Allegra's Beats

An all-genre music blog written by Allegra Gutierrez

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Sampha - Under 

I’m still swimming in those eyes 

You made it rain like you own the sky 

You ever hear a song for the first time, and it heats you up so hard its almost as if it was waiting for you... mute amongst a playlist waiting for your finger to set it free? Free to fill your ears and pour into your heart for 4 minutes. I find this often happens with songs that beautifully make music out of shared human experiences. 

Everyone has that someone who brings them under. 

Under is so powerful because, to me, it plays like the heart when suddenly facing that person. The bright beginning synths lull along the beat undisturbed like a steady pulse, peaceful and alone. Then I see you, and go under. The beat quickens like adrenaline through veins. The synth is cut short beneath the waves as they come crashing over me. It’s like when I’m walking and suddenly, I look up, and watch you come my way. 

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The Lumineers - Ophelia 

Someone close to me played this song in the car the other day. I don't think he knows how much I've listened to it since. 

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SZA - Love Galore (feat. Travis Scott) 

This song plays like love itself. The warm soft baseline below are the beats of a heart while the light synth pops atop are the beats skipped. 

Being a big Travis Scott fan I was taken back by the tenderness of his voice on this song. It reminded me of why my favorite song of his is coordinate, where he evokes a similar sense of longing. 

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Flume - Hyperreal (feat. KUCKA)

When I hear this song, I think of you. 

Hyperreal is my favorite flume song, hands down. It beautifully executes what seems to be his new mission, unique pop music so good the radios can’t resist. My favorite part is the subtlety of the drop, the melody dips down underwater at 4:14 and KUCKAS otherworldly voice is the sunlight skimming the surface. 

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My favorite Kanye song ever - Flashing Lights 

The Saint Pablo tour @ The Forum, Inglewood 

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James Blake playing an unreleased remix at his show the other night at the Hollywood Palladium

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You Don’t Get me High Anymore - Phantogram 

I remember the first time I heard ‘When I’m Small’ from Phantogram’s first LP in a surf video some friends of mine made, the second the synthed-out guitars came in strong I knew it was love. It was one of those tracks that instantly gave you the feeling I’m sure the artists were going for. It’s effortlessly effective. It’s heavy and serene with lyrics I’m sure we can all relate to. You can dance to it and you can lay out on the beach and tan to it. A song with a dual vibe such as this is a rare and glorious find.

The electronic rock family tree is an intimidating one: first it was Depeche Mode and Nine Inch Nails, then Daft Punk, MGMT, Devo, LCD Soundsystem, just to name a few. Today’s stars include Tame Impala, Foster the People, and now Phantogram. They’ve been around since 2007 and have released 3 albums since (Night Life and When I’m Small’s Eyelid Moves being my favorites), but it feels as though they’ve finally received the attention they deserve with their newest single that premiered on Beats 1, ‘You Don’t Get Me High Anymore.’ It came with the announcement of their new album titled “Three”, which drops September 16, 2016. If the whole record is as good as the single I’m confident they’ll get their own branch up on that tree. This track hit me the same way ‘When I’m Small’ did, it’s filled with the same rapturous versatility that won my heart in 2010. It’s those guitars that get me. This song is a banger and a ballad; a love note to the once exciting someone who’s spark has gone stale.

This song gets me high that’s for sure.

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THEY. - Say When 

Get excited and listen up cause I’m confident THEY. are going to deliver big-time very soon.

THEY. are Drew and Dante, an LA-based duo on Mind of a Genius who you may not know now, but will very soon. On the MOAG website it describes their style and influences, “Influenced by the two-singer dynamic of Taking Back Sunday and the nursery rhyme simplicity of Kurt Cobain’s lyrics, Drew and Dante meld their diverse musical backgrounds to create songs without boundaries that push forward the cultural needle. Melodically, Dante and Drew have a mutual admiration for late 80s gems such as Babyface and New Edition; “The Ralph” even features as one of Drew’s many studio voices. The pair combine these influences with their own limitless and evolving sound to produce something that can’t be placed into a box labeled ‘Urban’ and filed away.” (x) Drew and Dante have only one released EP, New Religion, and have recently joined Bryson Tiller on his T R A P S O U L tour, and everyone who saw them open had a “who the fuck is this?!” moment.

Their new release, just uploaded to their Soundcloud today, is fucking great. The way they place hip hop elements beneath a mean electric guitar is a sound unheard of, I know that combination sounds familiar, you’ll understand its alien charm once you listen - trust me. Not only is their production stellar, but THEY.’s vocals on Say When pull their own weight in the track with their striking rawness and honesty. It’s a step in the more melodic direction from their other single release, Motley Crue. THEY. wanted to push boundaries and they’re doing it.

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Paris, IL Mixmag’s Impact Mix 

Paris, IL is the hot shop of house by Bromance Records creative director Guillaume Berg and Off-White designer, Virgil Abloh; obviously these dudes are master creatives but what makes this équipe so strong is their flair for throwing a great fucking party. The musical influences of Guillaume’s Paris and Virgil’s Chicago come together to supply the goods, diverse and global mixes featuring the best and most diverse house tracks you’ve probably never heard. Give the two friends a set of CDJs, a mixer, and a fat stack of Funktion-Ones and it’ll be a good time. They’ve already done shows at London’s XOYO, Paris’s Le Grand Palais, and Calvin Klein’s Coachella party; I’ll link a video here, it’s worth watching. I’ve been a fan of Bromance for a while and anyone who follows them will know Virgil. He and Berg have been buds ever since Kanye made the best decision of his career and brought Bromance’s Brodinski & Gesaffelstein to his studio to help cook up Send It Up and Black Skinhead on my favorite Ye album, Yeezus - which everyone seems to still be playing catch-up with by the way. Virgil being Ye’s good friend and Donda’s creative director, I guess he and Berg just found themselves in the same room and hit it off. Since then they’ve come together and delivered a BMC x Off-White collab of tees and of course, Paris, IL. Great shit has come from this friendship so tune in. Their newest mix for Mixmag’s Impact series though is the one, both have come to say it’s their best yet and I concur. This mix effortlessly blends what I can only describe as some sexy house, heavy house, metallic house, adorable house and so on. It’s a beautiful and meandering blend of tracks only these two could find and harmoniously bring together. I wanted to hear Mixtape #1 in a club, 119 in my car, Bodemaine on my walks to class, and jumped hearing the amazing curation of tunes for both of Off-White’s runway shows. Now after hearing the Impact mix I’ve decided it’d sound great in my backyard in LA. Virgil and Berg you should come through my birthday’s January 31! I know my in-house Sonos system is no stack of Funktions but it’d still go off with you guys behind the decks. I’ll bring the Perrier.

The two also do a phone interview that you can listen to here (x)

Here’s the Link to the feature which includes their mix. (x)

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Glowed Up ft. Anderson Paak - Kaytranada

Montreal's Kaytranada released 99.9%, his second LP, after massive buzz and praise for his various remixes and singles released throughout the past few years; notable remixes being Janet Jackson's If, Snakeship's On & On, and Missy Elliot's Sock it 2 Me. I recognize Kaytranada the instant I hear his drums, their enticing grove that leads his moody production, on top of their crisp mixing in contrast with his infamous smoothly-mixed vocals makes for a style that stands out.

He has often voiced his frustration on Twitter for feeling trapped within the relentless EDM bubble, telling all the disappointed festival attendees that a Kaytranada set isn't going to just be an assembly line of bangers. You can definitely dance to his tracks but they're quite different from the American conception of EDM. In a genre where drums are most commonly used as just big pounds of nothing but bass, a dominating and dynamic drum line will be the paramount piece of his sound. Listen to 99.9% and you'll know what I'm talking about.

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My Lil Gee - Gucci Mane

This is late, but its never too late to celebrate the release of the Trap God. Here's my favorite Gucci Mane song ever.

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James Blake has a voice and talent to cherish. No one can so gracefully rise and fall to falsetto and back with such ease and sexiness. No one can write lyrics so brilliant and seizing, I want to paint my walls with his words. Making my way through the track list is this constant crossing between bliss and heartache. I gladly embrace the melodies he weaves with his voice as they lift me with a warm ease and then suddenly I face a cool sobering gust all at once when James's pearly voice climbs to meet me up high singing, "we lived in love with each other so long but in my heart, there's a radio silence going on." Its lines like that, tender and seductive while decorated by the ethereal tones of his once in a lifetime voice, empowered by his the minimal, emotive, and inspiring production, that makes me blush when I think of him because of all the feels he's given me. Listen to James Blake's album and let him to show you the color in everything.

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Wolves - Kanye West 

The Life of Pablo does what Kanye seems to obsess over and belt aloud to every crowd he can step in front of, change the paradigm - in this case however it’s Kanye’s own paradigm that he changed. 

Previous records of his have always seemed to every so slightly seep to the surface and into discernable view suddenly and with great artistic fervor. The title, art direction, track list, and features/producers would all seem to come from no where and slap you in the face with only rumors to prepare yourself. TLOP was the antithesis of this; Pablo was everything else before it was Pablo. 

You know this though, anyone with internet knows and has most likely read over and over about the messy transpiration of TLOP, so I’ll get into what really matters. 

The perfected and crisp version of TLOP on Apple Music (my preferred streaming platform) is best listened to first in one sitting because of its fast-paced flow that can so easily confuse listeners if taken to seriously. You can hear the fun Kanye had while making this album, there’s a much more spontaneous and playful feeling to the track list. His previous albums were extremely serious in content and structure. TLOP is also the finger in the ant-trail in its lack of a clear idea or statement, something extremely obvious in the lovesick brooding of 808′s and Heartbreaks apologetic nature of My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy and the rebellious tone of Yeezus. TLOP is varied in its ideas, meanings, and message, which makes it so inviting and irresistible. Try listening to Ultralight Beams Without smiling or crying, Father Stretch My Hands Part 1&2 without wanting to get out of your chair and dance, or even 

Wolves is my favorite song on the album. Every time I hear it I feel every little the hairs on my skin rise above the goosebumps. The eerie yet maternal wail of the leading synth beautifully guides the melody that Vic Mensa and Sia hitch a ride on, adding to its haunting bite as they sing about fear and a lost love. 

PS: Listen to the Apple Music version of Wolves, the Sia x Mensa version is much better. Sorry Frank. 

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Modern Soul - James Blake 

My love for James Blake seems to grow fonder as each night comes and goes through this dark tender trek of painful patience. As I see it, the wait for Blake’s second LP has become a long and desolate dark train ride; every fleeting moment spent passing through a brightly lit tunnel, which so harshly contrasts the undisturbed night, illumines my car for an exhilarating few moments. I swear I’ve reached the station. Sadly, as quickly as the tunnel comes it goes, and the black-hued train car slugs on, and on, and on…

“Modern Soul” is the newest tunnel of light. Take me home James. 

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GoGo! - Baauer 

A throbbing anthem that I advise should be approached with caution. Baauer does not tread lightly along his trap-inspired path to craft the perfect song a crowd of thousands will crave at the acme of his performance. I heard RL Grime, a friend and collaborator of Baauer’s, play this one out at a show over the summer and it never left my list of ID’s I constantly sought to name. 

Baauer is expected to release his first LP Aa in march, a spit of excitement violently fueled by his addition to this years Coachella lineup. New songs, new visuals, new stage production from Baauer who I have not seen since live since 2014. 

Baauer sits close and significantly with me too, his Sahara Tent Coachella show in April 2013 marked my first electronic show, besides Kraftwerk when I was 6. His happy accident/meme bomb Harlem Shake had blown up less than 3 months prior to his Coachella debut and he seemed in shock the entire set. The passion and power of that show was so addictive I nearly spent the entire weekend watching the Sahara tent from the stage, my dad preformed that year so I was given an artist pass. I’ll never forget watching Baauer finishing his set with Harlem Shake as the sun set, the bass rolling out to the crowd from behind me like a tidal wave, every body I laid my eye on was moving. I fell in love. 

See you in the field Baauer. 

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I Heard - Gucci Mane (feat. Rich Homie Quan) 

This post is celebratory of Gucci Mane’s, infamous Atlanta rapper, supposed March release from prison. 

He has released 24 albums from prison, and made around $1.3 million dollars while incarcerated. 

Brace yourself. 

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Let it Happen - Tame Impala 

As you may have noticed by now, I rarely listen to rock music. It's not that I don't appreciate or respect it, because I do see the greatness and talent within that genre, it's just nothing I've ever known or even been curious about exploring. I am too enamored by tunes made with synths and samplers, and feel as though there is an endless amount left for me to experience and hear. I just haven't found a will to stray away from my love of electronica, techno, rap, etc, not yet at least. 

However my rock-obsessed sister has been raving about Currents for some time now, and as I drove her home from school she played her two favorites from the album, Let it Happen, The Moment, and Eventually, and Past Life over and over again. A little soft spot for this album opened up for those three songs, and I admitted to loving these tracks to the point of playing them without her. I could tell how proud she was since I, for the most part, have been the musical shaman of our family for the past 10 years. 

Currents stole my heart with its blend of psychedelic rock/pop and bits of synth work that have made the production as smooth as butter with a hard distorted edge that I’ve never heard before. Their dreamy and romantic synths sit atop the rock drums and bass with admirable ease. Each song also has their own special moment which shatters the monotony most modern-day songs have adopted either in their synths or in a surprising and sudden change in drum lines. 

Eventually mends broken hearts, being a clear ode to the solace in love’s failure, “I’ll know that I’ll be happier, and I know you will be too,” and has moments of climaxed silence where Parker’s voice takes well-deserved center stage in a breathtaking “ah” that mimics the silence of a heartbeat. Let it Happen has the exciting moment of repetition followed by one of the most satisfying distorted electric guitar chords I’ve ever heard. Past life with its grungy spoken words purr about the run-in with a lover from your “past life”  that fade away in a flurry of angry synths that buzzed my head with admiration. Tame Impala has perfected the art of hallucinatory discord that has found a way to inhabit and alter shimmering synths laid by a solid drum foundation - all in beautiful harmony. 

Tame Impala’s Currents is such a game-changing album that they have had me contemplating maybe, just maybe, spending more time listening to and learning about rock. Even though the term “rock” doesn’t do their sound an ounce of justice. “Alternative” the title given to them in their Grammy nomination for best alternative album, is more than well deserved.