Jam of the Day: Baauer ft. M.I.A. and G-Dragon - "Temple"

Slamming track from Baauer.

2013 Favorite Songs (50-41)

Once again, and how quickly it seemed to come this year, it is time for my picks for top songs and records for the past year. This week I will focus on my favorite songs and then follow up next week with top albums. I limited my picks to 50, with only one song from each artist. Starting off the countdown, here are my picks from Number 50 to Number 41:

50. Charli XCX - "What I Like"



Although UK singer/songwriter Charli XCX is probably best known for writing for others, including a credit on Icona Pop's global smash single "I Love It," however, her own output is equally impressive. Her debut record True Romance never really took off here in the States, which is shame, because it is packed full of pure pop goodness. One of my favorite singles from the record is "What I Like," a blissfully chilled out take on the first steps of a relationship.

49. M.I.A. - "Exodus"



Matangi is the first M.I.A. record I just couldn't get behind, though it does feature some of her best work. "Exodus," which rides along on a sample from The Weeknd and tight production from Switch, is a stunner. Over pounding drums and mourning synth strings, M.I.A. laments a world obsessed with material things, asking over and over "Baby you can have it all/Tell me what for?"

48. Low - "Just Make It Stop"



Quietly insistent, this track from Low builds almost unbearable tension. Gorgeous harmonies carry over a gorgeous bed of piano, guitar, and drums, while the lyrics are a haunting exploration of how the weight of living in this world can almost be too much to take.

47. Raleigh Ritchie - "Stay Inside"



UK singer Raleigh Ritchie sings longingly of wanting to stay in and not have to face the cruel harsh world in his single "Stay Inside." Over a minimalist backing, merely clapped percussion and a simple synth hook, the song slowly insinuates itself in your head.

46. Katy Perry ft. Juicy J - "Dark Horse"



While many accused Katy Perry of jumping on the trap bandwagon with this single, it is actually a pretty edgy track in its own right, and Perry holds her on against Juicy J. Completely addictive.

45. Purple - "The Club"



Part of the mysterious Weddit collective, London producer Purple makes club music for clubs you probably don't want to visit. Dark, sinister, and filled with dread, "The Club" mixes warped vocals, muted trap-beats, and ghostly synths to haunting effect.

44. Tegan and Sara - "Guilty As Charged"



A bonus track on their infectious pop record Heartthrob, "Guilty As Charged" is a neon-bright synth-pop track that is irresistible.

43. Son Lux - "Alternate World"



Fragile vocals propel this stunning track from Son Lux, which deftly combines the electronic and organic.

42. Atoms for Peace - "Before Your Very Eyes"



No one does on-the-edge quite like Thom Yorke, especially on his solo work and in his collective Atoms For Peace. "Before Your Very Eyes," the opening track on their debut record Amok, runs over skittering percussion, brittle guitars, and a surprisingly melodic bassline. Yorke's vocals run from edgy to hauntingly tender throughout, never quite comforting you completely, but allowing for a sliver of warmth to sneak in.

41. Beacon - "Bring You Back"



2013 seemed to be a year for minimalism in electronic music, at least for me. Brooklyn duo Beacon brought an elegant perfection to their brand of minimalist synthpop on their debut record The Ways We Separate. "Bring You Back" is perhaps the finest example from their record, a beautiful mix of chilly keyboards, muted programming, and Thomas Mullarney's aching croon.

Videos of the Week

Here are the videos this week that felt like a pile of baby kittens:



Standout track from Arcade Fire's record Reflektor gets a pretty powerful video interpretation.



Seizure-inducing video from M.I.A.



Gloriously 80's retro video for this slinky track.



Cinematic video from Austra. May be slightly NSFW.



Arty clip from Demdike Stare.



Beautifully shot and creepy video from Queens of the Stone Age.

Album Review: M.I.A. - Matangi

M.I.A.
Matangi
Rating: Meh

M.I.A. is in a bit of a limbo state with me at the moment. On the one hand, her first two records Arular and Kala are two of the most forward thinking pop albums of this century, the perfect meld of our Internet culture, seamlessly mixing pop, rap, alternative, electronic, and world music influences into one hearty pop culture stew. With the release of her third album Maya, things started to get a little more rocky for M.I.A. Where the first two records received almost universal critical acclaim, Maya, for most, was an unruly, abrasive, hook-free record that really made you work for the few pleasures that were there. While, for me, it was a a natural progression for her, but one that showed the growing pains. For every track that just plain didn't work, there was another one that was plain brilliant. In the period after this record, M.I.A. seemingly has spent more time trying to piss people off than making music, alienating her record company in the process, and putting the follow up to Maya on hold for a long time. Finally seeing release, Matangi again is a holding pattern like Maya but not really expanding what she was doing during that period. The album feels like M.I.A. is conflicted between wanting to be more experimental and groundbreaking and wanting to be more pop. But instead of feeding off of and being enriched by that push and pull, too often Matangi comes across as scattered, aimless, and, in some situations, practically unlistenable.

Primarily the first half of the record is where M.I.A and her producers lean more towards experimenting with dense layers of beats and samples, which can sometimes be intoxicating and at other times infuriating. Title track "Matangi" lurches into a chunky groove with clomping drums and a collage of nature sounds, vocal samples, and found sounds; "Only 1 U" takes pounding drum machines, bells, and chopped up samples into a hypnotic swirl; and "aTENTion" brings things closest to a club banger with deep bass and DnB inspired percussion. But while the backing tracks are frequently interesting, they tend to add one too many elements to the mix which distracts from the point being made in M.I.A.'s lyrics. Which might be the point, as this is likely the most unfocused set of lyrics I have heard from her. In the past she has focused on political subjects, but was able to intertwine the personal and universal. Here, it seems like she is grabbing at whatever hot political, international, and cultural buzz words she can find, with no real frame of reference. And even throws in bizarre outdated references to Lara Croft ("Only 1 U") and the phrase YOLO ("YALA").

It is telling that the best track on Matangi is the almost two year single "Bad Girls," which still maintains all its glorious swagger and sweep.



I also liked her collaboration with The Weeknd on "Exodus," which is the most straightforward track, settling into a lush groove riding on a sample of The Weeknd's track "Lonely Star." There is a nice sense of drama and mood here that builds over the track, not trying to grab your attention with overly produced beats that feature too strongly in the first half of the record.



"Double Bubble Trouble" is an interesting mix of reggae and trap that is light and fun.



"Bring The Noize" takes the schizophrenic over-stimulation of the front half but somehow holds things together with more finesse, letting the beats and backing tracks work with the raps instead of against them.



While another trap inspired, down-tempo track "Know It Ain't Right" is a subtle palate cleaner from the sometimes oppressive clatter and clanking going on throughout Matangi.



Overall Matangi is just too much of a mess to really recommend. While there are some killer tracks here ("Bad Girls," "Exodus," "Bring The Noize"), the album is often bogged down with an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink approach to production. Sometimes all those bells and whistles show that you are out of ideas rather than coming up with new ones.

Rating Scale:

Chilfos: masterpiece; coolest thing I've heard in ages.

Woof Daddy: excellent; just a hair away from being a masterpiece.

Grrrr: very good; will definitely be considered for my top releases of the year.

Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It: good; definitely invites further listens and piques one's interest for more material.

Meh: not horrible, but certainly not great; could have either been polished, trimmed, or re-thought.

Jeez Lady: what the hell happened? Just plain bad. They should hang their heads in shame and be forced to listen to Lady Gaga ad nauseam as penance.

Tragicistani: so bad, armed villagers with pitchforks and torches should run the artist out of the country for inflicting this abomination on the human race.

Non-Sequiturs

Resistance is futile.

Lovely fur and nips.

Those eyes

Those abs.

Furry Daddy belly.

Grrrr.

So handsome.

Cutie cub.

Beefy.

Love the smile.

Adorable.

This man has not seen a carb in years.

I'm done.

Gorgeous.

Yummy bear.

Love his look.

So handsome and sexy.

Cub at study.

Lovely.

Wow.

Hey there handsome.

Wet and soapy.

Sexy is what's for dinner.

Love that belly.  Would rub it for days.

Drool.

Love a furry belly.

God damn.

Sexy couple.

Lovely fur.

Damn handsome.

Leaving, on a jet plane.

Chesticles topped with silver.

Amazing build.

Lick.

Yes, please.

Wow, just wow.

Beautiful profile.

Hey there!

From a body type perspective, this is about perfect.

Grrr and Woof and Stuff.

Dirty dirty boy.

Drool worthy.

So handsome.

Sweet Baby Jebus.

Sexy bear.

Napping beauty.

I love potatoes, but I just cannot get behind scalloped potatoes.

Leftover pasta is always sooo good.

Seriously, if you think it is disrespectful of your relationship if someone compliments your partner, you have some greater issues to deal with.

It is quite annoying when you play a word in Scrabble just to get rid of some crappy letters only to get back the exact same letters.

Hee hee, and awwww.

After the turgid mess that was The Little Friend, I am almost too scared to read the new Donna Tartt book, Goldfinch.

On Halloween night, Andrew and I went to The Masquerade to see Phantogram, one of my favorite bands, and one that Andrew was newly converted to seeing. We ended up having to leave early because the sound was so brutally bad, it was actually torture to listen to it. All low end, the bass was throat-chokingly painful, and sounded like mud through the speakers. My ears were ringing so badly, they still hurt the following morning. I was tempted to go up to the sound guy and ask him if he was deaf, because surely he had to realize it was sounding shitty. Perhaps it is merely the venue, as the past few shows there have been dismal, sound wise. At any rate, I will hesitate before attending another concert there. And to add insult to injury, apparently Big Boi from Outkast came out and sang some songs with them after we had left. Not that we would have been able to hear him.

The trick is not minding that it hurts.

I think that guys who have no idea how hot they are are very sexy, however, if it is more from a sense of extreme insecurity rather than just being humble and modest, then that is not sexy at all.

This reminds me of my friend David.

I know no one likes having jury duty, but it is sort of offensive when so many people blatantly state they will say/do anything to get out of it. If you were on trial, would you want every intelligent person in the room trying their damndest to avoid hearing your case?

Why does every UK rapper sound exactly the same?

It is very difficult for me to resist a hot man in a uniform.

If you are going to complain that people only hit you up for sex and flirt with you on Facebook then perhaps you might want to rethink posting multiple shirtless pics of yourself daily. Know your audience.

LOL.

I think motorcycles are cool and all, but you will never catch me riding one.

The Dilworth area of Charlotte is quite gorgeous.

Interesting when someone posts on FB that they are in a relationship with someone, and yet, there are absolutely no pictures of them at all, or any evidence that they actually know one another.

One credit card paid off, two more to go.

Someone in my loft building already has their Xmas tree up and decorated. Not that I am one to steadfastly hold to traditions, but for me it just seems tacky to put it up before Thanksgiving. But hey, if it gives them joy, have at it.

Yes.  P has attitude.

It is interesting that one day my blog can have 1,700 viewers then the next have 163.

If your boyfriend/girlfriend/partner/husband/wife does not emotionally support you in what you want to do with your life (not talking about stupid shit like buying a motorcycle or wanting a combover) then you really need to evaluate having them in your life.

If you seriously believe people choose to be gay, you are a moronic fucktard.

Honeycrisp apples, how I missed you so.

It's sad that the art of penmanship is fading away.

This was such a touching way to honor the wonderful Marcia Wallace.

Why do peanuts taste like eggs when you burp them up?

I hate to say that the Lady Gaga record ARTPOP is not that bad.

Dead lifts suck.

You know work is bad if you have to scrounge up hours by asking someone you hate working with for projects.

Agreed.

Some people are unbelievably dense.

I don't have to worry about not wearing deodorant in the office as there is enough women's perfume floating up and down the halls to mask my manscent.

While I appreciate people with laid back attitudes, there comes a time when you have to be a little more decisive.

Sometimes, the phrase "will do" is the most annoying phrase in the universe.

Two things I dislike the most in the world: car dealerships and going to the dentist.

Your cute of the day.

Lyrics Rattling Around My Brain

"If giving left me lonely
If giving was my friend
I'm keeping all the old themes
I'm keeping my loose ends

But now you're feeling empty
I tried my best last time
I'll leave you with your feelings
I'll leave you in your lies

I'm nothing without subtle
Heartache at it's best
Are you the one who breaks my
Heart out of my chest

I'll never leave you if you're thinking that it's all the same
I'll never trust you if you're thinking that it's just a game
I see you waiting for a guy/girl like me to come along
Baby girl you're wrong."

Blood Orange
"Chamakay"

"Do you wanna come with the sexy girls
If you got swag, fuck with us
And do you wanna ride like a crusader?
You ain't gotta Christian Dior (christ endour)
My blood type is no negative
But I'm positive that I'm too deep
Switch the light on when we hit the sheets
Truly what I see is all I keep
I see you stacked chicks their views are blocked in
When I help 'em you say broke in
I see you locked in you say I don't let you in
How come all this drama's still trending

Baby you can have it all
Tell me what for
Baby you can have it all
Tell me what for

New frontier I got news from there
Let's sail it to a new frequency
I left the graveyard selling full of fancy
Bring your homie with transparency
My blood type is no negative
But I'm positive the dark ain't deep
Just switch your light on
when we hit the streets truly what I see is all I keep
My sights are set in higher times
And my eyes can see in 3D
Make it bright and I see 360
I can get you, but you can't get me

Baby you can have it all
Tell me what for
Baby you can have it all
Tell me what for."

M.I.A.
"Exodus"

"Hey, Orpheus!
I'm behind you
Don't turn around
I can find you

Just wait until it's over
Wait until it's through
And if I call for you
Oh, Orpheus!
Just sing for me all night
We'll wait until it's over
Wait until it's through

You say it's not me, it's you

Hey, Orpheus!
De l'autre côté de l'eau
Comme un écho
Just wait until it's over
Wait until it's through

And if I shout for you
Never doubt
Don't turn around too soon
Just wait until it's over
Wait until it's through

It seems so important now
But you will get over
It seems so important now
But you will get over
And when you get over
When you get older
Then you will remember
Why it was so important then

Seems like a big deal now
But you will get over
Seems like a big deal now
But you will get over
When you get over
And when you get older
Then you will discover
That it's never over

Hey, Eurydice!
Can you see me?
I will sing your name
Until you're sick of me
Just wait until it's over
Just wait until it's through

But if you call for me
This frozen sea
It melts beneath me
Just wait until it's over
Wait until it's through

Seems like a big deal now
But you will get over
Seems like a big deal now
But you will get over
And when you get over
And when you get older
Then you will remember

He told you he'd wake you up
When it was over
He told you he'd wake you up
When it was over
Now that it's over
Now that you're older
Then you will discover
That it's never over

It's never over (it's never over) [8x]

Sometime (sometime)
Sometime (sometime)
Boy, they're gonna eat you alive (eat you alive)
But it's never gonna happen now
We'll figure it out somehow

Sometime (sometime)
Sometime (sometime)
Boy, they're gonna eat you alive (eat you alive)
But it's never gonna happen now
We'll figure it out somehow

Because it's never over
It's never over (it's never over) [6x]

We stood beside
A frozen sea
I saw you out
In front of me
Reflected light
A hollow moon
Oh Orpheus, Eurydice
Its over too soon."

Arcade Fire
"It's Never Over (Oh Orpheus)"

Appealing Things

Heated bathroom floors
Blood Orange
The first part of Paulo's set at Xion during Pride
Just hanging out with Andrew
That Kid Chris feat Melanie S. - "Reflections"
The Lady Gaga song "Artpop"

Annoying Things

Use of the word "everything" to mean all that matters
People who encourage dogs to chase cats
People I play Scrabble with online that nudge me; chill, I will get to it when I can
Work limbo