Song of the Day

Song Of The Day: Royce da 5’9″ – Mr. Grace

Posted on March 5, 2020 by Gary in Song of the Day | Leave a comment

It would not be surprising if “Mr. Grace” by Royce Da 5’9″ could be interpreted to have deeper meanings – after all, it is the opening track on an album entitled The Allegory.

But what if there are no punchy messages or revolutionary slogans hidden within? By merely depicting a life from birth to grave, it is in itself all the true content that one needs. Just the utterly vicious opening dialogue between a father and his son is blood-chilling enough.

Royce Da 5’9″ follows through with an evolving rhythm overlaid onto lyrics that to my ears paint a picture with the pace of a word a year – fast forwarding through a life. And as you feel the rhythm slow and ebb, “Death of the Dope Man” finally comes into view. It is a superb condensation of material and knowledge that you’d typically see in a 55 minute documentary, condensed into a track with great structure. I cannot wait to hear the rest of the album.

The Allegory is out now on eOne Music.

Song Of The Day: Frazey Ford – U Kin B The Sun

Posted on March 4, 2020 by Gary in Song of the Day | Leave a comment

If you think “U Kin B The Sun” is just some word play, wait until you hear Frazey Ford’s singing.

Her lofty, flighty, and wandering hold (and I use that word lightly) on the lyrics makes you wonder if the title shouldn’t have been shortened to “U Sun.” But it makes for delightful listening, especially if you are zooming down LSD* in a public transit bus.

I certainly can’t be the only person who wishes the lyrics were available so I can sing along until the classy fade out.

U Kin B The Sun is out now on Arts & Crafts Records.

*Editor’s note: LSD = Lake Shore Drive in Chicago and not the other thing that LSD often stands for. Technically, both would probably work in the context of this sentence, though you might not want to take the latter sort of trip on a crowded city bus at rush hour.

SXSW Song Of The Day: Sports Team – Here’s The Thing

Posted on March 3, 2020 by Paul in Song of the Day, South By Southwest | Leave a comment

Here’s the thing – SXSW is set to begin in just a little over one week and among the many bands that will be playing there is London’s Sports Team.

Here’s another thing – “Here’s The Thing,” the latest single from Sports Team’s full length debut Deep Down Happy, is a very good song.

With lines such as “if you work a little harder, you’ll get by”, “if your parents worked to earn it, then it’s yours”, “if you’re barely getting by, then that’s your fault” and “you’re worth as much as all the luxury you buy”, the song takes a satirical look at a certain type of thinking that we generally might see offered up as bits of homespun ‘wisdom’ but which ultimately end up being “just lies lies lies lies.” Check it out below.

SXSW Song Of The Day: Katie Pruitt – Normal

Posted on February 26, 2020 by Gary in Song of the Day, South By Southwest | Leave a comment

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Photo Credit: Alysse Gafkjen

It’s no secret that I have a thing for folksy songs. The setup couldn’t be simpler – one person, few background instruments, and still air between us. There is also nowhere to hide. Here, I don’t need to be submerged by a wall of sound.

What I almost never tire of is that expansion of a voice hitting and lifting me like a perfectly timed wave, one that I can scramble to launch from, time and again. There is no strict need to overanalyze the melody, the hooks, etc. You just go with the flow until it drops beneath your feet and you go toes up into the sand with sea lions gawking at your inability to swim.

“Normal,” from Katie Pruitt‘s album Expectations, is one of these. It is authentic and heartfelt.

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