WARMER MIXTAPES #896 | by Thomas Dutton of Cardiknox
1. Prince & The New Power Generation | Diamonds And Pearls
Growing up, my brothers and I listened to Prince's Diamond And Pearls album more than any of his others. Maybe it was the only one my dad happened to have on CD. Whatever the reason, the Title Track became my favorite. It has this beautiful bed of Sound that only Prince could have made. The Melody and the Bass line start in Sync then wonderfully Riff off each other. Easily one of Prince's most underrated tracks.
2. Superhumanoids | Geri
This is one of my favorite songs from one of my favorite releases of the year. Such a great Groove. Obsessed with the Drum fill into the Chorus. I always have to play it 2 or 3 times in a row because it's so wonderfully short.
3. Vampire Weekend | Hannah Hunt
Paul McCartney has talked about finding the perfect Sounds and Vowels to fit a certain Melody. Often, you're able to find these pleasant Sounds, but can't find meaningful Lyrics that fit with them. Or the other way around, you clumsily cram profound Lyrics into an unmatched Melody. In Hannah Hunt, Vampire Weekend hit that sweet spot with the line If I can't trust you then damnit, Hannah, there's no future, there's no answer. It slides off the tongue so nicely it could have been written by Sondheim. Hauntingly beautiful song.
4. Kid Astray | Like You Care
Indie Pop from Oslo. What more could you ask for? I've been showing this EP to everyone I know, and everyone falls in Love. They write great Hooks. Simple yet interesting.
5. Drake | Hold On, We're Going Home (feat. Majid Jordan)
Is Drake destined to be one of my Favorite Artists of All Time? He keeps inching up the list and has yet to look back. 3 albums deep and I still regularly visit all of them. He has perfected what he does best, straddling the line of Rap, Pop, and R&B, with Trademark Arrangements. He's earnest, though sometimes corny (as earnest rappers can be), but something about it really captivates me. Musically, he is a huge inspiration.
6. Seasick Mama | Man Overboard
Recently turned onto Seasick Mama and I really dig this song. The Video is amazing as well. Hoping to see one of her CMJ showcases.
7. Rufus Wainwright | Poses
Recently listened to this album again. I miss the good ol' days when Rufus Wainwright and Robin Thicke could have done a split EP together. They're in different Stratospheres now. Anyway, the Title Track of this album is one of my All Time favorites. I used to use it as a Vocal warm-up before every show. Great Lyrics as well.
8. Big Data | Dangerous
I'm so obsessed with the Bass Sounds on this song. I love how they're so Front and Center. In Rock Music, Bass parts are far too often boring and buried beneath everything else. One thing I love about Electronic Music is that Bass can be transformed into the Lead Singer of a song. One half of Big Data, Alan Wilkis, is currently remixing one of our songs and I'm insanely eager to hear the results. Bass!
9. Rockpile | When I Write The Book
Rockpile, fronted by the great Nick Lowe, only had one album. Among other things, Nick Lowe produced one of my Favorite Albums of All Time, Elvis Costello's My Aim Is True, which came out a few years before Rockpile's lone release, which I like to think was Nick's attempt at his own My Aim Is True. Nick is an amazing Songwriter, which When I Write The Book illustrates with ease. Simple and insanely catchy.
10. MS MR | Hurricane (CHVRCHES Remix)
CHVRCHES took MS MR's Hurricane, stripped out all the Esoteric Music, and laid Lizzie's smokey Vocals on their Trademark Dark Synths. I love this approach to a Remix. Getting a glimpse of what Hurricane would have sounded like had CHVRCHES written it. If you had never heard the Original, you might not even realize it's a Remix. That's what a good Remix should do.
