25 thoughts on “Music Sharing Post: Cassie, Conway Twitty, Absu”

  1. Most of my listening has been studio-related lately, it seems. I’m teaching a Musical Theater Lit & Rep class right now, and we’re currently studying the period between 1900 & WWI, so my iPod is filled with things like George M Cohan, early Irving Berlin and the Kern/Bolton/Wodehouse musicals. Also, the original cast album of Tintypes. (Next class, we circle back to pick up operetta, comic opera, & light opera in order to make our way to Herbert, Romberg, & Show Boat, so that’ll be a nice shift.) And in the kids’ private lessons, we’ve been on a French art song kick. They’re all just starting out with this kind of repertoire, so it’s the easier stuff—Fauré, Debussy, etc.

    Other than that… I did go to a concert last night! If that counts, I can add in Tall Heights and Caravan of Thieves.

  4. The Lonesome Brothers, CHECK ENGINE (2013): “hick rock”/alt country from MA’s Pioneer Valley, powered by the writing and singing of Jim Armenti and Ray Mason. Always a pleasure. Poignant, accessible, lived-in music.

    Gentle Giant, PLAYING THE FOOL (1977): the requisite double live album from one of the great art rock bands. After decades of dithering I finally bought and binged on my own copy of the damn thing. Mind-bogglingly awesome!

  8. I didn’t mean to be as flippant as I came off, but I will drop some material here from the originator of the “Mac and Cheese” mixtapes:

    Here he is rapping over a dramatic remix of the Kingdom Hearts 2 theme song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lj9Z5YFIL2A

    Here he is amongst friends suggesting that women perform lascivious acts: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X98HX5nbsCI

    and finally, here he is, again amid his fellows, saluting those that remain honorable and chase paper in the face of adversity: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6ebutx-Fww

    That Cassie joint is good tho.

    Extra Credit: a wistful meditation on fantasies of escape: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2A58PP6naP8

  9. Oh, and I like the M.I.A. Weird that it’s called Bring the Noyze without any apparent reference to PE. The extent to which they seem to be irrelevant to contemporary music is a little bizarre. Who would have thought that Ice Cube would turn out to matter more?

  10. That whole Cassie album is really great; very different from, but as good as her Ryan Leslie produced debut, which is saying something, because that album is awesome.

  18. Yeah well if we’re being straight the closest thing to “conscious rap” that has been in the mainstream in forever is that inescapable and utterly boring Macklemore “Same Love” track. And Macklemore is far from afro-centric.

    Maybe moments on the Kendrick Lamar record?

  19. PE had a very distinctive musical sound too; the rock influence I guess. It just seems like it’s kind of gone.

    Charles, Gentle Giant is awesome. I love prog.

  20. I’m boring. This past week’s two main dishes have been Miles Davis’ Miles Smiles and John Coltrane’s My Favorite Things, topped off with some ’80s pop cheese with Survivor’s Vital Signs.

  24. Also, you guys know that furry novelty song Youtube’s been pushing, What Does the Fox Say? There’s a Kpop song that’s pretty popular right now that’s got a similar premise, but is, like, not a parody.

    (And foxes say Yip, obviously.)

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