Please have a listen as you go!
Eric Burdon & War – Spill the Wine In the beginning of April, I had taken a spring break trip with my family and it had seemed that “Spilled the Wine” was the theme song of our trip…well other than Van Morrison’s “Brown Eyed Girl”. But what the one thing that differs in songs is the overall energy. War starts slow, the song ha almost a lazy man’s feel to it. But then it builds and builds on top of each other, creating a tremendous funk jam. It’s a groovy song to just mellow out to that I hadn’t taken into consideration before. War is an extremely underrated funk, electric blues band, especially when they have The Animals original front man, Eric Burdon, with them. The Kills – Doing It To Death “Doing It To Death” is the Kills first single off of their 5th studio album, Ash & Ice, soon to drop June 3rd this year. I’ve been a Kills fan for some time and I’ve always been blown away with their ability to constantly reinvent their particular musical style. This song is gritty and extremely infectious. Doing it to death, The Kills have no plans of dying or stopping. They’ve already started their summer tour for Ash & Ice, stopping in Chicago May 23rd at the Riviera. Television – 1880 or So “1880 or So” starts off Television's 1992 self-titledalbum, which other than one live album, is the last studio Television record. This song reminds me of calmer times. It’s extremely relaxing and I always find solace in Television. Simplistic rock and roll but with passion and huge talent. Maybe it’s because I find Tom Verlaine’s voice so soothing, I’ll listen to anything he creates. But this song has been my go to for when I want to just chill out and forget the day. It’s a song you can just melt into. You can't hear the 15 year gap from their last record, it still has their old trademarks and their distinctive alternative sound. Shamir – On the Regular Ahh Shamir! My favorite new artist. I found him while going over the Pitchfork Music Festival’s line up for this summer and I immediately fell in love with his music. This song begins with a bang as Shamir lets everyone know who he is and it then breaks into a beat that proves his live performance is something not to be missed. Electronic or disco or even house music, Shamir touches on all of it. It’s catchy, funky and what makes this song particularly amazing is how it affects everyone I’ve shown it to (even my dad likes Shamir!). This song has #bossbitch all over it. I have a really good feeling about Shamir and his future, this mega talent is something that shouldn’t be overlooked. Sufjan Stevens – Chicago – Demo All Chicagoans have some sort of love for Sufjan Stevens, I know I do! His album Illinoise is almost an anthem if you will. Sufjan will be at this year's Pitchfork Music Festival, so I took some time to see what he’s been up to since the release of Illinoise. 11 years later, Sufjan gives us “Chicago - Demo”. This demo is grittier, more rock and roll., it’s raw and it’s beautiful. It's the bare bones of "Chicago" and I have my fingers crossed tightly that he performs this at the festival. I might even be so bold to say I almost prefer it...almost. Toro Y Moi – Imprint After My brother showed me this song from his collection of most prized synthpop/indie songs and showed me this Toro Y Moi hidden gem. And I must agree that this deserves the highest of praises because Chazwick Bundick is a master at synthpop. It starts with a slow build but when the beat kicks in, it gets you moving.It’s a great song to drive to or to just forget the world to. It’s a great background song for any event or situation - like I said, Chazwick is a master. Wooden Shjips – These Shadows “These Shadows” entered my life as I was in a short music discovery phase. It’s the absolute, most perfect dose of psychedelic rock with hint of jam band. It has a heavy Velvet Underground feel but Wooden Shjips twist the entire sense of psychedelic in their own way. It’s a song that makes you feel as if you’re floating alone in space, a terrific jam of distorted guitars with an extremely innovative way to be rock & roll. Twin Peaks – Making Breakfast Hailing from the native land of Chicago, I was VERY hesitant to listen to Twin Peaks for a number of reasons. But I fell into their spell only a couple of weeks ago and I fell hard. “Making Breakfast” is the perfect mix of alternative, pop and garage punk. Clay Frankel’s deep voice really makes the song for me. I haven’t been able to tear myself from listening to this song whenever it comes on. I noticed a minor Mac Demarco influence but still, Twin Peaks can hold their own just fine. It’s an extremely likable tune and it’s a cute love song. They will also be at Pitchfork, can you see the pattern yet? Courtney Barnett – Lance Jr. I’ve expressed my absolute fascination with Courtney Barnett and I truly believe she will take over the world someday. I recently caught on to this song from watching her performance on KEXP, the Halloween edition. She opened her performance with this song and I was kicking myself for not knowing this amazing and fucking fantastic track. It’s got a Nirvana feel to it which I feel is a main source of inspiration for her. You can hear a Nirvana influence on both of her albums. But all in all, it's a mellow paced rock jam with a catchy vocal tune. If you caught any of her multiple shows in Chicago last weekend and last month, I’m beyond jealous. Circulatory System – Yesterday’s World “Yesterday’s World” kicks off Circulatory System’s first album. The first of the first. I had first heard this song earlier in the year in another music discovery phase, but I didn’t know where to fit it in my picks. I putting this in April's picks because this song has been with me almost every day because of it’s psychedelic and super folky sound. It’s got an excellent drum track with the help of kids’ voices starting the song off right. It’s a great song to jam to because it just builds and builds until it's march like finish completes the track. HONORABLE MENTION: Witch – Home Town In conclusion dear reader, I find the theme of this month to only be discovery. I’m always trying to do more to educate myself. Whether that be from music or books or conversations or even television, I’m always trying to know more. I’ve also tried to prepare myself for my favorite summer music festival so I can double my experience. I guess what you can take away from my April was that it was filled with exploration. I will continue to discover and grow as you should try too! You never know what you will find! Until May! If you have any suggestions for next month or want to discuss any of my April picks, let me know at: [email protected] OR @jessfsamson *** CALLING ALL ARTISTS!! Gamma Prince is a spot on the Internet that would love nothing more but to display your talents!! Music, art, video, poetry, you name it!! Some of my own talented and respected artist friends and family have been featured on the site! It’s open to anyone who has the aspirations to become more! www.gammaprince.com
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April 2018
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