| #200 - 166 | | #165 - 131 | | #130 - 101 | | #100 -71 | | #70 - 41 | | #40 - 21 | | #20 - 1 |
| All 200 Songs |
165. Weezer “L.A. Girlz”
The Weezer of 2013-2016 is the Weezer that should have existed 1997-2000. And by that, we mean that this era would have been drastically improved with crunchier bass tone and Moog synth counter-melodies on every song. (We're specifically longing for Moog on "L.A. Girlz." A lost opportunity.) Weezer can break up now. RIP.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRPnaGzcQbQ
164. Flat Swamp “Don’t Count On Me”
Tambascio's Italian Grill. Intimate locale preparing American & Italian plates, plus thin-crust, hand-tossed pizzas. 1 Dodgingtown Rd, Newtown, CT 06470.
163. Two Inch Astronaut “Personal Life”
The first time we heard "Personal Life," it was preceded by a 30-second a capella 3-part harmony interlude where the title phrase was repeated about 8-10 times. Maybe one day, they will release this version. In the meantime, you can play this song for unironic trucker-hat boss down at the loading docks when he asks "What does that Tool-Wrench Astroboy sound like?"
162. A Giant Dog “Sex & Drugs”
161. Solange "Junie"
The euphoric non-Prince-tribute apex.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eURQLyfW0Ms
160. Gary Young “Spit”
Plantman, where you at?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yvlhzb00X_E
159. Frank Ocean “Ivy”
The kids can tell when journalists try to coin a trend and fail. For 3 days in August 2016, the phrase "millennial whoop" appeared in a few headlines referring to wordless choruses of oo's or oa's sung to unimaginatively simple major-chord melodies. Since August, no one dared utter this horrendously embarrassing phrase ever again. And what's worse, one of the examples cited by The Guardian and Youtube was Frank Ocean's "Ivy," a genuinely good song that has almost nothing in common with anything else cited -- especially since IT HAS NO CHORUS. The bad example that ruined the hypothesis.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dATQf-BjIS8
158. A Tribe Called Quest “Black Spasmodic”
"Black Spasmodic" was the first time we ever heard Backspin 43 (SiriusXM's classic rap station) spin a new song on its release date. And that moment helped further reinforce our confusion regarding the absence of a classic rap station in NYC. Or even better: A "Jack FM" format that primarily celebrates both fresh AND classic Hip-hop, R&B and soul. Hundreds of local businesses in NYC have been patiently longing for this format to help them promote. We're so not kidding.
157. Swim Team “I’m Fine”
2016's 2nd best song about Ken Marino.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_dr2XnJCMk
156. Jackal Onasis “The New Ron”
2016's best song about Ken Marino.
155. Halfsour “Fake Sandwich”
Also known as "Fake News Sandwich." Boston invented college rock: Yay or nay?
154. Kamaiyah "Mo Money Mo Problems"
My man B.I. came down from above. Told me to cool out.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVtuzrR44no
153. Lumpy & The Dumpers “I’m Gonna Move To New York”
152. Gucci Mane “Waybach”
FTW you don't really need a publicist for re-branding assistance.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eu13Mmfxctc
151. Joey Purp "Photobooth"
150. N.O.R.E. “Queens”
We really wanted to comment on the DJ tag in the song's first 10 seconds: "Damn Bushrock, that shit's buttery." We tried Googling this but nothing came up. We were wondering who the voice in the DJ tag belongs to and if he will accept our friend request on Facebook.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Y9mcbJca6g
149. PJ Harvey "The Wheel"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ReW0jJkag8
148. Frank Ocean "Pink + White"
https://vimeo.com/184279746
147. Angel Olsen "Sister"
It does kinda plod, but so does sleep paralysis. No Twin Peaks season 3 spoilers PLEASE but we wouldn't be surprised if this showed up in episode one. [Note: This was probably written before the premiere of Twin Peaks' third season.]
146. Nocturnal Habits “Echophilia”
The packaging for Numero Group's intimidatingly enormous series of Unwound reissues seems so rich in aesthetic tastefulness. And now that 2/3's of Unwound have reunited for the Nocturnal Habits LP, we wonder who in God's name approved their logo? We know it's the music that really matters though, so we might just seek a generic vinyl copy with no artwork and drink a beer and rejoice in this sort-of reunion album. Because it might be the closest we ever get to the real thing unless Riot Fest offers them like 50k or some shit.
145. Wrong “Mucilage”
RIYL: Helmet, Pantera, down-tempo Slipknot
144. Foodman “Otonarabi”
Welcome Foodman. We fucked up not including this in Video-Mania 2016 or whatever the fuck it's called.
143. Horse Lords “Truthers”
We already made a Bojack Horselord joke and can't think of anything better.
142. Röyksopp f/ Susanne Sundfør "Never Ever"
Some catchy non-iHeartRadio pop.
141. Field Mouse "Out Of Context"
"Lately, I can't even look at my mother without wanting to stab her repeatedly." Television should never, EVER reboot My So-Called Life. But in the hypothetical universe where this is somehow a good idea, Field Mouse should be somewhere on the soundtrack in one of the scenes where Angela turns up the volume knob on her combination-CD-player-alarm-clock in an effort to rebel against the stronghand of Mom & Dad.140. Chavez “The Bully Boys”
Now 20 years after Beavis & Butthead's proper series finale, any bands lucky enough to have their video critiqued (even if B&B thought it sucked) should still be asked for a reaction. They're a part of history now. Chavez is a special case, since they're possibly the only instance where Mike Judge now works alongside one of the band members (on Silicon Valley). Dupuis uncovered the story. Clay sez: "I worked at MTV at that time but didn't know Mike. We actually worked with the exact same people when I did those Jimmy the Cabdriver things. So when I saw we were on B&B, I assumed someone had pulled a favor. But then a couple years later, I met Mike through feature writing. I'd written a movie and the executive did Office Space, which Mike was just finishing. And Mike told me no one had put thumbs on the scale. He just saw the video and dug it. Mike always had respect for the Chavez, which is cool because he's a SICK musician. Very, very accomplished stand up bassist. He played in all these very real rockabilly and country bands. He can kind of play anything. Including pedal steel."https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBWPU_bBT_A
139. Kitty “Asari Love Song”
Man, fuck your (Kitty) Pryde.
138. Jute Gyte “Palimpsest”
In The Simpsons' episode Homer vs. Lisa and the 8th Commandment (S02E13), Bart addressees his Sunday school teacher's lecture about hell asking, "Wouldn't you eventually get used to it, like in the hot tub?" By all accounts, Jute Gyte (also known as The Lord of Bandcamp Blackmetal) and his 2016 output should have placed higher on the Lit As Fuck Mix. But he releases new albums so quickly that the brutality feels samey, even though each new release is truly more insane than the last. If the releases were spread out once every 2 years, we would probably feel differently -- which also means we'll definitely regret this perspective in due time.
137. Kyle Forester “Won’t Go Crazy”
This could be a "Got To Get You Into My Life" type where the muse is Xanax. Although, 1 or 2 lyrics might disprove this idea. Crystal Stilts is Kyle's band, but he now also plays sax and keys in the band Woods. Are they cool? We don't know Woods.
136. Vince Staples “Prima Donna”
135. Schoolboy Q “Black Thoughts”
Blank Face is Schoolboy Q's "fuck the clubs" album. If it's his Cuban Linx, then "Black Thoughts" is his "Heaven And Hell." The golden age is now. [Note: We noticed the clean version cuts out the 2nd half of the word "marijuana."]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZiRGvl7H7Y8
134. The Lemon Twigs "These Words"
Their swag suggests the music will sound like BrokenCyde or 3OH!3, but instead "These Words" sounds like a deep cut from Billy Joel's Piano Man or Streetlife Serenade LPs.
133. KING “The Greatest”
Mohammad Ali was/is The Greatest. Also, Elvis Presley (the rock star) was also the greatest. Although Oprah is technically the true "Greatest," if you think about it. Also, please don't forget, LL Cool J's album G.O.A.T. from 2000 probably marked the invention of the GOAT abbreviation. Ladies Love Cool James, so he's definitely a contributor to this Greatest discussion. Wayne Gretsky was "The Great One," indicating that he is great, but is he "the greatest?" These questions and more can be answered in this song. Also, it's kind of amazing that a group called "KING" has a song called "The Greatest." No offense to KING, but their tracklisting reveals some conceited tendencies. Let's take a quick peek:
1. "The Greatest"
2. "Genius"
3. "Idol"
4. "Worship Me"
5. "I Am God"
6. "Thou Shalt Have No Other Gods Before Me"
7. "Guess Who #1 Is? Close, But You're Wrong, It's Actually Me"
8. "In Case You've Been In A Coma For Your Entire Life, I'm Pretty Much Jesus"
9. Bonus Track "All The Small Things" (Blink 182 cover)
[NOTE: Wow, we do not remember writing any of this.]
132. Ruby Haunt "Honey"
Good fan video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhoJhcnH1n4
131. Oranssi Pazuzu “Vasemman Kaden Hierarkia”
| Follow "LIT AF 2016" on Spotify |
| #200 - 166 | | #165 - 131 | | #130 - 101 | | #100 -71 | | #70 - 41 | | #40 - 21 | | #20 - 1 |
| All 200 Songs |
One of the weirder aspects of this long-predicted "90s revival" thing that we hadn't anticipated lies within the degree of deliberate intent. Are these bands sounding 90s on purpose, by accident, or somewhere in the middle? And do they even sound 90s in the first place, or only to the ears of untrained critics who associate any loud-guitar music with "the 90s?" Most of this can often be accurately assessed on a song-by-song basis. In the case of "Mermaid," the mastering job sounds like 2013. The verses kinda sound like Bossanova, and the guitar solo kinda sounds like Pod. We like the few moments on this Swearin' record when the male-vocalist creeps out of the shadows for some creepy quickies.
We're not usually into rock trumpets. But if lesser-appreciated late-90s jammer singles like Dinosaur Jr's "I'm Insane," Sloan's "Everything You've Done Wrong," Supergrass's "Going Out," or Ben Folds Five's ode to Kermit T. Frog "Don't Change Your Plans" have taught us anything, tasteful brass might occasionally get used to suggest standing tall despite the elements. "Middle Sea" introduces trumpets in a slightly different more subtle context, as a single element within an otherwise triumphant and comforting Bob Ross portrait. (P.S. Drummer bro kinda sorta looks like Bob Ross.) They decided to take a similar lyrical approach to the first Yuck LP where a lot of the same lines are repeated (like on "The Wall" and "Holing Out"), driving home the main points: They don't want to wait forever for someone who's "across the ocean." The trumpets arrive halfway through as a support mechanism.
We're assuming lots of kids like to sing along to “Versace,” which is not so much a tribute to Gianni himself, but rather an indulgence, milking hiphop's lame current obsession with designer threads. Kids might hear this and subconsciously fixate themselves with material values, but they probably would just prefer to enjoy the dope hiphop and indulge in the far more enjoyable trend of pointlessly repeating the word's phonetics ad nauseam. 20 years ago, it was “hey ho, hey ho...” Today, it's “Versaceversaceversaceversace...” Warpy sounding intro and outro sections seal the deal. 
Problem Child 2 had a character named "Voytek," whose big scene includes his interruption of a date between his estranged wife and Little Ben Healey (played by John Ritter). We assumed "Wojtek" was pronounced the same way, but it's actually "Vo-tek" according to Roomrunner's Denny Bowen. In our exclusive interview, Bowen reveals: "It's not about 
As we've often mentioned in the past, multi-segment pop gems are kinda like our personal catnip, the ones structured in a far more complicated manner than verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-chorus, often including intros, interludes, codas, and mutli-part verses, choruses and bridge sections, seamlessly constructed so that a casual listener won't realize they're invested in something so wildly progressive. "Mummy Jets" infuses the Kevin Barnes prog-leanings with Elvis Costello's thick confidence. For some reason, it also reminds us of Odelay-era Beck or Self. We were hoping to separate our two personal highlights of P&N's latest collection until we realized we've been feeling both jams for the exact same reasons.
Every No Age album is a grower. You might grasp a handful of its jams immediately, but it might not grip as a whole until weeks or even months later. With each release, they seem to be sinking deeper into a brooding droning quicksand. Their self-proclaimed description as "dream-punk" connects lively concepts, the dreamers and the punks, staring out the window, rebellious and free. An Object sounds like songs from dudes whose spirit isn't yet broken, but it's getting there. With only their wits to protect themselves, unexpectedly hidden breathing holes supply jams like "I Won't Be Your Generator" with just enough life to exude gutteral desperation. They're still one of the best bands in the world, and we see An Object signifying a transition.
Some dude knew all the words to this one last night. Earl and Tyler's rapping styles have grown more interchangeable, with Earl coming across as far more charming. He's matured since his otherwise brilliant naive self-titled mixtape (
“Dissed and Dismissed,” a phrase announced by Usher over the school intercom in the movie She's All That, supplies the mantra for Tony Molina's loudest brief statement since the hiatus of his band The Ovens. 12 songs in 12 minutes, all packed with the sludge and yearning desire of Dinosaur Jr's early releases (back when they were simply called Dinosaur) fused with the emo-hooks within Rivers Cuomo's early demos (back when he was a direct disciple of Brian Wilson). Basically, “early” is the key word here, suggesting big things to arrive 3-4 years from now. As he places emphasis on the strength of hooks and the structure of solos (never improvised, unlike J Mascis), “Don't Come Back” might be his current peak of craftsmanship.
Beak>'s second LP collected the soundtracks of baron, faraway landscapes, under the sea or on another planet altogether. When the bass breakdown arrives halfway through “Kenn” (the b-side of a 7-inch released late in 2012), we're imagining this as the soundtrack to the dirtiest of dirty alien sex. This breakdown suggests a heightened sense of paranoia, appearing after the drunk, muffled claustrophobia of its A-section, sounding a lot more similar to an outtake from their sessions with Anika. Barely audible vocals, fuzzy drums and disorienting hallucinations seem to arrive out of nowhere. They may be the bravest of the new krautrock bands, since they're the only ones who reach into these dark areas that everyone else in their game are too afraid to explore. It gets dark and dirty, and what they reveal may shock you.
We were sitting there all bummed after hearing the 
Spacious verses sound like a distant playful memory. But when the heavy synths all hit at once during the chorus, the weight matches that of darker times. “Putting the past behind us” is now more impossible than ever, as a result of the digital social network’s constant reminders. A simple matter of preference separates “Everything is Embarrassing” from its sister-song, 
This is not the kind of song we’d typically place in our top 10... It’s way too dramatic for our tastes. However, 
Taylor Swift is bigger than any of her songs, for better or worse. The marketing team was able to set it up so that “which songs were written about who” became a priority topic that radio DJ’s are forced to discuss ad nauseum to help boost music sales. She is very big business. One section of “We Are Never” includes a sarcastically spoken lyric regarding “some indie record that’s much cooler than mine,” which likely refers to the lamestream definition of “indie-cool.” Was she all up in Mumford & Sons or Imagine Dragons or like Ed Sheeran? Or maybe Taylor Swift was actually dating someone from a “cool” rock band. As if TMZ is really gonna report “Tay Sway was spotted with Stephen Malkmus within viewing distance of Britt Daniels at the AMA’s last night. Here’s hoping Ash Bowie never EVER gets word of this news. Man, Bob Pollard’s gonna be PISSED.”
Following the standard format of a shitty drama film or an E! True Hollywood Story... Before everything comes crashing down, there must be a “top of the world” moment. If this were an actual movie, “Backseat Freestyle” might have been a flashback sequence with the words “Los Angeles, 1995” scrolled across the bottom of the screen, and then we see carefree 8-year-old Kendrick chillin’ in the backseat of whatever car he happens to be riding, with California sunshine pouring from everywhere (not unlike the opening scene of Get Rich Or Die Tryin’ or 8 Mile, two movies starring dudes whose careers also launched with assistance from Dr. Dre. Hmm.) OJ Simpson and Adina Howard are name-checked in order to establish 1995 as the timestamp moment. We misheard the intro lyric as “All my life I want money and parties,” which actually seems far more naïve and appropriate than wanting “money and power.” It’s the kind of jam for those kids who say amazing things like “when I’m president, everyone’s gonna eat free pizza everyday.” “Damn, I feel amazing.” It’s actually a sad song within the context of the album.
Floating underwater endlessly... Waiting for anything. Watching overheard and observing the surroundings. “Egg Dog” is probably every colossal squid’s favorite stoner jam. While the Tago Mago and Neu! comparisons are glaring, “Egg Dog” is probably the first Beak> jam to reveal hidden worship of Velvet Underground, David Bowie and Brian Eno in a lot of the same respects that Radiohead were influenced for Kid A. Also, watch out if you’re not ready for it, but “Egg Dog” is a serious-ass earworm. And strangely enough, it’s not so much the underwater vocals that will follow you around everywhere for months on end, but rather the creepy-as-fuck 50’s-horror-movie organ pattern. As for drums, the mic placement and tone define perfection, not to mention an incredibly restrained playing style. “Less is more” is the ultimate understatement. 10 out of 10. You cannot fuck with the drums on this album. (And possibly recorded so well that the LP was never mastered?? That’s how it sounds to us anyway.) As far as kraut goes, >> surpasses Cave’s Neverendless, Liars’ They Were Wrong So We Drowned, the latest from Moon Duo, and pretty much all the best krautrock since the mid-70’s. No joke.
We feel like we’re copping-out labeling Miguel as someone who’s on the verge of filling a crucial void in pop music, but seriously, the world could use a new Prince. We think Miguel is the man for the job. While he’s far more grounded than Prince, Miguel is the only R&B singer we can recall from the past 10-15 years whose packed such density into a 40-minute album. Whether it’s our favorite of 2012 is yet to be determined, but we definitely love it more than the two most heralded LP’s of 2012, Channel Orange and good kid, m.A.A.d. city (partially because it’s 20-30 minutes shorter and doesn’t include any 9 or 13 minute epics). It’s one of those that reveal a new favorite song every few days, with “Use Me” as the jam we’ve been reviewing most often. Serious-ass compression and mastering are normally associated with Daft Punk or dubstep, but their usage here instead simulates a close, whispering aura. Chugging electric guitars recall Depeche Mode’s dark-as-fuck Violator LP, while Miguel’s “pride is waving a white flag,” allowing himself to be used - a receiving partner - without the confident arrogance typically associated with R&B (i.e. “you just lay that sweet ass down, daddy’s gon’ make ya feel real good, mmmhm, don’t you worry suga”). The powerful rush of a first encounter. Immersion. Eyes wide shut.
We were planning on quoting from an interview with that main dude from Dirty Projectors who we assumed stated something along the lines of “Stupid Hoe is the most important song of the past 10 years,” but after actually reading the quote this is not exactly what was said. 
In the fadeout, a pitch-shifted voice (presumably Mac DeMarco) says “There really is nothing quite like it,” followed by inhaling and coughing, which is as good as any description for what this song is really about. Smokin’ cigs can represent lots of things: A temporary refuge from stress, a satisfying moment of fulfillment, a simple object of consumption, an unhealthy addiction. Mac also sings “Don’t let me see you crying,” and “Don’t take me for a fool now,” leading us to believe the smokes may also equate to something or someone who feels like a part of us even though we recognize that they’re slowly killing us inside. Kurt Cobain, who famously chain-smoked throughout Nirvana Unplugged, borrowed a similar cliché for his song “Swap Meet” (“keeps his cigarettes close to his heart”). Quitting is essentially amputation. “Honey I’ll smoke you ‘til I’m dyin’.” Viceroy itself is a curious choice - an old-timey brand recognized more often by older folks, and 
So now there are two songs from the 2010’s that we desperately want Andrew WK to cover: 
Rich Kids don't give a fuck. Daddy buys them more xany for gnashin and more jaguars for joyrides. They don't know who their real friends are, and they don't care. Until one day they realize they want dat "real love." And suddenly their life doesn't seem all that super rich anymore. The piano chords emulate the second-hand on a giant grandfather clock while the rich kids fill their time with “white lies and white lines” and “bottles of wine they can’t pronounce.” And yet despite the incredibly slow BPM, "Super Rich Kids" is still somehow the most fun-sounding song on Channel Orange. Unlike Earl Sweatshirt, Frank Ocean never had an “immature” era prior to his initial 2011 breakthrough. An important part of Odd Future’s marketing seemed built around the excitement of youthfulness. Two years later, Frank and Earl’s levels of wisdom seem decently matched; they’re confused about the future and contemplative, desperate for answers but not receiving any. 
Does RDS build their own pedals? Some of the guitar tones on Mauve seem specific to this album, especially the crunch in the bass tones. We also couldn't help but notice how this aggressiveness came at a price, as we've been missing their spacey ballads, like the ones we loved so much from 2011's Colour Trip. Although this sudden brutality hasn’t removed their knack for strong vocal hooks, especially in “Slack” with “do you feel how I feel inside?” as the adolescent singalong. We normally associate “slack” with the ’93-era trifecta of “Creep,” “Loser” and “Undone - The Sweater Song,” but the "Slack" mentioned by RDS may suggest some double entendre. It's way too exciting to notice any application of true “slack” aesthetic. This frenzy also helped them earn a few weeks of shows with Smashing Pumpkins, meeting a whole new audience of young people for feeding their adrenaline injections. Team Ringo 4ever.
“Cut You” seems to have been unfortunately shadowed by Japandroids “The House that Heaven Built” as the most popular recent song to follow the lineage that peaked with Foo Fighters’ “Everlong” and albums from The Promise Ring and Jimmy Eat World. We’re happy as fuck that great songs like this could exist in 2012 without the presence of the dreaded emo-whine. Dylan Baldi's vocal delivery is exactly what the song needed to give it a modern context, ascending far above any recent singles from those who still can receive top-billing at Warped Tour or Bamboozle. Also keep in mind that “Cut You” is not as good of a one-song representation of Attack On Memory as “No Future No Past” or “Stay Useless” or “Wasted Days.” But from where we stand, it's the most crucial album track.
Passing through Nashville two or three weeks ago for a house show, we noticed a difference in the air. It felt so germy and dirty. We got into a conversation with one of the bands who played that night (
Yes, that’s correct, God Himself (uncredited at special request) supplies the finger-snaps on this song, recorded from the center of the Grand Canyon. He was only able to snap that one time, and then they just looped it, because you know, He’s God. He’s got a busy schedule. We’ve heard speculation on the meaning of the song’s title from several different sources: 
The best non-Japandroids rock ballad of 2012, "Prehistoric" includes all the same power jangle and spaciousness as a few debut singles we loved in the early 2000's: "Run" from Snow Patrol, and "Yellow" from Coldplay - great songs, but guilty pleasures nonetheless. "Prehistoric" sounds similarly influenced by The Bends, Jeff Buckley and The Verve, but with a bottom layer of synthesizers evoking moonlit scenarios and adolescent tension. It's not just simply nostalgic-sounding (literally pre-historic), but also very much digging at the present moment. They've strangely become an "Alternative Press" type of rock band, but we could see this easily crossing over for those who enjoy Top 40, underground pop and indie flavors.
With apologies to Now, Now, we've made it to "2012's hugest rock ballad." Those fireworks sound like they’re isolated in the distance, similar to "Prehistoric" in summoning the celebration of life through nostalgia. We grew accustomed to the range of celebrations Japandroids presented throughout their 2008-2010 output, so we were surprised hearing the enormity of Celebration Rock. Japandroids may have outdone themselves in department of “grandiose,” leaving themselves with a few options: 
Over their three LP’s and various non-album tracks, Grass Is Green has only occasionally played with standard verse-chorus structure, with “Panera” now standing as the most impressive example. We hear its meticulous arrangement and songwriting as Ronson’s would-be hit single, easily as catchy as similarly abrasive jam-outs from At The Drive In or Jimmy Eat World while packing just as much pummel. But the performance itself is really what makes this one special. The highway-speed-chase blasts through multiple brick walls in the song’s second half, especially those 2 or 3 moments when rhythm section bros Mike and Jesse start banging the fuck out of their instruments over some delicately placed sustained guitar feedback and squeaky pitch-pedal screams. Oh yeah, also the 
Not sure what to make of this one... Imagining all the most claustrophobic and paranoid scenarios still don’t match up to the synthetic eeriness of “The Gaol” (also known as “The Gaul” for Spotify listeners). Creeping spirits manifesting to a new host? Dinosaur porno? Some sort of musical note is discovered that turns everything into Claymation? Tell ‘em Large Marge sent ya? Travelling through a black hole, witnessing a first-hand account of the fourth dimension? “The Gaol” is an otherworldly jam that sets the tone for everything else on Beak>’s second LP. We’re pumped as hell that music publications like SPIN have been praising it among this year’s most kickass.
When Barry and Levon's reunion tour happens, "Adorn" is the only other jam that could possibly fit in their repertoire. It's kind of impossible to describe this song without the inevitable 
Is this ridiculous or genius or both? Similar to Ariel Pink in sonically paralleling the intricacies of AM Gold singer-songwriters, Ryan Power structurally ups the ante, approaching from more of a theme-and-variation standpoint than verse-chorus. His A section is followed by a B section, but the next time A and B appear they arrive with unexpected appendages and attachments, transforming into alternate C, D, E and F sections before returning back to the original intro run…. If that makes any sense. So yeah, I guess THIS could technically be considered “progressive” (a term often misused in 2012 rock journalism) although what makes it interesting has more to do with delicate tone and texture, as well as a string of surprisingly catchy vocal melodies that could just as easily have filled an entire album’s worth of songs in the hands of a different writer. 
Earl Sweatshirt’s first appearance in nearly two years still generates smiles. We don’t think it would be out of the question to label “Oldie” as an “event” type of song, coupling the context of Earl’s exhumation with the largeness of the song itself, which somehow actually sustains itself as exciting over the course of its nearly 11 minutes. Playfulness wasn’t normally as prevalent in noteworthy hiphop prior to 2012, although Action Bronson and Joey Bada$$ have been lending a hand in this area. “Oldie” fits into this category as well, which is both its strongest and most perplexing attribute – perplexing because of the lyrical contrast with Tyler The Creator’s curiously ominous choice of beat. While we were prepared to label Jasper Dolphin’s unfortunate insertion (between two relatively giant names, Frank Ocean and Earl Sweatshirt of all people) as a low-point, it’s actually the song’s most obviously playful and “who gives a fuck” moment. This is the real Odd Future: the Wolf Gang we’ve been waiting for. 
We seem to recall last Spring when web-announcements of a Grandaddy reunion album were floating around. Perhaps these were rumors? Maybe they’re just taking their time... If it’s not happening, then we’re assuming Jason Lytle’s Dept. of Disappearance was intended for new Grandaddy. But if it’s simply taking longer than expected, then tracks like the outstanding “Your Final Setting Sun” (his best since 2003’s Sumday) are a very good indication that they’ve been up to no good, brewing some serious-ass Sophtware Slump-style awesomeness. We miss the weirdo robot noises and bizarro arrangements. Hoping these guys come back very soon. 
Tagged by millions as the most colossal megaton chorus since “Since U Been Gone,” which is possibly accurate. But what about the verses? Does “Call Me Maybe” have verses? Upon relistening, the answer seems to be “yes,” although they are largely forgotten by 99% of the people who know of this song’s existence. This is because the writers discovered an awesome hook and then formed the other song-related elements entirely around it, instead of crafting it into something that sounds complete, an unfortunately wasted opportunity to create some magic because the music-biz CEO’s were all like “this needs to be released now, we need a hit so I can get my kids on My Super Sweet 16.” But while it’s a still hugely overrated as a whole, the chorus is too perfect to not be recognized among the year’s best. 
As the market for “nostalgia” increases in largeness with every passing year, it becomes more inevitable to notice a few borrowed ideas getting used to create something that’s actually fresh, instead of simply repackaging the same shit with a glossier exterior. When we saw Bruno Mars’ recent album described as “10 songs that sound like 10 different 80’s bands,” we were mostly skeptical since this same guy was responsible for our worst song of 2011, as well as three other appearances in our “worst songs” list since the start of this decade. We’ll be the first to admit when a shit artist surprisingly steps up their game; we just had no idea that it would be Bruno Fucking Mars of all people. But it happened! Unorthodox Jukebox is shockingly not horrible! In fact, it’s actually somewhat listenable as a whole, with his “X-Factor contestant” vocal-style as the album’s only true turn-off. However, within the context of “Treasure,” his singing style actually fits. We doubt “Treasure” has any chance of getting radio airplay, although we might have thought the same about “Locked Out of Heaven” which has turned into somewhat of a mega-hit in the past 3 months, so who knows? “Treasure” pulls more directly from the late-90’s and early-2000’s version of disco-nostalgia. More than half of Jamiroquai’s catalog is based around this idea. Britney Spears also tried this out in 2001 on one of our favorites of hers, the album track “Anticipating.” So yeah, somehow Bruno Mars actually put out a bunch of songs that don’t completely suck. No one’s more surprised than we are. 
Eat dem drugs all day err day. “We were somewhere around Barstow on the edge of the desert when the drugs began to take hold.” That moment when the simple experience of enjoyment ascends into “balls tripping holy fucking shit” territory, a.k.a. when “Elephant” switches from the vocal section to the psychedelic guitar jam, a.k.a. when baby Dumbo gets drunk by accident with the mouse dude and they see all the purple elephants dancing around. Afterwards, the outro section includes the final drum fill and “yeah!” followed by the abrupt cold ending, when you suddenly come down with no memory of what just transpired. 
Thanks to meticulous attention to detail in the mixing, mastering and songwriting-structure on Mr. Dream’s “Fatherland” EP, it wouldn’t be entirely difficult to confuse this record with an authentic lost 1979 punk relic buried deep within John Peel’s vast collection. We’re psyched as hell that any NYC bands are still interested in playing this kind of music while still writing songs that are entirely worthy of attention. Taking cues from PiL, Stooges and Big Black with a hint of Wolfy Mozart in the song’s title, well-paced side 2 opener “Believing and Shitting” packs the same urgency as that which is normally associated with late-decade or pre-millennial or pre-apocalypse tension (“everyone knows it’s the end”) concluding with a mysterious open-ended coda section. 
“Lost” might be more of a continuation of nostalgia,ULTRA than the rest of Frank’s newer stuff, both in sound and theme, creating a trifecta of sorts with “Novacane” and “Swim Good” which we believe to be among his most drug-influenced and earwormy singles to date. All three express a desire to break away, or in this case, “get lost” in the moment. We’re not sure if Channel Orange was meant to express a flowing narrative in the same way as good kid, M.A.A.D. city, but it raises our suspicions when it appears after "Pyramids," which already appeared after two songs about class separation, “Sweet Life” and “Super Rich Kids.” 
Sometimes the long-distance runner is on a shit-ton of speed pills. Dripping’s sequencing suggests meticulous planning, starting and finishing strongly. An intense momentum especially builds during one of the most ass-kicking 4-song middle sections in recent memory, with “Prom Song” as its crowning moment. After “Grunt like a Pig” concludes the intense chase sequence, “Prom Song” starts with the “peaceful sunrise” intro segueing into a pummeling guitar riff, complimented perfectly by the sparse rhythm section. Pile’s signature tension-building leads them to one of the year’s best and most soulful guitar solos, played from atop an especially gigantic mountain. From up above, long-bearded God obliges, throwing up the devil-horns as he rides his chopper across the sky desert. 
“Drinking songs” have a surprisingly wide spectrum of categories, a fact that only occurred to us after hearing “Swimming Pools.” Kendrick’s meditation might appear alongside Hank Williams jams or Johnny Cash’s “Sunday Morning Coming Down,” exploring the psychological aspects of self-medication. On the opposite side of this spectrum, one might find soulless frat-douchiness such as Toby Keith’s “Red Solo Cup,” or songs exploring freedom from stress and enjoyment-of-life, an effort to forget problems with fun instead of depressingly drowning out our sorrows, in songs such as Andrew WK’s “Party Til You Puke.” Kendrick’s sped-up soliloquy in the second verse (which we didn’t realize was him at first) pushes this exploration to an even deeper level. 