Monthly Archives: June 2009

Song of the Day: “Push” – Pharoahe Monch

Are those tubas I hear? The track is like a gospel. Wake up in the morning to this and it’s guaranteed you’re getting hired.

Song of the Day: “Big In Japan” – Alphaville

In 1984, this probably looked really modern and avant-garde. Now, sadly, we’re back in the same place, trying as hard as we can to replicate such modern, avant-garde brilliance. [Ha] Fuck it. Stop trying Empire of the Sun, Chester French (while I do love their stylist), and Lady Gaga – you only look foolish (examples below). Let Alphaville have their shine. The front man’s practically leaking lip gloss for god’s sake.

Song of the Day: “Fancy” – The-Dream

Praised as Dream’s finest yet (at least, of those the singer-songwriter’s left for himself), “Fancy,” is also his mildest composition. Like a long drive’s perfect soundtrack, the song builds itself up to become something of utmost satisfaction. The light keys, Parisian street accordion, and Dream’s cloud-like voice together create a Zen palette for his trademark vocal Tourette’s (eh‘s, ella‘s, etc) to run wild (listen to the end). While his lyrics may have no purpose other than to fill the space atop Tricky Stewart’s cinematic backdrop (they’re comprised of the usual array of post-Puffy era nothingness – hot cars, hot broads, etc), they do sound like an homage to past era’s doo-wop mentality for radio-ready records.

The man knows what he’s doing. Six minutes and thirty seconds later, you’ll realize how he got an entire planet singing ella-ella-ey-ey-ey everytime the word umbrella’s mentioned. It’s his knack for catchiness that’s hypnotized the most unsuspecting listener, hit after hit. “Fancy,” while not a single, maintains this Motown-set formula for Billboard grandeur.

And the Christian Lacroix mention towards the end – now that’s fancy.

Song of the Day: “I Wish” – Skee-Lo

Lost to Coolio’s “Gangsta’s Paradise” for Best Rap Solo [Performance] at the 1997 Grammy Awards, Skee-Lo has since disappeared from the mainstream (and thus, the underground too). His one and only hit, “I Wish,” though, has proven to stand the test of time as one of the decade’s most recognizable. His humorous, failed playa flow carries Bernard Wright’s “Spinnin’” sample seamlessly to sound like Urkel’s take on g-funk. The verses are as catchy as they are hilarious and the whistling in the background sounds a lot like ma and pa’s ‘food’s ready’ at the block party. Give it up for the nerd.

Song of the Day: “Chillin’” – Wale (Feat. Lady GaGa)

Saw this dude two years ago with Mark Ronson and since then have grown to appreciate his braggy flow. Hailing from D.C.’s Go-Go driven music scene, Wale strattles a thin line between blogger’s draft and major label success a la Drake. Amassing stacks of critically-acclaimed mixtapes along with his involvement in Ronson’s tour has both helped and harmed him – he has yet to put out his Interscope debut. It seems the more buzz he garners, the slower his album creeps to release, which is sad since it appears he has more support than ever. This, though, is a step forward… and a step back. His official single “Chillin’” has gone through several edits to become what it is at the moment (M.I.A. was supposed to do hook duties). The beat is solid; having mashed together the Steam sample with heavy Casio spirals, it sounds Danja-meets-Jock Jams (even though it’s Cool & Dre). The problem is: with such hot verses and beat, the tacked-on Lady Gaga (does M.I.A) hook sounds like a forced attempt at a hit…which it obviously is, even though it sounds like two separate songs. But, hook aside, this may be the single that catapults Wale to levels he’s bragged about since claiming to have originated the [Levi's] Shrink-to-Fit trend. The hope is that he gets to the place he’s depicted at in the video, walking inside his local bodega to his very own California Closet. One can only hope.

Song of the Day: “Avenging Annie” – Andy Pratt

Chances are you’ve never heard this 1973 masterpiece (or the Roger Daltrey cover version). It’s almost completely untapped (seeing as I couldn’t even link to an audio stream and had to settle with posting this stupid You Tube video) other than a few movie soundtracks through the years (Running With Scissors is probably the most recent). It’s a mystery to any virgin listener in hearing the opening piano bars sound so familiar; as if it were playing second-nature forever beside Fleetwood Mac’s “Rhiannon” or Elton John’s “Tiny Dancer.” Pratt’s feminine-view storytelling is fantastic; key-laden and sung in a flying falsetto, could be considered atop the era’s pinnacle of passionate songcraft. You’ll hear resemblance to another currently radio-less rock act, Empire of the Sun; whose members enjoy vocal heights in their choruses strikingly similar to Andy Pratt’s in “Avenging Annie.” Have a hear…

Song of the Day: “Hey Girl” – Keri Hilson (Feat. T-Pain & Lil’ Jon)

Speaking of summer anthems; this one’s up there for 09 consideration. Who can deny a good drinking song? Especially one with a chorus like By the end of the night I’ma have you drunk and throwin’ up / By the end of the night I’ma have you so fucked up.

Produced by Polow da Don and featuring Lil’ Jon and the equally obnoxious T-Pain, this unreleased Keri track was no where to be found on her tragic debut album, nor was it even considered. It’s actually a demo she did for the new Pussycat Dolls knockoff group, The Paradiso Girls (which just goes to show where many Keri-penned gems end up after hiding in the studio for years). While I don’t recommend any sort of Paradiso listening; this demo track, if released as a Keri single, could’ve been what took her writer-turned-singer status to the next-next level. If you’re into Keri’s brand of contagious, novel R&B, you should consider taking a shot of this.

1 This song’s shaping up to be mine for the summer: “One More Time” – Drake

With a beat and flow reminiscent of yesterday’s Hova, it’s easy to see why Drake is the unofficial blogger’s boy toy. Especially when considering he usually sounds more Cudi or closer to a one-off Kanye who can actually sing (which I suppose is the same thing), the song proves Drake can crush a verse into a scratchy background just as Jay once did like hashish. The backing soul sample skips back and forth like a drunken summer BBQ. Ending his last verse with an echoing Hold on-n-n-n-n – we’ll have to hold our breaths its soon.

2 Song of the Day: “Thinking About Your Love” – Skipworth & Turner

Play this song without knowing who it is and you’ll probably think its b-side Stevie Wonder. But what really makes this jam ride are those slamming keys.