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ARTS & CULTURE
KANSAN.COM | THURSDAY, OCT. 8, 2015
FEATHER (CONTRIBUTED PHOTO)
CHILDISH GAMBINO (CONTRIBUTED PHOTO)
LOWKEY LISTENS
Every month, Lowkey Listens showcases five tracks to listen to from five different artists. For October, read about and listen to Father, Ebony Tucks, Childish Gambino and more.
CHRISTIAN HARDY
@ByHardy
Father - Please Stop Making Fake Versace
This Atlanta rapper/producer and Awful Records frontman released this bass-heavy track back in May as a shot at anyone who wears fake designer. It's part of his "Papicodone" EP, which has since been completed.
At times, Father's monotone, unenthusiastic voice can make the track boring or skippable, but once the bass hits, it's mesmerizing. Father is making a place for himself in the 2015 rap scene, which is all about the turn up. He's coming to Lawrence with Vic Mensa at the Lied Center on Thursday.
Best line: "Please stop makin' fake Versace / Please stop coppin' fake Versace / Please stop rockin' fake Versace / Please stop makin' fake Versace"
Tommy Gold - Bliss
**Best line:** "It's me, myself and I, so I'll never be alone / Trouble on my mind, and I doubt that ever leave / And there's shit up in my heart that I can't put up on my sleeve"
Bowdown Got a Lot of Clothes They Imported (feat. Toni)
I'm not entirely sure how I stumbled across this track; it only has 2,000 views on Soundcloud and was released back in the summer. That said, I'm glad I did.
Gold destroys this lethargic beat which relies on a single, ultra-catch loop with thought-provoking lines. This masterpiece is a part of his 11-track mixtape, which he released on Soundcloud five months ago. A lot of his tracks have an Earl Sweatshirt vibe, though Gold relies on stronger drums and oftentimes has less emotional lyrics than Sweatshirt, though Gold's lyrics are no slouch.
Bowdown remixes Toni's "the forest" beautifully to give it a bit of an eerie feel through the verses, but much more excitement in the chorus. Toni's braggadocios lines match up perfectly with the in-your-face production from Bowdown, a 13-year-old who's still in middle school.
This track was originally produced by Jakob Green, the Flexington front man, as only the third original track posted on Toni's Soundcloud account. The remix, as well as the original version, certainly have left me excited for more from Toni. As for Bowdown, this is his first remix, but he's working with Flexington on more tracks that should be released in the near future.
Best line: "According to the fans, I ain't boring / Lyin' in the forest and I'm roarin' / I ain't lyin' to you people / I was born in the forest"
Ebony Tusks feat. Kid Benz - COMETH
I heard this song when Ebony Tusks opened up for Vince Staples at Liberty Hall last week. The group, led by Lawrence musician Marty Hillard, released the track three years ago, but the energy in concert made it feel as if it was their newest content — it was quite the performance.
**Best line:** "It seldom matters what you've got to prove / Let the trigger finger point the pack / and you are not to choose"
Childish Gambino — So Into You (Cover)
This track, produced by Tom Richman, was easily the most catchy and exciting song that came out of scrolling through the group's Soundcloud, just as it was in concert.
The view count on this Soundcloud link is a bit misleading; the original YouTube video from Triple J — an Australian radio station — has over 600,000 views in a week. It's a beautiful showcase of Gambino's vocals, which has really come full circle since his release of "Camp" in 2011
Gambino really is a mastermind; and he's shocked us again by remixing a classic R&B track by Tamia. Gambino has stayed very underground and more into the movie scene than the music scene since dropping his mixtape-album "STN MTN/Kauai."
— he hit some seriously high notes in this one, and the live instrumentation behind it is extremely smooth. It's a must-listen piece, and an easy one at that.
Best line: "I really like what you've done to me / I can't really explain it, I'm so into you"
Cousin Stiffz -- The Wave
This is the first time I've heard Boston rapper Cousin Stizz, but the way the first minute of this track plays out, it made me want to seek out more.
I stumbled upon his "Suffolk County" mixtape, which is very solid and gave him some momentum on this track. Stizz's flow on this track is the most impressive, as well as his effortless wordplay, but the spacious, slow beat produced by Tee-Watt and M. Ali is what allows him to do that. Stizz has proven to be consistent in his quality, and he's got nowhere to go but up.
Best line: "I'm the best at what I do"
David Cook, winner of "Idol" will perform at the Lied Center
KATE MILLER
@_Kate_Miller_
David Cook will come to the Lied Center in Lawrence on Oct.17.
Despite his Missouri roots, musician David Cook says he holds no ill will toward Lawrence and Kansas.
Originally from Blue Springs Mo., Cook has visited Lawrence several times before.
"When the Lawrence, Kansas, [option] came up, I was all for it," he said. "I was in a band in Kansas City, and we played Abe and Jake's. We love that downtown area of Lawrence."
If he did harbor any animosity, he'd have to put it aside soon. Cook, the rocker who won "American Idol" in 2008, will bring his "Digital Vein" tour to the heart of the Free State at the University's Lied Center on Oct.17.
Cook exploded onto the music scene after he won the seventh season of "American Idol." After his win, he made chart history by securing 11 debut entries by a male solo artist on the Billboard Top 100 Chart. His debut album after his win, "David Cook," went platinum the same year.
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
However, Cook started a new path in his career as he
"This record was my intention to have fun making new music again," he said. "The last record was a huge undertaking, and I put a lot of pressure on myself. On top of that, I was also dealing with the loss of my brother at the time, and I just didn't enjoy that whole record process as much as I should have."
self-produced a record for the first time. He said his desire to be more creative with his work led to the decision.
"When I started writing, I wasn't sure if I was going to finish," Cook said. "If I didn't enjoy it, I'll figure something else out. Maybe that would be the end of me as a musician."
Despite his excitement to start self-producing, the transition wasn't as easy as he'd hoped.
Luckily, Cook said he found inspiration to continue writing. He reflected on the seven years of his career when writing his new record, "Digital Vein" (also the title of his tour). His first album was called "Analog Heart," and he said he likes to think of the two albums as bookends to one another — showing how much he's grown as an artist.
"Making an album that had my fingerprints all over it was really appealing. With this record, I have to write all the songs and kind of step away from them," he said. "I like
Crucial to this is his ability to use his own creativity in crafting an album he is proud of, in contrast to presenting songs to a producer and hoping they'll go the direction he wants.
For his first go at self-producing, though, Cook seems to have found what he was missing before — the love for the process.
to be connected to them. The songs I like to put on records are the songs I feel connections to. But I have to be objective, which is a bit of a new experience for me."
"This record has a vibrancy and energy to it that only comes from enjoying the process," he said. "I think I've learned to trust the process and trust that it's going to be what it's going to be."
Although he's in town for a business trip. Cook admitted he might have to have a little fun while in the area.
"It certainly doesn't hurt that the Royals are in the playoffs,
— Edited by Amber Vandegrift
and if they make to the ALCS, we'll be in Kansas City before our show, and this is a day off for me," he said. "All these things are kind of falling into place."