Last night I experienced something so unforgettable and so mind-blowing that I am just happy to share with the readers on Mindinversion.net.  I love music so much, yet I find it incredibly hard to write to an audience while being succinct, to the point, factual-in great depth, and at the same time remain fair, interesting, and unbiased. Like, this is what I truly listen to.  I am not just pushing this to promote someone I know. So when I come across an experience such as this I must share.  I am going to avoid the small details, not do a bio, and stick to what I know in this piece-I am going to stick to the subjective perspective of the audience member involved:  Me.

Let me preface by saying, I had little knowledge of Father John Misty before the show itself.  In fact, I had only heard a few songs of his on The Current, and I had read a brief bio (forwarded through email by a friend), or intro, or something in a local magazine.  The point is not that I knew of Father John Misty before going to the show, or that I was a mega-fan, or to write an A&E biography of the guy, the point is that if you have the opportunity to see Father John Misty, or you haven’t heard of his music, you should.  He is the shit, and that is what’s happening.

Last night I attended a Father John Misty show at First Avenue, and I was stunned by the sound, the performance, the vulgarities, the honesty, the attraction, the allure, and the general idea of Father John Misty himself.  He is a simple paradox, a dichotomy of a human being, a split personality of oneself, a diversity of contrast, not to be oxymoronic or redundant.  He is the embodiment of a true performer, one of very very few existing on earth.

My significant other had purchased tickets a few months back and had expressed that I could join if I cared to.  I accepted the offer, thankfully.  As now I am writing about something amazing that happened in my life.

We biked to First Ave. from NE Minneapolis, in the rain.  Arriving at around 9 PM, obviating the opening band, Solid Gold (for no apparent reason at all). We arrived wet and soaked to the bone.  After entering we promptly ordered whiskeys and gazed over the massive sold-out crowd of the main room floor.  Walking towards the stage we found a spot near the right side, just above the lower-level standing room area, and watched as the roadies set the stage for what was going to be a show.  After 15 minutes of waiting the band entered the room to a roar, the floor lights went dim and a spotlight hit the man at center stage. The show was on, and this is what transpired, in broken prose and obscure paragraphs:

Electric rock blues country indie psychedelic sound with 100% heart within the live performance.  Haunting, chilling, numbing, and genuinely real.  Sorrow was on display.  Realism was tangible.  A dark gospel was in session.

Father John Misty, the true performer.  Like Mercury and Morrison on stage; at times pure evil, at times sultan of seduction, at times almost bringing you to tears, or terror, and all at once, had you laughing moments later.

He performed the hits, some new material, and even for an encore (1 of the 3 songs) pleaser he did a rendition of The Beatles’, Happiness Is a Warm Gun.

His [Father John Misty] antics and ad-libs added to the amusement and brought humor and a human aspect to the set: pokes on Prince, America, and humanity rang true and effective.  I felt like I knew him by the end.  At the start I wasn’t sure if I was even a fan, at the conclusion I knew I had seen something amazing, and I needed to delve more into his musical catalog.  Fantastic.

Authentic, yet almost vulnerable on stage, something that garnered an emotional cord with the crowd; I was moved at his artistry and the way the lighting made the theatre on stage come alive; I was not just at a concert, I was on a journey. Father John Misty at the helm.

At one point, during Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings, one of the best songs of the evening, I thought someone (Father John Misty himself) was going to choke on a mic cord; however, not to worry all was crescendo, breakdown, and lights after that.  There was an encore with 3 songs (as mentioned above) and that was it.  I stood in awe.  I was impressed.

End of What Transpired.

All that said, Father John Misty is a talented live performer.  The set he created delivered to someone who was an ignorant fan, even the backdrop was well-done.  His material has been on the radio for some time, I’ll be it more tame and polished than at the live show, but what the performance offered in dark and grit was a catalytic reflection of the manifestation of artist from album to live performance.  If you have a chance to see Father John Misty, or you haven’t purchased the album, I suggest you get on that.  Father John Misty has given us some very interesting and relatable art to listen to, however subtle and manipulated on the record, a great listen all around.

Father John Misty is a true performer, a real performer, someone who can put on a captivating show and not fret about reviews.  He may have shocked an awed, but he is a true artist from what I have seen.  Now, have a look for yourself.

For those of you who don’t know, Tyler Keyes is a producer from the Midwest who relocated to Austin, Texas so that he could make music with his partner in crime – M.i. He left everything behind in the hopes of a bright future in the music industry, and judging by the sounds on Pushing Keyes, he’s well on his way. From living with and interning for the mad man MPC deity Exile, to hooking up beats for Chamillionaire, he’s writing chapters for a book that’s already impressive to say the least. Fresh off the heels of releasing Pushing Keyes, Tyler sat down with me to answer a few questions about the album but also his experiences and influences.

Tim Althaus: Hey Tyler, how’s it going?

Tyler Keyes: It’s going well, how about you?

TA: I’m doing well man. First and foremost, I wanted to congratulate you and thank you at the same time; I know the release of the album is an exciting time for you and M.i, and I’m sure that you’ve had your hands full with promoting the album.

TK: Of course. Your site has been a long time supporter, so it’s a pleasure.

TA: We appreciate that here at Mind Inversion. First off, you know how important production is to me when it comes to determining the overall quality of a record. On Pushing Keyes, you’ve definitely pulled out all of the stops, and your drum game sounds stronger than ever. Ever since Prep Time came out, I’ve known you’re a fan of sampling, but on Pushing Keyes, it seems as though you’ve taken some cues from Ryan Lewis – in terms of an organic instrumentation feel. With that being said, how much studio instrumentation did you use on the album?

TK: Yeah, there’s a lot of live instrumentation on this project; more than I’ve ever used before. We had live recordings for tuba, violin, cello, trombone, bass, trumpet, guitar and percussion. I think that live instrumentation adds a certain dynamic that keyboard production just can’t emulate. But I also did a lot of work off of my keyboard as well.

TA: Everything just seems to have an organic feel to it. From M.i’s rhymes to the beats on the album – even the sampled tracks – everything feels very natural, and I really like that. I’m sure a large part of the feel has to do with the chemistry that you and M.i share as a producer emcee duo. That kind of leads me to my next question: You and M.i have been working together for the last year in Texas, and year prior as well, but didn’t you start collaborating when you were living in Minneapolis? How did that working relationship start and progress?

TK: Yeah, we’ve been tag teaming it for a little while now. The Prep Time project was completed entirely through email and phone calls. When we started discussing the idea of making Pushing Keyes, I guess I was the paper, rock, scissors loser. I already had a couple of the beats made for the album, so I moved down to Austin after being in town for SXSW.

TA: Even though M.i is a great emcee, he’s also a very talented producer and jack-of-all-trades. How did you two determine that you were only going to use beats from yourself for the album?

TK: There’s an unreleased version where I handle all of the rapping and M is on the beats. Look for us to be interchanging our clothes along with the microphone for the live performance. (laughs) Nah, I leave the vocals to the professionals. We have a good chemistry when it comes to working together. A one producer and one emcee album is rare to come by, but when you do, it’s something special because the work can be so much more cohesive. You’re right about M.i being a great producer in his own respect – so him trusting me to handle all of the duties is awesome.

TA: You couldn’t be more right man. One emcee, one producer combinations are my favorite instances in Hip-Hop. When you think about duos like Gangstarr, Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth, and even newer cats like Blu & Exile, it’s obvious that they were meant to work together, and they were able to draw things out of each other that no one else could.

TK: You said it. Blu & Exile’s album Below the Heavens kinda laid out the blueprint in our case.

TA: Speaking of Blu, you guys were able to work with him on “Church West Texas” – which is one of my favorite songs on the album. He hasn’t been in the game for a very long time, but he’s got a strong following, and to many, Below the Heavens is a modern day classic. How does it feel for you guys to have him on the album, and how did that collaboration come about?

TK: We had Blu picked out for that song right away. A few years back I was living with his producer – Exile -  in L.A. while he was completing Fashawn’s album – Boy Meets World. I got to learn from him and see how he approached sessions. He is notorious for producing full albums, and watching it taught me not to over-control and keep trust in your writer/collaborator. Coincidentally, our video director Aaron had struck up a working relationship with Blu, so bridging the talents naturally came together.

TA: To me, Boy Meets World is a classic album, and one of the best debut albums in recent memory right alongside Below the Heavens; I can’t even imagine what it was like to watch Fashawn & Exile collaborate on that project.

TK: Yeah, it’s a great album. They were in the final stages of it when I arrived. Then the focus shifted to DagSav – the joint project with Johaz. Did you ever hear that one?

TA: Nah, I can’t say I’ve heard it

TK: Tonight

TA: (laughs) I’ll definitely check it out tonight.

TA: You guys were also able to link up with Chamillionaire for the project, and you’ve produced tracks for him a couple of different times. He’s a Grammy Award winner, and he has an extensive following in Texas. What led to you two collaborating, and ultimately ending up on the album?

TK: Yeah, he’s the man. The first beat I produced for him  – “Never Enough“-  was set aside for M.i in the early stages, but Pushing Keyes didn’t go in that direction. Cham heard it right before Ammunition was released; he scrapped the original outro he had, and he cut the new record in a couple of days. As time went on I started sliding him some of the material I was recording with M.i., and when I asked him what he thought about hopping on “Nothing You Can Do”, he was all about it.

TA: That’s awesome that you were able to make that connection man. You guys have definitely have good relationships with other emcees, but I’ve also noticed that you guys maintain good relationships and get some serious love from some of the biggest Hip-Hop blogs on the internet (i.e 2Dopeboyz, The Smoking Section, Okayplayer, Kevin Nottingham). How does that feel for you guys as artists?

TK: It’s an honor, and it reassures us that we’re doing something right. The internet is the main highway for modern day music, and those sites are some of the most heavily trafficked out there; I’ve been visiting some personally for years because of their good consistent musical content, so it’s dope that they consider our material in that same category.

TA: My personal favorite from the album is “No Money”, and you mentioned that the other day that it has been the Twitter favorite as well. M.i’s lyrics are heartfelt and ridiculously on-point, your beat is insane, and to top it all off, you got the kids from the “Hot Cheetos and Takis” video to lay down some vocals (that I absolutely love). What is your favorite track on the album? and why?

TK: My #1 song changes with the days. “Comes & Goes” and “Throwing Stones” are two of my favorites though; they both have some personal meaning to me in the lyrics. I think the beat for “Throwing Stones” is my favorite overall.

TA: “Throwing Stones” is a great song, me and Steve (mutual friend) were talking about how M.i shouts out La Crosse on that song the other day. Upon my initial listen, I didn’t even realize that he spit a verse from your point of view, and I thought that was really interesting. Did you actually write the lyrics for that or provide guidance? Or did M.i just craft those words himself?

TK: That’s actually something that we thought to do towards the end of recording, and I wish we could have done more. I had a notebook of written bars and jump off points that M could run with. He took it, and he wrote everything in his own words.

TA: It’s amazing that M.i was able to convey your thoughts so well on “Throwing Stones”, and as the song mentions, you moved from La Crosse to Minneapolis to Austin, Texas. Was leaving your comfort zone and family in the Midwest for a certain level of uncertainty a hard thing for you to do? Or was it something you were dead set on?

TK: Definitely not an easy move. I not only separated myself from my family, but also my friends and my people I came up doing music with. Austin was something that I wanted to do for myself and my career. I’ve been fortunate enough to have a lot of the people from back home fly down for visits at least once. The city is incredible which makes for an easy transition too.

TA: Without risk, there’s no reward.

TK: There’s a lot of truth behind that.

TA: You’ve told me before that you’re heavily influenced by cats like Just Blaze, Mike Shinoda and Classified, but I’m curious, what producers are you into right now that make you want to elevate your production game?

TK: If anyone pushes my sound right now its No I.D.; his recent work with Common, Nas and Mikkey Halsted has me on my game. I also like what Soundwave is doing for Kendrick Lamar and them. Always I’m paying attention to what Kanye and Pharrell are doing musically as well.

TA: I forgot to mention Ye because I know you’re a huge fan of his, but I can’t agree more with No I.D.; everything he has been doing lately is absolutely genius.

TK: No I.D.’s got the crown right now in my opinion.

TA: Mind Inversion is a Midwest minded blog, and you’ve been a resident of both Minnesota and Wisconsin. Besides your family and friends, what’s one thing that you really miss from each state?

TK: I miss being able to say “pop” instead of soda and not catch a weird look from someone. Also, there’s nobody down here that can compare to a Wisconsinite when it comes to drinking; ya’ll can wear that title belt proudly.

TA: They definitely don’t generalize Wisconsinites as strong drinkers for nothing.

TK: It really all comes out during Oktoberfest week in my experiences; I need to go to another one of those. I’ll be the guy singing off key to Asher Roth “I Love College”.

TA: (laughs) oh man…. Are you guys going to be heading to the Midwest for any tour dates to support Pushing Keyes?

TK: For sure. I can’t wait to do a show up there; plus, M has never been properly acquainted to my mom’s strawberry rhubarb pie, so that in itself is worth a trip up north.

TA: I’m definitely looking forward to catching you guys live, so you’ll have to let me know when you’re making it this way. As a last question I have to ask, if you could work with any emcee in the game right now, who would it be?

TK: Will Smith! I think he’s still got something left in the tank, and I think I could set him up on a nice Fresh Prince type stage. That would be legendary (laughs).

TA: It sounds like the 90′s all over again. I would play the shit out of that!

TK: I just saw him performing “Summertime” on Letterman the other day – still sounding like the illest.

TA: Him and Jazzy Jeff were ahead of their time without a doubt.

TK: Pioneer status.

TA: Agreed. Well, I want to thank you for your time man, it’s much appreciated, and I hope that Pushing Keyes continues to gain momentum because it’s an incredible project. Is there anything else you’d like to add?

TK: Thanks for having me. I also want to say thank you to you and the other people out there who have been taking the music in and responding to it. We put it all out there for free so as many ears as possible would hear it and let it be their life’s soundtrack for a little while. That’s what its all about.

TA: I appreciate it Tyler, and thank you again.

Pushing Keyes is out now, and you can download it for free here.

This story starts out with a band and a dream. The Boulder, CO based band, The Amends, has aspirations to gain popularity by way of self-promotion. Recently they reached out to see if I would check out their second studio album that was released earlier this year. Fortunately for them, I just started writing again and fortunately for me, I took that chance and gave the album a listen. The Amends consisting of band members Drew Weikart (Lead Vocals and Guitar), Tyler Taylor (Vocals, Keys and Rhythm Guitar), Chris Childress (Bass) and Shay Byington (Drums) caught me off guard with an album that touches base with classic rock and blues while adding that hint of Indie rock.

What We Could Be starts straight out with an edginess that says we have arrived and we have come to kick your door in. “Second Take” makes me think back to when the Arctic Monkeys first came out of the gate. You can really hear the direct message from a band that just wants to jam and make people have fun. The second track, “A Certain Speed”, keeps the party vibe going. They start out the album with a kick and you think that is what you have turned yourself on to but you better think again.

As soon as the keys hit in a “Big City Way” you get more of a blues sound to their rock music. This tells you that this band is not a one-dimensional rock group. The guitar solos in this song scream to the masses of blues fans. They follow it up with “More To Give” and this song hits more on the pop side of the spectrum with a really catchy line of lyrics. Again, this shows the diversification of a truly talented group who doesn’t want its listeners to get bored over the course of an album. They keep the pop vibe going with “Make It So”. This is another catchy track with an aura that is high on happiness and has me thinking about reggae music.

“Time Goes On” gives the band a chance to showcase their ability to slow it down as they deliver their first ballad of the album. I really like how they use a higher pitched guitar to deliver a retro feel to their music. Most albums take a turn for the worse at their halfway point but I feel like The Amends get stronger from here on out. “Tick Tock” comes back with that initial edginess that they started the album with. I really am in love with the high-pitched chords that they use throughout this song and continue to use throughout What We Could Be.

“It’d Be Nice” makes me feel like I just stepped into the Double Deuce (the bar in the movie Roadhouse). That is a compliment meaning that they just nailed the blues in this track in the best way possible. “Dreamer” brings back the softer side of The Amends sound of rock n’ roll. Drew Weikart has this way of using his voice to take you back generations to a sound of the past. The next track, “When She’s Gone”, features the keys of Tyler Taylor and is the second ballad of the album. It has a great message of losing out on love and the case of realizing what you had after it is gone.

“Desperate Times” has the sound of a band that has been around for a lot longer time hence the harmonica at the end. It strikes me as if they are reminiscing about the past and reflecting on a long career. Hopefully, this folk-like song is foreshadowing things to come because the final track, “Come & See” tells me that they will be around for a long time. This song starts off reminding me of a band by the name of Bright Eyes when it is slowed down with the keys. Then when the guitar solos hit it reminds me of Jack White. I never thought I would make that last statement and for that reason, it is my favorite song on the album. Being a perfect example of saving your best for last.

Overall, a highly versatile album that had me comparing this band to the Arctic Monkeys, Bright Eyes and Jack White while mentioning almost every genre in the book. If you want an album that is a little bi-polar from start to finish look no further than What We Could Be by The Amends. Its mood swings are just songs and they are much easier to handle than moods.

Release Date: January 8^th, 2013

One of the greatest music festivals in the world recently returned as a championship contender when they released their lineup for 2013. Lately, the festival seemed to rely mainly on its prestige alone. After all, it is a festival that spans over 11 days and has more than 800 acts performing on 11 different stages. The festival is a vision of the great late mayor of Milwaukee, Henry Maier, who wanted a massively relative festival that would compare to the joyous Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany. He started the tradition that became Summerfest in 1968.

The lineup has been lacking the innovative music that the youth and many more have gravitated towards in recent years. This year after they released their headliners at the Marcus Amphitheater I had mixed feelings. So I was a little skeptical when I received the E-mail that their complete lineup was out but said, “What the hell” and clicked the link. To my astonishment, I was really impressed. One thing that stuck out in my mind was that they got some major electronic, Indie rock and alternative rock acts. All whom are currently relevant in their respected industries. This list includes Pretty Lights, Diplo, Empire of the Sun, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Yeasayer and MGMT. They did this while still including a lot of the older talent (Alice Cooper, 311, Foreigner and Billy Idol) and mixing in many more talented up and comers.

Another thing you have to appreciate about Summerfest is the variety of music that they bring to the many ears attending the festival. They have done a great job blending country, pop, blue grass, electronic, rock and even a little bit of hip hop into the lineup. A few other artists that would be worth seeing are: Capital Cities, Atmosphere, Trampled by Turtles, Robert Delong, Matt & Kim, AWOLNATION, Imagine Dragons, Taliban Kweli and Cake. If you are the least bit interested after reading this head over to summerfest.com/lineup for a complete listing of this year’s lineup.

Greatness in the most subtle form is “pure blissfulness”. Poolside, an electronic duo based out of Los Angeles, has done just that; made an album that equates to “pure blissfulness”. If you have never heard the delicate electronic music, from Filip Nikolic and Jeff Paradise, that has you wishing you were sipping a mojito poolside. Then take a gander over to that oversized lounger and order yourself a mojito. Their debut album, Pacific Standard Time, starts off real mellow and real instrumental. “Tulsa” lets you in, gets you comfy and gets you ready for the rest of what is to transpire over the course of the next 68 and a half minutes. Let me tell you, it won’t seem like that long once you drift away in this great and magical album.

The second track, “Next to You”, is an upbeat electronic jam with a chorus that is heavy on harmonic melody. Even when the harmonized lyrics are not being sung, you can still hear where they would fit in perfectly with the music.  In “Why You Wanna” they come at you with less harmony and a little more direction. They sound a little angrier, a little more aggressive with their message. It fits with the song as they are questioning an ex-lover on why they would want to betray them with never actually mentioning what they did to betray them. The aggressive nature of the lyrics is put over the top of a smooth electronic beat that makes it seem as if it isn’t a big deal that anything ever happened to the two lovers.

The next track, “Harvest Moon”, is really a great follow up to the previous song that brings a message that explains that they are still in love with this person. At least, I believe they are talking about the same person. Electronic music with original lyrics always hit home with me. Especially when I can think about past mistakes in my own life that relate to the message. This track is very easy to relate to and has an electronic sound that most people who don’t even listen to this style of music can appreciate. “Slow Down” is the track that introduced me to Poolside. A dreamier song that tells you to take in life’s moments that mean a lot to you. Don’t let the quick pace of modern life sweep you away so you don’t enjoy the ride. If you slow down and listen to this album you will be in a better place after you have completed the ride that is Pacific Standard Time.

“Take Me There” brings you back to the disco days with a new age sound that the Bee Gee’s would be happy to hear. The funky rhythm with the high-pitched chorus is perfectly positioned on this album.  They continue with the high-pitched melody in “Kiss You Forever”. This song starts out with a similar feel to “Next to You” and seems like a complimentary sequel. With the beats of the 2 tracks being very parallel, “Kiss You Forever” could just be the very next step after passionately wanting to be next to someone. Poolside seems to keep a very loving message on this album. It could be linked to love lost, love found or a little of both.

“Do You Believe” keeps the dance vibe going with an upbeat jam straight from the 80’s. The way they mix an old school vibe with new age electronica makes an irresistible sound.  The 9^th track, “Give It A Rest”, keeps the original sound rolling on. The piano in this song gives this electronic gem a pinch of classical feel in which you can lose yourself. Then in “Off My Mind” they slow it down and draw you in. You can hear the waves of the ocean crashing into the shore in the background as they serenade you with a light acoustic rift. The dreamier beach groove “Just Fall In Love” is another song that seems to take you back to the 70’s and 80’s.

“California Sunset” may be the first song where they don’t talk about love or romance. The thing of it is, I believe they are in love with the beach and with the beauty of a California sunset. You hear an element of island sound coming out of a lot of their songs. They do a great job of blending many generations and styles of music together to make their own delicious tasting sound. The 13^th track on this album, “Golden Hour”, is the first all instrumental song since the intro. It starts out with more of a 16-bit sound and continues to build and intensify throughout.

“Between Dreams”, another instrumental track, follows up in a more tranquil manner. It is very light on sound but not on complexity. Listen very carefully for all of the different levels of sound in this song as it draws you into its depths. “Without You” comes at you with an instrumental seriousness. When they finally start singing the chorus halfway through the track you have already felt the aloneness through the songs dark tone. The 16^th and final track, “Take Me Home”, brings you back to the happy state that is Poolside. You can hear the maracas build alongside a guitar in the beginning of the song and then they break with what sounds like an ocean breeze, reminding them of California and what they call home.

Pacific Standard Time is a perfect reminder of where music has come from and where it is about to go. Poolside gives you an album that you should enjoy and fully appreciate from start to finish.

Release Date: July 9^th, 2012

After Mike Skinner put The Streets to rest after 5 albums I didn’t think I would hear much from the bloke.  I waited for some time, and nothing…  I followed Skinner on his blog http://mikeskinner.so and watched for him to put out something new.  Nothing happened…  I mean, there were some new posts and interesting photos, and words, but no music.  And then-a few months back, I became aware that I was literally on Mike Skinner’s personal emailing list.  A message popped up from one of my favorite anti-mainstream mainstream artists.  I had received an email from the man as if he had risen from the grave.  I was bestowed upon some great and inspiring new sound.  Kaboom!

And here it is in video form incase you missed it.  (above)

This catchy tune takes a few listens to warm up to.  You know I am crazy, so I sat around all day banging this shit out on loud, macbook style.  My GF got a little mad, by the end I was singing along (out of tune of course) and getting scolded.  I felt I knew the song and the artist a little more, I felt there was promise in this new material.  May I say I am a bit excited for the full length album?  I felt the video was entertaining (I had heard about this filming technique in Boulder, CO).  After listening to this song, and viewing the innovative video, I realized that what The D.O.T. was doing was actually pretty good.  I felt the same emotion that I had gotten from a lot of The Streets’ albums after the first and second listen, “Cult classic, not bestseller”.  But sales don’t matter, the sound is important, and this song is very catchy and has an incredibly memorable melody.  I woke this morning singing the chorus.

Before this message from Mike Skinner, I had little knowledge of The D.O.T., I assumed Skinner produced the songs.  I had no idea who the singer was.  So let me fill you in:

The D.O.T. Official Website

They have some interesting videos, venue tickets, downloadable songs, and other merchandise.

The D.O.T. project’s site is visually appealing and artsy, while remaining easy to navigate.

In all honesty I love how abstract and collectively cool Skinner is overall; most (universally), if not all of The Streets’ material is exceptionally well made, as Chuck Klosterman wrote-he (Skinner) is ‘advanced’ as an artist.  The music he puts out is real and relatable, there is an essence of humanity within his lyrics and delivery.  Also, Rob Harvey, of The Music, sounds great on vocals, and harmonizes well with Skinner.  At times I feel that Skinner wants to put more vocals into the song; however, it sounds pleasant the way it is presented.

Happily I am intrigued and I want to hear more.  If you could hook it up with a free CD, Mr. Skinner, that would be excellent, pre-release if possible???  Thanks.

Watch out for The D.O.T.’s new album “Diary” due to drop May 6, 2013.

Because Geezers truly need excitement.

I’ll still never forget the first time I actually met Gavin and had an in-depth musical conversation with him. Gavin was with Lucas Dix, and they were performing a Hip-Hop show at a local bar in my hometown; to be clear, this was well before Lucas & Gavin moved out to Portland.

Having an entire family that is from Kenosha, Wisconsin, I was able to find some sort of common ground with both Lucas and Gavin almost instantly, but (no offense Lucas because you know I love your music) Gavin was the producer, and I was more interested in picking his brain. I remember having an intense discussion where we talked about everyone from J Dilla to El-P, and I was able to take a sneak peek into the mind of a genius. People have always said, “be confident, but never cocky”, and upon meeting Gavin, it’s possible that people (myself included) mistook the extreme confidence that he exuded for cockiness, but in all reality, he is one of the most humble dudes I ever met.

When I listen to Escaping Stasis I’m still blown away by everything that Gavin was able to accomplish on the boards before he started using the MPC; the ethereal quality of his music is incredible – and it always has been. The first time I listened to Edifice I was completely blown away; I couldn’t believe the sounds that I was hearing. It was almost as if Pete Rock and El-P had a love child, and Gavin’s production was the bi-product. Gavin laced Edifice with spacey synths and even more sublime samples – the stuff I love. In his short time with the MPC 2500XL, it seems as though he was able to master the machine that turned regular, ordinary men into legends, and it’s unfortunate knowing that I’ll never be able to see just how far he could have pushed the boundaries of Hip-Hop by punching the pads.

In remembrance of G-Theory’s passing, Lucas Dix let this brilliant gem loose that features Sandpeople crew member IAME. The track – “Po’est Pimpin” – contains one of the last beats that Gavin ever made, and it has his signature sounds succinctly spread all over the soundscape. Me and Lucas were discussing this beat, and although it’s a toned down version of what Gavin was capable of, we both agreed that anything Gavin made was truly exceptional.

I would assume that you probably know who Odd Future is by now, and if you don’t know who they are, then I would assume you’ve been living under a rock for the past five years. Tyler, The Creator dropped his third album, Wolf, today, and you can say I’ve been looking forward to it. I listened to both Bastard and Goblin a ton, and Wolf will also be getting regular rotation from me. Tyler’s music seems to get better the more I listen to it. I’ll admit the first time I heard “Bastard” I didn’t really like it, but the more I listened to it the more I liked it.

Odd Future is known for having graphic material in their songs; Bastard and Goblin both had a lot of songs about murder and rape, and while Wolf definitely has it’s fair share of outrageous lyrics, Tyler has toned it down a little bit. He has definitely moved away from the ridiculous shock raps and the “fuck everybody” punk attitude. The themes that show up on Wolf include dealing with fame and success, girl problems, having an absent father, and his career thus far. His flows are all pretty nice on this album. When it comes to the beats, Tyler has stepped his production game up – a lot. The whole album is entirely produced by him, and the beats sound great. His production style is very unique and he’s definitely created his own sound.

The single off the album “Domo 23” has Tyler bragging over mischievous horns, while the following track “Answer” is much darker with Tyler longing for his late grandmother and absent father over a relaxed guitar track and bright organs. “IFHY” is one of my favorite songs on this album. Tyler talks about his conflicted love interest over a dark organ track which evolves into electric synthesizers while the darkness is continued in the bass and drums. “Rusty” is the standout track on this album. The beat almost sounds like something RZA would’ve done in the 90’s, and Tyler’s verse is on point. He basically gives all of his critics a big “fuck you” and finishes off his verse with “Fuck buying studio time, I’ma go purchase a shrink/ record the session and send all you motherfuckers a link”.

While Tyler’s production is better than it’s ever been, his rhyming hasn’t really gotten any better. He’s definitely not a bad rapper, and it’s good that he’s moved away from the rape and murder, but his rhymes aren’t any better than they were on Goblin. With that being said the album still has some of the best songs he’s ever written. There are several tracks really dive deep into his personal matters, and “Rusty” is one of his best lyrical performances to date.

Overall, Wolf is a beautiful sounding album. The production is beyond great, and rather than venting his anger like Bastard or Goblin, Tyler has opened the doors to show off the talent behind his music.

7.5/10

First off, let me say that I can’t believe I’m writing this post; this project had almost reached Detox status for me.I realize that both of these dudes have been extremely busy over the last couple of years, but damn…

I feel as though all of my Hip-Hop prayers have been answered. I just peeped this video the other day on Ev’s twitter, and it got my super excited. I’ve been waiting for an Evidence and Alchemist full-length since they mentioned their Step Brothers project back in 2009. What makes this project even more special? It’s being released through Rhymesayers Entertainment – talk about dope. There are a few assumptions that I can make about Lord Steppington: First, the beats are going to be raw;  the equivalent of having your skin scraped off after a fall on the pavement. Second, the album is going to be chocked full of humor; we all know that Evidence and Alchemist are hilarious dudes.

Here’s a little taste of what to expect:

Top 10 Albums (no particular order)
Kendrick Lamar: Good Kid, m.a.a.d. City
“Swimming Pools (Drank)”

Kendrick Lamar has the Outkast factor.  I can listen to his songs, intently focusing on the lyrics while getting lost in the scenes he vividly describes, or I can zone out, not pay attention to what he’s saying and dance to the beat while singing along with the incredibly infectious hooks.  GKMC feels like 3 Stacks and Big Boi rolling through Compton with Caine and O-Dog from Menace II Society.

Standout Tracks:  Money Trees, Bitch Don’t Kill My Vibe, The Art of Peer Pressure, Swimming Pools (Drank), The Recipe

Aesop Rock: Skelethon
“Cycles to Gehena”

Aesop Rock is my favorite writer out of all the hip hop I’ve listened to in my 27 year old life.  His ability to mine the mundane constantly inspires me. Aesop is able to extract such beauty out of what seems like odd song concepts.  From a tune about bad haircuts to a track about driving motorcycles away from problems, to a joint about hating vegetables while growing up, the dude makes every song relatable to the human condition.  I broke down when I first heard the lines, “Baby, this is how the great escape goes when you can’t take your dead friends’ names out your phone”.

Standout Tracks:  Cycles to Gehenna, Crows 1, Zero Dark Thirty, Grace, Gopher Guts

El-P: Cancer for Cure
“The Full Retard”

El-P’s music makes me want to cock my hat to the side, put a snarl on my face, punch a kitten and look for the government phone taps in my house.  It’s trunk rattling BDP type bangers that are delightfully frantic, evidenced by lines like “Bump this shit in your floating whip system//Bump this shit in the bread line and the prison. Bump this shit in the chip under your wrist skin// (El you are so f*cking paranoid)”  I saw him live in June and watched an entire crowd form a mosh pit and jump around for the entire set.  One of the best hip hop artists at any level. Period.

Standout Tracks: The Full Retard, Drones Over Brooklyn, Oh Hail No, Colder Tougher Killer, Stay Down

Sapient: Gunwings Redux
Download Link: http://sapient.bandcamp.com/album/gunwings
“Glorious Day”

Sapient is one of the best technical hip hop artists out there.  I love listening to his creative multi-syllablic rhyme schemes, the heavily layered doubles that add depth and dimension to the tracks and the falsetto laced harmonies he sings on bridges and hooks.  Gunwings is actually a “redux” (redo) of his album Barrels for Feathers.  He changed the beats up, added some features and altered the choruses. Oh yeah, and it’s free.  I posted the download link.  Do yourself a favor and peep this before his new album Slump drops in February.

Standout tracks:  Clouds Clear, Glorious Day, One of the Many Ways, Stronger, Grown Up

Ka: Grief Pedigree
“Born King N.Y.”

Grimey, grimey, gully, gutter, mother f*cking rap music.  Dude spits hard, intelligently, and vividly.  If you like early Wu Tang and Mobb deep with a 2012 twist to it, this album is for you.  It feels like walking through an alley with a baseball bat and a philosophy degree on a cold, bone chilling winter night.

Standout Tracks: Chamber, Summer, Iron Age, Vessel, Born King N.Y.

Dark Time Sunshine: Anx
“Never Cry Wolf”

Zavala, the instrumentalist of DTS, may be my favorite producer in rap right now.  He is one of the best at making a beat shake your bedroom while still maintaining a strong emotional quality.  The same song will make you nod your head spastically while tearing up.  Onry Osbourne, the very abstract emcee for DTS, sounds comfortably at home over the production and the guest spots are woah (Busdriver, Aesop Rock, Reva Devito, Ceschi, Child Actor, Swamburger from S.O.S.).  Sidenote:  Gavin and I once played a Hives Inquiry Squad show and Onry was in the crowd.  When we got done rocking our first three songs, Onry screamed out “Ya’ll f*cking spit hard.”  I will forever hang my hat on that.

Standout Tracks:  Valiant, Overlordian, Look at What the Cat Did, Never Cry Wolf, Take My Hand

Action Bronson: Rare Chandeliers
“The Symbol”

He is a big, burly, red-headed, red-bearded dude who was a former chef, sounds faintly like Ghostface and raps about blunts, women, rapping better than you, fine wines and delicious cheeses.  You really can’t go wrong with that. Plus he does projects with just one producer, making them sound more cohesive than albums that patch together beats from 10+ different instrumentalists.  This particular release featured the soundscapes of the one and only Alchemist. This is the rap I listen to when I make elaborate dinners on Sunday nights and want to feel like a dun dada.

Standout Tracks: Rare Chandeliers, Modern Day Revelations, Gateway to Wizardy, Dennis Haskins, Mike Vick

Wu Block: Wu Block
“Crack Spot Stories”

Ummm…it’s Wu Tang and D Block linking up for an album.  Ghostface, Sheek Louch, Raekwon, Styles P, Jadakiss.  Need I say more?

Standout Tracks:  Crack Spot Stories, Pull the Cars Out, Coming for Ya Head, Different Time Zones, Do It Like Us.

IAME: Lame$stream
Download Link: http://iame.bandcamp.com/
“Swaggupy” (ft Young Coconut)

IAME, a Sandpeople/Oldominion represenative, does a bit of everything well.  He’s a great story teller.  He puts his naked, raw and honest self into his song concepts.  He has a wonderful writing style that frequently leaves me waiting in anticipation for how he’ll finish his rhymes.  His hooks are catchy, whether he is rapping them or somebody else is singing them.  Lame$stream is a follow up to equally as excellent 2011 release, Lame.  Both are available at his bandcamp for download, which I’ve linked.

Standout Tracks: Yeah Huh, Lame$tream, April (Thaw), Swaggupy, We All Win

Frank Ocean: Channel Orange
“Thinking About You”

I know this isn’t a hip hop album persay, but I couldn’t leave this off the list due to how much it altered hip hop/urban culture.  First off, I’ve been listening to R&B since I was 9 and I’ve only ever heard songs about clubbing, missing a girl, loving a girl, sexing a girl, Moms or Jesus.  As much as I love the genre, it hasn’t been the best at inspiring existential thoughts or challenging reality.  However, Channel Orange breaks that mold.  Frank Ocean questions religion, sings of Sierra Leone, criticizes those who’ve spent their whole lives rich and croons to both women AND men.  Most of you have probably heard of his letter explaining his past relationship with a male.  If not, you should check it out.  I feel like years from now, when gay marriage is legal and we are wondering how the hell we as a society remained so bigoted for so long, we will view his letter, these songs and this album as catalysts for a culture’s acceptance to an alternative lifestyle.  Not only does this album have genre-breaking, society changing implications, but the dude can also sing beautifully.

Standout Tracks:  Thinking About You, Lost, Bad Religion, Pink Matters, Forrest Gump

Top 5 EPs (no particular order)

Milo: Milo Takes Baths
Download Link: http://miloraps.bandcamp.com/
“The confrontation at Khazad-dûm”

Milo’s music is often mentioned as being “Nerd-Hop”, but I feel that label doesn’t do him any justice whatsoever.  Yeah, he likes to reference Dragonball-Z, Lord of the Rings, philosophers, vegetarianism, etc., but said references sound more like the confessions and desires of a college student trying to find himself rather than a comical rambling of “look at how nerdy I can be” statements.  He does an excellent job of balancing the humorous and the heartfelt, as evidence with choruses like “I wonder if these other rappers spend too much time on asshub// I wish I was a merman so I could fall asleep in the bathtub// so I would never drown.”  Milo Takes Baths makes me feel like I’m 20 years old again, sitting around a television playing Waking Life while altering my mindstate and having conversations about God, Pulp Fiction and everything in-between.  I love it. Milo has a double EP releasing on January 1st 2013 with Hellfyre Club.  Get this and then go get that.

Safari Al: Highlands EP
Download Link:  http://safarial.bandcamp.com/
“Windswept”

Safari Al is in a crew with Milo and the Highland EP is the fine opus he released into the universe in 2012.  Based on Safari Al’s recent journey to Guatemala, this project exists in the natural world, where the sugarcane weeps and the sky is so pretty it hurts.  He is another emcee who seamlessly weaves between emotive spitting and effortless crooning, which automatically makes him someone worth bumping in my book. When he sing songs the lines “turn, turn, turn from the ground like worms, worms, worms” on “Saccharine”, I belt along with him in my rundown whip with a huge smile on my face. I am greatly anticipating future works from him.

Jellyfish Brigade: The Art of Being Pulled Apart
Download Link: www.jellyfishbrigade.com

Come on, I wasn’t going to leave my own shit off this list.

Brother Ali: The Bite Marked Heart
Download Link: https://soundcloud.com/rhymesayers/sets/brother-ali-the-bite-marked
“Shine On”

I admit, I haven’t listened to the full length he released this year, which isn’t acceptable since I absolutely loved this EP.  Brother Ali’s strength lies in his ability to be a warrior and a lover in the same body.  This project focuses on showcasing the latter side of the Rhymesayers vet.  Throwin Phonte on a verse and a hook is always a good look and the writing on the track “Years” is the best I’ve ever heard from Ali.  This is free on the Rhymesayers soundcloud page.  Cop it, then go listen to the LP he put out and tell me how it is.

Rap Class: Greatest Hits
Download Link: http://droppinggems.bandcamp.com/album/greatest-hits

Dropping Gems are the homies.  They are a great electronic label from the NW and the dude Rap Class dropped a great hip hop instrumental project with them earlier this year.  I may be a bit biased on this because RC and I have had amazing conversations about teaching, Wu Tang, and how the next Outkast album will be hip hop’s version of Graceland.  However, I don’t think I am because he’s gotten lots of love from big publications like XLR8R.  If you want some dope head nodding beats to clean your house and dance to, cop this project.

Top 15 Songs (no particular order)

Kendrick Lamar: “Bitch Don’t Kill My Vibe”

Killer Mike ft T.I. and Bun B: “Big Beast”

Rick Ross ft Andre 3000: “Sixteen”

El-P: “Stay Down”

Frank Ocean: “Forest Gump”

A$AP Rocky: “Goldie”

Pusha T: “Exodus 23:1”

Jaramie the Great ft Yenom 57: “Going Green”

http://elevationmusicgroup.bandcamp.com/track/going-green-ft-yenom57
Nas: “Daughters”

P.O.S. ft Justin Vernon: “How We Land”

Brother Ali ft Phonte: “I’ll Be Around”

Aesop Rock: “Gopher Guts”

Kanye West ft R. Kelly: “To the World”

Big Ban ft Hives Inquiry Squad: “Black Friday”

http://webangbig.bandcamp.com/track/black-friday
Jellyfish Brigade: “The Character is Me”

http://jellyfishbrigade.com/track/the-character-is-me-2

Lucas Dix is a teacher and an emcee for the hip hop groups Jellyfish Brigade and Hives Inquiry Squad.  You can follow him at @jellyfishbrgde.