Comfort MUSIC

To anyone that has kept in touch with me over the last few months they probably know that I'm unemployed. Initially by choice, but now more so because the world economy doesn't know it's ass from its elbow. In these trying times I'm pretty well-rested from sleeping for 9+ hours each night, I've lost all the weight I gained from eating free $15 lunches for 10 straight months, and I'm almost done with my AFI 100 Challenge. I think most people tend to eat when they're a little depressed or seek solace, hence the term "comfort food." I even have a few of my own (McDonald's Double Cheesburgers...they're only $1 for god's sake!). Instead, I actually tend to have comfort music. Songs or albums or artists that express my mood or shake me out of a funk that I can always go to when I don't feel like digesting something new or different. You could call these Go-To Tunes or something to that same effect.

The songs range depending on my mood (of course) but recently I've they've been in the neighborhood of Wilco ("Kamera" is a fav on an album of favs), The National, Bloc Party, Radiohead, The Decemberists, or even Coldplay ("Kingdom Come -> Ring of Fire") to name a few. Sometimes only a female's voice will suffice: Neko Case, Jenny Lewis, Feist, etc. But recently I've been craving Hip-Hop. Just some tunes to blare out of the car with the windows down with pounding bass (thankfully, I live in Los Angeles = 70-80 degrees in November = windows down). The newest duo to take the mantel are The Cool Kids ("What It Is"). For me, listening to a thumping bassline rebels against my current predicament, but at the same time, soothes my anger and let's me know it isn't that serious. If you don't know The Cool Kids you've probably heard one of their songs in a commercial or maybe not. But what I do know is their Bake Sale EP is really really good. With two MCs there is a great deal of alternating verses which gives the duo flexibility and adds to the creativity. Their beats are fresh yet retro. That may seem like an oxymoron but the actual sounds they use aren't technologically advanced, but the way they layer snares, vocals, and bass makes each track sound fresh with an air of familiarity. Essentially, they manage to infuse their production with early-90's nostalgia. I even saw and met them at Coachella this past spring. Unfortunately, they were one of the first groups on in the day and had maybe a few hundred people watching them. They totally deserved a night spot in a tent. Either way, when their official debut LP drops they will be huge. Just wait.