5 TRACKS THAT GOT ME THROUGH 2015
So this year sucked. Well, for me personally. Adulting, health, career, passions, relationships(or lack thereof)---you name it, and chances are I struggled with it.
Pity parade aside, these 5 tracks reminded me why I struggle: so I could laugh at myself later down the road at how bad I bitched about basic things. Just kidding. Kind of. But really, It was a tough year that toughened me up; it taught me to swag out whatever shit that I'm going through with music, homies, fam, and beer.
Anyways these are the 5 tracks that brought me out the shit this year and kept me sane. Hope they do the same for you.
RYDERZ - HUDSON MOHAWKE
The sample is butter. The whole song is butter. DJ Rogers' "Watch Out" sped up is something out of a hood-cowboy movie, a la Django Unchained. Soul infused, electronic gospel. Just a super fun song to wyle out to, be it in the car, in the shower, or on the toilet dropping nuggets to the beat. The build-up is super epic and exhilarating; the backup vocals on the sample give the track a amphitheater aesthetic. When those hi hats hit, there's nothing you can do but just turn the fuck up. Just a damn fun song to listen to.
GOOD TIMES - JAMIE XX FT YOUNG THUG & POP CAAN
The title of the track says it all. When you're going through the shit, just let Young Thugs nearly perfect voice remind you that good times are coming---and that you should "ride in that pussy like a stroller"--- line of the year in my opinion. In true Jamie XX fashion, things are light, colorful, and diverse --- just the way good times should sound in music form. DAT INTRO SOUL SAMPLE DOE. Lawd, there isn't a better way to preface good times than a soul man crooning "I KNOW THERES GONNA BE GOOD TIMES!", and having it followed by Popcaans bombaclad vibes and Young Thugs prophetic wailing. This track really makes you believe good times are coming. Thank you, Pop Thugga XX 🏼.
THE LESS I KNOW THE BETTER - TAME IMPALA
No one is making music like Kevin Parker right now. No one. Psychedelic rock with hip hop hi hats/drums, caressed by Parker's Lennon-esque vocals. This track exemplifies this formula. It's groovy, it's airy, it's light, and it's undeniably Tame. Yes, it's a band effort. But this track, and most of Tame Impala's catalog show off Parker's virtuoso skills. The word's been said, and I'll say it again: GROOVY. I always get in a groove when this track comes on, and that proved to be very helpful in not so groovy times throughout 2015. Listen to this if you're trying to get down with ya bad ass self---oh and fuck Trevor.
PASSING OUT PIECES - MAC DEMARCO
There's something about Mac's aura and voice that screams "bums that have money but still act and live like bums, and fortunately for their well being know how to make very good music." Mac Demarco's "Passing Out Pieces" has a super dope synthy-stringy undercurrent that serves as an unusual home for his Bob Dylan-esque vocals. Mac and his crew just have fun making good music, and this track backs that statement up. It's a really random track that kind of grabs your attention on the Salad Days EP, alongside Chamber of Reflection. Both have an electric sound to it that doesn't sound typical of Mac's more folk-y self, but that's what makes it that much more dope to listen to: it's like a Mac attack on acid. Anyways, if you want carefree and chill, Mac's your dude and Passing Out Pieces your tune.
ALRIGHT - KENDRICK LAMAR
Need I even go into it? Take the voice of a generation, paired with a creative of a generation coming off creating the happiest anthem of recent times in "Happy", and you get an anthem of a generation in "Alright". If this song doesn't comfort you about your fears, insecurities, and failures, then go listen to Nickelback. Alright is simply its namesake: you and I will be alright. Through a tumultuous year of racial, criminal, and worldwide injustices, people need an anthem to help them believe again. Alright is that anthem, and Kendrick is the preacher. We gon be alright.