HOUSE IS A FEELING :: Les Sins - Grind

Les Sins - Grind

Happy Mother's day to all you special moms out there! I want to dedicate this post to you. Les Sins aka Toro Y Moi aka Chaz Bundick is a talented mutherfucker. His first full length album as Les Sins, named Michael, is blowing up. Let's go back though, 5 years to be exact. Grind is one of those tracks that is instant classic. With soulful vibey synths and "yeah" samples throughout - this one gets that ass waggin and feet shuffling. Check out anything and everything by Toro Y Moi or Les Sins - you won't be disappointed.

DROP ACID :: Roy Of The Ravers - Emotinium

Roy Of The Ravers - Emotinium

It's great having friends with taste in music. This tasty tune comes from my friend Weston and it might be the beginning of a new genre - dare I say it, Chill Acid. Not much is known about Roy of the Ravers. He comes from the UK and is indeed from the ravers. His Facebook profile said this:

In 1981, deep within the laboratory of the Roland Corporation, Japan - Tadao Kikumoto invented the TB-303. But when Kikumoto heard it was being used to create the acid sound, he ordered that all TB-303s should be recalled and DESTROYED. However, soon after; Kikumoto discovered that the last remaining TB-303 was in fact owned by Roy of the Ravers and vowed to destroy both Roy of the Ravers and the TB-303, putting an end to the acid sound FOREVER!!!

Long live acid! Check him out on Soundcloud, Bandcamp and Facebook.

KINK IN THE LINE :: Interview with Anka, photographer and fetishist (NSFW)

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FESTLIFE :: Electric Forest Documentary by a Nonsense Man & Space Dragon (review)

Electric Forest Documentary by a Nonsense Man & Space Dragon A Nonsense Man

I just wanted to share today an excellent Electric Forest documentary by my friend Zachary aka a Nonsense Man. I visited Electric Forest in 2008, and I was blown away. My friend Zach created a documentary, in which he explains the magic of Electric Forest. The highlights are an interview with Dixon's Violin - an incredible live violin act and a wedding at the festival. One of the other highlights is an impromptu Nonsense Man video. Zach's got talent and a real skill at sharing that experience. He loves to stare at pretty hoola hooping girls and who doesn't. Beyond that, he captures the magic which is Electric Forest ... and the fact that he's not an undercover police officer.

-No Boats

RIOT ACT :: Nihilist Cheerleader - Riot, Right? (Album Review)

Nihilist Cheerleader - Riot, Right?

Album reviews are typically out of the norm here at Barrel-dEM, but when one of my favorite bands released their new album - Riot, Right? I knew I had to. I've been a fan of Nihilist Cheerleader since I saw them back in 2016 in Atlanta. I had the pleasure of interviewing lead singer Flynne Collins at the time.

The band is from Athens, GA and they've been touring the southeast for a few years, so make sure you check them out in a town near you.

Their newest album is simply a pleasure to listen to again and again. It contains the perfect combination of politics, angst, sex, memorable melodies and punk rock. The track Drenched In is one of my favorites. The opening guitars are reminiscent of New Order creating a pleasing sound before the chorus breaks down into a crunchier sound. The lyrics seem to tell the story of loss and regret - repeating never look back.

Who's Gonna Hear You is another great track. The tempo is stepped up on this one compared to Drenched In. Basically, it's a song about moving forward, stop throwing a pity party and take charge of your life.



The song Miss You Forever is another stand out track. Like many of their songs, there are tempo changes throughout. A lost relationship is the main theme here.

Finally, & She Takes It, the last song on the album is a wonderful feminist anthem. It's a perfect closing song to an incredible album.

Pick it up from Bandcamp below. - No Boats

SOUTHERN HIP HOP BREAKING RANK :: SkyBlew - Nefelibata

SkyBlew - Nefelibata

I hear it all the time ... Hip Hop is dead. Trap killed it. Without digging it's easy to accept - with artists like Lil Xan, and all those face tattoo mumble rappers who aren't worth mentioning. Post Malone at least tries to pay homage to the past. But if you just dig beneath the surface, you will find artists like Skyblew. This guy is positive like Raury, walking tall like Camp Lo and doesn't need autotune to sound good. His production is on point.

Skyblew is a bit of a mystery. He grew up in Alabama but currently resides in Chapel Hill, NC. Not much else is known about him other than his influences are Common, A Tribe Called Quest, Lupe Fiasco, Nujabes, 2Pac, De La Soul, Scapegoat Wax, Blue Scholars, New Radicals, Common Market, Michael Jackson, Arrested Development, Sade, and Amy Winehouse. He's the kind of artist that get's me excited to hear everything he's put out.

ECSTATIC DANCE :: Brian Eno & Laraaji - The Dance #2

Brian Eno & Laraaji - The Dance #2

This song brings me incredible joy. Played primarily on the dulcimer by Laraaji, The Dance #2 is from the album Ambient 3: Day of Radiance. The album was produced by Brian Eno with Laraaji playing instruments. It's the third in Brian Eno's Ambient series which includes Music for Airports (highly-recommended).

This one is equally great for quiet meditation or crank it for some overpowering chords and energy.

BASE :: Public Enemy - Night of the Living Baseheads

Public Enemy - Night of the Living Baseheads

OMG, yes Public Enemy ... keeping it real. For those who don't know, there was a group that sprang up in the late 80's - they were everything controversial, had the best samples, and bridled the passion of the black struggle. Public Enemy had it all, a leader in Chuck D who was the messenger and delivered a message from the heart that people could believe in, a hype man - Flavor Flav who kept it fun and knew what his role was and a production crew - who knew how to sample and create the freshest jams time and time again.

Public Enemy as a group wore many hats but always stayed true to their cause. They were one of the first who collaborated with Heavy Metal bands like Anthrax to remake their songs. They had internal strife, with Flavor Flav and Professor Griff, about Flavor's drug use and antics. Professor Griff went on to say anti-Semitic things in accordance with his Nation of Islam stance and was distanced from the group.

Nevertheless, Public Enemy prevailed. They were inducted into Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame. They still continue to produce music to this day.

Public Enemy never had to shy away from controversy, they embraced it, but at their core they wanted to make hype music to hype people up.




Bonus:

TEARS :: Dinah Washington - This Bitter Earth (Max Richter Mash-up)

Dinah Washington - This Bitter Earth (Max Richter Mash)

Some songs just go perfect together - case in point ... Max Richter and Dinah Washington. This was my anthem in my darkest times last year - so beautiful and so haunting. I couldn't help but listen multiple times, usually in a drunken stupor and shed tears. This song has that power.

I've come out on the other side, but I lost my brother in December and playing this at his memorial just made everyone break down emotionally. Life is a journey, and it's not all roses ... if you can respect the sadness in the world, you can appreciate the good times. R.I.P. Daniel Paul Long!

X-MAS IN MARCH :: Forever M.C. feat Lupe Fiasco, Talib Kweli, Hus Kingpin & Rozewood - School

Forever M.C. feat Lupe Fiasco, Talib Kweli, Hus Kingpin & Rozewood - School

It feels like a gift when you come across a track like this. Lupe Fiasco, Talib Kweli, Hus Kingpin, Rozewood and Forever M.C. all on the cut. I won't pretend to know that I've ever heard the last 3 guys. For what it's worth, they brought their A game.

PROFOUND :: The Look of Silence (movie review)

The Look of Silence

If you are a regular, you know I pour my heart into this site. The things I share almost always have a deep and profound meaning to me in some way. I love documentaries and it's no secret that I love the ones that make you FEEL the most. Whether it's joy, heart-ache, hatred, loneliness - does it make you feel something? All great art does.

The Look of Silence makes me FEEL ... like no other documentary. Why? Because it's the simple story of a man confronting the killers of his brother. Those killings took place in 1965, but unfortunately, the power and the influence remains in the story of the killers, until now. Indonesia has always been a place of great struggle, whether against nature itself or other people. It's been a place of cannibalism ... recorded until the 1960's. One of the Rockefeller family members supposedly fell victim to it.

This movie is about moving on. We can't move on without dealing with the past. Like a bad relationship, it's about a closure. Make sure you watch it's predecessor too - The Act of Killing. Directed by the same person, at great risk to his safety - Joshua Oppenheimer. This movie also had a lot of risks for the main protagonist. It takes a strong will to ask those questions. It's also necessary.

OIL DIGGER:: Midnight Oil - Blue Sky Mine

Midnight Oil - Blue Sky Mine

Maybe not the first, but a powerhouse in the ecological music movement was Midnight Oil. The 80's / 90's was a different time for artists. It wasn't easy to make it as a successful artist to the mainstream expounding political agenda, in the 90's that would change and thanks in part to bands like Midnight Oil. The Australian quintet did not give a fuck.. Their mission was to try to preserve the Australian the wildlife through threats of the big guys - oil companies, mining companies, and neo-governmental aboriginal settlement agencies.

Midnight Oil started playing with that in mind and more. Their biggest hit - "Beds are Burning" literally played out the plight of Aboriginal Australians. With justice against them, they have literally overtaken with fire from the aggressors, the backward thinking policies. Blue Sky Mine is off their second album, also titled Blue Sky Mine. It is one of my favorites.

(R)EVOLUTION :: Ten Years After - I'd Love To Change The World

Ten Years After - I'd Love To Change The World

The Vietnam war era was a time of great turmoil and great truth. Many were using drugs and music to either escape or try to change the world. There were some great songs that came from that era including "I'd Love to Change the World" by British psychedelic rockers - Ten Years After.

The refrain is universal. "I'd love to change the world, but I don't know what to do ... so I'll leave it up to you." I know many of us have felt that way at times in our lives.

This was the bands highest charting single in 1971, and it was getting airplay on both AM and FM radio which was a rarity at that time.

WHEN YOU WISH :: The Florida Project (movie review)

The Florida Project

Some movies just come out of nowhere. I love it when that happens. If you've ever been to The Magic Kingdom or Universal Studios in Florida, you'll be very familiar with the area surrounding the parks. It consists of several long thoroughfares lined with souvenir shops, chain restaurants, hotels, and motels. Some of these motels are definitely lacking and have become home to many transients and those who live there from paycheck to paycheck or hustle to hustle. This is where our story begins, with a group of children just out of reach of the greatest place on earth.

Six-year-old Moonee (Brooklyn Prince) is the leader of the gang, and she is definitely her mother's daughter - full of wit, zeal, and hustle. Her young mother Halley (Bria Vinaite) would not win the contest for world's best mother. She cares about Moonee, but only as much as she can respect and care for herself. They live in a pink motel deemed "The Magic Castle". Monee plays with friends from there and another neighboring motel "Futureland".

The kids days are filled with as much freedom as they can handle, which leads to all kinds of trouble. At the same time the parents, especially Halley, are doing questionable things in order to pay the rent.

There is another surrogate - Bobby (with an incredible performance by Willem Dafoe), the manager of the motel is very protective of the kids. While he gets frustrated with them, he is caught between fixing the issues caused by the guests, the kids, Halley, and others.

Things quickly escalate when Halley turns to prostitution to pay the bills and the fallout that occurs.

Wonderfully directed by Sean Baker, this movie is almost always shot from the viewpoint of the kids. It captures their hopes and the fears wonderfully and the ending is incredibly magical. I don't want to spoil it, just go see it.

PRECOGNITION :: Jimi Hendrix, Lightnin' Rod & Buddy Miles - OD

Jimi Hendrix, Lightnin' Rod & Buddy Miles - OD

 This is the fourth track from the Doriella Du Fontaine EP. I'm really not sure what Jimi's contribution to this track was but he definitely jammed on the other tracks on this EP. Lightin' Rod, a member of The Last Poets, does some amazing spoken word on this track.

WHAT I'VE BECOME :: Michael Seary ft. Luke Cusato - Can't Say It Back (Feint Remix)

 Michael Seary ft. Luke Cusato - Can't Say It Back (Feint Remix)

I've only just come across Feint, but I'm an instant fan. With sounds like this, it's time to dig deeper into the Feint crate.



UPDATE: I've just heard the original and have to give it credit too. Check it below.



No Boats

SO META :: LIFELIKE - SO ELECTRIC (XANADU VIDEO MASH) + GTA Nightride FM

The future is meta. The future is now. Remixes, mash ups, refixes, copyleft, biting my style ... it's ok. It's more than ok, it's a compliment - making or changing random universes from Xanadu to GTA V.
That's the way it is. Get with the program.


LIFELIKE "SO ELECTRIC" from Hugo RedRose on Vimeo.




No Boats

HIP HOP DOCS THAT POP :: Our Vinyl Weighs A Ton | This is Stones Throw Records

Stones Throw

In 1996, Chris Manak aka Peanut Butter Wolf founded Stones Throw records. His best friend MC Charles Hicks (Charizma) had just been slain in a carjack attempt and Manak created the label to release their debut album.

Though most well known for bringing the highest caliber underground Hip Hop artists to the forefront - names such as Madlib aka Quasimoto, JRocc, MF Doom, and J Dilla ... the label was always a petri dish for more eclectic artists to do their own thing - whether or not there was a market for it.

Manak's mantra has always been - “I put out what I personally like and save the rest for the other labels out there”

This is his story.

View trailer and video below. Also available on Netflix.



No Boats

THE AFTERLIFE :: Dan Deacon - When I Was Done Dying

Dan Deacon

The amazing Dan Deacon has done it again. His latest, Gliss Riffer is a polished album which retains the essence of the original sound which made him great. From that album, “When I Was Done Dying” is an incredible song and was made into a surreal video featured in Adult Swim's - Off The Air.

I was showing this to a friend recently and he loved it. He preceded to share his Bonnaroo Dan Deacon story and showed me footage of the show with him in it. Then he precedes to tell me that Dan is good friends with someone who lives here and has probably been to this rural pitstop more than once. It just goes to show ... the world is smaller than you think.



No Boats

ROCK WITH YOUR BLOC OUT :: Bloc Party- Better Than Heaven

Bloc Party- Better Than Heaven

Definitely my favorite tune off Bloc Party's third album Intimacy .... Better Than Heaven is the perfect platform to show off singer Kele Okereke's vocal talents. The song begins immediately with verse over bass notes and continues until halfway through, the bass notes give way to a guitar driven climax. With lyrics like "You get sadder, the smarter you get - and it's a bore", Kele is telling us that as we lose our innocence - we can become more jaded. But that's ok because "If this world does not turn you on ... well I've got enough for the both of us". Stop thinking, start feeling ... it's only sin, original sin.



No Boats