Articles

Thundercat - Show You The Way (feat. Michael McDonald and Kenny Loggins): Holy Del's balls on the hood ornament of a  late 70's Cadillac Deville with white leather interior. If this song doesn't make you want to sport that coat in the back of your closet with the fur lapels I DON'T KNOW WHAT WILL.  The XX - On Hold: Duuuude. The sample used on this song is the best sample.....well, since Jamie XX's sample on 'Loud Places'. Grandaddy - A Lost Machine: Confession: I've never listened to a Grandaddy song. Scoff at me if you must. But 'm righting my wrongs now.....because of this song.  IT - Orange Is The New Wack: You know that these rappers are getting old as balls (or channeling Common) when they remind you to vote in the midterms. BUT fuuuuuuuuck, Cryptic One and Alaska needed to say what...

There is a 'dead time' for new music. It usually lasts from the second week of December to the second week of January.  During this time I try to catch up on what I missed from the the previous year. And with all the year-end list inundating the inter-webz, this 'missed music' is pretty much dropped on to my lap.   I'd be a fool to not take advantage of it.  So, here's a small summary of some shit I missed from 2016.  Dr. Dog - Abandoned Mansion (Album): Hold on to your jorts. Did you know Dr. Dog released an album last year? No, not Psychedelic Swamp: they released another one. It's called Abandoned Mansion and I think it's better than Swamp. I think it sounds like a *true* Dr. Dog album.....whatever that means. Lazy, rough, harmonies-gallore and corduroys. '...

You only get one life.  And it might take the whole damn thing to come to terms with it. Admitting your faults and fears and insecurities is really fucking hard.  I find the balance between striving for betterment and feeling content to be a high wire walk over the churning insides of a violent cauldron. Leaning too far in either direction leads to the disarray of complete depression. It’s something that can leave you feeling not good enough, attractive enough, kind enough, competent enough, worthy enough. Enough.  You only get one life.  And I really want to live it.  Fuck New Year’s Resolutions! But if I was going to set a goal for the future, it would be to become more comfortable in my own hair-covered skin. To look in the mirror and see all that I’ve accomplished instead of all that...

Next sunny day, as the winter blanket of clouds and cold offers a respite, as the bitter and hopeless glances at checking account balances fade to paydays, as the shit show of 2016 gives way to a new year full of stout resolutions and hopeful commitments, hop in whatever vehicle you have acquired in your life as your main form of transportation. Maybe the windows are down and you get your teenage girl on. Maybe headphones are atop your head as you hop on your bike and channel a Goonie or two. Maybe you put on some New Balance, jog out the door and get in touch with your inner Forrest Gump.  Whatever the means, however you listen, when you press play make sure that the track that comes streaming into the holes on the side of your head vibrating tiny bones and causing sound to enter your...

Ugh. I can't tell you how many times I rolled my eyes at the plethora of lists by the big publications/blogs. I can't stand them. Fuck them in the fucking face.  Why do I hate them? It's not because of the albums they chose......I don't get my grundle in a bundle over that shit. It's because of the major 'best of lists' out there, the same 5 or 6 fucking albums make everybody's top ten. You know those albums: Frank Ocean, Chance The Rapper, David Bowie, Radiohead, Kanye West, blah, blah, blah.  Many of these publications represent a group of people circle jerking to their own confirmation bias in the middle of their condescending bubble.  C'mon. How about a little diversity?  That said below are our FAVORITE albums. (Not BEST albums because that's the term those self-important assholes...

As American's we are too easily distracted.  If we focus on petty shit like Trump meeting with Kanye then we won't be as outraged when Trump tries to trade the Northwest states to Russia in exchange for ornate furniture and mail order brides for his cabinet members.  So relaxxxxxxx and focus and let's put these year-end lists in context: This exercise is pointless, we all forget the lists a second after we bitch about them.  All the while we overlook that the Russians hacked Del, and that's why his list is awful. Tom's favorite songs of 2016 10. Glass Animals - Cane Shuga: I honestly don't know why I love this song so much. I mean,  it sounds like a bunch of Aliens prodding your body. But goddamn the shit grooves. 9. Kevin Morby - Destroyer: Dark. Pretty. Creepy. Unique. These are all...