Here we are at my top 10 albums of the year. Read on to see who made the cut.
#10: Khruangbin – Con Todo El Mundo– I was a bit late to the Khruangbin party, but I’m glad I showed up. This three-piece makes beautiful psychedelic jazz with few vocals. The tones they produce are so clear they’re almost like Tibetan mediation singing bells.
#9: Janelle Monae – Dirty Computer– Ms. Monae is a genius. She can blend hip-hop, R&B, electro, jazz, and rock with such ease that it sounds like she’s cloned herself at least five times and each of those clones studied a different genre to mastery. Knowing her love of androids and science fiction, this wouldn’t surprise me at all if it were true.
#8 – Cookin’ Soul and MF DOOM – DOOM XMAS– I don’t remember how I stumbled upon this album after Christmas Day, but I’m glad I did. It’s a wicked mix of lyrics by MF DOOM and Christmas-inspired beats by Cookin’ Soul. Any DOOM is good DOOM, and this collaboration is among his best.
#7: Throw Down Bones – Two – I stumbled upon this excellent electro / industrial / rave album on Bandcamp and it turned out to be the best electronic music record I heard all year. This will be booming in your favorite club soon if it isn’t already.
#6: Ron Gallo – Stardust Birthday Party– I’ve enjoyed Mr. Gallo’s garage punk music since I saw him open for Screaming Females in a dive bar a couple years ago. Now he’s put out a Zen-punk record that blew my mind and included my top single of the year – “Always Elsewhere.”
The top five will be revealed tomorrow!
Keep your mind open.
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#5: “Limp Wrist” by Bev Rage and the Drinks – This queercore punk delivers a wallop in under two minutes. This song floored me when I heard it, and I started telling everyone I knew about Ms. Rage and her band.
#4: “How Did This Happen!? by BODEGA – The return of post-punk continues with this great NYC band and this single that trashes hipsters. I couldn’t stop listening to this once I heard it.
#3: “Blinded by the LEDs” by Lindstrom – If you need an amazing EDM track, floor-filler, workout playlist topper, or just something to be stunned by, look no further.
#2: “Make Me Feel” by Janelle Monae – Easily the sexiest song of the year. I can’t describe it any better than that.
#1: “Always Elsewhere” by Ron Gallo – This Zen-punk jam became my mantra after hearing it. It was a much-needed crack with a Zen master’s stick during months of chaos both local and domestic. Gallo‘s suggestion that we embrace presence instead of the willful scattering of our attention is a battle call.
Thanks for reading. Up next, the top 30 live acts I saw in 2018.
“Is it any wonder that y’all about to blow up!” – Robin Roberts,Good Morning America
“…I can attest that witnessing Jones live is very much akin to how I imagine the early shows of his heroes from the ‘60s and ‘70s – tight as hell, bursting with raw emotion and drenched in sweat.” –Variety
Today,Durand Jones & The Indicationsare proud to announce their return withAmerican Love Call, a fierce album that reckons with how to balance love and fury of modern day America, dueMarch 1stviaDeadOceans/ColemineRecords. Hailed byNPR’sAll Things Consideredas “old-school soul with a new-school honesty,” The Indications conjure the dynamism ofJackieWilson,CurtisMayfield,ANDTheImpressions. This young band of twenty-somethings are students of soul. Watch the video forAmerican Love Call’s lead single,“Don’t You Know,”featuring both Jones and drummer/singerAaronFrazeron vocals, below.
Helmed by foil vocalists Jones and Frazer, and rounded out byBlakeRhein(guitarist),KyleHoupt(bassist), andSteveOkonski(keyboard), The Indications released theirself-titled debut albumto much acclaim on renowned Midwestern soul label,ColemineRecords. The album quickly picked up steam on the back of the band’s booming live show and the enthusiastic recommendation of independent record store clerks across the country.
The group’s second effort,American Love Call, is an album made the way the Indications dreamed it’d sound, a sprawling and limitless equation; grand and cinematic, yet focused on fleeting details.
Recorded at Brooklyn’sStudioGearlier this summer,American Love Callis an expansion of the band’s sound, making a leap forward in both style and songwriting. Pulling influence from a variety of sounds like R&B, gospel, early folk rock, and classical music, the Indications’ second effort has a newfound confidence, with Jones’ bellowing voice and Frazer’s soothing falsetto filled out by backing vocals and instrumentation. Thematically, the album covers tough ground, like the danger of simplifying and romanticizing the past, but it also attempts to reconcile, searching for unifying commonalities. Brooding, bold, and pensive,American Love Callis the result of the band fleshing out its craft and elevating its dreamy, old-soul sound.
The Indications will tour the US extensively this spring in support ofAmerican Love Call. A full list of tour dates are below.
American Love CallTracklist:
01. Morning In America
02. Don’t You Know (feat. Aaron Frazer)
03. Circles
04. Court Of Love (feat. Aaron Frazer)
05. Long Way Home
06. Too Many Tears (feat. Aaron Frazer)
07. Walk Away
08. What I Know About You (feat. Aaron Frazer)
09. Listen To Your Heart
10. Sea Gets Hotter (feat. Aaron Frazer)
11. How Can I Be Sure (feat. Aaron Frazer)
12. True Love
Durand Jones & The Indications’ Tour Dates:
Tue. Jan. 22 – London, UK @ Dingwalls
Wed. Jan. 23 – Paris, FR @ La Maroquinerie
Fri. Jan. 25 – Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso-Noord
Sun. Jan. 27 – Cologne, DE @ Artheater
Mon. Jan. 28 – Berlin, DE @ Lido
Mon. March 18 – Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall
Tue. March 19 – Dallas, TX @ Club Dada
Thu. March 21 – Santa Fe, NM @ Tumbleroots
Fri. March 22 – Phoenix, AZ @ Crescent Ballroom
Sat. March 23 – San Diego, CA @ Casbah
Mon. March 25 – Tustin, CA @ Marty’s On Newport
Wed. March 27 – Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram Ballroom
Thu. March 28 – Santa Barbara, CA @ SOhO Restaurant & Music Club
Fri. March 29 Oakland, CA @ The New Parish
Sat. March 30 – San Francisco, CA @ The Independent
Mon. April 1 – Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom
Tue. April 2 – Seattle, WA @ Neumos
Thu. April 4 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The State Room
Fri. April 5 – Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater
Sat. April 6 – Kansas City, MO @ recordBar
Sun. April 7 – Omaha, NE @ The Waiting Room
Tue. April 9 – Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry
Wed. April 10 – Madison, WI @ High Noon Saloon
Thu. April 11 – Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall
Fri. April 12 – Columbus, OH @ A&R Music Bar
Sat. April 13 – Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle
Sun. April 14 – North Charleston, SC @ High Water Festival
Tue. April 16 – Washington, DC @ Rock & Roll Hotel
Wed. April 17 – Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
Fri. April 19 – Philadelphia, PA @ First Unitarian Church
Sat. April 20 – Uncasville, CT @ Wolf Den at Mohegan Sun Resort
Sun. April 21 – Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall
Mon. April 22 – Baltimore, MD @ Ottobar
Wed. April 24 – Cincinnati, OH @ The Woodward Theater
Fri. April 26 – Nashville, TN @ The Basement East
Sat. April 27 – Oxford, MS @ Double Decker Arts Festival
Sun. April 28 – Atlanta, GA @ Terminal West
Sat. May 11 – Bloomington, IN @ Indiana University w/ Neko Case
*Dead Oceans exclusive bundle includes the album on limited transparent orange vinyl, limited edition transparent purple “Morning in America b/w Cruisin’ to the Park” Colemine Records white label promo 7”, a 7” adapter and poster.
Dehumanization, over-reliance on technology, (un)intentional loneliness, love, freedom, sex, and the inward journey toward finding the true self are just some of the concepts covered on Janelle Monae‘s newest, and best yet, record – Dirty Computer.
The title refers to a futuristic world in which people who don’t fit into social norms are classified as “dirty” and relegated to either second or third-class citizenship or brainwashed into civility. What’s worse is that many of us do this to ourselves daily. The title track (featuring Brian Wilson, no less) sets the tone. “I’m not that special. I’m broke inside, crashing slowly. The bugs are in me,” she sings as she shuffles through a bleak, futuristic landscape looking for love.
“Crazy, Classic, Life” begins with a sermon preaching that freedom, life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness is for everyone no matter their social status, sexual preference, or skin color. “I just want to party hard, sex in a swimming pool. I don’t need a lot of cash. I just want to break the rules,” Monae sings behind big, bold beats. “I am not the American nightmare. I am the American dream,” she proclaims. It’s a rallying cry for everyone.
The beats on “Take a Byte” remind me of Tears for Fears at first, and then they switch to sultry house beats as Monae claims she’s not the kind of girl you take home to meet your mother. She’d rather you nibble on her mocha skin. Meow. “Screwed” keeps up the sexy theme (“Wanna get screwed at a festival, wanna get screwed like an animal.”) and takes potshots at those in power who are screwing over those below them (“You fucked the world up now, we’ll fuck it all back down.”).
If you don’t think she’s serious, then consider “Django Jane,” in which Monae puts down a fierce rap about misogyny with lyrics like, “And we gonna start a mother-fuckin’ pussy riot, or we gonna have to put ’em on a pussy diet.” and “Let the vagina have a monologue.”
It’s fitting (and tongue-in-cheek…and more) that “Pynk” follows, as it’s a tribute not only to lady parts, but also to female sexuality and empowerment. As if that weren’t sexy enough, “Make Me Feel” is perhaps the sexiest song of the year as Monae boldly comes out of the closest as pansexual. Monae worked with Prince on some of the sounds of this record before his death, and his influence is immediately apparent on this track with its funky guitar, swelling synths, and dance beats.
“I Got the Juice” is Monae again claiming her freedom from expectations, illusions, and haters – including one in the White House when she states, “If you try to grab this pussy, then this pussy’ll grab you back.” “I Like That” has Monae telling us that she’s happy with who she is at this point in her life, which is really what all of us want. Her vocals on “Don’t Judge Me” are lovely, showing her versatility. She can float between serious rap chops and torch songs with ease.
She admits that she’s not perfect on “So Afraid.” She’s tentative about settling down and commitment, and her bold, to-the-back-of-the-church vocals emphasize how she’s on the verge of taking the plunge but still can’t quite make the leap of faith.
“Just love me, baby. Love me for who I am…Don’t try to take my country. I will defend my land. I am not crazy, I’m American,” she sings on “Americans” before dropping in sound bytes of a sermon on what America represents and what it has become in 2018 and it could be in the future. The last lyric on the record, as the music fades, is, “Please sign your name on the dotted line.” Is it a call to action, or a warning?
I’m not sure. That’s for Monae to know and for the rest of us to learn by self-introspection and, among other things, listening to this record.
Tim Jones, otherwise known asPreacherman, released one album of weird, funky electronic jazz the combined analog synths with New Age philosophy on creation, love, death, life, the energy of the universe, and probably a hundred other topics I’m forgetting. In the 1980’s, Jones added a guest to his one-man band – T.J. Hustler. Mr. Hustler was a ventriloquist’s dummy who would accompany Jones on stage and preach Jones’ universal philosophy or sometimes have deep metaphysical discussions with Jones while he was playing a modified Hammond B-3.
Jones moved out to Oakland many years ago to take care of his mother, a centenarian, and continued to play in small clubs, DJ karaoke nights, and record material for his own pleasure. Thankfully, Luaka Bop Records have put out a collection of some of Jones’ rarest work – Universal Philosophy: Preacherman Plays T.J. Hustler’s Greatest Hits.
The album opens with “That’s Good,” and synths that sound like the opening to a 1980’s sci-fi romance. Preacherman asks why we keep trying to visit every planet in the solar system except Venus since it’s the planet of love. “We’re going the wrong way, y’all,” he warns as the synths build and take on a bit of a Native American flute sound and it almost turns into an Art of Noise track.
“Feel It” is nine minutes of synth grooves blended with cosmic funk. It’s an instant toe-tapper and is probably being remixed by DJ Shadow even as I write this review. It’s also our first introduction to T.J. Hustler, who talks with a gravelly voice that contains hundreds of years of wisdom. “The age of individualism is upon us, y’all….Constructive knowledge is the only thing that will keep us safe…” Hustler says. He was right in the 1980’s and he’s right again in 2018.
“Tell me why in a world so full, why love’s so hard to find?” Preacherman asks on “Tell Me Why,” a bumping electro-disco track with synth bass as sweet as maple syrup. Jones asks why we’re so empty in a world not only full of people, but full of ways to communicate faster than ever before. He also predicts it won’t be long before everything’s wiped away, so we’d better get right with the Creator and each other now.
“Out of This World” is truly that, with Preacherman slapping down bump-and-grind grooves as he pines for a lover from another planet who needs to be “a love sensation…a lot of fun…the right vibration…the only one.” “Age of Individualism” has synth beats that MGMT dream of creating.
On the epic “Up and Down,” T.J. Hustler explains how time is crucial to movement. “We move up and down and around,” Preacherman preaches over his electric beats and keyboards that sound like he pulled them out of a video game. T.J. Hustler explains everything from aging and nutrition to relaxation and letting go of attachments in order to expand one’s consciousness. There’s so much to process in this track that I can’t cover all of it, but you’ll be fascinated with every second of it.
As if that weren’t enough, the closer is the fifteen-minute track “The Wrong Way,” in which Jones preaches about the order of the universe and how the planets’ movement is linked to sex, love, and tantric energy. He also warns against us “fuckin’ up this planet” and how we’re doomed to die by fire if we don’t take care of Mother Earth. He even rants against the system (AKA The Man) that has convinced us that different skin colors mean anything, that progress is usually not what it seems, and how the system is set up to bring us down and we let it happen every day. Preacherman returns to his themes of searching for love, even bringing back some of the lyrics from “That’s Good.”
This album is a mind trip, and one you need to take. It somehow combines synth-funk with Don Juan mysticism and it works.
Keep your mind open.
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Luaka Bop’s Forthcoming Reissue, Universal Philosophy: Preacherman Plays T.J. Hustler’s Greatest Hits, Out This Friday
(photo credit: Eric Welles-Nystrom)
This Friday sees the release of Luaka Bop’s forthcoming reissue of Preacherman’s (aka TimJones) music, Universal Philosophy: Preacherman plays T.J. Hustler’s Greatest Hits. After sharing “Feel It,” Luaka Bop is pleased to share another cut from the release, titled “Out Of This World.” Stream Preacherman’s “Out Of This World” — https://soundcloud.com/luakabop/preacherman-out-of-this-world/
In 1979, under the name T.J. Hustler, Jones self-released one extremely rare LP, Age Of Individualism. In the years since, he’s released two even rarer CD’s as Preacherman, of which the tracks on this forthcoming reissue are taken.
Throughout the 1980’s, Jones was a technician for IBM in both Las Vegas and San Jose. At night he world perform in the Las Vegas lounges. Thoroughly fascinated by technology and also an engineer in his own right, Jones adapted a Hammond B3 organ to play a Moog synth with some of the organ’s keys (some still played the organ) and also adapted the organ’s foot controlled bass levers to play two Moog synth bass pedals (a failed item Moog made for a few years). Thinking he wasn’t much of a live performer, he had a custom wooden puppet made named T.J. Hustler. Together, Tim Jones/Preacherman and T.J. Hustler would perform long philosophical soliloquies.
These days, Jones is CEO and founder of UpProductions and lives with his 103 year-old mother in Oakland, CA. With his Casio CTK-7200 keyboard, equipped with five wireless mics, a P.A., Jones performs karaoke, easily matching whatever song request you might have.
Perhaps even more so than his first album, UniversalPhilosophy grants listeners access, virtually for the very first time, to Jones’ outlook, his purpose, and the way he lives and experiences life on this planet. The music presented here is otherworldly, homespun, folk art funk; concise and stream-of-consciousness simultaneously. Watch/Listen/Share:
“Feel It” stream – https://youtu.be/35waZLUTbU0 UniversalPhilosophy Teaser Video – https://youtu.be/S4xHRkwlWUY
TimJonesis known by several different monikers;Preacherman,MidiManandIroningBoardBandto name a few. Though perhaps his most notable is the one that describes him best,T.J. Hustler. In 1979 as T.J. Hustler, Jones self-released one extremely rare LP,Age Of Individualism. In the years since, he’s released two even rarer CD’s as Preacherman, of which the tracks on this forthcoming reissue,Universal Philosophy: Preacherman plays T.J. Hustler’s Greatest Hits(outOctober12thonLuakaBop), are taken.
In the 1980’s Jones was a technician for IBM in both Las Vegas and San Jose where he repaired Selectric Typewriters and word processors during the day. At night he world perform in the Las Vegas lounges. Thoroughly fascinated by technology and also an engineer in his own right, Jones adapted a Hammond B3 organ to play a Moog synth with some of the organ’s keys (some still played the organ) and also adapted the organ’s foot controlled bass levers to play two Moog synth bass pedals (a failed item Moog made for a few years). Thinking he wasn’t much of a live performer, he had a custom wooden puppet made named T.J. Hustler. Together, Tim Jones/Preacherman and T.J. Hustler would perform long philosophical soliloquies.These days Jones, (“pronounced JOANZ”, says Tim), is CEO and founder ofUpProductionsand lives with his 103 year-old mother — the eldest living person in Oakland — in a stunning apartment overlooking Lake Merritt. With his Casio CTK-7200 keyboard, equipped with five wireless mics, a P.A., Jones performs karaoke, easily matching whatever song request you might have. Unfortunately, T.J. Hustler (the puppet) live in a storage unit in Las Vegas, Nevada, along with the modified organ.
(Photo credit: Eric Welles-Nystrom)
Perhaps even more so than his first album,UniversalPhilosophygrants listeners access, virtually for the very first time, to Jones’ outlook, his purpose, and the way he lives and experiences life on this planet. The music presented here is otherworldly, homespun, folk art funk; concise and stream-of-consciousness simultaneously.
UniversalPhilosophywill be released on vinyl (with gatefold jacket), CD and digital.
Universal Philosophy: Preacherman Plays T.J. Hustler’s Greatest HitsTracklist: 01. That’s Good
Replacing Earl SweatshirtPitchfork Music Festival , who has cancelled his upcoming performance at Chicago’s (possibly due to recent depression issues over the death of his father, some sources say), Tierra Whack is a welcome addition with her experimental hip hop and visual artistry. She has a lovely voice, fine mic skills, and a neat aesthetic that combines hip hop culture with 80’s retro, glam, and soul.
In case you weren’t aware, Afrofuturist / electro-funk artist / cyborg Janelle Monae is set to unleash her first album in five years, Dirty Computer, later this year. She’s calling this project an “emotion picture” and, judging from the trailer she release, it looks like it deals with many of her favorite themes – the future, the blurred line between technology and humanity, love, sex, and female empowerment.
She’s already given us “Django Jane” from the upcoming album, and she just delivered the Prince-inspired (with whom Monae was working before his death) bisexual anthem “Make Me Feel,” which is easily the hottest and sexiest track of 2018 so far. Anything that hopes to top this in terms of getting your groove on will have to bring serious chops.
Monae is an innovator and free spirit, and we need her and many more like her not only in the world of music, but also in the world at large. This is probably going to be one of the best albums of the year.
Funk mistress Betty Davis classic 1976 album Nasty Gal has recently been remastered and re-released. If you’re looking for a funk record, a make-out record, or a diva record – look no further. Nasty Gal is a trifecta of all that.
The title track opens the album, and Davis comes out swinging with her proclamation to an ex-lover that she is a nasty gal, and her ex will now miss her freaky self after she leaves him for spreading lies about her. It’s a fierce vocal performance that instantly lets you know that she wasn’t screwing around in 1976.
As if the opener wasn’t freak enough, the next track is “Talkin’ Trash,” which is all about dirty talk during freaky sex. “Do whatever you want to do to me. Be a freak, I don’t care. Tell me what gets you off,” she sings while an antsy guitar churns behind her.
“Dedicated to the Press” has great slap bass propelling Davis’ takedown on 1976 media. She feels bad that they can’t understand where she’s coming from or that they won’t join her on the ride. “You and I” is a lovely jazz ballad about deciding to leave a lover. “Feelins” has a fast groove that should’ve been the theme to a third Cleopatra Jones film with its “Hey! Hey! Hey!” chants and car chase beats.
“F.U.N.K.” has Davis giving shout-outs to Steve Wonder, Tina Turner, Al Green, Jimi Hendrix, Aretha Franklin, Funkadelic, and others. “Gettin’ Kicked Off, Havin’ Fun” has Davis purring about having a good time and encouraging a lover to not be afraid to get down with her. The organ and bass work on “Shut Off the Light” is outstanding, and Davis’ vocals are downright intimidating as she pretty much demands a sweaty romp before bed.
The groove on “This Is It” makes you feel like a bad ass, but just know that you will never be half the bad ass Betty Davis and her crew were on this record (or any other time, really). The album ends with one of her sexiest tunes ever – “The Lone Ranger.” There’s not much I can write about this song that would do it justice. I can’t guarantee that this song will get you laid, but I’d say playing it will probably improve your chances by at least fifty percent. Davis’ voice moves around you like the hands of a masseuse and her band mixes funk and psychedelia to produce an intoxicating brew. “Is it true that you want to hi ho my silver?” Davis asks. Yes. The answer to that is always “Yes.”
This is the album you wish was the soundtrack to your sex life, even if you won’t admit it.
Keep your mind open.
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