Son of a Kid - Burning Blood (Lonelier)

This was the first Dyno song I ever heard.  I knew that it was going to be super impactful and it has.  This artist and this song helped solidify my love for the Swedish music industry.  This man single-handedly planted a seed that I have been cultivating for years.  This song is one of the most emotional songs I've ever had the pleasure to hear.  Alx has taken a great song and created something more from it.  That's my idea of reinvention.  It took something that already had a solid footing and gave it even more depth.  His voice is so clear and so strong.  I want you to listen to this track and then listen to the original.  They are so different because of how the production and arrangement are done.  There is such an ache in this song that his new title is so unintentionally appropriate. Son of a Kid is my favorite Swedish band.  There are those that come close but when they sound like this, they are everything.

Original:

Big Dipper - They Ain't Ready

Here's the deal.  We are all different in our own ways and we are all valid for what we contribute to the universe.  There was an episode of Queer as Folk where Peter Paige's character Emmett Honeycutt became a contributor on the local news, a la Queer Eye and controversy broke out when he became sexualized and the moral to the episode or what they were trying to prove is that at that time, the world wasn't ready for a fully realized sexual gay guy on the local news.  So Emmett quit the show in fantastic fashion proving that they couldn't force him to be a eunuch.  I think that is still an issue in today's society, it's great to have gay characters on television and in movies but the heterosexual masses don't want to or can't deal with the backlash of the idea of gay sex.  It's still fine to have style contributors or sassy gay neighbors but what happens when those gays start actually talking shop?

That's something that Big Dipper isn't going to shy away from.  He's pulling no punches.  He's not censoring himself for anyone.  I'll be honest, there are times when I listen to him where I have the same reaction I did when I heard Lil Kim talking about sucking dick.  I've actually looked around to see if anyone heard what he just said and then I just say fuck it and crank it up.  But what he's not is a one note sex stereotype.  He is an actual emcee with  real lyrical timing and skills.  Anyone can say a rhyme but you actually have to have it in you in order to spit that rhyme and make it stick.  He does just that.  If listening to gay sex against a throbbing club beat, then he may not be your cut of tea and make no mistake, he isn't trying to be something he's not.

A gay, Jewish bear cub from the Chicago area he is blowing up expectations in the mostly straight arena of hip hop.  Listen to his lyrics, hear the rhymes build and cross over and come back better than a lot of emcees in the game.  He has talent and he has control.  He will break down barriers and do more good than artists like Frank Ocean.  I love Frank Ocean and think he's an incredibly courageous man for coming out but artists that are in the trenches like Kendall Kelly, Cazwell, Elephant, Yo-Majesty and Big Dipper are going to do more good in the gay community.

So his EP, They Ain't Ready, is it any good?  It's damn good.  The songs are strong, his raps are tight and the production doesn't sound like it was done in a basement studio.  Listen once for the overall feel of the songs but then you need to go back and actually pay attention to his flow and his style and how he pieces things together.  All the tracks are great, I don't want to say one is better than another because what he does he does well.  Yeah the songs are dirty but who cares, he's a trail blazer.  Plain and simple. And did I say it was free?  Yeah, it's a free download from his site.

Big Dipper on the Web

www.bigdipperjelly.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bigdipperjelly
Twitter: @bigdipperjelly
Tumblr: http://www.bigdippermusic.tumblr.com/ 
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/bigdippermusic

Paper Route - You And I

When you know by the 3rd chord that the group is going to grab you, it's a good ass song.  Nashville based, Paper Route have been making music for quite some time but it's one of those situations that you don't hear them until you're ready to.  I don't know much about their history but I know they are three guys making music that just resonates.  They released a new album in 2012 called, The Peace of Wild Things and it's a brilliant mixture of synth, pop, rock and a little bit of something secret.  This chorus is ridiculously catchy and just makes you bounce along with them.  This track has more of a mainstream pop feel to it and it would fit on terrestrial radio easily.  I am going to do some more digging into this band but I think they are easily going to be someone that I will look forward to listening to.

Missing Andy - It's Over

The lads in Missing Andy spent the better part of today teasing fans and getting them worked up into a frenzy for some much anticipated new tracks from their upcoming release, Guerrilla Invasion, Part 1 - which is going to be a double album and I can't wait.  Alex's face in this video as he is singing is incredible.  He's not phoning it in, he is actually singing this song like it matters and it does; matter that is.  The song captures an emotion that not everyone has had to deal with and a decision that can't be taken lightly.  When you actually decide that it's time to take everything that isn't working any more and do away with it because your sanity is more important; it's not something that should be taken lightly or even hurried through.  It's heart wrenching and hard and awkward and sad but it has to be done.  And they have taken all of that and turned it into an incredible song that is going to speak right to the heart of a ton of their fans.

If this is what I'm to expect from a double album then sign me up.  Hell, sign me up twice because this is brilliant.  Having this band in my life has been so huge because of their message and the power they put into every song.  It makes me sad that they aren't bigger int the United States.  I want them to be massive.  I want them to be mega stars headlining their own concert series.  They are brilliant artists and deserve to be heard.

Listen to this track and tell me I'm wrong.  I dare you.

Michael West - A Fond Farewell

Smack dab between country music and pop music lies a musical destination that is growing larger and larger, Americana is a musical genre that is comprised of all the hopes and ideals created by the American public.  The hope for something better, the desire for true love, the realization that at the end of the day, all we want is to be part of something that is bigger than ourselves.  It's the place that has been pushed around and had sand kicked in its face.  It's where life has been just a bit to real but has taught us the important lessons.  It's a fusion of everything that makes us keep on keeping on.  It's the blues from Memphis.  It's the muddy waters of the Mississippi river.  It's the gospel music of the deep south and it's the rock and roll from the Motor City.  It's Motown and it's Rhythm and Blues.  It's Patsy Cline and Joe Cocker and Marvin Gaye all recording the same album.

When I run across an album that encompasses all of that and doesn't seem like it's trying to accomplish any of it, I stop and take notice.  If you read my blog with any type of regularity, you know that I will never slag someone for the simple fact of doing that.  You'll also know that I only write about artists that inspire me.  And today, I have been properly inspired.  Michael West is an independent artist from Salt Lake City but now finds his roots planted in Maryland and that is a lot of geography to cover and not be affected by people and places that you meet on the way. Michael's second release, A Fond Farewell is a collection of 14 songs that will fill you with hope, warmth and a sense of familiarity.  Michael's vocals and the arrangements on the album are so familiar that you swear you have heard these songs before.  They are old friends that you haven't seen in a while but you welcome them with open arms and a warm seat by a roaring fire while you catch up on a cold winter day.  His voice has a longing and a bit of lonesome but if you peel it away just one layer, you can see a brighter outcome just waiting to shine through.

What he does is incredible and what's incredible is his ability to take a ballad and sing it like it's the first time you've heard it and the last time you'll ever hear it.  It's like this moment in time that you'll never get again and no matter how many times you listen to the song, you'll never get it again because it's already had a chance to make an impact on you.  You are a different person, even in the most minute way, but he has touched you and it's something that will be with you throughout the rest of your life.  Am I saying that he has the ability to change you, I think everyone does but Michael has a way of doing it in an incredibly sincere way.  It's not hat he wants you to change or feels that you need to change but through the act of spending an hour with him, it's inevitable.

There are moments in this album where you go, "Really, this is only the second album he's recorded?".  Sometimes with independent artists you get some lyrics or tracks that sound very homemade.  While there's nothing wrong with that, when you release an album for the general public to consume, you want it to be super professional and this album shines without even trying.

There are outstanding stand out songs on this album that just touch your heart because you can tell they were made with the most pure of intentions.  "Zephyr's Song/It's Not Easy" is the song that you want someone to sing to you.  You want to be a part of that because it's an incredible song about love and it's about coming together as a family to be something more than you ever could have been before.  Jonell Mosser lends her beautiful voice to "When I Reach the Place I'm Going" and there has always been a quote I use when talking about music.  I don't know who said it but it's got me this far.  It goes, "Music is Music and it doesn't matter what it is as long as it takes where you need to go."  This song is the lyrical representation of that quote and I think I am head over heels in love with it.  Other favorites include, "Since You Been Gone", "A Fond Farewell", "Nothing Remains".

I highly recommend this album if you are a fan of just honest music.  I know I say that a lot but I'm not going to waste my time on something I wouldn't recommend.  Michael West has a product here that he should be very proud of because it's beautiful and well put together.  I know there are songs that are going to help me through rough patches in my life and there are songs that will help me "Reach the Place I'm Going".

Azealia Banks - BBD

My first post of the New Year is none other than my favorite female emcee of the moment, Azealia Banks. She dropped a preview track from her new album coming out Feb. 12., Broke With Expensive Taste. The first single to debut was supposed to be "Miss Amor" but she totally flipped the scrip and gave us a whole new track called "BBD" (Bad Bitches Doin). The bass line is crazy, her rap is crazy and she definitely lives up to BBD.