By A.H. Loucas, February 15th, 2010
In today’s fast paced society, our lives are surrounded by music. Some of us build playlists for every moment while others live their lives following passing musical trends. It is a fact that the gentleman has a soundtrack. The genres and categories may differ, but the general concept is there.
Below is a list of songs that inspire innovation, progression, and are just straight up cool. Compiled and reviewed by our good friends at Wine & Bowties…
1.) YEASAYER – “O.N.E.”
It’s looking like Yeasayer might have the next indie hit on their hands with this one. At first it took me a couple listens to really get into it. A few days later, I don’t really feel like listening to anything else. And believe me when I say that for a dude with musical ADD as bad as me, that’s rare. “O.N.E.” is one of those rare 5 minute songs that has enough going on in it keep you listening to the end every time. The Brooklyn quartet will drop their sophomore LP Odd Blood next Tuesday, before making their way out to Coachella in April. Cop here.
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Download: Yeasayer – “O.N.E.”
2.) TORO Y MOI – “THANKS VISION”
Some call it glo-fi. Some call it chillwave. Call it what you want, but I think it’s worth nothing that the blogosphere’s latest invented genre was behind some of the coolest music of the past year. If Washed Out set the bar for their particular style of woozy bedroom electro-pop, Chaz Bundick, AKA Toro Y Moi took it somewhere new, infusing his own music with a dense and soulful feel. Next Tuesday marks the release ofCausers of This, the first LP from the South Carolina artist. Thank Mar for “Thanks Vision”, and cop the album here.
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Download: Toro Y Moi – “Thanks Vision”
3.) BROKEN BELLS – “VAPORIZE”
Sitting near the top of my list of the most anticipated releases of 2010 is the debut album of Broken Bells, the superduo of Danger Mouse and The Shins’ James Mercer. For obvious reasons, “The High Road” has plenty to do with it; the song is case in point of why DM is one of the most brilliant producers of our era, seamlessly weaving together tweaked-out synths, wailing vocals, acoustic guitars and thumping drums into something that defies time and genre. “Vaporize” is in the same vein, slightly stripping down the epic sound of the first single, and putting Mercer’s songwriting center stage. The self-titled album is due out in March. For now, there’s a lot to be juiced about.
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Download: Broken Bells – “Vaporize”
4.) LUPE FIASCO – “I’M BEAMING”
Lupe is one of those dudes that’s so clever with the wordplay, half the shit he says just goes over peoples’ heads. And in the modern music climate, it’s hard to figure out where a real spitter fits in. Luckily Lupe’s also an extremely dope songwriter; the best of both worlds in a lot of ways. I think Hov said it best: if hip-hop’s gonna continue to stay relevant, the music has to evolve into something broader. Cats like Cudi andYe have definitely been bearing the torch recently. Not to say there’s no room in the game for a good old-fashioned banger, but the key is just originality. Count on Lupe to kill it again when he drops We Are Lasers later this year. For now, we’ll rock with the first leak. The Renaissance man himself on the track.
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Download: Lupe Fiasco – “I’m Beaming”
5.) THEOPHILUS LONDON – “HUMDRUM TOWN”
In an oversaturated industry, where followers seem to outnumber leaders by the thousands, it’s hard to find your own lane. But it’s for that ability in particular that we here at Bowties have faith in Theophilus. This summer’s This Charming Mixtape caught our attention for a few reasons. For me, the Elvis Costello cover had something to do with it, but the eclectic mix of tracks sampling or reworking everyone from Lauryn Hill to Kraftwerk didn’t hurt either. Dope shit point blank. “Humdrum Town”, featured only briefly on TCM, dropped as a single this week on Green Label Sound. For free 99. W&B salute, Theoph I see you.
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Download: Theophilus London – “Humdrum Town”
For more suggestions and a first class ticket into the iPod of a gentleman, visit wineandbowties.com…
Stay Jammin’ Gents
-A.H. Loucas (Music reviews by Max Gibson of W&B)
