jump to navigation

Shabazz Palaces – “Free Press And Curl (Live At KEXP)” May 2, 2012

Posted by gwyoung in Music, Music Videos, Track Reviews.
Tags: , , , ,
add a comment

Though a live performance, this version of Shabazz Palaces’ excellent “Free Press And Curl” (the opening track off of their debut album from last year, Black Up) sounds much richer and more vibrant than the original did in its studio incarnation. The Seattle-based rap/hip-hop collective’s bizarre sonic constructions are fully fleshed out in this KEXP performance, from the pulsing mechanical padding that propels the first verses of the track to the ghostly wailing accompaniment behind frontman Ishmael Butler’s resounding exclamations of “I’m free” to the blissful, soothing afro-beat- and jaw harp- inspired cooldown that appears out of nowhere in the last minute. Like Shabazz Palaces’ best compositions, the track leaves you wondering where all of these sounds came from and how they can possibly sound so good together, while the precision and energy of the live show reveal the duo’s true talents as performers and musicians. Have a listen below:

The full performance consisted of this and three other songs, some from Shabazz Palaces’ previous releases and some new, and can be viewed here. The audio was released as a 12″ in honor of this year’s Record Store Day.

Mastodon – “A Spoonful Weighs A Ton” April 26, 2012

Posted by gwyoung in Music, Track Reviews.
Tags: , , ,
add a comment

Mastodon’s cover of The Flaming Lips’ “A Spoonful Weighs A Ton” (off their classic 1999 album, The Soft Bulletin) is unusual for a cover in that it doesn’t seem to stray far enough from the original. I had expected that a metal band like Mastodon would make the precarious, strange world constructed by the song much heavier, or possibly throw in a few screaming vocals here and there, but it seems like they had a different goal in mind. Instead of offering a new perspective on the song, the cover sounds like Mastodon trying to sound like the Flaming Lips. The result is actually more exciting than you would think, as it’s just different enough to feel new and interesting, but also just close enough to the original to be as supremely enjoyable. Listen below and re-experience the magic of one of the Flaming Lips’ best:

The “A Spoonful Weighs A Ton” single was one of the best of this year’s multitude of Record Store Day releases. To commemorate that, this video features a record spinning.