Just putting these here for posterity (you can also see part of these predictions and awards picks at FanGraphs here). Maybe I'll go into more detail on them at a later time, but more likely I won't.
AL EAST
TB, 88-74
TOR, 87-75
BOS, 83-79
NYY, 82-80
BAL, 78-84
AL CENTRAL
DET, 93-69
CHW, 86-76
CLE, 76-86
KC, 74-88
MIN, 61-101
AL WEST
TEX, 93-69
LAA, 91-71 * Wild Card
OAK, 89-73 * Wild Card
SEA, 71-91
HOU, 63-99
NL EAST
WAS, 94-68
ATL, 91-71 * Wild Card
PHI, 74-88
NYM, 67-95
MIA, 59-103
NL CENTRAL
STL, 88-74
CIN, 87-75
PIT, 82-80
MIL, 81-81
CHC, 72-90
NL WEST
SF, 89-73
SD, 88-74 * Wild Card
LAD, 86-76
ARI, 83-79
COL, 74-88
Real quick thoughts: Really could see any team winning the AL East...the White Sox are perpetually the hardest team to figure out, but I like their pitching...I'm not as high on the Angels as most, probably, and higher on the A's than most. Again, the gap is closed by the A's pitching...I don't think the gap between Washington and Atlanta has increased that much...I'm not sold on the changes in Cincy. If Choo can't play center they may be in big trouble, and I'd be very surprised if they have the same starting pitching health that they had last year...Pittsburgh finally gets their above-.500 season...the NL West seems almost as open as the AL East to me, although I can't picture a scenario where the Rockies win the division...Padres are clearly my surprise team. If they get any pitching, watch out.
Sunday, March 31, 2013
Friday, January 04, 2013
Seventh Annual End Of Year CDs
Standard intro: Each year, in a (mostly) vain to stay up to date with the music world, I put together an end-of-year CD set, and give them out to some close friends as Christmas/Hanukkah presents (you can see my 2009 and 2010 and 2011 write-ups here). I try to wait until I hand all of them out, but that didn't happen this year, and if I didn't write this up now it just wasn't going to happen.
As a reminder, on the Aboveground mix I use the Billboard Hot 100 as a guide (I said Top 100 last year, which was inaccurate) -- the idea being to try to capture what was popular this past year. The Underground mix is decidedly the opposite, it's just a bunch of rap songs that weren't "popular" that I want to make sure to never forget. The only other rule is that the song had to be released commercially during 2012 (though I relax that rule for international songs that may have been released internationally prior to 2012 but not in the US until this year -- I can't be everywhere, people).
With that, let's get to the 2012 mixes. If you want to listen along, I made Spotify playlists, and stashed them at the bottom. Though I don't think the Underground one is going to play properly, since a bunch of the songs weren't actually on Spotify (also, one song got added twice somehow). That's how you know they're really underground.
Aboveground Mix
1. Frank Ocean -- Thinkin' Bout You: Right off the bat, we have a compromise. I definitely liked "Pyramids" more, but not only did it not chart in the top 100, but more importantly it's nine minutes long, and since I like to squeeze as many songs out of my 80 minutes, I don't like including really long songs. This is actually probably my third-favorite cut off the album -- I got slightly addicted to "Forrest Gump" as well. That's not a knock on this song, which I also love, it's just such a great album.
2. Fun. -- Some Nights: I think these guys may rise and fall quickly, but I really liked this album. I would have gone with "We Are Young," but it was actually released in 2011.
3. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis -- Thrift Shop f/ Wanz: Imagine my surprise when I started doing my research and I found out that this song actually charted! I fully expected this to be a cut on the underground mix. The video is as amazing as the song. Though since I bought it on Amazon I can't load it onto my iPod. Apple is a bunch of haterz.
4. The Lumineers -- Ho Hey: These guys probably have a shorter shelf life than Fun., but I like songs with chants in them. Sue me.
5. Miguel -- Adorn: Probably the best love song of the year. And the beat is just sick.
6. Kendrick Lamar -- Swimming Pools (Drank): It's the shorter version without the skit at the end if you're scoring at home, but it doesn't really matter. It also gave me faith in humanity that this song charted. I was hoping it would, but didn't expect it. This album is on the short list for best album of the millenium (or is it the Newmanium?).
7. Of Monsters And Men -- Little Talks: Another crazy video. I fully blame FanGraphs' Mike Newman for inadvertently persuading me into liking this song/band. There was like a good two weeks where he wouldn't shut up about them.
8. Nas -- Daughters: Ah, growing up. Can't believe Nas' baby mom didn't like this song. There's just no pleasing some people. This song didn't actually chart, but it freakin' should have. What's wrong with you people? Also, it was nominated for a Grammy. (Wait, did I just justify a rap song by saying it was justified for a Grammy? I think I need a shower that felt so dirty. Moving on.)
9. Gotye -- Somebody That I Used To Know f/ Kimbra: I love it when non hip-hop acts use the "featuring" thing in their songs. I feel like that doesn't happen enough. I feel like it's usually a "duet," or "with" or something similar.
10. DJ Khaled / Kanye West -- Cold: For some reason this is billed as a DJ Khaled song, even though he seems to have little do with it. I could have gone with "Clique" here, but Big Sean needs to stop calling himself B.I.G. I'm protesting him until he does. I could have gone with "Mercy," but the hook gets annoying REALQUICK. I could have gone with "New God Flow," but it was long, and I feel like the version that charted probably wasn't the version that included Ghostface, so it just didn't feel right to include it. But moreover, I love that Kanye and Kim Kardashian are all hugged up now, and that he felt the need to slap Kris Humphries on this track. Also, that New York DJ's are digging on Humphries as well. Good times.
11. Taylor Swift -- We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together: Taylor Swift songs always go after Kanye songs. It's just the right thing to do. And, I know some people don't care for her, but she writes her own stuff, which is a big plus, and she dumped a Kennedy. What more do you want?
12. Imagine Dragons -- It's Time: More white people. This is what I get for swearing off Rick Ross, Rihanna and Nicki Minaj for the year. Mariah Carey's "Triumphant" would probably here, but again, no Rick Ross. Sick of that dude. Just go away. Rihanna and Nicki are just on time out though. They'll be back, probably.
13. A$AP Rocky -- F****n' Problems f/ Drake, Kendrick Lamar & 2 Chainz: Also surprised that THIS one charted! Can't wait for his album to drop. Trying to not download the bootleg, that's how pumped I am for it. If that makes sense (it probably doesn't). Also, I love that they don't let 2 Chainz actually rap on this. "Yeah, uh, you can do the hook? Or part of the hook, how about that?" He's the very, very poor man's Busta Rhymes. At least Busta used to get his own verse.
14. Carly Rae Jepsen -- Call Me Maybe: You know you like it.
15. Psy -- Gangnam Style: See #14. I should really live blog the video at some point. It's all gold, Jerry, pure gold!
16. Meek Mill -- Amen f/ Drake: I have to say, I'm not all that impressed by Meek Mill, but I dug this one. Still, Drake murders him on it. In fact, as much as I like A$AP, Drake pretty much murdered him on that "F****n' Problems" as well.
17. Mumford & Sons -- I Will Wait: I sort of wanted to hate this song, since I heard way too much about this band on Twitter this year. But I didn't hate it, so I felt compelled to include it.
18. Bruno Mars -- Locked Out Of Heaven: I was going to include a Bruno Mars song last year, but it had been released in the prior year, so it got the ax. Also, he was on the Bad Meets Evil cut, but still. Situation rectified now. That this is also a Mark Ronson track was the icing on the cake.
19. T.I. -- Sorry f/ Andre 3000: So, I cheated a little on the Billboard Hot 100 thing here also. This wasn't released as a single until after Thanksgiving, and I assumed it would chart, but it apparently hasn't yet. Still, it should, and the fact that Andre 3000 finally comes clean about/admits to the mistakes that led to him and Big Boi -- which is probably a lot more important to me than it is to you -- put it over the top.
20. Adele -- Skyfall: I get kind of tired of people fawning all over her, but damned if she isn't good. Now all I have to do is go see the movie.
Underground Mix
1. Schoolboy Q -- Hands On The Wheel f/ A$AP Rocky: A killer song with an absolutely infectious beat that I was happy to see wasn't overlooked on end-of-year lists. I feel like albums that come out in January run the risk of being overlooked at the end of the year, but maybe that's just the cynic in me.
2. Joey Bada$$ -- Survival Tactics f/ Capital STEEZ: This kid's mixtape, "1999" -- and I say kid because he's like 18, 19 -- was just tremendous from start to finish. He has a whole Pro Era crew. Expect to see them on these lists in future years, although unfortunately, not the gentleman who guested on this track -- Capital STEEZ -- since he apparently committed suicide on Christmas Eve.
3. Angel Haze -- Cleanin' Out My Closet: I could have gone with "This Is Me," or "Werkin Girls" or one of the other tracks off of "Reservation," but "Cleanin' Out My Closet" is probably the most important track of the year. Just an absolutely gut-wrenching record.
4. Main Attrakionz -- Cloud Life: A nice palette cleanser. The "aww man, RIP to 2Pac" cracks me up EVERY TIME. Were they so high that they just realize that he died? Did they suddenly have a spiritual moment where they thought 'damn, how could we NOT shout him out?' Did they think of doing it after watching the 2Pac hologram? Or was it just a spur of the moment thing? I need to know why 2Pac was shouted out in this song more than 15 years after he died. (Also, shout out to Matt Dennewitz from Pitchfork. That dude is alright. Buy his albums.)
5. Big Boi -- Mama Told Me f/ Little Dragon: Probably this mix's weak link. Probably should have gone with "Sixty-Seven Turbo Jet" from Curren$y & Harry Fraud here, but I kind of liked it that Big Boi stuck it to Little Dragon's label for refusing to allow her to appear on the track. And also that it's a better version of an actually released song.
6. Talib Kweli -- Push Thru f/ Curren$y & Kendrick Lamar: Automatic entry from Talib Kweli is automatically entered. Although K. dot kind of crushed him on it. It's OK though, Talib is still putting in work, and you gotta love that.
7. Action Bronson -- Thug Love Story 2012: This song is all over the place, and complete nonsense in a jovial way. Kind of like a Ghostface track. I know, I know, tired comp. But it's true.
8. Aesop Rock -- Zero Dark Thirty: It took me a long time to get what was being said on "Wu-Tang Forever" because I would just kind of zone out to the beats. This song is very similar to that.
9. El-P -- Oh Hail No f/ Mr. Motherf*****g Exquire & Danny Brown: "I like the part where you cried, I liked nothing else."
10. Odd Future -- Rella: It's amazing to think that this group of guys is responsible for spawning Frank Ocean's career. I mean, I'd like to think that Frank would have broken through without them, but it probably would have taken a lot longer, if it happened at all. Methinks there's more than meets the eye with Odd Future. Can't wait to see what's next.
11. Sean Price -- Bar-barian: In one of my FanGraphs chats this year, one commenter kept asserting that Sean Price was/is the best rapper of all time, and got really angry with me when I laughed off the comment -- mainly because it's a laughable comment. But that stuck in my head, and I ended up checking out the album. So, here's to you, anonymous chat commenter.
12. Blu & Exile -- Growing Pains f/ Johaz & Fashawn: You absolutely did have to be Bo Jackson! Still bitter that you couldn't throw to Bo, and had to throw to Marcus Allen instead. F Marcus Allen.
13. Clyde Carson -- Slow Down f/ The Team: This Bay-area rap crew never would have been on my radar were it not for the fact that this was apparently Pablo Sandoval's walk-up song this year. So here's to the intersection of baseball and hip-hop!
14. Killer Mike -- Big Beast f/ Bun B, T.I. & Trouble: Never been all that into Killer Mike before, but "R.A.P. Music" was phenomenal. Almost went with the title track, or "Reagan" here, but I decided there weren't enough posse cuts on the mix yet (that's a joke, there's plenty).
15. M.I.A. -- Bad Girls (N.A.R.S. Remix) f/ Missy Elliott & Azealia Banks: I probably could have stayed simple and just went with the original version, but her accent is just weird when she is straight rapping (like in the last verse) instead of sing-songy rapping. Also, I couldn't find an Azealia Banks cut from this year that was worthy, so sneaking her in on this remix was a nice compromise. Plus, Missy back from the dead! Azealia and Missy may actually be kindred spirits.
16. Kanye West -- White Dress: All KimYe all the time! I'm slightly amazed that this song didn't chart, or that people really didn't make a bigger deal out of it. There's still time, I guess. It might be one of his best songs, which is saying something.
17. Earl Sweatshirt -- Chum: This dude is deep.
18. Captain Murphy -- The Killing Joke: More clever Batman references in hip-hop please.
19. Freddie Gibbs -- Shame f/ BJ The Chicago Kid: You would think that I would have heard a song cleverly dedicated to one-night stands before, but I don't think that I have. Let me rephrase that. I'm sure I have, but none were as memorable as this song, which is just marvelous.
20. Danny Brown -- Grown Up: Danny Brown's version of "Juicy."
21. Wu-Block -- Crack Spot Stories f/ Raekwon & Jadakiss: "Fiends at the door, I'm too lazy to let them in, turkey sandwich, barbecue chips, ESPN." Sounds just like me ... except for the dope fiends at the door part ...
BONUS CHRISTMAS TRACK. R. Kelly -- A Love Letter Christmas: I don't follow the current year thing for this last track, because it's too hard to find good Christmas music. But leave it to R. Kelly to create the Christmas remix. Maybe someday he'll even find his snow girl.
Spotify playlists:
As a reminder, on the Aboveground mix I use the Billboard Hot 100 as a guide (I said Top 100 last year, which was inaccurate) -- the idea being to try to capture what was popular this past year. The Underground mix is decidedly the opposite, it's just a bunch of rap songs that weren't "popular" that I want to make sure to never forget. The only other rule is that the song had to be released commercially during 2012 (though I relax that rule for international songs that may have been released internationally prior to 2012 but not in the US until this year -- I can't be everywhere, people).
With that, let's get to the 2012 mixes. If you want to listen along, I made Spotify playlists, and stashed them at the bottom. Though I don't think the Underground one is going to play properly, since a bunch of the songs weren't actually on Spotify (also, one song got added twice somehow). That's how you know they're really underground.
Aboveground Mix
1. Frank Ocean -- Thinkin' Bout You: Right off the bat, we have a compromise. I definitely liked "Pyramids" more, but not only did it not chart in the top 100, but more importantly it's nine minutes long, and since I like to squeeze as many songs out of my 80 minutes, I don't like including really long songs. This is actually probably my third-favorite cut off the album -- I got slightly addicted to "Forrest Gump" as well. That's not a knock on this song, which I also love, it's just such a great album.
2. Fun. -- Some Nights: I think these guys may rise and fall quickly, but I really liked this album. I would have gone with "We Are Young," but it was actually released in 2011.
3. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis -- Thrift Shop f/ Wanz: Imagine my surprise when I started doing my research and I found out that this song actually charted! I fully expected this to be a cut on the underground mix. The video is as amazing as the song. Though since I bought it on Amazon I can't load it onto my iPod. Apple is a bunch of haterz.
4. The Lumineers -- Ho Hey: These guys probably have a shorter shelf life than Fun., but I like songs with chants in them. Sue me.
5. Miguel -- Adorn: Probably the best love song of the year. And the beat is just sick.
6. Kendrick Lamar -- Swimming Pools (Drank): It's the shorter version without the skit at the end if you're scoring at home, but it doesn't really matter. It also gave me faith in humanity that this song charted. I was hoping it would, but didn't expect it. This album is on the short list for best album of the millenium (or is it the Newmanium?).
7. Of Monsters And Men -- Little Talks: Another crazy video. I fully blame FanGraphs' Mike Newman for inadvertently persuading me into liking this song/band. There was like a good two weeks where he wouldn't shut up about them.
8. Nas -- Daughters: Ah, growing up. Can't believe Nas' baby mom didn't like this song. There's just no pleasing some people. This song didn't actually chart, but it freakin' should have. What's wrong with you people? Also, it was nominated for a Grammy. (Wait, did I just justify a rap song by saying it was justified for a Grammy? I think I need a shower that felt so dirty. Moving on.)
9. Gotye -- Somebody That I Used To Know f/ Kimbra: I love it when non hip-hop acts use the "featuring" thing in their songs. I feel like that doesn't happen enough. I feel like it's usually a "duet," or "with" or something similar.
10. DJ Khaled / Kanye West -- Cold: For some reason this is billed as a DJ Khaled song, even though he seems to have little do with it. I could have gone with "Clique" here, but Big Sean needs to stop calling himself B.I.G. I'm protesting him until he does. I could have gone with "Mercy," but the hook gets annoying REALQUICK. I could have gone with "New God Flow," but it was long, and I feel like the version that charted probably wasn't the version that included Ghostface, so it just didn't feel right to include it. But moreover, I love that Kanye and Kim Kardashian are all hugged up now, and that he felt the need to slap Kris Humphries on this track. Also, that New York DJ's are digging on Humphries as well. Good times.
11. Taylor Swift -- We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together: Taylor Swift songs always go after Kanye songs. It's just the right thing to do. And, I know some people don't care for her, but she writes her own stuff, which is a big plus, and she dumped a Kennedy. What more do you want?
12. Imagine Dragons -- It's Time: More white people. This is what I get for swearing off Rick Ross, Rihanna and Nicki Minaj for the year. Mariah Carey's "Triumphant" would probably here, but again, no Rick Ross. Sick of that dude. Just go away. Rihanna and Nicki are just on time out though. They'll be back, probably.
13. A$AP Rocky -- F****n' Problems f/ Drake, Kendrick Lamar & 2 Chainz: Also surprised that THIS one charted! Can't wait for his album to drop. Trying to not download the bootleg, that's how pumped I am for it. If that makes sense (it probably doesn't). Also, I love that they don't let 2 Chainz actually rap on this. "Yeah, uh, you can do the hook? Or part of the hook, how about that?" He's the very, very poor man's Busta Rhymes. At least Busta used to get his own verse.
14. Carly Rae Jepsen -- Call Me Maybe: You know you like it.
15. Psy -- Gangnam Style: See #14. I should really live blog the video at some point. It's all gold, Jerry, pure gold!
16. Meek Mill -- Amen f/ Drake: I have to say, I'm not all that impressed by Meek Mill, but I dug this one. Still, Drake murders him on it. In fact, as much as I like A$AP, Drake pretty much murdered him on that "F****n' Problems" as well.
17. Mumford & Sons -- I Will Wait: I sort of wanted to hate this song, since I heard way too much about this band on Twitter this year. But I didn't hate it, so I felt compelled to include it.
18. Bruno Mars -- Locked Out Of Heaven: I was going to include a Bruno Mars song last year, but it had been released in the prior year, so it got the ax. Also, he was on the Bad Meets Evil cut, but still. Situation rectified now. That this is also a Mark Ronson track was the icing on the cake.
19. T.I. -- Sorry f/ Andre 3000: So, I cheated a little on the Billboard Hot 100 thing here also. This wasn't released as a single until after Thanksgiving, and I assumed it would chart, but it apparently hasn't yet. Still, it should, and the fact that Andre 3000 finally comes clean about/admits to the mistakes that led to him and Big Boi -- which is probably a lot more important to me than it is to you -- put it over the top.
20. Adele -- Skyfall: I get kind of tired of people fawning all over her, but damned if she isn't good. Now all I have to do is go see the movie.
Underground Mix
1. Schoolboy Q -- Hands On The Wheel f/ A$AP Rocky: A killer song with an absolutely infectious beat that I was happy to see wasn't overlooked on end-of-year lists. I feel like albums that come out in January run the risk of being overlooked at the end of the year, but maybe that's just the cynic in me.
2. Joey Bada$$ -- Survival Tactics f/ Capital STEEZ: This kid's mixtape, "1999" -- and I say kid because he's like 18, 19 -- was just tremendous from start to finish. He has a whole Pro Era crew. Expect to see them on these lists in future years, although unfortunately, not the gentleman who guested on this track -- Capital STEEZ -- since he apparently committed suicide on Christmas Eve.
3. Angel Haze -- Cleanin' Out My Closet: I could have gone with "This Is Me," or "Werkin Girls" or one of the other tracks off of "Reservation," but "Cleanin' Out My Closet" is probably the most important track of the year. Just an absolutely gut-wrenching record.
4. Main Attrakionz -- Cloud Life: A nice palette cleanser. The "aww man, RIP to 2Pac" cracks me up EVERY TIME. Were they so high that they just realize that he died? Did they suddenly have a spiritual moment where they thought 'damn, how could we NOT shout him out?' Did they think of doing it after watching the 2Pac hologram? Or was it just a spur of the moment thing? I need to know why 2Pac was shouted out in this song more than 15 years after he died. (Also, shout out to Matt Dennewitz from Pitchfork. That dude is alright. Buy his albums.)
5. Big Boi -- Mama Told Me f/ Little Dragon: Probably this mix's weak link. Probably should have gone with "Sixty-Seven Turbo Jet" from Curren$y & Harry Fraud here, but I kind of liked it that Big Boi stuck it to Little Dragon's label for refusing to allow her to appear on the track. And also that it's a better version of an actually released song.
6. Talib Kweli -- Push Thru f/ Curren$y & Kendrick Lamar: Automatic entry from Talib Kweli is automatically entered. Although K. dot kind of crushed him on it. It's OK though, Talib is still putting in work, and you gotta love that.
7. Action Bronson -- Thug Love Story 2012: This song is all over the place, and complete nonsense in a jovial way. Kind of like a Ghostface track. I know, I know, tired comp. But it's true.
8. Aesop Rock -- Zero Dark Thirty: It took me a long time to get what was being said on "Wu-Tang Forever" because I would just kind of zone out to the beats. This song is very similar to that.
9. El-P -- Oh Hail No f/ Mr. Motherf*****g Exquire & Danny Brown: "I like the part where you cried, I liked nothing else."
10. Odd Future -- Rella: It's amazing to think that this group of guys is responsible for spawning Frank Ocean's career. I mean, I'd like to think that Frank would have broken through without them, but it probably would have taken a lot longer, if it happened at all. Methinks there's more than meets the eye with Odd Future. Can't wait to see what's next.
11. Sean Price -- Bar-barian: In one of my FanGraphs chats this year, one commenter kept asserting that Sean Price was/is the best rapper of all time, and got really angry with me when I laughed off the comment -- mainly because it's a laughable comment. But that stuck in my head, and I ended up checking out the album. So, here's to you, anonymous chat commenter.
12. Blu & Exile -- Growing Pains f/ Johaz & Fashawn: You absolutely did have to be Bo Jackson! Still bitter that you couldn't throw to Bo, and had to throw to Marcus Allen instead. F Marcus Allen.
13. Clyde Carson -- Slow Down f/ The Team: This Bay-area rap crew never would have been on my radar were it not for the fact that this was apparently Pablo Sandoval's walk-up song this year. So here's to the intersection of baseball and hip-hop!
14. Killer Mike -- Big Beast f/ Bun B, T.I. & Trouble: Never been all that into Killer Mike before, but "R.A.P. Music" was phenomenal. Almost went with the title track, or "Reagan" here, but I decided there weren't enough posse cuts on the mix yet (that's a joke, there's plenty).
15. M.I.A. -- Bad Girls (N.A.R.S. Remix) f/ Missy Elliott & Azealia Banks: I probably could have stayed simple and just went with the original version, but her accent is just weird when she is straight rapping (like in the last verse) instead of sing-songy rapping. Also, I couldn't find an Azealia Banks cut from this year that was worthy, so sneaking her in on this remix was a nice compromise. Plus, Missy back from the dead! Azealia and Missy may actually be kindred spirits.
16. Kanye West -- White Dress: All KimYe all the time! I'm slightly amazed that this song didn't chart, or that people really didn't make a bigger deal out of it. There's still time, I guess. It might be one of his best songs, which is saying something.
17. Earl Sweatshirt -- Chum: This dude is deep.
18. Captain Murphy -- The Killing Joke: More clever Batman references in hip-hop please.
19. Freddie Gibbs -- Shame f/ BJ The Chicago Kid: You would think that I would have heard a song cleverly dedicated to one-night stands before, but I don't think that I have. Let me rephrase that. I'm sure I have, but none were as memorable as this song, which is just marvelous.
20. Danny Brown -- Grown Up: Danny Brown's version of "Juicy."
21. Wu-Block -- Crack Spot Stories f/ Raekwon & Jadakiss: "Fiends at the door, I'm too lazy to let them in, turkey sandwich, barbecue chips, ESPN." Sounds just like me ... except for the dope fiends at the door part ...
BONUS CHRISTMAS TRACK. R. Kelly -- A Love Letter Christmas: I don't follow the current year thing for this last track, because it's too hard to find good Christmas music. But leave it to R. Kelly to create the Christmas remix. Maybe someday he'll even find his snow girl.
Spotify playlists:
Wednesday, April 04, 2012
2012 MLB Season Predictions
Earlier today (or yesterday by the time this posts), the FanGraphs' staff predictions hit the interwebs. Since those were just the basics, here are the rest.
About the Red Sox -- I really see this team as having a depth problem, particularly on the pitching staff. We are already seeing this with the Andrew Bailey injury, but even before that it was going to be an issue. Clay Buchholz had a bad back injury last year, and we can't know if he'll make it through a full season healthy. And that's not counting the untested Daniel Bard and Felix Doubront starting. I wasn't in the minority in leaving them out of the playoffs -- 12 of the 20 FG people left them out.
This division leaves a lot to be desired. If Kansas City can land the right pitcher for the front of their rotation, next year could be the year they take over the division for a long time. But this season, it will still be Detroit atop the division. But even with Fielder, they will be a bad champion, with a horrible defensive infield.
I think this will finally be Texas' year, although I may have said the same thing last year. Anaheim claims one of the two Wild Cards along with Tampa.
Tampa will win the play-in game, and then fall to the Yankees in the Division Series. In the other Division Series, Texas will beat Detroit. That will set up a Texas-Yankees ALCS for the second time in three seasons, with the same result. I was one of six FG folks to put them in the World Series.
Here is my sleeper. I like the Nats a great deal this season. They have an improved rotation, a deep bullpen, and while Mike Morse should regress some, Jayson Werth and Ryan Zimmerman should bounce back nicely. This division is chock full of talent though, so it won't be easy, and really any team from one-through-four could come out on top. But I think this is the year that the Phillies fall apart. And while Miami should be better, I think Atlanta has enough starting pitching depth to put them over the top and into one of the Wild Card spots. I was one of just two FG people (Zach Sanders being the other) to pick Washington for the division, and one of just eight to pick Atlanta to reach the postseason at all.
As we saw tonight, the Cardinals are still going to be a formidable team. I detailed it on Monday in my first ESPN Insider piece (check back for one every Monday), but they are very deep in all three phases -- lineup, rotation and bullpen. I would love to pick the Reds to win the division, but I just don't trust Dusty Baker. I don't see why Bronson Arroyo is still on that squad. I could see the Cubs at better than 75 wins, but at this time, I don't see where their extra wins would come from, so I'll stand on 75. I was one of just six FG people to take St. Louis to win the Central, and one of five to slot Cincy for a Wild Card berth.
Arizona has a wealth of pitching, and could be even better this year. What's more, they're a fun team to watch, which is a plus. As for the Giants, I just don't believe in their offense, at all. The Dodgers' offense won't be much better, but I expect the Kemp-Ethier duo to be better than Sandoval-Posey. And I also think the Dodgers will play better defense.
Atlanta takes the Wild Card play-in, loses to Arizona in the DS, and St. Louis takes down Washington in the other DS. In the LCS, Arizona bests St. Louis, setting up an incredibly entertaining D-backs-Rangers World Series.
I think that my favorite part of doing these picks was realizing that there really is no obvious favorite, and that was borne out in the FanGraphs' picks.
Happy Opening Day everyone. It's going to be a great year.
| AL East | W | L | PCT |
| NYY | 94 | 68 | 0.580 |
| TB | 92 | 70 | 0.568 |
| BOS | 88 | 74 | 0.543 |
| TOR | 88 | 74 | 0.543 |
| BAL | 60 | 102 | 0.370 |
About the Red Sox -- I really see this team as having a depth problem, particularly on the pitching staff. We are already seeing this with the Andrew Bailey injury, but even before that it was going to be an issue. Clay Buchholz had a bad back injury last year, and we can't know if he'll make it through a full season healthy. And that's not counting the untested Daniel Bard and Felix Doubront starting. I wasn't in the minority in leaving them out of the playoffs -- 12 of the 20 FG people left them out.
| AL Cent | W | L | PCT |
| DET | 91 | 71 | 0.562 |
| CLE | 83 | 79 | 0.512 |
| KC | 78 | 84 | 0.481 |
| MIN | 70 | 92 | 0.432 |
| CHW | 65 | 97 | 0.401 |
This division leaves a lot to be desired. If Kansas City can land the right pitcher for the front of their rotation, next year could be the year they take over the division for a long time. But this season, it will still be Detroit atop the division. But even with Fielder, they will be a bad champion, with a horrible defensive infield.
| AL West | W | L | PCT |
| TEX | 96 | 66 | 0.593 |
| LAA | 92 | 70 | 0.568 |
| SEA | 75 | 87 | 0.463 |
| OAK | 68 | 94 | 0.420 |
I think this will finally be Texas' year, although I may have said the same thing last year. Anaheim claims one of the two Wild Cards along with Tampa.
Tampa will win the play-in game, and then fall to the Yankees in the Division Series. In the other Division Series, Texas will beat Detroit. That will set up a Texas-Yankees ALCS for the second time in three seasons, with the same result. I was one of six FG folks to put them in the World Series.
| NL East | W | L | PCT |
| WAS | 90 | 72 | 0.556 |
| ATL | 87 | 75 | 0.537 |
| MIA | 86 | 76 | 0.531 |
| PHI | 85 | 77 | 0.525 |
| NYM | 68 | 94 | 0.420 |
Here is my sleeper. I like the Nats a great deal this season. They have an improved rotation, a deep bullpen, and while Mike Morse should regress some, Jayson Werth and Ryan Zimmerman should bounce back nicely. This division is chock full of talent though, so it won't be easy, and really any team from one-through-four could come out on top. But I think this is the year that the Phillies fall apart. And while Miami should be better, I think Atlanta has enough starting pitching depth to put them over the top and into one of the Wild Card spots. I was one of just two FG people (Zach Sanders being the other) to pick Washington for the division, and one of just eight to pick Atlanta to reach the postseason at all.
| NL Cent | W | L | PCT |
| STL | 89 | 73 | 0.549 |
| CIN | 87 | 75 | 0.537 |
| MIL | 83 | 79 | 0.512 |
| CHC | 75 | 89 | 0.451 |
| PIT | 71 | 91 | 0.438 |
| HOU | 56 | 106 | 0.346 |
As we saw tonight, the Cardinals are still going to be a formidable team. I detailed it on Monday in my first ESPN Insider piece (check back for one every Monday), but they are very deep in all three phases -- lineup, rotation and bullpen. I would love to pick the Reds to win the division, but I just don't trust Dusty Baker. I don't see why Bronson Arroyo is still on that squad. I could see the Cubs at better than 75 wins, but at this time, I don't see where their extra wins would come from, so I'll stand on 75. I was one of just six FG people to take St. Louis to win the Central, and one of five to slot Cincy for a Wild Card berth.
| NL West | W | L | PCT |
| ARI | 93 | 69 | 0.574 |
| LAD | 85 | 77 | 0.525 |
| SF | 83 | 79 | 0.512 |
| COL | 78 | 84 | 0.481 |
| SD | 74 | 88 | 0.457 |
Arizona has a wealth of pitching, and could be even better this year. What's more, they're a fun team to watch, which is a plus. As for the Giants, I just don't believe in their offense, at all. The Dodgers' offense won't be much better, but I expect the Kemp-Ethier duo to be better than Sandoval-Posey. And I also think the Dodgers will play better defense.
Atlanta takes the Wild Card play-in, loses to Arizona in the DS, and St. Louis takes down Washington in the other DS. In the LCS, Arizona bests St. Louis, setting up an incredibly entertaining D-backs-Rangers World Series.
I think that my favorite part of doing these picks was realizing that there really is no obvious favorite, and that was borne out in the FanGraphs' picks.
Happy Opening Day everyone. It's going to be a great year.
Sunday, January 15, 2012
A Brief Reminder of Bill Belichick's Brilliance
The Patriots defense has not played particularly well this season. Or for the last couple of seasons, to be perfectly honest. But the strength of a Bill Belichick defense has always been that they take away your greatest strength, essentially daring you to beat them with one hand tied behind your back. Last night, the Patriots D was able to do that to the Broncos, and as good as Tom Brady and Co. were, the play of the defense was why the Patriots so utterly dominated the Broncos.
The Broncos were a running team this season. Overall, they averaged 4.8 yards per carry (6th in the NFL) and 164.5 yards per game on the ground (1st in the NFL by 11.5 yards per game). Last night, the Patriots took away the run. The Broncos only averaged 3.6 yards per carry, and while they did pile up 144 yards, much of that was due to the fact that they refused to abandon the run in the second half.
Stopping the run stops all of the Broncos' offensive momentum, as they seem most effective at throwing the ball when they can utilize play action. With the threat of the run neutralized early, the Patriots were not fooled by the Broncos' play action. This was most notable when Gerard Warren came bursting through the line and went straight for Tebow, wrestling him to the ground before he even had a chance to turn around.
The Patriots put the game out of reach in the final two minutes of the first half, but up until that point Denver still had a chance. But the reason they weren't able to gain much traction is because the Pats forced them to win without their best weapon, and they simply aren't a good enough team to do that.
The Broncos were a running team this season. Overall, they averaged 4.8 yards per carry (6th in the NFL) and 164.5 yards per game on the ground (1st in the NFL by 11.5 yards per game). Last night, the Patriots took away the run. The Broncos only averaged 3.6 yards per carry, and while they did pile up 144 yards, much of that was due to the fact that they refused to abandon the run in the second half.
Stopping the run stops all of the Broncos' offensive momentum, as they seem most effective at throwing the ball when they can utilize play action. With the threat of the run neutralized early, the Patriots were not fooled by the Broncos' play action. This was most notable when Gerard Warren came bursting through the line and went straight for Tebow, wrestling him to the ground before he even had a chance to turn around.
The Patriots put the game out of reach in the final two minutes of the first half, but up until that point Denver still had a chance. But the reason they weren't able to gain much traction is because the Pats forced them to win without their best weapon, and they simply aren't a good enough team to do that.
Monday, January 02, 2012
Sixth Annual End Of Year CDs
Each year, in a (mostly) vain to stay up to date with the music world, I put together an end-of-year CD set, and give them out to some close friends as Christmas presents (you can see my 2009 and 2010 writeups here). I finally handed out the last one on New Year's Eve, so I figured it was high time to put up this year's list.
As a reminder, nearly all of the songs on the Aboveground mix reached the Billboard Top 100, while the Underground mix are songs that are decidedly the opposite. The only other rule is that the song had to be released commercially during 2011.
Aboveground Mix
1. Adele: Rolling In The Deep
This one was solidified early in the year. I don't really think there was a better candidate for song of the year.
2. DJ Khaled: I'm On One f/ Drake, Lil' Wayne & Rick Ross
One question -- is DJ Khaled still the DJ for the Terror Squad? Ha. The beat here shines the brightest, and that's saying something, as all three rappers turn in excellent verses, particularly Rick Ross. It's funny that Ross pops up here, since I don't care for him at all. But despite his lackluster catalog overall, he finds a way to put up or be a part of one good single every year -- he's managed to find his way onto my collection in five of the six years I've done it. He's like the Michael Young of hip-hop.
3. Coldplay: Paradise
Any song that features people dancing in elephant costumes in its video is a winner in my book.
4. Jay-Z & Kanye West: Ni**s In Paris
I know some people didn't care for Watch The Throne's decadent ways, but I loved it. Of the two most popular singles from the album, this and "Otis," this was the clear choice for me. I actually found "Otis" to be one of the weaker tracks on the album overall, and even liked tracks like "No Church In The Wild" and "Murder To Excellence" better than Paris, but I stuck to my format here, for better or worse.
5. Gym Class Heroes: Stereo Hearts f/ Adam Levine
Feel free to hate on this one, but this track really bangs. I kind of think of Gym Class Heroes as the poor man's and pop man's GZA.
6. Britney Spears: Till The World Ends
The most over-the-top Britney single ever? The world could be collapsing all around you, but hey, as long as we're dancing, it's all good!
7. Bad Meets Evil: Lighters f/ Bruno Mars
I've only been waiting for this reunion since 1999. "Scary Movies" is still one of my favorite tracks of all time.
8. Nicki Minaj: Super Bass
Pink Friday didn't meet my expectations, but this bonus track, which was for some reason not released until this year, is hard to deny. Yes, she uses her voices, which I don't much care for in general, but here, they intertwine nicely. A runner-up for song of the year.
9. Foster The People: Pumped Up Kicks
This song was apparently first written in 2009, but became the little pop song that could only in this year. I relish in songs that have violent themes but catchy little dittys, where you end up merrily singing the chorus without even realizing what you're singing. Good times.
10. Kelly Rowland: Motivation f/ Lil' Wayne
A second song where the beat is the champion, it's always nice to see Kelly Rowland -- who I always felt got unfairly shafted out of further fame and fortune when Beyonce set off on her own -- see some success. The brief cameo from Weezy here gives him three appearances on the mix, the most for the year and tied for the most in any year (Kanye West, 2008; Drake, 2010). I find this amusing, because I really didn't think it was that great of a year for him. But he keeps turning up.
11. Dr. Dre: I Need A Doctor f/ Eminem & Skylar Grey
This is the second straight year where the maddening doctor has released a single for an album that has not yet been released in full, and may never be at all. I didn't like this song when it first came out because I was upset that Nate Dogg didn't get to sing the hook, but that's kind of silly -- Skylar Grey did a good job with the hook.
12. David Guetta: Without You f/ Usher
David Guetta gets the heavy hitters, and I preferred this track to the Nicki Minaj/Flo Rida track. I do have some standards, and not including Flo Rida songs is one of them.
13. Maroon 5: Moves Like Jagger
Of course, my standards aren't that high.
Me: I need to get going on my end-of-year CD's.
Wife: Oh! Are you going to put "Moves With Jagger" on it? I love that song.
Me: Uh.......sure.
14. Lil' Wayne: 6 Foot 7 Foot f/ Cory Gunz
Six foot, seven foot, eight foot, bunch! There wasn't much that stood out on Tha Carter IV -- this and "Outro" was about it.
15. Beyonce Knowles: Countdown
I really enjoyed 4, and might have included the track with Andre 3000 here, but "Countdown" was the standout single.
16. Lady Gaga: You And I
I'm not really concerned with the way in which she was born, especially since that song was more of the same from her. But this was a departure, and while I generally don't care for country music, I thought this was a well-done song, and more still, a brave effort that should be commended. She could have easily churned out 10 "Born This Way's" and still sold a gazillion records, but she didn't. That's refreshing.
17. Drake: Headlines
This album has stirred so many different emotions in me it isn't funny, but the bottom line is that it's an awesome piece of work. I would have preferred "Marvin's Room" here, but the track is simply too long, so "Headlines" it is.
18. Kreayshawn: Gucci Gucci
Between her beef with Rick Ross, and her girl's use of the N word, people may tire of Kreayshawn quickly, but if she ends up a one-hit wonder, it certainly was a memorable hit. "I got the swag and it's pumping out my ovaries" was one of the funniest, if not best, lines of the year.
19. Rihanna: We Found Love
At this point, Rihanna is a legend, and legends are comfortable standing at the back while everyone does their thing, patiently waiting to explode and re-claim the crowd when it's their turn. And explode is exactly what "We Found Love" does. It also fits well at the end since it debuted late in the year.
20. The Muppets: Life's A Happy Song Finale
I'll be fairly pissed when The Muppets is inevitably ignored for Best Picture, but that's a discussion for another time. This was a pretty good year for me personally, and I thought this was a fitting way to cap it. If you think that's corny, well then corn me up. Life's a happy song, when there's someone by your side to sing along.
Underground Mix
1. Aaron Spacemuseum: One Night Standard
A gratuitous lead entry, and it's not even hip-hop. Aaron is a good friend of mine, and it's been a long time since he put out any music in a long time, so I was excited for his EP, which was an excellent five song set. Do me a favor and pick it up, you won't be disappointed!
2. A$AP Rocky: Peso
One of my favorite albums of the year, I thought about putting one of the versions of "Purple Swag," but I felt the original was too short, and Chapter 2 was too long.
3. NaS: Nasty
"Any rebuttal to what I utter get boxcutter." Indeed. It's been too long since we had a NaS solo album, and this was a marvelous appetizer.
4. Kendrick Lamar: HiiiPower
"Trying to stay above water, that's why we shun the Navy." Classic, and that's not even the best line of the song.
5. The Roots: Make My f/ Big K.R.I.T. & Dice Raw
I kind of like "Kool On" a little better, but it's an upbeat song and the album overall is more morose, so "Make My" is a more emblematic choice (plus it was the single they released, which I do like to try to stick to when there is one). And while it may seem odd to see The Roots on an underground disc, the album really hasn't sold that well. It hasn't charted at all, and had only sold 84,000 copies between its Dec. 2 release date and Christmas, which is a shame.
6. Action Bronson: Larry Csonka
Full disclosure, I'm late to the party on Action Bronson, and still haven't listened to either of his projects from this year in full. But I knew I needed to include something from him here, and I have a hard time turning down songs named after athletes.
7. Freddie Gibbs: Menace II Society f/ Dom Kennedy & Polyester
I liked Freddie's take at a west-coast style song.
8. Apathy: Stop What Ya Doin' f/ Celph Titled & DJ Premier
Any time a rapper titles his album Honkey Kong, he gets a song on my CD!
9. Tyler, The Creator: Yonkers
TTC is another guy who I haven't fully delved into yet, but this song and video will undeniably go down as the most memorable of the year.
10. Azealia Banks: 212
This chick is filthy. She's like a sped-up Nicki Minaj, which I didn't think was possible. Looking forward to her debut album.
11. Childish Gambino: Bonfire
Pitchfork famously lampooned this album, but I enjoyed it. I actually enjoy "Fire Fly" a little more, but I was so squeezed for time trying to fit everything in that I couldn't spare the extra 10 seconds, so "Bonfire" will have to do. Sometimes you gotta make the hard decisions!
12. Danny Brown: DNA
Realistically, I could have just copy and pasted all of XXX here and just called it a day, it's that good. You could make a case for a half-dozen other tracks from the album.
13. Random Axe: Chewbacca f/ Roc Marciano
"Your tough talk, I don't get it / you wouldn't fight a ticket, so why recite a lyric." Tough-guy rap sometimes gets lost in the shuffle these days, making this even more important to include.
14. Mobb Deep: Get It Forever f/ NaS
Speaking of tough-guy rap, thank goodness for Mobb Deep's return. Black Cocaine wasn't their strongest effort, but "Get It Forever" was good enough to whet my appetite. "I did my little bid." You did Prodigy, now get back in the lab!
15. Curren$y & The Alchemist: Scottie Pippens f/ Freddie Gibbs As Kramer would say, Curren$y is so prolific! Curren$y plus The Alchemist equals pure gold, to borrow another Seinfeld-ism, and Freddie Gibbs here is the icing on the cake.
16. Lil' B: I Hate Myself
Lil' B goes on a personal journey over a lush track. Just like Drake's Take Care, Lil' B's I'm Gay disc was great music to write to at the end of the year.
17. Ski Beatz: Looking For Me f/ L.E.P. Bogus Boys & Terri Walker
Ski is an awesome producer, just check this resume. He actually gets the production credit on this track and the next.
18. Talib Kweli: Cold Rain
With each passing year, Kweli seems to slide further out of the zeitgeist, but he still hits as hard as he ever did. I have my fingers crossed that the Black Star album actually happens.
19. Pete Rock & Smif-n-Wessun: That's Hard f/ Sean Price & Styles P
Rounding out the album with two awesome posse cuts. The song's title says it all.
20. Mr. Muthaf**kin' eXquire: The Last Huzzah! Remix f/ Despot, Das Racist, Danny Brown & El-P
This song is just bananas. One of the best singles of the year, and perhaps one of the best remixes of all-time, even if breast milk doesn't really make my day.
BONUS CHRISTMAS TRACK. Eazy-E: Merry Motherf**king Christmas f/ Menajahtwa, Buckwheat, Will 1X & Atban Klann
I ended the Aboveground Mix with a sappy cut, so you know I had to go in the complete opposite direction for the bonus Christmas track. Merry motherf**king Christmas!
As a reminder, nearly all of the songs on the Aboveground mix reached the Billboard Top 100, while the Underground mix are songs that are decidedly the opposite. The only other rule is that the song had to be released commercially during 2011.
Aboveground Mix
1. Adele: Rolling In The Deep
This one was solidified early in the year. I don't really think there was a better candidate for song of the year.
2. DJ Khaled: I'm On One f/ Drake, Lil' Wayne & Rick Ross
One question -- is DJ Khaled still the DJ for the Terror Squad? Ha. The beat here shines the brightest, and that's saying something, as all three rappers turn in excellent verses, particularly Rick Ross. It's funny that Ross pops up here, since I don't care for him at all. But despite his lackluster catalog overall, he finds a way to put up or be a part of one good single every year -- he's managed to find his way onto my collection in five of the six years I've done it. He's like the Michael Young of hip-hop.
3. Coldplay: Paradise
Any song that features people dancing in elephant costumes in its video is a winner in my book.
4. Jay-Z & Kanye West: Ni**s In Paris
I know some people didn't care for Watch The Throne's decadent ways, but I loved it. Of the two most popular singles from the album, this and "Otis," this was the clear choice for me. I actually found "Otis" to be one of the weaker tracks on the album overall, and even liked tracks like "No Church In The Wild" and "Murder To Excellence" better than Paris, but I stuck to my format here, for better or worse.
5. Gym Class Heroes: Stereo Hearts f/ Adam Levine
Feel free to hate on this one, but this track really bangs. I kind of think of Gym Class Heroes as the poor man's and pop man's GZA.
6. Britney Spears: Till The World Ends
The most over-the-top Britney single ever? The world could be collapsing all around you, but hey, as long as we're dancing, it's all good!
7. Bad Meets Evil: Lighters f/ Bruno Mars
I've only been waiting for this reunion since 1999. "Scary Movies" is still one of my favorite tracks of all time.
8. Nicki Minaj: Super Bass
Pink Friday didn't meet my expectations, but this bonus track, which was for some reason not released until this year, is hard to deny. Yes, she uses her voices, which I don't much care for in general, but here, they intertwine nicely. A runner-up for song of the year.
9. Foster The People: Pumped Up Kicks
This song was apparently first written in 2009, but became the little pop song that could only in this year. I relish in songs that have violent themes but catchy little dittys, where you end up merrily singing the chorus without even realizing what you're singing. Good times.
10. Kelly Rowland: Motivation f/ Lil' Wayne
A second song where the beat is the champion, it's always nice to see Kelly Rowland -- who I always felt got unfairly shafted out of further fame and fortune when Beyonce set off on her own -- see some success. The brief cameo from Weezy here gives him three appearances on the mix, the most for the year and tied for the most in any year (Kanye West, 2008; Drake, 2010). I find this amusing, because I really didn't think it was that great of a year for him. But he keeps turning up.
11. Dr. Dre: I Need A Doctor f/ Eminem & Skylar Grey
This is the second straight year where the maddening doctor has released a single for an album that has not yet been released in full, and may never be at all. I didn't like this song when it first came out because I was upset that Nate Dogg didn't get to sing the hook, but that's kind of silly -- Skylar Grey did a good job with the hook.
12. David Guetta: Without You f/ Usher
David Guetta gets the heavy hitters, and I preferred this track to the Nicki Minaj/Flo Rida track. I do have some standards, and not including Flo Rida songs is one of them.
13. Maroon 5: Moves Like Jagger
Of course, my standards aren't that high.
Me: I need to get going on my end-of-year CD's.
Wife: Oh! Are you going to put "Moves With Jagger" on it? I love that song.
Me: Uh.......sure.
14. Lil' Wayne: 6 Foot 7 Foot f/ Cory Gunz
Six foot, seven foot, eight foot, bunch! There wasn't much that stood out on Tha Carter IV -- this and "Outro" was about it.
15. Beyonce Knowles: Countdown
I really enjoyed 4, and might have included the track with Andre 3000 here, but "Countdown" was the standout single.
16. Lady Gaga: You And I
I'm not really concerned with the way in which she was born, especially since that song was more of the same from her. But this was a departure, and while I generally don't care for country music, I thought this was a well-done song, and more still, a brave effort that should be commended. She could have easily churned out 10 "Born This Way's" and still sold a gazillion records, but she didn't. That's refreshing.
17. Drake: Headlines
This album has stirred so many different emotions in me it isn't funny, but the bottom line is that it's an awesome piece of work. I would have preferred "Marvin's Room" here, but the track is simply too long, so "Headlines" it is.
18. Kreayshawn: Gucci Gucci
Between her beef with Rick Ross, and her girl's use of the N word, people may tire of Kreayshawn quickly, but if she ends up a one-hit wonder, it certainly was a memorable hit. "I got the swag and it's pumping out my ovaries" was one of the funniest, if not best, lines of the year.
19. Rihanna: We Found Love
At this point, Rihanna is a legend, and legends are comfortable standing at the back while everyone does their thing, patiently waiting to explode and re-claim the crowd when it's their turn. And explode is exactly what "We Found Love" does. It also fits well at the end since it debuted late in the year.
20. The Muppets: Life's A Happy Song Finale
I'll be fairly pissed when The Muppets is inevitably ignored for Best Picture, but that's a discussion for another time. This was a pretty good year for me personally, and I thought this was a fitting way to cap it. If you think that's corny, well then corn me up. Life's a happy song, when there's someone by your side to sing along.
Underground Mix
1. Aaron Spacemuseum: One Night Standard
A gratuitous lead entry, and it's not even hip-hop. Aaron is a good friend of mine, and it's been a long time since he put out any music in a long time, so I was excited for his EP, which was an excellent five song set. Do me a favor and pick it up, you won't be disappointed!
2. A$AP Rocky: Peso
One of my favorite albums of the year, I thought about putting one of the versions of "Purple Swag," but I felt the original was too short, and Chapter 2 was too long.
3. NaS: Nasty
"Any rebuttal to what I utter get boxcutter." Indeed. It's been too long since we had a NaS solo album, and this was a marvelous appetizer.
4. Kendrick Lamar: HiiiPower
"Trying to stay above water, that's why we shun the Navy." Classic, and that's not even the best line of the song.
5. The Roots: Make My f/ Big K.R.I.T. & Dice Raw
I kind of like "Kool On" a little better, but it's an upbeat song and the album overall is more morose, so "Make My" is a more emblematic choice (plus it was the single they released, which I do like to try to stick to when there is one). And while it may seem odd to see The Roots on an underground disc, the album really hasn't sold that well. It hasn't charted at all, and had only sold 84,000 copies between its Dec. 2 release date and Christmas, which is a shame.
6. Action Bronson: Larry Csonka
Full disclosure, I'm late to the party on Action Bronson, and still haven't listened to either of his projects from this year in full. But I knew I needed to include something from him here, and I have a hard time turning down songs named after athletes.
7. Freddie Gibbs: Menace II Society f/ Dom Kennedy & Polyester
I liked Freddie's take at a west-coast style song.
8. Apathy: Stop What Ya Doin' f/ Celph Titled & DJ Premier
Any time a rapper titles his album Honkey Kong, he gets a song on my CD!
9. Tyler, The Creator: Yonkers
TTC is another guy who I haven't fully delved into yet, but this song and video will undeniably go down as the most memorable of the year.
10. Azealia Banks: 212
This chick is filthy. She's like a sped-up Nicki Minaj, which I didn't think was possible. Looking forward to her debut album.
11. Childish Gambino: Bonfire
Pitchfork famously lampooned this album, but I enjoyed it. I actually enjoy "Fire Fly" a little more, but I was so squeezed for time trying to fit everything in that I couldn't spare the extra 10 seconds, so "Bonfire" will have to do. Sometimes you gotta make the hard decisions!
12. Danny Brown: DNA
Realistically, I could have just copy and pasted all of XXX here and just called it a day, it's that good. You could make a case for a half-dozen other tracks from the album.
13. Random Axe: Chewbacca f/ Roc Marciano
"Your tough talk, I don't get it / you wouldn't fight a ticket, so why recite a lyric." Tough-guy rap sometimes gets lost in the shuffle these days, making this even more important to include.
14. Mobb Deep: Get It Forever f/ NaS
Speaking of tough-guy rap, thank goodness for Mobb Deep's return. Black Cocaine wasn't their strongest effort, but "Get It Forever" was good enough to whet my appetite. "I did my little bid." You did Prodigy, now get back in the lab!
15. Curren$y & The Alchemist: Scottie Pippens f/ Freddie Gibbs As Kramer would say, Curren$y is so prolific! Curren$y plus The Alchemist equals pure gold, to borrow another Seinfeld-ism, and Freddie Gibbs here is the icing on the cake.
16. Lil' B: I Hate Myself
Lil' B goes on a personal journey over a lush track. Just like Drake's Take Care, Lil' B's I'm Gay disc was great music to write to at the end of the year.
17. Ski Beatz: Looking For Me f/ L.E.P. Bogus Boys & Terri Walker
Ski is an awesome producer, just check this resume. He actually gets the production credit on this track and the next.
18. Talib Kweli: Cold Rain
With each passing year, Kweli seems to slide further out of the zeitgeist, but he still hits as hard as he ever did. I have my fingers crossed that the Black Star album actually happens.
19. Pete Rock & Smif-n-Wessun: That's Hard f/ Sean Price & Styles P
Rounding out the album with two awesome posse cuts. The song's title says it all.
20. Mr. Muthaf**kin' eXquire: The Last Huzzah! Remix f/ Despot, Das Racist, Danny Brown & El-P
This song is just bananas. One of the best singles of the year, and perhaps one of the best remixes of all-time, even if breast milk doesn't really make my day.
BONUS CHRISTMAS TRACK. Eazy-E: Merry Motherf**king Christmas f/ Menajahtwa, Buckwheat, Will 1X & Atban Klann
I ended the Aboveground Mix with a sappy cut, so you know I had to go in the complete opposite direction for the bonus Christmas track. Merry motherf**king Christmas!
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Bells. Rocked: How the greatest hip-hop show on the planet keeps getting better
Note: I wrote this on Sunday, September 4, and submitted for possible publication. That didn't pan out, so I thought I'd put it up on the blog, but have had a busy week and am just getting to it now. Hope you enjoy!
Saturday, on a sun-scorched field on Governor’s Island in New York, thousands of hip-hop faithful turned out to witness the latest incarnation of Rock The Bells, a tour that in its eighth year has become the holy grail of hip-hop festivals. It has raised the stakes the past two years with one important change -- having the headlining artists perform their classic albums in their entirety.
“That’s like the second time we’ve done that song in 10 years.” Talib Kweli, after performing “Hater Players”
Bands performing albums in their entirety is certainly nothing new in the music world. Whether it be tribute performances, live shows at festivals such as South By Southwest, All Tomorrow’s Parties and the Pitchfork Music Festival, or even as a tool of self-promotion, performing whole albums serves as both a treat for devoted fans and a primer for uninitiated or casual ones. But it is not something that is common in hip-hop. The Genius/GZA has performed Liquid Swords live for years -- he even built a tour around it in 2008 -- and Public Enemy has performed It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back (and is also slated to perform Fear of A Black Planet) -- live, but neither has ever been accused of existing inside the mainstream mold of hip-hop.
Last year, the festival was headlined by hip-hop force Wu-Tang Clan, who performed their seminal work Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) (Ol’ Dirty Bastard’s first-born son, who goes by both “Boy Jones” and “Young Dirty Bastard,” and is the spitting image of his late father, performed his parts). Raekwon the Chef said it was the first time the group would perform the whole album live, while The GZA elaborated that the group would prepare for the show by actually rehearsing, something he claimed they had done only three times in their nearly 20 years as a collective. Also performing full albums were Rakim (Paid In Full), KRS-1 (Criminal Minded), Slick Rick (The Great Adventures of Slick Rick), Snoop Dogg (Doggystyle) and A Tribe Called Quest (Midnight Marauders). Lauryn Hill was rumored to be on the bill, but was instead a special guest, performing only selections of The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill rather than the whole work in full. With such a tour de force lineup, and a demanding set of performances, the number of destinations was pared down noticeably, from 10-16 in previous years to just four. This year the destinations included Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York and Boston. Promoters Guerilla Union had a tall task in trying to top the bill from last year’s festival, but if they didn’t top it, they came damn close.
“This is the first time me and Nas gon’ do this shit on stage.” MC Serch, before joining Nas for Serch’s “Back To The Grill.”
In 2005, MTV named Paid In Full the greatest hip-hop album of all-time. Number two was Illmatic, the debut album from one Nasir Jones, better known to the masses as Nas. But while everyone in the late ‘80’s was no doubt influenced by Paid In Full, the number of MC’s who were influenced by Illmatic likely dwarf that. Nas is also more relevant these days than Rakim, as he is still pumping out hits, and this was to be the first time he performed the album live. Co-headlining with the Queensbridge legend was Ms. Hill, who the promoters locked down this year to perform Miseducation in its entirety. Also prominent on the bill were Cypress Hill (performing Black Sunday), Black Star (Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star), GZA (Liquid Swords), Mobb Deep (The Infamous), Raekwon and Ghostface Killah (Only Built 4 Cuban Linx) and Erykah Badu (Baduizm). Newbies Curren$y and Mac Miller got top billing on the west coast leg, and Common (Be) did every stop but New York.
Never mind the headliners, the prime cuts of that undercard are monster-sized. Anytime hardcore hip-hop heads can see GZA, Raekwon and Ghostface on the same day it’s a good day, to say nothing of Cypress Hill, Badu or Mos Def and Talib Kweli. But most of them tour constantly. The same cannot be said for Mobb Deep, who had not toured together in three years thanks to Prodigy’s incarceration. Even before that, their mostly underground status -- though legendary in the five boroughs -- generally precluded them from big shows like Rock The Bells, and as a result, many diehard fans had never seen them live. They did not disappoint. While they strayed from The Infamous at will and weren’t joined by collaborators like Raekwon, Nas, Ghostface or Lil' Kim (Big Noyd was there of course, rocking an updated version of the crew’s old “Hennessy” jerseys), but they kept their set at a fevered pitch, crushing some of the greatest hits in their catalog, concluding with what is probably the greatest underground hip-hop song of all-time, “Shook Ones, Part Two.” The crowd -- many of whom had been on their feet at that point for seven-plus hours -- left energized. They would need that energy as the festival drew to a close.
Despite speculation in the crowd, Hill did take the stage for her set, and though she seemed thoroughly annoyed with her mic at points, she turned the crowd out. After seemingly drawing her performance to a close with hit “Everything Is Everything,” Hill stunned the crowd. Last year, she brought out several hip-hop and R&B luminaries who were in attendance at the New York show, but none performed with her. This year, she brought back former band mate Pras Michel, with whom she had not been seen with in public since 2006. Together, they performed “Fu-Gee-La,” “Ready Or Not” and “Killing Me Softly,” during which Hill broke from character even further by bringing her children onto stage to share the moment with her. It was a moment that seemed like it would be hard to top. Nas, however, was up to the challenge.
Nas has anointed himself with several personas through the years, but when he started, he was Nasty Nas, and that fire was evident from the beginning. After album intro “Genesis” played, he launched into “New York State Of Mind.” The crowd hung on every word, and when Nas turned the mic to the crowd they bellowed the bars, none louder than the priceless quip “I never sleep, ‘cause sleep is the cousin of death.”
Like Black Star earlier in the day, Nas would burn through each track of the album in order, but unlike Black Star (who did add a couple of hits at the end of their set) Nas detoured from the album twice to pay his respects. The first time was following “The World Is Yours,” when peerless DJ’s Premier and Pete Rock engaged in a lengthy DJ battle. Then, following “Memory Lane,” Nas brought MC Serch to the stage. Nas credited Serch for giving him a shot when he was still young in the game with the song “Back To The Grill,” which they performed to monster effect. Joe Fatal, Large Professor and Akinyele then jumped on stage to perform the song that Nas first appeared on, “Live At The BBQ,” from Main Source’s Breaking Atoms, with the Aktapuss sticking around to thrill the crowd with his cult fave “Put It In Your Mouth.”
The posse cuts seemed to give Nas new life, as he sped through the last few cuts off Illmatic before delighting the crowd with several of his singles, including his new joint “Nasty,” “Hate Me Now,” and “Nas Is Like,” before capping the festivities sooner than he would have liked with the banger “Made You Look” (to his credit, he kept claiming he didn’t want to stop, and looked ready to perform far deeper into the night. This may have been the fault of the crew who set up the stage for him, as they seemingly took forever to set up the most basic props and thus pushed the beginning of Nas’ set closer to the show’s end time.). The crowd was treated by the presence of Steve Nash, who was brought on stage, and giddily danced with the rest of Nas’ crew. He even brought Hill back out for “If I Ruled The World (Imagine That),” though Hill’s mic was once again not working properly.
As will always be the case with a show of this magnitude, mic problems were the bugaboo of the day, as Hill wasn’t alone in that respect. It was one of a few issues that cropped up, though the most notable issue was that with three main stages, fans had some very hard decisions to make -- in particular having to choose between Nas and Raekwon and Ghostface for the final act (My cohorts and I picked the following schedule -- Random Axe, Black Star, GZA, Mobb Deep, Lauryn Hill and Nas, breaking for dinner between GZA and Mobb Deep. This meant missing several acts -- more than a full day’s worth -- that we would have liked to have seen, such as Donald Glover/Childish Gambino, Masta Killa, Slaughterhouse, Evidence and of course, Raekwon and Ghostface.). But just as there were unexpected potholes, the unexpected performances from The RZA, Serch, Akinyele, as well as the DJ battle between Premo and The Chocolate Boy Wonder more than balanced the scales.
Recently, Watch The Throne and Tha Carter IV set records for album downloads, but far too frequently these days, we consume music song by song rather album by album. With the cost of music so low, fans are increasingly hesitant to pay to see even the best artists live. By applying the whole album formula for its largest acts, Rock The Bells has hit the sweet spot of giving fans a unique experience that is also well worth the money, and it has brought out the best of its performers. As an added bonus, they have rekindled the love for the long player, something that in today’s 140 characters or less world is a welcome respite. Stuck off the realness, indeed.
Saturday, on a sun-scorched field on Governor’s Island in New York, thousands of hip-hop faithful turned out to witness the latest incarnation of Rock The Bells, a tour that in its eighth year has become the holy grail of hip-hop festivals. It has raised the stakes the past two years with one important change -- having the headlining artists perform their classic albums in their entirety.
“That’s like the second time we’ve done that song in 10 years.” Talib Kweli, after performing “Hater Players”
Bands performing albums in their entirety is certainly nothing new in the music world. Whether it be tribute performances, live shows at festivals such as South By Southwest, All Tomorrow’s Parties and the Pitchfork Music Festival, or even as a tool of self-promotion, performing whole albums serves as both a treat for devoted fans and a primer for uninitiated or casual ones. But it is not something that is common in hip-hop. The Genius/GZA has performed Liquid Swords live for years -- he even built a tour around it in 2008 -- and Public Enemy has performed It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back (and is also slated to perform Fear of A Black Planet) -- live, but neither has ever been accused of existing inside the mainstream mold of hip-hop.
Last year, the festival was headlined by hip-hop force Wu-Tang Clan, who performed their seminal work Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) (Ol’ Dirty Bastard’s first-born son, who goes by both “Boy Jones” and “Young Dirty Bastard,” and is the spitting image of his late father, performed his parts). Raekwon the Chef said it was the first time the group would perform the whole album live, while The GZA elaborated that the group would prepare for the show by actually rehearsing, something he claimed they had done only three times in their nearly 20 years as a collective. Also performing full albums were Rakim (Paid In Full), KRS-1 (Criminal Minded), Slick Rick (The Great Adventures of Slick Rick), Snoop Dogg (Doggystyle) and A Tribe Called Quest (Midnight Marauders). Lauryn Hill was rumored to be on the bill, but was instead a special guest, performing only selections of The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill rather than the whole work in full. With such a tour de force lineup, and a demanding set of performances, the number of destinations was pared down noticeably, from 10-16 in previous years to just four. This year the destinations included Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York and Boston. Promoters Guerilla Union had a tall task in trying to top the bill from last year’s festival, but if they didn’t top it, they came damn close.
“This is the first time me and Nas gon’ do this shit on stage.” MC Serch, before joining Nas for Serch’s “Back To The Grill.”
In 2005, MTV named Paid In Full the greatest hip-hop album of all-time. Number two was Illmatic, the debut album from one Nasir Jones, better known to the masses as Nas. But while everyone in the late ‘80’s was no doubt influenced by Paid In Full, the number of MC’s who were influenced by Illmatic likely dwarf that. Nas is also more relevant these days than Rakim, as he is still pumping out hits, and this was to be the first time he performed the album live. Co-headlining with the Queensbridge legend was Ms. Hill, who the promoters locked down this year to perform Miseducation in its entirety. Also prominent on the bill were Cypress Hill (performing Black Sunday), Black Star (Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star), GZA (Liquid Swords), Mobb Deep (The Infamous), Raekwon and Ghostface Killah (Only Built 4 Cuban Linx) and Erykah Badu (Baduizm). Newbies Curren$y and Mac Miller got top billing on the west coast leg, and Common (Be) did every stop but New York.
Never mind the headliners, the prime cuts of that undercard are monster-sized. Anytime hardcore hip-hop heads can see GZA, Raekwon and Ghostface on the same day it’s a good day, to say nothing of Cypress Hill, Badu or Mos Def and Talib Kweli. But most of them tour constantly. The same cannot be said for Mobb Deep, who had not toured together in three years thanks to Prodigy’s incarceration. Even before that, their mostly underground status -- though legendary in the five boroughs -- generally precluded them from big shows like Rock The Bells, and as a result, many diehard fans had never seen them live. They did not disappoint. While they strayed from The Infamous at will and weren’t joined by collaborators like Raekwon, Nas, Ghostface or Lil' Kim (Big Noyd was there of course, rocking an updated version of the crew’s old “Hennessy” jerseys), but they kept their set at a fevered pitch, crushing some of the greatest hits in their catalog, concluding with what is probably the greatest underground hip-hop song of all-time, “Shook Ones, Part Two.” The crowd -- many of whom had been on their feet at that point for seven-plus hours -- left energized. They would need that energy as the festival drew to a close.
Despite speculation in the crowd, Hill did take the stage for her set, and though she seemed thoroughly annoyed with her mic at points, she turned the crowd out. After seemingly drawing her performance to a close with hit “Everything Is Everything,” Hill stunned the crowd. Last year, she brought out several hip-hop and R&B luminaries who were in attendance at the New York show, but none performed with her. This year, she brought back former band mate Pras Michel, with whom she had not been seen with in public since 2006. Together, they performed “Fu-Gee-La,” “Ready Or Not” and “Killing Me Softly,” during which Hill broke from character even further by bringing her children onto stage to share the moment with her. It was a moment that seemed like it would be hard to top. Nas, however, was up to the challenge.
Nas has anointed himself with several personas through the years, but when he started, he was Nasty Nas, and that fire was evident from the beginning. After album intro “Genesis” played, he launched into “New York State Of Mind.” The crowd hung on every word, and when Nas turned the mic to the crowd they bellowed the bars, none louder than the priceless quip “I never sleep, ‘cause sleep is the cousin of death.”
Like Black Star earlier in the day, Nas would burn through each track of the album in order, but unlike Black Star (who did add a couple of hits at the end of their set) Nas detoured from the album twice to pay his respects. The first time was following “The World Is Yours,” when peerless DJ’s Premier and Pete Rock engaged in a lengthy DJ battle. Then, following “Memory Lane,” Nas brought MC Serch to the stage. Nas credited Serch for giving him a shot when he was still young in the game with the song “Back To The Grill,” which they performed to monster effect. Joe Fatal, Large Professor and Akinyele then jumped on stage to perform the song that Nas first appeared on, “Live At The BBQ,” from Main Source’s Breaking Atoms, with the Aktapuss sticking around to thrill the crowd with his cult fave “Put It In Your Mouth.”
The posse cuts seemed to give Nas new life, as he sped through the last few cuts off Illmatic before delighting the crowd with several of his singles, including his new joint “Nasty,” “Hate Me Now,” and “Nas Is Like,” before capping the festivities sooner than he would have liked with the banger “Made You Look” (to his credit, he kept claiming he didn’t want to stop, and looked ready to perform far deeper into the night. This may have been the fault of the crew who set up the stage for him, as they seemingly took forever to set up the most basic props and thus pushed the beginning of Nas’ set closer to the show’s end time.). The crowd was treated by the presence of Steve Nash, who was brought on stage, and giddily danced with the rest of Nas’ crew. He even brought Hill back out for “If I Ruled The World (Imagine That),” though Hill’s mic was once again not working properly.
As will always be the case with a show of this magnitude, mic problems were the bugaboo of the day, as Hill wasn’t alone in that respect. It was one of a few issues that cropped up, though the most notable issue was that with three main stages, fans had some very hard decisions to make -- in particular having to choose between Nas and Raekwon and Ghostface for the final act (My cohorts and I picked the following schedule -- Random Axe, Black Star, GZA, Mobb Deep, Lauryn Hill and Nas, breaking for dinner between GZA and Mobb Deep. This meant missing several acts -- more than a full day’s worth -- that we would have liked to have seen, such as Donald Glover/Childish Gambino, Masta Killa, Slaughterhouse, Evidence and of course, Raekwon and Ghostface.). But just as there were unexpected potholes, the unexpected performances from The RZA, Serch, Akinyele, as well as the DJ battle between Premo and The Chocolate Boy Wonder more than balanced the scales.
Recently, Watch The Throne and Tha Carter IV set records for album downloads, but far too frequently these days, we consume music song by song rather album by album. With the cost of music so low, fans are increasingly hesitant to pay to see even the best artists live. By applying the whole album formula for its largest acts, Rock The Bells has hit the sweet spot of giving fans a unique experience that is also well worth the money, and it has brought out the best of its performers. As an added bonus, they have rekindled the love for the long player, something that in today’s 140 characters or less world is a welcome respite. Stuck off the realness, indeed.
Monday, August 15, 2011
Moving Forward, Falling Behind
Tumultuous: Marked by tumult: loud, excited and emotional.
That's pretty much the way I would describe my move back to Massachusetts. Without going into too much detail, it's been four months since I left Denver, and I can still hardly believe it. But between raising Xander, figuring out a routine with two new jobs, trying to get even more additional freelance work, getting the house packed up, moving back in with my parents, dealing with some serious family medical issues, moving out of my parents' house, getting settled in a new apartment and exploring our new surroundings, I somehow fell behind on my music purchases.
Two weeks ago, I was trying to cajole a friend on Instant Messenger into buying tickets to the "Rock The Bells" show in New York that I'm heading out to in a couple of weeks, and he mentioned that he probably wasn't going to that, but that he was working on getting "Watch The Throne" tickets. I stared at the screen blankly, not knowing what "Watch The Throne" was. When he explained what pretty much the entire planet already knew -- Jay-Z and Kanye West made an album together and are going on tour together to perform it. I knew if this had slipped past my radar that I really needed to redouble my efforts on the music front.
I had been saving a couple of Amazon gift cards, and I tore into them a little bit last night. I picked up Adele's "Rolling In The Deep," Nicki Minaj's "Super Bass," the Bad Meets Evil album and "Watch The Throne." I haven't listened to Bad Meets Evil yet at all, and the others have only gotten one listen. I'll be back (hopefully) later with comments on all of them. I also have made a lengthy list of releases that I need to catch up on since the start of the year (I think the only other album I've bought all year was the Raekwon "Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang" disc -- which, while solid, was underwhelming when compared to Only Bulit For Cuban Linx II and when you take into account how much he hyped it on his Twitter account).
I've always told myself that I would never fall out of touch with music, and after getting my first taste of being out of touch I can tell you that I did not care for it one bit -- even if I had valid reasons for falling behind. But now that we've moved forward, fear not selfless reader, I will not fall behind again.
That's pretty much the way I would describe my move back to Massachusetts. Without going into too much detail, it's been four months since I left Denver, and I can still hardly believe it. But between raising Xander, figuring out a routine with two new jobs, trying to get even more additional freelance work, getting the house packed up, moving back in with my parents, dealing with some serious family medical issues, moving out of my parents' house, getting settled in a new apartment and exploring our new surroundings, I somehow fell behind on my music purchases.
Two weeks ago, I was trying to cajole a friend on Instant Messenger into buying tickets to the "Rock The Bells" show in New York that I'm heading out to in a couple of weeks, and he mentioned that he probably wasn't going to that, but that he was working on getting "Watch The Throne" tickets. I stared at the screen blankly, not knowing what "Watch The Throne" was. When he explained what pretty much the entire planet already knew -- Jay-Z and Kanye West made an album together and are going on tour together to perform it. I knew if this had slipped past my radar that I really needed to redouble my efforts on the music front.
I had been saving a couple of Amazon gift cards, and I tore into them a little bit last night. I picked up Adele's "Rolling In The Deep," Nicki Minaj's "Super Bass," the Bad Meets Evil album and "Watch The Throne." I haven't listened to Bad Meets Evil yet at all, and the others have only gotten one listen. I'll be back (hopefully) later with comments on all of them. I also have made a lengthy list of releases that I need to catch up on since the start of the year (I think the only other album I've bought all year was the Raekwon "Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang" disc -- which, while solid, was underwhelming when compared to Only Bulit For Cuban Linx II and when you take into account how much he hyped it on his Twitter account).
I've always told myself that I would never fall out of touch with music, and after getting my first taste of being out of touch I can tell you that I did not care for it one bit -- even if I had valid reasons for falling behind. But now that we've moved forward, fear not selfless reader, I will not fall behind again.
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