Good Music #4
This week is a small look at what I had in my headphones playing walking around working and drawing this week.
A new design coming soon! I’m starting to do more black and white 1-3 color designs for ease of me pulling my own prints starting in December! Some exciting stuff coming up in the future and super excited to start designing more line art/simple color stuff.
Here's a little preview of the one I'm developing...
Anyway, to start this week off here are a couple songs I listened to while I was developing the latest design.
I want to start first with, thank you guys so much for reading this blog and following the playlist I think you will find some good ones to add to your own library. Without further ado, Week 4 starts with some mellow stuff.
47."Gramatik -The Prophet"
This song gets me going in the creative process. Since 2007 or 2008 I’ve been a fan of Gramatik. Growing up I was exposed to trip-hop and experimental sampled “electronica” music from the 90s -00s (i.e.: Deep Forest - Boheme album in particular, Fatboy slim, The Orb- Little Fluffy Clouds) when borrowing my dad’s iPod. I distinctly remember hearing this playlist called “Run.” This genre would form a new filing cabinet in my mind that I would try to find more music to fill the drawers with.
This genre for the filing cabinet has a hip-hop sound with a sample or two and is easy to listen to. Gramatik’s SB1 & SB2 are filled with good music to tap into a creative space. It’s great to listen to at high volumes in noise cancelling headphones or just in the background. My mind works better when instruments are playing in my ears.
Off the two SB1 & SB2 albums, this one is my favorite featuring the sample from “Marvin Gaye’s - Inner City Blues.” Check it out and Gramatik’s other stuff he’s a pioneer of this sub-genre of electronica music.
48. "Maverick Sabre- Drifting"
This song is another one that comes on and I have to run it back. This guy is an English artist that has a very unique sound. It’s an electronic take on R&B. He has an interesting tone & sound.
The use of guitars in his music is cool too it gives us that electronic sound with keyboards, but the bass lines, drums, and guitars are all played by humans. The way they master the tracks he puts out is pleasing to your ear and doesn’t sound too much like “robot music”
Often times when English artists sing you can’t really tell they have an accent. But this guy manages to sing soulful music, but you can still tell he’s British! I really like that. It’s different. His number 3 and 5 songs on his “popular” list on his Spotify profile are excellent (so if you are reading this for real... there’s two more gems from him!)
Give him a listen you’ll either hate it or love it. Personally, I love it.
This is live version you'll get the electronic feel with the one featured on the playlist at the bottom of the post.
49. "SiR - D’Evils"
This song is just so smooth. I’m so glad people are still making R&B music. This is 100% a song you can have the window down and stick your arm out of the window of your car and hand surf right above your side mirror. It’s nice to walk around with music like this in your headphones when everybody is just “GO, Go, Go!” all the time. The song includes a sample from '80s reggae star Billy Boyo’s “One Spliff a Day.”
It gives you no choice to but slow down. He captures your attention with the harmonies and the pianos, but it has enough get up and go to keep you walking and trucking along.
This is the type of song where when somebody holds the door for you, you make prayer hands and silently lip “thank you.” to them without taking your sunglasses off. Moving through the busy people like an agile jellyfish. You’re on your own time. Humble, but on your own time.
50."Masego- Navajo"
This song sounded pretty cool right after the last one. I wanted to stay in the R&B Smooth sound for a little bit longer. It’s an example living in the genre without going full on Jodeci or Silk and staying away from the new sounding radio noise were constantly plagued with.
The song is about heartbreak and his partner finding herself farther and farther away from the person she once was. The coolest thing about this guy is he plays all the saxophone you hear in is music.
This is another one for tasks and/or walking places or jamming on the creative stuff.
51."Greyhounds - Get Away Clean"
This guy’s voice on this track is excellent with the instruments. I like that his voice sounds like a record you might have found in your parent's attic that was an incredible find...the one everyone except you... knew existed and was awesome. For me I hear this song and immediately go
“Yup... I’ll take that one as well...”
The guitar playing, his voice/tone and vocal progressions really do it for me in this song. It feels so much older than it is. I love when artists have a nostalgic sound from a different era of time in music. If you told me that song was made in the late 70s, I wouldn’t even argue.
52. "Johnny Lang - Walking Away"
This song features an incredible guitar player Johnny Lang. His blues style and voice are pretty cool to listen to. The story in the lyrics is pretty depressing. But the song doesn’t sound too sad which makes me feel like it’s the beginning of rebuilding if you need that I’m your life this week. Whether it be toxic relationships or just some vices you’ve held on to. Start off on the right step, good foot forward and walk away to make yourself better...He plays and sings with so much emotion.
Check out how hard he rips a Telecaster it's actually pretty insane to watch after you hear it.
53. "Robin Trower - Hannah"
“Hannah” must’ve been a pretty unforgettable woman. This song was made in the very primitive stages of British “metal” and “heavy rock”. Once again cannot get enough of Robin Trower’s Stratocaster it’s just good music.
The three-piece band once again sounds pretty full and the bass guitar is slowly chugging down the tracks the entire song. Not to mention the solo is classic Trower as well.
54. "Black Belt Eagle Scout-Soft Stud"
The indie genre has many artists comparable to this group. This song fit pretty well sound wise after the crunchy full sounding guitar to try to ease into indie... I’m sure there’s many other ways to DJ the playlist but I liked how this fit.
Katherine Paul a.k.a Black Belt Eagle Scout grew up in the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community on the Puget Sound in Washington.
“Her interest in the guitar and drums began when she came into the possession of some bootleg VHS tapes of Hole and Nirvana, from which she taught herself to play those two instruments by pausing the tapes and studying the musicians’ fingerings and techniques.” - Wikipedia
I honestly couldn’t have said that any better. I can comment on the sound though. I can see her influences being Courtney love with the guitars and a strong woman lead. If you haven’t listened to Hole it’s worth a listen to, their album “Celebrity Skin” is a good baseline for their sound in my opinion, but you can see the context and where she may have gotten some of her influence.
55. "Dead Gaze- This Big World"
Such a cool song. I found this in a John John, Mitch Coleborn, and Chippa Wilson part in the "Lost Atlas" video... (which is a surf film up there with "Modern Collective"... a no brainer for best surf movies of our time... look up who's in it you'll agree.) They are just boosting airs and making it look like child's play. After seeing some of those airs easily stomped by those dudes, it makes you auto-respond out loud with a monotoned:
"Damn Daniel..."
I heard this song back it 2010 probably and loved it ever since it reminds me of a world in filmed with a Super 8 doing hood rat things with your hood rat friends.
Here's the part in the Video its worth a watch to take a break from reading if you need a reason to get in the water... Below is the guys doing it live !
56. "SPINN- After Dark"
I found this song on a surf rock playlist and really appreciated the dream pop sound they have and brought to the playlist.
57. "Tame Impala - New Person, Same Old Mistakes."
Tame Impala is just somebody you guys have to listen to. The keyboard and synth in this song sounds to me like "fragile falling water on crystals" I guess why they call this sub-genre psychedelic rock... haha
These Australian group was introduced to me by a good friend Chris @christopher_sell (a.k.a Sell-Bod) back in 2011. They have a few that SLAP but this one is my favorite by far. Their early albums "Lonerism" and "innerspeaker" contain some really solid tracks as well.
They are worth a gander and if not the very least this song is worth an add if Psychedelic Rock/ Indie is up your alley. ________________________________________________________________________
Thank you guys again for tuning into the playlist (embedded below) and supporting and showing love to the brand. Your unwavering support means so much to us. Once again, you get a glimpse into the side behind the brand to understand the art a little better... I think. If you don't get that from these blog posts well... at least you get some good music.
With much love and so much gratitude,
-J
