Earworms: May 2018

Welcome to Earworms of May 2018. For all of you newcomers, this is my piece in which I share to you the artists, playlists, albums, and pieces of music that have been lodged in my Audio Technica M50X's for the past month.

Country Blues and Cosmic Cowboys

I used to think country music was awful. With a lot of things that people dislike, the dislike usually stems from their low level of experience, context, and knowledge about the subject matter. And boy was I WRONG about country music! With artists like Margot Price (pictured above), Chris Stapleton, John Prine and John Moreland, my idea of country music has completely changed. So this is what leads me to Country Blues and Cosmic Cowboys. This is a playlist that country artist Margot Price has crafted on her Spotify page. These playlists crafted by the musicians themselves are 90% of the time really, really fucking good. It's similar to the food that the chefs eat after a long day at work. Chefs love to eat really obscure & weird things such as fish eyes and those little pieces of meat that gets pushed to the side in the Korean Bbq grill. What I'm trying to say is, if the artist chooses to consume it, then it's probably good. And this playlist shares that same mantra. From Willie Nelson to Bobbie Gentry's He Made A Woman Out Of Me, this playlist features vintage country songs that deal with love, failed expectations and borderline statutory rape. So yeah, it's a pretty good playlist. Give Country Blues and Cosmic Cowboys a listen! But don't forget to listen to Margot's music too!

Daytona

It's a surgical summer indeed. If you have been living under a rock for the past three weeks, Pusha T and Drake have taken their long-lived beef to a whole new level. And the feud rekindled itself on Pusha's newest album DAYTONA. A seven-track album that features the familiar voice and delivery of Pusha T, only this time with the enigmatic Kanye West at the helm on the production side of the album. The pairing between Pusha's wordsmithery and snarly delivery mixed with Kanye's signature sampling and distortion of the human voice leads to a quality piece of music. From lyric heavy songs like If You Know You Know, to the umami blasted production in the song The Games We Play, it's a 25-minute long action-packed record. If you enjoy quality rap/wordplay and awesome music production, this album is a sure thing. Listen to DAYTONA here, and while you're here go ahead and pray for Drake as well.

Bedroom Pop

Few genres of music can incorporate meme culture, jazzy lo-fi production, a monotone delivery and songs about being sad for no reason much like Bedroom Pop. A particular style of gritty, unpolished production and wildly varying melodies and voices leads to a playlist that keeps you on your toes. The playlist offers a star-studded cast of my personal fav Clairo, Gus Dapperton, Rex Orange Countyand even Joji makes an appearance. The subject matter of the playlist mirrors this theme of variety. From struggles of being an awkward teenager, love and how to control your social media version of yourself. The verdict is if you like music that is highly melodic and a sound that incorporates a lot of non-traditional instruments, this is for you. Just try not to cry too much ok?

Allah-Las

The Allah-Las, based in the city of angels, makes music that contains the energy of the beach in the summer heat. Their music conveys feelings of sentimentality from when your family made trips to the west side of Michigan and laid out on the shores of Lake Michigan till sundown. With a sound that incorporates the melodic tunes of classic surf rock, modern psychedelia, and even some garage-punk, flares the band offers a sound that keeps you hooked to it like a child to its mother's breast. With three full-length LP's, the band offers plenty for you to listen to. So why not start now?

Johnny "Guitar" Watson

One of my guilty pleasures in the musical world is a very unknown and obscure guitarist/singer called Johnny "Guitar" Watson. He started off his career as an axeman like the world has never seen. Featuring a totally unique plucky-powerful guitar style, his songs of classic blues fashion were spotted with this distinct sound. It leads to a vintage blues experience that sounds like nothing I've (or you) have heard before. Something that makes Johnny so lovable, is the fact that once the 70's hit, he completely changes his sound to an edgy r&b funk style that was in fashion at the time. Even after this sound shift, he still retained his masterful guitaring skills and learned how to incorporate that into the 70's funk sound. A true musical unicorn that was underappreciated and overlooked. Enjoy his music here.