Saturday, June 11, 2011
Songs of The Day
Sly: Man, do I love me some horn hits, and I sure do get a nice lil helping of them in this tune. Super solid initial groove, it's really about the horns. B section is pretty sweet, it puts more of a focus on Herbie, which is always nice. But when the A returns with a new latin flare to it, the song really gets poppin. It's got a nice pick up in pace in the drums, and an extra funky guitar part to back up a sick horn (which I'm thinking is bass clarinet) solo by Beenie Maupin - it's pretty serious. Oh Herbie, how you do it, I just don't know. He's got a killin solo on this track (not as cool as that on Chameleon though) - he's pretty mesmerizing to listen to. Super sweet ending hits into the more mellow groove - suave. Aside from it being a tad long, I dig it.
Vein Melter: I am diggin this lil drummer boy druming going on, it adds a kind of conformity to the slight spontaneity of the other instruments - very cool. Harvey Mason keeps it in the pocket. I like how mellow this tune is, it's a nice segway from the intensity of the previous tune. I can't say I'm seriously diggin the string synth sound going on though, it kind of cheapens the vibe of the whole tune. Luckily it's not present throughout the whole piece. Mmmmm Rhodes - you are possibly the best sounding instrument in the world. It's seriously serious. I wish there was a switch up in groove somewhere though, at a little over 9 minutes, it gets a little old in my opinion. I do dig the ending chord though. Definitely the most lackluster of the tunes in my opinion, but it's still a good song.
Vein Melter: I am diggin this lil drummer boy druming going on, it adds a kind of conformity to the slight spontaneity of the other instruments - very cool. Harvey Mason keeps it in the pocket. I like how mellow this tune is, it's a nice segway from the intensity of the previous tune. I can't say I'm seriously diggin the string synth sound going on though, it kind of cheapens the vibe of the whole tune. Luckily it's not present throughout the whole piece. Mmmmm Rhodes - you are possibly the best sounding instrument in the world. It's seriously serious. I wish there was a switch up in groove somewhere though, at a little over 9 minutes, it gets a little old in my opinion. I do dig the ending chord though. Definitely the most lackluster of the tunes in my opinion, but it's still a good song.
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Songs of The Day
Chameleon: I think this might be one of the baddest bass lines, ever. So simple, yet oh, OH so funky! It's really the glue that holds this song together. Guitar is extra funky throughout, I really dig the rhythm it's playing - it fits nicely with the bass. Horns are killer. Herbie takes an extra long, but extra, extra funky solo! Love all of the pitch distortions, they add a lot of character to the tune. The string section has a cool tone to it that I think adds a new color to the tune that wasn't present in the A section. The latin feel in the end is pretty damn groovy. Definitely didn't need to be 15 minutes long, but its funky the whole way through, so I really can't hate.
Watermelon Man: This song kind of defines "swag" for me. Or at least my own personal swag. Like I would hope that when people see me walk down the street, they think of this song. If this song were an aura, I would want it. It's just too damn funky. The whistles, the hollers, the guitar, the keys, the bass... it's all just too good. In particular, the A section. I like the B section too, don't get me wrong, those hits are swag, but those opening whistles just got me on lock! I like all sections. It's all fantastic. Swagswagswag. Listen.
Watermelon Man: This song kind of defines "swag" for me. Or at least my own personal swag. Like I would hope that when people see me walk down the street, they think of this song. If this song were an aura, I would want it. It's just too damn funky. The whistles, the hollers, the guitar, the keys, the bass... it's all just too good. In particular, the A section. I like the B section too, don't get me wrong, those hits are swag, but those opening whistles just got me on lock! I like all sections. It's all fantastic. Swagswagswag. Listen.
Album Factoids
Head Hunters
Released: October 13, 1973
Genre: Jazz fusion
Label: Columbia
Producer: Herbie Hancock, Dave Rubinson
ooooh buddy
Released: October 13, 1973
Genre: Jazz fusion
Label: Columbia
Producer: Herbie Hancock, Dave Rubinson
ooooh buddy
Week 36: Herbie Hancock
Oh man, it's time for some Herbie. If you don't already know, Herbie is the man. One of the most influential pianists and just straight up musicians of all time. I've heard my fair share of Herbie, I've even met him and seen him play live on a couple occasions, but Head Hunters will be the first album I've sat down and listened to. I'm also in need for a short album this week, and at 4 songs, this is perfect.
my oldest brother, Taylor, and I with Herbie at a show in DC October 09.
[terrible picture, but its Herbie, so...]
my oldest brother, Taylor, and I with Herbie at a show in DC October 09.
[terrible picture, but its Herbie, so...]
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Monday, June 6, 2011
Final Grade: B
I must say, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked this album after my initial reaction a few months back. Not really the kind of music I listen to on the daily, but I think Flying Lotus really knows what he's doing with his style. I liked how he was able to take different ethnic genres and blend them into his own alien style to create a whole new feel, I thought that was very cool (and not easy to do). I also get why some of this stuff sounds familiar - Adult Swim! I can get down with that. He's also doing the soundtrack for Tim & Eric's Billion Dollar Movie and I am alllllll about that! I can also totally see why he signed my brother to his Brainfeeder label, they're a perfect match! Opening up my mind to different styles... I'll continue to check this brotha out.
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Songs of The Day
RobertaFlack (ft. Dolly): This is a really chill groove - it's got me locked in. Whoever miss Dolly is is also helping with the attraction. I love how mysterious she sounds - very intriguing. Chords on this are pretty sweet. I lovelovelove the behind the beat sixteenth percussion hits though - so much swag. There's just a lot of swag in this beat and I dig it. I do think that swag decreases just a tad when the groove switches up though. It's cool, but I don't dig that heavy synth sound that comes in for about 20 seconds - it just weighs the groove down. Aside from that, really solid track.
SexSlaveShip: This has a very light feel to it that I like, fairly simple. I find the way that FlyLo chopped this song up pretty interesting. Lots of choices that I wouldn't have expected. Aside from that, there's not much I can really say about this track - it kind of just goes by. Not one of the stronger songs on the album, but it holds its own.
Auntie's Harp: Dig the samples on this track, they've got a a very "magical" feel to it. Feel like a fairy godmother's supposed to pop out soon or something. I actually wish this was longer than just an interlude, would have been interesting to see where the track could have gone.
Testament: This groove has got a jazz element to it that I can really get down with. That's probably much thanks to the upright bass used - very cool sound. Ganja Sufi has an interesting voice... I can't understand a single word he's saying, but that actually adds a mysterious appeal to the song that I think works well with the groove. Another intriguing tune; FlyLo has a unique taste in vocalists - dig.
Auntie's Lock/Infinitum (ft Laura Darlington): This is a very soft, subtle FlyLo - an interesting way to end the album. I like that "Infinitum" is the only word, just chopped and screwed. It's all rather hypnotizing actually.
SexSlaveShip: This has a very light feel to it that I like, fairly simple. I find the way that FlyLo chopped this song up pretty interesting. Lots of choices that I wouldn't have expected. Aside from that, there's not much I can really say about this track - it kind of just goes by. Not one of the stronger songs on the album, but it holds its own.
Auntie's Harp: Dig the samples on this track, they've got a a very "magical" feel to it. Feel like a fairy godmother's supposed to pop out soon or something. I actually wish this was longer than just an interlude, would have been interesting to see where the track could have gone.
Testament: This groove has got a jazz element to it that I can really get down with. That's probably much thanks to the upright bass used - very cool sound. Ganja Sufi has an interesting voice... I can't understand a single word he's saying, but that actually adds a mysterious appeal to the song that I think works well with the groove. Another intriguing tune; FlyLo has a unique taste in vocalists - dig.
Auntie's Lock/Infinitum (ft Laura Darlington): This is a very soft, subtle FlyLo - an interesting way to end the album. I like that "Infinitum" is the only word, just chopped and screwed. It's all rather hypnotizing actually.
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