Beards Again

So I get home from work and pop open my computer and start trying to brainstorm just what I’m going to post tonight, and BOOM, a new MSTRKRFT single is staring me dead in the face. I guess I missed the boat when they released it last night. Oops. Whatever, I’ve been busy. You know who else has been busy? JESSE F KEELER APPARENTLY. (Al-P too.) If you’ve read more than one post on this blog you know all about my DFA1979 obsession. Well, that extends to all related projects. Between the DFA1979 rehersal videos and now this, I can’t even sit still. MSTRKRFT are one of those groups that gets me so pumped up I start swearing. I can’t help it, they’re just so fucking cool. Anyone who defected from the MSTRKRFT cause after Fist Of God (you poor, misguided souls) is bound to become a believer once more after hearing Beards Again. It’s not like anything MSTRKRFT has done before. Then again, no successive MSTRKRFT release ever sounds quite like its predecessor. Three minutes of harmonizing guitars and a simple drum pattern that is yet wholly imperious, undercut by that ever-present MSTRKRFT grit-synth, gives way at 3:10 to a full on techno drop—the kind that would cause me to absolutely lose my shit if I heard it live. I feel like everything I love about electronica just showed up at my doorstep covered in leather and sweat, bringing with it a bottle of jack and the command to “Get Down.”
Yeah, this song is dirty.

Beards Again--MSTRKRFT

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Turn It Out

"I know you have so much to say to me, but I'm on the move."

Photo Credit Basilio Silva

When I upload the week’s new Loose L!p-St!ck Song (see sidebar) I usually refrain from making a hoopla about it. I tend to just casually change the song, then leave you to your own devices to discover it and do further research if it so pleases you. This week is a little different though, and hopefully it will be a welcome break in tradition. You see, I’m having a serious nostalgia trip. This has been manifested in my repeated, nearly unending playing of Death From Above 1979, the greatest punk band ever. Yes, you heard me. Ever. I once read an album review of their classic You’re a Woman, I’m a Machine that described the band perfectly. I can’t remember the source, and I’m paraphrasing to kingdom come, but the message went something like this: There are two types of people in the world, those who love Death From Above 1979, and those who have never heard them. Truth. Motherfuckers.

For all of you who fall into the latter category, I’m glad to introduce you (that’s my intention after all), but conversely sorry to tell you that you missed the boat. Formed in the early 2000’s by Jesse F. Keeler (of modern-day MSTRKRFT fame), and Sebastien Grainger, they erupted in a fury of blast beats, gritty reverb, and post-hardcore misogynism before imploding just a few years later. It is either punk’s greatest tragedy or greatest triumph that the duo never released more than one proper full-length. Tragedy because we the people were robbed of further greatness, triumph because the band essentially avoided ‘the sophomore slump’ and the possibility of ever releasing anything sub-excellent. That said, if there were one band I could resurrect in the history of music-dom, it would be these guys. No other act to date has been quite able to capture the raw energy and angst so conveyed by DFA 1979; and never before nor since has being young, horny, and fucking furious sounded so good.

Here's an extra song in addition to the week's St!ck:
Turn It Out--Death From Above 1979

Cold War

"This is a cold war, do you know what you're fighting for?"

Photo Credit Nick Waplington

I only found out about Janelle Monáe a few weeks ago, but already I want to shout from the rooftops:
"THIS IS THE FUTURE OF POP MUSIC!"

Janelle sounds like the lovechild of Andre 3000 and Dionne Warwick, with style that rivals Kanye. Her music is fresh, innovative, and insanely catchy. She seamlessly blends influences ranging from funk to R&B to classic rock to electronica, never settling on a specific style, but rather creating a sound all her own. Oh, and did I mention she's on Diddy's label?

Two weeks ago she released a new concept album, ArchAndroid. It's fantastic.
Here's my favorite song from the album thus far:

Click to Download: Cold War-Janelle Monae


Bonus:
And now for something completely different, here's the first song entitled "Cold War" that I ever loved. This gritty lament on a failing relationship perfectly embodies Death From Above 1979's unique sound, which combines the best elements of punk, dance, hardcore, and beating the shit out of a drumset.

Click to Download: Cold War-Death From Above 1979

If you've ever heard DFA1979, you already know that they are one of the greatest post-punk bands of our generation (perhaps of all time). If you haven't heard them, well, shame on you. Unfortunately, they broke up years ago after their first LP, but are survived by member Jesse F. Keeler's little side project, MSTRKRFT.