In the Upper Echelon: Owl Pharaoh, Track-by-Track Review

Travis $cott claims the one and only "Land of Screw" (and our obvious favorite) H-Town, so naturally we've been following his brief career with intense intrigue.  The recent G.O.O.D. Music signee is only 21, yet has showed immense promise with his clever lyrical delivery coupled with a knack for selecting impressive production that hints at his Houston origin. But with the varying career arcs of Kid CuDi, 2 Chainz, Big Sean, and Pusha T, it's hard to truly know where $cott will go from here.  With all that being said, here's a track-by-track review of his debut mixtape, Owl Pharaoh, written by C. May.

We Have A New Site, Sorry Blogger

summerinthewinter.com

Listen: U.O.E.N.O. (Remix), Black Hippy Crew

Fans of the original U.O.E.N.O. (minus the whole Rick Ross rape thing)? Well than you'll love Black Hippy Crew's rendition, where each member metaphorically battles for the top spot in TDE.  The calendar may not say it, but it's definitely summer, check the track out below.

Hipster Much?

Jourdan.

For Those Summer Knights: Joey Bada$$ Promises Mixtape

I'm just now noticing that the popular thing to do nowadays is put a '$' or two in your name and call yourself a rapper.  Just kidding.  For those of you who are familiar with the Brooklynite Joey Bada$$, you know he is talented and spits with a 90's styled flow focused on couplets and intricate rhyme schemes.  He's also only 18, which would explain his inability to sense the obvious trap Lil' B and his Task Force set for him, causing him to temporarily deactivate his twitter.  Well unlike much of the Based God's following believed, Joey B is still alive and is releasing his next mixtape on June 12th. (via Potholes)

but fuck it, eye'll just make this announcement. My "Summer Knights Ep" drops June 12th. good day
— oG $wank. (@joeyBADASS_) May 22, 2013

Peep it: Charli XCX covers "I Want it That Way"

British singer Charli XCX is currently promoting her debut album True Romance, and stopped by Chicago's Borderline Music to treat local fans to a surprising cover.  While her form of pop is infused with a more dance and 80's-era vibe, that didn't stop her from taking on Backstreet Boys' "I Want it That Way".  Please don't immediately dismiss it as late 90's gimmick music, as Charli. makes the version very much her own.  Peep the vid and thanks to P&P for the link.

Listen: Robb Bank$, "All The Way Live"

Robb Bank$ has been low-key killing it in 2013, and this might be his breakout year if he keeps it up.  From his guest spot on "Threatz" to his collaboration with Sir Michael Rocks on "Practice", Bank$ clearly wants everyone to know who he is.  "All The Way Live" is a track off of his upcoming summer mixtape, Tha City, and sets a nice tempo with a hard bass line, a varying stream of hi-hats, and an undeniably steady flow.  Uncharacteristically, Bank$ veers from his usual heavily anime referencing rapping to a calmer style that focuses more on a lustful relationship with an unknown girl.

Peep it: Kanye premieres his new single, "New Slaves"

If you want the full scoop click here. In the meantime, "New Slaves" baby.

Listen: The Weeknd, "Kiss Land"

Quickly following up his guest spot on French Montana's "Gifted", The Weeknd has released the first song off of his upcoming album "Kiss Land", with a dark and entertaining track of the same name.  You can't say that Abel Tesfaye veers too far away from his original source material, as drugs and the failed attempts of women to seduce him are once again his primary subject matter.  The song changes the pace up a tad towards the middle, and while not as drastic as "The Party & The After Party" or "Gone", it's still a nice enough variation to make note of.  Definitely a great single to build the hype.

Throwback Thursday: Daft Punk, "One More Time" & "Too Long"

It's Daft Punk week.  Deal with it.  And because it's Daft Punk week, both of our Throwback Thursday tracks are from the dynamic duo of electro. The first one is "One More Time", the track off of Discovery that set the world on fire way back in late 2000.  Peep the vid below.

Listen: French Montana feat. The Weeknd, "Gifted"

It's been a while since we got some new material from The Weeknd, but this is exactly what we get with "Gifted", a track that masquerades as French Montana's.  The Canadian crooner steals the show here and French Montana isn't bad either.  The cut is definitely more Echoes of Silence than House of Balloons but is a good song regardless. 

Peep It: "B*tch Don't Kill My Vibe (Extended Version)

Unless you're blind, deaf, or over the age of 40, I'm sure you've heard of Kendrick Lamar.  Assuming that, I'm also going to assume you've heard the song that was on almost everybody's year-end list, "B*tch Don't Kill My Vibe".  For some reason K-dot waited nearly eight months after M.A.A.d City's release to grace us with these visuals but he left us quite a pleasant surprise at the 5-minute mark.  One of our favorite guys, ScHoolboy Q, seems to be next up as we get an insane snippet of his song "Death to Molly" which samples Chromatics' excellent track,"Cherry" (uhh we just wrote about them).   We haven't been given an exact release date but Q's major record label debut Oxymoron seems to be coming soon.  Enjoy the vid.

Lose Yourself To Dance: Daft Punk, Random Access Memories Review

           I'm warning you that this is about to be a very long review that's more for me than for anyone reading.  With that being said, let's begin.  I've been a fan of Daft Punk since I was 11, I'm 22 now.  I know a lot of people claim to have liked a band or an artist for a while and blah blah but I'm not kidding.  I remember my little brother Dylan (the oh-so-infrequent other contributor to this blog) and I would stay up late on weekends and wait until Toonami aired it's semi-recurring block where they'd show animated music videos from bands like the Gorillaz, Linkin Park and, of course, the aforementioned Daft Punk.  Shown in a string like one long music video, "One More Time", "Aerodynamic", "Digital Love"(oh Digital Love.), and "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" would all play back-to-back-to-back-to-back.
 Me and him would watch those videos in awe, almost as if we were in love with the music itself.  And the fact is we were.  Fast forward to December of that year (2001), and I found out that our class had to go on a week long field trip to Camp Cappe (some Catholic elementary school stuff, I don't know).  I would be away from home at some miserable, cold camp for my birthday.  Still such a mama's boy at the time I was bummed to say the least.  But my mother, being the wonderful mom she is (Happy late Mother's Day Mom!), somehow knew how much I loved that French electronic duo and gave me, as an early birthday present, what I consider the greatest album to ever grace my ears in Discovery (Oh and she gave me an all black discman too, yes those were hot in the streets back then kiddies).  I say "greatest" because no album has withstood the test of time for me like that album, which I still listen to like it's brand new sometimes.  Not Kanye, or Eminem, or anybody.  So with that intro let's jump to 2013, shall we?

Dat Bass: The xx, "Shelter (BeazyTymes Remix)"

If you've been following this blog, you know about The xx.  If not, then click the archives to your right bruh.  But back to the matter at hand, up and coming producer BeazyTymes (out of Chi-Town) infuses his own trapmusic-type sound into a fan favorite cut from The xx's first, self-titled album in "Shelter".  In stark contrast from the original track, this version brings in a heavy bass and ups the tempo a tad.  The result is a Liu Kang-style flawless victory.  Do ya thang BeazyTymes, do ya thang.

"Good For Health."

"Bad for Education."

Turn Up: Denzel Curry feat. Yung Simmie & Robb Bank$, "Threatz"

First off, if you can find a track that bangs more than this one, please let me know. Denzel Curry of Rvidxr Klvn (Raider Klan) makes sure he and his comrades bring the heat on this joint.  Featuring Yung Simmie and Robb Bank$, the Dade County Killers unchained some of their best individual verses on "Threatz" ("Off with his neck, posted with the set. I don't take kindly to threats, take kindly to threats").  Do yourself a favor, unleash your inner gangsta, and don't skip out on this one.

Baby I Could Be Your Man: Chromatics, "Lady"

You may not know about Chromatics, the masterminds behind the Drive soundtrack, but this Portland-based band has been around since 2001.  Led by the eclectic Johnny Jewel, (lead producer, instrumentals) Chromatics sounds like a mashup of modern electronic rock infused with a retro 80s vibe.  While that might sound cheesy on paper, it's actually pretty amazing in real life.  Their latest album Kill for Love came out last year to near universal critical acclaim, and I suggest you check it out. In the meantime listen to one of our favorite cuts from the record, "Lady", an upbeat androgynous track where lead singer Ruth Radelet smoothly pelts out her jazzy vocals.

Peep It: Lana Del Rey, "Young and Beautiful"

The soundtrack that Jay-Z has put together for The Great Gatsby might seem a little weird given the setting of the film.  I'll be the first one to admit (after seeing it last night) seeing people getting down to Kanye and Beyoncé during the "Roaring 20s" can throw you off at first.  But when you step back a little, and just watch Gatsby as a movie and not a period piece, you realize that Jay's selection of songs fits absolutely perfectly.  Lana Del Rey's "Young and Beautiful" speaks to Gatsby's character, and is one of the standout's of the soundtrack's collection.  Watch the video above.

We're New Here: Listen to Weekend Money, "Demons"

From the slow, calculated beat to the rap duo's impeccable delivery, we may be on to something big here.  The song is definitely dark and while not, necessarily, demonic it stirs up something primal from the depths.  For more on them check out P&P's slightly longer write up here.

Throwback Thursday: Ja Rule feat. Ashanti "Always On Time"

Thursday isn't over yet, and Ja Rule just got out of jail yesterday.  So what better way to celebrate than by listening to this 2001 hit?  The track still holds up well twelve years later, so props to Ja. Enjoy.

Ignore Everybody Else: James Blake Performs "Retrograde" On The Late Show

We've already posted about and alluded to him on multiple occasions, but there's still time to hop on the James Blake bandwagon.  Watch this excellent live rendition of one of 2013's best songs in "Retrograde" on Letterman last night.  Thank's to P&P for the link.

Ryan Hemsworth Downtown NYC Mix

Ryan Hemsworth is an up-and-coming Canadian beatsmith with a knack for crafting melodic trip-hop grooves in the same realm of  Clams Casino and Friendzone.  Despite his promise as a solo artist, Hemsworth has shown an uncanny ability to craft some pretty great mixes as well.  Hemsworth's eclectic taste and seamless transitions result in this ridiculously entertaining set he released for the looming Downtown Festival in New York.  Given that it's finals season and pretty much everybody's on edge, what better way to pass the grind than with wavy tunes?  Just looking out for the people.  Stream below.
   

Kanye Leaves Us With Cryptic Tweet, Possible Album/Song Release Date?

June Eighteen
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) May 2, 2013

Kanye tweeted the above statement earlier this morning, his first...well only tweet on his profile.  The date June 18th is obviously of some kind of importance, and while we may all be making a big deal out of nothing, let's not forget that Kanye is performing on Saturday Night Live a little over two weeks from today.  That would be the perfect stage for him to release new solo material, the first real kind in 3 years.  Anyways, all we can do is wait but, the blog will keep you updated.

********
UPDATE: Apparently Kanye's 6th solo album is finished according to The Smoking Section.

Throwback Thursday: J.T., "Rock Your Body"

For the second Throwback Thursday track of the week, you can never get enough J.T. in your life.  The video was funky back in 2002, and still is now 11 years later.  Enjoy your Thursday everyone, have a great weekend and don't forget to vote next week. Peace.

Throwback Thursday: Mariah Carey, "Shake It Off"

Mariah definitely made her comeback complete with the help of this still bangin' track.  Back in 2005, we all learned never to underestimate Ms. Carey (or is it Cannon?) one of the original modern divas. Enjoy.

Hipster Much?

Giza.

Sinead Hartnett, "Got Me (Eats Everything & Lukas Mix)"

"I don't know what it is" and I honestly don't know a whole lot about Sinead Hartnett other than that she's from London (our favorite place), but she laid down a banger of a track.  If the uptempo beat coupled with Hartnett's soulful voice doesn't make you want to bob your head, rise up, and break something off then I don't know what will. Thanks to P&P, enjoy.

Download Chance The Rapper's "Acid Rap"

It's here, download Chance the Rapper's (see a couple posts below) quality mixtape Acid Rap on his site.  It gets a Summer In The Winter cosign, obviously. Enjoy.