Rapsody
Best Free Mixtapes of 2012 Savoir Adore Retrospective/Reviews
Photo by Tommy Geanakos
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Ed itor’s Note Savoir Ad ore, a Small Q & A Be st Fre e Mixtape s of ‘12 Rapsody Spring Preview Re trospective / Review s Issu e Playlist
February is Black History Month and, as usual, Ithaca College is celebrating with a plethora of presentations, lectures and music-related events which include unmissable appearances by Talib Kweli and Rebel Diaz. Truth be told, it was pure serendipity that we were able to feature Rapsody on our February cover, and we’re ecstatic to bring her name onto campus regardless of what month it is. Not only is she talented, she’s also one of the sweetest and most genuine people I’ve ever had the opportunity to interview, and I hope that’s not lost on the page. Enjoy the issue, enjoy February, and don’t forget to check us out on Twitter, Facebook and Cakezine.com. Stay classy, RAQUEL
Staff List Editor in Chief, Raquel Dalarossa Layout Manager, Noah Delin Publicity Chair, Paige Hoffmann Finance Chair, Adam Rudofker Layout, Kasey Speth Assistang Editor, Jessica Afrin Photography, Tommy Geanakos Twitter Manager, Brian Windschitl
Contributors
Zachary Weg Elise Edmonds Cory Healy
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Photo by Tommy Geanakos
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A pleasant Q & A session with
SAVOiR ADORE
Interviewed by Elise Edmonds
When did you start playing together?
What/Who inspires your songs?
We were both making music on our own, and eventually felt frustrated with the limitations of being a solo artist, with just one acoustic guitar. We decided to make a challenge for ourselves and to write and record something together in one weekend. What we made ended up being our first EP, The Adventures of Mr. Pumpernickel and the Girl with Animals in her Throat.
The world that we created from our first time working together is called the Wooded Forest. That imaginary environment has been our creative playground for our entire collaboration. We are constantly creating new places, characters, storylines — it is a way for us to express things in a super fun metaphoric way.
How did you come up with the name Savoir Adore? The very very first time we collaborated and recorded something, we made a tiny little piece in which I sang a bit in French. We needed a quick name because we wanted to put it on MySpace to share with our closest friends (obviously this was quite a few years ago) — and Savoir Adore was our botched grammar attempt at the ideas of “knowing” and “love”. We’ve come to interpret it as “to know love” these days.
Your video for the song “Dreamers” is very creative and colorful. What inspired it? Who came up with the idea? That video was a hybrid of two ideas that Paul & I had – basically inspired by the two different characters that sing the song and the way they ultimately interact with each other. A lot of the album Our Nature is based on that idea of two individuals and how they relate to each other differently over time. What song do you recommend listeners listen to in order to get hooked on your music?
What genre would you consider your music? We have always been into creating our own descriptive genres so that people can really get their imaginations going – “fantasy pop” was one we used for a while and Paul recently came up with “adventure wave.” It is rock; it is pop – just with our own twist.
Probably our song “Dreamers,” since it is really an introduction to our newest record. What is your favorite part of being an artist? Being able to make things on a regular basis is truly awesome.
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Cory Healy
We all love free music. The industry is changing and more artists today realize that file-sharing actually helps make a case for the consumer to support albums that they come to love. While 2012 wasn’t short of great music, the beauty of the free mixtape is that it generates excitement for those anticipating huge debuts. Clear some hard drive space, folks, ‘cause these deserve a slot in your favorite music player.
1. Captain Murphy - Duality Producer Flying Lotus recently revealed himself to be alter-ego Captain Murphy, collaborating with Earl Sweatshirt and many others from the Odd Future collective, as well as famed producer Just Blaze. Murphy’s persona as a cult leader bent on world domination narrates the album from start to finish, complemented with by far the most impressive instrumental work of 2012. Steven Ellison’s reveal as the mysterious Murphy is surprising, because he’s actually really good at rapping, channeling the sing-song Odd Future flow structure. “The Killing Joke” is a short, bass-heavy melody loaded with allusions to the notorious Batman comic and Gotham universe, perfect as Murphy’s character easily fits as a Ledger-style Joker. Expanding on the album is a psychedelic, frightening 35-minute companion video, previously on captainmurphy.xxx, now available on YouTube. The raps are dark and bitterly tongue-in-cheek, yet all songs come with their own instrumental version which, with producers like FlyLo, Just Blaze and Madlib at the helm, proves to be a godsend. Recommended Tracks: “Between Friends,” “The Killing Joke,” “Gone Fishin,” “Immaculation”
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2. Joey Bada$$ – 1999
“I deserve my respect / Brains don’t matter if your wig gets split on some third-eye shit,” ends the mix and 11 minute opus “Suspect.” The line sums up 1999 accurately, as it makes you a believer and respect the retro-driven work done: dope production by Capital Steez, Pro Era, MF Doom, Knxwledge and more, insanely catchy riffs and velvety smooth flows by Bada$$, Doom, T’nah Apex, CJ Fly and Kirk Knight. 1999 pays homage to both the old NYC hip-hop sound and pandemonium of Y2K’s looming presence, wrapping both into a tight concept with absolutely no filler throughout. Recommended Tracks: “Summer Knights,” “World Domination,” “Don’t Front,” “Suspect”
3. Rick Ross – Rich Forever With an ability to gather an A-list lineup of stars like John Legend, Nas, Diddy and Drake just to name a few, for a free mixtape on DatPiff, let it be known that Ross is the Boss. “Holy Ghost” opens with lines like “They say I’m getting money / Must be Iluminati, and My teacher told me that I was a piece of shit / seen her the other day / driving a piece
in the world, a theme that gives the mix gritty depth and feels like a Tarantino noir. As a chef, Bronson can’t help but throw in some culinary word play on songs like “Tan Lines” and “Tapas.” Bronson is cheeky but has serious bite in his lyrical flow. Recommended Tracks: “Thug Love Story 2012,” “Hookers at the Point,” “9-24-11,” “Blue Chips”
Recommended Tracks: “Holy Ghost,” “F*ck ‘Em,” “Off the Boat,” “Rich Forever”
4. Meek Mil – Dreamchasers 2 It begins by sampling Mike Tyson’s infamous Lennox Lewis childreneating speech and matches the boxer’s ferociousness with 73 minutes of unrelenting rhymes and top-notch production. In fact, it was so popular that DatPiff’s servers crashed due to the volume of traffic the release brought in. Mil’s rapid-fire flow blazes on early tracks “Amen,” “Burn,” and “A1 Everything.” Crooner Jordanne blends in with the spacious background of “Used to Be”, which sticks out from the rest of Mil’s catalog as a potential Channel Orange B-side, which shows the rapper’s versatility. The rest are unrelenting in subject matter most celebrated by the Maybach Music label, leading up to the triumphant “House Party Remix” near the end. Dreamchasers 2 proves a far superior product compared to many albums made solely for profit. Recommended Tracks: “Amen,” “Burn,” “Used to Be,” “House Party Remix”
5. Action Bronson & Party Supplies – Blue Chips Together with fellow Queens resident and producer Party Supplies, Bronson laid out one of the most unique mixtape experiences of 2012. Blue Chips has a kitchen sink instrumental approach: doo-wop, Frank Zappa and many funky samples for his lyrics. What really stands out on this album is the world-traveling, weedsmoking, hooker-obsessed persona Bronson constructs to highlight the common seedy underbelly found anywhere
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of shit,” setting up the theme throughout with different odes to decadence, overcoming adversity from past and current critics, and what it means to grow successful in a cold world. The sheer star-power, grandiose beats and Ross’s passionate, baritone rap guarantees to pump you up whether you listen to one song or the whole thing. Producer Beat Billionaire and the sexy female sample reminds us throughout the mixtape that this is, indeed, Maybach music. Oh, we know!
rapsody Raquel Dalarossa
She’s been in the game since 2007. She was discovered by hip-hop mega-producer 9th Wonder, who signed her to his Jamla Records in 2008. Since then, she has released four mixtapes, each of them lauded by the blog world and widely circulated within the underground hip hop scene. Her debut album, The Idea of Beautiful, was released last August to even more critical acclaim, and its 16 tracks included a high caliber of guest artists, from Mac Miller to the Cool Kids and Ab-Soul to Childish Gambino. As a female MC, her lyrics are much more Lauryn Hill than Nicki Minaj, with lines like “My sole mission was to rap and get paid, too/ Be someone these little girls can look up to/ Now I see the game for what it is, every chess move” (“Believe Me”). There’s no room for the lurid or oversexualized content we’re so familiar with today. There’s only her mettle, craftsmanship and genuine passion for the art of hip-hop leave. Ladies and gentlemen, this is Rapsody.
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How do you feel, after nearly five years doing solo work, about how you’ve grown as a musician? I feel really good about it. I’m happy, it warms my soul and it’s overwhelming. I’ll tell people, like, you grow up, and you have this perception of the music industry and how you get on and you’re like, Oh I’m gonna drop this mix tape and this label’s gonna find me and then you get in it and you understand it and it’s nothing like that. Especially for a woman, we have to work ten times harder. So like you said, to be working four, five years, three mix tapes and an EP…I went into the album and I was just drained and tired of trying to prove myself. So I said, “Let’s just do us,” and I didn’t have any expectations. I just wanted people to like it and to get to know me more as an artist. And to come out of it with everybody loving it, it feels really good. It pushes you, you know. It humbles me. I appreciate it so much. I don’t take it for granted at all. It makes you feel like, I’m doing something right, and I’m doing something that makes me happy, so I couldn’t be happier. You mentioned how it’s difficult in the business, especially being a female, how do you feel it’s different for women in the music industry? I think it’s definitely a lot different from what it used to be, especially in the ‘90s. I know now we’re so underrepresented; it seems like they only expect us to be half naked and rap about a certain thing, so the bar for us is so low. We do have to work so much harder just to gain respect. Aside from being MCs, just being a woman in general. I definitely feel that. And to be seen as an artist aside from gender. And with anything, it’s definitely a business, but at the same time you have to find what works for you and what makes you happy. I guess to put it in words, some people think that because it’s a business, you have to go with the trend, what’s hot, what’s selling, and I don’t necessarily think you have to go that route. You can go any route you want to, just figure out what makes you happy and stick to it, and know how far you can go with it and what to expect. You’ve talked a lot about how MC Lyte and Lauryn Hill are big inspirations for you. Are there any contemporary artists that are inspiring you today? Oh, there are a lot. I’m a big fan of Kendrick. Big K.R.I.T., I love his music. Nitty Scott is my home girl, illCamille out in California, Jean Grae of course, BJ the
Rapsody & Mac Miller, from her music video for “Extra, Extra”
Chicago Kid, he’s a great upcoming artist, and he’s on my album. I just love music. I’m inspired by a lot of my peers…Mac Miller! Yeah, you worked with Mac Miller and a lot of other great artists like Childish Gambino and Kendrick Lamar. Can you talk about those collaborations a little? Do you have a favorite? There have been so many, they’re all special. The crazy thing is that with the internet, you don’t always have to be in the same place to make music now, so with a lot of those I didn’t get the opportunity, unfortunately, to record one-on-one with everybody. Most of them were sent back and forth, but I did get to record “Rock the Bells,” me and Kendrick were in the studio together when we did that. And on the first mix tape Return of the B-Girl, me and Big Daddy Kane were together when we did “Gifted in Black,” and there were a few others. But when we did “Rock the Bells,” it was great to watch [Kendrick] work, you know, he goes outside, paces, mumbles to himself. With me, I like to be alone in the dark, so it’s just dope to watch others work. BJ the Chicago Kid, he just left today, and I got to see his process. He doesn’t really write all the time; he’ll just go do it in his head and step to the mic, so it’s always dope to get back in and watch people work. It’s inspiring to me. Is there anyone you hope to work with in the future? Oh, my list is so long. From new to old. Joey Bada$$, I really want to work with him. Producers, I wanna work with DJ Premier, Hi-Tek, Pusha T, MC Hustle, Jay Z of course. I wanna do something else with Erykah Badu. Maybe electronica! Those are just some.
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Rapsody continued
Going back to your album, your first track really relies on the mantra “You need to wake your ass up.” What were you trying to get across with such a direct line like that?
“It was saying, you can be anything you wanna be and anything is possible, you just gotta focus.”
Everybody should be a dreamer. You can drink your life away, smoke your life away or whatever – I mean of course you want to have fun – but you know, we can do anything. We can be anything. We just need more of that, more minds like that. So it was just to this generation. I hear a lot of music about smoking and drinking and party music, and I like to party too, but it was kind of inspired by the Outkast song [“Get Up, Get Out”], “You meet to get up, get out, and get something.” It was just something to my generation. Do you have a personal favorite track off of the album? Yeah, there are some that I played over and over. “When I Had You,” that’s one of my favorites, just because it was really personal. It was just about being in music and being from North Carolina. My mom and dad don’t really understand the music business and what it takes and why you just can’t get on the radio or TV, so for them to not know but to still have my back through the long process of building the buzz and the brand and
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becoming an artist, them just being there, and friends just opening the door and letting me sleep on their couch because I put music first and I wasn’t out actively looking for a job; that’s a lot of artists’ stories. “Destiny” is another one, the first verse has some personal things about growing up and watching my mom sick, and I got sick for a while, too, and I had to fight through it. And my appreciation for Jay Z, I look up to him as a hero and [the song talks about] what he did for me as an artist and finally getting to meet him and giving him the CD. One more would probably be “How Does It Feel,” I have a brother who’s in the army and he was in Afghanistan when I wrote that song. That’s like one of my best friends, we’re only 13 months apart and I probably only got to talk to him maybe once every 6 months, and you worry about your family, you know. That was for him. Do you have any plans as far as the next album? I’m just now starting to work on my sophomore album. I don’t have a title for it yet but I’ve started writing and recording for it. It probably won’t be out until, I’m gonna guess next summer, maybe August. I’m in a group called Coolie High, so we’ll probably drop an album soon, too. When you write your music, what comes first – words or beats? They call me the beat hoarder, because I always store beats in my head. A lot of times I have the beat first, and I write to that. What’s your favorite kind of cake? Red velvet, easy!
OPEN MIC NIGHT tc lounge presents
every WEDNESDAY night of the semester starting at NINE PM in the TC LOUNGE
Spring Preview Thurs 2/7 Sat 2/9 Sun 2/10
Aer with Mod Sun & Cisco Adler, The Haunt Black Francis with Reid Paley, The Haunt B.D. Lenz, Maxie’s Supper Club / Papadosio with Consider the Source, The Haunt
Wed
2/13
Jeff Mangum with Tall Firs and The Music Tapes, The State Theatre
2/26
Man Man with Murder by Death, The Haunt / The Chieftains, The State Theatre
Thurs Thurs Fri Sun Mon
Tues
Thurs Sat Tues Wed
2/14 2/21 2/22 2/24 2/25 2/28 3/02 3/05 3/06
Turkuaz, The Haunt Keller Williams, The Haunt Miss Tess, The Haunt Aimee Bobruk, Felicia’s Atomic Lounge / Justin Roberts, The Haunt Pentatonix, The State Theatre Ambassadors, The Haunt The Blind Spots, The Haunt The Tossers, The Haunt James McMurtry, The Haunt
Thurs 3/07 Sat
3/09
Marco Benevento, The Haunt
Wed
3/13
Jukebox the Ghost, The Haunt
Thurs 4/04
Afrika Bambaataa, The Haunt
Fri
Fri Sat Sat Fri
3/22
4/05 4/06 4/13 4/26
New York Funk Exchange, The Nines Todd Snider, The Haunt
Battlefield Band, The Haunt Jimkata, The Haunt Driftwood, The Haunt Dopapod, The Haunt / Billy Bragg, The State Theatre
Photo by Tommy Geanakos
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2/12 - Azealia Banks.........Broke with Expensive Taste 2/19 - Starfucker..............Miracle Mile 2/26 - Atoms for Peace....Amok 3/12 - David Bowie..........The Next Day
Spring Album Releases 3/?? - Kid Cudi................ Indicud 4/16 - M.I.A.....................Matangi 4/?? - Phoenix.................Bankrupt! Spring 2013 - Daft Punk
Writers generally agree that when they face writer’s block, the best option is to challenge themselves. Songwriters seem to have picked up this mantra too, evidenced by the increasing popularity of events such as February Album Writing Month (FAWM), the RPM (Record Production Month) Challenge, National Solo Album Month (NaSoAlMo), Song Fight! and The 50/90 Challenge (50 Songs in 90 Days).
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February Album Writing Month
Singer/songwriter Burr Settles created FAWM in 2004. The first year was a challenge among four friends, to each write 14 songs during the month of February. Settles set up fawm.org in 2005, opening up the challenge to the public after people who had stumbled upon the 2004 archive expressed interest. The 2012 challenge featured 1,325 active participants, 465 of which completed the challenge. Together, the participants produced 11,015 songs. Compilation CDs from previous years are available at fawm.bandcamp.org. In recent years, there has been an increasing enthusiasm for collaboration within the passionate community of “fawmers,” mostly due to the 2008 FAWM, during which participants were challenged to write an extra half-song in honor of it being a leap year. Fawmers have created songwriting games with a similar teamwork aspect and the goal of inciting creativity — for example: Crucio, which is similar to tag, and Explore the Core, where numerous and vastly different songs are produced from one set of lyrics and chords. In addition to the writer’s-block-busting games and challenges created by fawmers, Settles created four programs (found at muse.fawm.org) which he calls “small experiements in ‘computational songwriting inspiration.’” LyriCloud produces groups of “semantically-correlated” words, Titular produces random titles, Struxxure produces unusual song structures, and Plot Spline produces plot and setting constrictions for the song. If 14 songs seems just a bit too ambitious, The RPM Challenge also takes place in February. Unlike FAWM, the challenge is to produce and record a 10-song album. However, to officially complete the challenge, RPM participants have to send a physical copy of the CD, postmarked by noon on March 1. Another option is Song Fight!, a weekly competition where a title and deadline are given, and then the submitted songs are voted on. But just like the other challenges, the only prize is bragging rights. Jessica Afrin
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RetroSpective Yeah Yeah Yeah’s “Fever To Tell”
Interscope Released: Apr. 29th, 2003 An anxious, lovesick kid riding the train home after a strenuous day. This is the scene that the Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ debut album, Fever To Tell, should play over. Like that kid, beneath all of his or her exterior toughness and aggression, all that this record wants to do is love, to feel accepted and welcome. From the start of this record, which will turn ten years old on April 29, the listener is picked up by spiky guitars and thumping drums, and is only periodically dropped back down into more calm moments of reflection and pondering. Produced by David Andrew Sitek (TV On the Radio), Fever To Tell, almost like a thrilling film, grabs the audience’s attention right from the start and lets go only once it is done. And the time goes fast; almost as soon as it begins, Fever To Tell ends. Yet that is what is so exciting about the album; all of the warbling guitars and clasps of drums follow each other in such a way so as to plunge the listener right into another whirl of sound. The effect is a submergence into the singer’s emotions, into her matter-of-fact desires and longings. “Be my heater, be my lover,” says Karen O on one of the album’s middle tracks, “Cold Light.” Maybe it’s just that song’s title, but one gets the image of a chilly, darkened apartment and the singer’s plea for warmth. On “Maps,” the song that rightly gained attention in the months that immediately followed the release of Fever To Tell, O sings, “They don’t love you like I love you,” continuing her matter-of-fact desire to just love who she wants to love. Since 2003, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs have gone on to become one of the most respected, widely-followed and unpredictable bands around. After an EP and a few singles, the group followed up Fever To Tell with their second fulllength album, Show Your Bones, in 2006, an album similar to Fever to Tell in its spiked-up, metallic guitars and stunning tracks such as “Dudley” and “Mysteries.” In 2009, the band released It’s Blitz!, which featured more dance-friendly tracks such as “Zero,” as well as more slow, ballad-like tracks such as “Little Shadow.” And, in just a month or two, the band will release their fourth full-length album, Mosquito. Supposedly a return to their more lo-fi, aggressive tunes as featured on Fever to Tell, Mosquito will also be produced by Dave Sitek and has a track that features James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem. The album is surely going to be exciting but whether it will be as simply brilliant as Fever to Tell isn’t clear. This is an album, after all, that features some of the most intimate music ever heard; the latter half of the closing track, “Modern Romance,” with Karen O’s plea for the spoken-to to not be afraid, is just gorgeous. “Don’t be scared of love,” she almost moans. Yeah; love your lovers, don’t be afraid. Zach Weg
Reviews Free Energy “Love Sign”
Free Energy Records Released: Jan. 15th, 2013
[albums] C
It’s rare I have to eat my words. I speak cautiously, and I usually speak from experience. I decided to review Free Energy’s second album, Love Sign, based on my knowledge of one of their songs (“Free Energy,” the title song on their self-titled debut album), and my understanding of a vague enjoyment of that song in that way that one hears a song repeatedly yet never listens to it. Imagine my surprise when I see the track list of this album filled with songs titles like “Girls Want Rock” and “Hey Tonight.” I’m going to own up to my inability to disregard my first impression. Going into my first listen of this album, I had an inkling that the majority of the songs were going to be filled with inane lyrics and composition devoid of complexity. Unfortunately, in that thought I was mostly correct. The classic-rock-disguised-as-dance-tracks were overall so lacking in variance from song to song that, unless I watched the seconds count down, I didn’t notice when one song ended and another began. The consistency, instead of being indicative of a strong theme, comes off as generic, forgettable music. The lyrics require no contemplation, and Paul Sprangers’s vocals are unremarkable. In addition, every song features heavy guitar riffs and solos — Free Energy has three guitar players: Scott Wells, Patrick Stickles and Sheridan Fox — and they overuse the cowbell. But consider the fact that Free Energy self-released Love Sign, and this Sprangers quote about the album: “The rock songs are dumber and bigger. Like, f*ck it, we have nothing to lose. If it’s going to be big and dumb, it should be the biggest and dumbest it ever could be.” And I can’t find fault in that logic. I actually kind of respect him a bit after having read that, and it gave me the ability to hear the music in a way that the band probably intended it to be heard — as mindless fun. If you feel an itch to listen to any of the songs off this album, try “Dance All Night,” a slower song that is too long but catches the ear. “Street Survivor” is very youthful and optimistic, in such an earnest way that this time I don’t want to carp about the simplicity. And “True Love,” my favorite track off the album, features a cute deconstruction of the title that leads into the final round of choruses; I can’t find it in my heart to dislike it. “True Love,” I think, will become that song I enjoy vaguely when hearing repeatedly and purposely never listening. Jessica Afrin
Ra Ra Riot “Beta Love”
Barsuk Records Released: Jan. 22nd, 2013
B
After a successful night at The Haunt back in December, Ra Ra Riot’s new album has been anxiously anticipated. Just released on January 22, Beta Love is worth the wait. iTunes calls it alternative, but Ra Ra Riot’s music really cannot be defined with one word. With some techno beats and string instruments, the band has a unique form of music that is tough to label. The inclusion of unconventional stringed instruments, such as the violin and cello, give Ra Ra Riot’s sound some extra depth and interest that most bands do not have.. at least not in every song. “Beta Love,” the new single, is definitely the one song that you can picture being heard on the radio. Then if you want to hear a song you can really pump up the bass for, check out “What I Do for U.” The album slows down a bit with “When I Dream,” a song that adds emphasis on the vocals. “When I Dream” keeps a solid beat while utilizing the stringed instruments well to add dramatic effect to a poignant song. The album ends with my personal favorite, “I Shut Off,” which is a very catchy, upbeat song. The chorus is surely going to get stuck in your head, even after just one time listening to it. My only criticism is the fact that the lead vocalist tends to sing at the same high note in several of the songs, which makes the vocal music sound somewhat redundant. As impressive as it may be to be able to hit notes that high, it is not always pleasing to hear. However, this album is still well put together with a variety of tempos and beats. Beta Love is a traditional Ra Ra Riot album with some extra little twists. Elise Edmonds
Local Natives “Hummingbird”
Frenchkiss Released: Jan. 29th, 2013
B
The men with the beautiful mustaches are back with a passive forcefulness. To put it accurately, Hummingbird is an entropic album that tenderly caresses your mind and soul, compelling an aimless maundering melioration of internal world perspective. Big words for a big album. The Local Natives have forgone the “Sophomore Slump” that has ravaged a handful of bands, like The Strokes, The New Pornographers and the Scissor Sisters, just to name a few. In their second album, the Local Natives have completely changed their sound. Most notable is the conspicuously lessened presence of the lows. Whereas in Gorilla Manor the bass was punchy and more pivotal to the sound, the Natives have taken a step away from instrumentals, but it isn’t a negative development. Rather, this is simply a maturation of their sound. Moving away from the playful and lighthearted goofiness of Gorilla Manor, the Local Natives have brought a more worldly sound into their repertoire. Perhaps this is due to the changing of bassists, from Andy Hamm to Taylor Rice. Maybe its due to their producer, Aaron Dessner, who also happens to be The National’s producer. Or, most likely, it’s due to the move from LA to NYC, where the Local Natives recorded this album. I mean LA is way more “chill” than NYC, figuratively speaking. They sing about love, existentialism, desire, uncertainty. All the essentials. Yet Kelcey Ayer’s crooning falsetto draws you into the dreamy, amorphous state that defines Hummingbird. Just close your eyes and relax as Ayer sings in “Breakers,” “Just don’t think so much, don’t think so much.” That’s the overall coloring of this album. The lyrical content isn’t striking or metaphorically innovative, and I think the band realizes that. It is a strong step forward for a band trying to find their place in an ever expanding independent musical industry. What I hope for in their next album is for the band to find a stronger balance between the individualistic playfulness of their first album, and the gentle trill of the second. Overall, Hummingbird is a strong sophomore album and despite the changes, the truly important has remained the same. New sound, same old mustaches. Brian Windschitl
*Albums are graded on a letter grade scale. Kind of like your homework. **Full reviews can be found and read online at www.cakezine.com
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t s i L k c a r T The Check out
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Rapsody, The Drums Ra Ra Riot, When I Dream Free Energy, Dance All Night Local Natives, You & I Yeah Yeah Yeah’s, Heads Will Roll Lykkke Li, Breaking it up Diiv, How Long Have You Known Savoir Adore, Dreamers Guards, Swimming in a Sea Digable Planets, Where I’m From Wild Belle, Keep You Work Drugs, Rad Racer Toro Y Moi, Say That Action Bronson, The Come Up Joey Bada$$, Waves
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Cakezine
Photo by Tommy Geanakos