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Songs I/we’ve been into this August.

mp3 – Local Natives – World News (Teen Daze remix)

mp3 – The Walkmen – Angela Surf City

mp3 – Miniature Tigers – Rock & Roll Troll

mp3 – Colleen Green – Worship You

mp3 – Magic Kids – Hey Boy

mp3 – Future Birds – Johnny Utah

mp3 – Young Man – Five

mp3 – Lower Dens – Hospice Gates

mp3 – No Age – Glitter

mp3 – Sugar Stems – What’s A Girl To Do

mp3 – Tame Impala – I don’t Really Mind

mp3 – Beach House – White Moon

mp3 – Dent May – Eastover Wives

Rod Stewart – Young Turks

Chris Rock/Barry White – Basketball Jones

High on Fire – Turk

For a basketball fan, the late summer months can be trying – the NBA’s big-name offseason acquisitions are yesterday’s news, which means basketball has few newsworthy items to offer even the most obsessive of fans (most of whom are probably more invested in either baseball’s playoff validation or football’s commencement anyways). However, bright spots do exist, such as Bucks forward Ersan Ilyasova’s 26-point, 6 three-pointer (on 100% shooting) outburst against rival Greece in the FIBA tournament. And so, a couple words on Ilyasova:

Though the last thing I want is to perpetuate Eastern European stereotypes, Ersan Ilyasova is tall and rail-thin and sallow and has huge jutting malnourished cheekbones, physically resembling nothing so much as the Eastern Bloc’s version of Gordon Hayward (a similarly sinewy, baby-faced rookie from Indiana). There are two things whiter than his skin, and both of them are socks, which are pulled up to his knees.

That being said, Ilyasova plays in a manner that belies a typical European import – the impressive shooting percentages and more graceful, fluid (or, less aggressive and physical) play of standard issue Euros have been amputated, replaced by a confusing barrage of rickety, clattering robot movements, Russian black market rebounding instincts (that’s good…I think), and a rainbow jump shot that is successful fairly often – always to the surprise and delight of onlookers who can’t believe that such a strange, lazy-looking shot would ever actually go in. Ilyasova is only three months older than me (and, at 22, I guess I am somewhat of a spring chicken on the Colonel Sanders Chicken Age Scale), meaning that there is plenty of time for him to turn into Dirk Nowitzki, Toni Kukoc, or at the very least a less villanous and mustachioed incarnation of countryman Hedo Turkoglu.

It’s tough to handicap a player’s exploits in this FIBA Championship for the NBA. The tourney resides somewhere in between “meaningless” and “The World Cup” – probably closer to the latter – and is poorly-publicized (at least owing partially to terrible seasonal timing – let’s not even confront the autumn custom that all local newspaper and television headlines for the next six months are to be devoted to news about the health of Aaron Rodgers’ elbows, wrists and truck). There’s also the ongoing, partially-true sentiment that Americans don’t really care about basketball if it’s not being played inside America – apologies to fans of the Toronto Raptors, who won’t catch a break in this regard until we annex them in World War 4.

That being said, downing six of six three-pointers and propelling Turkey past a rival in a tournament context can’t really be construed as a bad thing. For those of us consistently looking for new and interesting ways to Fear the Deer, it’s actually pretty decent news.

FEAR THEM

Tickets are limited and will most likely go fast.

$10 advance / $12 day of – You can secure your spot (pre-order) by clicking here. Pre-sale goes live today (9/1) at 10 AM CST.

Also, you can rsvp social media style here.

mp3 – Sleigh Bells – Rill Rill

Preorder Personal Life here and get an autographed CD booklet

MP3: The Thermals- I’m Gonna Change Your Life

MP3: The Thermals- When I Died (from Now We Can See)

Sometimes a good review can be a bad review and vice versa.  Take for instance this snippet from Paste Magazine’s evaluation of The Thermals Personal Life (Kill Rock Stars, out 9/7)

“It’s a sea change, in terms of the band’s sound; their previous albums’ hyper-political, sturm und drang punk fury is almost entirely gone, replaced by easygoing power-pop more akin to fellow Pacific Northwesteners Built to Spill.”

If I were to read that and not pay attention to 8.8/10 that they gave the record I would consider canceling my preorder.  Part of what has made The Thermals such a great band is their brash, explosive and jagged three-piece barrage.  Each successive album came packaged with more energy and a tighter focus than the last culminating with 2009’s Now We Can See. That album went nuclear from the first notes of “When I Died” and it only picked up steam.  And to think that the massive sound that Hutch Harris and Kathy Foster (touring drummer Westin Glass has now joined the band) built across four albums had been replaced by easygoing power-pop wasn’t only disappointing to read, it made me ill.

Thankfully the sickness lasted less than a second into Personal Life. From the first sludgy strums of “I’m Gonna Change Your Life” until Hutch’s joyfully familiar and angst filled vocals slid through the window, it was easy to hear that all of their previous power was still in tact.  The formula of simple song structures that brim, ooze and slop energy and emotion all over the floor can be found all over Personal Life. Songs like “Power Lies” and “Your Love Is So Strong” would’ve fit on any other Thermals album.

However there is a small change afoot.   The lyrical content slants a bit more towards self-reflection and relationships.  While Now We Can See was a juggernaut it still had some ‘breathers’ built in.  Slower songs and speed bump harmonies made it a well-rounded album with a bit of an identity crisis.  Lo-ified-punk rock with some songs to sway to mixed in to keep the listener’s adrenaline in check.   Personal Life builds on those less aggressive tracks as a foundation, while never straying too far from the raucous we’re used too.  I’ve always thought the punkest variable of The Thermals was Harris’s vocals and while he doesn’t shout quite as loud on “I Don’t Believe You” or “Not Like Any Other Feeling,” they still shine.

Personal Life is a fitting name for the fifth record from the Portlanders.  While the sound is toned down a touch I wasn’t expecting a blitzkrieg like Fuckin A or More Parts Per Million when I heard the title.  And not to fear, longtime fans shouldn’t feel left behind by the “sea change” mentioned in the Paste review and you certainly won’t lose any street cred for loving the hell out of Personal Life. Oh, but if you are looking for sprawling guitars, art noise and Doug Martsch’s beard you’re going to need to put on your copy of Keep it Like a Secret. That’s nowhere to be found here.

PS: I love Built to Spill

PPS: I’d prefer to never read Built to Spill and power-pop in the same sentence EVAR again.

Throughout my initial listen of their EP, Glass, i found sounds reminiscent of Bear in Heaven and even a little Radiohead at times, that being said, rarely do you hear a band with transparent roots making original and innovative tunes. Glass Vaults, who hail from Wellington, New Zealand, beautifully tinker with industrial drumming, nostalgic synth echoes, and song progressions that take the listener from melancholy to unexpected optimism. Grab their 5-song EP for free over at their Band Camp page. (HERE)

mp3: Set Sail by Glass Vaults

Original Artwork

Pray no more for an abundance of content, because this week SeizureChicken is unveiling its first-ever big long unnecessary list.

That’s right – you’ve asked for it (I assume), and now you’re gonna get it. “It,” of course, referring to the best four-hundred songs of the 1940s.

We’re going to kick things off today with songs 400-301, then do another hundred songs every day until we’re all out of songs, bandwidth, or patience with each other. And now, without further ado:

400.

Kirishima Noboru, “Tareka Kokkyou o Omowazaru”

Though ostensibly merely the story of a Japanese boy with magical pockets, this song is, in actuality, the defining moment of Kirishima Noboru’s Kirishima Goes Electric period (1940-44), in which Noboru finally got his house electrically-wired. This development angered the reactionary demographic of his fanbase, who felt that Kirishima Noboru, as a dishonorable pop musician, did not deserve electricity in his house. This song is also probably the number one reason that anime is so popular in Japan, although that is more something that I made up than something that is actually true. Connoisseurs will heed Kirishima’s off-the-wall vocal histrionics and wacky lyrics, like:

THERE IS A BAT IN MY HOUSE

GET THE BAT OUT OF MY HOUSE

I HAVE MAGICAL POCKETS

Stay tuned for another song tomorrow…for the next 399 days!

First single from The War On Drugs‘ upcoming Secretly Canadian release, Future Weather (October 26).

mp3 – War On Drugs – Comin’ Through

We need more dudes like this in hip-hop. This interview felt more like shooting the shit with a friend. Thanks to Hannibal. Be sure cop dudes work and be sure to check out Visual High Life for more of the same caliber of dope-ness. Cop his tunes here.

The Baron (Mike Dupar): So what type of musical environment did you grow up in?

Hannibal King: I grew up listening to a lot of soul music from the the 70’s and late 60’s. My family didn’t really let me listen to a lot of hip-hop when I was young. So anything I did listen to I had to listen to outside, thats why a lot of our music has a real soul edge to it. I sample a lot, everything I do with vinyls and stuff. The soul music I grew up listening to really is the biggest influence on me.

M: For sure, I think that is really apparent in the music. One my favorite things about your beats is that they sound really organic. Do you strive for that or is that naturally how it comes out?

Hannibal: I don’t like my stuff sounding too choppy or too synthetic. I really dig the whole dirty vibe, like making tapes off the radio. When you sample straight from a vinyl or any music from back then you get a lot of beautifulness, it’s a beautiful sound, its heavy, it’s everywhere, it’s earthy.

M: Yeah I prefer that to the crap over-produced shit.

Hannibal: There’s a lot of shit out there. I mean it’s funny cause thats what sells, but I don’t like making that kind of shit.

M: You ever feel like you have to compromise yourself for what you want to do sometimes in order to appeal to certain demographics or to get a little more fame?

Hannibal: I’ve done it before, you know I can’t lie. I’ve worked with artists I normally wouldn’t work with, because I knew it would bring something to me. I had to change up my style/make a beat that sounded like something i’d never do. I’m sure if you look somewhere in my repertoire you’ll find some shit thats embarrassing but thats just how you gotta do it, you know sometimes you gotta sacrifice a few things, cause in the long run more people will hear the type of stuff i’d normally make and that’s what really matters.

M: I feel like right now you get pigeon-holed or categorized as a main-stream or a back-pack dude.

Hannibal: I get called a back-packer all the time.

M: I don’t even know what that really is.

Hannibal: Honestly I just like making music that I can feel. The type of shit I like, I’m not going to make something else to avoid someone calling me a name or some shit like that. It’s hip-hop. It’s dope shit you know what I mean it’s chill shit, it’s something I can smoke to, to be honest with you, thats one of the biggest intimates.

M: So growing up for like everyone there are a few monumental albums that helped define you musically and as a person. You got a few of those?

Hannibal: Yeah, Midnight Marauders by A Tribe Called Quest. As I got older stuff like Doomsday by MF Doom and I’m a huge Madlib beat-tape fan but a lot of Tribe. Lost Boyz were coming up too. I grew up on a lot of early G-Unit before they really sold out, it was a lot more raw back then, they didn’t care about how they should sound, they just went into the booth and talked shit for like 30 minutes. I mean its the idea of what they were doing, not really what they were saying but the idea of what they were doing. Coming up from the same neighborhood as those guys it really influenced me. Midnight Marauders is definitely one of the most influential albums and Blu. Blu is one of my biggest influences, I recently got to do some work with his camp, it was really nice working with them, they’re on the same wave-length that I guess you would say I’m on.

M: Yeah what he (Blu) did with Exile was pretty awesome.

Hannibal: Aw man “Show me the Good Life” and “Cold Hearted” those are some of my favorite songs of all time. Below the Heavens may be one of my favorite albums of all time.

M: It’s funny you brought up G-Unit too (laughs) Beg For Mercy is a classic in my book, a lot of people look at me funny but that album is the shit.

Hannibal: Yeah there old shit was really raw, you know thats what was dope about it. But then it got to a point where it was forced and contrived, it’s sad but 50 Cent years ago used to have some real talent. It’s funny cause people wouldn’t expect me to say I like Tribe, Madlib, MF Doom and 50 Cent but I mean thats what it is, its just raw shit. Mos Def is another big influence, I can’t believe I didn’t name him. Black on Both Sides and Black Star, those were dope ass albums too.

M: Did you like the New Danger?

Hannibal: Yeah I loved the New Danger actually! Most people don’t but at the time thats what I was into, you know?

M: Yeah that album’s beautiful.

Hannibal: Yeah he was on that before a lot of other people were. Kanye was producing for them back then it was dope shit.

M: so yeah I should get back to my notes.

(laughs)

M: So whats one of your favorite memories pertaining to music?

Hannibal: Ooh, I guess my first time actually making a placement, it was like 2 years ago, I did a track for this guy, JB. He showed me a lot of love before I really had gotten anywhere production wise. That was one of the most influential things in my career, back then I didn’t know what I was gonna do but he showed me a lot of love and kinda mentored me. JB is a dope artist out from Oklahoma and he really helped me get to where I am. Among other artists I mean my photographer here PDA, without him I wouldn’t be here, he was sort of a manager to me before other people were. Meeting him really helped me get to where I am today. Between the two of those, I can’t really decide between meeting the two of them but meeting one of them is definitely the most memorable thing.

M: So the beat-tape, I can’t remember the last time I was so stoked about one, let alone came across a full tape. What motivated you to do that and how you feel about beat-tapes in general?

Hannibal: I think producers should do more beat tapes. I hear a lot of producers doing compilations now and thats what I tried to follow when I first came out but I started listening to other cats like Madlib and Dilla. Donuts is one of my most influential albums and i’d listen to Madlib’s beat-tapes and Doom’s Herbs and Spices and I was like why am I sitting here trying to get artists on my stuff when I know I can make a style on it’s own just with my beats. Thats what led me to doing that, it turned out a lot better than I thought it would.

M: Naw man its great, I really dig it. Have you listened to Madlib’s Medicine Show series at all?

Hannibal: Yeah I love all his stuff, I wanna move out to LA and get a job with them (Stones Throw), Madlib does shit other people can’t, I can’t even see how he does some of his stuff sometimes, he’s on a whole nother level.

M: Is there anyone your really itching to work with, I feel like I could probably guess who that would be now but…

Hannibal: (laughs) I guess production wise Madlib, but rap wise probably Blu. Blu more than anyone I guess, maybe Mos Def or Doom. They’re just real influential. I’m also a big fan of Curren$y and the stuff he’s been doing is really dope. Better than his old stuff with (Lil’) Wayne and shit. I’m glad he got out of there and finally was able to do what he wanted to do, that whole camp is dope. Blu is definitely one of my favorite emcees, we were supposed to do work before but it fell through, so that was a heart-breaker, but hopefully sooner or later we’ll do something.

M: I think it’ll go down, I see y’all working well together, I mean i’d listen to it.

Hannibal: (laughs) Thank you man, I need to move out to LA. Search him down or something.

M: I’m trying to move to New York within the next couple years, whats the scene like there. I feel like now its west coast or east coast, I got a boy who’s doing his rap thing and I’m always telling him he needs to go to New York but your saying the opposite.

Hannibal: I love the game out in LA man, you got a lot of artists coming up like Blu, Pac Div, and U-N-I, there are a lot of dudes coming out of there doing alternative stuff. New York is lead by a lot cats who are stuck in 10 or 20 years ago and they don’t really experiment or do what they wanna do. It’s commercial without being commercial, know what I mean, it’s kind of sad but I mean there are always a couple new dope things that you find. New York is dope though, you can get shit done, there are definitely plenty of people to meet and get somewhere but I just think the music in LA is just a lot better right now. I’m probably gonna catch heat from some New York rappers for saying that but the music in LA is on another level right now.

M: Well thats interesting…So what are you working on right now?

Hannibal: I have an album coming out with Remy Banks of Children of the Night, that album should be coming out late fall probably around october/ early november and we have a compilation for Villains Gone Bad, I get a lot of remixes in, you know I’m not a huge fan of compilation albums but it’d be nice to showcase some underground artists who hit me up with free-styles who may never get played anywhere else. So if I have the capability to help them get heard somewhere I might as well do it.

M: Anything you’d like to add?

Hannibal: Check out that album with Remy Banks and make sure you go to seizurechicken.com to hear some dope music, your blog was pretty dope man, I saw that you guys had King Khan & BBQ Show, I love that band man.

M: Who else do you fuck with outside of rap?

Hannibal: I got into Girls lately, I know thats weird, I got into Harlem… I love Harlem, Harlem’s shit is dope. I don’t wanna be obvious and say bands like Grizzly Bear but a lot of that underground dirty sounding, 70’s punk rock but still relevant today, that shit is dope. Man, Harlem might be my favorite non hip-hop group out there. I missed them recently due to studio time conflicts. Definitely wanna see them though. They had a song called “South of France” and I thinks thats one of the first songs I heard from them and it just blew my mind to hear that. If I could ever make music outside of hip-hop it’d be something like that.

Previously



POWER POPPPP. “Hey Boy” and “Little Red Radio” are still my choice joints off Memphis, though.

mp3 – Magic Kids – Superball

(btwo matablog)

Yesterday Beach House dropped an iTunes Session w/ a new track, “White Moon” and some alternate punch drunk versions of golden oldies. People are making a big stink about the band “being a trio” now. It is pretty humanitarian of them to consider the live drummer a part of the band. Whereas they didn’t have to feed the drum machine and all, before. I would recommend picking it up. If anything, for a reminder of how 2010 has been the year of Beach House.

mp3 – Beach House – White Moon