Flying Lotus and Erykah Badu Collaboration “See Thru To U” Finally Surfaces!

Posted on September 18, 2012 by 2020k | RJ Kozain

Flying Lotus Until the Quiet ComesIn every single article written about Erykah Badu, we’ve mentioned the eager anticipation of the collaboration she’s done with Warp Records’ Flying Lotus. A month ago, the first of a few tracks the two apparently worked on, called “See Thru To U” has been released! It’s a short track, but a great one nonetheless and it will appear on Lotus’ upcoming Until The Quiet Comes, which is due out October 2nd.

“See Thru To U” is organized chaos presented in the best way possible. A lot of intricately placed symbol and hat instrumentation pave the way for a rushed, darkly played out rhythmic section, while bass and guitar compositions carry the bulk of the melodic structure.

Badu’s vocals take the track to an even jazzier platform and, heavily treated in the mixing process, they swirl and guide the track down tripped out avenues. “I know, let it go. I can’t make it grow.” she laments before exploding into a frenzy of “bom, bom, bom, bom” adlibs. Sounds just like something that would fit within the track listing of her Nu Amerykah series, while maintaining the fresh experimentation Flying Lotus is known for. An ace track!

Rumors of the two working on songs for Erykah’s project have also been abundant over the last year or so, but who knows if they’ll see the light of day. We’re certainly crossing our fingers and toes. We want these two collaborators to grow..

Along with this release, we’ve received snippets of every track off of the album and a great three minute long video, which you can see via Vimeo in promotion for the project.

Posted in track review | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Infrasound: Kinesthetiac – Is It A Kind Of A Dream

Posted on September 18, 2012 by 2020k | RJ Kozain

Kinesthetiac isitakindofadreamcover

We first wrote about Kinesthetiac in April of 2012 when he released his record Fields of Thought a few months prior (review). It was a stunning collection of Electronic tracks by a young fourteen year old Indiana native named Jared VanMarte. In fact, as an artist, I decided to incorporate one of the songs from the record “Transends” into my live shows (read more) and even edited together a video for the song (YouTube).

As a follow up to this well crafted release, we received a four track EP Cout Miny Candy and now, at fifteen and in the same year as the aforementioned releases, we have a second full length album, this one titled Is It A Kind Of A Dream.

From the start of the record, it’s smart nostalgia trickles in on “Peripheral (Introduction)” with manipulated audio snippets seemingly taken from the snapshots within his own life. “Hello, Jared. Happy Birthday” repeats one individual twice amongst a pad with a slightly delayed attack in its envelope. It’s main melody swells through its stereo width before extremely live sounding percussion samples create their climax. At just under a minute, the introductory track creates the tone of the album quite elegantly.

Is It A Kind Of A Dream segues into the album’s second track “Gateway,” through the laugh of children, before various reverberated and programmed synthesized pads make their way into the main mix. What makes this track one of the standout moments of the entire record is the stutter effect created through the song’s entirety. It never lets up, weaving in and out of the mix quickly, giving way toward a sort of futuristic style that recalls Electronica at its finest. Various panned elements help guide “Gateway” through what feels like a tunnel vision through a Ghostly International fans haven, particularly a breakdown which comes midway through the song, that contains a realm of space perfected by Tycho, amongst other Electronic contemporaries. A synth bass and subtle bass drop also appear through this track quite frequently, smoothing over a bottom end for the mid-kick, hi-hat, and snare to thrive with. Overall, it’s melodic perfection and a force to be reckon with in Kinesthetiac’s furiously growing discography.

“Bless to Go” contains subtle, coy hip-hop influences with a signature “yo” on the 2 & 4 while a later song entitled “Cling” throws itself into an ambient, piano based melody that recalled VanMarte’s previous full release. The majority of the tracks on this follow up are shorter songs, but lovely vignettes at that.

Throughout this release, there’s a collection of short tracks called “Memory Stimulation” that take themselves through experimental elements and unconventional placement of sounds and soundscapes. Nirvana’s “Something In The Way” makes their way into the first part of the trilogy, while jazz music works its way in and out the second, leaving the third and final aspect of these related tracks being a more straightforward ambient approach , leading into a more stripped down, minimal electro-pop inspired track called “26.”

“Not Feeling Like You Used To” contains various panned vocal elements that are the closest this record comes to a Boards of Canada feel, but it’s rhythmic melody that is panned to the left channel of the mix gives the song interesting throwback appeal, and once it all comes together, you feel the build up of the track. Build ups and breakdowns also seem to be an ongoing theme through this dreamscape of a record. It’s nice to hear the prog element coming out a bit more through these collections of tracks. While the songs are short, they do seem to all evolve quite a bit!

It Is A Kind Of A Dream ravishes through a brighter mixing technique than what we’re compared to hearing from the EDM community as of lately. In a world where low frequency bass and kick drum mixing and mastering seem to take over the full frequency range in a lot of mainstream releases in the passed few years, Kinesthetiac maintains a balance of being progressively melodic, without relying too much on simple four to the floor rhythmic patterns to fall back on. It’s a bit hard to understand, sonically, at first, but is more intelligent after a few listens in regards to what is being accomplished in the technical terms of the record.

“Arrows (Ending)” contains no percussion. It’s fragile, almost broken and contains elements of heartbreak. The end fade is reminiscent on something you’d hear on Moby’s Hotel Ambient record, though refreshing and unpredictable. Emotion pours throughout it, but still comes across as letting the listener wander if this is reality or if this is all a kind of a dream..

Three releases in under a year is a feat in of itself, but to keep releasing gold? Kinesthetiac is one strong, driven force and one to keep looking out for.

Album Rating: 3/5


Download Is It A Kind Of A Dream for FREE via Kinesthetiac’s Soundcloud

Posted in album review, Infrasound | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Track Review: Natalia Kills – Controversy

Posted on September 14, 2012 by 2020k | RJ Kozain

Our initial coverage of Natalia Kills came as one of our biggest articles when we reviewed her debut album Perfection (read the review here). Hailed as one of 2011’s best artists, it’s a no brainer that Kills would continue exploring the realm of debauchery bound dark pop and does so with the release of the video and first song called “Controversy” off her upcoming release Trouble.

The track starts out rather, well, controversial, with a full string melody that sounds like it’s been pulled from a public domain recording and a wonderful, classy voicemail of a woman calling an individual a dumb dirty bitch, a fucking whore, and many other colorful expletives. Distorted static comes in, before a short/automated reverberation brings in the pitched down voice, repeating the words “controversy, uh” while stereo yelps and painful moans run through the background of the mix.

The song composition itself is heavy and immediate. Though simple in melodic structure, rhythmically its an extreme force to be reckoned with. A loud, compressed kick, reverberated and closely delayed, contains a hypnotic stomping effect. What’s best about this is that there aren’t many percussive elements to this track outside of the kick. At times, there’s some slapping and oddly timed claps, adding to the obscurity of this debut single from Natalia’s sophomore project.

Guitars, stuttered, distorted, bountiful background vocals, and a beautiful reverberation that lays low in the mix on the majority of the song’s length. “Online is the new reality/the internet is reality. Technology killed reality” Kills lets out during one of the standout writing aspects.

Armed with a Jim Jones inspired bridge, “drink the Koolaid/don’t drink the Koolaid” infectiously loops through four bars of doubled, layered, and distorted vocal tension, it creates a devil/angel effect. The first line is panned to the right, and the second on the left. Eventually, the angel side of this bridge begins screaming in alarming distorted panic and is pitched down at the last line in full, vocal doubled effect. This pitched down angel turned devil continues through the purposefully monotonous constructed choruses.

This approach to mixing is extremely creative in that throughout the entirety of “Controversy” there are layers upon layers of vocals that in itself help tell the story. This is more than your typical pop production, it’s a full on pop narrative: inside and out. Jeff Bhasker, who worked on Kills’ previous project produced this song. Check out the nod to Jay-Z and Kanye West’s “Niggas in Paris” near the halfway point (he’s worked with the pair before, though not on that specific track).

The end of the song? Yet another stringed production as moans fade out. A happy ending, though unsettling as can be. Another win for Natalia Kills. Knockout, if you will.

What the fuck are you looking at? Watch the VHS and artsy video. Subtle and more effective than you think.

We want more Koolaid.

Update: We’d absolutely love to hear Janelle Monae spit a verse a la “Many Moons” over this beat. Trouble is slated for a 2013 release.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Infrasound: Miaou – The Day Will Come Before Long

Posted on September 5, 2012 by 2020k | RJ Kozain

Miaou is a collective of musicians from Tokyo, Japan that formed in 2001 and became well versed in sophisticated song structure, dipped in dream pop sounding guitar melodies, clean and crisp percussion, minimal electronica inspirations, and manage to span across versatile soundscapes to form a solid affiliation of song and emotion. Comprised of Tatsuki Hamasaki, sisters Mayumi and Hiromi Hasegawa, and touring musician Yoichiro Hashimoto, the studio trio have put together four main studio releases, with the most current one drawing the optimistic title of The Day Will Come Before Long.

What’s interesting about independent music coming from Eastern countries is their vast attention to detail. Miaou is in someways reminiscent of Korea’s Donawhale (see “Echo“) in that stylistically the number of tracks in a given song don’t seem to span at too high of a number, but the precision in regards to the mixing process of each song give way to paint a vivid image that can span from omitting a vision of sunshine or even an emotion of a humanistic version of melancholy as opposed to melodramatic instances of demonstrative feeling. In a way, the mixing of Miaou’s music compliments the bands sound in the best way possible and maintains extreme amounts of noble integrity.

The opening track “notnotnot” is Miaou’s most abrupt track and introduction to this piece of art and begins with a filtered voice that states it’s all right because it’s all wrong. From this opening, which is the most electronic-infused offering on the album, it’s quite possible for perception to steer focused toward quite an intense listening experience. However, while this work of art does drift toward gloomy atmospheres, especially when it infuses bells with swelling synthesizers and warm bass lines, those same bass lines that project an anxious underlying turn out to be friendly and fearless. Quite often, it’s the bass lines that remains the glue inside of this record, and it’s apparent from the beginning track “Small Dream” all the way to it’s finish.

“Own Your Colours” and “Endings (which features Epic45)” continue this wide approach to sonic coloring, with their ever changing composition and melodies that barrow greatly from acoustic guitar and percussive instrumentation. “…Colours” shows off a more spacious mixing technique, with great use of traditional panning techniques which gives the songs more time to breathe and expand as opposed to a claustrophobic sound that a more mono oriented recording may suffer from.

While most of The Day Will Come… compacts bright sounds, it’s “Lost Souls,” which features vocals from Radical Face that causes the album to take a detour through a more somber attitude, with a mid-tempo that ironically contains lyrics about summers and winters, comparing and contrasting in a way, the essence of what Miaou has accomplished with this release: a natural, flowing guide enthralled with changing moods, blossoming melodies, and the build ups and break downs of what makes an exceptional album.

Purchase The Day Will Come Before Long (Amazon) and learn more about Miaou through their official website, Twitter, and Facebook.

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Updates on Iamamiwhoami & Why We Haven’t Reviewed “kin” Yet

Posted on September 2, 2012 by 2020k | RJ Kozain

Jonna Lee and Claes Björklund have been quite the productive people since the last mentions of them on the 2020k blog. For starters, we now have confirmation on the biggest speculation of the entire Iamamiwhoami saga: it’s a joint project between Bjorklund and Lee. So, those background vocals we hear from time to time? Probably Claes. In addition to this reveal, we’ve found that the stunning visuals that accompany all of the duo’s music so far is Robin Kempe-Bergman. Agustin Moreaux provided the gorgeous set, costume, and make up aspects, and John Strandh aided in still photography and cinematography.

A slew of interviews have been released by The Guardian, Intro, DIY, Notion Magazine, Clash Music, Wired, Dazed Digital, that have shed light into the creative process behind the project, which basically involved Jonna blocking out any outside sources in order to concentrate fully on the artistic vision and creative outlet that Iamamiwhoami had become. Still at large are the full meanings behind the BOUNTY and kin series, but, sometimes things are best kept hidden. Jonna speaks freely about this in almost every article she’s been involved in thus far, noting that there are, of course, specific reasons and meanings to herself behind every single aspect of the Iam.. project, but she has left those definitions undefined in order for each individual to interpret the art as they wish. An encouragement of the imagination, if you will.

Jonna Lee/Iamamiwhoami interview highlights from various sources:

“I would say I’m the same person, but I guess I’ve found other sides of myself. I’m a happier person. I mean, I don’t separate myself from what I do because I’m living it. Hmm, yes.” – on her alternative rock releases 10 Pieces, 10 Bruises, This War EP, and This is Jonna Lee.

“It was just the way it had to be, I’m sorry to say. Now may he rest in peace.” – On YouTube member Shootupthestation’s involvement in the “In Concert” special.

ForsakenOrder.com was mentioned in the Intro Magazine article.

“At the core I’m a musician, and the growth of ‘Kin has developed into something that can stand on its own legs – musically, visually and as a whole” – on kin

“It was necessary to work in the quiet for iamamiwhoami to be able to continue to have a life. My identity was not hidden but neither articulated by me because what is relevant is the work we have done and the audience reflection of my identity.” – on the mystery

“There is no need for over articulation. Our audience is clever and I know their capacity. Their interpretations of what we do shape the course of the story.” – on the followers

“The name speaks for itself, it came from the whole project which is it’s own entity in some ways. There needs to be no creative boundaries to do what you have to do and to be that free. It was just a natural continuation of how to share what we are doing. We had to challenge ourselves to see what we could do with very little.” – on releasing through the To Whom It May Concern record label

In conjunction with this, there are kin screenings that have been put together by collectives in various places of the world and Iamamiwhoami have played at the Popaganda festival, as well as the Stockholm Music and Arts festival.

(Apparent setlist from the Popaganda and Stockholm festivals (please correct us if we’re wrong): N + Drops/Good Worker/In Due Order/Idle Talk/Clump/Sever/Play/Y/Rascal/T/Goods)

With two more performances coming up (one at Queen Elizabeth Hall in the United Kingdom and another at the FreeFormFestival in Poland), it’s pretty safe to say that the project is out into the world, thriving in full force, and staying busy representing its life to their designated audiences and beyond.

And I have been too. Recently, I released my debut EP titled 2020k EP under the moniker of 2020k to lovely reviews, performed two live shows in the Pittsburgh area, and am steady streaming through a backlog of articles that need to be written in displayed, as well as steaming ahead on the future. These have been some of the reasons why kin hasn’t been reviewed thus far and you can read about the entire process via a retrospective article that was posted here.

However, the biggest reason of the tardy article is that I wanted to sit with the album. I wanted to get even more engrossed into he world of Iamamiwhoami and to understand it from all formats. Currently, I’ve consumed the iTunes MP3 releases, the CD/DVD, and as of two hours ago the vinyl copy of the record has been purchased.

In opposition of this task, it was a goal to distance myself from the hype and immediate attachment that the songs and videos grasped upon me as they were initially released.

Also, although the album is currently available through the towhomitmayconcern website, its official release date is September 25th, 2012. So, technically if you go by this detail, we’re not late. That’s our story and we’re sticking to it!

Oddly enough, but something we picked up on, is that the Iamamiwhoami store is currently a sort of statement of material consumption. Along with semi-pricy versions of the physical CD+DVD/Vinyl+DVD combination packs, there are expensive underwear, socks, and shirts that can also be purchased through the outlet. No mention of the band, no mention of anything involving the music, just a black box on each product. While it’s a no-brainer that the music has been bought from the webstore, it’d be interesting to see how this case study matched up with the actual sell of apparel.

For now, 2020k hopes you’re enjoying all of the treats this project has been treating us with over the past year, just as we have ourselves. A proper review will be posted up as soon as possible and for now we ask that you revisit what we’ve written previously. A little preview? There’s an appreciation for “In Due Order” and we’re still fascinated after all of these months of listening and exploring.

Purchase kin individually over at iTunes, buy the record through the band’s website, or just wait for the $8.99 version to be unleashed over at Amazon.

Posted in Personal, Sine Wave | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

In Retrospect: 2020k Live Shows/Debut EP Release

Posted on August 27, 2012 by 2020k | RJ Kozain

Preface & Planning

The last three months have been a whirlwind. Blog posts should return to a normal pace for now. The explanation is explained below.

After being contacted via the 2020k Soundcloud page by Afton Live in regards to doing a few live shows in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area, it was a possibility too grand to hesitate on and one that was taken with not even an hour’s worth of contemplation.

The first show was scheduled for July 12th, 2012 which gave me 48 days to round up thirty minutes of material from my catalog that would be re-worked, re-mixed, and presented live in front of an audience. Though fun, the majority of the work was done on my own so the process was grueling at times. In fact, could be interpreted as a combination of some of the most introverted and stressful, but focused and creative moments of my life.

To start, the actual highs of putting together the show started when I was able to explore different creative territory not taken in past endeavors. An MPD-18 MIDI Controller was purchased as a means to incorporate a live feel for myself in the studio and on stage. Three music videos were produced using public domain/stock footage from Archive.org (you can see two them on my YouTube page: here and here.). Interestingly enough, rigging up Ableton Live to communicate with the MIDI controller, M-Audio eKeys, and M-Audio Xponent Digital Turntables using Propellerhead Re-wire and really getting into the programming, as well as the editing process of the videos were some of the most rewarding parts of the time taken to prep the show.

The lows? Time constraint. 48 days to revamp everything and put all of the new content together is a lot of work, especially when 48 hours a week are dedicated to a customer service day job. Imagine putting together what you read in the aforementioned paragraph, then compose three new songs on top of that in the same time frame. Yes, you read that right. Three new songs were written, composed, engineered, and produced from scratch via Logic Pro in just a little over the month, then mixed in Pro Tools, in combination with the technical aspects of show time. “Contagion,” “Pantomime,” and a take on Blink-182’s “Adam’s Song” were all dreamt and put together specifically to present to a live audience.

The creativity was a curse at times, but such a pleasant and accomplishing feeling to have the ability to generate so much of myself into all of these projects.

The First Show

Intriguingly enough, though there were complications with the presentation of the visuals (which were shown on stage via a large laptop monitor, as opposed to an old 32″ Television – the original intention) the first show went off without a hitch and was met with an extremely warm crowd response. There were claps, yells, a few new fans singing along, and a level of appreciation felt on stage cannot be expressed.

In fact, speaking from a purely emotional standpoint, performing on stage on July 12th and feeling the interaction from artist to fan was one of the most rewarding and liberating aspects of life that has been experienced by myself, period.

Then it was over, and out of the 50 physical EPs that were freely distributed at the show (30 out of the 50 came with limited edition free stickers), over half of them were snatched up by audience members and several individuals came up to me after the show to inquire on how to get a copy of the disc. Artists Shutterdown and Allen Time, who I shared the stage with that night, were also extremely welcoming, with Shutterdown offering to possibly have me open shows on some of their future tour dates if the opportunity should rise.

Afton Shows sent an email exactly one week after the first show to inquire about doing a second set at the same venue. This time, the setlist would be 40 minutes, as opposed to 30. Statistics were built upon surveying the general interest of another set and was asked among my personal Facebook page, with a bunch of likes and text messages that would follow and enthusiastically ask when the show would be. My reply a few days later was set in stone: August 19th, 2012.

The Second Show/Music Business

The August show was an interesting show because myself and another Electronic artist were booked for a Rap show. We were the last two acts to go on and because of it, suffered time constraints which caused the 2020k set to be cut six minutes short (I’m unsure about the other artist).

Beforehand, Afton did not answer any of my e-mails about what time my set was so that I could inform the friends and fans who were coming. Six emails were sent out. Six. This was the moment when I felt a function of the marketing and promotion of my show going a bit haywire and to make matters worse, there was nothing I could do about it.

The thing about first starting out as a musician is that you have fans, but the majority of the individuals who come out to see your set list are your friends. So, of course, your friends like to know things like your set time and a bit of what you’re up to on the day of the show. With the July show, everything was organized. I kept the Facebook event page up to date, Tweets, Instagrams, and of course, personal messages. Afton also kept in contact with me for the first show because of the amount of people who were coming to support me as an act, so my set time was told to me days in advance to the appreciation of those individuals attending the show.

Going into the second show and given the information in the aforementioned paragraphs, it was suspected that given the show was on a Sunday and was scheduled not even a month after the first one, the public support for the 2020k portion of the show would be a bit slimmer than the first show. And it was true. Nearly 30 people bought tickets to the debut live performance of my material, and the number dipped slightly, not drastically, for the second night. As an unsigned artist, just beginning touring, it’s an expectation. This is not Afton’s fault.

A quick Google on Afton will take you to their official website, some decent reviews about them, and a lot of skepticism and downright vulturous, negative reviews. My opinion? From a business standpoint, it’s not a bad option to take as a starting musician and is ultimately what you make of it. The reason I decided it was a good bet to take the shows with this particular booking agency was because I knew that there was enough demand for people and fans elsewhere to see what I do represented in a live form. Would this sort of show work for five or six nights? No. With a bit of word of mouth and promotional spread? Probably. This is why when Afton offered me a third show in September, I turned it down until further business explorations could be explored.

That’s not to say there won’t be any more live 2020k sets. There will be. Using Afton was a platform for a learning experience for the good and the bad of live performance and the knowledge gained from playing Rex Theater the past two months has a profound impact on the direction of a lot of future business and artistic decisions.

Live shows or venues where there is already a small draw of people to feed off of would be appealing, currently. Also, $12 online ticket price and $13 door price is currently a bit high to keep charging the small amount of supporters that I cherish so much. Free shows or a lower cover? Definitely ideal.

These are just some of the options I’m exploring.

Aftermath, Thank you – Digital Release of Debut EP

For now? A huge thank you to the individuals who helped put the show together, the people who came to the shows, the ones who staffed the events, and the supporters who were unable to make it (especially to Gary Clark). With great pleasure, there’s a presentation in the form of a feature and an interview with me on this entire process over at Open ‘Til Midnight’s blog, which is operated and ran by Amber Waves. It is with this thanks that I’m proud to be releasing an EP demo of four songs that were played during the live shows. This EP was handed out for free physically, so, on Bandcamp, where it is released, it is available to all of you for a name your own price scale. It’s available now!

As stated on the Bandcamp page: “Any funds contributed from the release of this record are warmly welcome with an abundance of gratitude. Though not necessary, any support, emotional or financial, will fuel future artistic communications, endeavors, and releases.”

You can stream, download, and purchase 2020k – 2020k EP in a plethora of formats at Bandcamp.com via clicking here!

Also, there are a few physical copies of the EP left. If you’d like, shoot me an email, tweet, or comment below with your email address and if one is still available, I’ll ship one to you. 🙂

Thank you.

July 12th, 2012 Setlist – Rex Theater, Pittsburgh, PA
01. Intro/Contagion
02. Adam’s Song (Blink-182 Cover)
03. Kinesthetiac – “Transends”
04. Roy Hessels – “Slightest Touch (2020k Mix)”
05. Lost (No Direction)
06. Pantomime
07. Closed Cases/Outro
FULL STREAM OF FIRST SHOW: Youtube Link
FULL STREAM OF FIRST SHOW ANGLE 2: Youtube Link

August 19th, 2012 Setlist – Rex Theater, Pittsburgh, PA
01. Intro/Contagion
02. Adam’s Song
03. Kinesthetiac – “Transends”
04. Roy Hessels – “Slightest Touch (2020k Mix)”
05. Britney Spears Vs Trent Reznor – Piece Of Me (Ambient Mix)
06. Lost (No Direction)/Outro
Show cut short by venue due to various set timing issues.
FULL STREAM OF SECOND SHOW: Youtube Link

2020k – 2020k EP
01. Contagion
02. Pantomime
03. Closed Cases
04. Roy Hessels – Slightest Touch (2020k Mix)
DOWNLOAD/PURCHASE 2020k EP: Bandcamp Link

Special Thank you: Jared VanMarte aka Kinesthetiac, Roy Hessels, Natalie Zigarovich, Danielle Sethman, Amber Waves, Aneesh Ratan, Kristen Adams, Lauren Karell, Ashley Weinman, Adam Burns, Josh Bruener, Amanda Conary, Devan Monroe, Afton Shows, my family, and especially to you. Photo credits in this article: Kristen Adams, Scott Allen Stafford.

Posted in 2020k Music, Music Business, Personal, Tour | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 16 Comments

Kylie Minogue: The Only Normal Pop Star!

Posted on August 16, 2012 by 2020k | RJ Kozain

Kylie Minogue

Note: This post is all in comedic jest. A change of pace, if you will. A one off. If it’s too much for you, please leave your tears on your pillow because this is secretly a music business post in disguise and it’s no secret that I wouldn’t change a thing in regards to my finer feelings. Digression.

Office jobs are quite boring. So boring, in fact, that if I don’t find fifty million tasks to do at the same time, I end up sitting in my chair, on my third cup of coffee, thoughts racing of how I need to get out of these sorts of jobs and that I’m getting fat by sitting in my chair.

As I was wondering around the break room at work today, I struck up a conversation with a co-worker of mine. He has some great taste in music (introduced me to Chromeo and Yeasayer), but loathes pop music. Often, I purposefully walk passed his office, becoming the antagonist, shouting about how groundbreaking pop music is and how he just doesn’t understand why whipped cream shooting out your tits is appealing.

He thinks it’s bullshit, and I, again, think he just doesn’t understand the artistic integrity of shooting whipped cream out of your tits during live performance.

Eventually, we stumbled upon the subject of pop music today, and the presumption that in order to be a successful pop musician you basically have to be perceived as crazy.

It’s true. Christina Aguilera’s apparently a huge bitch, Madonna’s constantly reinventing and catching extreme flack for it, and Britney Spears’ well documented 2007 heartbreaking hardships were enough to have her next three projects deemed as comeback albums.

Gaga? You don’t even need links and if you do need the links, you should ask yourself why you’re wearing a meat dress right now.

Truth is, the mainstream pop music scene, better known in the 21st century as the entertainment industry is both groundbreaking and bullshit. It’s a back and forth banter that no one can win. No one can win, that is…until today.

I bet this co-worker a free Dunkin Donuts Iced Coffee (this becomes extremely important later, so pay attention) that by the end of the day I would find at least one sane pop star. 

Originally, I considered Jewel, but Jewel confused everyone in the world when she released a [well-crafted] pop album, followed by an undersold country album, an obscure childrens album, and we can never forget when she put out a book of poetry that was slammed by Kurt Loder in an MTV interview. We’ll leave Jewel watching that guy standing outside in the pouring rain (at least she knows her hands are her own).

Then, at approximately 2:30PM, I found the answer: Kylie FUCKING Minogue.

Yes, it’s true! What the hell has Kylie Minogue done that’s been considered absolutely batshit insane?  While she’s covered her own depression on the Impossible Princess record, due to the unfortunate suicide of Michael Hutchence from INXS, it was a constructive and creative emotional outlet and is held as a fan favorite and one of the more critically acclaimed records of her discography.

So, we had this conversation over Skype, because that’s how you communicate when you’re in a building full of offices. The confident typing begun: KYLIE MINOGUE!!!!!

Like an American citizen, he replied with an abrupt “Who?”, to which I promptly responded with a YouTube link to her infectious 2001 United States and international smash hit “Can’t Get You Out Of My Head”.

Now, we were obviously in separate rooms while this happened, so I didn’t see his facial expression but it was imagined to be that of Taylor Swift when Kanye West stole the microphone from her little, petite hands at the 2009 VMAs. My face? The triumphant, winning Beyonce smile. The battle was not won yet and I tried to stop him the way Beyonce tried to stop Lil’ Mama from interrupting her husband’s performance, but it was too late and he’d already taken the stage and pulled the cancer card. “You can’t be crazy when you’ve had cancer,” he said. “Besides, she still has time to be crazy!”

At this point, I pointed out that Queen Kylie has been reigning the charts internationally since her 1988 debut Kylie. Calling shenanigans, I claimed victory.

But then, he claimed victory. Which didn’t make sense and I quickly diverted this faux-win by telling him to shut up because he uses Splenda instead of real sugar in his Dunkin’ Donuts Iced Coffee and that means I win by default because that does, in fact, make him batshit insane. It was glorious moment in #winning history.

After that, the Skype conversations awkwardly stopped, paranoia seeped in, and wondered why I haven’t been fired after all of the situations that I get myself into at work in this particular manner. I also wondered if the customer on the phone wanted to destroy me for humming “Get Outta My Way” while I addressed her problem.

Later, I continued the awkwardness by screaming “KYLIE MINOGUE!!!!” while we were both in the parking lot after our shift. He awkwardly looked at me because I don’t think he caught was I was saying.

Then, I awkwardly closed the car door. (Still, of course, completely victorious).

And then, I left and unapologetically sang “The Loco-Motion” as loudly as I could while driving down the highway with the windows down. That, ladies and gentlemen, is why Kylie Minogue crowned sane pop star.

Skip a beat and move with my body…(and get me a job writing for a magazine, as an audio engineer, or an artist so I can stop these life stories from being a normal, daily encounter).

Posted in Music Business, Personal | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Norah Jones Premieres Chilling “Miriam” Music Video

Posted on August 9, 2012 by 2020k | RJ Kozain

She’s killed the boyfriend and now she’s out for even more blood! Norah Jones follows up where the “Happy Pills” video left off with the visual treatment for “Miriam” off her fifth major studio release …Little Broken Hearts.

It’s simple: some shots of a lake, as well as some other aspects but elegantly and shot in eerie and effective precision. It channels experimentation in narrative form, and digs even deeper into the theme of the gut wrenching record than it’s ironically optimistic first single.

We’re more than happy to see Jones explore the artistic territory and aspect of her career. While currently seeking visual and auditory revenge, she’s ever changing, ever progressing, and always challenging herself. We recommend you check out the interview she’s done with Canada’s Q TV as well.

Also, don’t forget about our review we did on the record!

Posted in Video | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

New Aaliyah & Drake Track Titled “Enough Said” Hits The Internet

Posted on August 5, 2012 by 2020k | RJ Kozain

Rumors of Drake executive producing a project involving the vault of unreleased songs by deceased R&B singer Aaliyah have been running high and rampant on the internet and we get our first taste of whatever’s to come on the surprise Sunday release of a new song entitled “Enough Said”.

It’s no secret that Aaliyah’s vocals up against a sparse composition produce some haunting and mourning sounding combinations. Burial sampled her on “In McDonalds,” The Weeknd featured lines from “Rock The Boat” in “What You Need” and James Blake took the songstress’ vocals, alongside Kelis’ on “CMYK”. “High Enough” falls right in line with the aforementioned sonics and could be placed on a shelf next to Drake’s discography.

Though Timbaland expressed disinterest in Drake taking on an unreleased Aaliyah album without the help of himself and close friend Missy Elliott, it’s a fair assessment that “High Enough” remains respectful and in line with the sound the three created throughout Aaliyah’s short time on this Earth. It’s new, yes, but clearly contains hints of the themes explored on One In A Million as well.

The only issue with the track lies within the vocal mixing. It’s painstakingly obvious that Aaliyah’s vocal take was not the final take, but it sounds gorgeous. Drake’s bit? It’s loud. It’s compressed to death, and is equalized in the mid-high frequencies to give him the a shinning role in the track. It should be mixed lower, it should remain mysterious. It’s out of place, but not out enough to fully call blasphemy.

Speak of horrible posthumous 2pac releases cannot be ignored if you’re searching through the comments section of your favorite blog, but this track indicates that we’re far from the scraping the barrel sound those records have. If anything, “Enough Said” is an optimistic indication of future projects and a great track to check out.

Posted in track review | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Crystal Castles Offers “Plague” As Free Download

Posted on July 25, 2012 by 2020k | RJ Kozain

Crystal Castles uploaded a new track to their Soundcloud for free download called “Plague”.

Unknowing to what this belongs to, though they’ve performed it live several times, it sounds as if “Plague” was recorded during the Crystal Castles II recording sessions and maintains the balance between noise and wonderfully crafted synth music. The pitched down effect at the three minute and twenty second mark provides a wonderful come down and break, while slowly adding industrial elements and distorted vocal screaming until it blossoms back into it’s original creation.

A great treat and a must have!

Stream and download below.

Posted in Sine Wave | Tagged , , | 2 Comments