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(09/28/15 2:50pm)
Determining whether or not an artist is having fun while making their music is difficult for a casual listener. By giving fans a look into his day to day life on his third album, GO:OD AM, Mac Miller asks you this question in a very direct way— whether or not it’s true is up to the listener to determine. Debuting in the wake of his $10 million distribution deal with Warner Bros. Records, Miller’s first effort after leaving his independent label Rostrum Records has all the hallmarks of a major label budget. Miller raps over a sampling of interesting beats with some of the most left-field features he could have chosen. This creates an album that pleases long-time fans with a familiar sound, but gives new fans an entry point into his discography with the most polished, cohesive album that he has released to date.
From his early mixtape work of K.I.D.S. and Best Day Ever, the easiest progression that Mac Miller has made is definitely in his lyricism. His in-house producers I.D. Labs still handle much of the beatmaking side of things, giving long-time listeners a sense of continuity in Miller’s discography and allowing Miller’s words to take center stage. Poetic lyricism about the pitfalls of fame and fortune is no new ground in rap music, but Miller has a penchant for painting a picture that sets him apart from other “mainstream” rappers. When he raps lines like “this the music that makes white people mad,” on “In The Bag,” he appears to beg to be taken seriously while not really caring in the long run. The themes typical of Miller are all there, but the delivery and context of the album take center stage instead of allowing played-out tropes to run rampant.
Tyler, The Creator’s instantly recognizable production starts the album softly on the album opener “Doors.” Miller’s half sung, half rapped, vulnerable lyrics include lines like “you know it’s been a minute since I been awake” and “they saying that I’m sober, I’m just in a better place.” The very personal place that listeners see Miller in allows for more intimate knowledge of his hardships than the work of a run-of-the-mill struggle rapper. Miller causes this connection between the rapper and the listener to occur by vividly describing the range of experiences he has had up to this point in his life. All of this comes to a head in the second half of “Perfect Circle/God Speed,” with the first verse serving as the best indicator of Miller’s current mental state and the struggle of his sobriety and fame. Even so, after a short, mumbled discussion, the album jumps right back in on the over-the-top, “everything is fine and I’m having a great time” vibe that seems a bit too calculated to be honest on the bombastic “When In Rome.”
Luckily, Miller is not alone in this ride. When left to his own devices, as seen in his debut album Blue Slide Park, the lack of outside input shows in weak structuring and focus. By being selective and intentional when picking features, Miller often brings the best out of the artists he collaborates with. The only two rap verses not from Miller on the album: the most coherent and clever verse Chief Keef has delivered in quite some time on “Cut The Check” and Ab-Soul’s quick, punchy addition to “Two Matches.” In the hook department, Miller is always solid at condensing his message into a catchy chorus that takes a few listens to really digest. Miguel, Little Dragon, and Juicy J all add to the story at various points in the album, creating appeal to a wider audience while also feeling like genuine contributions. Lil B also makes an untraditional appearance on “Timeflies,” simply monologuing about time. This might seem silly on a surface level, but much like the Based God’s other work, it offers some deeper philosophical content if you sit down and think about it.
Taking time with this album is essential to enjoying it, so start with “Doors” and sit all the way through to “Festival,” taking the full ride with Miller in an attempt to understand him better. Signing a big money deal might have worried some long-time fans, but if Miller didn’t have complete artistic control of this album then perhaps he should have signed a deal a long time ago. This album is on par with the classic that was Watching Movies With The Sound Off, and is actually more focused and cohesive than Miller’s sophomore effort.
(08/27/15 10:15pm)
When Kishi Bashi opened up for Guster at the Cox Capitol Theatre in June, his short opening set was received enthusiastically and the promise of a return left everyone excited for more. With the time and set-up for a full show, Bashi took his opportunity to energize the Macon crowd once again and delivered on an incredible show.
Kishi Bashi is the stage name of classical violinist Kaoru Ishibashi, who has toured with Regina Spektor and of Montreal and was a founding member of the mid-2000s band Jupiter One. His most recent solo record, his sophomore project, “Lighght,” peaked at No. 52 on the Billboard 200 charts.
His music can be described as a marriage between traditional Japanese folk music and indie pop with his violin as the centerpiece. His lyrics float between Japanese and English making for a unique experience of sound for those not well versed in the language. Bashi uses this to his advantage and manages to convey a wide range of emotion through songs that are barely intelligible to English-speaking audiences.
His live show is a master class in live looping effects, as Bashi not only builds up his violin but also his soaring vocals into an omnipresent, yet harmonious wall of sound. His band consisted of a drummer, synth player and a banjo player whose instrument doubled as an extra drum. The back-up instruments added an extra element of fullness to the set that would have been lost had the show just been Bashi looping.
Bashi’s 16 song set tore through his discography, hitting practically any song a fan could hope for. The opening song “Bright Whites,” one of the original four songs from Bashi’s debut “Room For Dream,” ended in a stellar beatbox breakdown that was a huge hit with the crowd. Connecting with the crowd, Bashi explained the story behind a few of his songs throughout the night — including “Q&A,” which was a song written for a girl who contributed to his Kickstarter who asked for a song for her friend and “Bittersweet Genesis For Him And Her,” which works as a tale of both “cosmic love and a creation myth,” as Bashi put it.
The medium crowd of mostly young adults was energetic to the point at which Bashi had to ask them to be quiet a few times because of the occasionally subdued nature of his set, but they all sung uproariously when it came time. “Philosophize In It! Chemicalize With It!” was a particularly roaring sing-along. “The Ballad Of Mr. Steak” was a raging party. And the encore performance of “Manchester” brought the house down.
The possibility for another show was mentioned at the end of the encore, and given the warm reception Bashi received on both of his visits so far, another show could be on the horizon sooner rather than later.
(04/19/15 5:37pm)
As the 6th annual Bearstock began, Tattnall Square Park began buzzing with the life that comes every year with the free music festival. The mix of current and prospective Mercer students, as well as Maconites and high schoolers alike made for a diverse crowd that seemed more than ready to have a good time.
The crowd was energetic as the first band, local indie rockers Rewind Retry, took the stage, which was oriented facing away from campus for the first time, which made the crowd seem bigger and the aided in the general vibe of the event. The vibe would have been better from the start had one of the headliners not been soundchecking a good 15 minutes into their set, but we’ll save the complaints about Relient K for later.
Rewind Retry’s set was a perfect start to a fantastic string of day bands that would range from the more alternative Wire Method, to the folksy Charlie & The Foxtrots, to the pop punk of The Captain. The energy peaked mid-day though, with hometown favorites and recent 11th hour “Best Local Band” winners, Dalmatian. The band, consisting of Burgess Brown, Michael Suhr, John Ewing, and Sean Williams ran through a fantastic set and showed why they were picked as one of Paste Magazine’s “25 Georgia Bands You Should Listen To Now.”
Radio Birds put on a quality set with their unique classic rock spin and were followed by the band originally billed as the third headliner, Electric Sons. A Bearstock staple at this point, Electric Sons showed how a seasoned band can energize a crowd that’s ready to hear them. Their brand of synth-heavy alt-pop was perfect for the eager crowd and was one of the highlights of the day for sure.
Next up was Emily Earle, an up-and-coming country singer and last minute addition. Quadworks “wanted to keep a country artist in the lineup,” according to Devanshi Patel, and “since we had a lot of male leads, we wanted a strong female singer.” A former contestant on The Voice, Earle certainly lived up to that bill, with a beautiful voice and a lyrical quality that many country artists lack.
Then came the headliners, with early 2000s Christian pop punk band Relient K kicking off the night. After arriving late and soundchecking well into Rewind Retry’s set, Relient K proceeded to run through what they seemed to think was a set of their “greatest hits.” In order to have succeeded in that effort, however, they should have first thought to have written enough actual hits over their 17 years as a band to fill a full set. With minimal, pandering crowd interaction and a general air of a band playing a gig to get a check, Relient K was easily the weakest band of the day. Many of the day bands put in far superior performances and showed that they were far more deserving of a prime time spot than the washed up headliners.
Timeflies on the other hand were precisely what a Bearstock headliner is expected to be: engaging and generally a fun time. While not the most technically gifted duo, the half-rapped, half-sung vocals of frontman Cal Shapiro mixed with the fun dance beats of producer Rob Resnick were more than enough to get the crowd moving. Timeflies ran through a set of hits and their trademark “Timeflies Tuesdays” remixes of other popular songs with a large crowd hanging on to every word. The highlight of the set for many Mercer students was, no doubt, Shapiro’s “freestyle” about Mercer, which was wildly entertaining, even if it was painfully obvious how pre-written it was.
As the crowd dispersed, pleased with the nights music overall, the intent of Bearstock: to help attract new prospects already attending Make It Mercer and to bring the Macon community together for a fun day of live music, had definitely been accomplished.