Aldous Huxley once said, “Experience is not what happens to you; it’s what you do with what happens to you.” I know this statement very well – mainly because it was my senior quote back in 2005. After listening to Jellyfish Brigade‘s new album Diving Lessons in great detail, it’s apparent that Lucas Dix also knows this statement; in fact, based on his lyrical content, it seems as though he’s beginning to master the philosophy. Lucas has been through more in the last two years than most people have in two decades; he lost his best friend and long-time music partner Gavin “Theory” Soens to a battle with terminal cancer, and the love of his life relocated to the opposite side of the country to be closer to her family. Saturated with real-life stories and relatable metaphors, Diving Lessons is one of the most profound and honest records of 2014.
Archive for the Reviews Category
Album Review: Jellyfish Brigade, Diving Lessons
Posted in Album Review, Music Reviews with tags Diving Lessons, Gavin Theory, Jellyfish Brigade, Lucas Dix, The Great Mundane on Saturday, June 28, 2014 by Tim AlthausSonny Knight at Lyn Lake Street Festival 2014
Posted in Concert Reviews, Culture, Life Perspectives from T.S. Niebeling, Local Love, Media, Mind Inversion Exclusive with tags "Hey Girl", 2014, 89.3 the current, American Soul, Art Fest, city pages, concert, Festival, funk, Hip-Hop, June 8th, live, live performance, Lyn Lake Street Fest 2014, Lyn Lake Street Festival, Lyn Lake Street Festival 2014, magazine, Microbrew, minneapolis, MN, MPLS, Open Streets, photography, photos, r&b, Sonny Knight, Sonny Knight and the Lakers, soul, Summer, Sunday, Terry Scott Niebeling, The Current, twin cities, Twin Cities Events, uptown, Visual, Vita.mn on Thursday, June 12, 2014 by TSN
… Sonny Knight was, and is great. He came across as the kind of guy who comes from bygone era, while effectively staying relevant. His music has life. He utilized three backup singers and a full band, he was doing it right. At the peak of the numbers in the crowd, Sonny rocked the stage like a champion. The best song of the day was “Hey Girl”, naturally, but even less familiar songs moved those in attendance. From behind the performers looking out, one could see raw excitement, and the power which Sonny sustained. His set was charged and intimate, and precisely electric. It was a pleasant and unexpected surprise, having never seen him before.
Sonny played for some time, and then the show was over. The crowd was pleased. I exited the stage at about the same time in hopes of having a one-on-one conversation with the artist. I ran around back as he was being mobbed by fans and snapped at with cameras. He took time for the adoration and with a broad smile he vanished. Sonny was something; to me, he seemed like a classic soul singer from the distant past, yet he was thriving in 2014. I wondered where his time machine was parked. Searching, I found nothing…
For the full story coming soon, check: www.dirtyterry.com
Timoteo’s 2013 Year in Review
Posted in Year in Review with tags Antman Wonder, Apollo Brown, Black Milk, Classified, Deejay Element, Deltron 3030, Father Focus Confucius, Ghostface Killah, Homeless, Ka, Koncept, Lucas Dix, M.i, Nameless, Nametag, Oddisee, Pearl Jam, Pusha T, R.A. The Rugged Man, Red Pill, Rjd2, Run the Jewels, Shad, Skyzoo, The Van Gobots, Tyler Keyes, Ugly Heroes, Vampire Weekend, Verbal Kent on Tuesday, January 7, 2014 by Tim Althaus
As I give my creaking knuckles calisthenics, I’m reminded of how great 2013 was for music. There were a lot of great releases, and I think that a few of my selections might shock a few people this year, but it’s necessary to give credit where it’s due. Leave your comments in the C-Section below, and let me know how you feel.
Album Review: M.i & Tyler Keyes, Pushing Keyes
Posted in Album Review, Music Reviews, Video with tags Blu, Jaylib, M.i, OnCue, Prep Time, Pushing Keyes, The Foreign Exchange, Tyler Keyes on Thursday, June 27, 2013 by Tim Althaus
When artists begin collaborating with each other online, there’s really no telling what’s going to happen. They might only collaborate on a few tracks through e-mail, or they could end up releasing volumes of vivacious music. Tyler Keyes & M.i collaborated copiously on the 2011 album Prep Time; this was done entirely through phone calls and e-mails. After visiting Austin, Texas for the South By Southwest Festival, Keyes left the Twin Cities to form a more proximal working relationship with M.i – a bold and wise choice.
Album Review: The Amends, What We Could Be
Posted in Album Review, Reviews with tags A Certain Speed, Big City Way, Boulder, Chris Childress, colorado, Come & See, Desperate TImes, Dreamer, Drew Weikart, It'd Be Nice, Make it So, More to Give, Second Take, Shay Byington, The Amends, Tick Tock, Time Goes On, Tyler Taylor, What We Could Be, When She's Gone on Sunday, April 21, 2013 by Eric Gilardi
This story starts out with a band and a dream. The Boulder, CO based band, The Amends, has aspirations to gain popularity by way of self-promotion. Recently they reached out to see if I would check out their second studio album that was released earlier this year. Fortunately for them, I just started writing again and fortunately for me, I took that chance and gave the album a listen. The Amends consisting of band members Drew Weikart (Lead Vocals and Guitar), Tyler Taylor (Vocals, Keys and Rhythm Guitar), Chris Childress (Bass) and Shay Byington (Drums) caught me off guard with an album that touches base with classic rock and blues while adding that hint of Indie rock.
What We Could Be starts straight out with an edginess that says we have arrived and we have come to kick your door in. “Second Take” makes me think back to when the Arctic Monkeys first came out of the gate. You can really hear the direct message from a band that just wants to jam and make people have fun. The second track, “A Certain Speed”, keeps the party vibe going. They start out the album with a kick and you think that is what you have turned yourself on to but you better think again.
As soon as the keys hit in a “Big City Way” you get more of a blues sound to their rock music. This tells you that this band is not a one-dimensional rock group. Continue reading
Album Review: Poolside, Pacific Standard Time
Posted in Album Review, Reviews with tags Between Dreams, California Sunset, Do You Believe, Filip Nikolic, Give It A Rest, Golden Hour, Harvest Moon, Jeff Paradise, Just Fall In Love, Kiss You Forever, Los Angeles, Next to You, Off My Mind, Pacific Standard Time, Poolside, Slow Down, Take Me Home, Take Me There, Tulsa, Why You Wanna, Without You on Tuesday, April 16, 2013 by Eric Gilardi
Greatness in the most subtle form is “pure blissfulness”. Poolside, an electronic duo based out of Los Angeles, has done just that; made an album that equates to “pure blissfulness”. If you have never heard the delicate electronic music, from Filip Nikolic and Jeff Paradise, that has you wishing you were sipping a mojito poolside. Then take a gander over to that oversized lounger and order yourself a mojito. Their debut album, Pacific Standard Time, starts off real mellow and real instrumental. “Tulsa” lets you in, gets you comfy and gets you ready for the rest of what is to transpire over the course of the next 68 and a half minutes. Let me tell you, it won’t seem like that long once you drift away in this great and magical album.
The second track, “Next to You”, is an upbeat electronic jam with a chorus that is heavy on harmonic melody. Even when the harmonized lyrics are not being sung, you can still hear where they would fit in perfectly with the music. In “Why You Wanna” they come at you with less harmony and a little more direction. Continue reading
Album Review: Tyler, The Creator, Wolf
Posted in Album Review with tags Bastard, Goblin, Odd Future, OFWGKTA, Tyler The Creator, Wolf on Tuesday, April 2, 2013 by Dylan Isensee
I would assume that you probably know who Odd Future is by now, and if you don’t know who they are, then I would assume you’ve been living under a rock for the past five years. Tyler, The Creator dropped his third album, Wolf, today, and you can say I’ve been looking forward to it. I listened to both Bastard and Goblin a ton, and Wolf will also be getting regular rotation from me. Tyler’s music seems to get better the more I listen to it. I’ll admit the first time I heard “Bastard” I didn’t really like it, but the more I listened to it the more I liked it.
Odd Future is known for having graphic material in their songs; Bastard and Goblin both had a lot of songs about murder and rape, and while Wolf definitely has it’s fair share of outrageous lyrics, Tyler has toned it down a little bit. He has definitely moved away from the ridiculous shock raps and the “fuck everybody” punk attitude. The themes that show up on Wolf include dealing with fame and success, girl problems, having an absent father, and his career thus far. His flows are all pretty nice on this album. When it comes to the beats, Tyler has stepped his production game up – a lot. The whole album is entirely produced by him, and the beats sound great. His production style is very unique and he’s definitely created his own sound.
The single off the album “Domo 23” has Tyler bragging over mischievous horns, while the following track “Answer” is much darker with Tyler longing for his late grandmother and absent father over a relaxed guitar track and bright organs. “IFHY” is one of my favorite songs on this album. Tyler talks about his conflicted love interest over a dark organ track which evolves into electric synthesizers while the darkness is continued in the bass and drums. “Rusty” is the standout track on this album. The beat almost sounds like something RZA would’ve done in the 90’s, and Tyler’s verse is on point. He basically gives all of his critics a big “fuck you” and finishes off his verse with “Fuck buying studio time, I’ma go purchase a shrink/ record the session and send all you motherfuckers a link”.
While Tyler’s production is better than it’s ever been, his rhyming hasn’t really gotten any better. He’s definitely not a bad rapper, and it’s good that he’s moved away from the rape and murder, but his rhymes aren’t any better than they were on Goblin. With that being said the album still has some of the best songs he’s ever written. There are several tracks really dive deep into his personal matters, and “Rusty” is one of his best lyrical performances to date.
Overall, Wolf is a beautiful sounding album. The production is beyond great, and rather than venting his anger like Bastard or Goblin, Tyler has opened the doors to show off the talent behind his music.
7.5/10
Mind Inversion Exclusive: Lucas Dix Weighs in on Hip-Hop in 2012
Posted in Year in Review with tags Action Bronson, Aesop Rock, Alchemist, Andre 3000, Dark Time Sunshine, El-P, Frank Ocean, Hives Inquiry Squad, IAME, Jellyfish Bigade, Ka, Kendrick Lamar, Lucas Dix, Milo, Rap Class, Safari Al, Sapient, Wu Block on Thursday, December 27, 2012 by Tim Althaus
Top 10 Albums (no particular order)
Kendrick Lamar: Good Kid, m.a.a.d. City
“Swimming Pools (Drank)”
Kendrick Lamar has the Outkast factor. I can listen to his songs, intently focusing on the lyrics while getting lost in the scenes he vividly describes, or I can zone out, not pay attention to what he’s saying and dance to the beat while singing along with the incredibly infectious hooks. GKMC feels like 3 Stacks and Big Boi rolling through Compton with Caine and O-Dog from Menace II Society.
Standout Tracks: Money Trees, Bitch Don’t Kill My Vibe, The Art of Peer Pressure, Swimming Pools (Drank), The Recipe Continue reading
Timoteo’s 2012 Year In Review
Posted in Year in Review with tags Apollo Brown, Brother Ali, Chad Hatcher, Jellyfish Brigade, Joey Bada$$, Kendrick Lamar, Koncept, M.i, Macklemore, Oddisee, Roc Marciano, Ryan Lewis, Skyzoo, Slaughterhouse, Tyler Keyes, XV on Tuesday, December 25, 2012 by Tim Althaus
Is it really that time of year again? I have no idea where 2012 went; it seems like it was just January a few short months ago. In this seemingly short year, there has been a slew of superb releases – especially in the Hip-Hop realm. Like I’ve always said, making a year-end list is no simple task, and it’s inevitable that someone (or a lot of people) will disagree with my choices; however, opinions are unique to each individual, and we are all entitled to our own. If you feel the need to voice your opinion, leave a comment in the C-Section.
Album Review: Kendrick Lamar, good kid, m.A.A.d city
Posted in Album Review, Music Reviews with tags Drake, good kid m.A.A.d city, Jay Rock, Kendrick Lamar, Section.80 on Tuesday, October 30, 2012 by Dylan Isensee
If you’ve gone on the internet in the past two years, I’m sure you’ve at least heard the name Kendrick Lamar. Last week his much anticipated major debut was released and has been talked about over and over while receiving critical acclaim. good kid, m.A.A.d city is Kendrick’s sophomore album, and it’s a follow up to his independent release Section.80 which dropped in the summer of 2011. I was a huge fan of Section.80,and it wasn’t long after I started listening to it that I realized Kendrick’s lyrical ability – especially when it comes to storytelling. Section.80 was a concept album, and good kid, m.A.A.d city follows in the same foot steps; I was very happy he didn’t let go of that style of music with this album. Continue reading
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