PUYL Favorite Song: ScHoolboy Q - Hands On The Wheel (ft. A$AP Rocky)

There are ten days left in 2012 so we're in the homestretch now.  For the rest of the year I'm going to share one of my favorite songs per day from the past twelve months.  First up, I've got Hands On The Wheel featuring A$AP Rocky off of ScHoolboy Q's sophomore studio album Habits & Contradictions.  What really makes this song is the sample.  Kid Cudi's anthem for living life to the fullest, Pursuit Of Happiness, could have provided a fine hook for Q and Rocky's ode to the joys in their lives, but they switched it up a little bit.  Instead, they took a snippet from a live cover by a relatively unknown artist, Lissie.  Her heartfelt rendition is stellar enough in its own right, but the fact that these guys were aware of it and recognized its awesomeness is equally impressive.  It's a testament to the culture of indie music (regardless of genre) and the sharing power of the Internet; ScHoolboy may have had more troubles clearing the sample had this been a major label release.

Download: ScHoolboy Q - Hands On The Wheel (ft. A$AP Rocky)

PUYL Honorable Mention Album: Azealia Banks - Fantasea

I define a good album as one that I can listen to all the way through without skipping tracks.  There may be strong points and low points, but as a whole, it flows in a way that makes continuous listening enjoyable.  Often times, I won't have any idea what the names of individual songs are on my favorite albums because I never look at them.

Azealia Banks burst onto the scene last year, and this free mixtape was the highlight of her 2012.  It gathers essentially all her previous releases, except for 212, along with some new music to fill out a full length tape.  It's really good.  Azealia's sharp tongue and quick wit are on display as she goes in over a variety of adventurous beats.  This one is just an honorable mention because, for me, it didn't have the staying power of the other albums I featured.  I was really into it for a while when it came out (I even put channel ORANGE to the side for a bit), but it's not a tape I kept coming back to.  It's a strong effort nonetheless, and I will definitely still be watching for new material from the eccentric and driven Ms. Banks.

Download: Azealia Banks - Fantasea

PUYL Favorite Album: Frank Ocean - channel ORANGE

In 2011 Frank Ocean had pretty much the best year an emerging artist could have.  After several years of songwriting for other artists, Ocean put out his mixtape nostalgia, ULTRA which propelled him into the public eye.  He also had two features on two of the most highly anticipated hip-hop albums of 2011: his Odd Future brother Tyler, The Creator's Goblin, and Watch The Throne by Jay-Z & Kanye West.  With him finally being recognized with commercial and critical success, Frank was set to dominate the airwaves when his debut studio album came out this past July.

Ocean did indeed start to get heavy radioplay with his lead single, Thinkin' Bout You.  It was first released in the summer of 2011 as a reference track since he originally penned it for Bridget Kelly.  In a perfect example of people connecting to Frank's passion, his version received so much praise that he decided to use it on his own debut as well.  In a little under an hour, Frank explores love and love lost, pain and pleasure, privilege and poorness, and vices and virtues.  For all the turmoil he contemplates, it always feels like he reaches some kind of catharsis and is able to be at peace.  The instrumentals are an eclectic mix of experimental drum beats, piano lines, and soothing synths.  They never draw away from the main focus of the album, Frank.  The handful of featured artists never steal much attention either.  This doesn't come across as arrogant, though, Frank's deeply introspective musings should be the centerpiece of channel ORANGE because they are the most touching aspect of his music.  Beyond the production, features, and Frank's own excellent voice, his personal reflections on life and living give color to the album and make it worth tuning in.

Download: Frank Ocean - Pilot Jones

PUYL Favorite Album: Kids These Days - Traphouse Rock

Hailing from Chicago, Kids These Days are a seven piece band making some of the most unique music I've heard in a long time.  They've got a rapper, a male vocalist/guitar player, a female vocalist/piano player, a bassist, a drummer, a trumpeter, and a tromboner (right?).  After putting out an EP and an assortment of singles, Traphouse Rock was released this fall.  With production help from Jeff Tweedy of Wilco and appearances at a few major music festivals, KTD has positioned themselves to achieve big time fame in the near future.

It's a rarity in the hip-hop realm for an act to include such a wide variety of musical talent, so Kids These Days have set themselves apart in that respect.  As you may know, I absolutely love live band instrumentation paired with rapping.  It gives a whole new dimension to hip-hop.  In addition, I'm a big fan of seeing who artists are influenced by since it helps to give me an idea of where they are coming from stylistically.

It still fascinates me that a musician can conceive a song in his head, record it, put it on the Internet, and have it flowing through my headphones and into my ears and brain within a few hours these days.  I find it just as impressive, though, when artists interpolate others' works into their own and build off of a base sample.  It's a lot of fun to listen to a new song and then have your ears perk up when they catch snippets of familiar melodies.  Even more so than with cover songs, musical interpolation allows the artist the freedom to use the best parts of one song, and at the same time, to expand it to add their own flare.

I'm almost certainly missing some but Kids These Days reproduced portions of music from Nirvana, Kanye West, The Pixies, 50 Cent, Crucial Conflict, Radiohead, Outkast, The Strokes, and Arcade Fire.  I think they did a fantastic job of incorporating these pieces into their own music.  The lyrical themes are their own; they talk about what they know.  They certainly aren't fakes.  For a musician, there aren't many greater joys than emulating and playing the songs of others, but with your own interpretation.  It's not stealing when your only intent is to nod your head toward your idols.  I'm not expecting future releases to be this heavily sampled, but for a young group still gaining traction, it was probably the best and most fun approach for an initial release and definitely did not disappoint.

Download: Kids These Days - Traphouse Rock

PUYL Favorite Album: Kendrick Lamar - good kid, m.A.A.d. city

The second studio release from Kendrick Lamar has already secured its place in many Best of 2012 lists, and for good reason, it's m.A.A.d good.  After several singles and leaks appeared, anticipation was high.  While early releases such as Backseat Freestyle and Swimming Pools are definitely key pieces, it is the cohesiveness of the whole album that creates its strength.  Most of the songs could stand alone as respectable records, but Kendrick paints a more complete picture with the entire collection.  K-Dot has been a rising star for several years now, and this album sees him truly maturing as both a rapper and a storyteller.  The beat production is top notch and each instrumental perfectly reflects the tone of that particular narrative.

What makes GKMC the most engaging is its honesty.  Kendrick gives very personal accounts of his struggles with the evils of his hometown as well as his loyalty and love for the community and culture that raised him.  The themes span the whole spectrum of society from good to bad and back again.  He discusses youthful ignorance, joy, temptation, friendship, desire, addiction, loss, rage, revenge, regret, and repentance.  All are part of his reality.

Most listeners will not directly relate to this Compton anthem album, but the very real emotions and situations he portrays easily provide a vivid glimpse of that world.  The characters come to life with his words to share their warnings and blessings, which, at their core, apply to any upbringing.

Download: Kendrick Lamar - Money Trees (ft. Jay Rock)

PUYL Honorable Mention New Artist: Action Bronson

This guy.  Action Bronson has been making music for a couple of years now, but I first really started listening to him in 2012 and he has certainly had a breakout year.  Hailing from Queens, NY (Flushing to be exact), Action entered the rap game late due to the fact he was originally a trained chef by trade.  Per the old adage, I'd say we can trust him.  Weighing in at over 300 lbs of pure beef yet probably barely topping 5'6", he has a stage presence unlike any other rapper.  Despite his heft, he's fond of wandering through the crowd as he performs; all but disappearing as fans clamor and tower over him.  He'll usually make a stop behind the bar as well to buy everyone a round.  I really don't know anyone else who seems to be having more fun than Action Bronson.

As an artist, he is quite skilled at what he does.  Bronson is a technically sound rapper who makes good use of various rhyme patterns and clever puns.  He crafts elaborate tales with his rhymes about gangsters, women, weed, and of course, food.  He's created an over the top persona that's as large as he is, but has done it so light heartedly that it's just pure entertainment.  2012 was blessed with two free Bronson mixtapes: the first, Blue Chips was produced by Party Supplies, and the second release was a collaboration with The Alchemist entitled Rare Chandeliers.  And oh yeah, he recently started a new Twitter/photo trend: #RareSquats. This guy is something else. 

PUYL Favorite New Artist: Purity Ring

Vocalist Megan James and producer Corin Roddick came together a couple years ago to form Purity Ring.  The pair collaborated to release a few songs in that time, but didn't put out their debut album, Shrines, until this year.  I've heard them compared to other indie electronic duos such as The xx, but those comparisons also dwelled on the fact that they consist of a male producer and female singer so it seemed like a weak connection.  In my opinion, I think they are unlike any other group making music at the moment.  Their songs swell and encompass you.  Megan's voice lightly rides the wave of sound yet her lyrics are strangely disparate from the music.  Pretty much all of the song titles are made up words.  Each tune manages to seem like a lullaby and a dream, as well as a petrifying nightmare all at the same time.

The group realized that the energy of their music might not translate well to a live show because of the mixed emotions it may induce.  To add another dimension to their performances, they worked with a design team to invent LED cocoons that hang around the stage.  The setup is directly linked to their production equipment, so the lights are exactly synched with the music as they play.

They also re-released their song Belispeak after adding bars from rapper Danny Brown.  That was a collaboration I did not see coming, but it worked pretty well.  Purity Ring is certainly a pioneering group with many more tricks up their sleeves.

Download: Purity Ring - Fineshrine

PUYL Favorite New Artist: TNGHT

TNGHT (vowels aren't cool anymr) is a collaborative effort between producers Lunice and Hudson Mohawke.  Each artist has generated significant buzz in his own right; Lunice was involved with '212' and HudMo with 'Mercy', two of the biggest hits from the past year or so.  I saw Lunice perform live before I knew who he was, and it was something special.  His show was great; he played lots of fresh, high energy songs.  What impressed me the most was that he was the exact same way.  Generally, DJs stand behind their decks, bob their heads a little, and leave getting weird to the crowd.  Lunice, however, was head banging in Billy Blanks double time and often stepped away to bust a move or ten.  It was incredible.  After his set, he was handing out copies of One Hunned Stacks, which got me hooked on his music.

The first time I heard of his new project with Hudson Mohawke was through this promo video:

You're lying if you say that doesn't get you hyped up.  You hardly want to take it easy after hearing this right?  Well think twice because the title is 'Easy Easy'.  It literally feels like we're gonna launch into space.  All those crashes and booms and claps typify the chaotic soundscape that these guys create.  After such a brief time working together, they've already concocted a perfect blend of trap, bass, hip-hop, and electronica stylings.  Their music begs to be danced to.  Hard.  Knowing them as producers, I at first felt that it lacked vocals, in particular some raw rap verses.  I quickly realized the music works just fine on its own, AND rapping would be awesome over it.  Versatility will take them far tnght, tmrw, and into the nw yr.

Download: TNGHT - Easy Easy

PUYL Favorite New Artist: The Underachievers

I've already written about The Underachievers, and unfortunately, not much has changed since I did.  Please familiarize yourself with them if you missed that previous post.  I did the whole write up within two days of first hearing their music because I was that excited about sharing this new talent.  They truly are new favorites because they've only been making music together since June of this year.  These kids are on another level, and I mean that in an metaphysical sense.  They are very into achieving altered states of consciousness and gaining universal enlightenment and clarity.  It goes beyond recreational drug use, too.  Issa Dash will routinely tweet about lucid dreaming, philosophical musings, and his favorite books.  Their debut mixtape, Indigoism, was slated to be released at the end of September, but got pushed to October.  It got bumped again until after Captain Murphy's Duality was dropped, which happened toward the end of November.  It's December, now and I was really hoping I'd be able to share the whole tape with you, but I can't.  So go bug Issa and Ak.  Hit up their official handle on Twitter.  Bother their label, Brainfeeder and the man who signed them to it, our friend Flying Lotus.  C'mon!

Download: The Underachievers - T.A.D.E.D.

PUYL Honorable Mention Video: Grimes - Genesis

Grimes - Genesis

So this gets the honorable mention because I didn't keep coming back to it like I did with my other favorites.  For those three, the imagery was intimately involved with the audio, so together they provided a total experience.  'Genesis' is a great song, and this video is definitely interesting.  Music by Grimes is always full of surprises and oddities, while still being well crafted.  The same is true for this video.  We get plenty of scene changes, costume changes, weaponry, a python, and a rapper/stripper co-star.  It's not the worst combination of visuals even if I can't make any sense of it, but knowing her, that's kind of the point.