pencil, digital -  2011

Last year’s album Cerulean was Will Wiesenfeld’s first release as Baths, and it’s well deserved success has lead to exposure for his other projects, as well as a new “false B-sides” album. I would of course recommend all the newly released material, but I keep coming back to the track Plea from Cerulean.

It’s refreshing to hear a pop song sensitive to the difficulties of gay relationships – the idea that gay people are denied basic civil rights, that in some cases it’s not safe to even be open, while dealing with all the other aspects of being young and in love. These issues make this an important song for me.

I began coming out to family and friends after I started falling in love with a man. Oddly enough, being in a relationship made it easier for people to accept my being gay. It made the idea more approachable to those who would have not approved, and put it into terms people could understand. If I wasn’t accepted by those I was coming out to, I knew my boyfriend was going through the same thing. That is what this song is about for me, the significance of that relationship when everything around you is uncertain.

In times when constitutional amendments that would ban same-sex marriage are increasingly prevalent, having support from a partner, friend or family member is vital indeed.

BATHS: Plea (myspace) (itunes)

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ink, pencil, digital -  2011

April 1, 1949 – May 27, 2011

GIL SCOTT-HERON: The Revolution Will Not Be Televised (itunes)

GIL SCOTT-HERON & JAMIE XX: I’m New Here (itunes)

This week we have a guest illustration from Milwaukee-based illustrator Pietro Norante. Most famed for his excellent Daily Shits blog, Pietro picked a great track from Japanese producer Tsuchie (who worked on tunes for Samurai Champloo) to rock his mad mark making skills. So fresh!

TSUCHIE: Vagrancy (myspace)

-Topher MacDonald

Braids – pencil -  2011

Sketches made during show at Der Rathskeller in Madison, WI.

BATHS: The Nothing (myspace) (itunes)

BRAIDS: Lemonade (myspace) (itunes)

-Topher MacDonald

ink, pencil, digital -  2011

A few weeks ago, U.K. producer James Blake released his self titled debut LP to much acclaim. The album is awesome, and it deserves all the attention it is receiving.

One of the most intriguing aspects of Blake’s work is his lyrics. There aren’t a lot of them, and they are repeated and distorted over and over. This in turn encourages the listener to examine them from many angles. For this piece I wanted to somehow convey this deconstruction and layering, which for me is what make Blake’s music so wonderful.

JAMES BLAKE: The Wilhelm Scream (myspace) (itunes)

-Topher MacDonald

ink, pencil, digital -  2011

The LA based band HEALTH released ::DISCO II last year, and while it was chiefly a collection of fantastic remixes, it also contained this new gem of insanity “USA BOYS.”  The tracks dark and confrontational sound is juxtaposed with ghostly vocals and vague lyrics, and makes for awesomely weird, unsettling dance music.  For me, the track evokes raw images of death and war, and the bizarre camaraderie experienced by the people who are thrown into it.

HEALTH: USA BOYS (myspace)

-Topher MacDonald

blog / website / twitter

WARP label artist Gonjasufi has an unmistakable, haunting voice to begin with. Add the production of some innovative friends (Gaslamp Killer, Flying Lotus), and we’re given some of the most interesting hip hop music being made today. Only you can’t exactly call it  hip hop. The notes of soul and psychedelic influences change the music into something new entirely, which is well illustrated in the track Ancestors.

I like how introspective and ceremonial the song is, while still maintaining an intense air – the idea of asking the dead for guidance is both quiet and celestial. In this piece, Gonjasufi is depicted in a type of prayer interface, wherein he struggles to make his own connections out of a net constellations.

GONJASUFI: Ancestors (prod. by Flying Lotus) (myspace)

-Christopher MacDonald

blog / website / twitter

Breaking the usual multi-year silence after an album release, Gorillaz recently put out the amazing track  “Doncamatic,” featuring Daley. I was into this song right away, mainly because it kinda reminded me of this (and it helps that the video is dope supreme)…

But then Daley’s vocals come in, and it’s taken to another level.

Not much is known about the Manchester based soulster, but he has a few videos up on his youtube that further demonstrate his vocal prowess.  Really excited to see more from this guy.

While the original cut is great, i’ve taken a particular liking to this remix (posted below).

GORILLAZ FT. DALEY: Doncamatic (JUR remix) (original on i-tunes)

Thanks for viewing!

-Christopher MacDonald

blog / website / twitter

ink, pencil, digital -  2010

Portland based duo Nice Nice released  “Extra Wow” earlier this year, their first LP on Warp. They’ve been touring pretty extensively, both as headliners and as openers for Holy Fuck. I was able to see them twice this year, and they have swiftly become one of my favorite acts. The track “See Waves” embodies what I like most about Nice Nice – it is vaguely psychadelic dance that uses an expansive arsenal of live, abstract samples, but still retains a type of pop sensibility – and it sounds just as awesome live.

NICE NICE: See Waves (myspace)

-Christopher MacDonald

blog / website / twitter