On the rap internet, “scaring the hoes” has become code for a certain type of hip-hop: anything abrasive or weird or super-lyrical, designed for repeat close listening. More broadly, the phrase has evolved into a euphemism for any rap considered unfit for a party or similar social setting. To play Death Grips at the function is to scare the hoes. …
Jax Rock Band Racewall Mosquitoes Share New Video for “Vagabond”
Last autumn, locals Racewall Mosquitoes gave us the concept album The Recital of Annie Lytle, which was a tribute to the rumored-to-be-haunted Public School Number Four. The real strength in that release was main-Mosquito singer-songwriter Matt Morgan’s ability to put melodicism and vulnerability square in the spotlight. The band are still incrementally doling out transmissions from Annie Lytle: the latest …
Duval Hip-Hop Artist Mecca thA Marvelous gets Contemplative on “Relapse”
Jacksonville-based hip-hop artist Mecca thA Marvelous faces his audience, and more so himself, on “Relapse,” a reflective song from his new full-length album Jane Doe. Finnish producer SBLMNL’s beat extends Mecca the opportunity to be vulnerable, as the young rapper uses the soundscape as a canvas for painting reminders to himself of the perils of falling victim to the jones. …
Feist holds a mirror up to her ‘Multitudes’
The commercial machinations of the music industry detest stepwise maturation. Consider the constant chatter about what is young and novel, as if real excitement, engagement and even insight can flow only from the hitherto unknown. Yes, it is totally intoxicating to believe you are experiencing culture’s bleeding edge with every incoming tide pool of best new artists; it is demoralizing, …
On “lookin’,” Duval’s Broadway Louie Soundtracks the Perennial Search for Connection
Duval artist Broadway Louie’s new song “lookin’’ foreshadows spring and summer car rides, nightlife explorations and the perennial search for connection; either in the moment, or forever. Producer Cheap Limosuine lends the track its enjoyably retro feel, with an active rhythm, that makes it easy for Louie to interject with his melodies. Louie’s lyrics, meanwhile, give “lookin’” a cheerful energy, …
On the Sunny, Textured “Surrender,” Jax Band Ducats Resists and Combats Emotional and Artistic Stasis
Since relocating to Jacksonville from Chicago, musician Trent Holton has seamlessly embedded himself in the local scene – while also arguably doing as much as an interloper could to invigorate that same scene. After introducing his Ducats (pronounced duh-kits) project with a collection of primal, DIY garage tunes, Glob, in 2022, Holton’s band has, in short order, become one of …
Wednesday’s ‘Rat Saw God’ is Fearlessly, Chaotically, Grimly American
There was “a tear in every word,” is how longtime producer Billy Sherrill once described Tammy Wynette’s singing voice. It was the first lady of country music’s signature: a trembling, anguished voice that seemed to hold a teardrop in each note. Wynette had the ability to sell songs like “D-I-V-O-R-C-E” or “I Don’t Wanna Play House,” ’60s suburban melodramas as …
With First New Single in 15 years, The Julius Airwave Returns to the Power-Pop Fore
Whether it’s a career comeback or an inevitable resolve, the return of the Julius Airwave with their new single “Slow Erode” is an object lesson in the ebb and flow of youth, music, relationships, the viability of balancing the two, arguably love and time. Some 20 years ago, the band were precociously young: dapper dressers with crooked neckties, popping off …
Shawny Binladen and the Rise of Sample Drill
After Pop Smoke’s tragic death in 2020, many wondered what would become of New York drill, and many naysayers claimed it died with him. Over the next year, several booming voices would knock at that door, but the man who broke it down was one who raps in whispers. 27-year-old Queens rapper Shawny Binladen’s reimagination of drill music opened up …
Kassa Overall | Tiny Desk Concert
Kassa Overall is no stranger to NPR. Back in 2020 he was a featured vocalist and percussionist on the Terri Lyne Carrington + Social Science Tiny Desk concert and in the same year he scored the original music for the first season of NPR Music’s Louder Than A Riot podcast. (His catchy theme song has been remixed by producer Suzi …
