Kendrick Lamar Sells Out Australia

Pimp Pimp, Horray!

Those were the chants that started out Kendrick Lamar's sold out show at the Rod Laver Arena a few weeks ago. Kendrick needed no opener, and didn't have to come out for an encore, as he left it all on the stage during his show which pushed on to almost 3 hours of pure KDot. This was one of the best shows that we had seen in a while, as the whole crowd was into the music and nobody was killing the vibe. The only fight we saw was in the line for beer, which is to be expected, but even this ended with a handshake and some goodwill.

Kendrick started out with the classics, going through through the music from good kid, m.A.A.d city and Section 80 - until he reached back to some of his originals from the early 2000's - asking who had been there since day 1 to a booming response. The one thing that Kendrick did leave out for the Melbourne show was his fan led freestyle of M.A.A.D City, like he did in Houston, but given the rap talent in the room, it was probably for the best. Not saying this was a bad thing, but being in Melbourne, there was probably the most beards and longboards there has ever been at a Kendrick Lamar concert.

Angus & Julia Stone on Manly Beach at The Australian Open

A few weeks ago we had the pleasure of traveling back to our old local, Manly Beach, for the Australian Open. This is an annual week long competition for skateboarding, surfing and art - drawing out the largest crowds to experience the true aussie beach lifestyle.

This year the headliner for the event was none other than the globally notorious brother and sister combo of Angus & Julia Stone - who we discovered we're locals themselves hailing from Sydney. In contrast to the DJ that followed them on stage, Angus & Julia have a very quiet and peaceful sound that calmed the beach, while the waves crashed alongside their melodic strumming. Returning from LA where they produced their latest self-titled album with the legendary Rick Rubin, this duo was a massive draw card, as they exposed us to their new and old music, finishing with Big Jet Plane (our favorite).If you ever have the opportunity to come to Australia this is the week to do it. Just stay on Manly Beach, don't plan anything, and enjoy the laid back lifestyle.

Tame Impala Live in Melbourne

Earlier this month we headed out to Sidney Myer Music Bowl, an outdoor venue in Melbourne (read lawns) to see a major stage of Tame Impala's national tour. The group toured Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth (for 2 shows in their hometown) - heading exclusively into outdoor amphitheaters to promote their latest album Currents. They put on a ripper of a show for hours, playing through their entire selection, accompanied by a visual trip, and ending with fireworks (literally), It was clear it wasn't just the nationalism that sold these shows out across the country.

While this group is extremely well known in Australia (with Currents even being named the ARIA Album of the Year), they have only recently started to make major waves across North America. With their psychedelic rock feeling similar to much loved bands like MGMT, Neon Indian or Empire of the Sun, their sound provides a perfect vibe to graze to at the beach, mountain-side or for an easy afternoon backdrop. Although the band has been around for a long time, last year was clearly a breakout year globally - with blog aggregator hypem declaring them the 4th most blogged band of the year. Here's another mention for ya mates. If you haven't stumbled across these guys just yet, take a look at their album below (start with Let It Happen) - could be a nice addition to your selection. Or if you're feeling in the mood - get your horn out and listen to one of their older tracks - Elephant.

Alt-J in Melbourne

A few weeks back I had the opportunity to see Alt-J live in Melbourne and it was quite the treat. The UK lads were welcomed with open arms to a sold out show, which was replicated in Sydney, Perth and Brisbane shortly after.

These guys put on a great performance, with a nice contrast between melodic songwriting and quick indie rock. In the arena the energy would swing drastically from the calm visions built in "Arrival to Nara" to the haunting translucence of "Hunger of the Pine" to the earthy undertones in "Dissolve Me" - keeping the audience interested in every note.

Playing the part of opener was Asgeir, an Icelandic folk band that is gaining global notoriety - after an extremely successful local launch (10% of the Icelandic population now owns their first album).

Hi-Top Brass Band at The Manly Jazz Festival

Living down in Manly, Australia definitely has a few perks; the humid climate, iconic beach, but most notably the festivals that take place right outside our window. The most recent of these was the Manly Jazz festival, which had hundreds of artists come in to perform on the main strip and accompanying bars over an extended weekend. We managed to get a good sampling of the music, which mainly consisted of old school jazz and funk, (bringing us back to the alleyway bar scene in Toronto) - but one group manged to break the fog completely - The Hi-Top Brass Band.

Akin to their name, this is a collection of gentlemen utilize a variety of brass to drive a strong back story to the vocals, which are not your typical growls of jazz, but rather a spoken word new age rap. We caught For The Money and Roll Up which probably drew one of the biggest crowds of the week - with the whole corso full up with the locals jamming along. Luckily these guys are willing to share a few tracks on their Bandcamp, which you can find below, to check them out at your own leisure.

A$AP Rocky: SVDDXNLY

One of my favorite stories of an artist going from unknown to global superstar belongs to ASVP Rocky – who we originally covered back in late 2011 - when he broke onto the scene as an independent rapper from Harlem looking to make it in the big city of NYC with his crew.

Due to some solid A&R work Rocky was picked up from the plethora of artists that fit into the underground hip hop scene and was quickly signed for $3m to make two albums; one solo record for himself and another for his crew. This was not a route that many record labels were taking, as the industry was still in a tough period of transition and this method obviously had some serious risk associated with actually paying off. In ASVP’s case; both Rocky and the crew had that something very special and it worked out like no other – with sold out shows, critically acclaimed albums and a second record already in the works. The best part is that it's not only about him - because when you’re a group that’s getting compared to the Wu Tang Clan, you know that you can't really be in a better place. Now Vice Media (one of my favorite media outlets these days) has had its music arm, Noisey, pick up on this epic story for ASVP and has released a 5 part synopsis of this journey that the crew has been on. This includes not only how they got picked up, but the development and growth that has inevitably occurred along the way. 

Peep the first video below and the other 4 parts after the jump. This will be officially premiered at SXSW this year and definitely won't be the last time Vice gets A$AP Rocky in front of the camera.

FROMTHEPAST // The Human Expression

From California in the mid-sixties The Human Expression headed primarily by Jim Quarles who collaborated with one of the other band member’s father Jim Foster. The two over a short period wrote and recorded several demos. Some singles gained favor in the local Westminster, California area; most favorably the B side “Love At Psychedelic Velocity”. 

The band continued for a little and had some tracks mixed by Wally Heider who would later work with The Grateful Dead. Quarles unfortunately made the decision to turn down ‘Born To Be Wild’, which Steppenwolf went on to make famous. Eventually the band ended around 1968. 

‘Optical Sound‘ shows the bands skill for milky neon grooves and ‘I Don't Need Nobody’ is an example of Quarles’ introspective writing style, which ultimately dominated most of the material.

Quarles goes on to writing and recording more demos and eventually becoming a sound engineer, sadly his music really never came to a recognition it deserved. The Human Expressions music still lives on in Psychedelic mix tapes, volumes, and the internet.

cheerz,
egoeggo

Shaking things up: Sydney, Australia

After a lot of deliberation and negotiation - it's now finally official - my girlfriend and I are moving around the world to set up shop in Sydney. As you may have noticed from my past commentary, I have always had a fascination with the land down under. So when my company offered me the position to help establish our presence in the region, I knew that it was time to make a big move.

I'm a firm believer that learning happens when you step outside of your comfort zone... and it was getting too cozy around here. I've lived in the Southern Ontario bubble for the past 21 years of my life, and although it is beautiful here and there's great community - we're digital now - it's not that hard to keep in touch with friends regardless of where you are. When people ask me what my family thinks of this maneuver, I simply point to the fact that I was born internationally myself, on a Canadian Air Base, during my Mom & Dad's 5 year stint in Germany. Exploring is in my blood.

So we leave in just over a month to explore a culture with subtle differences, sunny weather and unique adventures. I think we will fit in nicely with the laid-back demeanor. I'm going to do my best to get into the music scene as well, as we have been covering artists like Horrorshow, Spit Syndicate & Hilltop Hoods for years now, and it will only make sense to get it domestic. On cue, here's a video shot in Sydney from SS (and a few tracks off their latest album, Sunday Gentleman).

Your Friday Banger Session: Jacuzzi - Mizu (EP)

No idea where this guy came from or how I came across him for that matter, but as Friday slowly grinds its way towards weekend glory, I think these tracks provide the necessary pick-me-up.  Hawaiian production artist Jacuzzi has hung around the scene for a while, but he just recently dropped his EP, Mizu.  I'd like to stress the "drop" in that previous sentence, as each one of these tracks is a wild journey of complex and symphonic-like bass builds.  Calling this Trap just doesn't do justice.  Pure instrumental majesty on this one, but don't be surprised if you start hear more from this up and coming beatmaker.

KYGO

Hailing from Bergen Norway, house music producer KYGO has been slowly making a name for himself throughout the blogosphere. Explaining KYGO is simply a reiteration of how I discussed producer duo The Chainsmokers a while back. These so called remix artists are beginning to be recognized as musicians instead of being viewed by music snobs as music thieves. Artists like KYGO put their own unique musical touch on each project and allow fans to fall in love with their distinct production. This isn't the first time music has started an evolution that certain segments of people have a problem with and it sure as hell isn't going to be the last. I personally enjoy the fact that these artists have started to become individual entities within the music industry. I'm not going to bore you with an extensive explanation of these tracks so I'll make it quick.

The re-work of Ed Sheeran's "I See Fire" combines slow melodic production with some unique oriental sounds. Ed's voice compliments the production elements of KYGO perfectly for a great mix. My next favorite is actually a re-work of a cover which, so basically remix inception. Henry Green takes on the song made it all real for MGMT so many years ago "Electric Feel". KYGO adds some production elements and really makes the track pop. And lastly, the track that has made my early mornings slightly more bearable as of late, Dolly Parton's "Jolene". He pulls some influence from what it seems to be old Westerns and or Quinton Tarantino films. Regardless, the song features some great production and unbelievable manipulation of the sample.

Shad K- "Remember to Remember" OFFICIAL VIDEO

I still remember seeing Shad perform at my high school and in small bars for crowds of 20-30 people. Being able to watch visuals like this from him makes me feel a little warm and bubbly. With a positive aura that has never left, Shad continues to amaze fans with unmatched lyricism and quality realness that has kept me coming back for almost 10 years. The video features Canadian Electropop star Lights aka the future mother of my children and also some amazing and unforeseen high budget visuals. I'm still not ready to give the album a review because I don't believe in doing so. I need some time with an album to truly let the artistry sink in. "Remember to Remember" has been one of the stand out songs for me so far and I'm proud that this generation of much music rap listeners are getting quality messages through Shad's music. I still remember being the ripe age of 12, living in the suburbs and seeing K-os' video for " Superstar pt.zero" and being absolutely entranced on the television. 3 years later I saw this Shad character open up for Common in Toronto. I bought a "I want a Claire Huxtable" shirt that I wore religiously for years.Unfortunately I've grown old and fat so my classic Shad shirt no longer fits but the emotional value associated with Shad will never leave. I hope there is a young hip-hop fan who stumbles upon this post and ultimately Shad's music, whose life involvement with hip-hop will be changed forever.

and just because its awesome:

Noname Gypsy- "Samaritan" Featuring Mick Jenkins

I've never really done this, but sometimes I come across a blog post that elegantly phrases everything I wanted to say about an artist or song way better than my grammatically incorrect, geography major self could ever imagine doing. Don't get me wrong I love writing and I'm sure if I had extensive amounts of time to spend writing blogs I could conjure up some philosophical greatness. It is the unfortunately reality that I often let songs like Noname Gypsy's "Samaritan" featuring Mick Jenkins get lost within my music library. So instead of listening to me ramble, please go and appreciate author James Elliott from Earmilk thought's on this track. I don't know James whatsoever but in relation to his thought's on "Samaritan" I can however say I like the cut of his jib.

Sol- "Turn Me Loud" VIDEO + Nelson Mandela Salute

This past year or so has been an absolute whirl wind for fans of Macklemore and Seattle hip-hop in general. As Macklemore has been nominated for best song, best album and best new artist of the year it's clear that Seattle has solidified itself within rap legitimacy. The general aura around this new found music scene is that the artists who comprise it seem to be a very tight knit group of individuals. A passionate love for life and the experiences whether good or bad that it entails, seems to be the relevant connection between them. 

Sol is no different in the fact that he lets his emotions drive his music. He spent a year traveling the world and came back as his album title alludes to with his "Eye's Open" to the injustices of the world. With the stellar visuals for "Turn Me Loud" Sol expresses the power of his voice and the joy he gets from experiencing crowds of fans who share in his passions. As the death of Nelson Mandela helps us understand that our voice and beliefs should never stifled, It is up to gentlemen like Sol and Macklemore to express these thoughts to our often misguided youth. Like every other musical medium, there is change. It was once the b-boy then the thug that dominated rap and now we've woven a mosaic of difference for hip-hop for fans to enjoy.  

Sol saluted Mandela in a recent Facebook post and dedicated one of his most recently released songs to the man who has helped changed political thinking forever: 

Today we say goodbye to one of the most inspiring human beings in all of history. The embodiment of hope and forgiveness, Nelson Mandela taught us how to love our enemies and grow together. In the five weeks I spent in South Africa, despite their many current problems it was all of the forward thinking young South Africans influenced and raised by Mandela that I met that gave me such excitement about S.A.'s future. Thank you for your contribution to humanity and Rest In Power. #NelsonMandela

Childish Gambino - Telegraph Ave and because the internet (Album Trailer)

I must admit I haven't paid much attention to this kid as it seems I'm the only guy in the league who doesn't watch Community (I'm a Mad Men, Californication, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia kind of guy). However, something about the roll out for Childish Gambino's second studio album, because the internet, has me intrigued. Maybe it's the red-eyed .gif cover or the Beck-created title, but something seems different this time around. Who am I kidding? It's probably because I can take him seriously now after he ditched those stupid "punch me in the face" readers everyone seems to be wearing. Another example of when you are so goddamn hip...that it actually hurts.

The music is on point though, and that's all that matters. The album arrives December 10th and will feature appearances from Chance the Rapper, Jhene Aiko and Azealia Banks.

In Oakland...   

The Range - Nonfiction

I am by no means a fan of the EDM scene. I actually find myself frustrated with the genre for its formulaic approach and tendency to absolutely butcher some of my favorite artists' work by sampling, speeding up and sandwiching pieces of the chorus within “Sweet drops”. This being said, every once in a while an EDM artists comes across my plate that seems to dissolve the formula and move beyond the “Just wait for the drop bro” approach - see Pretty Lights, Flume or Jai Paul.

Hailing from Providence RI, The Range has earned my illusive respect, as an electronic music producer, gaining integrity for the genre through honest and driven music. Hip-hop, R&B and Drum and Base influences ring through the album's core and its unobtrusive sound has an infectiously peaceful undertone. 

 For long work days, extended study sessions or a little extra entertainment while throwing dinner together or engaging in some mass multiplayer online warfare, this album has the perfect balance of melodic and engaging songs that will keep “The Range” planted in my iTunes search bar. Check out the highlights from James Hinton’s first full-length album, Nonfiction, below, or just skip that step and get the full album, because this one is a doozy.  

The Range - Sad Song

The Range - Loft Mane

The Range - The One

The Straight Goods Monthly Recap

Let me introduce you to the Straight Goods Recap - the latest development by SG M+E, a podcast styled radio show, covering all of the best music we featured on the site monthly, as well as the various music and stories that managed to slipped through the cracks.

Run by SG M+E's newest member, "The Prince", who comes to us with a background in running a radio show at the Wilfrid Laurier University called Verses from the Abstract for the past few years. Since The Prince has now finished his university career, we jumped on the opportuntity to bring him up into the big leagues of the SG empire - http://www.radiolaurier.com/category/shows/verses-from-the-abstract/.

Listen to the first official SGM Recap below, but we will be featuring this ongoing podcast/radio show in the right sidebar, so it will be easy to listen to and catch up with SGM at any time. As always, send your feedback or ideas for improvement to info@straightgoodsmedia.com

We're always listening, as you should be.

Steve Winwood - Higher Love Remixes

Classic songs are by definition, timeless, and when they are massaged by the remix artists of the world, the results are almost always interesting. The original Higher Love by Steve Winwood is one of these classics - from the era of Rod Stewart, Fleetwood Mack and Phil Collins - and it's still a great track to this day. When my lady passed along a cover by James Vincent McMorrow, I didn't hesitate to listen in. To take this a step further, even this was remixed - adding in the right ingredients to keep the classic vibe while making the most of the material.

Steve Winwood - Higher Love (Dimitry From Paris Re-Edit)   
James Vincent McMorrow - Higher Love (Nine One Remix)

Bruno Mars feat. Pharrell & R. Kelly - Gorilla (G-Mix)

Bruno may be more pop than rock 'n' roll at times, but there's no question that his hit album Unorthodox Jukebox got him some serious notice from reviewers and music enthusiasts alike. With sultry hits like Locked Out of Heaven, When I Was Your Man, Treasure and now Gorilla, the fedora-donning, Hawaiian has shown the rest of the world that you CAN balance artistic integrity with commercial success. Furthermore, the artwork, fashion (I am always impartial to 3 or more gold chains) and live show supporting this album have been exquisite.

After dropping the visuals a few weeks ago (featuring the absolute rocket Freida Pinto), Bruno surprises fans with a remix collaboration with hip-hop's darling producer and hook man, Pharrell and the legendary urinator, R. Kelly. Skateboard P drops a verse reminiscent of his NERD, Everyone Nose days and Kellz takes it back to the 90's with falsettos on falsettos. A welcome surprise at any time of the year.

D-WHY - Young Madonna (Video)

It seems like D-WHY has found his musical counterpart in Dave Cappa, who has produced the Young, Loved, Hated & Broke rapper's last two singles. Originally shot in Paris two years ago, the visuals for this video were thought to be lost after a harddrive malfunction. Well good things come to those who wait as the footage has mysteriously reappeared in 2013.

The indie samples have become a staple of David Morris' latest work and I for one love the change in direction. This is how lovey-dovey music is supposed to sound. Some lines for the ladies and some beats for the bros. This is a hard skill to master as you can easily drift from cheesy to misogynist with one single bar: see Kendrick Lamar and Drake's, Poetic Justice to see it done right and 50 Cent's, Be My Bitch to see it done wrong (even though the latter is hella catchy).

Pour some Pinot Grigio and let a white boy take you to Paris...

Banks- Change (The Chainsmokers Hot and Steamy Edit)

I feel as though I may get sent to blogger hell for doing this but I recently found this song on the Hypem popular page and may have pressed the replay button a couple of times. For one, it’s a remix of Banks who has slowly become one of my favorite female vocalists. Two, its remixed by The Chainsmokers who have also grabbed my attention as of late.

The majority of the time an EDM artist does a re-work of a song such as Banks’ “Change”, I obsess over the track for weeks and then never hear anything of the producer again. More recently, I’ve come to establish that the age of the popularized remix artist has begun. Many don’t consider these electronic manipulators musicians but as a hip-hop fan, samples and reworks are an integral aspect of my favorite genre. Just like becoming infatuated with a distinct producer, many EDM artists like The Chainsmokers maintain a consistent sound that attracts a unique but still very relevant fan base.  I personally think that producer’s, artists, DJ’s (or whatever you would like to call them) that put there distinct spin on a song defines the beautiful mess that is modern music. As someone who prides himself on being a music appreciator with zero musical abilities, I find I get to know these artists on a personal basis. Regardless of how you view artists like The Chainsmokers on a professional level, this trend doesn’t seem to be going anywhere.