Little Dragon - Klapp Klapp

I'm not sure what I'll think of this song or band in a year, but for right now, it's in hot rotation on all the music sources I use. I've watched the concert video 3 or 4 times by now, too.

I first became aware of Little Dragon as part of the Gorillaz track called Empire Ants. The music could be attributed to Gorillaz, but with the context I now have, it certainly sounds like a bigger Little Dragon influence. There's no mistaking Yukimi's vocals here, and I remember thinking that she could probably hold down a record of her own.



And sure enough, a few years later I got a notice on Spotify that Little Dragon had a new album on their service. I had heard a few earlier tracks on the Hiatus Kaiyote-based Spotify station, but none had piqued my interest. Then I heard Klapp Klapp.

There's a musical device where a song starts with limited instrumentation and establishes the theme, then the rest of the band kicks in later to great effect. This song has that build and catharsis in a big way, and every time it arrives, I want to crank whatever speakers I'm listening through at the time. Beyond that, I'm not sure I can explain exactly why this song grabs me - it's funky, it's melodic, it's bad ass.



Dig in, friends. Turns out they have lots of music to discover and it'll get your toes a-tappin'.

House of Vibe All-Stars

I was looking for live video of Philip (Fish) Fisher playing drums. I have seen him a few times with Fishbone (way back in the day) and he was seriously amazing. He eventually was the touring drummer for Justin Timberlake, so that gives you an idea of how he's revered within the pop music. With Fishbone, there was an insane stage show happening in front of him, so I imagine people didn't notice him much. They would have been moving, though, and the motor driving the entire building was Fish.

First time I saw him live, I assumed there was some kind of drum trigger trickery happening. Didn't seem like a human could be playing some of that stuff with only two arms and two legs. On the Beastie Boys tour, he had a small electronic set (to fit on the huge Beasties set) and it was set up sideways, so every stick and pedal hit was visible. It was all real. Amazing.

There are some Fishbone live videos, but Angelo and the antics take the frame, so you don't get to see Fish much. I happened across this rooftop jam session in the search, and while it's pretty tame music, you can easily see why he was such a huge influence on me:



Rock solid. Oh, and Chali 2na in the mix as well.

Gorillaz - All Alone

Seemed like a good choice for today. All is quiet on the days before New Year's Day when it falls on a Wednesday, I guess. Dead in the office, easy commute in, and likely no line for workout equipment, since resolutions don't kick in for a few days.

Enjoy, if you're in holiday seclusion like I am:

Hiatus Kaiyote - The World It Softly Lulls

I first became acquainted with this band randomly, through some artist channel on Spotify. The song I heard was Nakamarra (featuring Q-tip) and it reminded me of an even groovier Brand New Heavies. I love that kind of stuff. They clearly have jazz-trained roots, and chops galore.

Further investigation uprooted this song, which I could listen to on a loop forever, I think. It's almost a journey in how it moves through it's completely transformative progressions. None of them are particularly jarring, even though the loop sometimes feels like a tone arm that can't stay situated on warped wax. That's not by accident, either - they're stretching a groove until it flaps, then bringing the whole shebang back into the pocket nicely.

Just when I fear for the state of music, a band comes along that reminds me that people still do practice every day and care about every single note they play. It's heartening.
Please grab a cup of warm whatever and enjoy Hiatus Kaiyote:

Clarence Wheeler and the Enforcers - Right On

Time to get funktified, brothers and sisters. This came out the year I was born, but I somehow missed it until this very year. Great stuff, if you like bass riffs for days and funky, funky beats.