Fluxblog Weekly #15: Dr. Dre, The Mynabirds, Beach House, Princess Reason
August 10th, 2015
Until The Dead Has Risen
Dr. Dre featuring Kendrick Lamar, Marsha Ambrosius, and Candice Pillay “Genocide”
“Genocide” is only four and a half minutes, but there’s enough ideas and odd sonic textures in Dem Jointz’s track to pad out half an album. What’s going on in this song?
• An odd, digitally distorted two-note sample that’s being used like a snare hit, so the end of some measures sound as though it’s being pushed ahead by some mechanical device.
• A shuddering turntable sample that works like a drum fill, but feels like rumbling tectonic plates beneath the song.
• A descending bass part that sounds as if each note is a little dot, which is offset by a similar high-pitched set of ascending dot-notes.
• Synth washes that are so subtle that it’s almost perceptible, but are actually crucial in creating a rising sensation on the chorus.
• A totally unexpected a cappella doo-wop bridge, but the lowest voice is doing some kind of dubstep wubby thing.
• A chorus by R&B singer Marsha Ambrosius that strips all the warmth and femininity from her voice, but leaves in a lot of dread and despair.
• A sung verse by Candice Pillay that continues a tradition of using dancehall voices in rap tracks to signify impending doom.
• A verse from Dr. Dre that I didn’t even immediately recognize as him, since his voice is a bit higher pitched than usual, and he’s doing some singsongy bits that I don’t remember ever being a part of his style.
• A verse from Kendrick Lamar that swings from fairly chill to utterly ferocious, and shows off a skill for vivid lyrical detail, off-kilter meters and cadences, and varied vocal textures that no other rapper of his generation can match.
Buy it from iTunes.
August 11th, 2015
I Don’t Want Half Of Anything
The Mynabirds “All My Heart”
Laura Burhenn may change the surface aesthetics of The Mynabirds with each record, but she never strays from the core appeal of her music – introspective lyrics that border on secular spirituality, and her weathered, soulful voice. Her new record Lovers Know has a much colder tone than the records that came before it, but her voice is more fiery and emphatic than ever. This contrast really works for her, especially when it seems like she’s this passionate person standing up to a world of indifference. That’s basically what’s going on in “All My Heart,” which is a song about refusing to tamp down her emotions to avoid being hurt or freaking someone out with actual honest feelings. The song has a defiant, heroic sound to it, and it should – it takes real bravery to be so vulnerable, especially in a culture that keeps reminding you of all the bad things that can happen when you let other people in. But it’s worth it when you do, right? That’s what I keep hearing, anyway.
Buy it from Amazon
August 12th, 2015
It Goes Dark Again
Beach House “Sparks”
Beach House is the sort of band that is so committed to a specific aesthetic that they never seem to change, but are in fact constantly shifting around the formal elements of their music. On the surface, “Sparks” is another hazy, organ-centric drone, but it’s also a sudden left turn from the past couple Beach House records, which emphasized crisp, clean sounds and a melodramatic romanticism. In comparison to tracks like “Myth” and “Wild,” “Sparks” is all scuffed up and knocked slightly off register, with Victoria Legrand’s sullen voice buried in the mix rather than at the center of the music. The guitar tone on the intro is significantly more aggressive than what typically ends up on Beach House records, and it overlaps with the over-driven keyboard drone in a way that suggests aggravated frustration giving way to outright depression. The lyrics are vague, but seem to be about a junkie searching for their next high, but each high is weaker and briefer than the last. It doesn’t really need to be about drugs – the “spark” could be anything that offers a momentary reprieve from pain and boredom – but either way, that theme suits the despairing tone of the record.
Buy it from Amazon.
August 13th, 2015
Fruit Flies Circle Over Your Open Wine
Princess Reason “Your Divorce”
How do I know this guy’s voice so well? The particular inflections and cadences, the specific sound of the creak in his voice when he reaches for high notes beyond his range. I swear I’ve heard some version of this guy sing in dozens of bands going back 20 years, but I can’t remember the names of any of them. Also, I’m pretty sure he’s just some guy, the way those other guys were just some guy. This is the music that some guy makes, and the music lots of some guys listen to. I’m some guy too, obviously.
I don’t mean to diminish what a good and interesting little song this is. I love the way this band pushes themselves to just beyond their skill level in playing it, and the irregular contours of its structure. The music finds grace in shabbiness, and so do the lyrics – he nails a lot of very vivid concrete details, and he writes around a messy, secretive affair before ending the song by singing “I can’t wait for you to leave New York / I can’t wait for you to get divorced” in a tone that’s cheerful and glib in a way where you know this guy is setting himself up for some huge disappointments.
Buy it from Bandcamp.