Saturday, July 23, 2016
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.
Sunday, July 17, 2016
Flatbasset Radio: Episode #82 (Aesop Rock MegaMix)
Get bit by the hound...
Well hello again, podcast fans! Welcome to an extra special episode of Flatbasset Radio.
If you've been following along with the podcast over the years (and really, why wouldn't you), you know that I'm a huge fan of Aesop Rock. In this crazy internet world where we're able to build our own culture around our own taste, Aes looms as the greatest rapper whoever rapped. To try to drive that point home I've been playing him on the podcast pretty consistently since the beginning of the podcast. Hell, I even named his Labor Days album to the inaugural Flatbasset Radio American Album Hall Of Fame class.
Why do I bring this up? Because Aesop Rock is out on tour in support of The Impossible Kid and that tour's pulling into your favorite danceteria & mine, First Ave., tomorrow night. That's right, kids, Aesop, Rob Sonic, Homeboy Sandman, DJ Zone, & Dem Atlas all under one roof for the low, low price of $20.
To celebrate the show I decided to dedicate this week's episode of Flatbasset Radio entirely to Aesop Rock.
Well.... not entirely.
As you can see from the tracklist below this isn't merely a "Best Of..." collection. I did my best to try to include a lot of collaborations, some semi-lost tracks, & some maybe-lesser-known remixes. Hell, I even chopped up his excellent The Blob beat tape for some interludes. Obviously I'm a biased opinion, but I'm going to go ahead and say that this is easily the best thing that's ever been uploaded to the internet. Also, it's free. So, y'know, give it a listen.
I've finally set up a decent downloading site, so if you'd like to download Flatbasset Radio: Episode #82 (Aesop Rock MegaMix) (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 it plays out:
01. Aesop Rock - Leisureforce
02. RJD2 - Final Frontier (Remix) (w/Blueprint, Vast Aire, Murs, & Aesop Rock
03. Aesop Rock - Blob I
04. Evil Nine - Crooked (w/Aesop Rock)
05. Aesop Rock - Untouchable (AR Version)
06. Aesop Rock - Blob II
07. Aesop Rock - Zodiaccupuncture
08. Evidence - Late For The Sky (w/Slug & Aesop Rock)
09. El-P - Run The Numbers (w/Aesop Rock)
10. Aesop Rock - Cycles To Gehenna (Zavala Remix)
11. Hanni El Khatib - You Rascal You (Aesop Rock Remix)
12. Aesop Rock - Tomorrow Morning (Instrumental Version)
13. The Uncluded - Bub Jam
14. Aesop Rock - None Shall Pass (Edison Remix)
15. Aesop Rock - Lotta Years
16. Aesop Rock - Blob III
17. Aesop Rock - Babies With Guns
18. Felt - Give It Up
19. Aesop Rock - Blob IV
20. Aesop Rock - Coffee (w/John Darnielle)
21. Aesop Rock & Homeboy Sandman - So Strange Here
There you have it, everybody! See you at the show!
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.
Labels:
Aesop Rock,
atmosphere,
blueprint,
edison,
evidence,
felt,
hanni el khatib,
mountain goats,
murs,
rjd2,
the uncluded,
Twin Cities,
vast aire,
zavala
Saturday, July 16, 2016
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) |
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.
Labels:
hip hope,
indie rap,
metasota,
Minneapolis,
Minnesota,
St. Paul,
tek,
Twin Cities
Saturday, July 9, 2016
Flatbasset Radio: Episode #81 (American Album Hall Of Fame Vol. 2)
If being afraid is a crime we'll hang side by side...
This year I'm covering yet another wide-swath of American music. Before we get to the albums, though, here's a quick reminder of the FRAAHOF's crieria:
01. An album must be at least 10 years old to be inducted into the FRAAHOF
02. Only 6 albums per year may be inducted
03. Only 2 of those 6 albums may have been released over 30 years ago
04. No artist can appear in consecutive years
So, with those criteria in mind, here's a look at this year's inductees:
Hell of a class, no? As per usual, I'll be playing three songs off each of the albums being inducted and talk for far too long about each of them. Sound good? Well, too bad, you get what you pay for.
So, now that you know, here's what the Flatbasset Radio American Album Hall Of Fame looks like as of today:
Pretty fuckin' sharp, eh? Alright, let's get to the show.
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 #81 (with all the appropriate iTunes tagging), click here for Part I & here for Part II
Now, let's get to it:
01. Arcarsenal
02. Enfilade
03. One-Armed Scissor
04. All Caps
05. America's Most Blunted
06. Money Folder
07. Bastards Of Young
08. Swingin' Party
09. Left Of The Dial
There's the first half. If you like it, have a listen to the second half.
01. I'm Always In Love
02. How To Fight Loneliness
03. Summer Teeth
04. Where It's At
05. Lord Only Knows
06. The New Pollution
07. Let's Go Crazy
08. When Doves Cry
09. Purple Rain
There you have it, folks. Thanks for stopping by!
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.
Labels:
american music,
at the drive-in,
beck,
download,
hall of fame,
madvillain,
Minneapolis,
podcast,
prince,
St. Paul,
the replacements,
Twin Cities,
wilco
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