Hatchet reporter Andrew Avrick shares his latest musical obsessions.
“Putty Boy Strut”
Flying Lotus
If you have ever been up too late watching Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim block of programming, chances are you’ve heard one of Flying Lotus’s beats between commercials. “Putty Boy Strut,” from the artist’s new album “Until the Quiet Comes” puts his electric jazz stylings on display. This recent single oscillates between a warped squeaky vocal sample that almost mimics strange horns, and the dreamy digitized voices that hum underneath and around. The track is grounded by a constant pounding clap that invokes African influences, until it blends with the low, deliberate plucking of a jazzy guitar. FlyLo’s production is elaborate and layered, with both natural and distorted samples. And in the end? We’re left with a beautiful outro of violins and harps that twinkles then quietly stutters into silence.
“Come Up and Get Me”
Death Grips
When Death Grips and their label, Epic Records, found themselves at odds, the band released their newly finished album for free, with the title “NO LOVE DEEP WEB” haphazardly scribbled on the cover in Sharpie. It’s this rebellious tone that’s carried on through the album’s opening track, “Come Up and Get Me,” where lead vocalist MC Ride contemplates suicide at the top of a building. Ride’s shouts are loud and aggressive, incorporating hip-hop flow with a trashy punk attitude. The pounding, schizophrenic deep bass sets the unsettling mood as MC Ride strains himself to be heard over it. Simultaneously, the beat is fighting against him, a reflection of his combative tone. The song is an aggressive challenge to the band’s label, their enemies, and most importantly, us. If taking Death Grips off that eight-story building would cease their loud breakdown of rap and electronic music, then we shouldn’t be coming up to get them any time soon.
“Bitch, Don’t Kill My Vibe”
Kendrick Lamar
The expectations for Kendrick Lamar’s frustratingly punctuated first LP, “good kid m.A.A.d. city,” were unequivocally high, but the Compton rapper met the challenge with ease. One of the standout cuts, “Bitch, Don’t Kill My Vibe” feels like an old school west coast cruiser. Kendrick raps over a cool guitar sample that sets the mood of the song. The song has a catchy beat, but the real star is Kendrick’s varying flow, as he switches the rhythm of his voice throughout the five-minute track. Kendrick speaks to the state of the rap industry and reflects on his own life, expressing gratitude for whatever success he’s earned. His words are genuine and subdued, absent of the typical cockiness that usually fills hip-hop singles. With songs like this, Kendrick Lamar is setting himself up to be a staple in the future of rap music.
