26.11.10
21.11.10
Mixtape Monday #1: A Cold Day In MTL
A quick preface:
I've conceived Mixtape Mondays as a way to share a wide variety of styles of music in a quick, easy-to-digest format that hopefully explores a theme or a mindstate I'm currently inhabiting, so the links in-between songs can sometimes be tenuous. The idea is that I'm going to offer 5 songs up and sort of explain away whatever mental connection they have to each other for me or to the theme at hand.
The first edition of MM is one borne out of a few factors. I've recently started a Big Boy™ job that has me getting up earlier than ever regularly (barring that one summer I worked in a warehouse and 6:15 was my normal rising time), and sometimes I find myself slightly depressed, especially when the realization seeps in that it's only Monday morning and I have to repeat the routine another four days straight. I tend to gravitate towards downtempo, introspective songs as I wake up, and this is a sampling of some of those tunes on that particular playlist, especially as the water on the ground starts freezing over and the inevitable first lasting snowfall comes in. With that in mind, I picked 5 tracks that summed up how I feel as I look outside and see this unfolding tableau.
A Cold Day In MTL
1. Common - Geto Heaven Part Two (instrumental)
I've always been drawn to Common's Like Water For Chocolate above all of his other work. Although I admire the taughtness and production of his Be record (executive produced by Kanye West), I think the largest single reason why I pick LWFC above all others is its lush production (thanks to executive producer ?uestlove and J. Dilla) and the live instrumentation located on almost every track. His subsequent record Electric Circus went off the deep end, binging on trippy start-and-stops and other explored musical tangents that are kept in check on this record.
The piano lick for "Geto Heaven Part Two" is wistful and bare, the snare hits soulful and the windchimes add a melancholic feel to this. I chose the instrumental version because I wanted to showcase how uncommon it is for a rap album to stand up on its own musically as an entire piece of work. Sure, beats come and go, but when's the last time you sat down and went "I'm gonna pop this instrumental record on?"
2. Anthony Hamilton - Charlene
Crooner Anthony Hamilton first caught my attention as a featured musical guest on The Chappelle Show, performing the titular "Comin' From Where I'm From" from his 2003 album. Intrigued, I picked up the record and was entranced. A dozen cuts filled with a certain amount of angst and regret are the perfect companion to the Monday morning blues, especially on when it starts snowing and the sky is a mixture of dark blue and foreboding grey. The longing refrain of "Come on home to me, Charlene" struck a melancholic chord in me that I cannot fully explain.
3. Grieves - War For The Cripples feat. P.O.S.
Anyone who knows me knows I'm a huge fan of the whole Doomtree crew and this P.O.S.-assisted track continues the crew's impeccable batting average. The sparse beat that sounds like wooden spoons being banged together had me hooked, and then the female chorus vocals and the way that P.O.S. sounds wounded as he spits his verse won me over completely. I must have replayed this song at least a dozen times in a row the first time I heard it.
4. Drake - Fall For Your Type
I'm a sucker for cathartic narratives, and this song really hits it out of the park, both in lyrical intensity as well as an intriguing instrumentation that fits the theme well. The final product has Jamie Foxx featuring Drake, but the original version (probably a reference track for Foxx) was subsequently leaked and I much prefer the Drake-only version. With 40 on the boards, Wheelchair Jimmy once again explores a laundry list of his own personal fuck-ups and foibles, much as he did for a large portion of his So Far Gone mixtape.
5. D-Sisive - First Winter
Check the title. Listen to the lyrical content. Rinse and repeat. Do I need to say more? One of Canada's best kills it.
Zip file of all of the tracks.
I will promise that next Monday's edition will have 100% more guitars. Check back here and peep it.
I've conceived Mixtape Mondays as a way to share a wide variety of styles of music in a quick, easy-to-digest format that hopefully explores a theme or a mindstate I'm currently inhabiting, so the links in-between songs can sometimes be tenuous. The idea is that I'm going to offer 5 songs up and sort of explain away whatever mental connection they have to each other for me or to the theme at hand.
---
The first edition of MM is one borne out of a few factors. I've recently started a Big Boy™ job that has me getting up earlier than ever regularly (barring that one summer I worked in a warehouse and 6:15 was my normal rising time), and sometimes I find myself slightly depressed, especially when the realization seeps in that it's only Monday morning and I have to repeat the routine another four days straight. I tend to gravitate towards downtempo, introspective songs as I wake up, and this is a sampling of some of those tunes on that particular playlist, especially as the water on the ground starts freezing over and the inevitable first lasting snowfall comes in. With that in mind, I picked 5 tracks that summed up how I feel as I look outside and see this unfolding tableau.
A Cold Day In MTL
1. Common - Geto Heaven Part Two (instrumental)
I've always been drawn to Common's Like Water For Chocolate above all of his other work. Although I admire the taughtness and production of his Be record (executive produced by Kanye West), I think the largest single reason why I pick LWFC above all others is its lush production (thanks to executive producer ?uestlove and J. Dilla) and the live instrumentation located on almost every track. His subsequent record Electric Circus went off the deep end, binging on trippy start-and-stops and other explored musical tangents that are kept in check on this record.
The piano lick for "Geto Heaven Part Two" is wistful and bare, the snare hits soulful and the windchimes add a melancholic feel to this. I chose the instrumental version because I wanted to showcase how uncommon it is for a rap album to stand up on its own musically as an entire piece of work. Sure, beats come and go, but when's the last time you sat down and went "I'm gonna pop this instrumental record on?"
2. Anthony Hamilton - Charlene
Crooner Anthony Hamilton first caught my attention as a featured musical guest on The Chappelle Show, performing the titular "Comin' From Where I'm From" from his 2003 album. Intrigued, I picked up the record and was entranced. A dozen cuts filled with a certain amount of angst and regret are the perfect companion to the Monday morning blues, especially on when it starts snowing and the sky is a mixture of dark blue and foreboding grey. The longing refrain of "Come on home to me, Charlene" struck a melancholic chord in me that I cannot fully explain.
3. Grieves - War For The Cripples feat. P.O.S.
Anyone who knows me knows I'm a huge fan of the whole Doomtree crew and this P.O.S.-assisted track continues the crew's impeccable batting average. The sparse beat that sounds like wooden spoons being banged together had me hooked, and then the female chorus vocals and the way that P.O.S. sounds wounded as he spits his verse won me over completely. I must have replayed this song at least a dozen times in a row the first time I heard it.
4. Drake - Fall For Your Type
I'm a sucker for cathartic narratives, and this song really hits it out of the park, both in lyrical intensity as well as an intriguing instrumentation that fits the theme well. The final product has Jamie Foxx featuring Drake, but the original version (probably a reference track for Foxx) was subsequently leaked and I much prefer the Drake-only version. With 40 on the boards, Wheelchair Jimmy once again explores a laundry list of his own personal fuck-ups and foibles, much as he did for a large portion of his So Far Gone mixtape.
5. D-Sisive - First Winter
Check the title. Listen to the lyrical content. Rinse and repeat. Do I need to say more? One of Canada's best kills it.
Zip file of all of the tracks.
I will promise that next Monday's edition will have 100% more guitars. Check back here and peep it.
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