Lupe Fiasco - Tetsuo & Youth. I have not been a fan of Fiasco for a while. I feel like his last few albums have been very uneven, with a good tune or two and then a lot of meandering mediocre. They also have weird themes about The Man in the Moon or something. This one is varied as well, but I think in a good way. It has some jazzy tracks (check out "Mural," clocking in at almost 9 minutes), a bluegrass tune ("Dots & Lines"), some weird instrumentals, and then a few great bangers. Love "Chopper"
One of those classic crew cuts where a pack of guys get a great beat laid down underneath them and then everyone takes turns tearing it up. Love a good crew cut - Black Sheep's "Pass the 40," Geto Boys' "Bring it On," and Tribe Called Quest's "Scenario" remix are all killer stuff. I've never heard of any of the other dudes on this (Billy Blue, Buk of Psychodrama, Trouble, Trae tha Truth, Fam-Lay, & Glasses Malone), but the beat kicks ass and each one brings it. Pretty good album. I'll keep it around for a while.
Mourn - Mourn. Dark 90's alternative revival on this 2014 album from Spanish teens. Female lead singer has a Siouxie vibe, and the music is raw, loose garage-y jangle and crunch. Here is Otitis:
Definitely look like children. That bass player looks like a 13 year old extra from a Disney show. Anyway, their tunes are pretty cool, although that one (the only "official video" I found) is not my favorite of the batch. I liked "Dark Issues" and "Silver Gold" pretty well. Good but not great.
Future Brown - Future Brown. I forget who suggested this, but my recollection is that some website or magazine said this is the best rap album of the year or something. Entirely untrue and false. This is garbage. I think that it is telling when the first track on an album has 311,000 spins, and then nothing else cracks 50k. Because, like me, after you hear the first track, you'd rather find something else to listen to. Kind of electronic music with rap and some jenky R&B. Entirely forgettable.
Milky Chance - Sadnecessary. They remind me of the good portions of Alt-J, slightly dance-y indie alternative with a talk-y sort of singer. You've likely heard "Stolen Dance" if you listen to the radio:
Not my favorite tune in the world, but that may be because of radio overplay. Pretty poppy alternative guitar over the top of beat machines. But that video has ONE HUNDRED THIRTY THREE MILLION freaking views on YouTube. And the track has over 180 million spins on Spotify. So what the hell do I know? Its apparently the greatest song since Stairway to Heaven. The rest of the album is pretty similar beats and guitars. I think Sadnecessary is also on the radio some right now. Anyway, I wanted to love this group because a friend had said their live show was kick ass. I just can't get fully on board.
Houndmouth - Little Neon Limelight. Excellent jammy, country-tinged rock. One of those groups (like Of Monsters & Men or Lumineers) where it seems like ten people are singing on half of the tracks. But these tunes hop into a groove and rock it with short-ish (almost everything under 4 minutes) jams. Also reminds me of Bright Light Social Hour, which I dig. Fun music that sounds like it would be a blast in person. I wanted to find "15 Years," because its a good example of my explanation, but "Sedona" appears to be their most popular tune and the only real video:
I like the lines about your neon glowing brighter, a "Saturday night kind of pink." They have a lot of party tunes that should be great live, and a few slower burners that are also good. I think you should check this band out.
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