せつない

Setsunai. Maybe best translated as "sentimental," but like a lot of Japanese words, there's a little more to it that's hard to put into English. A friend once tried to explain it as wanting to go back to the way something once was, but knowing you can't.

So I changed up the Muxtape. And that's the theme. A.K.A. Songs I Love But Sometimes Can't Really Listen To All The Way Through.

mattm.muxtape.com

Jim

I often think about when music is released, season-wise. Artists (or more likely, record labels) drop obvious summer hits a month too late; stark, introspective albums bow in May. And so on. Surely musicians are keen to get their work out in a timely fashion, but sometimes the timing is just off.
Anyway, I listened to the new Jamie Lidell record today, and it felt perfect. Like it was made for this week - the week it finally became reliably warm and sunny in New York. It felt as if I hadn't had it on the iPod, the city would have had to have somehow created it. Urban musical zeitgeist, or whatever you please.
So. I'm easily taken with new music these days, but that said, it's a pretty fantastic record. It's a great progression from the last one - looser and more confident. In a sense, considering Lidell's electronic roots, and the use of loops and layering on Multiply as a means of tentative approach to traditional soul music, the more organic Jim continues a reverse progression (retrogression?) of sorts.
I love the single - it took me a couple listens, but after that I've had it in heavy rotation the last few weeks. Other highlights: "All I Wanna Do" dips into almost Doo-Wop-esque production near the bridge. "Figured Me Out" - the most electronic-leaning of the bunch - is insane. It sounds like a future-retro-futuristic throwback to early Jamiroquai, Central Line, vocoder funk, and new jack swing all at once. And "Green Light" - I want to live inside this song. The percussion at the beginng is great - so halfway between Shuggie Otis and Richie Hawtin. And the first chorus slides in so lovely.
It's been a long time since I've had a succession of "favorite records" this long - maybe not since I was in junior high and couldn't afford to buy but one cassette every couple of months. Anyway, it's nice to kind of live with an album for a while, or whatever. Progression so far this year: Owusu & Hannibal-Adele-Erykah Badu-Benny Sings-Jamie Lidell...

Butternut Reduction

Here's what I was going to post:

I've got a hit song, but my heart isn't in it.

Given the state of:

Hip-hop/my sense of humor/ringtone rap and so on, however, I don't feel that that's an issue. Maybe it works in my favor. Is it possible that to have a hit record these days, it's better not to be vested in what you're writing about?

Anyway, I figure I need:

A little Casio beat that sounds good on crappy speakers, some effects, about four lines, and a dance. Should take about an hour. If you want to come over and help, we can get it down to forty minutes, maybe. If Soulja Boy can tell 'em, I can too.

My song? Tron That Bitch.

But here's what it comes down to:


Why is current popular Black music in love with the sounds of late 90's Eurobeat? Is Cher like the OG of modern hip-pop?

We R Here; Where RU?

Muxtape is where it's at, at least this month. Painless playlists and nice simple design. Anyway, here's some April music:

mattm.muxtape.com

1. Just because it's an ill way to start a mixtape, er, muxtape. Did they redo this theme song for the remake? Is the remake already cancelled?

2. I dig this, but this is seriously the kind of music only French people can pull off. One of the dudes from Daft Punk producing. Latter half of the disc has lots of female moaning.

3. I put off listening to the Adele record for quite a while, only to listen to almost nothing but last month. Great mix of influences; the vocal stylings are almost Jeff Buckley-esque in certain passages on the first few tracks.

4. I actually paid for this record! The blue-eyed soul meets yacht rock thing is spectacular. The Netherlands and Denmark have it going on the last few years.

5. Nice little stomper from a well-done record. Would've liked to hear the shelved Dangermouse/Ike Turner sessions this partnership started from, though.

6. Stop fronting, fellas. There's nothing wrong in calling it a go-go record.

7. New New York neo-disco. I can finally semi-appreciate Antony, but still like the instrumentals the best.

8. Dangermouse production again, I believe. Love the kinda Happy Mondays doing U2 vibe.

9. For the Ladies and the Gentlemen. Finished soon, hopefully.

10. In the Sade discog, Lover's Rock (the album) doesn't really stick out to me, but I kind of rediscovered it a month or two back (when you're coming home from work at 5 in the morning, it's almost Sade or nothing on the music tip). This track is especially lovely.

11. Nice, unexpected moment off the new one.

12. One of my all-time favorites; ever since some diamond commercial from the pre-Fugee days. 2:38 mark gets me every time. Magic.

Wanna know!

“Somebody…ain’t living right and I wanna know who is…”
~ intro to “Nic’s Groove” on the Foreign Exchange “Connected” album

I am SO tired of watching Flash-animated turning pages on computer screens.

Finally, somebody has done an online magazine right! Inqmind.ca is perfect. They meld the best aspects of web design with the best of magazine design. This site is a classic example of knowing the rules in order to break them. I’m seeing beautifully laid-out columns of text and images moving independently in order to progress through the article and add to, instead of distract from, the content. I am very inspired by this.

Plus, I am thinking about how many times I’ve read the Fader (another fav) and wondered how the music that they described sounded. The music player on Inqmind is seamless. It’s hard to go wrong when you start with a Dilla tribute, but what’s up with that new Funkdoobiest!!! Rock on.