Guest Review: Hunting Club – “Mosaic”

About a week ago I saw that Hunting Club had a new album coming out. I immediately remembered that about two years ago Andrew Archer came out of nowhere with a great review of their debut album Plaid Album. I wondered how he was doing and promised myself that I would check out the album. A couple of days ago Andrew (now a recently published author! [check out the link below]) once again wrote me out of nowhere with a review of Hunting Club's new album Mosaic. Thanks again Andrew for another firey review! You're always welcome on these pages. 

"Musical Concoctions"

I attended a Hunting Club show in the spring of 2012 at “Cause” in Minneapolis (after party was at “Effect”). After covering most of “The Plaid Album,” the instruments leapt into an awakening new track. Front man and infinite hipster—Eric Pasi (known to wear sunglasses on cloudy days)—had previously shared the unnamed song with me via e-mail, so I had some vague familiarity to the track.

I’m not sure if “Double Vision” is a dance or the dance created is the song? The hairs on my arms and neck gathered while I felt my bodily atmosphere shift. The feeling it invokes is between the one you get during a captivating speech and the moment you found out Steve Jobs died; it sort of comes out of nowhere with an auditory hurl, but parasitically implants itself. This shock never gets old. If you don’t at least tap your foot to the jam I would consult a physician about potential paralysis or other pseudo-neurological condition (e.g. blurred or double vision):

how can you pretend it’s super-stition?

knowing what is next would beat you senseless

After the 5 to 6 audience members left the venue, I slalomed to the front of the stage to catch up with Eric;

“That new [Double Vision] track is hot. It’s gonna be your hit single...I’m telling you, the Current [radio station] is gonna be all over that shit, you wait n’ see.” 

Hunting Club’s sophomore album opens with “Magic Bullet.”  The feel is something like running while you are stoned.

Tracks like “Skyscraper” exhibit the band’s true talent for uniquely-crafted yet stylistic jams that even inspire the most talentless of Caucasians to dance. My journalist copy was initially titled “THC 1,” which I was told did not refer to the band’s extra-curricular activities^{[citation needed]}.

“White Lies” has that hypnotic or transient, gritty sound that is like tentacles to the senses. The listener is held and it conjures an image of a benevolent octopus slow dancing with someone.

There is an omniscient—or at the very least—arrogant thread to “Hollywood (who cares?).” The lyrics are a nonchalant series of incongruent polarities:

blind faith black flag
line up get trashed
i know everyone
forwards backwards

The recursive track is ripe with satire depicting a Hollywood culture enveloped in the superficial. This commentary reaches the depths of that type of social complacency:

live in magazine
culture and wet dream
you know everyone
inside and outside 

The album finishes strong with the anthem and declaration, “Nothing Lasts Forever” as well as “More Than Games,” which takes aim at the romantic quest with existential annotations:

Deep in the sky I’m empty

[...] Dying for your apathy

The chorus grows incrementally as the song evolves into a remarkable ballad rich with emotional countenance.

I still can’t understand any of the words in the final song, “Suburban Bear,” but the fucking title is awesome!

This idiosyncratic collection of songs is an exploration of the shallow state of America. Songs like “Skyscraper” might be hinting at the capitalist ethos in general;

Living well on paper,

Living well on borrowed time

Or maybe I’m projecting... #studentloans

The album’s musical diversity is a concoction of jazz, hip hop and indie-rock. Despite the eclectic blend, the prodigious writing, instrumentation and swagger has left the audience with a musical composite that is creatively uniform; a "Mosaic."

-Andrew James Archer, author of the new book “Pleading Insanity”-

HuntingClubMusic.com

Manu Chao: Live in Rivas, Madrid

With each "Hasta siempre Rivas!!" (Rivas being the town in the suburbs of Madrid where he played), Manu Chao and his merry band left the stage followed by the shouts and howls of the thousands in attendance. Four times they returned, stretching out a concert that I thought would be a little over an hour into a three hour marathon of amazing music: the funky sounds of when cultures intertwine, borders drop, and people come together. When we finally left the show, in the midst of a surprising May cold snap that had us shivering in the Spanish night, we were exhausted: legs cramping, vocal cords shattered, shoulders hurting from holding off the hordes. But even now I can still hear Manu shouting "Oy yo yo yoooo!", imploring us to keep up with his fierce energy.

Manu for me was a top two show I had to see, right up there with the indomitable Outkast. Manu's music was a big reason for me wanting to learn Spanish and, in some ways, for moving to Spain. Although he still hasn't made quite the same name for himself in the US, Manu's kaleidoscopic mix of different sounds have made him a legend in Latin American and many European countries.

After enjoying a few beers at the feria of Rivas before the show with my girlfriend and great buddy Tobes, we joined the masses to walk the quick jaunt to the gigantic auditorium of Rivas, a Spanish white elephant if there ever was one. What happened the next three hours is still a blur: a beautiful mix of different styles, influences, political messages, waved Western Saharan flags, and Manu. Songs took on lives of their own; the most obscure song would suddenly turn into a mammoth rallying call for the crowd to mosh with a passion. The only breaks Manu, his sound effect guy (another living legend), drummer, and guitar player took were the encore breaks, slight eyes of the storms of music and dancing. Jumping around from his monumental solo catalog and his work with Mano Negra, there is no song that I wish he had played but at the same time no song sounded exactly as I had heard it the hundreds of times before. The songs, rather, become notes in a amazing symphony that Manu was playing: each had its time to shine yet never became more important than the composition as a whole. The three hour symphony made us sing, dance, think, yell, and was a true musical experience-the closest thing this atheist will get to going to church-there with a couple thousand other music lovers, jamming at the alter of Manu.

For a taste of the show, check out Manu's live album from 2009, Baionarena! 

Staff Benda Bilili-Osali Mabe

Staff Benda Bilili eclipse just being a great story; they make some pretty damn good music. The core of the band is four paraplegics who had polio when they were younger, leaving them without the use of their legs (check out their great public service announcement to remind parents to get their kids vaccinated against the disease here). Tired of being rejected by other bands in Kinshasa, the members joined forces, practicing and living in the city zoo while working as street performers across the sprawling Congolese capital. You can't make this stuff up. Discovered by a Belgian producer, the group have now made names for themselves on the World Music scene, recently having released their latest album. Two albums down, the band gained exposure due to their unique story but will be around for a long time due to their unique music. "Osali Mabe" is the perfect introduction to the band's sound: a great mixture of traditional Central Africa call and response backed up by some funky Caribbeanesque groove. The shrieking electric guitar is actually Roger Landu, a teenage street kid who was taken in by the band who made his guitar out of a tin can. The odds they had to go against for me to jam to their sounds were immense, the music even better. Check them out below. 

Buy Bouger Le Monde! here

Download Staff Benda Bilili Osali Mabe

Django Django-Default

"Default" sounds like what would happen if an 8-bit game and a tribal dance had a metaphorical baby. Off of the self-titled debut album of the British band Django Django, "Default" has a ferocious energy to it, guided by a funky guitar riff and some intense tambourines. Catchy yet spunky, with just a touch of the psychedelic, this jamandahalf really does sound like nothing else out there. Check out the entire album on Spotify here. 

Download Django Django Default (Album Version)

Stephen Marley-Break Us Apart feat. Capleton

There is something pseudo religious about going to a concert-a group of people congregating together to sing and dance for hours and emerging feeling buzzed having shared a fleeting, common experience. The pseudo religiousness is multipled ten fold when you throw in reggae and the blood of Bob Marley. Stephen Marley came to town last week and put on a three hour revival of a show, giving the madrileño crowd everything they came for-irie vibes, groovy tunes, and hours of boogie. Backed up by a great band and the two most energetic backup singers I've ever seen, Stephen commanded the stage in a way that would make his father proud. Playing through the majority of his latest Grammy-winning album Revelation Part 1: The Root Of Life, Stephen also played a couple Bob jams (though always sped up strangely) and being a Marley concert, brought out his son Jo Mersa. I'm not much of a believer in general but I do believe that music has some healing power. Throw in reggae and the blood of Bob Marley and that increases ten fold. 

Download Stephen Marley Break Us Apart Ft. Capleton

Rodrigo y Gabriela (feat. C.U.B.A and Anoushka Shankar)-Ixtapa

The best online music "recommend-er" would be the equivalent of a good buddy-aware of all of your music tastes along with your personality; able to think of how the nuances in who you are which would match up perfectly with X new band or Y new rapper. That's why no Pandora will be as good at giving great music recommendations than friends. Luckily one of Moo's buddies passed us an album by this unique Mexican duo named Rodrigo y Gabriela way back sophomore year. Since then I've seen them twice (both times sharing a magical high five with Gabriela) and have consumed their live albums and studio tapes. 

Their newest release Area 52 is perhaps not the long-awaited album of new material some of us were looking forward to; but maybe it's something even bolder. RodGab collaborated with a group of young Cuban musicians along with some other noted artists to essentially recreate some of their most loved jams. From the looks of it, the recording sessions must have just been sublime jam sessions, and the new album is simply incredible-fusing the intense flamenco/metal guitars of Rodrigo and Gabriela with the inclusion of a whole host of new sounds and flavors. This version of "Ixtapa" is a rollercoaster eight-minute long monster of a track that wears many different hats and wears them all incredibly well. Featuring a sitar solo by Ravi Shankar's daughter Anoushka, this song really shows that the duo aren't afraid to share their music with others. In the end, bringing the crew along just makes their music that much sweeter. 

Buy Area 52

Click here to download "Ixtapa"

Download Rodrigo Y Gabriela Ixtapa (Feat. C.U.B.A.)

Black Keys-Run Right Back and Little Black Submarine

Back to it. After a blip in the music universe where I wasn't really feeling anything and was revisiting old Outkast (always pleasantly surprised to hear Dre on each song) and A Tribe Called Quest albums, it's back to some new stuff. And this one is brand new, as in leaked to the blogosphere yesterday new. The Black Keys set an extremely high water mark for themselves with 2010's Brothers, which found itself near the top of almost every end of the year Best Albums list. El Camino, to be released in a week, might just sneak on a list too if it has its way. Though a shake less blues and a smidgen more soul than Brothers, El Camino still had my ears beaming this morning on my ever threateningly cold commute to work. Two standouts are "Run Right Back" and  "Little Black Submarine." The former tells the tried and true story of running back to an old flame on top of fiery guitar licks and an edge missing from some of the other songs on the album. The latter starts off like a mellow campside jam session (including a tambourine from that buddy who always brings it, just in case) and wraps up with some White Stripes-esque guitar licks sure to fill up the bigger arenas that duo are packing these days. Check out these two choice cuts, buy the album here, and enjoy.

Click here to download "Run Right Back"


The Black Keys Run Right Back

Click here to download "Little Black Submarine"


The Black Keys Little Black Submarines

Coeur de Pirate-Blonde (Album Review)

The past few months in the music world have been defined by mega releases (think Carter IV, Watch The Throne, Mylo Xyloto, Take Care, etc). Released after months of speculation and hype, these albums will dominate the charts leading up to Xmas, though their actual qualities vary from "Ehh" to "Not Bad." A very quiet release from a diminutive French-Canadian artist, in my opinion, tops them all. Big personal favorite Coeur de Pirate (real name Beatrice Martin) recently released her second full album entitled Blonde. Martin pulls off something that lots of bands are trying to do these days-capture a sound from a bygone decade. With influences ranging from 1960's French Pop to western ballads, Beatrice seems to distance herself from the mainly mellow piano backed jams of her first, self-titled, album. Though nothing has the instant catchiness of "Comme Des Enfants," Blonde is a more mature, more nuanced album. Playing it the past few days reminded me somehow of a great, focused, soundtrack, much like the ones behind Drive and Amelie. In this case, Blonde sounds like the soundtrack to a simpler era. Though not flashy, bereft of big name producers, and probably not the springboard to a nationwide arena tour, Coeur has stealthily released what I consider to be one of the best album of 2011, so far.

Buy Blonde here

Click here to download "Cap Diamant"


Coeur de pirate Cap Diamant

Click here to download "Adieu"


Coeur de pirate Adieu

Aloe Blacc Concert Review

Aloe Blacc started off his magical concert on Monday night by reminding us of some of the greats of soul music: Green, Gaye, Wonder, Brown, clearly hoping that one day another name will be among that illustrious list-Blacc. If the show was any indication, it won't be too long before his hopes become a reality.

Throughout the hour and a half long concert that I went to with my girlfriend and a couple of buddies, Blacc seemed to be systematically working through a list of things which a great soul artist needs to have: a great voice, charisma, funky dance moves, glances that make girls swoon, a sense of joie de vivre. Playing largely hits from his most recent album Good Things, Blacc did all that and more. Although of course rehearsed a million times, Blacc gave off the impression that the crowd was witnessing something that had never been seen before, and the Madrileño crowd (not an easy one by a long shot) was loving it. Blacc was pitch perfect, sounding just at home on his slower tracks ("If I") as with his more upbeat ones ("Good Things"). He made sure that we all had a damn good time, at one point getting the crowd to split into two while urging us to start a "SoulTrain" dance line down the middle-turning random fellow concert goers into boogie partners. It was a great moment, but one soon eclipsed by him and his band playing "I Need A Dollar," a song that I have heard/taught/jammed to more than probably any other song. Real special moment for myself (thought I wish the battery on my phone would have realized what was going on and not have kooked out on me).

It was a night that started off with a surprise-walking in to the theater I saw none other than Exile warming up the crowd with the funkiest of DJ sets, playing nothing but old school funk and soul. Exile and Blacc had once formed a hiphop group (more on that to come), and Exile spent most of the concert recording everything from the side of the stage with a huge grin on his face. Luckily I got to meet him post-concert, pretty much telling him that he was the man. From the surprise warm up act to the vibrant main show, it was a helluva night for the crowd, for Madrid's music scene, and for soul. Luckily, Blacc will continue to grow as an artist and we can only assume will continue to knock on the door of the upper echelon of Soul.

Girls-Just A Song and Honey Bunny

Girls, the duo who make music much larger than seemingly possible for two people, have one of the surefire best albums of 2011 with Father, Son, Holy Ghost. A tapas meal of various sounds and influences ranging from Billie Holiday to the Beatles, Girls have something for everyone and do it all with two overwhelming qualities: an intense polish and a overwhelming sense of nostalgia. From the classic influences to the lyrics, Girls at times sounds as if they are alive in the wrong era and lead Christopher Owens' lyrics reflect that, at one point repeating "I wish it was yesterday." "Just A Song" and "Honey Bunny" reflect show different sides of Girls. The former is a dense, lush, sweeping seven minute jam that beautifully builds and fades. The former sounds like it would have the been the hottest twist jam of 1962, the one that you keep your best dance moves for. The myriad of influences are held together by the other quality which is so prevalent on the album-its polish. Each song is a perfectly crafted bite of sound and style, just like the best tapas are. Enjoy the songs and buy the album here.

Click here to download "Just A Song"




Click here to download "Honey Bunny"

Afrojack Live!

Even though I really enjoyed living in the small town of Don Benito, Spain last year, I definitely missed the bright lights of the big city. One of the main reasons is live music. Though my town did have some relatively decent places to see some good bands, it was just that the good bands were few and far between, the draw of playing in Don Benito somehow lost upon them. I did see this guy perform for all about two seconds though.

Now that I'm in Madrid, I'm going to be posting many more concert reviews. And I'm starting this year of reviews off with a bang. Afrojack came into town on Saturday and absolutely killed it. Over the past few years I've gotten the chance to see a lot of the heavyweights of electronic music: Diplo, Tiesto, Calvin Harris, Boyz Noize, David Guetta, 2manydjs, Pretty Lights...Afrojack puts on a better show than any of them. Coming on at about 2:30am on a Madrid night just starting to show the first teasings of fall, the Dutchman put on a show that few of us will forget for a long time. I went with a great international crew, and each time I started to fade I just had to look over at another person in the group who was clearly in the moment to get another crucial boost of energy. Obviously pumped to be playing in Madrid for the first time (a big WTF! moment for me when he told the crowd that fact), he brought a fierce energy to the club, not letting the crowd's energy drop below boiling point for even a few seconds. Although the crowd was smaller than I thought, they were clearly loving it. Afrojack played a great mix of some of his bigger hits, newer stuff, and, surprisingly, some bangers by Avicii, Alesso, etc. Completely in his element in a v-neck tee, Afrojack hit every drop with the force of a Terry Tate tackle. If he's anywhere need you anytime soon, do yourself a favor and check him out. Keep coming back for a wide range of reviews from all genres in these coming months.

Click here to download Bangduck


Download Afrojack Bangduck

Tha Carter IV Review

A few days ago Lil Wayne's Tha Carter IV leaked, right on schedule. Though it won't officially drop until Sunday at midnight, the leak has predictably had the internet going nuts. Is this Weezy's grand return from a relatively tough few years for the Young Money front-man? After stints in jail and musical misfires (Rebirth), Tha Carter IV was Wayne's chance to advance the now borderline legendary Carter series. Unfortunately Weezy chose a safe, though still dope, route, forgoing the chance to make another classic.

After a few spins of Tha Carter IV, the one thought that keeps popping up in my head is that it doesn't match up to Tha Carter III. Everything from the cover (the little Lil' Wayne theme again) to the "the ladies are gonna love this song ("Lollipop" vs "How To Love') to the guest spots, in no way does it stand up to that behemoth of an album. When arguably the two best songs of the album (Interlude and Outro) don't even have Wayne rapping on them, you know something is strange. While Wayne exercises his outlandish creativity at points ("Abortion," "President Carter") you never feel like he's truly pushing himself. Listening to the album sometimes feels like watching Lebron put up an effortless 28-12-8. Inspiring at some points, amazing at others, but almost the entire time you have the thought in the back of your head, "what if?" The biggest "what if" I have with this album is "what if he hadn't gone to jail?" Because above all, Tha Carter IV feels safe. Feels like Weezy wanted to make an immediately likable album, which it is, no doubt. But after two albums which pushed rap rather than walked along side of it, I wanted more, and I think a lot of people out there did too. I do think this will sell beaucoup numbers, and, well, there's always Tha Carter V. 


Click here to download "Abortion"






Click here to download "Megaman"

J.Nolan-Chaos Theory Mixtape

Music services like Pandora, Last.fm, and StereoMood, among a ton of others, are based on the principle that whatever music you like, you want to hear more music like that. That we all have our musical tastes, and the new music we are introduced to should share certain qualities with the music we already like. J.Nolan's new mixtape Chaos Theory (sponsored by Jamandahalf.com along with RefinedHype.com and Da-What.com) flips this script. Having built his buzz around being a smart Southern rapper with an North-East flow and an ear for jazzy beats, Nolan immediately comes out of the gates and says that he's much more than that-that he's not a rapper who is just "happy all the time." Chaos Theory comes from a place that's a little darker than his last major project, Broken Dreams, but a place that's also more nuanced, more dynamic.

What hasn't changed is Nolan's quality. Over 19 very solid tracks, he presents a united body of work, a glimpse into the continuously evolving life and mind of Nolan. With a little something for everyone ("No Lies" for the ladies, "Chaos Theory" for his competition, etc) Nolan projects both the continued desire for more with the confidence to know that has what it takes to have a lasting presence. While a departure from Broken Dreams, Chaos Theory isn’t a complete about-face for J; but marks more of a serious step forward. We're really happy to be a small part of this project and are excited to bring you Chaos Theory to you all in full today. Check out two stellar tracks below and his BandCamp page where you can help support great hip-hop with a donation of $3. Or you can download the tape for free here. Read on to see the tracklist. 

Click here to download "Move On"

Click here to download "Conquer and Destroy"