Jay Electronica - Exhibit C
Curren$y - Fashionably Late
Roll out the red carpet
but hold the applause
Curren$y (feat. Snoop Dogg) - Seat Change
Notes:
1. Snoop ruins this track, but at least you can turn it off when he starts. At least, that’s what I always do.
2. Kanye might have gotten a 10 from Pitchfork, but Curren$y released two albums in 2010 and they notched an 8.4 and a 8.2. No slouch, this one.
3. Yes, I went from The Watson Twins to Curren$y. Imagine how my friends feel when I control the MP3 player. I keep it interesting, if nothing else.
Curren$y - King Kong
I’d seen his name floated around, but hadn’t spent any time with the two albums he released in 2010. Needless to say, this was quite the oversight that I’m attempting to rectify as I work on my Top 50 albums of 2010 list.
Larger than life
They hate me because they ain’t me
King King ain’t got shit on me
Sun Hotel - Loose Woman
So back in February, I made a snide remark about New Orleans band Sun Hotel and how their name was the most generic damn thing in history and would make it harder to remember them in a world of bands with names like Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. and The Like. (Okay, so maybe it doesn’t matter with Google.)
But I also told you I liked their sounds and that it was worth checking out.
Anyway, I spent some quality time with their new LP Coast, which is released on the 24th of September. They self-released the album which I give them mondo props for, but that’s not unique in and of itself. You know what is? It’s damn good.
This track, “Loose Woman”, is my favorite song on the album.
Their sound is decidedly indie rock band, but they boast the swagger of a country act. I mean, you can hear the southern rock influence in what they’re doing but it doesn’t really sound like anything standard. I mean, the only band that I like a lot that I could compare their approach to (not so much their sound) is Guster, but only in the sense that they make singable tunes that make you want to go to their shows and dance like a dervish.
Other standout tracks include “Suburb”, “Palms”, “You (Shake)” and “Egyptian Cotton.”
What I like most about this Sun Hotel is they’re a band who’s album makes me want to see them live. Some bands only sound good on wax and don’t quite deliver when you’re there to see them in person, but this LP feels like a preview of a live show. The album tells a story from start to finish and while there’s lots of rocking out throughout, they slow it down on “You (Shake)” and it doesn’t seem jarring or out of place, instead it’s well placed.
When they head to Denver, I’ll be there to watch. I’m just a sucker for well-crafted tunes and this album delivers.
JAY ELECTRONICA - EXHIBIT C
Instant classic! The song and the artist. If you like this, check out Jay’s highly lyrical 4-act, 9:01 ‘Eternal Sunshine’ where he goes in over samples of the soundtrack to Eternal Sunshine for the Spotless Mind.
And if you like those, then this 33-track compilation is absolutely essential: The Jay Electronica Project. Track listing found here.
Aaaaand FINALLY some exciting news about projects to be released in 2010!
I saw him open for Mos Def last August. He was better than Mos, easily, because Mos mailed it in. Disappointing, but at least the tickets were free.
Now Playing: Sun Hotel (Team Spirit EP)
I ran into this band today, called Sun Hotel from New Orleans. I was struck by how much I liked it immediately.
They’ve released a four song EP called Team Spirit, which they’re calling a concept EP about marriage. Each of the songs is solid and you can hear the evolution from the older stuff posted on their bandcamp page.
I think with any new band you’re running into for the first time, you want to hear stuff that makes you believe that makes you look forward to future releases of theirs. I think this EP accomplishes that quite well. My only criticism is their name…it’s not very SEO friendly and makes it super difficult to find them online if you didn’t already know where to go.
Here’s a song called Honey, which was the track that I hear earlier and happened to like. Check it out and see what you think:
SEO friendly band names? America as we know it is over. Just wrap the show up, kids. But it’s true. Naming a band is almost more important than naming a company these days. You wanna be found? Don’t make it harder than it already is. Of course, this is from a guy who was in a fake band called Johnny Panic & The Bible of Dreams.
