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If You Asked for a Picture by Blondshell - Berkeley Place
Too often, new indie sounds the same. It it's woman-fronted, she has a kind of slow drone while an overall swaying-then-edgy soundtrack plays in the background, nondescript. This album is NOT like that. The vocals have texture. The lyrics are fantastic. The music is memorable. Highly reocmmended. If You Asked…
Exploding Trees & Airplane Screams by Patterson Hood - Berkeley Place
This album feels more accessible than any of Hood's prior solo outings. It's still raw (I don't think he's capable of being anything BUT raw), but the writing is much tighter and the production is clean and crisp. Excellent record. Exploding Trees & Airplane Screams by Patterson Hood
Larry June, 2 Chainz & The Alchemist - Life Is Beautiful - Berkeley Place
I love this album. It's not what I expected at all. But I love it. Larry June is one of the best of a genre I call "yacht rap." Others call it "lifestyle rap." His work with Alchemist has been the best of his long career thus far. 2 Chainz…
Manic Hispanic (the band) - Berkeley Place
https://youtu.be/lHa4yvpXF0A I just discovered these guys. They convert punk standards by a wide variety of bands (from Germs to Clash to Sex Pistols to Richard Hell and on and on) into songs for the South L.A. Hispanic community. They're funny, they're great musicians, and their adaptations are smart. Check 'em…
The Top 50 Albums of 2024 - Berkeley Place
In Memoriam....Before I get to my list, I want to remember five musicians who I have found personally important who passed away in 2024... Al Green. Personally, my favorite '70s soul singer of all time. Kris Kristofferson. Me and Bobby McGee. Sunday Morning Coming Down. For the Good Times. Those…
THE 50 BEST ALBUMS OF 2023 - Berkeley Place
50. Desire, I Want to Turn Into You by Caroline Polachek. Indie. 49. Escalation by Guilty Simpson x Uncommon Nasa. Smart street rap. 48. Scaring the Hoes by Danny Brown and JPEGMAFIA, Alt rap. 47. Blondshell by Blondshell. Indie rock. 46. Stoned Cold Country by Various Artists. No less than Elle…
MY TOP 50 RAPPERS OF ALL TIME - Berkeley Place
Note that the title of this post is MY top 25. Not yours. I welcome all feedback and comments, below, but say this only because there are going to be some guys you're not going to see here that you'll get all upset about. Black Thought, Common, Mos Def, and…
The Top 25 Albums of 2024 ... So Far - Berkeley Place
Here's what I've been diggin' so far, roughly in order building up to my favorite album of the year so far. Several of these I haven't had a ton of time to re-listen to, so I suspect the list will change in December... 25. J. Cole, Might Delete Later 24.…
KISS THE RING by ROME STREETZ - Berkeley Place
He can brag better than you. "I smoke your whole top twenty, fuck five that’s definite/Choke the rap game out til ain’t no life left in it..." He's funny and creative. "I built a castle out of a pile of bricks...I'm peddlin' but I don't ride no kind of bike..."…
MY TOP 50 RAPPERS OF ALL TIME - Berkeley Place
Note that the title of this post is MY top 25. Not yours. I welcome all feedback and comments, below, but say this only because there are going to be some guys you're not going to see here that you'll get all upset about. Black Thought, Common, Mos Def, and…
The Top 25 Albums of 2024 ... So Far - Berkeley Place
Here's what I've been diggin' so far, roughly in order building up to my favorite album of the year so far. Several of these I haven't had a ton of time to re-listen to, so I suspect the list will change in December... 25. J. Cole, Might Delete Later 24.…
THE 50 BEST ALBUMS OF 2023 - Berkeley Place
50. Desire, I Want to Turn Into You by Caroline Polachek. Indie. 49. Escalation by Guilty Simpson x Uncommon Nasa. Smart street rap. 48. Scaring the Hoes by Danny Brown and JPEGMAFIA, Alt rap. 47. Blondshell by Blondshell. Indie rock. 46. Stoned Cold Country by Various Artists. No less than Elle…
THE BEST MUSIC OF 2023 ... SO FAR - Berkeley Place
I'm not updating this blog regularly anymore, but here's some of the stuff that has my ear-attention this year. Misadventures of Doomscroller by Dawes Come Get Your Wife by Elle King I Am the River, the River Is Me by Jen Cloher Noir or Never by Che Noir and Big…
KISS THE RING by ROME STREETZ - Berkeley Place
He can brag better than you. "I smoke your whole top twenty, fuck five that’s definite/Choke the rap game out til ain’t no life left in it..." He's funny and creative. "I built a castle out of a pile of bricks...I'm peddlin' but I don't ride no kind of bike..."…
THE TOP 25 ALBUMS OF 2022 - Berkeley Place
I liked way too many albums this year, so to avoid listing 100 albums, I’m just picking a select few albums that were best in their classes–and then noting others that are “genre adjacent,” which would have made my list if it were longer or if I were willing to…
2022'S TOP 15 COVER ALBUMS, REISSUES AND ALBUMS WHERE ARTISTS COVER...THEMSELVES! - Berkeley Place
For the best albums of 2022 go here. This list is just reissues, cover projects, and artists reissuing their own material, recorded anew (quite a few of these this year!). 15. Remote Transmissions Volume 1 by Band of Heathens, including covers of Bob Seger, The Rolling Stones, and others. For…