On his latest LP Out of the Game, Rufus Wainwright has teamed up with producer-extraordinaire Mark Ronson (he of Amy Winehouse fame) and the result is nothing short of fantastic. For years Wainwright, with his mournful pitch perfect warble, seemed like he had gotten the short shift with his producers, his voice too reedy on some recordings, too produced others. Ronson too had struggled to make an identifiable mark after his homage to 60’s soul with Amy Winehouse’s Back To Black. The strut is back in both of their steps here as Ronson gives plenty of space for Wainwrights voice to soar and bend in “Out of the Game” while the production flourishes; from the 70’s era Bunsen-burner guitar to David Bowie-esque arranged backing vocals fit perfectly. Also be sure to check out “Jericho”, a tour de force of an arrangement that wouldn’t have been out of place on an Elton John album.
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While TV Girl’s The Wild, The Innocent, and The TV Shuffle is an album that is built off hundreds upon hundreds of samples, the singing is original and on “It Evaporates” they manage to evoke a blissful 50’s summer vibe a la Grease with soft harmonies and that romantic chord progression that makes you believe that you’re stuck in some Pleasantville town before sex ruined everything. Be sure to check out “Sweaters” one of those perfectly crafted songs that makes you wish it was longer than its running time (1:25). You can find the entire fantastic album for free on Bandcamp as well.
Vacationer’s debut LP Gone is aiming to be a great summer album right down to the Instagram friendly artwork. Yet what makes it more intriguing is its Generationals meets Pop Etc. (formerly The Morning Benders) sound, a sort of Con Law and Big Echo Part II if you will. On “Everybody Knows”, the album opener, the arrangement is chock full of summer pitched organs, warm guitar lines, vinyl atmosphere, and a hip-hop beat and vocals that veer from Vampire Weekend prep to surprising Beach Boys harmony. It’s not even far of a stretch to say that this could have been a single on The Avalanches’ Since I Left You album. Also check out the album’s title track “Gone” which builds off of some catchy percussion and features some blissful harmonies.
Everybody Knows- Vacationer
Gone- Vacationer
Listen If You Like: The Generationals, The Morning Benders, Vampire Weekend, The Beach Boys, The Avalanches
“In the twilight glow I seen her/ blue eyes crying in the rain”
The sparsity of “Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain” is hauntingly beautiful from just the opening lines alone. Excellently placed in the daring (and spare) concept album Red Headed Stranger that brought WIllie Nelson more fame and acclaim the songwriter could have ever dreamed of; it’s one of those few songs, the words spare but overwhelmingly descriptive, that could pass as poetry. It’s a moment that’s lost in time for the poor narrator, a love lost, yet permanently etched in memory, and the song in ours as well. Simply beautiful, honest, and bare.
The Art of the Mixtape 