Deadshirt Is Listening… Bringing you a rundown of our staff and guest contributors’ favorite new tracks released in the past week after they’ve had the weekend to blast them in their cars, in a club, alone in their rooms, etc.
Dominic Griffin is harlem shaking to…
“Locked & Loaded”
Vince Staples
Shyne Coldchain Volume II
Rap/Hip Hop
Most people got hipped to Vince Staples on Earl Sweatshirt’s debut Doris, where he played nihlist Ghostface to Earl’s Raekwon, the Trunks to his Goten, particularly on standout cut “Hive.” My introduction to the young tyro was on Jet Age of The Future’s “Lunchbox” where Vince’s palpable, low-key charisma shone through so brightly. Here, on the second installment of his Shyne Coldchain series, he’s grown exponentially. Under executive producer and professional Big Brother No ID’s watchful eye, Vince Staples comes off as a more confident and capable MCA than any three of his peers combined. “Locked and Loaded,” a track propelled by a simple loop and locomotive energy, pops with the melodic and potent power young artists normally can’t seem to tap into until their studio debuts. By shifting the tone of the production he spits on to music more varied and uptempo, Staples is able to stand above other new artists in his bracket, nimbly shifting flows to ably ride whatever beat he chooses to grace. “My life a movie, hope you liking the show…” Oh, we like it all right. We love it.
Mike Pfeiffer is Breakin’ The Law To…
“Destroyers”
The SHRINE
Bless Off
Metal
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=My2sI8xmVi0
Might have accidentally pegged myself as the Deadshirt Metalhead by doing another riffy track best played while pushing a chevelle over the speed limit and driving under the influence, but I couldn’t help myself. From the cover of The SHRINE’s third album I knew I had to hear whatever was going on inside, and the first track is an incredible distillation of the sort of celebratory heavy metal thunder they bring. I’m constantly chasing the dragon of finding a song that makes me feel as much like my body is a weapon the way that “Search and Destroy” does, and “Destroyers” gets awful close. By verse two I was choking back shouting the chorus and I had to stop in the middle of this review to try and learn the main riff on guitar. It’s not high-class, but it’s the perfect hamburger. Put this on when you’re pregaming for St. Patrick’s day tonight and watch how fast your life turns from Pre to Post Metalocaplypse.
Julian Ames is late night texting to…
“Computerized”
Daft Punk feat. Jay-Z
Rap/Hip-Hop
This curious song surfaced on YouTube on Monday. It was billed as a collab between Daft Punk and Jay-Z, and possibly produced by Kanye West, from around the time of the TRON: Legacy soundtrack. The background music of “Computerized” is sampled from the TRON: Legacy track “The Son of Flynn,” so it was understandable when a bunch of people on the internet declared that this was fake – anyone with mash-up skills could theoretically put Jay-Z vocals over the sampled track. In their coverage, Pitchfork quickly “confirmed” the authenticity of the Jay-Z/Daft Punk collab (although they didn’t cite any sources, so take that as you will.) As far as the rap goes, it’s passable; it is basically HOV’s take on the old “technology is driving people apart” lament. It’s possible that since this was an unreleased, unfinished track that those lyrics are just placeholders. There’s one point in the song where Jay-Z repeats this line “I don’t know how I feel/Somebody tell me what’s real” several times with increasing intensity to the point where he’s actually shouting it. Some people found this corny, but I think it’s actually one of the more interesting things I’ve heard him do vocally in ages. Of course, what makes the song is the Daft Punk touch; besides the backing music, the robotic singing of the hook “Past was the word, now I’m living in the future,” is infectious and will be stuck in your head by the second listen. I think this track is a testament to the fact that A.) the world wants and needs more Daft Punk, and B.) maybe Jay-Z should look for more out-of-the-box collaborators when working on material for his next album (not including Samsung.)
That’s it for us this week – what have you been listening to? Leave us a comment below or on our Facebook page!
Deadshirt's writing staff is dedicated to bringing you thoughtful and entertaining media commentary. We're mostly indentured, which means we can pass the savings on to you!
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