A Country Of My Own Making

Pause.  Ten.

Change?  Shit, I guess change is good for any of us…—2Pac

It’s been an interesting few weeks, as you’ve noticed by the move.  I feel like I’m incrementally moving forward, with an eye on these seeds bearing fruit by the summer.  

I’ve moved over to This Week in Blackness, but the days of me providing long-form analysis/ramblings is going to be redirected here along with these Pauses.  But stay tuned: I’ll be posting blips about songs of the moment over there and hopefully taking my old boss’ advice about doing more political work over there.  They’re the top shelf when it comes to an independent black media online but RWAP as I envisioned it simply doesn’t work there, so I’ll roll back into the country of my own making when I need to get out four digits worth of words and do it here.

For a brief time a couple short years ago I was living the dream; my boss was one of my heroes growing up and we were in a little storage closet downtown doing an Internet radio show.  When he offered me the chance to have a show of my own I was flabbergasted but quickly agreed.  I only got a chance to do it officially once (and unofficially on drunken benders another time or two), but I loved it.  It was simple—an hour-long program where I played old school, new and classic soul, and perhaps a mashup or two.  I took requests, interviewed local musicians, and it was a good time.  It’s a good time that’ll be returning this summer, as a couple of people have sent out feelers about my doing (what was then known as) Don’t Sweat the Technique.  Even more awesomely, I know a shitload more local musicians now than I did then, and hopefully they can a capella or guitar and I’ll get to do some Fallonesque beatboxing and/or backup singing.  Gird your ears.

Say, did some handsome Negro say something about old school?  Oh, I did?  Whew!  Anyhow, I’ll be back downtown in the very near future doing some opening set work on Fridays and hopefully Saturdays.  I think this year the thing I’ve missed most is going behind the decks and wrecking shop.  So I’m back on point there.  Let me just be honest: I feel better about the gigs where I get to play N.W.A. than the ones I don’t, unless they pay huge.

Still scuttling for a Clark Kent gig, got some trips up and down the state to do this summer, have managed to successfully keep a super-awesome girlfriend, and I’m sipping a lemonade on a 75 degree day with the smell of fresh laundry still in the air.

Picture me rollin’.

(photo from JohnHMoore.com)

1) Don’t let the Power deja vu beginning scare you off; I’ve loved the stuff from Macklemore beyond the shopping excursions, and this is the perfect opening track for running, overcoming, firing up, and all of that. The little barely audible “Good to see you.  C’mon in, let’s go” right before things pop off is the best little moment of a big hit. You’ve got a Lose Yourself you can bounce to, and there’s nothing wrong with that.  SEATTLE, STAND UP!

2-3) That’s why mashups exist, right: to bring the Songs of the Year So Far together as a shoutout to a better alternate Earth?  As far as Get Lucky, I shed way too few words about it already just like everybody else on the Internet has in musicrit circles.  TL;DR?  It’s the Single of the Year and nothing else is even close.

4) This is my favorite Lily Allen cover song that isn’t technically a Lily Allen cover song so far this year.  Big time for bright music, and why shouldn’t it be?

5) How this wasn’t the anthem all last summer long is completely beyond me; hell, maybe I’m too old and it was and I just missed it.  Irregardless, this is ultimate cruising music; the sort of thing built for hammocks, lemonade, and 75 degree weather.

6) I’m such a hipster not only did I love this song before Portlandia aired, I’ve still never seen more than a scene from the show and I still love the hell out of this song.  This entire front of the Pause. is like slapping me about the shoulders practically screaming “MAKE A HAMMOCK MIX IF YOU STILL REMEMBER HOW, YOU OLD BASTARD!”  Do not like (the slapping, not the idea of the mix)

7-9) Nothing more here than being reminded of old favorites by old favorites and being like “Oh, right, those weeks where all I did was play this song specifically.”

10) …you mean this isn’t just a beat Kid Cudi rapped over?  Well, then.  Yes.  Sold.  You wrap it up, I’ll start bringing in the pennies.

11) I whipped together a couple of CDs for my friend’s wedding this past weekend that featured more than a handful of past Pause. favorites, and everybody generally seemed to like the music, so of course I’m focusing on the last song I omitted from either playlist and one of my favorite mashups ever.  I am what I am.

credits

• Macklemore feat. Ryan Lewis, Can’t Hold Us
• the Hood Internet, Lucky Suit
• Daft Punk feat. Pharrell & Nile Rodgers, Get Lucky
• Annie, Chewing Gum
• Major Lazer, Get Free
• Washed Out, Feel It All Around
• Sonic Youth, Incinerate
• Pixies, Hey
• Radiohead, 15 Step
• Band Of Horses, the Funeral
• Richard X, Into U

(Source: 8tracks.com)