Retrospective Review: DJ Shadow - Live in Manchester: The Mountain Has Fallen

DJ Shadow - Live in Manchester: The Mountain Has Fallen Review

Performing live in 2017 at a sold out show in Manchester, England, DJ Shadow produced his first live album in nearly a decade, and showed growth in areas of his original music to great effect. I personally was left in the dark regarding the existence of this masterful mix of music, but I am so glad to have discovered it. 

I normally keep track of DJ Shadow's studio productions, having played his latest full length, The Mountain Will Fall, from 2016, multiple times through and blasting his hypnotic, eccentric beats in my car system and headphones. Upon realizing that he has since produced a follow up EP titled The Mountain Has Fallen and a live concert CD/DVD combo of the same name, I had to jump on my own personal journey through it and subsequent analysis. 

Retrospective Review: Paranormal Adam (PA) - The Black Plague

Paranormal Adam (PA) - The Black Plague Review

I wish I knew about my new friend, Paranormal Adam's, latest album at the time when it came out! It seemed a shame to pass up writing something about this splendid work of art, therefore, I will be starting another series of articles from time to time which will focus on albums which might have released a bit before my review window, and which I feel deserve an extra push into the spotlight of public consciousness. It's a pleasure, then, to introduce the first album in my retrospective review series: Paranormal Adam's The Black Plague.

Masterpiece Crates: Introduction (Titles Subject to Change)

Masterpiece Crates: Introduction (Albums Subject to Change)

Every so often, an artist or a group releases an album that fans often consider one of their best pieces or work, or even a masterpiece. In my lifetime, I would argue that a great number of music albums have achieved this high class distinction. Of course, every pick is a highly subjective and personal matter, yet I would go as far as to say that many fans of the artists I listen to would mostly, if not whole-heartedly agree with me that there are music albums out there which reach this class without question. Thus begins my introduction to DJ Dark Flow's Masterpiece Crate.

Karen O & Danger Mouse - Lux Prima Review

Karen O and Danger Mouse - Lux Prima Review

Both of the musicians involved in the creation of this work have already had highly successful careers in their own right. Danger Mouse, involved as a partner for such musical acts as Gnarls Barkley, Broken Bells (with The Shins' frontman James Mercer), Danger Doom (with MF DOOM), as well as serving as a musical producer for Beck, The Black Keys, and Portugal. The Man among others, has proven time and time again that his talent for curating high-quality musical content for multiple big name artists is second to none. Karen O, frontwoman of the unique three-piece indie rock group The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, from New York City, has been one of the main reasons three of their four albums have been nominated for a Grammy award since their debut, Fever To Tell, in 2003. Together, it seems fitting that these two artists would come together for a stab at a collaborative album. For their debut together, Karen O and Danger Mouse join forces for an easy listening and satisfying electronic pop experience in Lux Prima.

Claud5 - Dogs Carry Knives Review

After years of incubating beats and simmering synths, Connecticut based lo-fi electronic beat producer and emcee Claud5 releases his debut solo effort, Dogs Carry Knives, and wastes no time in pulling listeners in to his world of mythos and flow.

A brisk, head nodding treat worthy of many spins, Dogs Carry Knives has an encompassing, cohesive skin and theme of dogs, or rather, their ancestors, and exhibits Claud5’ drum-synth abilities in highly evolved form. Despite his producer name, this album has the inescapable atmosphere and feeling of exploration and discovery that you would find aimlessly scouting through the woods in the dead of night.

B. Dvine - The Process of Illumination Review

Bom-b-b-b-b-bombastic beats and sharp cutting wordplay inspires and gives power to those who want to take a dive into Long Island beat producer and emcee B. Dvine's newest full length mixtape, The Process of Illumination.

A step up in his production game since his 2017 mixtape, Dvine Intervention, B. Dvine, aka Brian Daly, diversifies his already illustrious and decorated portfolio by picking up the pen. In actuality, Daly has been refining his vocal persona for a number of years, but now he is able to display his talent and evolution on this February 25th release, and by supporting it with Full Blast booking's "Goin' Coastal Tour" on the East and West coasts.

Milestones Part II: DJ Dark Flow

After I put my radio show on an indefinite hiatus in 2015, I was fully committed to developing myself musically, having now more free time to focus my energies on original music production instead of planning for 4 hours of radio programming every week. As I explained in my first chapter of Milestones, music was ingrained in me from a very early age, since being exposed to various rock n roll by my father, and I quickly forged my own path in musical discovery. I always had the desire to be a musician, and was influenced by groups in high school such as Pink Floyd, Radiohead, The Mars Volta (all of which reinforced my interest in musical experimentation and drawing outside the lines of "mainstream music"), and Nine Inch Nails (a group known for being a one-man act who had an enormous influence on my motivation to make music all on my own) among others. When moving to Connecticut with my family, I quickly tried to make friends and form a band. I was able to form a 3 piece rock group, which eventually became a 4 piece with the addition of a keyboardist, and we donned the name Breathe, named after the Pink Floyd track off Dark Side of The Moon.

Earl Sweatshirt - Some Rap Songs Review

Back when Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All was a budding rap collective in the late 2000's, one of Tyler, The Creator's greatest finds was a young kid, still in school, but with an unbelievable knack for stringing words and phrases together. This kid was only 15 when he started to write songs with Tyler, and in 2010, Odd Future released his first mixtape, titled Earl, at just 16 years of age. From the beginnings of these early recordings, it was clear that Earl Sweatshirt was a shining star within the enormous rap group. His wordplay was unmatched, and his talent was just beginning to be mined. Shortly after the release of his depraved, humorous, and often violent mixtape, his mother, UCLA professor Cheryl Harris, sent him to a boarding school for at-risk youth after becoming aware of his drug habits. His return marked the release of his first official studio album with Columbia Records, Doris, a significant work that cemented his name in the hip-hop world at only 19 years old. A couple years later, Earl's followup was released, which was also met with critical acclaim. Now in 2018, his latest album displays the most mature and raw version of Earl Sweatshirt that fans have seen thus far. Some Rap Songs is so artistic and high-brow, casual listeners may not even notice its greatness. Only real fans of the genre will turn their heads and nod in appreciation for what Earl does in this soulful, rhythm-rhyme laced, tightly woven album, one which is cleverly disguised as a lo-fi collage of disjointed beats and verses.

Thom Yorke - Suspiria Review

One might have wondered how long it was going to take Thom Yorke, lead singer of Radiohead, to branch out into recording full length film soundtracks, following in the footsteps of his bandmate Jonny Greenwood, with his already extensive catalogue. For some, a movie can become more popularized when an already famous artist takes up the songwriting duties. I remember in 2007 when I heard that There Will Be Blood directed by Paul Thomas Anderson and starring Daniel Day-Lewis was going to have music made by Jonny Greenwood, and I was immediately interested in the film, feeling its status already elevated from my point of view. His work has continued with most recently You Were Never Really Here and Phantom Thread, both released just last year. As far as Thom is concerned though, there were hints that he was more interested in branching out musically, mostly due to his other side projects as a solo artist, his other band Atoms for Peace, and having some of his Radiohead and solo work already getting featured in a number of films. Radiohead's attempt to get the title track for the most recent James Bond film, Spectre, was unexpectedly turned down; they ended up releasing the eponymously titled track as a single and b-side anyways, on their latest studio effort, 2016's A Moon Shaped Pool. Now, Thom Yorke finally gets his first full length soundtrack to let loose and explore multiple genres: Radiohead(y) rock, eerie soundscapes, piano ballads, church-like choirs, and drone, which all blend in and out of each other seamlessly, as Thom uses his masterclass talent in songwriting and musical experimentation to create an unsettling and unforgettable mood to be paired with this highly acclaimed Suspiria remake.

Milestones Part I: Radio

From a young age, I was always influenced by music, being stimulated by my father’s ever-growing collection, and eventually forming my own interests which sometimes deviated from what my parents found acceptable. Nevertheless, I remember the nostalgia from days of sporting a cd mix or album in my jog-proof Walkman on the way to school. Music still had that feature of physicality and gentle handling that made the experience all the more rewarding, and I doubt today’s generation will ever feel that simple pleasure of having a few CDs or CD wallet where your precious few choices mattered and made the soundtrack of your day. The only way future kids and young adults could discover the pleasure of handling music would be to discover vinyl records or invest in their own stereo cabinets, but I divulge. The point I am trying to make is that music has been ingrained in my being since I was very young, and if not for a chance presentation during one of my first general elective courses at the University of Connecticut, I may have never become a longtime radio host and DJ in February of 2008.