It is infuriating to show up at 730pm for a band hitting the stage at 9pm and still see nothing whatsoever. It is disastrous to pay $50 for a ticket for nothing but to be moved, harassed, get your sitelines blocked, have fucked up security hastle you and wander around three floors of absolutely nothing.
Family (Blended) – Chance The Rapper – This is the Vic Mensa remix, and it is so good, “It still warms my heart to hear my Grandma pray” is one thing, “My sister says she likes my rap because it sounds good” is one thing, “I’m gonna stay in the land where my fam-o stays” something else again. Chance and Vic are like no one outthere. Big time hip hop guys doing it differently – A
It has some of the innocence of a Jonathan Richman and by innocence I am claiming what feels like a lack of knowledge of wrongdoing, an unknowledge of misogyny and ill treatment of a woman. The story of a platonic love affair is unlike what you expect from anybody, let alone any rapper
Now is your chance to vote but don’t bother with a Taylor Swift or something (though Tay doing a Diana Ross would be a blast) because then you’d never get in. I would actually love True Groove Records to get their own day. Anyway vote as you choose: here is the info.
Elvis Costello – Carnegie Hall – June 25th, 2014 – The second of a two night stand but this is the one to have watched. A solo performance, started with half of My Aim Is True, ended with a brand new song, a good one, and “Peace Love And Understanding” and in between he spend two and half hours wandering round his future history with unvarying, unwavering and very thrilling results
Danny is a real American Black weirdo, the latest in a long line, and I think of all the names around here, he is the most purely commited and commitable rhymer. His flow isn’t better, phrasing not as good as Lamar and neither is his voice but his rhyming is impeccable and the two albums I’ve heard are both simply and undoubtedly fabulous albums
In 2014, the recording industry has no center gravity, it seems to be coming from everywhere in every form as well. It isn’t in one place only, it is hiding in the world and in the public everywhere at once. The trouble is (and it is something rock nyc tries to do with very limited success) the music scene has no one place where you can get a quick study in what is out there.
Dance trumps rock, no two ways about it. Skrillex and two thirds of Swedish House Mafia siphoned off 75% of the audience, leaving 25% for Jack White and Vampire Weekend. The sheer numbers were incredible. Broken Bells was free and easy, you couldn’t move at Disclosures set which was occurring on a different stage at the same time.
Everybody’s Something – Chance The Rapper – The difference between the version Chance sang at his Governor’s Ball star making turn is this is the way Chance boiled the song down to its “everybody’s somebody’s everything, nobody’s nothing at all” hook and than got a full house who was gagging for it, to sing it with all its heart , the verses and backing track are a touch too dark on Acid Rap – A-
Saturday was incredibly busy at Randall’s Island, a complete sell out from one end of the Island to the other with young kids, mostly college sophomores by the looks of it, planting themselves on every available inch of green. But the lineup wasn’t as good as Friday’s line up
Every year the BBC present the world with their picks of 2014’s breakthrough stars and every year they get one right and a couple rightish. And every year I read through em and have heard a couple of em before and never hear of most of em again. I know Chance The Rapper and Ella Eyre, and am glad to meet Chloe Howl and George Ezra.
Life Round Here – James Blake And Chance The Rapper – Haunting and beautiful, but of course that comes on the James Blake label, what doesb’t is Chance The Rapper, atonal rap so weird and in place – A-
