It's the Supersound

Below is the latest edition of our weekly feature, Stuck On Repeat. The premise is simple, we’ve asked all our contributors to submit one track and a brief write-up. The track can be new or it can be old, just whatever we could not stop listening to this week. These are the songs we’ve had Stuck On Repeat.

:: selected by: V :: Saint Etienne – Stranger In Paradise

Saint Etienne have an interesting catalog that in earlier days, depending on whom you asked, felt either somewhat disjointed, or very progressive. Their style is mostly defined by the spirit of ’60s soul and acid house, but at various points in their career they’ve veered into syrupy pop territory. I never much cared for that side of the band, preferring the dancier end of their spectrum. Looking back from where we are now in music though, it’s their sweeter moments that were their most influential. “Stranger In Paradise” off their second LP So Tough is that unmistakable brand of windswept and sullen that has come to define modern dream pop. It is in fact their fractured style which made Saint Etienne so progressive. Blonde Redhead and Beach House come to mind.

:: selected by: BryanB :: Tyler, the Creator – Analog (Featuring Hodgy Beats)

So ya, Goblin leaked and it’s varied at best. It’s worst bits are leaden and too character obsessed, and there’s a glut of truly unnecessary profanity and expletives that seems like a juvenile crutch, until you realize that Tyler, the Creator and his crew are like 19-years-old and the fact that anything of substance, and even more so, some excellent songs, find their way through a sea of sex acts and insults is truly an achievement. “Analog” is my immediate favorite, a Scott Peterson-esque fantasy that appears to be about the male lead luring a girl to the lake with promises of snacks and skinny dipping, only to allude that something far more sinister will happen before nightfall. There’s a melodic and warm tone to Tyler’s flow that even his demon pitched vocal production and his “hard” exterior can’t hide. It’s that youthful delivery and vivid imagination that makes “Analog” come across less like a document of a demented and disturbed rapper and more like a scene from a B-movie slasher flick complete with sparklers and a naive skinny dipping young girl and Tyler’s character darting his eyes, scoping for any witnesses.

:: selected by: Moneyworth :: Holy Other – Touch

When I initially came across this song by Manchester producer Holy Other on a blog which shall remain anonymous, the writer said that he has a “penchant for taking contemporary R&B and draining it of all its passion and all its sexual signifiers”. This is stupid. “Touch” sounds hauntingly hollow in places, full of empty corners between which ghostly echoes slowly float. A guttural bassline growls amid wailing synth bloops. But “Touch” is in no way sexless or passionless; I don’t even think that dude listened to the last 1:15. It’s ghost sex. And it’s fucking hot.

:: selected by: Jams Dean :: Lady “A” Assassin – Bad Girls Club (Antheme)

Lady “A” Assassin is from Chicago, but guessing by her twitter, she is currently getting her degree on down in Urbana. I saw her name on a flyer with Dave Coresh so I gave her a listen. The concert is in the college town, which is too bad for me because based on the intensity of both of these rappers, that’s gonna be a heavy night and I’m not currently the owner of any wheels. “Bad Girls Club” has the kind of aggression that makes me want to punch people and burn stuff. I love this, it’s all hype all the way, and Lady A has so much attitude you can hear her voice growl. I hope college kids get nuts to this.

Below is the latest edition of our weekly feature, Stuck On Repeat. The premise is simple, we’ve asked all our contributors to submit one track and a brief write-up. The track can be new or it can be old, just whatever we could not stop listening to this week. These are the songs we’ve had Stuck On Repeat.

:: selected by: V :: Creedance Clearwater Revival – Run Through the Jungle (LeSale’s Satanic Edit)

Finding a standout remix of a classic rock track is like searching for a polar bear at the beach. Either you find a decent remix of a predictable hit (the Fleetwood Mac catalog seems to never go out of style) or a string of disasters that would have rock’s greatest names rolling over in their gold record lined graves (such as and for example). Digging around SoundCloud last week, I stumbled onto a remix of Creedance Clearwater Revival’s “Run Through The Jungle”, which happens to be my favorite track from my favorite classic rock band. It’s by an Austrian disco producer named LeSale (Sammy Jenkins) and sounds straight out of an Optimo set. It’s a very astute tweak of the original track, subtly reimagined as a wonderfully psychedelic chase scene. It’s one of those tracks so good that you want to hide it away as your secret weapon. But I suck at keeping secrets, so here you go.

:: selected by: BryanB :: Timber Timbre – Black Water

Why is it so shitty and cold out, still? Dark skies and freezing rain and it’s April?! Ridiculous. Montreal’s Timber Timbre is in the same mindset, and “Black Water”, the centerpiece of their new album, Creep On Creepin On’, sets a resigned but optimistic tone. “All I need is some sunshine”, like some stumbling, lost soul, still unreleased from winter’s black clenched grip. There’s a maddening, lonely and wounded tone to the vocals, as if the blessed rays of light will save us all. I’m praying…

:: selected by: Moneyworth :: Olin – Another 1

I think everyone can agree that Ja Rule is not cool to like and probably never was. One time I saw his daughter on an episode of Run’s House and all I could think was, thank god this girl’s growing up rich because at age, like, eight she looked like Ja Rule with pigtails. (Guess she’s not so much growing up rich anyway.) Thus, Ashanti tends to get forgotten about or underrated by association, which is totally unfortunate for her because she truly had some jams, and she actually managed to make Ja Rule sound decent sometimes (see: “Mesmerize,” “Always On Time,” “What’s Luv”). I’d forgotten about 2002′s “Foolish” until I came across Olin and Free Magic’s The Tite EP this week. It’s…TITE. Free Magic’s “So Fo Real” samples Soul For Real’s “Candy Rain,” and it’s fantastic, but my favorite is Olin’s “Another 1,” sampling “Foolish” as well as a Biggie grunt from “Fuck You Tonight”. It’s so simple and so perfect, and has catalyzed something of an Ashanti appreciation week for me, and in turn reminded me of how in “Baby” she says the filthiest line ever, “Get on my knees til they bloody red.” Yikes. The Tite EP is available for free here.

:: selected by: Jams Dean :: Chuck L.I. – No Worries (prod. Stefan Ponce)

Last Tuesday I went to Evil Olive for Jasson Perez of BBU’s birthday. Evil Olive doesn’t always present itself as an inviting atmosphere because its all dark and creepy. This particular night was different. It seemed like the place to be if you listen to rap music being made in Chicago. A big reason for that is due to Chuck L.I. who took the stage around midnight for a short, punching set. Chuck has a great voice, and I found myself leaning in to try and catch every word, which can be tricky. When he performed “No Worries,” the breakdown sounded huge. The links I found for his mixtape were expired but apparently he has an EP coming out soon. I looked back and realized I found him as the guest rapper on Dave Coresh’s ridiculously hard “Breathe” which is a biting song that literally features spitting spit. I’m really liking the rap music that’s happening around here. I feel good about Chicago right now.

Below is the latest edition of our weekly feature, Stuck On Repeat. The premise is simple, we’ve asked all our contributors to submit one track and a brief write-up. The track can be new or it can be old, just whatever we could not stop listening to this week. These are the songs we’ve had Stuck On Repeat.

:: selected by: V :: Creedance Clearwater Revival – Run Through the Jungle (LeSale’s Satanic Edit)

Finding a standout remix of a classic rock track is like searching for a polar bear at the beach. Either you find a decent remix of a predictable hit (the Fleetwood Mac catalog seems to never go out of style) or a string of disasters that would have rock’s greatest names rolling over in their gold record lined graves (such as and for example). Digging around SoundCloud last week, I stumbled onto a remix of Creedance Clearwater Revival’s “Run Through The Jungle”, which happens to be my favorite track from my favorite classic rock band. It’s by an Austrian disco producer named LeSale (Sammy Jenkins) and sounds straight out of an Optimo set. It’s a very astute tweak of the original track, subtly reimagined as a wonderfully psychedelic chase scene. It’s one of those tracks so good that you want to hide it away as your secret weapon. But I suck at keeping secrets, so here you go.

:: selected by: BryanB :: Timber Timbre – Black Water

Why is it so shitty and cold out, still? Dark skies and freezing rain and it’s April?! Ridiculous. Montreal’s Timber Timbre is in the same mindset, and “Black Water”, the centerpiece of their new album, Creep On Creepin On’, sets a resigned but optimistic tone. “All I need is some sunshine”, like some stumbling, lost soul, still unreleased from winter’s black clenched grip. There’s a maddening, lonely and wounded tone to the vocals, as if the blessed rays of light will save us all. I’m praying…

:: selected by: Moneyworth :: Olin – Another 1

I think everyone can agree that Ja Rule is not cool to like and probably never was. One time I saw his daughter on an episode of Run’s House and all I could think was, thank god this girl’s growing up rich because at age, like, eight she looked like Ja Rule with pigtails. (Guess she’s not so much growing up rich anyway.) Thus, Ashanti tends to get forgotten about or underrated by association, which is totally unfortunate for her because she truly had some jams, and she actually managed to make Ja Rule sound decent sometimes (see: “Mesmerize,” “Always On Time,” “What’s Luv”). I’d forgotten about 2002′s “Foolish” until I came across Olin and Free Magic’s The Tite EP this week. It’s…TITE. Free Magic’s “So Fo Real” samples Soul For Real’s “Candy Rain,” and it’s fantastic, but my favorite is Olin’s “Another 1,” sampling “Foolish” as well as a Biggie grunt from “Fuck You Tonight”. It’s so simple and so perfect, and has catalyzed something of an Ashanti appreciation week for me, and in turn reminded me of how in “Baby” she says the filthiest line ever, “Get on my knees til they bloody red.” Yikes. The Tite EP is available for free here.

:: selected by: Jams Dean :: Chuck L.I. – No Worries (prod. Stefan Ponce)

Last Tuesday I went to Evil Olive for Jasson Perez of BBU’s birthday. Evil Olive doesn’t always present itself as an inviting atmosphere because its all dark and creepy. This particular night was different. It seemed like the place to be if you listen to rap music being made in Chicago. A big reason for that is due to Chuck L.I. who took the stage around midnight for a short, punching set. Chuck has a great voice, and I found myself leaning in to try and catch every word, which can be tricky. When he performed “No Worries,” the breakdown sounded huge. The links I found for his mixtape were expired but apparently he has an EP coming out soon. I looked back and realized I found him as the guest rapper on Dave Coresh’s ridiculously hard “Breathe” which is a biting song that literally features spitting spit. I’m really liking the rap music that’s happening around here. I feel good about Chicago right now.

The marriage of light and dark is the most dynamic of relationships. Two polar opposites existing together, find balance in the space between their extremes. Harsh layers of reverb are softened by the gossamer voiced Linda Jarvis on Young Silence, the debut EP from newcomer duo Echo Lake. With the fury of an approaching storm and the romantic calm of its aftermath combined into one, Echo Lake produce a cloud of thunderous black drone carried across the sky by the wings of an angel.

Young Silence will be released February 15 via the excellent No Pain In Pop.

Echo Lake – In Dreams

Echo Lake – Young Silence

The marriage of light and dark is the most dynamic of relationships. Two polar opposites existing together, find balance in the space between their extremes. Harsh layers of reverb are softened by the gossamer voiced Linda Jarvis on Young Silence, the debut EP from newcomer duo Echo Lake. With the fury of an approaching storm and the romantic calm of its aftermath combined into one, Echo Lake produce a cloud of thunderous black drone carried across the sky by the wings of an angel.

Young Silence will be released February 15 via the excellent No Pain In Pop.

Echo Lake – In Dreams

Echo Lake – Young Silence

Below is the latest edition of our weekly feature, Stuck On Repeat. The premise is simple, we’ve asked all our contributors to submit one track and a brief write-up. The track can be new or it can be old, just whatever we could not stop listening to this week. These are the songs we’ve had Stuck On Repeat.

:: selected by: V :: Monyaka – Go Deh Yaka

I’ve been suffering from disco overload. Coupled with too much Prince, the affect has been a newly discovered interest in old funk. Monyaka were a funk group based out of LA in the early ’80s, headed up by one Errol Moore on guitar. “Go Deh Yaka” from 1983 is a disco reggae cut that is infused with the sound of Brooklyn in the late ’70s. I honestly had never heard anything quite like this when I came across this track on YouTube. It’s a great example of the influence of the Jamaican sound system culture; familiar sounds, slipped into a different skin.

:: selected by: BryanB :: Jamie Grind (ft. Hackman) – Saw the Light

I don’t know what the hell people are labeling things these days and frankly I don’t care, but I have been liking the new Jamie Grind Footwork EP all week because it reminds me of the flash-in-the-pan garage/2-step crews V and I used to listen to obsessively in college together. There’s some updated bits like the corkscrewed synths and the pitched vocals which are kinda like Scuba or Skream, but honestly this is taking me right back to 2000 and I am liking it more with each listen.

:: selected by: Jams Dean :: The Blood Brothers – Love Rhymes With Hideous Car Wreck

The Blood Brothers are a band that I occasionally forget about because no one talks about them anymore, but when I am reminded of them I feel my spine straighten. The Blood Brothers were shrill and venomous, not in the fantastical sense but in the capitalistic, cannibalistic sense. Other bands aimed to take post-hardcore to some ethereal, angelic metal-meets-U2 thing in the rush to capitalize on the surge of kids wearing skinny black jeans in the 00′s, but not The Blood Brothers. They kept crippling anxiety and its release as their first and second priority, making things dangerous and stomach-curdling. I re-found this song this week, and the tone resonated with me more than anything else I have heard so far this year. I hope somewhere, sometime soon, bands like this will still make music like this.

:: selected by: Moneyworth :: Lumidee – Never Leave You

Jamie xx threw this track into the end of his recent mix for BBC Radio 1 and I was like, “Oh no you didn’t Jamie XX!” Remember this shit? It’s from 2003 and it’s next level. Pretty soon, you guys, early ’2000s nostalgia is going to happen and it’s going to be weird but I think it will be awesome. I’m looking through the Wikipedia page for the Billboard Hot 100 for the year 2003. We’ve got “In Da Club” and “Ignition” at the top—classic—and a whole bunch of Nelly and Beyonce and fucking “Cry Me A River” and Fabolous and that dope ass song “No Letting Go” by Wayne Wonder. I mean, there’s also some Puddle of Mudd on there but damn, that’s a pretty solid list. I’m down for the revival, bring back the St. Lunatics and Ashanti. Anyway, I’m not sure Lumidee ever capitalized on “Never Leave You”, her biggest hit, but Lumidee, if you’re out there, I’m totally supportive of your comeback.