I MINORED IN MUSIC.

so obviously, I have very discerning taste

[minoredinmusic]

L: A. Sinclair - “Cars”

Do you think you’d ever rock light blue hair? And would you give up surfing for skateboarding because you think you actually look better with paler skin and tighter jeans? And you’d put your savings toward buying a beat up old orange Volkswagen van and a really dope amp for your old, beat up Les Paul? 

Obviously you’re pretty alt cool if you haven’t abandoned the rustic sounds of indie rock and aren’t all just about some kind of electronica these days. And just for you, A. Sinclair has basically just written the perfect soundbite as a feature for the soundtrack of your life. It’s clean, in a grungy way. It’s upbeat, in a garage punk band way. And it’s catchy, in an original, non-earwormy way. 

[minoredinmusic]

L: Wevor Trill - “Drop”

Whatever you think may be happening in the intro to this track, you won’t be prepared for the audio twist that Wevor Trill drops around 1:10. You’re all - okay, I’m cool and can get down with a street style beat. You’re mentally prepared for someone to start flowing; you’ve already accepted the alley skateboard vibe.

Then, nope. Cosmic dust fills this metaphorical alley, and multicolored bubbles start arising from the newly appeared glistening puddles surrounding you. As the beat drops back in, these bubbles pop in syncopated rhythms. And through the track, you realize how aptly named it is: “drop”, as in what the beat does, “drop” out, as in what the beat does when the new theme arrives, and “drop” dead, as in what you do in awe as the track wraps up and fades out.

[minoredinmusic]

L: mndbd - “ebb & flow”

Have you ever wondered what it would feel like to be a wisp of smoke? I’m not fucking crazy or high or anything, “ebb & flow” is just the audio embodiment of that kind of spiring, rising, barely visible flow. And yo - I’m not talking about billowing smoke. I’m talking about the smoke that comes from burning some incense, where that smoke takes its fucking time flowing around the room. It’s beautiful and mesmerizing and meditative - and so is this track.

Mndbd’s Daze Saga EP was killer, and I only just discovered it. Check out the new single this year, “Rn” - you won’t be disappointed.

[minoredinmusic]

L: Glass Animals covering Gnarls Barkley’s “Crazy”

Nothing needs to be said, this is just a humpday treat from me to you. Or, technically, from Glass Animals to you.

[minoredinmusic]

L: Vagabon - “Cold Apartment”

Rarely does a rock song have this kind of emotion. Vagabon is a different kind of being altogether though - the woman behind the band, Laetitia Tamko practically bleeds for this song - with her words, with her voice, and with her ideas. “Cold Apartment” is so raw that it sounds like we’re getting a glimpse into Vagabon’s very being; like the song just poured out of her and she couldn’t do a damn thing about it. I mean honestly, how much talent must it take to be able to compose and write and perform something that sounds like it took no effort at all? 

This beautiful sliver of a track is just a window (albeit, my favorite window) into the beauty that is the new album by Vagabon, Infinite Worlds. Please, please, please listen to this album, it does important things for the world, like make it more pure and beautiful and rock’n’roll.

[minoredinmusic]

L: Daniel Caesar - “Death & Taxes”

It’s pouring outside here, and I’ve just found the perfect warm blanket to envelope you in. I actually don’t want to ruin your impression of the track with any of my rambling - just a few quick points to listen out for: the feeling in Daniel Caesar’s voice that invokes a glass of warm bourbon, the slow, heavy beatthat forces your heart beat to match its tempo to, and a melody that wavers around the warmth of G major - simple and romantic.

[minoredinmusic]

L: HOMESHAKE - “Every Single Thing”

This is arguably the most extraterrestrial song I’ve ever heard. When I hear the funky usage of keyboard/synth and the ultra-dynamic range of vocals, I imagine a skinny green alien wearing a flat-brim floral-patterned baseball cap doing the moonwalk. His name is probably something post-biblical, like Evan, and his diet consists of organic, hand-made pop-tarts and Surge. He takes his coffee like he takes his whiskey, neat with whiskey stones, and his girlfriend is decidedly NOT an alien - she is a purple-haired free spirit who likes to take photos of landscapes that remind her of the Arizona desert.

DUUUUUDE, can you even believe that character I just created? I would so watch an HBO miniseries about him and feel ultra-artistic. Instead, it looks like we’re all going to have to “settle” for listening to HOMESHAKE’s otherworldly new(ish) single, “Every Single Thing”. I just did a full first-listen of the album he released in early February, and am feeling pretty damn inspired... obviously.

[minoredinmusic]

L: Cherry Glazerr - “Had Ten Dollaz”

Listening to “Had Ten Dollaz” automatically gives you cool-kid cred. Clearly, with this track being released like 2 years ago, I’m slow on the uptake, but at least I’ve finally made the discovery.

Front woman Clementine Creevy (fuck yea that’s her name) is like the re-invented, younger version of Karen O. She has the same idgaf affect in her voice when she sings, but Cherry Glazerr plays with more rock mentality than the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, which automatically makes you, listener friend, have more cred to wear acid-washed cutoff denim, Courtney Love pink bleached hair, and raccoon-eye black eyeliner. “Had Ten Dollaz” is the first track you should listen to after you put on your getup, and Cherry Glazerr is the band you should listen to all day long to keep the fantasy alive.

[minoredinmusic]

L: GRMLN - “War”

THIS IS THE SONG I’VE BEEN WAITING FOR MONTHS. “War” is pop. “War” is garage. “War” is rock. “War” is post-punk. And damn, “War” is solidly SO right.

The beat pauses are used so cleverly here - like Sleater-Kinney and The Strokes gave GRMLN personal lessons in how to kill it. The production on this track is really well balanced, too - GRMLN has a grown-up garage sound, and the recipe is just right here: a hint of that blown-out lo-fi in the guitar, a little grunge in Yoodoo Park’s voice, and that perfectly crazed drum that sounds like a comparable cousin to Matt Helders’ vibe. GRMLN hits the nail on the head, and to boot, Yoodoo, the guy behind the moniker is a cool Asian guy in SF. This is a fucking blog, so I’ll keep emojis out of it, but guys... the heart eyes emoji, so hard. He’s basically my long lost brother.

My only qualm in “War” is that it’s too damn short. On Repeat what up!

[minoredinmusic]

L: Gothic Tropic - “Your Soul”

Guys, I never say this shit, but holy fuck, TGIF. It’s been a tough one (I’m being titillated with beautiful weather outside - stuck studying inside like a hermit, but just wanting to say fuck it, because deferred gratification only gets you so far), but Gothic Tropic is here to turn this all around.

“Your Soul” is a sweet, upbeat perspective that reminds me of the feeling you get when you’re really pleasantly surprised that the person you’re falling in love with is awesome, but for real. It’s this giddy, sunshine-y rhythm that your heart is beating to, and you say really cheesy words like “I know your soul” and you mean them pretty sincerely.

[minoredinmusic]

L: Maybird - “Turning Into Water”

This track by Maybird is The Strokes meets Kasabian meets Franz Ferdinand meets Rooney. It’s got hints of all the best aspects of these artists when they were in their prime, which is saying a fucking lot. “Turning Into Water” is one of those tracks that hits your ear and immediately you know this is going to be a hit. The melody is fresh, and Maybird has done a really excellent job of laying it after a titillating and stacked intro sequence. 

In all honesty, this is a pop-rock track; however, by writing in chromatic steps and using a lot of 7ths, Maybird makes it so that the simplicity of the bass line is made more thoughtful and complex.

Listen out for new single “Keep In Mind” which just came out 03.31.

[minoredinmusic]

L: Vince Staples - “BagBak”

Damn, Vince. Dunno what he was tripping on when he came up with this beat, but like, please save me some of that. It gives me these sort of race-through-a-tunnel and flying-neon-lights vibes, which, you know, kind of makes me excited to live life. 

As always, Vince Staples can flow better than pretty much anyone else I’m listening to these days - he’s got talent for days. His words are caustic, which is just as well - the attitude completely parallels the bass-synth sound in its tone.

This track takes me PLACES, and yea, you can balance out my chakras anytime, Vince Staples.

[minoredinmusic]

L: Cigarettes After Sex - “Apocalypse”

Have you ever seen Melancholia? I know Lars von Trier is sort of a creepy, ingenious artiste, but that film did THINGS to me, dude. No exaggeration, I needed to sit in silence for a solid thirty minutes after watching it just to process what was happening in my head. It was intense - I didn’t know whether to cry or to celebrate or what, but I’m positive that Melancholia seriously shifted my world.

So, obviously we are not here for a review of Melancholia. It’s just that, guys, “Apocalypse” is Melancholia in its auditory reincarnation. It might be devastating, and it might be romantic, but above all, it shifts your world. It colors the world around you in melancholy, hazy shades and leaves you feeling like you could only be so lucky as to hear this at the time of your individual apocalypse.

Cigarettes After Sex new album drops 06.09.17. 

[minoredinmusic]

L: Clans - “Alibi”

Any track that starts with such a groovy (does that word date me? dammit, there is no better way to describe this..) beat deserves a wholehearted listen. On this Clans track, I’m just going to go ahead and shut the fuck up, because the beat and the adorable melody really speak for themselves. I don’t need to describe the cleverness of the instrumentation, or laud the smooth composition of the bridges. Just pay attention, and..

Baby, baby, baby...

[minoredinmusic]

L: Night Panther - “Fever”

This track isn’t new like in this world, I know - but to me, this is a brand spankin’ new, and the feeling I’m getting from listening to the big band mixed with the poppy falsetto makes me over-the-moon happy. The melody really mirrors the name of the artist - Night Panther. It sounds free, fun, fast, and there is a hint of debauchery in it. The octave jump in the chorus is exceptionally well sung, and unlike many other instances where artists attempt it, Night Panther is somehow able to keep the interval from sounding jolting or misplaced; rather, the melody comes off as dynamic and bold.

[minoredinmusic]

L: Puzzle - “I Saw An Angel”

Disclaimer for you ultra word and lyric consumers: this is not for you (lyrics unabundant, if that is a word).

That being said, disclaimer for you impatient attention deficit disordered listeners: this is not for you (ADD, yes, but impatient and song-fast-forward types, no).

Okay - those of you who are left, DUDE! “I Saw An Angel” is such a treat. Listening to this is like taking a whirl in an arcade. The intro has that overblown 8-bit reminiscent sound with a touch of guitar. Then, abruptly, a scene with wonked out Christmas lights. I have to say, this track is the sound-ification of experiencing an edible for the first time: it’s all, hey when the fuck is this going to work, and is it even going to work, and... FUCK OH THERE OKAY BYE.

[minoredinmusic]

L: ETHEREAL - “How’d It Happen? (feat. Lil’ Yachty & Lord Narf)”

Dude, you are SO COOL for listening to this, honestly. Minimal trap makes you feel that way - even though you’re probably actually a weird nerd who sits in front of his/her unblemished Macbook pro sipping on fair trade dairy-free cafe au lait and wear the latest colored Warby Parkers even though you totally got Lasik last year, you’d like to think you rub shoulders with artists like ETHEREAL. 

I don’t blame you. This track for sure lets me imagine that instead of studying like an asshole for like 14 hours yesterday, I was in my head actually somewhere cooler like at a warehouse party in downtown Oakland with a bunch of cool skinny black kids who think Kendrick Lamar was so 3 years ago and that recreational drugs make you disingenuous. 

Okay. Now put those stupid big headphones on and listen to “How’d It Happen”. Let’s dream together.