A) Any release information on Mayer Hawthorne? That “Just Ain’t Gonna Work Out” track is great; I’ve been bumpin’ that as I did Darondo’s “Didn’t I” for days upon days.
B) In reviewing past posts, I realized that Kyle and I dedicated a lot of space to Guilty’s Ode to the Ghetto; a disproportionate amount for such a mediocre album. (That was over a year ago!)
Wow, it’s been so long since I’ve posted that the WordPress interface is wholly changed.
Believe it or not, Trading Tapes may in fact see a renaissance. Getting back to posting has required me to consider the reasons I’ve been away from it. Sure, time is always a viable excuse. It’s true, since school resumed (you’ll note my last post was 09/01/08, two days before classes started) my time outside of school has been slightly altered. For one, I thought that after applying some significant time on computer/paperwork (depending on the day), I naturally moved away from doing a similar exercise at home. Similarly, as my music posting decreased, so did my music blog viewing. There has also been a decrease in music listening. This I can’t explain so easily. While I think there have not been too many quality releases of late, that still doesn’t explain why I was not moved to post when Q-Tip’s Renaissance dropped, or Raphael Saadiq’s The Way I See It, or Plantlife’s Time Traveler, or N*E*R*D’s Seeing Sounds, or one of my favorite 2008 releases, Johnson & Jonson’s Johnson & Jonson; I could go on. The point is, there were a number of releases in the latter part of 2008 that should have moved me to post. They didn’t.
So, I guess there is no easy diagnosis, and no predictable prognosis for Trading Tapes. I am going to make an effort to listen to more music, e.g. less NPR and more music en route to work. I think that may have the best impact of bringing me back.
We’ll see.
Still awaiting the new Foreign Exchange.
Allegedly, Q-Tip’s Renaissance will finally see a legitimate release November 14. This, I’m sure will be updated again.
Black Milk’s Tronic. Has a slew of interesting guests, including Pharoah. Him on Black Milk beats is tough to beat.
And, while perusing the net, I came across this blog, which features a prominent disclaimer in the upper right corner (directly below the blog’s description). Check it out. Hilarious.
Finally, while I’ve been virtually nonexistent on the interweb this summer, I’ve been continually entertained, and informed, by Von Pea’s blog. I particularly enjoyed his explanation behind my favorite track off The Bridge, “Get Me Inside.”
I’m relaxing and listening to Jackson Conti’s Sujinho. I dig this.
And it reminded that once upon a time, I typed words, which reflected brief thoughts on Sujinho; I vaguely recall taking those words and through some miracle of modern science, posting them on the internet. I assume once they’re there, they belong to history, much like Honest Abe.
I really haven’t forgot about Trading Tapes; nor do I think Kyle has. It’s summer. What more can I say? I know lots of music has bounced between my ears since school ended and summer commenced. I did get into Dwele’s Sketches of a Man. It’s dope, if you haven’t copped it. “If You Want To” & “Vain” are currently my Dwele d’jour.
Summer’s a tough time to be sitting and blogging.
I’ll be around. Thinking of a post for Shawn Jackson’s First of All…, or maybe N*E*R*D or Dwele.
To be continued…
In the mean time…holla!
In addition to Al Green & Dwele (Sketches of a Man), the following on my own radar:
- Raashan Ahmad – The Push. Raashan Ahmad is from Crown City Rockers, of Earth Tones fame. I haven’t heard anything off of it, but I’m curious…is all.
- N.E.R.D. – Seeing Sounds.
- Foreign Exchange – Leave It All Behind.
- J-Live – What Happened Next. Always interested to hear this guy on the mic. Always luke warm on some of the production that backs him.
We’re still here. I’m just getting through an engaging month a work. But, I will be sure to reapply my finger to the music pulse shortly. Kyle? I know he’s busy too.
I am looking forward to Al Green’s album dropping tomorrow. Due to my internet issues, which are still in the process of being resolved (requires a new network card), I’ve been pretty out of touch with any previews, leaks, etc. Most recently, I’ve bought The In Crowd and TM’s The Bridge. Enjoying both, particularly the latter.
I apologize for the minimal action here, but TT will be back in full swing as the weather continues to warm…and this network card is remedied.
Until then, consider the following:
1) what’s your thoughts on The In Crowd and/or The Bridge?
2) your prospects for Al Green?
3) Dwele. Kyle forward me this. Enjoy.
