Music Spotlight – Favorite Music of 2013: Part 4

London Grammar – Strong

Strong is off of London Grammar’s debut album If You Wait. It is produced by the band as well as Tim Bran and Roy Kerr. The song feels ethereal, finding great heights thanks to Hannah Reid’s big and powerful voice (which is really the band’s greatest attribute). The track is inviting with its easy listening vibe, but Reid’s siren-like vocals create a much more involving experience than merely a song just happily playing in the background. Available for download: here

Mikal Cronin – Weight

Weight is off of Mikal Cronin’s second album MCII. The San Francisco indie rocker finds a great sound with the song (and album); equal parts rock and pop with sort of a slight punk edge. The song is catchy but never feels commercial (which is refreshing). It is a bit softer than his past work, but I think that might be a welcomed change. Available for download: here

MØ – Waste of Time

Waste of Time is off MØ’s debut album No Mythologies to Follow (due February 24, 2014). The Danish singer finds a good balance between electronically influenced pop and her own sound (in a marketplace flooded with similar artists). What works so well for the track is that it feels like a lot of genres sort of forced to cohabitate in the same space, but instead of sounding noisy and chaotic it all comes together. Available for download: here

Pusha T – Nosetalgia

Nosetalgia is off of Pusha T’s solo debut album My Name Is My Name. It features Kendrick Lamar and is produced by Nottz and Kanye West. The beat is a great minimalist track with a shrill guitar lick, but really it is the verses from Pusha and Kendrick that make this song pop. Pusha goes in about his past as a cocaine dealer and how that shaped his life, only to have Kendrick follow up with how his father was a junkie and how that shaped his childhood. The juxtaposition is fantastic and something new. It is one of the best hip hop tracks of 2013. Available for download: here

Sundays – World We Own

World We Own is off of Sundays’ debut EP Of Eros And I. Sundays present a sound that is both sort of celestial and poppy. It feels vast, but you can also dance to it (and it is catchy in a sly sort of way; it just creeps up on you). Available for download: here; Music Video: here

Pusha T – My Name Is My Name (2013) – Review

Review: Pusha T, previously of the duo Clipse (everyone should listen to Hell Hath No Fury) with his brother No Malice, has garnered a ton of anticipation for his major label solo debut My Name Is My Name. Ramping up to this album, Pusha dropped the excellent mixtapes Fear of God and Wraith of Caine in addition to the EP Fear of God II: Let Us Pray, as well as some strong verses on G.O.O.D. Music’s Cruel Summer.

My Name Is My Name feels different than what fans have come to expect from most current mainstream hip hop. Much like Kanye West’s Yeezus, it is raw, angry, and biting. But unlike Yeezus, Pusha T’s flows and persona feels much more connected to the streets. He is known as the king of the coke-rap, and on My Name Is My Name Pusha spends a lot of time reflecting on his past slinging white. The album plays like testimonial – a man looking back on his past with mixed emotions. However, Pusha also announces himself as a force to be reckoned with in hip hop – and this album backs that up.

Musically, the album has a very dark, almost industrial, tone, which works very well with Pusha’s lyrics and delivery. Kanye West oversees much of the production, giving Pusha T wonderful and fresh beats – and he and the album really benefit. Pharrell Williams also supplies two tracks, one of which (Suicide) sounds like it is a throwback to Pusha’s Clipse sound.

The album is a sparse twelve tracks, but really would have been better and tighter if it were only ten. No Regrets and especially Let Me Love You are fairly weak, with the latter not even fitting the album at all. Also, My Name Is My Name is probably overcrowded with featured guests. However, unlike many recent hip hop albums, a few of the guests actual bring something to the record – namely: Kendrick Lamar, The-Dream, Future, and Rick Ross (though, it is kind of funny that on Hold On Pusha talks about rappers pretending to be hard, cut to: Ross going in on the track - a man whose whole persona is fabricated). It is surprising the Kanye West (though, he does have un-credited vocals on Hold On) and No Malice do not show up on the album with guest verses. Pusha has great chemistry with West (as heard on their multiple G.O.O.D. Music collaborations) and it just seems like a missed opportunity, given all the guests (did we really need verses from Jeezy, 2 Chainz, and/or Big Sean?).

My Name Is My Name is both fantastic and slightly disappointing (which is completely due to the two weaker tracks that could have easily been dropped). But Pusha T has certainly thrown his hat into the conversation for who are best MCs right now. This is a vital album, pulsing with coarse emotion and skill. 4/5

Essential Tracks:

1)      Nosetalgia – Produced by Kanye West and Nottz, featuring Kendrick Lamar

2)      Numbers on the Boards – Produced by Don Cannon and Kanye West

3)      King Push – Produced by Kanye West and Sebastian Sartor

Available on: Digital Download