David Guetta

New Music Tuesday 8.7.12

by soandyway

This weeks releases are Funky, Imperfect, and Superpowered. Shall we?

"Perfectly Imperfect" by Elle Varner
“Perfectly Imperfect” by Elle Varner

Its been a good couple of weeks for the ladies of soul. Elle Varner‘s debut full length record is a wonderful mixture of old school R&B with today’s pop stylings and production values. Varner’s soulful voice gives each tune heart and pathos, even when she’s singing about less than emotional matters on the ‘What did I do last night?‘ anthem “Oh What A Night”. The track could have been a novelty throw away tune to bad out the record, but instead it remains just as compelling as album highlights “Only Wanna Give It To You”, “Refill” (shown below), and the sultry, funky “Sound Proof Room”. Perfectly Imperfect resonates with all the hooks and beats to light up today’s Hip-Hop charts, but its minimalist production hearkens back to a mix of 70’s funk and early to mid 90’s R&B. With so many influences in the mix, you really need to check this album out.

"Funky Was The State of Affairs" by Fergus & Geronimo
“Funky Was The State of Affairs” by Fergus & Geronimo

There is certainly no better title to this record than Funky Was The State of Affairs. Fergus & Geronimo take a lot of chances on this album, and I am all for it. A mixture of music and spoken word, this seemingly crowded sixteen track disc may look intimidating in your Spotify window, but the whole piece clocks in around thirty-two minutes. Fake accents and absurdest whimsy can distract the casual listener from the crunchy riffs and solid bass lines that make up the Ramones style post-punk attitude of the music. Think Pixies meets a Portlandia influenced sensibility. I took a chance on this record this week, and you should too.

"Superpowers" by The Polish Ambassador
“Superpowers” by The Polish Ambassador

Most people have such a love/hate relationship with Dubstep that I’m sure you just had a reaction to me mentioning it right now. Whatever your preconceived notion, if you love any kind of electronic music you need to check out The Polish Ambassador, the brainchild of David Sugalski. On his latest release, the EP Superpowers, Sugalski uses samples, synths, and big beats to create laid back grooves and melodic playscapes. Your first reaction to hearing this EP may be that the music seems very Sci-Fi inspired, but if that isn’t your cup of tea don’t let that description deter you. Sugalski’s ability to take that world and mesh it with today’s David Guetta style production is tremendous. Check out the Sci-Funk (thats how genre’s are born) for yourself on “Flesh Prayers” embedded below, then head over to The Polish Ambassador’s website. There you will find not only a free download of this magnificent EP of spaceman baby making gems, but also a free download of everything The Polish Ambassador has ever done. That’s seven albums and 30 remixes of songs by everyone from Bon Iver and Local Natives to George Michael and Next for FREE.

Come To My (i)Pod #3

by soandyway

Wow, its been a minute. Well here’s what I’ve been rocking
lately:

Albums:
“Lonely Avenue” by Ben Folds and Nick Hornsby
“Danger Days: The True Lives of The Fabulous Killjoys” by My
Chemical Romance
“My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” by Kanye West
“One Love” by David Guetta

Comics:
The Flash
All Things Return Of Bruce Wayne

TV:
The Walking Dead

First off, I’m so in love with the Walking Dead. What an amazing show. The first season just ended at only six episodes, and I’m not ashamed to admit that I got misty eyed in at least 4 of the episodes. The finale was spectacular, and I cannot wait for the second season next year. I will certainly be running the blu rays non-stop when they come out in march. I’m
so in love with this series, and there’s 2 reasons why that’s saying something, even though I’m a huge geek: 1. I’m not the biggest Zombie guy. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good zombie flick from time to time (I heart SHAUN OF THE DEAD) but that’s certainly not a draw for me. 2. I have only read one issue of the comic. I have heard nothing but amazing things from people who read the book, but I haven’t made the jump. Now I’m more hesitant than I
was before because I don’t want to watch the series comparing it to the book. I’m so in love with all the characters, and I want to keep my perceptions of them intact. Also, from what I’ve read in interviews, the series deviated from the book in a lot of big ways, and I just don’t want to be constantly judging it against the book. All that being said, OMG, if you havent seen it at all, what are you doing, go watch this amazing, amazing show. Damn walkers!

Comics wise, BRUCE WAYNE IS BACK BITCHES!!!! 🙂 I missed the big guy, and he’ back in rare form. I loved “The Return Of Bruce Wayne” and the tie ins. Grant Morrison is tops on my list right now and I love where he’s taking the Dark Knight. We’ll see how long it lasts. I get the feeling that Bat purists are gonna have issues with his choices more and more as we go, so we’ll see how much crap he takes. For now, he’s got a least one ardent supporter! On the bright(est day) side of DC, Geoff Johns and Francis Manapul’s run on The Flash has been awesome. The last 2 issues have been real head turners, and in typical Johns fashion, you get the feeling that seeds are being sewn for something major for the DCU in the future. It’s a great read for anyone who’s just starting out with the Flash, but its hardcore enough for
longtime fans.

Music wise, you can’t go wrong with the above records. My Chem is at their rockiest, and Ben Folds is melodic as ever with some lyrical help from Nick Hornsby. The surprising entry to some is “One Love” by David Guetta. That album is pure pop party perfection. You’ve certainly heard the hits from it, but there’s not a bad track on it. Kanye West takes a lot of shit
in the press because he has a big mouth, but if you can look past that, you will find that he his miles and miles ahead of everyone in the game as a rapper AND producer. MBDTF is an insanely wonderful album, and should be a contender for album of the year.