Quick Hits, Vol. 3 (Big Daddy Kane, Kevin Gates, Weezer, Hozier, Protomartyr, Jessica Lea Mayfield, Afghan Whigs)

Big Daddy Kane - Long Live the Kane.  I forget why this guy popped into my head the other day, but I never listened to BDK back in the days when he was popular.  I was an LL Cool J guy and always figured Kane must be as corny as LL told me he was.  This album is pretty solid for old school scratchin' rap.  Sounds kind of like the Paris albums I listened to back in high school.  The raps are actually pretty good (On the Bugged Tip is nice), except he's one of those brag-rappers, where I don't think he's saying anything but how he is super awesome.  And he has a slow jam love song or two, which are kind of funny (The Day You're Mine).

Ain't No Half Steppin', has a supreme beat.  Again, all bragging, but still pretty solid.  AND that video is 80's comedy gold.  Look at that ring shaped like a business card made of gold!  Check those chains!  The hair!  The workout clothes!  Word.

Kevin Gates - By Any Means.  Louisiana rapper who had a great last album (Stranger than Fiction, go listen to White Tan and see if you don't feel the need to get down).  His production is mostly solid, southern-sounding trap.  This is strong gangsta rap that is fun to listen to and catchy.  Posed to be in Love is the current hit off of this album, which, in this current climate of hyper-sensitivity to domestic violence, why not have a popular video and song about beating up your woman?

Weezer - Everything Will Be Alright In the End.  Woohoo!  I dig on some Weezer.  Their blue album was high school and college good memories (although I tried to sing Buddy Holly to the four year old the other night as a lullaby, and she asked for a different song, so maybe it doesn't survive the years as well as I thought) and they have had some other good ones since.  Raditude and Hurley were not so good, but this one right here goes right back to the sound they had in the early nineties and jams it out.  Crunchy guitars and steady rhythm, along with catchy hooks and lyrics?  Nice!  Ain't Got Nobody is a good starter, but Back to the Shack is the popular song for a reason.

 Jammin' on the moon, baby!  Love it - going back to the original sound and admitting it in song.  Rockin' out like its 94!

Hozier - Hozier.  I know I already did a full post about this dude, but he finally put out a full length album.  It is awesome.  Jackie and Wilson is like a Black Keys tune, loads of fun and makes me want to rename my kids with cooler rock and roll names.  Someone New and Like Real People Do are just great little love songs.  This is mainly bluesy rock with a load of soul, along with a few really nice ballads (the duet on In a Week in particular) and it makes me even more disappointed that he missed out on the ACL Fest this year.

Protomartyr - Under Color of Official Right.  Punk, with talking-style lyrics most of the time. Interesting sound.  Also an out-of-place clear guitar sound on a lot of songs.  Make me think of Best Coast's guitar.  Worth a listen but I won't hang on to it.

Jessica Lea Mayfield - Make My Head Sing... - This gal used to work with Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys, and this still has a fingerprint or two from him on it.  I don't know how to categorize this music, bluesy at times, alternative rock at times, folky pretty at times, its all over the place.  Some Yeah Yeah Yeahs, some Nirvana, some Neko Case, some Black Keys, its actually pretty good.

Afghan Whigs - Do to the Beast.  I have fond memories of the Afghan Whigs because of the Beautiful Girls soundtrack.  Loved that soundtrack, and their cover of Barry White's Can't Get Enough of Your Love, Babe.  Rolling Stone dug on this album and made me excited to hear it, but nothing in here was especially noteworthy.  I was about to just skip writing about it, but what is the point of this blog except to tell you that this is uninteresting to me?