La Dispute

Cave In, “Come Into Your Own”

If I told you that there was a band called Cave In, and that they were showing up on this blog, you’d probably have some picture of what they sound like that would involve one or more things howling. I doubt you’d picture something that sounds like this. Kinda feel like it’s false advertising.

El-P, “The Overly Dramatic Truth”

A thing you can’t often say about El-P’s compositions is that they’re pretty. It’s just not a goal he often shoots for, although he’s capable of it if he chooses. This beat, though, sometimes could be described as such. There’s a certain poppiness to it that doesn’t often show up in his work.

Conlon Nancarrow, “Study for Player Piano No. 3a”

Has anybody flipped Nancarrow into any beats? Seems like it would be a fun thing to hear.

Freddie Gibbs & Madlib, “Crime Pays”

What a lovely beat here. As someone who grew up listening to the radio in cars in the early 80s an awful lot, that late 70s vibe here just sparks something really primal in me.

Tame Impala, “Lucidity”

Another of my breaks with music critic orthodoxy (although I don’t really feel like I’m a real critic) is that I think Tame Impala is kind of boring. I’m not sure why that is - I like other psychedelic stuff just fine, I don’t have any problems with any elements that go into this. It just glides past my brain and nothing finds any purchase. It’s pleasant, but it’s like taking a nap.

The Streets, “Who Got The Funk?”

Is…is it the Streets?

The Grifters, “Covered With Flies”

I periodically see “forgotten bands of the grunge era” and similar articles, because I’m old and I read old person things. Those articles invariably dig up one or two interesting bands (Love Battery, say), four different Pearl Jam predecessor bands, and then a couple bands that always sucked but the writer saw in a club early and thus has an irrational fixation on them. And you know who nobody ever mentions? That’s right, the Grifters. Who ruled and are now forgotten.