Five Quick Things: ‘Tis The Season (For Figure)
–Written by Kevin Madert
With Halloween knocking at the door, it only seems appropriate to run a quick feature on the producer who’s most at home among vampires, zombies, and werewolves. Figure – real name Josh Gard – creates music rife with spooky imagery and classic horror influence, not to mention a healthy dose of heavy bass. He recently released the fifth album in his Monsters series, and is currently touring an all-new visual production dubbed “TerrorVision,” so we figured (heh) we’d put together a short list of our favorite tunes. ‘Tis the season, after all.
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Weekend Wind-Down No. 8: Uplifting Post-Rock
–Words and list by Michael Hogan
Expect this to become a recurring theme in these weekly playlists. Scouring my rather mighty collection of post-rock, I came across so many gems I wanted to include that I simply can’t stop here. Each one of these songs features bright melodies and builds that are sure to plaster a stupid, contented smile across your face. These ten tracks are a true testament to the power of music; these days so many people rely on lyrics to provide storylines that can be identified with, but these songs have none of that.
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Weekend Warm-Up No. 8: Warped Tour Nostalgia
–Words and list by Michael Hogan
Excuse me while I have a moment here; this is a pure nostalgia trip. Some of these bands I haven’t even thought of, let alone listened to in years. When’s the last time you talked to someone about Story of the Year? But if you’re anything like me, these songs never really left you. You still know all the words, you can still remember the energy from these songs – as if it was only yesterday you were an angsty little ball of hormones draped in the latest Hot Topic fabrics, counting down the days until Warped Tour.
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Weekend Wind-Down No. 7: Ambience & Keys
–Words and list by Kevin Madert
Brian Eno, one of the fathers of ambient music, titled the first album in his “Ambient” series Music For Airports. It was, he explained, crafted to be absorbed and enjoyed by both passive and active listeners – it was even installed at LaGuardia Airport in New York for a brief time after its release in 1978 (yes, 1978). Much of the music in the collection follows these tenets, bookended by two melody-driven compositions performed by pianist George Winston. Listen intently or absentmindedly, enjoy equally.
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Weekend Warm-Up No. 7: Hip-Hopping
–Words and list by Kevin Madert
There’s nothing quite like rapping along word-for-word with your favorite MCs, even if it’s in the driver’s seat of your beat-up Acura and not on their most recent headlining tour. From party rapper Wallpaper’s questionably serious “#STUPiDFACEDD” to the sunshine ‘n’ summertime vibes of “Coastin’” and “Ghostwriter,” these tracks are ready-made for pregames, preparties, or any other pre- you can imagine. We’ve even included a few electronically tinged numbers – Culprate lays down a rumbling rhythm for Maksim, and RJD2 crafts poignant hip-hop without any words at all.
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Noise Tech Collective: Friends With Robots Brings Together Best & Brightest In Boston Area Scene
–Written by Kevin Madert
The travels and trials of the local DJ hardly make it an enviable occupation. From making pennies to play opening sets for the barbacks and bouncers to slaving away for weeks on a track that ends up with a few hundred plays on Soundcloud months after the fact, the passion dumped in often far outweighs the visible returns. The worst part is watching wholly talentless “musicians” play to thousands of fans – “musicians” who quite possibly did nothing but fork out considerable cash to gain their recognition.
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