Best Posts in Forum: Music

TheReturn · Oct 29, 2017

Oct 29, 2017

b---- look like Andre Roberson and that n----- from twilight all in 1

DKC · Oct 11, 2017

Oct 11, 2017

Meet TUT. Birth name Kevin Adams Jr., TUT is a 22-year old rapper hailing from Chattanooga, Tennessee, who recently released his first full-length project, Preacher’s Son. As you can probably guess by both his name and the title of his album, TUT is the son of Kevin Adams Sr., a prominent preacher in Chattanooga—but as TUT himself (or anyone who has listened to the album) would tell you, he’s far from perfect.

As somewhat of a coming-of-age story, Preacher’s Son chronicles TUT’s struggle between fitting the mold of what society deems the son of a preacher should be like, and simply being himself—though there’s much more to the album than can be explained in a few sentences. As one of the best projects to come out in 2015 thus far, Preacher’s Son is only the beginning for TUT: he most recently performed at SXSW and expects to release another full-length project by the end of this year. Touting an undeniably high work ethic, TUT is determined to make everyone know his name as the self-proclaimed “youngest king in the game.”

Two of our writers shared the same appreciation forPreacher’s Son, and had the opportunity to have a conversation with TUT to discuss the album, as well as his his beginnings, inspirations, and future ambitions. As someone who wants to spread positivity, TUT radiated humbleness and passion in speaking on both his music and his life. TUT—”The Understood Truth”—is undoubtedly a bright spot in the current hip-hop landscape, and as his art grows, his name will surely follow.

How are you doing?
I’m pretty decent man to say the least. I just ate a little weed thing so I’m kind of baked.

Let’s start off with a little introduction for those who aren’t familiar with who you are. What is your name and where are you from?
My name is TUT. Some n----s call me “The Understood Truth” and I’m from Chattanooga, Tennessee!

Have you lived in Chattanooga all your life?
Yeah. Born and raised in Chattanooga.

You say that you chose the name TUT because King Tut was the youngest king and that it also stands for “The Understood Truth.” Can you elaborate on what you mean by “The Understood Truth?” What does that mean to you?
“The Understood Truth” is just an acronym, but how I actually came up with the name TUT is… we actually came up with the name because we were gunna call, me and Zay, Isaiah Rashad by the way, we were gunna have a joint group called YGTUT back in like 2011. My great-grandfather, they used to call him Tut. So like, it’d be cool to let that name live on. But also, you know, just to be a young king in general.

Also, it is sometimes stylized as YGTUT. What does the YG add?
Like I said, it was a group me and Zay were gunna have back then. Basically, we were some young G’s and kings. We were gunna make the group, then he got signed to TDE. But before then I was already going by YGTUT. People would be like, “There goes YGTUT.” So it was more so I was YGTUT than we were YGTUT.

You have an instagram video of yourself passionately singing some Michael Jackson. Who are some of your musical influences? Who did you grow up listening to?
I have an Instagram video of Michael Jackson?

Yeah! You were singing some Michael Jackson with some passion!
Oh! (Laughs) Yeah, yeah. I like Michael Jackson bro. I’ve liked him since I was a kid. It’s crazy that you would mention that because like ever since I could remember he was like my favorite artist, like pop singer or whatever. I used to watch the contest at my grandmama house. I remember like on Halloween they used to show the Michael Jackson contests and s--- on VH1. Then like the Thriller video and the ghosts and s---. I used to watch that like every Halloween. My mama got me the Michael Jackson DVD, I mean not the DVD, but the tape or whatever. My pops used to get me those too. My pop he likes Michael Jackson. He used to sing Thriller all the time. I got heavily influenced by Michael Jackson, you know? I just really love his music. He’s probably the best artist, writer, singer… of all time you know? Best performer.

Absolutely. Growing up, who else did you listen to?
I listened to a lot of OutKast. UGK. I listened to a lot of Isaiah Rashad. Ktoven productions. I like Juvenile. I just like the classics man. I just like classic s---. I like powerful s---. I like Kanye West, Late Registration. That’s probably one of my favorite albums. I just like classic s--- man.

What led to the moment you decided music was something you wanted to pursue full-time?
Probably about the time I was in college. I had already been f---in’ with music before. Probably the time I met Isaiah Rashad in college. That was probably the time I got serious with it and tried to make it a job.

So did you and Isaiah Rashad go to the same college?
Yeah. We went to TSU (Tennessee State University) together.

You are a part of The House collective that Isaiah Rashad frequently references. Is The House something you’ve always been a part of from the beginning? How did that collective form?
Yeah. I’m actually a founder of The House. Me, Michael DaVinci, and Isaiah Rashad founded the House. Michael DaVinci, Rob, first introduced me to Isaiah Rashad when I first started to go to TSU. He [Michael DaVinci] was like, “This n----- can make music. Y’all should work together and s---.” After that, me and Zay became like brothers and we still got that relationship to this day. That’s my n-----. I talk to him d--- near like every day. That’s really like my brother. It’s just like a friendship really. Rob [Michael DaVinci] was the last to rap out of the three of us. He started rapping because me and Zay was rapping. At first we were the Flight House. If you go back and listen to old House s---, you’ll probably hear s--- like Flight House. Then we ended up just dropping it to The House later on.

Preacher’s Son was originally supposed to drop on April 30th of last year. Why was it pushed back until January of this year?
Because I had the project done at one point, but we weren’t really satisfied with it when we were trying to drop it at that time. I basically felt like the project could have been a lot better. So after hearing it, me and K [Ktoven] went back on it and got introduced to live instrumentation. Like playing live instruments. So like everything that had been made to that point…the next song was better than the last song and the songs ended up becoming better than the last songs, you know what I’m saying? So you know, we weren’t proud of it. Then in November I ended up getting into some troubles so we had to push it back again until January 5th. So we put it out on January 5th and that’s basically why. We had s--- on there that didn’t even make the album like more than half of the project didn’t make the album so we ended up basically putting out a whole new project when we came out with Preacher’s Son.

That shows a lot of patience. You waited to put out a solid project and that’s a lot different than what most people are doing right now. So what was the idea behind the #ProudToPay release instead of a traditional free release? Being relatively unknown prior to this tape, how did that method of release end up working out?
I was kind of torn on that. We weren’t really trying to sell the project. We were just trying to get as much exposure as we could. You could support it at tuthouse.co. Now we’re doing this thing where you get the high-quality project along with a House sticker if you support. If you donate like $30, you’ll get a t-shirt. We got hella t-shirts. It’s basically so you could support in any way you want to support. Even if you want to buy the project for a penny. I mean, that’s kind of disrespectful, but you can buy the project for a penny! It’s basically just supporting the music.

On Preacher’s Son there’s this duality of good and bad. Like on the hook of “Hangin’,” people are criticizing you because you’re a preacher’s son, but you’re smoking weed. So what is the concept behind “Preacher’s Son?”
Preacher’s Son is really just the life story. The story of my life. Up to this point. How like me, my dad, and my mom had disagreements. Just me being me. Not something that like necessarily everybody agreed with it, but now like everybody came around and they supporting. It’s just everything I was going through. Like my cousin Justin getting kicked out of the army in North Dakota. Songs like “Bad Guys” to “Sunday Service” to “Fall of Goliath.” Everything on there is just a testament to my situation and me just overcoming.

As you mentioned before, a great amount of live instrumentation was used in the production of Preacher’s Son. Was that Ktoven’s decision or your own?
It was both of our decision. I remember about the time we started working on “Holy Water.” I remember it was supposed to be like an R&B beat or some s--- like that. It was like the same song, but it came out more spiritual. But then after that, I was like, “Bro we should get a guitar on this.” We both agreed we should get a guitar on this. After that, we ended up getting introduced to our guitar player Taylor Freeman. K introduced Martelli who was another cold a--- guitar player. He [Martelli] ended up playing bass on most of the tracks too. Then got introduced to Sway Mo and a bunch of other people and that’s how the s--- came about. Derrick introduced me to Angela Mae too. She a cold a--- singer. She came in and I got her on “Living on the Sun.” I had “Living on the Sun” done by the time she came in and “Holy Water” [as well]. Then she just hopped on those.

Is live instrumentation an aspect of production you try to include in your songs?
Yeah. I wouldn’t say directly, but it’s just something that comes along when it fits. We’re just trying to make good music. We’re just trying to make the best music possible. If the live instrumentation does that, that’s what we’re trying to do. If I make a turn up song, I need some heavy bass. Those don’t really have live instrumentation. We don’t do a lot of s--- like that anyway, but we’re just trying to do what fits. It’s not on purpose. It just kind of happens.

Like you said earlier, you said Preacher’s Son was a brand-new project by the time you released it. Some songs didn’t make the project, like “Throwed” with Isaiah Rashad. Did those just not fit the theme of the project?
“Throwed” is still gonna come out. Isaiah just never really directly dropped his verse on it, he was just always talkin’ that he had something for it. We thought he was gonna come on the project. If we put out “Throwed,” Lucki Eck$ is probably gonna be on it now.

Could you give us a little more information on the deluxe version of Preacher’s Son?
Oh yeah, about that…the deluxe version ain’t comin’ out no more. (Laughs) Yeah, it ain’t comin’ out no more…we’re gonna drop probably another song called “Living Sacrifice.” And we’re working on our next project right now, so expect that out around the fall.

“Preacher’s Son” was a phrase that appeared on the cover of Isaiah Rashad’s Cilvia Demo. What’s the significance behind that?
Isaiah Rashad, that’s little-big-bro. I guess he didn’t know what to come up with for the cover art, but he was just lookin’ at Cilvia as a demo, people look at it as an album…when he was up in Vegas he told me he was in the hotel arguing, I don’t know if it was switched to “Lord,” but somebody was workin’ on the cover art and he was just asked if he was gonna put other title names on there. Like, I wasn’t the only one on there, like they put Rob’s title on there, “Strictly 4 My n----s,” but I think he said he was gonna call it some bs like “For Us” or some s--- now. It was already understood that I was comin’ out after Cilvia came out. That’s how me and Isaiah had already orchestrated it. Before we had came out with Preacher’s Son, cuz we had already had a concept for the idea of Preacher’s Son just for the songs. But the way we wanted it to evolve, is Isaiah comes out first, and then I come behind him, you know what I’m saying? And then hopefully Mikey D come behind me. That’s basically how it is. You know, he just left “Preacher’s Son” on there along with what Cilvia was supposed to be—it was supposed to be “Khaki”—and then him and Rob was supposed to come out with this project called “Fake Trill”—well, they low-key did, but it was only like a four song project that they put on sound cloud. But that’s pretty much how that happened.

Southern hip-hop, especially new-age Atlanta hip-hop, is becoming pretty much synonymous with trap music. How do you feel about that direction and what do you feel you are personally bringing to the development of southern hip-hop?
I’m not totally against trap music, I just feel like sometimes that s--- be kinda too reckless for the generation coming behind us. It’s like, I’m living in Chattanooga and seein’ a lot of my n----s, you know, bein’ locked up at a young age. One of my best friends got locked up when I was 13—and he was like 12—for shooting a taxi driver. I know how that s--- be, I listen to music from there and I’m like “y’all n----s talkin’ reckless bruh, and I know how n----s in my city be when they hear you talkin’ reckless.” I feel like I should say some s--- with some substance from where I’m comin’ from. You know, help the n----s from generations under me. You never know man, that’s all I can probably say, for example, one n----- gettin’ on a song and tellin’ n----s “you gotta slow it down young blood,” sayin’ some simple s--- like that. And it’ll make a n----- rethink his whole life. “I just be out here, you know, doin’ this, maybe I should try to make a business for myself,” or whatever it is—get a job or something. A n----- can’t do nothin’ behind no wall, man. It don’t make sense. It’s stupid.

It’s cool, I like turn up music bruh. I like to turn up, I like to have fun. I like to play Young Thug or Rae Sremmurd or whoever when I’m getting f----- up—all the time, when I got a long ride I put them n----s on. But n----s don’t think it through. In some ways, they really are role models to people, even when they don’t notice it. Not sayin’ I’m tryina be a role model, but I’m just aware that I’ma be held accountable for the s--- I say. People gon’ listen to the s--- that I’m saying, so I just gotta say some s--- with some kinda substance, you know what I’m sayin? That’s all I’m really tryina do.

That’s awesome man, that’s really cool. What you’re doing is pretty much the polar opposite of what’s going on in Atlanta, and like you said, I can appreciate both of them, but sometimes you gotta listen to something with a message.
It’s like I said, I have fun too, but when I come out with this project, I’ma be talkin’ hella s---.

About a year ago you met 2 Chainz & Jazze Pha. How did that meeting come about?
I was at a basketball when I met 2 Chainz. I was just with my Pop—and, you know, he a preacher or whatever, but he got a lot of friends. Jazze Pha and 2 Chainz, that’s how I met them, pretty much just bein’ out here, you know, chillin’. Jazze Pha, he heard “Live in Chattanooga and then some other s---. And I just met 2 Chainz on the floor and talked to him for a minute, and you know just went back in my seat. It was just some random s--- like that. But I went out to eat with Jazze Pha, so it was tight when I bumped into Jazze Pha, we chopped it up for a minute. They were tryina get us to come to the studio the next day with 2 Chainz, but I was already on my way back to Chattanooga. I’m sure we’ll eventually end up crossing paths again.

Can we expect some collaboration in the future?
What, from 2 Chainz?

Yeah (Laughs).
I mean, s---, if he come for it, but I’m not friends with the n----- like that. Not just like I can be like “hey bro, you should get on this song with me.” You know, like I’m good friends with Sonny Digital. I was just at Sonny Digital’s crib last night. Obviously I wasn’t gonna say “hey bruh we’re at your crib, we should record man.” Cuz I’m still a young n-----! I’m friends to these n----s when I come around, but I feel, in a way, there’s respect I gotta earn in order to get on songs with the bigger mutha fuckas. That’s how that be, I just be chillin bro, I’m in the cut.

You said you’re already starting work on your next project due out this fall, so what else is next for you? We heard rumors that you’re supposed to be performing at South by Southwest. Do you have any possible tour dates coming up?
We’re still trying to get a calendar together. We got shows, I got a show in Nashville and people are tryina get me to come out to California and s---. But we gotta get shows booked, that’s really all that it is. We’ve been working on trying to get a tour together and stuff like that, but we still gotta get some dates in order. If you know anyone who’s tryina get Tut to come to your city man, email [email protected] because we’re tryina come out there. Wherever it’s at, we’re tryina come out there and turn up.

Where do you see yourself in the next five years as “the youngest king in the game?”
In the next five years, I’ve got a lot of plans, man. I see myself with our own studio business and our own studio building in downtown Chattanooga. I see the merch poppin’ off. I see me still makin’ good music…still tryina reach different levels with this s---. I see me gettin’ better, in other words. That’s pretty much it. I just see me getting better all around. In five years, I’ma be the same n----- with a different mentality.

Dope. We’re hoping to see you blow up in the next five years, hopefully. We definitely appreciate you taking the time out your day to do this interview.
This s--- was dope as h--- man, I appreciate y’all for reachin’ out and giving me this opportunity.

DKC · Oct 6, 2017

Oct 6, 2017
@SoundsPurple

Please join the mention group if you want to be notified when any SXN80 members have a piece debuting. Thanks!

I Don’t Like Macklemore but Here’s a List of People Who Might & Also I Rated Gemini Out of Ten

Caslon · Jul 1, 2017

Jul 1, 2017
It's obvious that both of the genres is a reaction to their roots, trap derives rap and metal from rock. Whats interesting is that if you look at the trends there's also a similar evolution further down the line.

Metal was obsessed with making the most noise, striking the fastest and most distorted riffs, growling the loudest, etc. There's a shift in focus as the black metal scene emerged, where being the loudest wasn't the most important, but rather the atmosphere and aesthetic above anything else.

Trap also had this similar parallell, where in the early 2010's you had trap production obsessed with making the 808 kicks pump the hardest, orchestrated huge soundscapes, triple and quadruple time high hats combined with borderline shouting out vocals. For example Lex Luger & Waka Flocka, Mike Will Made It, Rick Ross, etc. What then happens is DJ Spinz crafts his own 808s, which revolutionized the new atlanta scene. About every trap release in the 2013-2014 period utilized his kicks and everyone in the scene had them. After that, the tempo slows down and you dont have the same type of 808 spam x sextuplet hi hat w 8 layers of arpeggiated synths. Like with Barter 6 the focus shifts to moody atmospheric ballads.

Basically the scene was so saturated with attempts at aggressive club bangers, and then suddenly hit a peak with Spinz 808s. After that, simplicity, atmosphere and melody became the natural reaction. You can hear this to this date if you compare Future's 2017 releases to his earlier projects, 2 Chainz especially if you compare the moody PGLTM to something like BOATS or Freebase.

While we think we're musically moving forward, are we just repeating ourselves over and over with new subgenres?
:thenking:

tl;dr music trends are predictable

also sorry for the length its probably super messy im just hi af venting some thoughts

Final · Jun 2, 2017

Jun 2, 2017

:dp:

Tarvis Scatt · May 18, 2017

May 18, 2017

Wow this is amazing

Hard Klyntar · Apr 29, 2017

Apr 29, 2017
So Ra Jule had hosted this festival and scammed everyone who attended the ticket prices were ranging from 1200 up to incredible 12000 dollars.
Here are artists that should have performed lmao

The seats haha

Lockers for personal stuff but with no locks hahahaahahha

Here is the food they got LMAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

And my favorite look at the bar

HAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHA
it looks like some Syrian badlands festival the place looks like California Love music video set Mad Max apocalyptic world

Proto · Mar 29, 2017

Mar 29, 2017

Fazers · Mar 19, 2017

Mar 19, 2017
http://hasitleaked.com/2016/gorillaz-gorillaz-phase-4/

Album will be released April 28th.

Cover Art:

Humanz:

Intro: I Switched My Robot Off
Ascension feat. Vince Staples
Strobelite feat. Peven Everett
Saturnz Barz feat. Popcaan
Momentz feat. De La Soul
Interlude: The Non-Conformist Oath
Submission feat. Danny Brown and Kelela
Charger feat. Grace Jones
Interlude: Elevator Going Up
Andromeda feat. D.R.A.M.
Busted and Blue
Interlude: Talk Radio
Carnival feat. Anthony Hamilton
Let Me Out feat. Mavis Staples and Pusha T
Interlude: Penthouse
Sex Murder Party feat. Jamie Principle and Zebra Katz
She’s My Collar feat. Kali Uchis
Interlude: The Elephant
Hallelujah Money feat. Benjamin Clementine
We Got The Power feat. Jehnny Beth
Interlude: New World

Deluxe edition bonus tracks:

The Apprentice feat. Rag’n’ Bone Man, Zebra Katz, and RAY BLK
Halfway To The Halfway House feat. Peven Everett
Out Of Body feat. Kilo Kish, Zebra Katz, and Imani Vonshà
Ticker Tape feat. Carly Simon and Kali Uchis
Circle Of Friendz feat. Brandon Markell Holmes

pluto✰ · Feb 1, 2017

Feb 1, 2017

soo like, long story but I was gonna send this off to radio and had to make a clean version but after listening in the car, I realized the vocals were rly rly drowned out but I the cuss words couldnt be undeleted since I'd already closed the project

so I ended up turning the vocals up of course but now I'm stuck with this clean version :/

welp

art put together by the illustrious @Mike Tyson

@McFlySXN @CreativeSXN

Jehovah · Jan 31, 2017

Jan 31, 2017

Ape · Jan 24, 2017

Jan 24, 2017

@MigosSXN @TravisSXN
This is beautiful

Jehovah · Jan 19, 2017

Jan 19, 2017
http://808jams.com/index.php?a=track&id=105

@MigosSXN

Lucy · Jan 16, 2017

Jan 16, 2017

Scientifically proven, the first man and woman [are] from Africa, and over time, culturally evolving into a lighter and lighter and much more fairer skin. So the album is going to be called AfricAryaN. And it’s about me being black and white and seeing life from two sides.”
Click to expand...

like if you need further explanation just f--- off and k--- yourself. this is objective fact of what you should do if you like Logic.

pluto✰ · Jan 6, 2017

Jan 6, 2017
well if for whatever reason you haven't listened to the babyface don yet, i'd like to redirect your travels to this thread over here:

https://forum.sectioneighty.com/the-babyface-don.t77110

for my a1 day 1'z, i've already started the next jawn. already got a title and all that going and maybe about 3/4 songs deep

expect 10-12 jawns. ETA FALL 2017 (but sooner if possible )

honestly though, i'm more concerned about building some money up and seeing how far I can push the babyface don before I feel like I absolutely gotta dump new music on the interwebs

probably won't really have too many features , maybe one or two songs. expect to hear @theg & @CallMeSas on a winter 2017 anthem..think Minnesota

as far as sonically, don't expect to hear another black superhero lol i'll definitely have rapping on here but i highly doubt it'll be anything super aggressive. tryna tap into my melodies for this jawn

Lord flacko · Dec 27, 2016

Dec 27, 2016

Soldier · Dec 18, 2016

Dec 18, 2016
Goes to this man.

And before everyone starts asking, "Where is Thug?" or, "Where is x and y rapper?" Thug is the greatest rapper alive right now. That's no question, he had a h--- of a year but Quavo was everywhere in 2016. Another person that could be argued is 2 Chainz, from Collegrove with Wayne to Daniel Son Necklace Don which is highly underrated and Hibachi For Lunch.

Some call him the Beyonce of Migos which I am not a fan of because Offset and Takeoff are great rappers and spectacular in their own ways. Quavo has an advantage over them with his voice. He is what Ty Dolla Sign is to Real Friends on every guest feature. It takes a 7-8/10 song to an 11/10.

Quavo's path of destruction in 2016 all started here for me.

Since early 2016, there has not been a song he featured on where he didn't steal the show.

His Pick Up The Phone verse is probably his most iconic verse of 2016. A topic of debate that came from that track was, "Who had the better verse between Quavo and Thug?" It's arguable but I still believe Quavo had the best verse.

These are just his features. Migos has been making nothing but hits this year. From Cocoon and Dat Way to Bad & Boujee. We need a solo Quavo project. CULTURE coming soon.

This hour long mix will show you why Quavo was the best rapper in 2016.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx · Dec 16, 2016

Dec 16, 2016

why they tryna make it impossible to support this man

MTY · Dec 14, 2016

Dec 14, 2016
Long time no see y'all, it's been a little bit since I've posted on here as I've been pretty busy with school and helping mod /r/indieheads (along with running a daily year-end write-up series there). However, just wanted to pop back in real quick to talk about my 20 favorite songs of the year. Music-wise, a ton of quality stuff came out this year that I wanted to highlight that some of y'all might have missed. So, here's my list of my favorite tracks of the year (one song per artist):

20. Deakin — “Golden Chords”
This is an absolutely breathtaking song, with its lush acoustic guitars, the outdoor ambience, and Deakin’s lyrics and vocals that strike an extreme emotional chord (pun not intended). I was deciding whether or not to pick
“Footy” or this song, but realized that while “Footy” is great, the impact of “Golden Chords” lies in its subtlety. It’s a slow burn unlike the instant gratification of “Footy,” which makes repeated listens all the more worth it.

please stop repeating your terror you choose what you see
it’s always “what if?” and “why not?”
man you gotta just be
simplify define your goals and watch them grow
be your own true self the you that I know

19. Jeff Rosenstock — “Festival Song”
This was another difficult pick as I love the entire record, but I ended up realizing this would be the right song for this list. The woah-oh-woah chorus, the drum machine, and the synths trick you into thinking this is gonna be a fun and happy pop punk sing-a-long song, but a lot of songs on this record do that, with this one being the biggest suspect. What lies in the happy sounds is something much darker, as Rosenstock is able to juxtapose the woes of capitalism and the financial crisis with his own issues concerning self-worth. WORRY. is all about finally growing up and this song is just one of Rosenstock’s many battles with adulthood.

oh, they wouldn’t be your friend if you weren’t worth something
they wouldn’t be your friend if you weren’t worth something.
they wouldn’t be your friend if it wasn’t worth it
if you didn’t have something they could take

18. Blood Orange — “E.V.P.”
While Freetown Sound became a bit of a shrinker of a record for me, this song still stands out for its amazing synth work, the crisp drum machines, and the little guitar and horn flourishes thrown in the mix, along with great vocal performances from Dev Hynes, BEA1991, and Debbie Harry from Blondie. One of the weakest aspects of Blood Orange is usually Hynes’ vocals, but by going into his lower register during the verses, he’s able to help creative this slick vibe. It’s the best song to never make an 80’s movie soundtrack, it simply just oozes cool.

you’ll never be the best
she’ll never turn you on
and scars remain from running away
and hiding where you’re from

17. Anderson .Paak — “Heart Don’t Stand A Chance”
Similar to Freetown Sound, Malibu didn’t really stick with me like it did for a lot of people, it did show me that Anderson .Paak is one of the most talented and creative artists working today and this song is a perfect highlight of that. The story he tells in the lyrics is engaging and the production is just immaculate. This is just simply some really smooth s--- and I love it.

baby, your course, i flew
but i’m not over what we had
don’t it feel like it’s been far too long, girl?
your heart don’t stand a chance

16. Whitney — “Golden Days”
I had a hard time trying to pick my favorite song from Light Upon the Lake, but ultimately I decided this might be my favorite. This song simply just screams classic. Not classic in the sense in that “oh this song’s gonna go down as a classic,” but more of it just seems like this song’s always been here. It feels familiar and intimate, yet brand new. The band here has some incredible chemistry as they play off each other incredibly well, especially the violin section which adds a certain boldness that makes this track so great. This song and the album it’s on give me a lot of hope for what these guys do next.

cause i’m aching but
i fell right in when you gave me up
those golden days snuck away from us
lately i’ve been close but i’m up to trouble
those golden days keep you hanging on

15. Savages — “Evil”
Adore Life is probably one of the most underrated albums of the year, the sort disdain it got from fans is beyond me, as I personally find it to be a stronger effort than their debut, which this song highlights that pretty well. The chord progressions, the great drum work, that meaty bass, the guitars, and of course, Jehnny Beth’s vocal work which is just so f---ing good. Of the latest batch of rock, she is probably the most captivating front-person working today. Wherever your attention was before, it’s definitely not there anymore.

they will try to make you stay
steal the peace away from you
soak your actions in self doubt
if you don’t live the way they like

14. Porches — “Car”
With “Car”, Aaron Maine has made the perfect indie rock track. The best way I can describe this song and the rest of the album is… tasty. Everything on this song works so incredibly well and comes right into sync. The one main thing I wanna highlight though is the chord progressions, which are a complete beauty to see unfold.

if i let it soak
will it become clean
let the salt carry it
away from me

13. Japanese Breakfast — “Jane c-m”
“Jane c-m” simply destroys me. It is such a downer of a song that serves as the emotional climax of Psychopomp, which I would say is this year’s Carrie & Lowell in that both albums deal with the grief of losing each other’s respective mothers. While Sufjan Stevens took a more low-key approach with a return to his folk roots, Michelle Zauner goes straight into dream pop, noise rock and shoegaze territory and to deliver an emotional beast of a track.

jane c-m,
in a year i’ll say, “your hair got long”
and you’ll tell me how the band got good
like dust kicked up from a tire

12. Mitski — “Happy”
On “Happy”, Mitski has written most interesting songs of the year in terms of its concept that makes me go “d---, why didn’t I think of that?” Because of songs like this, she’s probably one of the strongest writers working today in music due to her unique approach on mental illness, which is an incredibly open one that shows a vulnerability that’s almost rare to see.

oh if you’re going, take the train
so I can hear it rumble, one last rumble
and when you go, take this heart
i’ll make no more use of it when there’s no more you

11. Radiohead — “Daydreaming”
Overall I’ve had some conflicting thoughts on the new Radiohead album. I think it’s a very good record, great even, but for some reason it hasn’t made that full click with me like it has other people. I don’t know completely why as I feel like this album appeals to me greatly with my own battles with depression and simply getting over. I think maybe other albums have filled that niche for me and A Moon Shaped Pool kinda came too late. However, if there’s any songs on this album that really does grab me and haunt me to my core, it’s this one. Thom Yorke delivers a devastating vocal performance and the way this track develops is one to behold. Radiohead are master class songwriters, with very few people are on their level. “Daydreaming” deals with immediate shock of loss. For Yorke’s case, his separation from his longtime partner. The reversed vocals that, when transcribed, yelp out “Half of my life” signals the instant pain and need to look back at better times. Half of your life spent with this person and in an instant, it’s over. This is the most powerful song Radiohead has put out in nearly a decade.

efil ym fo flah
efil ym fo flah
efil ym fo flah
efil ym fo flah

10. Frank Ocean — “Siegfried”
Blonde is a tough album to crack. It’s simultaneously his most personal work yet, but also his most esoteric. In that way it’s very similar to Death Grips’ n----s on the moon (h---, even the covers are pretty similar), though not as cryptic. One song that highlights this balance is “Seigfried.” Frank’s vocals are loud and upfront with the instrumentation behind him light and almost ambient-like. While Blonde has its fair share of breakup tracks, this one has to hit the hardest for me.

i can’t relate to my pierce
i’d rather live outside
i’d rather chip my pride than lose my mind out here

9. Angel Olsen — “Woman”
One of my favorite records of the year is Angel Olsen’s MY WOMAN. It’s one of the best songwriting showcases I’ve seen in recent memory as Olsen is able to write these really punchy and impactful pop songs and then on the same record create these slow-building epics that grab you almost immediately with very little and shake you for everything you got. “Woman” is the the ultimate example of this as those opening keys tell you everything. You are in for something. The way this song builds and builds and builds into the climax with the lyrics “I dare you to understand what makes me a woman.” The way she screams these lyrics just kills me every time. While not an outright feminist record, this album does dabble in those themes in more subtle ways that work incredibly in its favor, especially on this track.

you can leave now if you want to
i’ll still be around
this parade is almost over
and i’m still your clown

8. Tim Darcy — “Tall Glass of Water”
For those not in the know, Tim Darcy is the frontman of the Montreal-based post-punk band Ought and this is the first single for his solo debut, Saturday Night. It came out only about two weeks ago as of writing this, but I’ve listened to it over 40 times since. I’ve been a big fan of Ought since seeing them last year in St. Louis and let me just say, Darcy is such a great and engaging vocalist with a distinct writing style very reminiscent of David Byrne, but doesn’t let the influence run too deep to create a unique style. Simply, this song is a f---ing blast.

and if at the end of the river
there is more river
would you dare to swim again?

7. Nicolas Jaar — “Three Sides of Nazareth”
This is probably my favorite electronic song of 2016. It is so incredibly epic and the way it travels through its nearly 10 minute length is something to bestow. It’s a mindblower that I really have a hard time articulating why it’s so d--- good. Just listen to it and find out.

i found my broken bones by the side of the road.
i found my broken home by the side of the road.
i found my broken lens by the side of the road.
i found my broken friends by the side of the road.

6. Weyes Blood — “Do You Need My Love”
One of my favorite discoveries of 2016 by far has to be Weyes Blood. After hearing about this record through Pitchfork, it grabbed me instantly on first listen. Natalie Mering is a seriously captivating artist who takes you on a journey into an older time but with modern sensibilities. It’s kind of similar in a way to that Whitney record but instead of the classic rock influence of that album, Front Seat Row To Earth flips it to 70’s folk and turns up the cinematic elements, this track being the ultimate culmination of that sound.

passion is the only thing
passion must mean everything
i felt your body scream to be
set free from
the pain of what’s gone
i’ll move you along

5. Xenia Rubinos — “Don’t Wanna Be”
I am a sucker for a great into track. It always feel kinda odd how much I gravitate towards them, but in the case of “Don’t Wanna Be,” Xenia Rubinos not only wants your attention, she demands it. While not the first track, it is the intro to the album that sets the tone completely. This album at times is going to be confrontational and unapologetically black and brown. The funk and neo-soul elements here are in serious play thanks to the crisp drum work and the thick and dominant bass. Through this great band play, the opening statement Rubinos makes on this song is all the more stronger.

i rule this place with a golden ﬁst
i won’t play but to keep you open
hide a little sliver of this feelin in the mist
i won’t play but to keep you open

4. Danny Brown — “Ain’t It Funny”
“Ain’t It Funny” is my favorite rap song of the year from my favorite rap album of year. I made the prediction about a year or so ago that Atrocity Exhibition would be the rap album of the year whenever it came out. No rap album in 2016 would confuse and draw people in like whatever Danny Brown was cooking up. And I was right. Call it a self-fulfilling prophecy. Anyways, I was already expecting some really experimental stuff based on the singles, but I was not expecting this. If there is any song this year I wish I could hear again for the first time, it’s “Ain’t It Funny.” I was absolutely going bonkers in how insane this song is. Thanks to the abrasive horns, that simple but effective kick drum beat, and Danny’s manic flow, there’s just so much to this track that make it an absolute mind melter. This is some truly groundbreaking stuff that I hope other artists pick up on, but no one will quite do it like Danny Brown.

upcoming heavy traffic
say ya need to slow down
cause you feel yourself crashing
staring in the devil face
but ya can’t stop laughing

3. David Bowie — “I Can’t Give Everything Away”
David Bowie is dead. This is now a fact that we can’t try to debunk. David Bowie is dead and seemingly — the world is a worse off place for it. My first introduction to Mr. Bowie was actually the first single for this album, “Blackstar”. I had always heard about Bowie but never gave him a proper listen as he never really played on the nearby classic rock stations and my parents played a minimal role in my current music taste. Anyways, after being blown away by this song, I dug through his discography and realized that holy s---, this dude was great.

After listening to a ton of albums by Bowie, I became increasingly more excited for Blackstar as seemingly this was going to be his most out-there work yet. Once it came out, I loved it. The experimental jazz instrumentation fit perfectly over Bowie’s aged voice and arcane lyrics. Two days after Blackstar was released, David Bowie died and a lot about this album started to make more sense.

“I Can’t Give Everything Away” was one of the tracks that made almost complete sense in the wake of Bowie’s death. Before he died, I assumed Bowie had a lot left in the tank and could hit a new career peak. Bowie knew this too. However, as the song itself says, Bowie couldn’t give everything away. The man still had more to say and increasingly unique ways to say it. He was truly something special and I miss him every day. Everything feels weird now without him.

seeing more and feeling less
saying no but meaning yes
this is all I ever meant
that’s the message that i sent

2. James Blake — “Radio Silence”
The date is May 5th. I’m currently sitting in the office of my school newspaper absolutely dreading a math final I’m about to take in two hours. Additionally, I’m three months past a breakup I’m not quite over as I hit a certain mark that made me unconditionally miss my ex. I’m browsing /r/indieheads like usual and see that… oh my god, it’s finally coming out. Radio Silence was finally here — except it wasn’t called Radio Silence, it was now called The Colour In Anything.

And — oh my god he just dropped three songs from it before it comes out tonight. Holy s--- one of them is “Radio Silence” which I’ve been waiting on for year since I heard the live version. I have to listen to this immediately.

So I did. Seven months later, I’m mostly over that breakup but the pain I felt when listening to the album version of “Radio Silence” still lingers. Everytime I hear those opening ghostly vocal melodies and those glitched pianos, I know I can’t escape what I’m about to feel. I’m about to take a journey back to a worse time in my life, but one that I’ve learned that it’s okay to go back to. I have to be reminded of the pain I once felt to get better now, and no song does that better for me than “Radio Silence.”

just please, more time
i’m sorry, i don’t know how you feel
i don’t know how you feel
it’s hard to tell if I have a role with you

1. Car Seat Headrest — “Vincent”
Since this song came out, I knew it was going to be my song of the year. Other songs might have briefly took its place, but I ended up always coming back to “Vincent.” The opening guitar line is hypnotizing. Listening to it build and add more layers until the release comes and the verse starts. “Half the time I want go home.” These are the first words I ever heard Will Toledo say and words that instantly grabbed me. Then, as soon you feel like you have a moment to relax as Toledo tells his dilemma, he throws a curveball at you and keeps you on your toes with the next set of lines. Then, another release comes in and you’re wondering what the f--- is gonna happen next?

That is the beauty of “Vincent” and a majority of Teens of Denial. The sense of unknowing as Toledo changes the structure of the song before you can get too comfortable with it. In a sense, this is his allegory for life. You are never comfortable and things are constantly changing, causing you to lose your footing and stumble for a second. In that stumble, it causes you to become even more uncomfortable and and those changes to increase in frequency. Every listen to “Vincent” is a trip, it’s just as good on the 3rd time as it is on the 51st. It is an addictive song where every moment is not only a rememberable one, but simply, a great one.

Overall, 2016 was f---ing weird. Let’s never do it again.

@Indieheads

Base Reality · Dec 9, 2016

Dec 9, 2016
And I'm not even a Cole Stan so hear me out m

Every song, every melody, every line, tells this story. The same story.

He's telling the life story of his recently deceased freind to his friends daughter (not Coles duaghter, the friends duaghter). If you were to read and and analyze the lyrics and actually listen to what he is saying throughout the album you'd realize it is truly something special.

The lyrics aren't even from Coles point of view until the very final verse.

Can't think of an album that tells such a deep and personal story that is told by every aspect and is tied together so greatly like this one is, without sacrificing quality of prouduction, lyricism, or listenableness.

Idk, seems pretty amazing to me

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