This week’s track is Rolling In The Deep by Adele off of 21. I’m a bit late to the Adele game and this is her sophomore album and this song has been tracking in the charts for a while. The entire album is worth a listen, but I picked Rolling In The Deep as it’s the lead single and it’s a quick way to ease yourself in to Adele’s sound. Adele’s delivery harks of another generation, something very soulful, almost leathery yet fresh. British in its style, but younger and less self loathing than Amy Winehouse. There’s something fantastic happening in the British female singer-songwriter universe right now, Ellie Goulding and now Adele, they’re getting something right over there.
March 2011
Track of the Week: Through The Wire by Kanye West
This week’s track goes back in time to visit Through The Wire by Kanye West off of The College Dropout. Through The Wire was Kanye’s breakout single, launching him from celebrated producer to what would become one of the biggest names in rap. The story of the track is fairly infamous, recorded two weeks after a nearly fatal car accident with his jaw wired shut. You can hear his voice muffled talking through inflamed cheeks. The first few Kanye albums, starting with The College Dropout were all classics, with him moving more and more mainstream. I still recall Kanye as a producer, producing Common’s Be and Finding Forever, production on Talib Kweli’s In The Mood, vocals and production on Dilated People’s This Way (a fantastic track) and of course all the work on various Jay Z’s albums. A seriously talented guy.
Track of the Week: This Is Why We Fight by The Decemberists
This week’s track is This Is Why We Fight by The Decemberists off of The King Is Dead. I first heard this song on Live 105 which surprised me given their typically repetitive playlist. The song is really quite unlike any of the other songs on The King is Dead. The albums has most of a country/folk sound to it and isn’t really that poppy. The album is good and it’s without a doubt worth a listen, but This Is Why We Fight is probably the most accessible song off of the album.