Fatman Scoop & Crooklyn Clan “Be Faithful”
I’m inconsistent with RIP posts, but you know I gotta throw one out to Fatman Scoop, who will forever remain one of the most severe and shit-starting voices in club music history. I still own a few Fatman Scoop & Crooklyn Clan 12 inches; they are a reminder of being young and in love with DJing. “Be Faithful” is eternal American party music. There will always be a place for “Let’s Twist Again” by Chubby Checker, and there will always be a place for “Be Faithful.” (Late breaking: RIP to the great Rich Homie Quan. In tribute, David Drake just posted an unpublished interview he did with the rapper.)
One take: To understand The Dare, you have to get your head out of downtown and let it float across the pond. His new record is called What's Wrong With New York?, but the spectre of the NME looms large. It’s Anglophilic meta music inspired by a continuum that stretches from The Fall to The Darkness. Though some of his peers sound like hyper-pop Crystal Castles, The Dare is more tethered to a traditionalist indie sensibility. And, look, either you can rock with that or you can’t, but maybe go easy on the shots if you have never even listened to His N Hers. Go easy on the shots if you have never been to a “Britpop night” in a mid-tier American city.
Mercury has the kind of disaffected cool girl flow that works well over ambiguously regional rap production and cloudy samples. On the beat, guitar jangle plays with subtle Detroit-ish lazer zap technology. There’s even a chorus. It’s contemporary indie rap—on repeat over here at John’s Music Blog HQ. (Fedora tip to my friend and collaborator Cal at Nina for the early warning on this one.)
Luh Tyler (Feat. Veeze) “Open the Door”
More ultra-casual rap. “Open the Door” features Playstation horns and digitally-oxidized drums. Something about those horns. They make me feel like I’m inside of a college town apartment unit that reeks of both mid-tier weed and musty air conditioning. No doubt, both rappers sound like they’ve been gaming for 12 hours straight. Where’s the Domino’s? Did you forget the cinnamon bread twists?
Brian Chippendale is back, baby, and here he came loaded with quite possibly his most formed pop song yet, whether solo or with Lightning Bolt. There is a keyboard that feels borderline synth-pop, but the distorto-vocal smear that coats the track is Pure Providence. It’s John’s Rainbow Rock Pick of the Week.
MIX OF THE WEEK: Mabson “Never Forget”
Speaking of Rainbow Rock: Los Angeles legend Kyle Mabson has been putting Tim Allen grunts and airhorns over Top 40 radio since the days of George W. To listen to this mix properly, you must imagine that it is being rinsed in between harsh noise sets at a DIY venue. He plays Chappell Roan, but he also plays Skinny Puppy. Much like Mabson’s beloved meme page, all of this cultural detritus exists more or less on a level playing field. It’s the sound of the hot SoCal sun frying your domepiece; the sound of traffic jams and late-night donut runs.