I loved Vampire Weekend’s first album (as much as I didn’t want to because I think their name is stupid). This album is a million time better than the first one. It has African influences, so it sounds like Paul Simon because I’m a child of the West. It’s baller. Here’s the video for the song Giving Up the Gun:
Scratch My Back is Peter Gabriel’s 8th studio album, and it is comprised solely of covers. He chose songs that wouldn’t seem to go together if you heard the originals, but when you hear them Gabrielized… it’s purely magical. Below is his version of Bon Iver’s Flume and along with an interview about the track.
Big props to my brother for getting me into this band. I didn’t like it at first, but upon further listening I was hooked. Here’s the video for Shadow People:
Colour Revolt has been through so much shit (e.g getting all of their equipment stolen while on tour, getting dropped by their label, all but two of the members quitting the band), so I’ve got major respect for this album. It’s different than their previous material and I dig it majorly. Here’s a video of them playing 8 Years live:
There is no irony involved in the fact that I like this album. I heard Outkast for the first time in 6th grade and it was the first real rap that I was exposed to. I loved it. On this album, Big Boi doesn’t talk about selling crack or being a pusher. The whole album is more like, “Hey, I’m Big Boi. There’s this thing called rap. I’m better than everyone at it. Suck it.” Not to mention the inclusion of Yelawolf, a badass rapper from Gadsden, Alabama (where I used to live in government housing). Here’s the video for You Ain’t no DJ featuring Yelawolf:
I love Poison the Well with all of my heart, so when I heard that Derek Miller was leaving the band I was totally bummed. But then he started Sleigh Bells and I was totally pumped. This album is like one huge electronic breakdown. Here’s the video for Infinity Guitars:
This album elevates Chromeo in my mind. I have like Chromeo since I first heard them, but this album makes me take them more serious as a band. It’s less gimmicky and there is no use of auto-tune which is doubleplusgood. Plus they’re so stylish it makes me want to cry. Here’s the video for Night by Night:
Today begins a new series. I will be exploring my favorite albums of the year through illustration. Originally, I intended to redraw the album covers, but quickly realized what a daunting and not-enjoyable task that would become. So, we start with number 10: Astro Coast by Surfer Blood
This album brings back all that reverb from the 50s and 60s, but at the same time it’s so refreshing.
Here’s the album’s first track, Floating Vibes:
The new issue of the PeculiarBliss digital zine is out, and I’m especially excited about this issue. I was asked to create the cover and answer some questions about myself, and the folks were nice enough to feature some of my latest work. I am super stoked to be a part of this issue, as it features tons of cool work by tons of great artists.
It’s embedded below for your viewing pleasure (I highly recommend viewing it in full screen), or, if you’re in to downloading pdf’s, then you can snatch the file from PB’s issuu page.
Check it out and tell your friends!
This is a map that I turned into a birthday book for my good bud, Daniel.
As always, full-size viewing is recommended and is available in the Flickr set.
lovely photos by Douglas Anderson