Monday, February 16, 2015

Weekly Music Recommendation: k-os

So versatile, you can't call this Canadian emcee's brand of music simply hip hop. Jumping from straight rapping over propulsive beats to singing over chunky rock guitars to almost everything in between, k-os spelling out Kevin's Original Sounds is fitting. But k-os also stands for "Knowledge of Self," and with his strong stance against hip-hop artists who focus on fame, fortune and firearms, this is more reason to listen.

Monday, February 9, 2015

Weekly Music Recommendation: Ought

Passive aggressive vocals that cavort from singing to talking to howling over a monotone, repetitive beat engulfed in garage post-punk fuzz. Imagine Iggy Pop fronting Television. This Montreal group begs the question: where have you gone CBGB?

Monday, February 2, 2015

Weekly Music Recommendation: Sturgill Simpson

A Kentucky country singer, whose raw, liquid baritone and lyrical acrobatics are giving CPR to the slick, overproduced, overhyped gunk that's trying to pass as today's country music. Simpson could have easily been one of the Highwaymen - the super group with Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Kris Kristofferson and Willie Nelson. "A picture's worth a 1,000 words but a word ain't worth a dime," he sings. Exactly.