GUEST BLOGGER: My Cool Reggae Friend

Half of a phone conversation taking place one fateful Wednesday afternoon...

Dude, like what's goin on? 

U chillen? 

Me 2 man, always chillen.

Oh ur at work? Bummer, I'm just ripping some tubes, watching cartoons, staring at my Rasta colored Christmas lights, burning some Nag Champa so Mom doesn't get pissed.

"Just a colorful vase Mom!"

Yeah I can totes write 4 ur blog man, I don't need to put on pants right?

Sweet, lemme pack this Bart Simpson shaped steamroller and I'll hit these Internet folk with the most groovy, Irie of vibes.

Ok, I'll stop typing my responses as I say them.

HEY INTERNET DUDES

I'm the guest Blog Wizard today, so brace yourself for some serious vibrations. I had a dream one time I was born in Trench Town and had huge nappy dreads and said things like Wagwonn and riddim.

Then, my poser sister woke me up with our fat dog and I was exiled back to Babylon forever.

#Poser

#DolphinSwag

Ever since then, I have become a quagmire (not like Family Guy, although remember that one where Quagmire married Peter's maid and they saw talking dolphins and then he faked his own death by dinosaur and robot ninja? Man, that show is the best. Oh right, lemme get out of this parenthetical…) of
knowledge on the topic of Caribbean music. 

You all have that friend, the stereotypical stoner cliche who listens to mostly reggae and Sublime, owns at least 3 tapestries and whs embedded many a smokeable word into their lexicon. You know, the easily distracted friend who giggles at everything you say and eats all your Cheez-Its. Well I'm definitely not that bro guys, I'm like, pretty high functioning.  One time I even wrote a piece about Caribbean music for my friend's blog My Cat Took My Acid.

Dick move bro

So here is some significantly less rootsy island music from Zion to impress your highbrow stoner friends with. No Bob Marley (although Bob is like, super awesome) or cheesy caricature reggae, just some selections from PRINCE BRETT DA RIDDIM MASTER RUNNIN JAH SOUND SYSTEM FOR I AND I!!!!!!!

(oh shit, can we take that part out? I don't want people knowing my name, in case the government reads this and finds out I downloaded the Snoop Lion album and Jorge Cervante's DVD Collection on The Pirate Bay.)

My cat, Mr. Whiskerbunz

Mighty Chalkdust:::Ah Fraid Karl

Written as a response to the Sedition Act, the Jamaican government's attempt to quell the negative criticism they received from their people, Ah Fraid Karl is a politically charged song with a groovy beat. The name comes from former Jamaican Attorney General Karl Hudson-Phillips and his part in the Sedition Act, with the song effectively dismantling Karl's hopes of becoming Prime Minister [via sticking it to the man.] Even if you have no interest in the political scandal it hints at but won't directly address, you can like totes throw it on and groove out to the island riddims. Irie as fuck.

Niney the Observer:::Blood & Fire

A reggae classic, Blood & Fire is driven by a thick riddim, and is chock full of ganja-friendly Rastafarian lyrics.  The repetitive guitar riff rings in your head for days and the bass wibble wobbles all over the place (but not in a dubsteppy kind of way, obviously) but the rhythmic elemtns unify to create a stellar groove perfect to burn to.  It was also sampled by some chick named PJ Harvey on her allegedly incredible album Let England Shake.  I once rolled a doobie on my sister's copy of that album, she totally vibes to it, but being a reggae connisseur I know nothing of these hipster vibes.

King Tubby:::A Murderous Dub

King Tubby was the father of Dub music, a true legend who started out as a studio engineer and had the idea to "re-dub" existing recordings through his 12 track mixer and twist the production around, emphasizing various parts of the music and pulling them in and out of the track, creating something that sounded entirely different than the source material. A Murderous Dub (and all of King Tubby's work really) is good for people who maybe don't like reggae, but listen to bands like Animal Collective and Godspeed You! Black Emperor who make lots of weird noises that hipsters dig. He has a boatload of good tunes, and you can't really go wrong with any of his dubs, so this song should serve as a good jumping off point. Bonus points: sophisticated stoners dig dub over reggae, so play them some Tubby to show off how relevant you are.



Peace out Internet dudes, I'm about to make a T-Bell run, I only need one more punch on my Taco Bell frequent flyer card to get a free Crunchwrap Supreme, #bitchin!

Crunchwrap Supreme [via American Horror Story]

LOCAL PRODUCE: Wry Climate-Radio Tower Pulse EP

New York's Wry Climate is the musical vessel of Brunswick, ME native Dan Nelson.  Serving up a complex blend of hypnagogic shoegaze and noisy nostalgic jangle, Wry Climate makes music that both embraces and transcends its environment.  

What makes them even more interesting is that, despite many a blogger attempting to pigeonhole them into a genre and draw comparisons to other bands, they produce a sound that is uniquely their own. Sure, you might hear a swirling guitar riff reminiscent of Lotus Plaza, and the personal fables may evoke the same heartstring tug as your favorite Real Estate song, but by the time you draw a sonic parallel, the music has drifted off into a different daydream.  

Wry Climate, keeping glowing sheds safe since 2k10

As it progresses, this EP feels an Alice-esque rabbit chase through the mind of someone who simply doesn't want to be found.  The cryptic lyrics tell stories in a hazy way that feels instantly relatable yet frustratingly unattainable, like a drunken fever dream.

Keeping true to his conservatory background, the intricacy of Nelson's compositions rarely leave you enough time to appreciate the beauty of any one particular movement; the songs flow like the Androscoggin River, continuously in motion like Nelson himself. Yet it is this aesthetic that makes Radio Tower Pulse such a rewarding listen: the music is astoundingly multifaceted and presents enough avenues of exploration and interpretation to keep you intrigued with each re-listen.


You don't need a blog to tell you how great this album is, the music handles that fine on its own. Moral of the story? Close your eyes, calm your mind and let it ride.

Check out the band's Tumblr and listen to/download the entire Radio Tower Pulse on Bandcamp