A few hours ago, UB announced its annual Fall Fest lineup: on October 13, A$AP Rocky, Ace Hood, Super Mash Bros., and A$AP Ferg will be coming to Baird Point, or probably Alumni Arena, because UB's track record of actually having one of their bi-annual fests outside is not great. This is not a knock on the event organizers or anything of the sort, but, at least when I was a student there, Baird Point was this elusive, mythical venue, and the weather hated us. Anyway, this show: it's either going to be an evening of epic hip-hop, or a cautionary tale of what happens when there are too many A$AP's in one spot. The concert might be over in 20 minutes, who knows. But if the rumors turn out to be true, A$AP Rocky might be out of the closet right around the time he comes to UB, which would generate some big-time buzz for the kind-of-underwhelming lineup. The show, as always, is free to UB undergrads. More ticket info coming soon.
Editor's note: If you missed any of this week's selections, you can check them out here.
Mac McGuire Album: Phosphorescent - Muchacho Muchacho, Phosphorecent's latest and best release to date, opens with the angelic "Sun, Arise!," itself bookended by the closing "Sun's Arising," Matthew Houck wastes no time in letting the listener know this is an album of awakening. What is found in between is Houck's journey of redemption, religion, and love, highlighted by the successful pairing of both conventional alt-country elements (mariachi horns, pedal steel slide guitar, violins) and non (synths, subtle electronics, dubby beats). Muchacho features a stunning one-two punch, maybe the best of the year, in the weary and reflective "Song for Zula" and the powerful show stopper "The Quotidian Beasts." The former, which would take top song honors if not for my selection below, features a wandering, Johnny Cash quoting narrator who feels to be "disfigured" by love and will be damned if he "opens [him]self up that way again."
Song: The National - "Sea of Love"
Like fellow Brooklynites The Walkmen, The National seem to have mastered the art of aging gracefully. Those “Mr. November” days are long gone, while family and a potentially soon-to-be post-rock ‘n’ roll life seem to be the band’s focus these days upon the release of their latest album, Trouble Will Find Me. On the tense and building “Sea of Love,” though, the men in The National remind everyone that they aren't going soft quite yet in their most thrilling and immediate song since “Abel,” and maybe best since “Slow Show.” While rocking out is great and all, it’s the little things that make this track really stand out: the welcoming heartland harmonica, the haunting backing harmonies, and those passionate pleas to “Joe” to “don’t drag me in” during the song’s thrilling conclusion. The great music video certainly didn't hurt either.
Joe Speranza
Album: The Lone Bellow - The Lone Bellow
Picking an album of the year is a very, very difficult thing to do and without some kind of aggregate it is impossible to do objectively. So all you loyal Daft Punk and Vampire Weekend listeners, and all you Kanye West martyrs, keep that in mind as I explain my choice.
Back in January, I wrote a gushing review of The Lone Bellow’s debut album in which I actually included the line “listening to The Lone Bellow is a potentially life-altering experience.” I wasn’t on drugs and I haven’t quit my job to follow them on tour, but it’s fair to say that my initial bewilderment with how good they are has quietly devolved into casual fandom. I’ve relaxed quite a bit since I proclaimed that “every so often, a band comes along that might just change everything.”
They haven’t exploded like I fearlessly predicted they would, but the release of their album was very important to me and it’s why I’m calling it the album of the year – so far. I previously called them a “kind-of country-sounding band,” which is – I can admit it now – inaccurate. They are very country. And I’m okay with it. And I never thought I’d type that.
The reason they appealed to me back then – and this is doing a disservice to the quality of the album from beginning to end – was that they were a Brooklyn-based band that had just recorded a country album. I grew up outside New York City, in a place where admitting you liked country music was not only frowned upon but a serious character flaw. It was wrong to like country music. So naturally, The Lone Bellow intrigued me. It was finally “okay” for me to listen to country music. And that’s great, because The Lone Bellow is just a beautiful album. The harmonies and buildups are perfect, and – if I can make an intangible tangible – you can hear how much this album meant to them. For more specific details and to read why I loved the album check out the initial review, but what you need to know is that there was a lot at stake for these guys and they really came up big.
The Lone Bellow has easily had the most profound effect on me this year; in case you care, I almost picked Indigo Meadow by The Black Angels – which was a huge return to form for them – but I already knew they were great. The Lone Bellow came out of nowhere and is the sole reason I now consider country music if not decent, tolerable. That’s a pretty big feat, so cheers to them.
Song: A$AP Rocky & Skrillex - "Wild for the Night"
In the same way people remember where they were and what they were doing during major, catastrophic events, I remember where I was and what I was doing the first time I heard “Wild For the Night” by A$AP Rocky and Skrillex. I was driving on that uneven stretch of road around the 219/I-90 merge where you start to think your car might just fall apart when all of a sudden, I heard the unmistakable, ghoulish voice of A$AP talking about his pistol and his morning routine. I thought okay, whatever, if my tires blow at least I’ll go out listening to a decent song. This was also around the time when I was deciding whether or not dubstep sounded better or worse than a fax machine and whether or not Skrillex was a genius or a joke. The 45-second mark of the song – the transition from the talking-with-your-mouth-full voice of A$AP to the button pressing brilliance of Skrillex – settled it pretty quickly; “Wild for the Night” literally made me smile and figuratively made everything clear: Skrillex is the shit and dubstep goes quite nicely with rap.
Ryan Wolf Album: Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Push The Sky Away Perhaps the first contemporary album to use Wikipedia and Miley Cyrus as artistic references without sounding shallow or smugly elitist, Push the Sky Away feels immediately prescient. Nick Cave and company demonstrate their continued awareness of the developing world we inhabit, crawling in its search for knowledge, placing faith in man’s flawed faculties while the Internet gathers and spreads human-generated information that may or may not reflect reality. As the all-knowing Google emerges as a man-made idol, Push the Sky Away returns to the flesh, favoring physical bodies and blood. Finding mystic qualities in seemingly neutral modern technology, Cave’s low-key, mid-tempo pastiche is deeper, darker, and more frighteningly astute than superficial listens suggest.
Song: Vampire Weekend - "Ya Hey"
Throughout Modern Vampires of the City, Vampire Weekend exchange class-focused secular musings in for serious religious introspection. On the record’s boldest, most full-frontal grappling with the spiritual, indie-pop royalty meets its Maker, addressing complaints, doubts, and praises to Yahweh (or “Ya Hey,” according to the inverted Outkast song title). Concealed within Exodus’s burning bush, God refuses to reveal his identity or “name,” obscuring the cosmic plan “through the fire and through the flames.” Earth’s searching onlookers may be left schismatic and confused, but Vampire Weekend’s fusion of inspired chants and chipmunk crooning sees beyond vicious ironies and mortal “mistakes” in this 21st century open letter to the Creator.
Nick Torsell Album: Disclosure - Settle I’ve been having trouble keeping up with the amount of great music coming out this year. Not because I haven’t been paying attention, but because it seems like every time a record takes hold of my mornings and nights, a new one knocks it from its place, clamoring for attention. The past two months have been unbelievably rewarding for me listening-wise, with three of my favorites releasing excellent additions to their catalogs. Boards of Canada, Daft Punk, and Kanye West, whose music has meant very different things at different points in my life but all had an enormous impact on me, all came through, and I’ll be digging through their newest records for years to come. But my record of the year is from a group who more than lived up to my high expectations after following their steady stream of remixes and singles, Disclosure. Settle, the 22 and 18 year-old Lawrence Brothers’ debut record, is body music, joyful and confident in a way that finds a way into your subconscious, coloring the daily rhythm of your routine. Settle is crowd-pleasing in the best way, endlessly appealing and diverse and never once pulling back from the throttle.
Song: Kanye West - "Blood on the Leaves" “Creative output, you know, is just pain. I’m going to be cliché for a minute and say that great art comes from pain.” That’s Kanye in his recent New York Times interview on how his mother’s passing has affected his music. His tracks have always had a tinge of melancholy starting from College Dropout, but there’s a startling shift starting at 808s And Heartbreak where Kanye turns American Gothic. “Blood On The Leaves” is Kanye at his lowest, but also his most triumphant, reigning in a massive TNGHT beat to his own image. When that first TNGHT sample comes in around the minute mark, it’s a chilling moment, the brassy drums boasting Kanye’s total release. It’s the best representation of Yeezus’ apocalyptic nightmare-scape, a long way from a pink polo and a backpack.
I’m not going to discuss the merits of A$AP Rocky or Rihanna’s unprecedented domination of the world, so bear with me as I recount a foggy conversation I had the other day regarding Rihanna having been in Buffalo this entire week. A friend of a friend of a friend (seriously) who works at the Hyatt was bringing a fork up to her room, and when he got there, the door cracked open ever so slightly and a soft, caramel-colored arm reached out and grabbed it. That’s some powerful stuff right there: Rihanna, the world’s biggest pop star, a woman who can only give an arm instead of a face-to-face thank you, still uses mundane objects like forks.
Rihanna and mundane; my computer actually allowed those two words to appear in the same sentence. I really wouldn’t be surprised if she somehow arrives on the stage in a helicopter, accompanied by 38 security guards and two cheetahs, at her show tonight at First Niagara Center. This is the first stop on her world tour so it’s going to be a spectacle of epic proportions; there will be yelling, screaming, crying, dreams coming true, and probably some hearts being broken. But as of this writing it’s not sold out: shockingly, you can still get two hundred-level tickets for $95. They are behind the stage but honestly, that wouldn’t be an awful view of Rihanna.
Show starts at 7:30. A$AP Rocky will go on before Rihanna, who will take the stage as soon as Chris Brown is good and ready to let her.
Coming off one of the most talked about mixtapes of 2011, LiveLoveA$AP, Harlem rapper A$AP Rocky has finally delivered his major label debut album after nearly four months of label pushback. LongLiveA$AP flaunts all of the MC's strengths that stood out on his debut and delivers the crossover appeal that his earlier material hinted at. Rocky's best asset has proved to be his taste and ability to create atmospheric tracks working with producers like Clams Casino which helped the rapper get noticed for his hazy aesthetic. While this heavy reliance on production could have led to a style over substance approach where the rhymes and lyrical content suffer as a result, it is clear that Rocky has become a more confident lyricist and has learned to match his flows to his instrumentals in a way that feels like the MC has gained vision as a songwriter and has the ability to create more resonant hooks and choruses. The album's opening title track picks up where the Harlem artist left off on LiveLoveA$AP, with an airy beat whose crass vocal sample provides a percussive element that allows for an elusive flow to settle in and let Rocky provide his mission statement where he discusses his trajectory from an unknown rapper given a major label deal based on a few Youtube videos to a high profile artist who has been embraced by the hip hop community as well as high fashion designers responsible for some of the downright strange threads he can be caught wearing. The following track "Goldie" was released last year as a single and features a beat from producer Hit-Boy that is as bass heavy as it is instantly memorable for its' Houston style screwed and chopped hook. On "PMW," Los Angeles rapper Schoolboy Q returns to collaborate after delivering the guest verse of the year on LiveLoveA$AP's "Brand New Guy" which brought him onto the radar of hip-hop blogs and publications. The track features a West coast style instrumental with Rocky's screwed and chopped vocal hook that he often relies upon. The production work of Clams Casino also returns on LongLiveA$AP with "LVL" where the New Jersey artist's hazy track allows A$AP to unleash one of his most unique flows on the record. The second single from the album, "Fuckin' Problems" feels like a statement on Rocky's elevated status as an artist, bringing in Drake, 2 Chainz, and Kendrick Lamar for guest verses. Undoubtedly the track that will garner the most radio airplay given the hook, however the track sounds little like much of the work the rapper has thrived in and feels like a step away from the highly stylized production that initially brought him to our attention. Perhaps the most unexpected collaboration of the record happens on "Wild for the Night" with a beat from Dubstep producer Skrillex. A high energy electronic beat lets Rocky go in on one of his most aggressive flows to date and create a track that brings together the EDM and Hip-hop worlds in a way that feels like a natural extension of both. "1 Train" brings us back to mid 90's New York rap where collaborations would feature multiple MC's dropping verse after verse for the duration of the track with no hook or chorus. The track features verses from Kendrick Lamar, Brooklyn boom-bap revivalist Joey Bada$$, Yelawolf, Danny Brown, who delivers his signature cartoonish flow, as well as Action Bronson and Big K.R.I.T. Despite the obvious stylistic differences among these artists, each verse complements the flow of the track and proves that talented rappers can create a song given any beat no matter how outside their element it may sound. LongLiveA$AP is an extension of the talents of a young artist who has an eclectic taste for instrumentals and the range to match his ambition. With only two full length releases to his name A$AP Rocky has taken steps to broaden the soundscape of Hip-hop and push the limits of what sounds can be used to create an aesthetic true to the genre's essence. Grade: B+
BuffaBLOG's pilgrimage to Pitchfork Music Festival is out of respect for the voice that Pitchfork Media provides for independent music all over the world. It's no secret that their media facilitates the exploration of music while also providing opinionated reporting that allows the readers to decide what they like and dislike. Because Pitchfork reaches so many unique individuals across the world, they and their readers help to expose the freshest Artists.
When it comes to Hip-Hop this is most certainly the case. While not ignoring the Commercial Hip-Hop industry, Pitchfork's coverage tends to lean towards the Rappers of the underground. Focusing on up-and-coming individuals with unique talents.
A$AP Rocky: photo by Brock Fetch
This year's Pitchfork Music Festival at Union Park in Chicago July 13-15 will feature many of those same buzz-worthy artists. Most notable is A$AP ROCKY who came into the light last year as a young buck with a high-talent ceiling. His interesting music on the mixtape LiveLoveA$AP excited many and caused him to get so much attention via the internet. Likely because five of the tracks on that mixtape was produced by another critically acclaimed Pitchfork Music Festival artist CLAMS CASINO. He gained notoriety for his brilliant genre-bending productions for both A$AP Rocky and also The Based God, Lil B. Many will tell you that both he and ARAABMUZIK are two of the best Hip-Hop style producers outside of the mainstream right now. Along with producing, AraabMuzik is an incredible performer. Using multiple samplers as live instruments he precisely plays unlike any other.
Young Southern gentleman BIG K.R.I.T will also get to display his talents. His sliding country style is definitely influenced by his predecessors Outkast and UGK. He is one of the unknown true talents in the Rap world, producing tracks for artists like, Wiz Khalifa, Curren$y, Smoke DZA, Ludacris, and Chris Brown.
Kendrick Lamar: photo by Jeff Forney
Additionally getting the nod from Pitchfork are South-Central Los Angeles rappers KENDRICK LAMAR and SCHOOLBOY Q from the 'Black Hippy' Hip-Hop group. Lamar's Independent release of Section.80 last year turned many heads and was revered as new Alternative Hip-Hop. It's a smooth laid back style, very California, but more importantly lyrically relevant. Unlike the Commercial Rappers of the world these two artists, and for that matter all of the Hip-Hop Artists at the Pitchfork Music Festival, are spitting lyrics that tell a story about humanity today. Not Diamonds, nor Yachts. And who couldn't that be more true about than DANNY BROWN? His "Radio Song" is a original slam at Rappers who are complacent making songs for profit only rather than creating meaningful music. He will be front-and-center on Saturday night to show off his zany personality.
Danny Brown: photo by Ysa Perez
One commonality of the Hip-Hop artists at this year's Pitchfork Music festival is that they all are going agains the grain of what Rap music has become. So although people can tend to scoff at the terms used to describe these branches off like "Alternative Hip-Hop" "Trillwave" or "R-Neg-B" it may very well be these sub-genres that save Hip-Hop from itself. Pitchfork Music Festival has curated the best of these acts to showcase the potential of where Rap music can go in the future.
The Pitchfork Music Festival is July 13-15 at Union Park in Chicago, IL. For the entire schedule and lineup check out their festival website HERE.
There was a controlled tension as two massive lines formed in front of the double doors in the Town Ballroom lobby Thursday night. Biggie's vocals emitted from the speaker system as tickets were bought and go-ers shifted anxiously waiting for the security to let them through. When the doors opened the two lines converged on the opposite side and came together as a massive form on the floor. The opening DJ warmed the crowd up with choppy transitions but familiar and great hip-hop tracks nonetheless.
Heavy bass hits had a man nodding his head in time to the music, trill-like. His fists came up to his face, shoulders shrugging and leaning back rhythmically. The crowd eager for the openers to be through began to chant "A$AP!" Lighters sparked sporadically and puffs of smoke rose upwards, visibly disintegrating into the purple and blue lighting above.
After the three opening acts finished their sets, A$AP Rocky crossed the stage and grabbed the mic. The hyphy energy of the room was long-awaited.
"Mind if I swig my 40?" he asked the crowd then grabbed a 40 ounce of malt liquor that was posted on stage. Everyone was overjoyed as he swigged the amber colored liquid hastily.
Halfway through "Bass" and unsatisfied with the audience, he demanded the energy to peak and his wish was commanded. Starting it over, Clams Casino's perfectly mastered instrumentals put more hands in the air and had girls grinding their hips the second time around.
"I just wanna see you guys spread the love," he advised through the mic. After a few stage dives and curious questions about who 'got lit', A$AP led into his closing song.
Clearly his most well-known track, the bell induced intro of "Peso" had voices screaming along with his recurring line, "I be that pretty mothafucka". Then suddenly, the show was over. Even with the other songs performed and regardless that he has only released one mixtape, the show was a little short. Coming back out for an encore, "Peso" began, again. Whether repeating the closing track for the encore would be considered faux pas or not, I still nodded along.
Unsatisfied that I didn't get to hear "Demons", perhaps A$AP Rocky was going for one of the rules in the music business; always leave them wanting more.
“Swag." Whether you enjoy this term, ironically or not, it has gripped its hand around both underground and popular culture. More often then not, at house parties or bars, I feel like swag chants surround me. It’s a word thrown routinely into conversation to describe a new Supreme hat or an adversary adjective spoken with an underlying tone of jealously. Depending on the group, it may be shouted from a condescending and pompous attitude. At this point, the word is utterly played and an irritatingly overused hashtag. This is until I heard A$AP Rocky.
“Purple Swag" and bass, this up-and-coming hip-hop artist has managed to make listeners tolerable of the word with his, by definition, swag. His mixtape, LiveLoveA$AP, consists of melodic beats, tormented lyrics and chopped-and-screwed vocals. Rakim Mayers has a flow and rhythm that can range from aggressive to dreamlike all the while with very powerful attributes. He evokes a sense of darkness in his track “Demons” as the hook serenades “demons posted all around me, I can’t beat em’ all alone”. Unique inner-struggles that many can relate to, A$AP creatively soothes a listener into a mutual understanding, at least in my opinion.
See him live tonight at Town Ballroom. Doors open at 7pm. Tickets are $23 at the door.
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