Brothers In Arms

To say I thoroughly enjoyed Mad Max: Fury Road would be akin to saying Mt. Everest is a pretty big fucking hill. I thought it was going to be a train wreck of a movie honestly but that's what I get for reading about it before seeing it for myself. It was amazing, and surprisingly what made it an even better experience was the score by Tom Holkenborg aka Junkie XL. I wasn't impressed with his first solo effort 300: Rise of an Empire (he also worked with Hans Zimmer on the amazing Man of Steel score). So when I found out he was scoring Max I held my breath and dove in. Come to find out the water was epic.

My favorite piece off the score (and it wasn't easy picking a favorite) is the cut entitled Brother In Arms. It has everything you could want and need. It's a pulsing, pounding, driving piece with an unsuspecting emotional pull at it's center. When you least expect it the strings and the horns come in behind the relentless percussion and takes the song over, pushing it ever forward. When the drums come back the combination makes this song take flight. As it settles, giving you the impression the song is ending it rears up and smacks you in the face with the drums again. I fucking love this piece.

If you haven't seen Mad Max: Fury Road I have NO idea what you are waiting for but you are missing out on the best non-stop action film in decades. You are also missing out on some truly brilliant music. I wasn't a fan of Tom's after 300: Rise of an Empire, but I am one now. Take a listen and see why, and oh...break out your big boy speakers while you're at it. Enjoy, and you're welcome.

Wet Dreamz

I have to admit that because hip hop lost me along the path somewhere, this talented young cat slipped past me. I'm catching up though and this song will ensure a loyal following from here on out. The young man is the artist known as J. Cole and the name of the song is Wet Dreamz and when I first heard it I couldn't help but smile. Reason being, it brought me back to the time in my life where I never did that before

Wet Dreamz is off J. Cole's 2014 studio release entitled 2014 Forest Hills Drive and it's a sweet little banger, showing J's versatility with subject matter that has been sorely lacking in hip hop. It also shows a vulnerable side to the young man that most rappers run from, and for that I say thank you. The story being told is of two classmates that fall for each other and the young lady would like to get intimate with her classmate who is afraid to admit he's a virgin. The lyrics are tight and the arrangement is perfection.

Hip hop needs more songs like these if it hopes to recapture is lost luster. Hip hop also needs more brave, intelligent, and skilled artists like J. Cole to bless the mic (lord knows there are enough bad ones out there). Thank you J for giving me hope that maybe hip hip is turning the corner and if you liked this song then definitely check out his Crooked Smile off his 2013 release Born Sinner. Enjoy!

If I Die Tonight

I have been disappointed by hip hop these past number of years. It was an art form I grew up on but lately it's become an art form that I am ashamed of. It's not made me proud and it subsequently lost me as a fan and consumer. However, recently I came across this artist by the name of Lecrae and my hope was rekindled. I am not a Christian and anything that includes the words Christian and music, I run from but this song touched me...deeply.

Lecrae has a spiritual tone to his music, it's uplifting AND entertaining which is supposed to be impossible to do in today's music scene, especially hip hop. Yet Lecrae has and is doing that very thing. This tune is called If I Die Tonight and it's off his 2014 release, Church Clothes Vol. 2 and it's not only powerful in it's message, it also shows Lecrae's talents as a wordsmith.

I can't deny that I am a fan and while his message may not strike me like he'd probably like, at least he has me listening and that's a damn good start. If you like this song then check out his cuts Sell Out and Lost My Way off the same album, they won't disappoint you. Enjoy.

The Grunt Pt. 1

Allow me to introduce to you one of the funkiest cuts ever recorded. It was so funky the production group The Bomb Squad got the foundation of two of their many hit songs for the iconic group Public Enemy from it. The list of artists that "borrowed" from this song doesn't stop with PE though. It's a long and varied one. The song is called The Grunt Pt. 1 and it was put together by The JB's which was James Brown's band from the 1970's to the early 80's. In that time they recorded some music that made it impossible for you or anyone you knew to sit still.

The Grunt starts off with a horn blast that is easily identifiable if you know Public Enemy's music. The groove then takes over and it's a funky one with a saxophone just wailing away over it. Every now and then the horn section will come in and contribute a few horn blasts. Then there's a break that is another easily recognizable Public Enemy sample. This cut is nonstop funky fun and it'll put a smile on your face.

This was the JB's just showing off and they showed out with this cut. Such a funky piece from start to finish, and the finish was abrupt because you just don't fade out the JB's baby. Enjoy!

Fire & Earth

It's the last post of the year and I felt this blog should bow out of 2014 with an X-Clan bang. The song is Fire & Earth and with the way this year has gone, to me this song is appropriate. X-Clan was a pro Black hip hop group from the early 90's, back when hip hop said something. back when it had a positive message mixed in amongst the music about women, money, and jewelry. I was a zealous X-Clan fan and thought Brother J was one of the most underrated rappers in the history of the genre.

Fire & Earth is off of their 1992 second studio release entitled Xodus - The New Testament and the song contains subtle digs aimed at the white rap group 3rd Base and the teacher himself, KRS-One. I love this song for its message of course. I also loved the mid tempo beat which allowed Brother J to flow smoothly over as he dropped knowledge.

It was during this time when I identified heavily with the Black nationalist movement and supported the call for divestment in South Africa. X-Clan albums were my soundtracks back then and their music will always have a special place in my heart. And if you like this song then definitely check out their cut Heed The Word of the Brother. Enjoy and again Happy New Year.

Work Song

Work Song is an amazingly moving song about unconditional love that not even death can conquer. It's by Hozier and it's off his 2013 EP release From Eden. It can also be found on his 2014 release Hozier. Hozier is an Irish folk singer and this song, in my humble opinion will make him a household name. It's haunting, moving, mournful, and gripping.

It starts off with backing vocals that sounds like a choir, hand claps, and eventually some sparse percussion. Hozier comes in with lyrics about how much in love he is with his baby. When the second verse comes in you get the sense that these two people are broken beyond repair and can only survive with each other by their side. The chorus brings that sentiment home with When my time comes around / Lay me gently in the cold dark earth / No grave can hold my body down / I'll crawl home to her. 

While this song sounds like it could be a Ray LaMontagne jewel since it has all the ingredients, the one thing Hozier has over Ray is the darkness. The song is one of the darkest love songs I've heard and Hozier's vocals fit perfectly. If you like this then you might be interested in checking out Cherry Wine. Enjoy and Happy New Year!

Scorpious 1111

This amazing piece of music entitled Scorpious 1111 is by an artist named VonLichten (whole name Helmut Vonlichten) and it's a spectacle. Helmut was once part of a group I was (and still am) a huge fan of name E.S. Posthumus. He formed the group with his brother Franz. When Franz died in 2010 Helmut ended E. S. and in 2011 formed a new group named Les Friction. I found this piece on his 2014 album entitled mDust and once I heard the song I've had the hardest time stopping myself from playing it again and again. And just for the record, you need to hear this song on your BIG BOY speakers. Ear buds won't do this song justice and you'll miss out on all the little nuances that make this an awesome piece of music.

The song starts off with a poignant mournful piano melody which is the melody carried throughout the song. Then the voices come in with dramatic strings following. Suddenly the song takes flight and the strings add a sense of urgency. Scorpious 1111 slowly builds as the voices come back and the piece swells with percussion and horns to a powerful crescendo. All of which brings us full circle back to the lonely piano.

If you enjoy Scorpious 1111 then I highly recommend Liller 1 off the same album. It's an action packed piece that starts off running right from the start and never lets up until the end. It's a treat for me to have new music from Helmut. I just wish his brother Franz could have been a part of it. Enjoy!