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.

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: Episode #81 (American Album Hall Of Fame Vol. 2)

If being afraid is a crime we'll hang side by side...

Well hello again, everybody! Welcome to the second annual installment of the Flatbasset Radio American Album Hall Of Fame!

That's right, folks, continuing the tradition we started during 4th Of July week last year, I'm back to induct six new albums to the Hall Of Fame. If you're new to the FRAAHOF (of "Fraaaahhoooffff..."), feel free to go back and check out the inaugural class from 2015 that made up the two parts of Flatbasset Radio: Episode #61.

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.

Album Of The Week: "Hell Yep" by Frankie Teardrop

Flatbasset Radio's Album Of The Week for the week of July 3rd-9th, 2016:

Frankie Teardrop - Hell Yep

01. Not A Love Song
02. Stay Dumb
03. It Flipped
04. Get It (Kelly)
05. Diet
06. Back To It
07. Convertible/Cig Death
08. Beauty Station
09. My Boys
10. Pissin' In The City
11. D.E.F.L.
12. Waiting For You

(Frankie Teardrop by Niya DeLa Pena)

Well, folks, welcome to one of the more morose entries in my Album Of The Week column. I'm sad to say that, this week, I'll be writing up Frankie Teardrop's final album. We all knew this day would come, of course, but not in July of 2016.

For those of you who've been following along with the blog & podcast, you likely know that MinneSarah & I have been huge supporters of Frankie Teardrop for a long time now. I've played their songs five times on the show and this week's marks the third time one of their records has appeared in AOTW.  Hell, it was just two episodes ago that I was waxing nostalgic about their ten-minute performance of "Free Fallin'" at 10K Sounds Festial a couple years ago.

However, it all started rather inauspiciously. Here's what I wrote about Frankie Teardrop's song "Lines" back in March of 2014:

"I spent a week with Tough Guy a while back.  It's a fine, basically enjoyable throwback sort of record.  However, I've yet to see Frankie Teardrop live, which is evidently necessary to totally buy into what Frankie Teardrop's selling.

    "Lines" is a perfectly serviceable, straight ahead rocker.  That, however, is pretty much it.  There's no great chorus to boost the song up, no crazy guitar solos, nothing particularly memorable.  It just trucks along for a minute & forty seconds and then leaves.  Even Frankie's lyrics about abusing substances and pushing things too far ring a little hollow when delivered in such a workmanlike manner.  I don't know if it was MPR or the band that decided to push "Lines," but I know Frankie Teardrop can do better. Try giving "New Beverage" or "Killed A Man" a listen for a more interesting take on just what Frankie Teardrop is capable of doing."

Damn. That's pretty cold. Who would have thought that this band would go on to be one of the flagship bands of the blog?

I'd feel bad about that review, but Frankie Teardrop spent the next two years going out and doing exactly what I was hoping they'd do. Beginning with the Raiders EP they went from "serviceable" to a band that trafficked almost exclusively in crazy guitar solos and great choruses. It was thrilling to watch a band find their sound so quickly & so precisely.

Which brings us Hell Yep, their first and last full-length. The album opens with "Not A Love Song," which boils the Frankie Teardrop experience down to its essence. "This is not a love song, my heart just exploded..." sings Frankie Teardrop mastermind Jordan Bleau, and it's a quintessential FT couplet. They care too much, they don't care at all, here comes the hook, here comes the guitar. One song into the album and we've already got a classic on our hands.



The second track on the album, however, is the track that best explains how we got here. At 3:47 "Stay Dumb" is the longest song on the album by over a minute and with good reason. It's both mission statement and eulogy. It shows how the band has grown (check out the acoustic guitar/feedback/rolling drums intro) from delightfully simple garage rock band to power-pop geniuses.



"I don't wanna stay dumb..." Bleau sings in the chorus, detaching the line from anger or angst and weighting it to a melody that underlines his point. You see, here's the dirty little secret about Frankie Teardrop - they were never dumb. Sure, they may have been playing simple to make the point that there should always be a home for good old fashioned rock n roll music, but that "dumb rock" was never their calling. Bleau's guitar work in the jangling indie-pop band Gloss showed exactly what kind of talent he had. As half of the manpower/brainpower behind No Problem Records, he & Alex Uhrich have shown time & again that the last thing they want to do is release "dumb" rock music. "There's got to be more to life..." Bleau sings in the bridge, "I don't believe the hype..."

What makes the rest of the Hell Yep so much damn fun are the moments when the band shows just how smart they can be (without sacrificing any of the hooks). Listen to the keyboards that fill out "Get It (Kelly)," the drum machine intro at the beginning of "Diet" or my favorite, the absolute double pixie stick rush of the lead guitar & pre-chorus keyboards on "Waiting For You." Add up all those little flourishes and you'll realize that Frankie Teardrop has made one of the smartest "dumb" record you've ever heard.



At 12 songs in 22 minutes, Jordan Bleau & the boys have trimmed every ounce of fat from their sound and delivered a perfect debut LP. Everything about the band that worked in the past has been amplified while everything clumsy has been jettisoned. The whole thing's been given a pop sheen that makes it completely accessible for new fans, while still having all the personality that'll keep older fans coming back.

Twist those words a little bit, and you can see why Hell Yep also makes for a perfect ending point for Frankie Teardrop. They've pushed their sound as it can be pushed. All those little keyboard washes and acoustic intros I've been fawning over are clearly the work of a man who wants to push his sound further but feels he needs a clean break & a fresh slate to do so. To put it briefly, it's the kind of final statement that leaves you wanting more. And those are always the best kind.

I don't know what happens next for Jordan Bleau, but Frankie Teardrop made for quite an opening act. Boys, it was a hell of a run. Can't wait to see what comes next.

If you'd like to download Hell Yep or any of the other Frankie Teardrop releases, head over to their Bandcamp 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.

Flatbasset Radio: Episode #80 (Canada Day Special!)

"Like leaves from an old maple..."

Well hello again, everybody! Welcome to a very special episode of Flatbasset Radio!

Folks, if you didn't know, today is Canada Day! That's right, our brother to the North is celebrating today and we're here to celebrate right along with them. To be honest, there's a part of me that's surprised the same human garbage that uses Cinco De Mayo & St. Patty's Day as an excuse to get completely wrecked hasn't co-opted Canada Day yet, but their loss is our gain.

To celebrate, I've put together a whole episode devoted to Canadian artists large and small. We check in with some of Flatbasset Radio's favorites, some new artists, jangling indie pop, throwback hip-hop, hardcore, power-pop, and everything in between as we crisscross the vast expanse that is Canada. Along the way I manage to butcher the French language (again), attempt to explain how Minnesota's the bridge between Canada & the U.S., compare Winnipeg to St. Paul (minus the playoff hockey, of course), and somehow avoid playing Drake (it wasn't easy). 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 #79 (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 Episode #80 plays out:

01. Still Life Still - Danse Cave

02. Buck 65 - Je T'aime Mon Amour

03. Fucked Up - Paper The House

04. Stars - Wonderful Life

05. The Everywheres - A Nightmare

06. Broken Social Scene - World Sick

07. Shad - Compromise

08. Sloan - 500 Up

09. Imaginary Cities - Bells Of Cologne

10. Ian Kamau - Say It Ain't So

11. Neil Young - One Of These Days

12. Wolf Parade - I'll Believe In Anything








There it is, 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.

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.