Week of June 8: This week: Run The Jewels, The Prison Music Project, and old digital devices make new music.
Run The Jewels Release RTJ4 As A Free Download
The hip hop duo Run The Jewels, comprised of Atlanta rapper and activist Killer Mike and Brooklyn-born producer and rapper El-P, has just released its fourth album, and it has a lot in common with the first three: first, richly layered production, full of experimental twists and old-school turns (DJ Premier is one of the guests); second, rapturous critical reviews (both men are smart, socially conscious, and technically adept); and third, it’s free. Yes, RTJ have always offered their recordings as free downloads even though you can buy the CD or vinyl. But they also have an idea of what you can do with that money that you didn’t just send them for their hard work: they have a long list of organizations you can donate to in order to further the cause of social justice and equity. First among them is the National Lawyers Guild which provides legal services to lawful protesters. But make no mistake, RTJ4 is worth spending or donating some cash for. The single “Ooh La La” is a bruising but joyous stomp of a tune; but I’m going straight to the album’s powerful finale, “a few words for the firing squad.” Over pulsating strings and a wailing sax, El-P and Killer Mike detail challenges both personal and societal, those they’ve overcome and those they’re still fighting. And as you might guess, Killer Mike’s choice words for the firing squad are not ones you’ll hear on the radio.
Doing Time For 10 Years: The Prison Music Project
A decade in the making, the Prison Music Project is the result of songwriting workshops done at New Folsom Prison by folk musician Zoe Boekbinder with some of the men incarcerated there. Some are serving life sentences without parole; others have now been released. But all of the songs were written behind bars, and only later recorded in a studio by professional musicians under the direction of Ani DiFranco, the singer/songwriter/producer. In a neat twist, DiFranco and Boekbinder gave most of the vocal duties to female or non-binary singers. One of the contributors, named Ken Blackburn, was already a songwriter, and appears on the album; three of his songs are included as well. This one, “Long Time Gone,” features some classic blues-style lyrics, and sports a big, danceable production that may remind you of Moby’s “Natural Blues” – not a bad thing at all. With lead vocals by Boekbinder and Princess Shaw, and a choral sound that builds with the song, “Long Time Gone” is a winner – especially since it benefits communities impacted by mass incarceration, with the proceeds to be administered by the Southern Center for Human Rights.
Ever Wonder What A Conductor Does? This Video Will NOT Help. Watch anyway.
The chamber orchestra known as Alarm Will Sound, and its intrepid conductor Alan Pierson, have made their reputation doing the seemingly impossible: acoustic versions of Aphex Twin’s electronica, a live orchestration of The Beatles’ “Revolution #9,” and many hours of challenging, often boundary-busting music written for them by leading composers. One such work was Ten Thousand Birds, by Pulitzer Prize winner John Luther Adams. Like most of his music, it’s built around nature, and is meant to be played outdoors, with the 26 musicians playing bird songs and wind sounds while surrounding the audience. Now, obviously you can’t play an immersive outdoor piece when everyone is stuck indoors. Right? Well, Alan Pierson found a way to get his band to play a 5-minute version while everyone was quarantining, and his “conducting” of the performance is both charmingly lo-fi and brilliantly inventive. And fun. Ten Thousand Birds has become Ten Thousand Screens, and thanks to some creative engineering, it sounds great, even as it uses some relatively prehistoric electronic devices. Take 5 minutes to listen (and tour Pierson’s Brooklyn apartment), and you may ask “how did they do that?” The answers will require 15 more minutes and can be found here.
A Glossy But Mournful Debut by Blanco White
Blanco White is a London-based singer (real name Josh Edwards) with a lovely voice and a background in both British and South American folk music. His debut LP is called On The Other Side, and it’s actually quite a polished album of smooth pop, with occasional touches of flamenco and Andean music. The track “Kauai O’o” begins with the sound of the charango, the small Andean lute with a body traditionally made of an armadillo shell. But the instrument can sound like a Hawaiian ukulele, and White’s song uses the recent (mid 1980s) extinction of the Hawaiian songbird Kauai o’o as a metaphor for living through a time of drastic change and a warning of impending loss. A gently rhythmic, highly melodic bass guitar line propels the song, which also has a lush electronic sheen. Still, it’s Blanco White’s voice that will grab and hold your attention.
And, Just Because You Deserve a Break, A Silly Song From Dropkick Murphys
Boston’s long-running Celtic rock band Dropkick Murphys have just released a single called “Mick Jones Nicked My Pudding.” The song is based on a claim by a friend of the band’s that Mick Jones, co-founder of The Clash, stole his pudding out of a refrigerator. Rather than investigate the numerous potential holes in this story, the band chose to accept that a music legend might have engaged in some petty dessert larceny and wrote this song… and then doubled down in the video, which shows an animated but recognizable Mick Jones caught in the act. But it all turns out okay at the end, especially since the massed voices of the band, singing the song’s ridiculous title in the chorus, are clearly having so much fun.