[PLAY THE PLAYLIST] Nothin But Fuckin Love Songs Vol. 2

People get so fuckin weird about Valentine’s Day.

It is such a wild thing to observe.

Personally….I love Valentine’s Day. I’ve always liked that there’s a day where we go out of our way to share our love with each other and allegedly it’s not weird to be as extra as you wanna be.

I say allegedly because like… well what the fuck is this Galentines/Palentines day bullshit? Are we serious? You’re really that worried someone is gonna misinterpret your intentions? Or is this a solidarity thing for people who aren’t yet legally bound to someone? What is that?

Either way, you’re fuckin with the vibe when you throw around this unnecessary bullshit. Grow the fuck up. It’s Valentine’s Day and there is more than enough love to go around today, okay?

Also, I’ve been partner-less for most of them, too, so don’t start coming at me with some bullshit like, “Well over here it’s been Single’s Awareness Day basically forever, Kibbe”.

And trust me fam, I get it. It’s so easy to forget that we were taught out of loving each other freely and fearlessly. Remember when your age was still in single digits? That night before your school observed Valentines Day you got that box of corny ass mass produced ✨meaningful messages✨ and you went one by one through all of them assigning little love notes to everyone in class. Friends got the fun ones, crushes got the ones that seemed a bit more direct, and anyone else got whatever was left. Next day in class everyone distributed their Valentines and there would be this fun chatter about the messages or which cartoon franchise you went with for your Valentines. We never thought fuckin twice about giving everyone a Valentine back then. At least that’s how I remember that shit, along with handing out Care Bear ones at some point.

ANYWAY

We know I’m a song hoarder and that I like being able to identify a song for every occasion if possible, especially because a lot of times songs articulate a feeling or thought I’ve been sitting with better than I had been able to land on. With love songs though, it’s so interesting. Like I said, not a ton of relationships over my way, yet when prompted I can always send at least 20 in your direction at all times. I wouldn’t necessarily say love songs feel as carelessly mass produced as my Care Bear Valentines from 1st grade, but there are definitely more love songs than there are people at this point.

Either way I can tell that I’ve grown a lot as person since the last time that I compiled love songs for Valentine’s Day because as I was putting together this round of songs that I thought about how silly it is that I am able do this so easily. I started asking myself questions like: Am I really just cataloging vibes so I can provide more thoughtful recommendations than The Algorithm™ ever could? Am I trying to study love so I ✨do it right✨ if it ever shows up? Even scarier, am I studying these to see if I’ve been doing something wrong? Do I want someone to send these songs to me? Do I think all of these songs encompass just one person?

I think that last question is really fascinating given how weird people are about Valentine’s Day. We often think that one single person is going to arrive in our lives and that will mean that everything is better or easier because we have found someone we enjoy being with so much that we’d draw up some paperwork so we can collectively own assets or make important medical decisions for each other. But in the real world that’s not how it works. Most people don’t get married and evaporate from their former lives, never speaking to their friends or family ever again. If anything the result is two communities, not just two people, become one. And when shit hits the fan, I mean yeah you have someone RIGHT THERE at your side immediately to look out for you, but the way that person shows up for you is the result of the way their community shaped them, for better or for worse (see what I did there?).

To be clear, finding ✨your person✨ is WONDERFUL. I’m not tryna discount that at all. But it’s not some cure all that a lot of people seem to think it is. I don’t think you’re “fixed” or something because you find your person, mostly because I don’t think anyone is “broken” to begin with. If anything this person is just someone you agree to get really fucking vulnerable with, which ideally you’re already practicing varying levels of vulnerability with select members of your community prior to identifying this person. A person who is so special that you throw a very fancy party to celebrate. Even that, weddings would be fuckin trash without your friends and family there, so why do we choose to spend this particular day treating love like it’s something incredibly exclusive? I will spare you a wall of text about the capitalism bit here and just say IT’S SO LAME THAT THIS EXISTS AND I HATE IT VERY MUCH.

This all to say…. Happy Valentine’s Day.

Not Single’s Awareness Day. Not Palentine’s Day. Not Galentine’s Day.

Fuckin Valentine’s Day.

I love you. 💖

diSKOAver weekly: Week of August 19, 2020

Blawging with more intention is tricky when life starts to speed back up to almost pre-covid time, babykids! It’s as if NYC has finally gotten its rhythm back, but like with the covid remix if that makes sense? Oh speaking of rhythm, thanks for bearing with me whilst I find my algorhythm over here. Feeling good about where my head is at, especially with the timing of these coming into my life.

At any rate, here are the 16 ways I love you most this week:

1. Victoria Monet - ”Experience (feat. Khalid & SG Lewis)”

   I forget who made a big stink on Twitter about how this track didn’t have enough lovin’ on it, which even now whoever it was they’re still fucking right. Y’all really gonna sleep on a track that feels like a sunrise sparkling over the fucking ocean? SMH. Anyway it kept Victoria Monét’s latest drop, JAGUAR, on my radar long enough to love on that the second it hit. It’s a really cool record. Sexy as helllllll, too.

2. DJ ST THOMAS- “Fodder”

   Pretty sure The Algorithm™ delievered DJ ST THOMAS to me because dude nailed the shit out of a vibey ass Blood Cultures remix for “Best For You”. Been bumpin’ his debut LP MATRIMONY ever since. Def would debate some nuptials with this record for sure.

3. Brijean - “Moody”

   ICYMI - Brijean is a lil collab featuring folks from Poolside and Toro Y Moi, which is how you know it’s equally chill as fuck but also gorgeous. Last year they dropped their debut LP and have been stringing along some tracks ever since.

4. Le-Nasty - “Sunshine”

   This one is funny because even if you put a gun to my head I still couldn’t fucking tell you how I ended up saving an Instagram post to check Manchester’s Le-Nasty out, but the lyrics are kinda where I’m at with all this personal growth I’ve been hard at work in quarantine (ex: “and now I can finally breathe / finally found some kind of peace / sure hope it’s stayin’”). If/when you get there, this one’s for you for sure.

5. Christinna O - “Hot Head”

   This Philly phenom got away from me for a bit after falling hard for her track from last year, “Lay It Down” that I played the shit out of. Fortunately I happened to catch wind of her latest track and then got to spend some quality time with her debut LP, Girl In Passing. Apparently this track is about her struggles with living with bipolar disorder. Always gonna appreciate being granted the opportunity to learn more from experiences I will never have. 🙏🏻💖

6. Race Banyon - “We Need It”

   According to the data y’all don’t love Race Banyon enough and I am NOT PLEASED about this. This is the first of a string of tracks that he’s dropped so far this year, following up an EP he dropped last year. The New Zealand producer has toured with the likes of Jamie XX, Kaytranada, Modeselektor, and RL Grime if you need a reference point before diving in.

7. Cassian - “The Rise”

   Okay okay okay but I am OBSESSED with Cassian now!!!!!! Like this might turn into a Cassian fan blog that’s how fuckin’ real I am about this dude. There isn’t a bad time to put on his debut album, Laps. There just fucking isn’t. You wanna dance late at night? You wanna journal first thing in the morning? Anything in between that you wanna dream up? Knock yourself out sweet thang. This record always keeps me connected in whatever moment I'm in, so if you need that…bump ittttt.

8. LA Priest - “What Moves (Soulwax Remix)”

   I always thought Soulwax had a signature sound, but I didn't realize how right I was until this hit my ears courtesy of The Algorithm™. It was a fun few seconds of my brain putting together without looking at what it was that this was a Soulwax remix of my favorite LA Priest song from his latest.

9. BLACKPINK - “How You Like That”

   Spent some time the other night getting really immersed in Chromatica because I've been reaching for it a lot more lately and realized I wasn't well acquainted with BLACKPINK, who guest on “Sour Candy”. Love what I've heard so far. Can't wait till all their stuff is committed to memory.

10. O Mer - “Birds”

    Can’t stop calling for O Mer. Love that I can pick his voice out from anywhere now. He's got 3 new tracks (including this one) for you to savor. Note to self: need spend more time with Everything Is Everyone’s Fault.

11. Kacy Hill- “Unkind”

    I think it was Jim-E Stack that called out Kacy Hill to me. To say that I was not prepared for her new record, Is It Selfish If We Talk About Me Again…..Holy. Fucking. Lorde. I'm not saying this to pin women up against each other, but y'all can have Phoebe Bridgers and Taylor Swift all you fucking want. I will take Kacy Hill over either any day of the fucking week. She speaks to/for me, you feel me? I would've pulled “Everybody's Mother” for this because goddamn that one really knocked the wind outta me but her sweet angel baby voice really shines in the chorus on this one

12. kwassa - “sucker”

    Well now we’ve got two sucker songs for 2020. Don’t mind me I’m just sitting over here amused that with Akurei’s “SUCKER” his track is a softer, more chill vibe, while kwassa’s “sucker” is the bolder more vibey laid back pop vocal + vibe. These baby bands keepin’ us on our toes over here! Lesson learned: never assume you know what you’re getting into when looking at a track’s info at face value. But yeah, this is one of those soaring pop numbers for sure. It’ll def have your feet off the ground like the single artwork. Kinda obsessed with everything about that shot tbh. Also - do I know of any other songs written in response to someone’s car getting broken into? Hm. Imma have to think about that 🤔

13. Memphis LK - “Green Light”

    Actual true story: I stumbled into this song while looking for stickers that said “This Synth Kills Fascists”. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Yeah I know. Ended up in a completely different part of the internet than where I started and was completely taken by this song. Love/hate how much this makes me miss being out. Memphis sounds like someone I'd get along with a little too well all the way down to her reformed running around dizzy on vodka days. Really living for the lyric, “If you miss me you know I'm doing well.” I def identify with that.

14. Ginger Snaps - “Attention Seeker”

    Should you need the reminder that, “not everything that glitters is better”, the homey (government name: Jay Brooks) has got you covered. As the story goes for this track, Jay stuck a post-it to his mirror that said, “maximum honesty”, and that became the theme of the single. Appreciate how he’s reminding us here to not assume shit is better just because ✨IT’S NEW✨ or because they’re good at The ‘Gram. With MFs like Daniel Ek saying artists need to be constantly cranking out tunes in order to stay relevant, it’s important to remember that quality > quantity, and this definitely ranks on the quality side of the spectrum. Jay has wrapped on his debut album and will be releasing more soon enough.

15. Telquist - “Trash Talk”

    Love how many chances Kitsuné Musique is willing to take with baby bands. You always know you’re gonna catch a nice vibe from the bands they pick. Their move to release, “Taste” got me in the door and I found my way into this jam while sniffing around. And now I can say I like German indie pop! 🥰

16. Meet Me @ The Altar - “May The Odds Be In Your Favor”

    Haven’t had a hankering for pop punk in a minute, but when BATHS was loving on this track I went alllllll the way the fuck in. This three-piece is so modern day pop-punk that none of them even live in the same fuckin state. They’re spread out across Florida, Georgia, and New Jersey and collab over the internet when they’re not on tour. Into ittttt.

[Listen] Kendrick Lamar - "Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe" Feat. Lady Gaga

I never got the whole Lady Gaga obsession but that being said after living with my girlfriend for two years and having her listening on the regular I *kind of* do understand it all a little better. Sue me. I was also a little confused when Kendrick Lamar released his album good kid, m.A.A.d. city and she didn't feature considering those two seemed to be the best of friends at one point last year. According to Complex the reason she didn't feature was she didn't get the vocal to Kendrick in time and in turn she's now taken to the internet to leak what it might have sounded like had she made the deadline. Surprisingly for those who aren't the biggest of Gaga fans her vocal on "Bitch Don't Kill My Vibe" fits pretty well. It's not the weird warped vocal on the album but it does work. At least the girlfriend now knows why I've spent the past month walking around singing "Bitch don't kill my vibe" in a weird ass voice. Check out the reboot below.

[News] Lady Gaga Appearing on Kendrick Lamar's Debut LP

This week's "What the fuck?" moment comes courtesy of Lady Gaga and Kendrick Lamar, who have collaborated on a new track titled "PARTYNAUSEOUS". What started as a rumored collaboration between Gaga, Lamar, and Eminem is now confirmed to be sans Marshall Mathers, according to a tweet from his manager Paul Rosenberg. Either way, the Lamar and Gaga collab is official (as the grainy in-studio picture above proves), and the song is set to appear on Lamar's debut major label LP good kid, m.A.A.d city. Lady Gaga recently took to Twitter to show her excitement:

I am so excited to announce that a record I’ve been working on has now become a collaboration with @kendricklamar for HIS ALBUM."

We'll see what the finished product sounds like when the song is released on September 6th. good kid, m.A.A.d city is out on October 2nd via Aftermath Entertainment/Interscope Records.

[Contest] [US-Only] Tony Bennett Duets II: The Great Performances DVD Giveaway!

Today the companion video collection to Tony Bennett's 2011 release Duets II: The Great Perfromances is available on DVD and Blu-Ray.The disc features behind the scenes footage throughout the duration of the album making process in addition to beautifully filmed full-length performances of Bennett with all of the great artists featured on the Duets II album, including: Amy Winehouse. Aretha Franklin, Lady Gaga, John Mayer, k.d. lang, Norah Jones, Josh Groban, Faith Hill, Natalie Cole, and many more. If you paid close attention during the Grammys this year, Duets II took home all three that it was nominated for that night, so this isn't an album to pass up.

We have one DVD copy of this collection for one lucky reader. To enter, drop us a comment below with your favorite song from Duets II. Have your comments in no later than Friday, March 9th at noon EST to be considered. One lucky winner will be selected at random and notified accordingly.

To give you an idea of what you can expect, here's Tony Bennett and Amy Winehouse (RIP) performing "Body And Soul"

Make sure if you haven't picked up Duets II already that you do so. Incredible performances.

[Recap] The 54th Annual Grammy Awards: Pleasantly Boring

Credit: Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles TimesLast night we witnessed a very safe ceremony for the 54th Annual Grammy Awards. The fact that I'm not as outraged about the performances and the results as I normally am has had me stewing on this all night and all morning. I'm always the one in my circle that cheers on The Recording Academy to make better decisions so they can be both relevant while not getting too caught up in The Long Tail looking for the year's very best, so why can't I feel better about last night's ceremony?  I want to say they're finally coming around, but why did the whole ordeal make me feel so "meh" afterwards?

The only two real "shockers" of the night in terms of awards were Skrillex and Bon Iver. Yes, Skrillex took home three awards for Best Dance/Electronic Album, Best Dance Recording and Best Remix during the pre-show so haters can put a Grammy in it for now. At least he didn't win Best New Artist so the rest of the world could start cracking Bonny Bear jokes after Bon Iver's second win of the night (the other was Best Alternative Music Album). Also, "Thanks for the sweet hookup", Justin Vernon? Really? Glad we know you didn't come with a prepared speech. Oh, and I don't understand how Bon Iver is a "New Artist" either. Supposedly if they've never won a Grammy before then technically they're still "new"? Okay....

The big winners of the night were Adele with six awards and Foo Fighters with five. Both also killed it during their perfromances. Anyone who wants to question how Adele managed to snatch up so many awards just needs to watch her as she destroyed "Rolling In The Deep" for the zillionth time. As for Foos, they rocked "Walk" most excellently. I could have done without the deadmau5 live remix thing they failed to pull off though. Probably one of my favorite quotes from the night was from Davie Grohl after Foos won Best Rock Album:

"To me this award means a lot because it shows that the human element of making music is what's most important. Singing into a microphone and learning to play an instrument and learning your craft , that's the most important thing for people to do. It's not about being perfect, it's not about sounding absolutely correct, it's not about what goes on in a computer. It's about what goes on in here *points to heart* and it's about what goes on in here *points to head*".

Most of the other performances were pretty solid, minus maybe whatever the heck Nicki Minaj was trying to prove to everyone during her new single, "Roman Holiday". I think someone may be butthurt that she can't come off as cracked out as Lady Gaga. Either way, I wasn't a fan before last night and she certainly did not win me over after the short film and all the "Look at me! I'm so crazy!" The Beach Boys gave me "Good Vibrations". Paul McCartney gave The Recording Academy some Kisses On The Bottom so he got to perform twice, only to find out that America's youth doesn't know who the heck he is (yes, seriously). Jennifer Hudson's tribute to Whitney Houston made me hate her less for being in all those Weight Watchers commericals in addition to it finally sinking in that Whitney is really gone.

Also, can we talk for a second about Chris Brown? I can try to get over (and fail miserably) that even though he beat the snot out of Rihanna that he still got to perform and that he also won a Grammy last night. What I can't get over, is the outcry from #TeamBreezy that stupidly announced that they would let Brown "beat on them anytime". SERIOUSLY? Is this what we've become, the internet? Face. Palm.

At any rate, The Recording Academy must have done something right, considering last night's show ranked at #2 in all-time ratings with 39 million viewers. What did you think of last night's show?

In case you missed out, The Audio Perv has all the performances for you to check out. You can also check out a full listing of last night's winners over on The Grammy's website.

[News] 54th Annual Grammy Nomminations Announced

It's that time of year again where we all bicker and complain about how the Grammys are no longer relevant and that the music industry continues to be nothing but a big fat failure. That's right, kiddies: the 54th Annual Grammy nominations are in and the band bashing is already in full swing.

Leading the nominations this time around are Adele (shocker), Kanye West, Bruno Mars, Foo Fighters, Rihanna and Lady Gaga. The Electronica and Dance categories were relatively well represented with nods for Cut/Copy, David Guetta, Robyn, Duck Sauce, Deadmau5, Skrillex, and Swedish House Mafia.

Skrillex and Bon Iver were included in the noms for Best New Artist along with The Band Perry, J. Cole and Nicki Minaj, which seemed to rattle the internet quite a bit. It's a little random that Bon Iver is in this category considering they released their first album in 2008, but we will be happy for them all the same. Skrillex seems to come out of left field in this category, but I guess if Ryan Seacrest is excited for Skrillex then we really shouldn't be all that shocked. Kudos to him for getting electronica/dance music into more categories other than their own, though. Bon Iver also received a nomination for Record of the Year with "Helocene" alongside Mumford & Sons, Katy Perry, Adele, and Bruno Mars.

Butch Vig, Danger Mouse, The Lonely Island, The Black Keys, Foster The People, Radiohead, The Decemberists, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Kings of Leon, Wilco and many more were among the nominees tonight. Make sure you have a onceover on this years list of nominees and get ready to fire your tweets off with us on February 12, 2012 during the awards ceremony.

[Listen] Two More Lady Gaga Remixes from The Horrors and Foster the People

We've already got to hear two remixes from the Lady Gaga Remix album. One from Wild Beasts who took on her track "Yoü And I" and one from The Weeknd and Illangelo who took on her new single, "Marry The Night". First up from the remix pile comes from The Horrors who have stylishly turned "Bloody Mary" into a dark and haunting number whilst Foster the People have taken a rather different approach to the task. Basically turning "The Edge of Glory" into a dancefloor filler with more energy than most toddlers after their first ever blue smartie (before they went all E number friendly!). Check out both new remixes below and look out for Born This Way: The Remix when it's released on November 21st in the UK and a day later on the 22nd in the US.

Lady Gaga - "Bloody Mary" (The Horrors Remix)

Lady Gaga - "The Edge of Glory" (Foster the People Remix)