Tracks:
"That Kind of Girl" by All Dogs
Albert Camus wrote "in order to understand the world, one has to turn away from it on occasion." Those words never resonated more than they did this weekend. I had a hard time understanding what caused those high school kids to hit a referee and, disgustedly, I took to mindless housework and Soundcloud as my drug of choice. Sometime during my failed attempts at an explanation, the lines "And I know I am always f**king up your world, you are better off not messing with that kind of girl, what does that mean when they say, stay away from me?" came across my speakers. And suddenly everything seemed to make sense. People imagine themselves a destructive force, one that needs to avenge the perceived atrocities that others have committed. We all want to be Batman, to stick up for the "citizens" that don't know better. It doesn't matter where this plays out, in life, on the football field. Problems arise when a person's perception of what is atrocious doesn't mesh with society's version. That didn't make it better, just made it seem less insane. As far as the song goes, I was enamored by its introspection, which seemed almost journal like in its presentation. It hinted at late 90's or early 2000's indie music. But the music that surrounded it, played more like pop punk. Who was doing such a thing? And why hadn't I noticed it before? An extensive investigation revealed that the who was an Ohio band called All Dogs. Their track, "That Kind of Girl," had been floating around the web for months. At the end of August their debut album was released and its accolades included an Album of the Week designation on Stereogum. That's to say, everyone already knew about these guys but me. My take away in all this Camus, All Dogs, high school football cluster? The years between 14 and 17 are not pretty at all and I would never, ever want to repeat them.
"Darkest Ocean" by All Tvvins
"Do yourself a f***ing favor. Build yourself a boat."
With this line, All Tvvins have just locked up Tampa's official summer single. I've already had the mayor retroactively put it on the agenda for June's legislative session.
"Come Home Now" by Day Wave
Summer is slowly making its way to the other side of the schoolyard. It leaves behind a garbage can full of empty popsicle sticks and spilled paint cans. Below the paint and sticky sticks is an old transistor radio that some elderly man tossed thinking that it doesn't work anymore. The radio begins to buzz. Quietly at first, like a person is moving it around searching for whatever invisible airwaves exist in the area. All of a sudden the radio finds a station and latches on. Here we have a crystal clear version of lo-fi. This is Day Wave's "Come Home Now."
"City Lights" by Andy Kong
In the past, when a Kong came to a city, the story became anything but pleasant. I'm talking hide the woman and airplanes type stuff. Andy Kong and his new single "City Lights" seeks to undo the damage that big hairy gorillas have caused. I'm not sure its been completely undone but it is definitely a good start. Andy's next task? Detroit.
Remix:
"Right on Track" by The Griswolds (Win and Woo Remix)
I've always wanted to go to a late night beach party on the shores of Australia but the wildlife has always scared me. Thanks to Win and Woo I can now do just that from the safety of my own couch.
Videos:
"Not A One" by The Young Wild
The video for The Young Wild's "Not A One" was shot in 12 fps which doubled the playback speed. That's why the band looks like they are moving in a very rigid and violent manner. I now understand why I look the way I do when I am vomiting. A supernatural power must be impressing his (or her) friends with his (or her) new 12 fps camera.
"Leave Me Alone" by Fidlar
I can't even count how many songs I've written on toilet paper. It's one of the few places that a person can get some privacy, or so I thought. Turns out Fidlar has been spying on my bathroom habits and now they've taken them and created a lyric video. *Looks out bathroom window, sees a guy hanging from the spouting* "LEAVE ME ALONE!"
"Gone" by JR JR
I saw on Twitter yesterday something about what would happen if the Earth stopped spinning. I think it said something like people's bodies would be sawed in half. Maybe that is what JR JR was representing in their new video for "Gone?"
"Downtown" by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis (featuring Eric Nally, Mella Mel, Kool Moe Dee & Grandmaster Caz)
My favorite Foxy Shazam story happened about three Christmases ago. I was at a family gathering, talking to my cousin, and noticed she was wearing a shirt from one of those redneck loving rock festivals that oftentimes setup shop at Hersheypark Stadium. On the shirt were tons of bands that rednecks love to get hard ons over (like Puddle of Mudd, Daughtry and Buckcherry). At the very bottom of the list was Foxy Shazam. They seemed a little out of place. I decided to inquire about whether my cousin enjoyed them or not. When I brought up the name, you'd of thought that I just told her that I wanted to date her mom (yes, that would be my aunt). They horror. The hatred. The vitriol. I smiled to myself. I know that she was just part of a big ol' joke that Foxy Shazam had played on that audience. Why all this Foxy Shazam talk in a post about Macklemore's new video? Because Eric Nally, lead singer of Foxy Shazam, handles the downtown part of Macklemore's new single "Downtown." It's the best part of the whole show. His entrance in the video, stellar baby. I'm a pretty decent sized Macklemore fan, wore out the Heist before it had even been released, but I could do without his part in this song. Well, at least his first verse. I somewhat enjoy his second one. Overall, I think "Downtown" would be absolutely amazing if the first two minutes were snipped, clipped and dropped on the production floor.
Get All of 2015's Click Tracks (when available) in One Spotify Playlist:
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