Friday, July 22, 2011
Songs of The Day
You Hid: "Talamak" smoothly transitioned into this tune, and I dug it. Not to mention this groove is extra chill (it's the slowest yet) - extra dig. The guitar part is really sweet on this one - I love how staccato it is. It's got a nice ease to it as well. This kind of sounds like you're laying out on the beach, just letting your mind drift (that sounds so perfect right about now). Sweet synth solo at the end, not to mention the awesome short build in dynamics at the end. Solid.
Low Shoulders: I'm really liking the piano on this one - it gives the groove a happier feel than most of those before it. Another super catchy groove, gets your body swaying (I wonder if the people on this train think I'm a weirdo with all my moving...). One thing that I love about this groove in particular is that it gets funkier as the song progresses, and I'm all about songs building. Nice to hear a female voice, adds a new color to the tune. Really funky. Really dig this one.
Causers of This: I'm rather surprised by this tune. It's the title, and final track (not including the bonus track, which wasn't on the original release) yet it's by far my least favorite. When I was first jotting down my notes on this tune, I had to restart the song about 3 or 4 times, because I got distracted by other things going on around me, which hadn't occurred with the previous tunes. I think it's a little too cluttered. I do dig the hits of late 80s/early 90s pop swag that's sprinkled in every now and again. I would have preferred to end on "Low Shoulders."
Low Shoulders: I'm really liking the piano on this one - it gives the groove a happier feel than most of those before it. Another super catchy groove, gets your body swaying (I wonder if the people on this train think I'm a weirdo with all my moving...). One thing that I love about this groove in particular is that it gets funkier as the song progresses, and I'm all about songs building. Nice to hear a female voice, adds a new color to the tune. Really funky. Really dig this one.
Causers of This: I'm rather surprised by this tune. It's the title, and final track (not including the bonus track, which wasn't on the original release) yet it's by far my least favorite. When I was first jotting down my notes on this tune, I had to restart the song about 3 or 4 times, because I got distracted by other things going on around me, which hadn't occurred with the previous tunes. I think it's a little too cluttered. I do dig the hits of late 80s/early 90s pop swag that's sprinkled in every now and again. I would have preferred to end on "Low Shoulders."
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Songs of The Day
Fax Shadow: I thought "Lissoms" had a heavy Flying Lotus feel... this one is just straight FlyLo. I dig it, but FlyLo does this swag better. The samples Toro y Moi has going on here are pretty cool, I especially dig the vocal samples, but at times it seems a little too chopped and screwed (it makes it a little difficult to focus on the subject of the song). I like the vocal melody (as much of it as you can hear) - it's got a very sweet feel to it that I dig. The mellow breakdown at the end is very cool - and needed - and the ending jazz keys really make for a nice final touch.
Thanks Vision: This beat actually reminds me of something off of the Foreign Exchange album, Authenticity, that I reviewed a couple weeks back - I dig it. It's got a catchy 80s pop feel that I dig. I like that the beat has a floating feel to it, while still carrying weight with the back beat. The slowed down part at the end kind of threw me off and got me a little confused, but it was a good kind of confusion. Solid.
Freak Love: There's a cool wave-like motion going on with the samples on this one, which I like, but at times seems a little too much. It makes it hard to focus on some other elements of the beat. I can't understand anything he's saying aside from the hook "I do believe in freak love" and that's fucking awesome. Kudos. I like the groove switch up in the middle - I felt like it was going to go into a completely different feel, just to return to the original groove, and I thought that was pretty cool. Cool tune.
Talamak: Now this is a super catchy groove. It seems like it's the most "radio-friendly" of the tracks, but in the best way possible. Dig the flute sample going on, makes me feel like I'm in spring. This actually seems to be the song with the most prevalent vocals - it's a nice balance. The chopped feel on this one is done very tastefully, and not overdone like "Fax Shadow." Breakdown at the end is sweet. Dig it.
Thanks Vision: This beat actually reminds me of something off of the Foreign Exchange album, Authenticity, that I reviewed a couple weeks back - I dig it. It's got a catchy 80s pop feel that I dig. I like that the beat has a floating feel to it, while still carrying weight with the back beat. The slowed down part at the end kind of threw me off and got me a little confused, but it was a good kind of confusion. Solid.
Freak Love: There's a cool wave-like motion going on with the samples on this one, which I like, but at times seems a little too much. It makes it hard to focus on some other elements of the beat. I can't understand anything he's saying aside from the hook "I do believe in freak love" and that's fucking awesome. Kudos. I like the groove switch up in the middle - I felt like it was going to go into a completely different feel, just to return to the original groove, and I thought that was pretty cool. Cool tune.
Talamak: Now this is a super catchy groove. It seems like it's the most "radio-friendly" of the tracks, but in the best way possible. Dig the flute sample going on, makes me feel like I'm in spring. This actually seems to be the song with the most prevalent vocals - it's a nice balance. The chopped feel on this one is done very tastefully, and not overdone like "Fax Shadow." Breakdown at the end is sweet. Dig it.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Songs of The Day
Blessa: So as I'm listening to these songs, I'm finding that Toro y Moi's production comes first, and his vocals come second. And you know what? I'm down with that. He has a decent voice, it fits well with the style he's put himself in, but it's really about the grooves on this one. This is pretty solid opener. I dig the disconnect in the beginning between all the parts, and then they fall right into place into a pretty solid groove. Definitely catchy. Dig the pitch bending that goes on occasionally - very cool. There's a really interesting "floating" feel this groove has to it, which I like - kind of takes you away. I was a little thrown off by the groove switch towards the end, simply because it seemed kind of spastic, but then it evened out and I dug it, not to mention it made for a cool transition into the next song. Solid.
Minors: This groove is much heavier than the previous, but that's what I like about it. The backbeat gives it a lot of weight, but the effects on the other sounds sound so light - I dig the juxtaposition. His vocals are much more in the background than the previous, but that doesn't really make a difference to me. I like the mellowness of the verses, they sound very sweet. Dig the breakdown, it balances mellow and hype very well. This is the type of song you just kick back and let your mind drift to. Dig.
Imprint: When the groove started on this one, I dug it, but I didn't think it was as good as the previous. I liked the piano, but there was something off that wasn't doing anything for me. That all changed with the beat dropped. Solid, solid headbanger on this one. Really dig the synth line on this one. Love the use of vocal echoes in the groove. It's got a hip hop feel that the previous don't have that I really like. The piano sounds so much better to me when it comes back in the end - funny how that happens. It's just all around solid.
Lissoms: This is the first vocal-free tune on the track, and it's pretty good. Although, I must say having his voice does add a nice lil something to the grooves (even if it's not doing much, it's still an element). I like the backbeat and the cut time that goes on in the beginning. It has more of a standard electronic feel to it, but that's kind of what holds me back on this one. Has a Flying Lotus flare to it that I like. Decent, but my least favorite of the day.
Minors: This groove is much heavier than the previous, but that's what I like about it. The backbeat gives it a lot of weight, but the effects on the other sounds sound so light - I dig the juxtaposition. His vocals are much more in the background than the previous, but that doesn't really make a difference to me. I like the mellowness of the verses, they sound very sweet. Dig the breakdown, it balances mellow and hype very well. This is the type of song you just kick back and let your mind drift to. Dig.
Imprint: When the groove started on this one, I dug it, but I didn't think it was as good as the previous. I liked the piano, but there was something off that wasn't doing anything for me. That all changed with the beat dropped. Solid, solid headbanger on this one. Really dig the synth line on this one. Love the use of vocal echoes in the groove. It's got a hip hop feel that the previous don't have that I really like. The piano sounds so much better to me when it comes back in the end - funny how that happens. It's just all around solid.
Lissoms: This is the first vocal-free tune on the track, and it's pretty good. Although, I must say having his voice does add a nice lil something to the grooves (even if it's not doing much, it's still an element). I like the backbeat and the cut time that goes on in the beginning. It has more of a standard electronic feel to it, but that's kind of what holds me back on this one. Has a Flying Lotus flare to it that I like. Decent, but my least favorite of the day.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Album Factoids
Causers Of This
Released: January 4, 2010
Genre: Electropop
Label: Carpark Records
Producer: Toro y Moi
Chazwick Bundick (interesting name...)
Released: January 4, 2010
Genre: Electropop
Label: Carpark Records
Producer: Toro y Moi
Chazwick Bundick (interesting name...)
Week 42: Toro y Moi
This weeks recommendation comes from my girl, Samie. She played me a video of this band a couple weeks ago, and I dug it. Then later I found out that they're performing at the Outside Lands music festival in San Francisco that I'm going to next month, so I figured it'd be a good idea to check them out beforehand. I haven't done a lot of alternative music yet, so I'm excited about stepping away from my normal kind of selection.
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Final Grade: A
So, Taylor has given me 3 of my 4 "grade A" albums - can he do me wrong?? This album is really fantastic, not a single song I don't like. The grooves are very prominent, and there's not a lackluster on the whole thing. He is really great at making sure the groove had movement to it, which I really liked. I was very impressed by the integration of horns and strings in the songs - it was all very tasteful and always appropriate, not to mention funky as fuck. Verocai also proved that he is a master at dynamics. There was so much build in the songs, which was usually contrasted by a much softer, more mellow feel, and I always dug it. This for sure has just become one of my go-tos!
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