - Dilettante

The Antlers - Putting the Dog to Sleep

Bright Eyes - The Ladder Song

tUnE-YarDs - Bizness

Shabazz Palaces - Swerve...the reaping of all that is worthwhile

Wiz Khalifa - When I'm Gone

Mr. Mutherfuckin eXquire - Huzzah!

Liturgy - True Will