Sometimes on this blog, I talk about things that are cool. It’s hard to put your finger on what cool is. It’s the kind of thing that you can’t really define, but can only find the outlines of by looking at examples. Look at enough cool things, and you will finally get a sense of what’s cool. It also helps to have something to center things, a north star of cool to find your bearings.
[Read More]As I mentioned last time, Plaid was around for a long time, but I only picked up a couple of albums. I feel like you can really only deeply know a few genres, and electronic stuff has gotten squeezed out of my brain for no good reason. I’m sure I’ll go on a binge at some point.
I’ve always loved Mike D’s drum break in this song. I should try and play it. That’ll probably bug Megan proper!
[Read More]Today’s set is a real barn burner.
This song, from It’s a Bit Complicated, is a solid encapsulation of Art Brut’s unique brilliance. Art Brut only makes sense to someone that has consumed a ton of pop and rock, and internalized all the cliches from them. If you’re that person, Art Brut’s send ups of all that stuff will just hit squarely.
We’ve had Gift of Gab as a solo artist, but here he is on the breakthrough Blackalicious LP, Nia. From the lush, jazzy beats to the incredible rhymes, Blackalicious immediately became one of the highlights of hip-hop. This record still sounds fresh, 18 years later (OH GOD I’M OLD), and it and the follow-up Blazing Arrow are one of the strongest one-two punches of any rap act ever.
[Read More]Memorial Day! We here at Five Songs Multinational Holdings never sleep in order to bring you the freshest beats and finest jams.
The times when I’m most tempted to cheat at this is when shuffle pulls up a skit, or an intro, or something like this. This is, um, an intro to the excellent In The Ruff by the throwback hip-hop group Diamond District. Maybe they’ll come up again soon!
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