PUYL Favorite Video: Baths - Lovely Bloodflow

Lovely Bloodflow from BATHS

Alright, this one is actually a couple years old, but I only recently discovered Baths, and I was instantly hooked.  There is something about scenes of tranquil green forest that captivates me.  I feel like I'm supposed to hold my breath so as not to disturb the peace and serenity.  At the same time, the greenery is a sign that life is thriving.  As the wounded warrior staggers through the woods we don't know how he sustained his injuries.  The pulsing drums and dark melody follow him on his final steps while strange white figures observe him from a distance, their intentions unknown.  After he falls and begins to emit a ghostly blue smoke from his wounds, they seemingly heal him by reversing the flow.  It appears he is saved, yet they drag him away and leave him for an encounter with another figure.  My favorite part of the song comes at this point where, around 2:34, a few notes of harsh distortion are immediately followed by a gentle piano riff.  The man is now alert but underwater, apparently meeting his end.  The creature inhales his last breath and the forest returns to as it was, with only a few remnants of his disruption.

PUYL Favorite Video: Flying Lotus - Putty Boy Strut

Flying Lotus - Putty Boy Strut

Flying Lotus has always been one to push boundaries.  Preceding the release of his fourth album, Until The Quiet Comes, FlyLo put out a short film which gave fans a first chance to hear a handful of songs from the album in the setting of a rather dark, yet theatric video.  After seeing that, I wasn't sure what to expect from Putty Boy Strut.  Because my first view of the video also gave me my first listen of the song, I was initially struck by the frenetic and urgent pace.  The viewing experience is enhanced by the robots clapping along to the beat and reacting to sound changes.  I feel like I am visiting a Seussian machine world devoid of intelligent life.  The inhabitants are constantly consuming and destroying things around them... until the quiet comes and the song culminates with a symbol of the beauty of change.

PUYL FAVORITES 2012 & Video: xxyyxx - About You

Another great year of music is winding down, and I have continued to lag behind on passing it along to you.  I figured I'd do something ambitious to make up for it and to try and catch you up to speed.  For the rest of the month, Push Up Ya Lighter will be featuring my favorite music from the past year.  The plan is to write a new post each day to highlight what was so great about 2012.  I'll share my three favorite music videos, new artists, and albums; along with some honorable mentions.  In addition, I'll close out the calendar with my top 10 favorite songs in the chronological order they were released.  Hopefully I can make the time to stay on schedule and then use that momentum to get a good start to 2013.  After all, as long as the music keeps playing, I'll still be listening.  Let's get started...

XXYYXX - About You [directed by VASH]

When this video first came out, I went through about a two week period where I would watch it every single night before I fell asleep.  While listening, my breathing falls in sync with the slowly shifting chords.  The sparse drum kicks and nearly unintelligible vocal samples are not at all overbearing and merely serve to complement the main melody.  Seeing the girls in the video push up their lighters is relaxing in its own right, and by the time the song gets a little wild, I'm essentially already asleep.

Zion I x J.Period - Bomb First (Mixtape)

I watched Rush Hour 2 the other day.  100% of the reason I watched it was because of this scene.  I know this is a music blog, but I'd argue that that scene tops Chris Tucker's karaoke performance.  Anyways, I also noticed that since it was 2001, Tucker casually refers to people and things as 'da bomb' which unfortunately has gone out of style.  If you've read this far into the post, I'm guessing it's because you knew exactly which scenes I was referring to and you wanted to watch them and then see where I'm going with this.  I want to convey the excitement of shared interests.  It's always fun when someone expresses interest in things that you enjoy.  Long time collaborators Zion I and J.Period linked up for a warm up mixtape to Zion I's upcoming album release.  I had heard the Zion I x Little Dragon Remix earlier this week so my expectations were already set high.  I wasn't expecting them to produce a stellar tape made up almost entirely of my current favorite artists.  Not only are the features and samples amazing, never before have I heard such a varied mixtape.  We get remixes, added features from Zion I, samples with new verses, samples mixed with old verses, and straight, unadulterated hip-hop.  I was really blown away by the selections so I think it's fair to call it da bomb.

There are tracks by previous Push Up Ya Lighter post stars such as SBTRKT and Little Dragon, Blu, Danny Brown, and Curren$y.  I would be willing to bet lots of Curren$y A$AP that my most played list from the past few months contains the particular songs included here by Kendrick Lamar, Theophilus London, Azealia Banks, Frank Ocean, and Action Bronson.  And of course, there are nods to some of hip-hop's legends as J.Period mixes in verses and instrumentals from The Roots, Andre 3000, Nas, and MF Doom.  Hell, even the interludes are interesting!  Normally those are an instant skip but this time we get a vocal sample of Morgan Freeman from the show, Through The Wormhole.  And Lights is sampled!  That alone should be enough to hit DOWNLOAD.

Stream the uncut mix above and click the download link for a zipped file of the separate tracks.

Chiddy Bang - Paper & Plastic

This is a little old, but I'm still playing catch up on sharing some great tunes.  Chiddy Bang was one of those groups that was super exciting when they first popped.  Xaphoon Jones helped push the boundaries of hip-hop sampling by digging up indie rock music as opposed to traditional soul and R&B records.  He also adds his signature 'bleeps' and 'bloops' to most of his tracks.  His partner, Chiddy, is well known for his freestyle skills and clever delivery and word play.  That's why they're good.

In my opinion, they kind of fell off after all that initial hype.  After the brilliance of The Swelly Express, their subsequent mixtapes and EP's were a noticeable step down in quality.  Their debut album, Breakfast, also left much to be desired.  It may have had a little to do with the novelty of their style wearing off with time, but I feel that their energy level was decreased.  It seemed like they were going through the motions of what worked before, but with less fervor.

A few months ago they collaborated with Champs Sports and Converse on a project to produce an exclusive new track.  They involved fans by starting with a little audience participation:

Basically, they held a contest where people sent in refrigerator magnet poems and they based the writing process for the new song off the winner, "Ladies like the sandwich party captain".  Alright. There's still nothing new for them here.  It's the same style of production and the same style of rapping, except I really like it.  Using outside inspiration could have sparked a new energy level.  Or maybe since all their mediocre releases have food themes, looking outside the fridge was a step in the right direction.

The Underachievers

A reawakening is happening.  This time last year, I was most excited about the up-and-coming rappers out of the Pacific Northwest, but 2012 is unveiling some very refreshing new talent, and they are coming from the cradle of hip-hop, New York City.  A few months ago we saw Joey Bada$$ and his Pro Era Crew start to gain traction in the blogosphere.  I feel like when you can earn the respect of the Internet, being the fickle and fleeting fans they are, you've given yourself a good chance for success.  He has also drawn attention from a variety of fellow artists, so that is legitimizing as well.  Real recognize real, right?

Another young Brooklyn group, The Underachievers, are more than deserving of a spot in the limelight just because they shine bright, and they rhyme tight.  Check out their first music video:

Download: The Underachievers - Gold Soul Theory

Their name originated as a disparaging label which they are seeking to repossess and empower.  It isn't hard to imagine, however, that even the duo might feel a little bit of truth in their name given the fact that they grew up on the streets that produced some of the most important artists of all time.  Hopefully, that is plenty of motivation to stay dedicated to their craft and to continue to push the genre forward.  Ak and Dash clearly draw a lot of inspiration from their hip-hop predecessors, as well as from more experimental artists such as Flying Lotus, and, of course, they use plenty of herbal assistance:

Download: The Underachievers - Herb Shuttles

Their trippy visuals, gloomy beats, and focused rhymes combine to make a strong case for why they claim the East Coast is the Beast Coast.  Their first mixtape, INDIGOI.S.M., will be released next week on Tuesday.

Glare (Mixtape)

CAUTION: Don't stare at the album art for too long without eye protection.

I've had this playlist ready for quite a while, but I'm just now getting around to sharing it with everyone.  I named it Glare, and it's a collection of songs with that summertime feel.  I realize the season is winding down, that's why I felt like I should release it to bring a little brightness to your days.  Put it on for your morning run, a barbecue with friends, or for a drive through your city with the windows down.  The breeze will be blowing in as the tunes are flowing out.  You get the picture; I'm sure I really don't need to tell you how to enjoy yourself.

I noticed that not as many blogs posted summer playlists this year so hopefully some of you were aching for one and this hits the spot.  I was initially hesitant to share the songs I had chosen, but I think this playlist came out really well.  As always, peep the tracklist after the jump, and enjoy!

Download.

I know that I've been slackin on my pimpin with the music posts.  I promise I'll be sharing things more regularly in the future.  I'm sitting on a lot of great music that I'm dying to spread the word about.  Keep yours eyes (and ears) open, but for now I've really gotta stop looking at the Glare cover.

Muffins (Mixtape)

I baked up a couple dozen tasty treats for ya.  This was supposed to come out yesterday, but I've been busy/lazy.  Also, Blogger changed a lot since the last time I posted so it's taking some getting used to.

Muffins.

I didn't add any chocolate chips, but I still think it's a sweet list of chill songs to play while relaxing.  I've tried to gather tracks from some of the more obscure artists in my library.  Also, a lot of these are recent releases.  Hopefully, you can find something new that you really like in here.

Jump...

23

-AV

I turned 23 today.  It feels really old, but I know it's not.  I've got way more ahead of me than I've left behind, and I'll need everything I've learned so far to help me get to where I need to be in the future.  I'm old enough to know how to get what I want, but I don't always know what that is to begin with.  I spend a lot more time alone with my thoughts than ever before.  I am confident that there are two things that truly aid me in relaxing and clearing my head: listening to music and sleeping.

I like to fall asleep with music on, but sometimes that gets counterproductive.  I'll become so absorbed in my listening experience that I won't go to sleep.  Even if I feel tired and it's really late at night, I'll still lie in bed awake wanting to hear just one more track.  I call it inSONGnia (no I don't), but it is a real affliction of mine.  In fact, it's happening right now.  I suppose there's something about the dead of night that makes it such an appealing listening time for me.  The darkness and quiet remove any outside disruptions.  The moment right before drifting off to sleep forms the junction between the conclusion of the previous day and the anticipation of the next.  Hence, the songs I listen to tend to be focused on instrumentals, have soft vocals or slower rapping, and are downtempo.  Repetition is a common theme, whether it be the lyrics or the chord progressions.  Cycles in music must elicit calming and soothing sensations that comfortably lull me toward sleep, yet entrance me in a way that makes them difficult to turn off.  The music is cathartic and provides a release which prepares the mind to dream.

These are my songs: Download.

Continue reading for the full tracklist, as usual.

Chuck Inglish - WRKING. (Mixtape)

Chuck Inglish released a beat tape the other day.  He was hyping it up a few hours before the release, but it was New Year's Eve so I was out already by the time he posted it (he was working on West Coast time).  I forgot about it until today, so I'm assuming a lot of other people also lost it in the shuffle over the weekend.

Download the whole tape from his Tumblr.

Fans of Chuck should recognize quite a few beats on WRKING from his previous output.  There's no rapping, but I guess it's supposed to be more like background music to have playing while you power through whatever the hell it is you do with your time (for me, writing this post).

For those who don't know, Chuck is one half of the duo The Cool Kids.  I've posted about his partner, Mikey, before.  They're one of my personal favorite groups, and I had the pleasure of seeing them perform three different times last year.  For 2012 I resolve to take advantage of as many opportunities to see live music as my time and money will allow.

These guys broke out a few years back right as the rap scene was going through a transition phase.  The change is still happening so listen up, kids.  So rap came along in the late 70's when people like DJ Kool Herc at disco and funk parties started rhyming at the crowds to get them pumped for the dance break beats.  Then came Grandmaster Flash and others like him who took the technique known as 'scratching' and made it an art form and staple of the hip-hop sound.

During the 80's, hip-hop became an established musical genre after the mainstream success of groups like Run D.M.C.  After finding its foothold in the public's attention, hip-hop began to branch naturally into a variety of sub-genres.  Political rap was pioneered by Public Enemy, the Native Tongues collective and their affiliates produced conscious and alternative hip-hop, and the infamous gangsta rap genre was brought to the world by groups like N.W.A.  This diversification all occurred in the late 80's and early 90's and paved the way for the Pacs and Biggies of the world to enjoy massive success during the mid 90's (and beyond).

Hip-hop continued to grow and mature into the new millennium, and while it found a place among all the other genres, the creativity involved still lacked the same respect.  The Roots were, of course, well aware of this travesty even way back in 1996.  Listen to the very end of their Intro track from Illadelph Halflife: The Roots - Intro.  It might be hard to hear, but what he said was

Hip-hop records are treated as though they are disposable.  They're not maximized as product even, you know, not to mention as art.

Every hip-hop artist can trace his or her influences back to one, a few, or all of the people that I've mentioned.  What is interesting about today's emerging artists is that they are exactly the same age as modern hip-hop; they grew up together, and so, like any childhood pals, they have an innate understanding of each other.  Just as Nas and Jay-Z didn't have to convince people to listen to scratching on an album because their predecessors had already done that, musicians today are free to build off of previous artists' innovations and can begin building their own styles and sounds.

For The Cool Kids, it was great listening to older rappers exclaiming "Fight The Power!", "Fuck Tha Police!", and "Can I Kick It?" but when they started making music in their late teens, none of those sentiments were part of their world.  So they did all they could do: emulate the style and passion of their favorite artists but use their own experiences as source material.  Hence, we get songs about bicycles, and lines like

Eating a bowl of them fruity pebbles, fruity pebbles, fruity pebbles.  How gangsta is that? - A Little Bit Cooler

And there is nothing wrong with that.  I think it's great to see hip-hop come of age and have artists like Chuck who are ready and willing to experiment with their sound and rhymes to see what wrks and is cool.  Props to the kids of Generation Hip-Hop.