Not sure if anyone still cares about Sisqo or Dru Hill, but if you do, you’re in luck. From today’s Baltimore Sun.
I’m still listening to “Motto” remixes. Nothing touches the original, but I like this take, particularly YG’s verse. This made me LOL: “I’m just fuckin’ right now / I’ll make love when I’m 60.”
Will Nipsey ever happen? I’m starting to think not, but I wouldn’t mind being surprised. Charisma.
Los, “Lord Knows (Freestyle)” (Internet, 2012)
Will a Baltimore rapper ever blow up? Los seems as poised as anyone from Charm City to crossover. His easy-to-follow but densely packed rapping works well over beats as busy as “Lord Knows.” I wrote about it for the Sun; while Brandon wrote a smart piece on Los, Mullyman and XXL’s Freshmen 2012 List for City Paper.
On new album, Pianos Become the Teeth deal with death
It was fun to write about (and thus, listen to) screamo again.
During high school, I gravitated toward pop-punk (Saves the Day, Alkaline Trio, the Get Up Kids) but loved many aspects and many bands from the heavier, harder fringes. In order for my band to get shows, I had to book many of the shows myself, so we brought through bands we liked, including Ampere (ex-Montcalm) and the Saddest Landscape (a band that did a 7” with PBT last year). So it all feels, if not full circle, at least interconnected. Doing this story even led me to Touche Amore’s excellent Deathwish-release from last year, Parting the Sea Between Brightness and Me. It’s on Spotify.
The Lack Long After is a beautiful album about lead singer Kyle Durfey’s dad’s death. You’ll need the lyric sheet to understand, which the band supplied on its Tumblr (of course).
And if anyone cares, my favorite hardcore/screamo bands are Hot Cross, Montcalm, Bane, Circle Takes the Square, I Hate Myself and Saetia.
Baltimore Sun's top albums and singles of 2011
The last thing many of us want to read is another year-end list, but this is my blog, so … take that, take that.
Happy with how this came out. Some obvious choices, some not so. Erik Maza and I picked our Top 5 albums and songs each, and also put together two Spotify playlists clocking in at 50 songs all together.
Let’s play “Insert the Caption.” My guess:
Wayne: No, your throwaway Throne beats can’t save Common or Pusha.
2011 Gems: Jackie Chain puts on for Alabama's SLAB culture
December is a slow month. At work, I’m picking out songs that may have been overlooked (more so to the Baltimore Sun’s audience, not my personal Tumblr audience) and posting them. I thought Jackie Chain and K.R.I.T.’s beats killed it all year, so I had to do that first. Bun B, try again next time.
Short Dawg, “Kush & Codeine” (The Adventures of Drankenstein, 2011)
