Showing posts with label A Tribe Called Quest. Show all posts
Showing posts with label A Tribe Called Quest. Show all posts

Sunday, December 11, 2016

New Music Friday - November 11, 2016

Be sure to view a list of upcoming releases here!

Essential Full-Length Releases



Martha Wainwright - Goodnight City

The Wainwright Family remains one of the most prolific families in the music industry. Just one year after the release of the debut album, Songs in the Dark, from the Wainwright Sisters (Martha and Lucy Wainwright Roche), Martha is back with a new solo effort. The album features contributions from Merrill Garbus, Glen Hansard, and several members of her family, including her brother Rufus Wainwright.

Listen: "Around the Bend"
Listen: "Take the Reins"




oddCouple - Liberation

oddCouple, Zach Henderson, is the house producer for the Chicago record label Closed Sessions, which boasts signees Kweku Collins and Jamila Woods. His new album showcases some of the best that Chicago hip-hop has to offer, including labelmates Woods and Collins, as well as GLC and Joey Purp.

Listen: "Love Above" (featuring Jamila Woods & Kweku)
Listen: "Eidetic"




Sad13 - Slugger

Sad13 is Sadie Dupuis, best known as the frontwoman for Speedy Ortiz, with which she has released two albums, including last year's excellent Foil Deer. The band hasn't gone anywhere, but Sadie has struck out on her own as a solo artist. She first debuted the Sad13 project earlier this year on a collaborative single, "Basement Queens," with rapper Lizzo. Her debut album takes on a poppier approach, but seeks to counter the typically misogynistic messages expressed in the genre.

Watch: "Less Than 2"
Watch: "Get a Yes"




Sleigh Bells - Jessica Rabbit

Sleigh Bells could have easily been a gimmick and lasted no longer than one album. The duo is defined by heavily-distorted guitars and pop melodies. As they release their fourth album, they haven't lost what made their sound distinctive, and seem to almost defiantly continue to flout it. When in doubt, be extra, and Sleigh Bells are definitely extra (that's a compliment)!

Watch: "It’s Just Us Now"
Watch: "I Can Only Stare"




A Tribe Called Quest - We Got It From Here, Thank You for Your Service

A Tribe Called Quest seemed like a done deal following the release of 1998's The Love Movement. With the death of central member Phife Dawg earlier this year, hopes for any full return were further diminished. It turned out that Phife had already rejoined his bandmates and a new album had been recorded. They even brought back original member Jarobi White, who had departed following their debut album. They have announced that this is their final album; if so, they've gone out on a high note, returning to the roots of their sound.

Watch: "We the People"


Other Full-Length Releases



Daniel Bachman - Daniel Bachman

Listen: "Brightleaf Blues I"
Listen: "The Flower Tree"


GUM - Flash in the Pan

Listen: "Gemini"
Listen: "Flash in the Pan"


Luke Temple - A Hand Through the Cellar Door

Watch: "Maryanne Was Quiet"
Listen: "Birds of Late December"


The Men - Devil Music

Listen: "Lion’s Den"
Listen: "Devil Music"


Simian Mobile Disco - Welcome to Sideways

Watch: "Remember in Reverse"
Listen: "Far Away from a Distance"

Singles, EPs, Soundtracks, etc.



A-Trak - In the Loop: A Decade of Remixes

Listen: "Oh!"
Listen: "Kilometer"


The Band - The Last Waltz 40th Anniversary Edition




Bob Dylan - The 1966 Live Recordings

Listen: "Tell Me Mama"


Body/Head - No Waves

Listen: "The Show Is Over"


Broken Social Scene - Feel Good Lost Reissue

Listen: "I Slept with Bonhomme at the CBC"
Listen: "Guilty Cubicles"


David Bowie - Legacy

Listen: "Space Oddity"
Listen: "Changes"


Forth Wanderers - Slop EP

Watch: "Slop"
Watch: "Know Better"


Hudson Mohawke - Ded Sec - Watch Dogs 2 (Original Soundtrack)

Listen: "Shanghaied"
Listen: "Play N Go"


Pink Floyd - The Early Years (1967-1972)

Listen: "Arnold Layne"
Listen: "See Emily Play"


The Rolling Stones - Havana Moon

Watch: "Brown Sugar"
Watch: "Paint It Black"


Yoko Ono - Unfinished Music No. 1: Two Virgins Reissue

Listen: "Side One"
Listen: "Side Two"


Yoko Ono - Unfinished Music No. 2: Life with Lions Reissue

Listen: "Cambridge 1969"
Listen: "No Bed for Beatle John"


Yoko Ono - Yoko Ono Plastic Ono Band Reissue

Listen: "Why"
Listen: "Mother"

Sunday, April 3, 2016

R.I.P., Malik Taylor

On March 22 of this year, we lost one of the great voices in hip hop. Malik Taylor, aka Phife Dawg, of A Tribe Called Quest passed away at the age of 45.


Phife was a founding member of the A Tribe Called Quest, a hip hop group who pioneered the use of sampling in hip hop and considered to be originators of jazz rap. He became known for his high-pitched vocals, which he disliked, but became a favorite of the group's fans. While Q-Tip has become the de facto face of the group, Phife Dawg created some of my favorite verses.



After the group first disbanded in 1998, he tried his hand at a solo career, releasing Ventilation: Da LP in 2000. He was working on a follow-up record, to be called MUTTYmorPHosis, and released "Nutshell" last year.



He suffered from diabetes, being plagued by health problems through much of his adult life. He openly admitted to his health problems in much of his lyrics, referring to himself as the "funky diabetic" and referencing a love of sugary soft drinks. He received a kidney transplant in 2008, which unfortunately failed. Ultimately, it would be the disease that would kill him.



Goodbye Phife, you will be missed!