recent tracks:

Make You Feel That Way

Sometimes I get a little obsessive about songs. See, e.g., "Crazy" by Gnarls Barkley; "No Winter for a Year" by The Arcade Fire; "Emma Blowgun's Last Stand" by Beulah; "Magic Number" by De La Soul.

Right now I have a developing obsession with "Make You Feel That Way" by Blackalicious.

From allmusic.com: "Much of Blazing Arrow retains NIA's airy, laconic feel, but the group's sense of craft has improved to a startling degree; the hooks are sharper and more plentiful, Gift of Gab's rhymes are denser, Chief Xcel's production is more breathtakingly lush, and his arrangements more sophisticated. What's more, the tracks draw from a rich sonic palette -- not just the expected jazz-funk and old-school influences, but straight pop ... and smooth soul ... in particular. In spite of the duo's intellectual bent, the grooves on Blazing Arrow exude a tremendous warmth that's only complemented by the positivity of their messages."

That feel definitely holds true for "Make You Feel That Way"--laconic is just the word I was reaching for before reading that review, the production (straight, slow-driving beat, lazy, drifting (but hooky) brass, and a little keyboard for texture) perfectly complementing lyrics celebrating some of the simple and more exceptional joys of life. Seeing "a homie you aint seen since back in the day," going on a date with "ol' girl," getting promoted at work--it makes you feel that way. It could be cheesy but doesn't feel that way to me. The lyrics:

[Chorus x15]
Make you feel that way

[Verse One]
Up and early for the hope of a brand new day
See a homie you ain't seen since back in the day
Fresh haircut fitted with a phat ass fade
End of work week, chilling on a Saturday
How you felt when you first heard the Daddy Kane
Rakim, KRS, hey I had that tape
Cooling out with ol' girl on a phat ass date
Find a hundred dollar bill, wow man that's great
Get promoted at your job up to management
Plot a long time finally your plan has made it
Time I feel I wanna shout, man its real that way
When I think of things that make you feel that way

[Chorus x15]

[Verse Two]
Christmas day when your mamma got your first bike
Type of feeling when you went and won your first fight
How your team felt winning championship games
Celebrate in a huddle dancing in this rain
Have a thought see a shooting star cross your screen
Put in hard work finally you're living your dream
Deaf man get his hearing now in come vibes
Blind man gain his sight see his first sunrise
Dumb man speaking out, now he's load and clear
Birth of your child, smile so proud ya wear
Going in your third eye for the styles ya hear
Making music that'll bump for a thousand years
Eating right feeling conscious like health is first
Said a prayer that's sincere and you felt it work
Times I feel I wanna shout, man it's real that way
When I'm thinking things that make you feel that way

[Chorus x15]

[Verse Three]
All up in her vibe something coming over me
Summer days more likely that you notice breezes
Winter days more likely that you notice heat
When I'm warm more likely that you notice me
In the dark it's more likely that you notice light
In the light more likely that you notice night
Hungry more appreciation for that meal
Dead broke more appreciation for that scrill
A bad day'll make you really notice ones that's good
And that'll make things a little better understood
Times I feel I wanna shout, man it's real that way
When I think of things that make you feel that way
Make you feel that way...

[Spoken]
"You know, it's like, the most greatest feeling you could ever feel, you like just total elation. You know, sunny day... just got paid...[laughing]...you know, it's just like you know just the most joyous feeling you could ever comprehend. You know, chilling with your family. You know just you know just really, really feeling, feeling the moment, with the folks. You know really, really, really just chilling.
It's love..."

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Also, if you ever glance at my song lists at the top or in the particularly unlikely event that you've visited my last.fm page (providing all the tracks played in iTunes or the LastFM player), you might have noticed that I have a current obsession with Man Man's album Six Demon Bag, which is utterly fantastic, much more difficult to describe, and difficult for me to differentiate into favorite songs, though if you were going to look for samples to judge for yourself, I would recommend "Feathers," "Van Helsing Boombox," "Spider Cider," or "Ice Dogs." For any more detail, I reference myself:

Man Man were next & I do not even know where to begin. The beginning: 5 gentlemen in tight white outfits (picture: bike shorts, 80s-style basketball shorts, size-too-small polo shirts), sporting creative facial hair (beard down to chest, Fu Manchu moustache + mullet) take positions, launch immediately into cacophony from which emerge polyrhythms, melody. Drummer tosses sticks in the air, jumps in the air, does tricks with his arms; beardman switches from bass to xylophone to drumsticks-on-10-gallon-pot while singing falsetto; moustache + mullet sings & keyboards & hits a drum from time to time. Whistles & saxophones & trumpets & birthday blowy things emerge and go away; likewise tambourines & unidentifiable instruments. More melody, more polyrhythms, more circus antics, utterly infectious & spectacular. Impossible not to like. Ok, back to sentence format: I will go see Man Man whenever I next have the opportunity; they were amazing.

The album experience is slightly different but comparable.

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Finally, I really like "Don't Know Why" by Norah Jones. I'm sure everyone's heard that one by now, whether you realize it or not.