But I did one anyway.
I’ve been posting at BuzzFeed quite a bit, which I noted recently, and decided it was high time to jump on the foolish “here’s a bunch of hilarious video clips” train.
I went the route of banned TV commercials that, in some cases, totally shouldn’t have been banned! I understand why several of them were tossed off the air but, as you’ll see, there are many that should have remained.
Peep the post on BuzzFeed.
In reading about blogging, particularly music blogging, around the web, I too often run into the same nonsense: Everyone posts a ton but isn’t really posting anything, really. It’s all a race to be first with very little reflection—outside of some random self-indulgent nostalgia—and very little thought. It’s all… hollow.
So I suppose that’s why I don’t really write all that much here at Dangerous Strings. While I feel like music blogs—hell, blogs in general—are very important, I also feel that 90 percent of them could disappear and we’d be fine. I mean, for Christ’s sake, MySpace is now in the game of writing about the “daily news” of the music world. And for what?
In looking at what I see posted so frequently, we’re all yelling the same damn thing with a slightly different voice and/or vernacular. There’s nothing special about one blog or the other unless they’re actually doing something special. One particular site, which I won’t link to, has a lot of garbage going on within its Internet walls, but they at least offer a lot in terms of unique content. Then again, I’ve heard they pay their employees absolutely horribly, so what am I saying, really? And did I just reveal who I’m talking about? Damn… I think.
My biggest issue isn’t even the lack of unique content or anything like that. Hell, I barely have the time to do anything truly inspired here outside of the piece of drivel I churn out every few days. Yet, it still feels much more rewarding doing this instead of chasing the ghosts of web traffic.
Anyway, as for the photo I’ve attached here, I’m going to leave that up for interpretation. If you feel like leaving a comment, let me know what you think it means.
While most music bloggers are hellbent on trying to keep up with every single damn new release, I have found solace in looking backwards. In other words, I think it’s just as important to listen to and write about projects that may have been overlooked or simply didn’t receive the shine they deserved. Enter musician/engineer Adrian Younge’s Something About April.
Chances are you have heard of Younge through his work with Wu-Tang Clan member Ghostface Killah or the samples used on Jay Z’s “Heaven” and “Picasso Baby” off last year’s Magna Carta… Holy Grail. For reference, the album contains bits of Younge’s “Reverie” and “Sirens”.
Well, back in the year 2000, Younge was stepping onto the scene with his take on soul music from the 1970s. He was particularly fond of the sounds heard on Blaxploitation film soundtracks, which is evident on Something About April.
The 14-track project is a thing of throwback beauty with rich organs, fantastic drums, fluttering woodwinds, and oh-so-perfect guest vocalists. It’s wild to think that the guy made a majority of this project holed up in a bedroom studio, but he did. It’s also wild to think that he hasn’t received the recognition he deserves, but I believe that his time is coming. You can’t make music this good and not get recognized at some point. You just can’t.
You can buy Something About April here or listen to it below.
I HAVE BEEN POSTING LISTS LIKE A MADMAN AT BUZZFEED.
Seriously, I got bit by the BuzzFeed bug and cannot stop publishing things over there. That being said, I have been grooving pretty hard (who says that?!) to Roy Ayers lately. For those unfamiliar, I suggest putting the following track on full blast.
No words other than this: Rest In Peace to the mighty Maya Angelou. ❤
For those unfamiliar with the beyond-talented roster of producers, rappers, and DJs at Soulection, let me lay it out for you. The team includes the likes of AbJo, Evil Needle, Sango, and LAKIM, all of whom (and more!) have contributed material to the 100K compilation. This label release is a celebration of their reaching 100,000 followers on Soundcloud—get the name now?—and is everything you’d want from the collective.
That “everything you’d want” primarily refers to a deft blend of soul, R&B, hip-hop, and house music. Those four genres often can blended together in single outings from a few of these artists, though some stick to just mixing one or two. If you’re looking for a new crew to get into, you’d be wise to start here.
So here I am, just listening to Pitchfork’s playlist of the best 500 songs of the 2000s—check it out here—and one of my personal favorites came on. As you can probably tell from this post’s title, I’m referring to Amerie’s unforgettable “1 Thing.” In addition to her vocals being infectious and perfect for the song itself, the production by Rich Harrison is so friggin’ great that I just will never get over it. Seriously, that sample of the Meters’ “Oh, Calcutta!” is absolutely amazing and works so incredibly well that I might have to listen to “1 Thing” for the rest of the day. OK, maybe that’s a bit extreme, but still! I just love this song.
Hey guys, I and the rest of the DS team will be back soon. I had a little accident last night and cut my hand so I’m taking time away from blogging to allow my cuts to heal. I hope you have all been well and we’re looking forward to sharing more of our favorite tunes with you soon!
So here I am, minding my own business and listening to the BADBADNOTGOOD radio on Spotify, which totally rules by the way, and I stumbled across a killer track from Joy Orbison. Now, I’ve been wanting to listen to more from Orbison, partially because I shortchanged the guy based on his name.
And sure enough, he’s been creeping into my listening habits, thanks in part to the phenomenal “The Shrew Would Have Cushioned The Blow.” I have to say, I don’t typically dig fan-made videos for songs, but whoever made this one definitely captured the vibe of Orbison’s tune.
While more passive listeners may have difficulty keeping up with the mainstream music scene, it’s truly nothing compared to what’s going on in the underground. Everything about it can shift at a moment’s notice, mostly because it’s a breeding ground for artists destined to blow up or retain their spot below the radar. There’s also the middle-ground, where more and more acts are beginning to dwell thanks to an increasingly attainable independent-but-not-really status. So what, then, are you to do when you’re simply searching for some underground bands to get familiar with? You head to the never-ending blogosphere, which is what led me to this post at Mooky Chick outlining that there’s apparently a new gothic music scene on the rise.
Dangerous Strings 