Top Tunes Thursday: Teen Daze — Morning World

August 20, 2015

The morning can be rough for some people. Your bones are creaky, your vision foggy. You might be hungry, and you almost definitely have to pee. The whole thing just feels like a hassle. For most of my life, I was one of these people. I don’t know, maybe it comes with age or something, but now some of my earliest moments of the day end up being some of my favorite moments. The sun’s barely awake, and already, people all across the newly glowing portion of the country are getting up to start their day, just like you. That thought and a cup of coffee often gets my days started fairly well. This quiet meditation, and the feelings that surround it, are the thesis of the new Teen Daze record, Morning World. This is Teen Daze’s (who goes by the monomous “Jamison” in professional life) first full length release since 2012’s Glacier.

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Top Tunes Thursday: Quantic Presents The Western Transient — A New Constellation

August 6, 2015

This week, Will “Quantic” Holland released the debut record for a new side project. Holland is a man of many projects, including The Quantic Soul Orchestra, The Limp Twins, Quantic and his Combo Barbaro, as well as numerous one on one collaborations. His latest is called Quantic Presents The Western Transient, and the record, A New Constellation. At seconds under the 3/4 hour mark, the record delivers ten locations for his dream jazz vacation, and is recorded with artists and performers handpicked by the maestro. From balmy Caribbean, to melodic 70’s, A New Constellation is a warm and snuggly love letter to jazz and soul music, with just enough “Quantic” thrown in.

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Top Tunes Thursday: Kurt Vile — Pretty Pimpin

July 30, 2015

Of all the musical instruments iconic to American music, the paramount would be the guitar. Although blues music originally came in the form of African spirituals and hymnals, it was changed forever when it met it’s six stringed soul mate. Rock n’ roll, arguably the most American genre there is, was built around the glistening tones of the 1957 Gibson ES-350 T. For Kurt Vile, Pennsylvania born indie rocker, the guitar is both the means and the end.

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Top Tunes Thursday: Ben Folds — Phone In a Pool / Capable of Anything

July 23, 2015

It’s been a long time since I was first introduced to the sonorous sounds of Ben Folds, but he’s still making music. This week, Folds released some of the first new material since his 2008 record, Way To Normal, which was followed with a college a-capella record, and a compilation album. The two singles, titled “Phone in a Pool” and “Capable of Anything” instantly remind me of what I found so appealing as a rolly-polly youngster, and what I still find appealing as a, well, rolly-polly not-so-youngster.

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Top Tunes Thursday: Ezra Furman — Perpetual Motion People

July 16, 2015

Frenetic and shaky, Furman delivers a parcel of tunes so jam packed of intention it’s hard not to break down in some punk rock convulsion, hunched over your air piano, banging out imaginary chords. While not as feverishly paced as his usual fare, “Lousy Connection,” a lead single, lays the toothy lyrical musings over a groovy doo-wop, shining light on Furman’s sensitive side.

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The End of New Music Tuesday, and What Comes Next

July 13, 2015

All across these United States, Tuesday represent beginnings and possibilities for the ravenous music geek. Whether snuggled close to a cup of joe, or on the commute to work, Tuesday mornings means scrolling over your favorite music blog or the new releases section on your music service of choice. If this sounds like your Tuesday mornings, than you probably noticed that the new releases section was uncharacteristically quiet last week. Here’s why:

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New Music Monday: Bilal — In Another Life

July 6, 2015

With In Another Life, Bilal releases a collection of tunes ripe for the season. The record kicks off with “Sirens II,” which paints the picture of the slow and unwitting seduction of our main character. With a bossy beat, and a bass line some of you might recognize from Jay-z’s “Picasso Baby,” it’s the perfect setting for the sensual jaunt that is to come.

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New Music Monday: Thundercat — The Beyond / Where Giants Roam

June 29, 2015

This week, Thundercat has released a new “mini-album” entitled The Beyond / Where the Giants Roam. Co-produced by long time collaborator Flying Lotus, TB/WtGR clocks in at a bite sized six tracks. If you’re thinking the diminutive packaging is telling of the content, think again. In an interview with Billboard, Bruner discussed how the high volume of collaborations he’s been involved with generated a creative catalyst within him: “it was kind of like a by-product of everything that would be happening.

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