Flatbasset Radio's 25 Most Played Albums - March '17

Well hello again, everybody. Welcome to another installment of Shit I Listened To While I Rode The Lightrail!

Sorry I'm a couple days late with this one. My busy March has bled into the beginning of April, so I've been doing quite a bit of working and not quite enough sleeping. I know you're all just dying to know what I've been listening to lately, so here we go.

As always, one "play" equals one song. For example, that new Good Doom album has 10 songs on it, so each time I listen to it front to back it counts as ten "plays." As usual, all stats come from my Last.FM page. Give it a follow if you really want to stay up on what's getting the most plays around Planet New Basset

01. Hippo Campus - Landmark (91 plays)

 

02. Good Doom - New Shapes For You (72 plays)

 

03. The Bolt Weevils- Long Way Home (65 plays)

 

04. Frank Ocean - Endless (50 plays)

 

05. Paper Tiger - In Other Words: Part Three (48 plays)

 

06. The Mighty Mighty Bosstones - Pay Attention (48 plays)

 

07. Black Flag - The First Four Years (48 plays)

 

08. Jeff Rosenstock - Worry. (48 plays)

 

09. Greg Carr - Technological Retreat - Mixes Vol. 1 (45 plays)

 

10. Jay Reatard - Blood Visions (45 plays)

 

11. Metasota - It's Just Rap (45 plays)

 

12. Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks - Mirror Traffic (45 plays)

 

13. MMYYKK - Astral Beat Theories Vol. 2 (45 plays)

 

14. U2 - Boy (44 plays)

 

15. Pet Milk - Demo (44 plays)

 

16. Modest Mouse - We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank (43 plays)

 

17. Various Artists - Oz Waves: Compiled By Steele Bonus (40 plays)

 

18. Mike Ness - Under The Influences (39 plays)

 

19. Elvis Depressedly - New Alhambra (36 plays)

 

20. LCD Soundsystem - Sounds Of Silver (36 plays)

 

21. Bad Religion - Generator (34 plays)

 

22. Bug Fix - Error Messages (33 plays)

 

23. Arcade Fire - Neon Bible (33 plays)

 

24. The Velvet Underground - The Velvet Underground & Nico (33 plays)

 

25. Dead Boys - Young Loud And Snotty

 

There you have it folks. Thanks to everybody for stopping. Special thanks to anybody who's checked out Flatbasset Radio: Episode #93. If you haven't yet, just keep scrolling down. It's an hour of jams assembled by yours truly with the utmost care. Give it a listen.

 

I'm burning some copies of Ep. #93 as we speak. I'll be dropping them off at Cheapo, The Fetus, & Reverie in the next day or two. If you'd like a copy just hit me up via Twitter or Facebook and I'll get one out to you.

For more of my rantings you can give me a follow on Twitter (@TCDroogsma).  Previous episodes of Flatbasset Radio are archived on my Mixcloud page.  Stop by Flatbasset Radio's Facebook Page & give it a "Like" if you have the time.

Flatbasset Radio: Episode #83

We think the same things at the same time...

Well hello again, podcast fans. Welcome to Flatbasset Radio: Episode #83!

First things first, a big thank you to everybody who stuck with me over the last few episodes. Between the Canada Day show, American Album Hall Of Fame show & the Aesop Rock MegaMix I went pretty heavy on themed shows over the month. I don't do that too often, but circumstances dictate the themes and, honestly, I had a ball doing each of those episodes. Thanks to everybody who gave them a listened and special thanks to anybody who shared them. It's appreciated.

On that note, let's get back to our regularly scheduled podcast. Flatbasset Radio: Episode #83 doesn't have any theme besides being a collection of stone cold jams. In this week's show we revisit some albums celebrating anniversaries, throw one out for the Donald Trump, check in with Glasgow's finest pop band on the cusp of their big breakthrough, mourn the anniversary of the death a pop icon, and check in with some of the best local music coming out of these rainy Twin Cities. All that plus the Cover Of The Week & Flatbasset Flatclassic!

As always, Flatbasset Radio is completely free. I've finally set up a decent downloading site, so if you'd like to download Flatbasset Radio: Episode #83 (with all the appropriate iTunes tagging), just click here.

If you don't have the time or desire to download the show, just click the Mixcloud player below and you're good to go.



Here's how Flatbasset Radio: Episode #83 plays out:

01. The Pooches - Mulligan

02. Homeboy Sandman - Talking (Bleep)

03. Amy Winehouse - You Know I'm No Good

04. Golden Smog - Strangers

05. Bad Religion - No Substance

06. Four Tet - Field

07. Lily Allen - Littlest Things

08. TV On The Radio - I Was A Lover

09. Metasota - Organic Growth

10. The Counterfactuals - Hide In The Noise

11. Silversun Pickups - Common Reactor

12. Thom Yorke - Harrowdown Hill










There you have it, folks. Enjoy!





For more TCDroogsma be sure to give him a follow on Twitter (@TCDroogsma).  Previous episodes of Flatbasset Radio are archived on his Mixcloud page.  Stop by Flatbasset Radio's Facebook Page & give it a "Like" if you have the time.

Album Of The Week: "#RUMDMT" by Metasota

Flatbasset Radio's Album Of The Week for the week of July 10th-16th, 2016:

Metasota - #RUMDMT

01. Be Ready (w/Jamela Pettiford & TEK)
02. If I Die (w/WhyKaliq)
03. Hands Up
04. Get Down (w/Proper T)
05. Sheet Music (w/Proper T)
06. RUMDMT
07. Lake 80's (w/Reefa Rei)
08. PSA (w/Busdriver)
09. Organic Growth
10. Freedom (w/Destiny Roberts & Ashley DuBose)
11. Ain't No Love
12. Smile (w/MOS)
13. All I Know

(Metasota by Adam DeGross)

I think we can all agree that there are myriad reasons why people are inclined to create art. It can be a way to satisfy an inherent need to create. It can be a way to help understand one's emotions. It can also be a way to preserve a place and time, to take a snapshot of a moment and preserve it through some sort of timeless medium.

On Metasota's H.I.P & H.I.P.2 releases, he was trading in the first two categories. Those albums found Metasota rapping about about his life in the Twin Cities. The positive, the negative, the struggles of indie rap, the parties, the joy of rapping for rapping's sake, and, especially on H.I.P.2, the camaraderie of it all. He was simultaneously frustrated & awestruck with his place in the Twin Cities.

#RUMDMT, on the other hand, seems to have been recorded with the goal of cultural snapshot because, frankly, we've found ourselves at a place in history that requires documentation. #RUMDMT stands as Meta's portrait of and reaction to the violence facing young black men in America.

Recorded after the death of Jamar Clark (and prior to the death of Philando Castile), Meta does not pull any punches. "I'd rather run with the bulls than graze with the sheep or sleep with the fishes..." is the first line we hear on the album and it serves as the album's mission statement. Meta's not going to stand to the side of the issues. He's hurt, he's angry, he's confused, and he's coping with it all in the only way he knows how: through his art.



Appropriately the album runs the gamut of those emotions. Opening run of "If I Die," "Hands Up," & "Get Down" are the pleas of an angry young man, demanding revenge even at the expense of his own life. Those three songs string together a loose narrative of a self-fulfilling cycle of violence, anger, & retribution. However, the choruses of each songs belie pleas for understanding (particularly the "If I can't live free..." refrain of "Hands Up" which recalls the "We're gonna be alright..." refrain adopted at many protests).

Meta spends the next two songs trying to take his mind off of the confusing violence that surrounds him. "Sheet Music" is a bedroom romp that introduces the term "dick-notized" into the lexicon. The album's titular track finds Meta retreating deep into the recesses of his own mind, eschewing rapping entirely for mournful horns and the sort of cacophony of voices that only grow louder as the noise of the outside world grows more quiet.



The second half of the album brings three songs that step back from the immediacy of physical violence to analyze the cultural aspects of being a young black man in America. On "PSA" Busdriver & Meta take just one of those aspects (the never-ending curiosity over a black man's hair) and magnify it to illustrate the point that, even in casual interaction, it's difficult not to be made to feel like an outsider. "Freedom" and "Smile" open the door for Destiny Roberts, Ashley DuBose, & MOS, three female voices that stand in solidarity with the issues of violence and race that have dotted the album so far while also calling attention to the struggle of being a black woman in America. They stand as a stark reminder that America's issues with race are not limited strictly to police violence, but span age & gender as well.



Late album highlight "Organic Growth" is a moment of personal clarity on an album filled with emotion. Standing as the yin to "RUMDMT's" yang, this is the sound of Metasota pulling all of those scattered voices into a unified whole. While proucer Tek builds the most traditionally boom-bap beat on the album, Meta reminds himself that, while he stands with his brothers & sisters in the struggle, he's worked hard to build his own life in his own lane. It's the one moment on the album that calls back to those H.I.P. albums and the relief in Meta's voice is obvious. Despite the struggle surrounding him, he knows he can't let himself be consumed by violence, anger, and confusion. He's worked hard to build a life for himself and, though he knows that life could be snatched away over something as seemingly harmless as a routine traffic stop, it's a life worthy of a moment of peaceful reflection.

By refusing to resort to bumper-sticker sloganeering or "fuck the police" cliche, Metasota & Tek have made good on their desire to take a snapshot of this particularly tragic & confusing moment in history. #RUMDMT is definitely Meta's most bold statement yet as an artist and, more importantly, stands as one of the most detailed & nuanced statements on American culture right now. By making the political personal, the personal political, and the pain of a community palpable he's placed himself as an important voice in the Twin Cities music scene.

If you'd like to check out #RUMDMT for yourself you can head over to Metasota's Bandcamp page where it is available as a "Name Your Price" download.




For more TCDroogsma be sure to give him a follow on Twitter (@TCDroogsma).  Previous episodes of Flatbasset Radio are archived on his Mixcloud page.  Stop by Flatbasset Radio's Facebook Page & give it a "Like" if you have the time.

Flatbasset Radio's 25 Most Played Albums: June '16

Well hello again, album art collage fans! Welcome to another edition of Shit I Listened To Last Month!

Folks, June is in the books and summer's in full swing. As always, I'd like to take a moment to thank everybody who stopped by the Flatbasset blog over the last month to read the album write-ups. An extra big thanks to anybody who took the time to listen to the podcast. Still love doing it, hope you like listening to it.

As per usual, I listened to a bunch of music this past month. Lots of great new stuff, digging into some old stuff.... you know how it goes.

Before I get to the stats, the usual reminder: Every song listened to counts as a "play." Seems obvious, right? So, for example, Garrison Grouse's excellent new record has 11 songs, meaning each time I listen to it all the way through it counts 11 "plays." As usual, all stats come from my Last.FM page. Give it a follow if you really want to stay up on what's getting the most plays around Planet New Basset.

Alright, here we go...

01. Metasota - #RUMDMT (91 plays)

02. Garrison Grouse - With That Said (77 plays)

03. The Counterfactuals - The Counterfactuals (63 plays)

04. Various Artists - An Earfull Of Sound Unseen (42 plays)

05. Clementine - Truth Mattress (38 plays)

06. Janis Figure - Damage Control (36 plays)

07. Arcade Fire - The Suburbs (32 plays)

08. Capital Steez - AmeriKKKan Korruption (28 plays)

09. The Pooches - Splitting An Omelette With My Mother (27 plays)

10. Homeboy Sandman - Kindness For Weakness (26 plays)

11. Beck - Odelay (26 plays)

12. Kanye West - The Life Of Pablo (26 plays)

13. The Verve - A Northern Soul (24 plays)

14. Wilco - Sky Blue Sky (24 plays)

15. Astronomique - Astronomique (24 plays)

16. Badly Drawn Boy - How Did I Get Here? (22 plays)

17. Devata Daun - L o o k (22 plays)

18. Various Artists - Adult Simw Singles Program 2016 (22 plays)

19. Tony Peachka - Live On Radio K (2016) (22 plays)

20. Information Society - Creatures Of Influence (21 plays)

21. Ennio Morricone - The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly (21 plays)

22. Buck 65 - Talkin' Honky Blues (18 plays)

23. Vats - Today (18 plays)

24. Luna - The Best Of Luna (17 plays)

25. Drake - If You're Reading This It's Too Late (17 plays)

There it is, everybody. Stay tuned for more shows & words & stuff.

Image via Tap Music
Stats via my Last.fm page

For more TCDroogsma be sure to give him a follow on Twitter (@TCDroogsma).  Previous episodes of Flatbasset Radio are archived on his Mixcloud page.  Stop by Flatbasset Radio's Facebook Page & give it a "Like" if you have the time.

Album Of The Week: March 3rd-9th, 2014

My Album Of The Week for the week of March 3rd-March 9th, 2014:

Medium Zach - Valued Input

01. Live In Color (w/MaLLy)
02. Upward (w/Metasota)
03. More Than Superman (w/Slug)

I have a couple of rules when it comes to my Album Of The Week:

1. It should be a Minnesota artist (though exceptions can be made).
2. It should be at least 4 songs.

Until this week, I hadn't broken rule #2.  However, when I downloaded the three songs that make up Valued Input, that rule went right out the window.

As you hopefully all know, Medium Zach is one half of Minneapolis hip-hop mainstays Big Quarters (his brother Brandon Allday being the other half).  I've been a fan of those guys going back to the buzz of their debut album Cost Of Living in 2007.  In the seven years since they've, gone from talented upstarts to one of the most respected & consistent acts in the Twin Cities.  They've put out a staggering amount of music since then, but more importantly, everything they've put out rewards repeated listens.  Hell, just last week I was listening to the instrumental version of Cost Of Living and finding things I hadn't noticed before.

I saw BQ several times while they were promoting that album and they've always been genuinely nice guys and excellent performers.  Specifically, I remember my friend Phil & I attending the release show for Fall In Love, their collaborative EP with Mux Mool.  There couldn't have been more than 50 people at the Turf Club, but they put on a fine show, making a point to engage with all 50 of us in the room over the course of the night.

If I had to pick just one word to describe Medium Zach's musical style, it would be "thoughtful."  I realize that not every rapper would want "thoughtful" to be their defining adjective, but I'm willing to bet Medium Zach takes it as the compliment it's intended to be.  Whether he's rapping, constructing his own tracks, or remixing somebody else's work, his attention to detail always shines through.  His songs rarely "bang," but rather stake their claim by carving out their own sonic space via patience.  Every word & sound has a role to play in Zach's songs.  Nothing is superfluous, everything is necessary.

As you can see from the track list above, Medium Zach does almost no rapping on this album.  No matter. The three MC's above bring their own styles to Zach's beats and, in a testament to the quality of Zach's work, each rapper is able to stick to their own style instead of twisting their flow to fit the music.

Valued Input is available to download on Medium Zach's Soundcloud.  Give it a listen.