Album Stream: Ab-Soul ‘Control System’
Most of my favorite rappers these days are in the 30+ age bracket, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of young artists that I’m excited about, quite the contrary. Ab-Soul has been overshadowed by Kendrick Lamar and ScHoolBoy Q in their L.A. based “Black Hippy” crew to this point, but his outstanding new album Control System looks to change that. What Ab-Soul lacks in technical proficiency and lyrical dexterity, he makes up for in atmosphere and thoughtful creativity. Control System follows up on several of the ideas and themes displayed on ScHoolBoy Q’s excellent album Habits & Contradictions released earlier this year, proving that while the collective may be moving up to the majors with Dr. Dre and Interscope soon, they will try to maintain their aesthetic and creative control. Ab-soul’s skeptical, druggy vibe is on full display in these two excellent music videos. Peep the full album stream and purchase from iTunes if you dig.
Connect with Ab-Soul via Facebook | Twitter
Written by John Bugbee
Album Stream: The Parlour Suite ‘Everyone’s Looking’
A guy. A girl. Surf pop. Sound familiar? Well certainly there’s room for more than one at this table. The Parlour Suite is a husband and wife duo out of Minneapolis who certainly sound out of place for where they hail from. Combining simple, elegant pop music with pristine, gorgeous vocals, their music is a soundtrack of sensuality and soul. They dropped their latest album Everybody’s Looking in early April. And lucky for us, they were kind enough to throw it on the Internet. With 7 songs checking in at 20 minutes, what it lacks in length it certainly makes up for in quality. Don’t miss personal favorite “Window Shoppers”, featuring catchy hooks and Inga Roberts’ vocals at their best.
Those of us in the Midwest can catch the duo on 6-22-12 in Indianapolis (Monkey’s Tale) and 6-23-12 in Cincinnati (The Mainstay). So if you didn’t have weekend plans a month in advance, now you do. Take a listen to the new album below, and hopefully, I’ll see you there Cincinnati.
Connect with The Parlour Suite via Facebook | Twitter
Written by Greg Dahman
Album Preview: The Mynabirds ‘Generals’
My ears tend to perk up whenever I learn that Richard Swift has his grubby paws on a project. We are big fans of his work with Jessie Baylin on her album Little Spark (review), released earlier this year. Swift has kept busy in 2012, working on keyboards and backup vocals for The Shins. On June 5, another Swift-produced project will see daylight in the form of The Mynabirds‘ sophomore LP Generals.
Swift served as producer on The Mynabirds underrated 2010 debut What We Lose in the Fire, We Gained in the Flood. The gang appears to be back in full force. Watch a trailer, view the track listing and stream the title track below. Pre-order your copy of Generals via Saddle Creek.
Connect with The Mynabirds via Facebook | Twitter
You Might Also Like:
Album Stream: Jessie Baylin Pleasure Center EP
Track Listing:
1. Karma Debt
2. Wolf Mother
3. Generals
4. Radiator Sister
5. Disaster
6. Mightier than the Sword
7. Body of Work
8. Disarm
9. Buffalo Flower
10. Greatest Revenge
Written by Rob Peoni
Thought on Tracks 