The Year in News 2012
In 2012, Pitchfork News was busier than ever before. We increased our staff and our hours to bring you a record number of posts about all your favorite (and, yes, least favorite) artists' albums, tours, songs, mixtapes, videos, beefs, collaborations, run-ins with the law, and more. But keeping up with the neverending torrent of music news leaves little time for reflection. So, with the year winding down, we're taking a step back to highlight some of the most important artists and themes of 2012.
Below, you'll find a list of some of the artists we consider the most newsworthy of the year. On the following pages, we've gathered thoughts on some topics that we believe helped define 2012 (Pussy Riot, the debates over money and music, advertising controversies, gender and sexuality, Hurricane Sandy, drill music, seapunk, holograms, and more), as well as lists of the best TV moments, the best quotes from our Echo Chamber section, some of our favorite Instagram accounts, bands that broke up, bands that reunited, beefs of the year, and musicians that we lost in 2012.
Thanks for reading, and stay tuned to Pitchfork News for much, much more in 2013.
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Newsworthy Artists of the Year
Photo by Erez Avissar
2012 was the year Frank Ocean became so much more than "Odd Future's in-house R&B crooner." And the release of a modern classic, channel ORANGE, was only part of it.
On July 4, Ocean opened up about his sexuality, posting a beautifully-written statement on his Tumblr revealing that he fell in love with a man at age 19. "By the time I realized I was in love, it was malignant. It was hopeless." he wrote. "There was no escaping, no negotiating with the feeling, no choice. It was my first love. It changed my life."
Ocean later told GQ, "The night I posted it, I cried like a fucking baby. It was like all the frequency just clicked to a change in my head. All the receptors were now receiving a different signal, and I was happy. I hadn't been happy in so long."
A week later, Ocean surprise rush-released channel ORANGE digitally, streaming it on his Tumblr and putting it up for sale on iTunes, a week ahead of its physical release date. In an instance of new and old media colliding, the release happened the same night Ocean debuted "Bad Religion" with a spellbinding rendition on "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon", backed by the Roots. In light of the July 4 Tumblr post, the chorus of "I can never make him love me" took on new meaning.
Although Ocean's revelation was mostly embraced with warmth, not everyone was so positive. On a remix of Future's "Turn Out the Lights", Lil Wayne rapped the line "No Frank Ocean, I'm straight". Stevie Wonder said Ocean might be "confused" about his sexuality, but then backpedaled with a "love is love" statement. But they were few and far between.
Frank Ocean is up for six Grammys, a concrete reminder that 2012 was his year. Although he might write a novel instead of a record next, this hopefully marks only the beginning for one of the most exciting new artists of the Tumblr era. -- Jenn Pelly
Photo by Samantha Marble
"He come to me with money in his hand. He offered me-- I didn't ask him. I wasn't knocking someone's door down; I was running from that... I had it all, and I looked at it, and I said, this is a bigger jail than the one I just got out of... The game is mine. I deal the cards."
So beganDeath Grips' 2011 debut, Exmilitary, with a sampled Charles Manson interview. Could anyone have guessed then that these lines would predict the utter chaos of Death Grips' 2012?
In February, the Sacramento punk-rap duo of Stefan "MC Ride" Burnett and drummer/producer Zach Hill topped the list of most unlikely major label signees of the year-- a curious move for artists who from the start appeared uninterested in working within anyone else's confines. In April, Epic released The Money Store, which would become their critical breakout.
But throughout the year, there were signs foreshadowing Death Grips' disinterest in conventional music business practice. Like the massive tour they booked for May and June, only to cancel all tour dates and go off the grid to make their next album. Or the forward-thinking but peculiar cover art for The Money Store, depicting "an androgynous masochist on the leash of a feminist sadist who's smoking." They named a track after their Twitter handle and subsequently deleted their Twitter, all within a span of two months.
On October 1, during a full moon, Death Grips leaked their second album of 2012, NO LOVE DEEP WEB, before sharing it with Epic. Its cover pictured an erect penis. Their website was subsequently shut down; the band claimed the label did it ("BASIC AS FUCK"), Epic denied it. The plot thickened on Halloween when Death Grips posted to their Facebook page private, internal infringement emails from Epic staffers, hoping to prove the NO LOVE leak was not a self-orchestrated marketing stunt, and to "purposefully" dissolve their label contract. On November 1, in a move that should have surprised no one, Epic dropped the band.
The sheer number of unexpected actions the band made this year could be dizzying, and that's before even really getting inside their heads. Death Grips have let the major label system show its newfound adventurousness while simultaneously highlighting its ingrained limitations. While Death Grips' future remains uncertain, 2012 belonged to them on many counts. NO LOVE's closing track finds Burnett barking an all-too-perfect bookend: "WATCHING ME/ WATCHING ME/ WATCH THEM WATCH ME." Attention's fixed. -- Jenn Pelly
Photo by Erez Avissar
Claire Boucher's breakthrough was only partially due to Visions, an album that's complex, ambitious, sugary, and strange. The buzz surrounding Grimes had as much to do with the visual aesthetic that Boucher has cultivated as her music. Perhaps the best example: The awesomely over-the-top video for "Genesis", which features rapper Brooke Candy dancing in a metallic one-piece, swords, a hat with the word "PUSSY" on it, a python, fireworks, and so much more. Her visuals also transferred to her stage show, which featured winged back-up dancers, lights and smoke machines, and, at the Polaris Prize ceremony, a male pole dancer. She also had her own art show and launched a jewelry line with a series of "pussy rings". Along the way, Boucher became beloved by the fashion world.
Grimes also gained admirers from the hip-hop realm (A$AP Rocky and AraabMuzik crashed one of her shows and Dominic Lord sampled her) and the EDM crew (she got invited on a cross-Canada train tour with Skrillex and Diplo). And oh yeah, remember that weird ass video she made with Kreayshawn?
Ideally, Boucher would be enjoying her much-deserved victory lap right now, but she's currently struggling with health issues relating to her hearing. Hopefully she'll be back in action with more music and insane visuals soon. -- Evan Minsker
Photo by Will Deitz
I have been waiting a very long time to reflect on Fiona Apple's "comeback" year. Fiona may have a hard time wrapping her head around "this whole Google thing," but I personally have had a Google Alert for "Fiona Apple New Album" set up since the spring of 2008.
Fiona's fourth record, The Idler Wheel, was a landmark album of her career and of all 2012. Our first clue of its existence came in November 2011, when, onstage at L.A.'s Largo, Apple said, "I can't remember any of my new songs because they've been done for a fucking year." You couldn't help but wonder if another "Free Fiona" campaign was imminent, since it had been six years since 2005's Extraordinary Machine.
In February, Fiona began confirming SXSW appearances (including one at Pitchfork's showcase), and announced a small U.S. tour, her first in years. By March, she'd revealed the 23-word poem that would title her new record: The Idler Wheel is wiser than the Driver of the Screw, and Whipping Chords will serve you more than Ropes will ever do. The new songs pointed to a new chapter of Fiona's career, honing her individualist spirit but amping its intensity on all fronts. Her comeback felt so vital in large part for its astounding jolt to the web-dulled-senses, even for those of us following along on Twitter.
In September, Apple's triumphant return hit a bit of a snag when she was jailed after an arrest at the Texas border for possession of hash. As she continued touring, she spoke out against the authorities she faced in jail, and hit back at bloggers and tabloids that had been criticizing her appearance: "Don't call me frail," she said, "I'll beat the hell out of you." Still, even as she begged her critics to stop harping on her appearance, she expressed empathy towards her detractors. "I know that that's not what you are," she said. "It can't be."
That empathy, so essential to her songwriting, shone through in two handwritten letters she penned that surfaced this year. One she wrote to a gay 16-year-old fan in 2000, in support of his school's Gay-Straight Alliance: "I suppose I'm lucky, because I see the truth so clearly," she wrote, "How can you go wrong with two people in love?" The other explained that she needed to cancel tour dates to be with her dying dog: "Animals have a survival instinct, but a sense of mortality and vanity, they do not. That's why they are so much more present than people." In 2012, through her music, her words, and her life, Fiona continued to slice through the bullshit and communicate directly. -- Jenn Pelly
Photo by Erez Avissar
Earl Sweatshirt began 2012 a wild card, the mysterious member of Odd Future who had been exiled to Samoa. But the minute he got back, he was immediately launched into the spotlight-- swarmed by fans in public, thrown on stage for the first time ever, hit up by the stars, etc. Meanwhile, his friends were already well acquainted with that cycle. While he had been explaining his lengthy out-of-country absence to The New Yorker, the rest of the Odd Future crew were playing to enormous crowds and winning VMAs. Then one day, there he was with a Twitter account, a Tumblr, and a song, "Home", which confirmed his homecoming with the line, "And I'm back. Bye." With one 26-minute mixtape behind him, Earl was thrown into the same hype cycle as Tyler and Frank.
For a minute there, news began to pour out regarding Earl's every move. Sightings were reported on Twitter. It came out that he had recorded with Santigold. He did a verse on "Oldie", the* OF Tape Vol. 2* track that featured pretty much the entire crew. He rapped in Terry Richardson's studio. He gave a monosyllabic interview to Hot 97's Peter Rosenberg. In March, he made his live debut with Odd Future in New York City, doing "Orange Juice", "Yonkers", "Assmilk", and "Kill". The whole crew beamed and hugged. "We waited so long for that shit," Tyler said. "You have no idea how awesome this is."
Now, he's going through the rap star motions. He Tweets regularly and has his own imprint on Sony called Tan Cressida. Over the year, he's dropped guest verses on Frank Ocean's Channel Orange, Domo Genesis' No Idols, MellowHype's Numbers, and Flying Lotus...ahem...Captain Murphy's Duality. He released a single, "Chum", which got a music video. For 2013, Earl's got a few projects on deck: EarlWolf (a collaborative project with Tyler), a collaborative release with the Internet's Matt Martians, and his solo LP, Doris. But can he maintain the level of interest that followed him when he was out of the picture, making "Free Earl" a rallying cry? -- Evan Minsker
Photo by Jenni Li
Sun wasn't just the first record of all new, original Cat Power material in six years, it was also Chan Marshall's first album to be released in a world dominated by social media. Marshall took to Twitter and Instagram to chronicle what was going on inside her head during the promotion of the album, opening up to fans in a direct way like never before. (She also opened up to Pitchfork's Amanda Petrusich in a revealing, intimate interview.) But even as the curtain was pulled back on this formerly mysterious artist, she remained a fascinating figure.
Cat Power's fall tour carried an arena rock vibe with smoke and flashy stage lights, as well as references to Occupy Wall Street. But by the end of October, Marshall cautioned that she'd possibly cancel her upcoming European tour due to bankruptcy and a struggle with angioedema. "I AM DOING THE BEST I CAN," she wrote on Instagram. "I REFUSE TO GIVE UP. THOUGH I MAY NEED TO RESTRATEGIZE FOR MY SECURITY & HEALTH."
In early November, she confirmed the European tour was on, only to announce several days later that it was indeed postponed until next year for health reasons. In another emotional Instagram note, she explained the frightening and dangerous stresses of her condition, noting she'd been hospitalized eight times since Sun's release. "To you all in the struggle. May light be on your path at every step," she wrote. -- Jenn Pelly and Amy Phillips
Photo by Erez Avissar
If you're in need of a reminder of exactly how long one year is, consider Lana Del Rey. Only 12 months ago, we were lodged in the middle of the media superstorm of her rise to fame, and we hadn't even heard Born to Die yet. We hadn't experienced her easy-to-parody robo-doll appearance on "Saturday Night Live", nor the ensuing brutality from the anonymous online echo chamber (or from the not-so-anonymous mouth of NBC's Brian Williams). A year ago, we hadn't yet witnessed her collaborations with Bobby Womack, Azealia Banks, or H&M, nor her delightfully bizarre re-enactment of the marriage of JFK and Jackie with A$AP Rocky. One year ago, we hadn't the faintest idea what Pepsi Cola really tastes like.
If anything, Lana Del Rey has shown onlookers that you can throw all of the speculation, skepticism, remixes, linkbait, thinkpieces, defenses and damnation in the world at an artist and still not ever be able to pin down what exactly she's about. Del Rey remains an equation that does not compute. Through all the din, Del Rey perhaps summed it up best herself in the long monologues the appear in the epic video for Born to Die deluxe edition cut "Ride": "I was always an unusual girl. My mother told me I had a chameleon soul, no moral compass pointing due North, no fixed personality. Just an inner indecisiveness that was as wide and as wavering as the ocean," she says sulkily. "I am fucking crazy. But I am free." -- Carrie Battan
Photo by Pete Macia
Even though Lil B released hundreds upon hundreds of songs across many mixtapes this year, he'll probably be remembered more for what he did outside of rap in 2012. He presented his stream-of-consciousness in the flesh at a lecture at NYU in April, telling a packed room of students and press to "look at [every single person you meet] like a golden million dollar baby" and "stop fracking… I'm like whodie, get that oil out the ocean!" He also hinted at a project that seemed, at the time, completely out of the question. "Look out for the Lil B rock record," he said. "California Boy." Lo and behold, he treated us to a Lil Wayne- Rebirth-style rock song and video, "California Boy" in September. (Aaaand a "classical" instrumental album called Choices and Flowers). Oh yeah, he also collaborated with his cat.
Lil B also made good on his promise to get involved with professional basketball, trying out for the D-League Santa Cruz Warriors. (We're sorry to report that he did not, in fact, make the team.) It's probably for the best, though, because it would have distracted from what'll likely be another very prolific, strange year in 2013.
Lil B works in tiny, glorious increments that feel both sustainable and significant. After his 2012, you almost get the sense that in the next couple of years he might actually achieve a status as a household name, a positive and peaceful presence lodged deep into our collective consciousness. -- Carrie Battan
Photo by Gary Miller
After nearly a dozen years of silence, D'Angelo emerged in January with a series of brilliant live performances on a European tour. There he was, as though he'd never been gone, cooing his falsetto on "Untitled", wailing "Chicken Grease", and doing a stunning cover of David Bowie's "Space Oddity". In the summer, he toured the U.S. with Mary J. Blige, covered rock classics with ?uestlove at Bonnaroo, and stopped by Jay-Z's Made in America Fest. He even delivered a show-stopping performance at the BET Awards.
Along with his return to the stage, he gave his first interview in a decade, to GQ in the spring. The feature discussed his absence from the limelight, painting D'Angelo as a tortured genius sitting on dozens of songs that could potentially make it onto a new album. Perhaps the biggest revelation from the feature was D saying, "My head is straight," a soft promise that he won't disappear again anytime soon.
But even after the flurry of activity this summer, there's still no official word about a new D'Angelo album, or any other future plans for that matter. Yes, Voodoo got a much-needed reissue, but things have been pretty quiet since his Made in America set back in September. For now, we'll be watching video of his shows on repeat, waiting patiently for the official studio version of "Sugar Daddy". (Or, if we're really lucky, those long-awaited Prince collaborations). -- Evan Minsker
Photo by Ebru Yildiz
This time last year, if there was one single new talent to be especially excited by, it was the young New York rapper Azealia Banks. But since since her door-smashing "212" arrived, we've watched that sterling cloth of potential unravel into a tattered mess. Perhaps her deal with Universal, which she announced in January, was a bad omen rather than a sign of good fortune. She announced her debut album, Broke With Expensive Taste, shortly after, and has since delayed that several times. (She ended up releasing an EP and a mixtape.)
She changed management, dealt with some producer controversy, deleted her Twitter and reinstated it. Banks also cancelled a group of tour dates to work on the album and at one point told Nylon: "I'm not trying to withdraw, but I am trying to find that personal space again because I have an album to finish… All that praise from the fashion world is great but… I need to step away and get my music done."
Banks' story is probably one we're going to grow very familiar with: talented artist draws an avalanche of attention and millions of YouTube hits for a single hit song and struggles to translate that attention into a viable career path. We saw it, to some extent, with Kreayshawn after "Gucci Gucci", with A$AP Rocky after "Peso" and "Purple Swag". Perhaps Broke With Expensive Taste will be the album that breaks the pattern. -- Carrie Battan
Another year, another pile of crazy shit from the Flaming Lips. On their Record Store Day album The Flaming Lips and Heady Fwends, they collaborated with (deep breath) Bon Iver, Erykah Badu, Tame Impala, Nick Cave, Jim James, Lightning Bolt, Neon Indian, Yoko Ono, Christ Martin, Edward Sharpe, Prefuse 73, Biz Markie, and Ke$ha. (Coyne also collaborated with Ke$ha on her new album.) They pressed some of the collaborators' blood into the vinyl. When they released a bloody, glittery, nudity-filled video for their Erykah Badu collaboration, Badu got very publicly pissed off at Wayne Coyne. Then, the Lips replaced Badu with Amanda Palmer. And that's just the news about their album.
They also debuted a musical based on their album Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, announced a concert film, rewrote "Race for the Prize" as an Oklahoma City Thunder pump-up anthem, broke Jay-Z's Guinness World Record for most concerts played in multiple cities during a 24-hour period, played Stephen Colbert's music festival, and made an elaborate sci-fi radio drama with McSweeney's. Oh yeah, and Wayne Coyne tried to bring a fake grenade onto a plane. It didn't go well, but now you can buy a fake grenade of your very own! We've probably left out a good dozen other weird things that happened, but, uh, you get it. -- Evan Minsker
Next:>*Best TV Performances*
Best Music Moments on TV
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Justin Timberlake as Bon Iver on "Saturday Night Live"
Beastie Boys' Mike D., "The Only Authority With a License to Ill",
Clarifies the Definition of "Illin'" on "The Colbert Report"
The Colbert Report
Get More: Colbert Report Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,Video Archive
Beach House Play Bloom's "Myth" on "Late Show With David Letterman",
Alex Scally Scolded by Letterman for Removing His Shoes
Bon Iver Impersonated by Justin Timberlake on "Saturday Night Live"
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Stephen Colbert Interviews Grizzly Bear About Their "Indie Cred"
Inside of a Tiny Boat, on the Occasion of His Colbchella Festival
D'Angelo Returns With His First TV Performance in 12 Years at the BET Awards
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DIIV Make TV Debut With Sharp "Doused" Performance on "Letterman"
Fiona Apple Makes First Idler Wheel TV Appearance
With "Anything We Want" on "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon" With the Roots
__Frank Ocean Makes His TV Debut With "Bad Religion" on "Fallon",
__With the Roots and Orchestral Accompaniment
[#video: https://www.youtube.com/embed/sDSPybTFYHU]||||||
Girls Make Their Final TV Performance With "Love Like a River" on "Conan"
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Grimes Makes Her TV Debut With "Genesis" on "Later... With Jools Holland"
Lana Del Rey Hilariously/Smartly Impersonated by Kristen Wiig on "SNL"
Morrissey Versus Stephen Colbert on "The Colbert Report"
The Colbert Report
Get More: Colbert Report Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,Video Archive
__President Obama Slow Jams the News With the Roots on "Fallon"
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R. Kelly's "Trapped in the Closet" Returns With New Chapters
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Ty Segall Makes News Anchors Go Nuts on Chicago Morning Show
____Next:>*Pussy Riot, gender and sexuality, and Hurricane Sandy*
Pussy Riot
Pussy Riot
"We realized this country needs a militant, punk-feminist, street band that will rip through Moscow's streets and squares, mobilize public energy against the evil crooks of the Putinist junta and enrich the Russian cultural and political opposition with themes that are important to us: gender and LGBT rights, problems of masculine conformity, absence of a daring political message on the musical and art scenes, and the domination of males in all areas of public discourse."
-- Pussy Riot member Serafima, interview with VICE, early 2012
What began as an inspired series of protest performances in subways, squares, and on rooftops-- colorful, balaclava-clad events that drew from riot grrrl and classic oi!-- left a mark far, far beyond the streets of Moscow.
On February 21, the Russian feminist punk collective Pussy Riot performed their anti- Vladimir Putin song "Our Lady, Chase Putin Out" at Moscow's Christ the Saviour Cathedral. The performance lasted less than a minute. No violence. No damage. No suggestion of either. But three members of Pussy Riot-- Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, 22, Maria Alyokhina, 24, and Yekaterina Samutsevich, 29-- were arrested and later charged with "hooliganism motivated by religious hatred".
By the time of the case's verdict on August 17, Amnesty International had already declared Pussy Riot "prisoners of conscience." Artists from across the spectrum voiced support and called for the band's liberation, from Grass Widow to the Red Hot Chili Peppers to Green Day to Kim Gordon to Madonna. Björk dedicated "Declare Independence" to Pussy Riot and sold T-shirts on her website to help cover their legal costs. Peaches wrote the song "Free Pussy Riot", shared it with a star-studded video, and launched a massive petition in support of their release. The Beastie Boys' Ad-Rock made his first public appearance following the death of MCA to DJ a Pussy Riot benefit. And Kathleen Hanna spoke to us about Pussy Riot's potential to reinvigorate feminist art movements around the world.
But the odds were stacked against Pussy Riot from the beginning. The case was divisive in Russia, where even liberal attitudes do not necessarily encompass gender equality. The three women spent the duration of the trial locked inside a glass cage in the courtroom. As the verdict approached, Putin himself stated, "I don't think they should be judged too severely," but the women were sentenced to two years in prison. On the day of the verdict, the members of the group who were not on trial released a new single, "Putin Lights Up the Fires".
The Russian police continued searching for Pussy Riot's 12+ members; two fled Russia. As the case came up for appeal on October 10, the Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev called for the imprisoned women's release. Samutsevich was freed following the October 10 appeal, but Tolokonnikova and Alyokhina were sent to separate prison camps in Serbia and Mordovia, where they are sentenced until March 2014.
Pussy Riot's narrative serves as a potent reminder that we shouldn't take our freedom of expression for granted. "Did you hear what Pussy Riot said in the courtroom?" Antony asked in September. "'Even though we're behind bars, we're more free than anyone.'... To see that courage among women in a white youth movement? That is incredibly powerful. It sets a new bar: How are we going to participate? Should we all be going to jail? Should Animal Collective go to jail? Should Grizzly Bear go to jail? Should Bon Iver go to jail? Is it time?"-- Jenn Pelly
Great Leaps Forward for Gender and Sexuality
In a year of continued progress for same sex marriage rights in the U.S., artists across musical genres exemplified the realization that a binary gender system and a heterosexual mandate are both deeply flawed.
Frank Ocean opened up about his sexuality in a Tumblr post, revealing that his first love was a man. Against Me!'s Tom Gabel came out as transgender in an astounding Rolling Stone interview, revealing that Gabel would begin living life as a woman named Laura Jane Grace. Azealia Banks was open about her bisexuality, and the xx's Romy Madley Croft came out as a lesbian.
Perfume Genius' "Hood" video featured Mike Hadreas in a tender embrace with gay porn star Arpad Miklos. "If Rick in Pittsburgh or whatever isn't going to listen to my music because I'm gay, fuck it," he told us. (A video advertisement for Perfume Genius' album, featuring a clip from the "Hood" video, was allegedly rejected by Google/YouTube for being "not family safe.")
NYC's burgeoning community of queer rappers, including Mykki Blanco, House of LaDosha, LE1F, Zebra Katz, and Cakes da Killa, made waves across the blogosphere. "You're not gonna be 'no-homo' and then call yourself pretty and say, 'Swag swag swag, swag swag, swag swag,'" the rapper Mykki Blanco told Pitchfork's Carrie Battan this year. "That is a gay attitude-- a gay black attitude, specifically. You cannot tell me it isn't. Gay men invented swag."
Following the debates over homophobia and misogyny raised over the rise of Odd Future in 2011, these were welcome developments, a reflection of the turning of the tides across the board. -- Jenn Pelly and Amy Phillips
Hurricane Sandy
Photo by Flickr userma neeks
The devastation wrought by Hurricane Sandy on the East Coast in late October is still being measured. The music world was not unaffected by the immense storm. Before the rain came, venues braced for impact, and many concerts were understandably cancelled. During the storm, Brooklyn labels Norton Records and New Amsterdam Records had a huge portion of their catalogs wiped out and are still seeking help.
In the aftermath, many artists played benefit concerts to help the recovery process. The big dog was the 12-12-12 concert, which packed sets by Kanye West, Bruce Springsteen, Chris Martin (with Michael Stipe), the Rolling Stones, the Who, Roger Waters, and, of course, Paulvana. Pitchfork hosted its own series of benefit concerts with Holly Herndon, Oneohtrix Point Never, Ducktails, the Men, and others. Also helping out with benefit shows were Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Beck, Dirty Projectors, Vampire Weekend, Real Estate, Ted Leo, Andrew WK, Grizzly Bear, Sleigh Bells, Neon Indian, Raekwon, My Morning Jacket, Okkervil River, Black Lips, and more. -- Evan Minsker
Next:>*Artists sound off in the Echo Chamber*-=-=-=-
Echo Chamber: Notable quotes of the year, from around the Internet
"If you think you've been called a bad name, try to work your way out from under that. Yeah, and for what? For playing an electric guitar? As if that is in some kind of way equitable to betraying our Lord and delivering him up to be crucified. All those evil motherfuckers can rot in hell."
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Crystal Castles' Alice Glass on Katy Perry:
"We need an army because the mainstream hates women... A lot of kids are more sexualized now than they were years ago and I'm not sure it's a coincidence... Like fucking Katy Perry spraying people with her fucking dick, her fucking cum gun coming on fucking children. And little girls, like six-year-old girls wearing a shirt with 'I wanna see your [pea] cock' on it... Don't prey on vulnerable people like that. Don't encourage little girls to get dressed up, to have cupcakes on their tits to get people to lick them off, 'cause that's what you're insinuating."
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El-P on Lance Armstrong's revoked cycling titles:
"not for nothin, but if you get cancer in your nuts and live and even leisurely ride a bike down the street you're a hero drugs or not."
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"But now we all live in harder times, now a whole lot of bands react to the current heaviness by privileging the party times, like some weird Scientology will-to-power bullshit, hit that hi-hat with a square's fist until we all make it to heaven, until Sunday morning's bringdown. Self-conscious good vibes like love-handles poking through some 22-year-old's American Apparel T-shirt at some joint where you can only dance once you pay a $10 cover charge just to listen to some internet king's iPod."
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Photo by Charlotte Zoller
"Music shouldn't be free. It shouldn't even be cheap. If you consume all the music you want all the time, compulsively, sweatily, you end up having a cheap relationship to the music you do listen to. In turn, this kind of market makes for musicians who are writing with the burden of having to get your attention, instead of writing whatever they’d write if they were just following artistic impulses. It's increasingly difficult and un-rewarding to write music that is considered, patient, and simple when the market increasingly demands music that is easy, thoughtless, and careless."
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Yeasayer's Chris Keating on Frank Ocean:
"I think [Frank Ocean] is a good new face for the R&B world right now, to kind of usher out-- no pun intended-- some of these folks. Because, let's get real, R.Kelly is a terrible person. I like R.Kelly and how crazy he is, but he's a terrible piece of shit, a horrible person, really bad all around. Let's get rid of him. Let's gay it up a little [in R&B]."
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Photo by Erez Avissar
"I am a producer. I find it insulting when guys constantly ask to produce for me. I think I do my job fine, thanks."
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"I'm just anti the capitalism of it all. We're not doing the gig for the corporate side of the Olympics, we're doing it for the human beings. It feels like [we're] drowning in commercialism at the moment. It's depressing. But I am into the table tennis so I would like to get some tickets for that. It would be an inspiration to see it at that level."
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Photo by Erez Avissar
Killer Mike on Trayvon Martin:
[The shooting was] an assassination... He was killed by a terrorist; there is no other way to put it."
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Jack White on a White Stripes reunion:
"I would probably say absolutely not. Absolutely no chance. I couldn't see any reason to ever do that. I'm not the kind of person that would retire from baseball and come out of retirement the next year. I mean, if we went to all the trouble of telling people we're done, we meant it you know?... If we were forced to change our mind about that, I can only imagine the reason being if we went bankrupt or really needed the cash, which would be a really sad thing. I would probably be issuing an apology along with the announcement of the show dates."
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Johnny Marr on a Smiths reunion:
"We won't be reforming this week. Maybe if the government stepped down. If this government stepped down, I'll reform the band. How's that? That's a fair trade, isn't it? I think the country would be better off, don't you? I'll do it if the coalition steps down."
Next:> Advertising controversies, what is music worth in 2012?
Advertising Controversies: Selling Out When You Don't Even Mean To
The arguments surrounding indie-centric advertising and corporate lifestyle branding are difficult to discuss succinctly, but perhaps Beach House's Alex Scally summed up one side of the current situation best: "It's the most dangerous world for bands nowadays because everybody's branding and trying to steal your vibe as soon as you do anything that anyone cares about. It's very weird." Steering clear of the corporate marketplace doesn't necessarily mean you're safe from it, though, as 2012's many advertising controversies proved.
In May, news broke that a British Volkswagen commercial featured music that sounded suspiciously like Beach House's Teen Dream closer "Take Care". Beach House revealed that they repeatedly rejected the opportunity to have the original song appear in the ad. So the agency responsible for the commercial had hired a music and sound design firm called Sniffy Dog to create a soundalike track. Volkswagen denied ripping off "Take Care", claiming to have only commissioned "dream pop" music, but the re-creation went so far as to feature lyrics strikingly similar to the original track.
In June, the Black Keys and producer Danger Mouse sued both Pizza Hut and Home Depot for allegedly using tracks off El Camino in commercials without their consent. Both corporations denied the band's claims. The cases were settled by November, but details of what the settlements entailed have yet to surface. In late December, No Ageused their performance at a Converse event in Barcelona to protest Converse's labor practices.
At worst, advertisements not only co-opted art but imposed a false set of political ideologies. Vocal Obama supporters the National were furious after their track "Fake Empire" was used in a pro-Romney video without their consent. (It was created by Ohio University Students for Romney, who offered only a backwards "apology".) M83 was similarly horrified when "Midnight City" was used in a campaign video for right-wing party Le Front National without the band's permission. Anthony Gonzalez wrote on Facebook, "the music of M83 is apolitical, and I refuse to be associated with any party, and particularly the Front National." -- Jenn Pelly
Gotta Get Paid: Debates Over Making Money in Music
How do you make a living as a musician in 2012? As the marketplace continued to evolve, with the rise of streaming services like Spotify and Pandora, further consolidation among major labels, and DIY tools like Kickstarter continuing to proliferate, the answer was less clear than ever. And debates surrounding the issue went around in circles throughout the year.
A New York feature by Pitchfork contributor Nitsuh Abebe revealed the continued economic struggles of "indie rock royalty" Grizzy Bear. A piece by Damon Krukowski (Galaxie 500, Damon & Naomi) outlined the essentially nonexistent revenue stream that services like Spotify and Pandora offer lower-level artists: 5,960 Spotify plays of G500's essential "Tugboat" earned the band $1.05. A post by a young NPR intern revealing how little she has paid for music in her lifetime upset many people, most notably David Lowery of Camper Van Beethoven and Cracker.
After raising $1 million from her fans on Kickstarter to make her latest album, Amanda Palmer attempted to crowdsource backup musicians to perform on tour for free-- provoking a torrent of criticism from disdainful skeptics like Steve Albini. (She ended up paying the musicians.) But Palmer was not the only notable musician to crowdsource unsuccessfully. Three years after Animal Collective's Josh Dibb, aka Deakin, raised $26,000 on Kickstarter to fund a trip to an African festival, a charitable donation, and the creation of a book and a CD, fans who donated had not received the rewards they were promised. (The music, Deakin said, has yet to be finished due to his own "fatal perfectionism.")
Meanwhile, major label refugee-turned-DIY-enthusiast Trent Rezonor jumped back on the ship this year, returning to the major label world and even partnering with his old Interscope boss Jimmy Iovine on a project for Beats by Dre.
Maybe the answer is just for everybody to follow the Residents' lead and release $100,000 box sets. -- Jenn Pelly and Amy Phillips
Next:>The rise of drill music, holograms and other posthumous experimentation, and seapunk-=-=-=-
One Nation Under Drill
Photo by Erez Avissar*
Just when we thought the Internet had shattered the notion of regional rap into a disjointed array of styles and YouTube-native hybrids, along came Chicago. The ascendent post-Luger street-rap scene has proven itself just as distinctive and whole as any local hip-hop community that's seeped into broader consciousness in decades. Drill, as it's been labeled, is so unflinchingly singular and of-the-moment that when Chicago native Kanye West tried to remix one of its biggest anthems-- Chief Keef's "Don't Like"-- he came off like a confused old rich man who'd just landed on Mars.
Drill's cast of characters is rich and deep: there's the comparatively jovial elder statesmen King Louie (or King L), the Buddha-like producer Young Chop, a crop of lesser-known wingmen like Lil Durk and Lil Reese, plus rising female stars Katie Got Bandz and Sasha Go Hard, to name just a few.
At the center of this whirling universe sits the stone-faced 17-year-old Interscope signee Chief Keef, the cultural lightning rod who conducts controversy and adoration in equal measure. This is a guy who posts Instagrams of a woman giving him oral sex, who began his rise to fame while under gun charge-related house arrest, a guy who cannot be bothered to utter more than a few bored words during interviews.
Chicago's gruesome culture of violence is part of what unites Keef and his cohort and fuels the drill scene-- and also what damns them in the eyes of many. This year, Chief Keef has become one of industry's most hyped emerging stars, but he's also become one of the rare artists who forces listeners to consider the moral and societal implications of the art they consume. There he is, making taunts on Twitter after a gang-related killing. There's his close friend Lil Reese, seen brutally beating a woman in a video that surfaced just weeks after he released a track with Rick Ross and Drake. And there's Chicago, which has seen 2,364 shootings and counting this year. -- Carrie Battan
Holograms and Other Posthumous Experimentation
A dead man performed at Coachella this year. As you definitely recall, during Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg's headlining set, a 2Pac "hologram" jumped on stage, yelled the word "Coachella," and made headlines around the globe. (It actually wasn't a full-on hologram, but, rather a 2-D computer rendering.)
Obviously, this brave new world of uncanny valley technology brought up several questions. How would 2Pac have felt about this? Would the hologram go on tour? Are we playing god by forcing a rapper to address a festival that was established years after his death? Will this technology put cover bands out of business? There was barely any time to address those questions before more posthumous holograms and projections were reported to be in the works: Elvis Presley, Jimi Hendrix, Freddy Mercury, Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, and Jim Morrison were all being readied for the stage. Then, in September, the company behind the 2Pac and Elvis holograms went bankrupt, perhaps putting this business to rest. For now.
The debate surrounding posthumous artist ethics became especially heated when a new Aaliyah track surfaced in August featuring a new verse by Drake. A full album of Aaliyah material spearheaded by Drake and producer Noah "40" Shebib was announced, drawing the vocal disapproval of Aaliyah's family. Former Aaliyah collaborators Missy Elliott and Timbaland also distanced themselves from the project.
And then there were the standard "the estate disapproves" stories. Amy Winehouse's dad denied a Copenhagen play permission to use his daughter's likeness and music. The play, "Amy", was cancelled. Jimi Hendrix's estate sent out their disapproval of a film starring Andre 3000 as Hendrix, while Marvin Gaye's son blasted a film starring Lenny Kravitz as Gaye. After Adam Yauch's death in May, it was reported that his will prohibited the use of Beastie Boys songs in advertisements. Soon after, the Beastie Boys set out to sue Monster Energy Drink. -- Evan Minsker
Making a Splash: #seapunk's 2012
In June 2011, a DJ and very minor web celebrity named Lil Internet dreamt of a strange image and tweeted about it: "Seapunk leather jacket with barnacles where the studs used to be," he wrote. A star was born. What began as a dream quickly morphed into a web-based inside "joke" with a set of aesthetic signifiers to match: green hair and hologram-lensed glasses, recycled imagery that resembled some kind of vintage underwater video-game rave, lots of songs sampling house music and the sounds of water splashing and dripping. Some of it was vaguely interesting-- or at least interesting enough to merit a piece inTheNew York Times' Style section-- but it mostly registered as absurdity.
At some point, you could begin to draw wobbly lines between seapunk and mainstream pop culture: Soulja Boy and Waka Flocka Flame recording a song called "Ocean Mobb"! Katy Perry and Lady Gaga sporting aquamarine-green hair!-- but the connections still seemed kind of coincidental.
The magnitude of seapunk's wave only became palpably, ridiculously apparent during Rihanna's "Saturday Night Live" performance this fall. There she was in front of a green screen singing "Diamonds", surrounded by a bunch of images that looked like they'd been ripped right from a seapunk fantasy Tumblr. Within hours of Rihanna's "SNL" appearance, Azealia Banks released her video for "Atlantis" (she's extolled her obsession with all things mermaid for a long time), which presented a very odd amalgamation of synthetic aquatic touches. Cue the rage of the underwater seapunk underclass, who believed Rihanna and Banks had appropriated their aesthetic vision (or their "joke") and sold it to the corporate devils.
The lesson here? If you really want to make a splash in this world, start tweeting constantly about your weird dreams. (Please, please don't.)
Next:>Breakups, reunions, and whatever it was that the Beach Boys did
Breakups
Girls
It's impossible to detail the end of Girls any better than Christopher Owens did himself in conversation with Ryan Dombal earlier this month. "I wanted Girls to last for a very long time. But right away, there were a lot of disappointments. You try to buckle down and carry on and hope the thing will resolve itself. But then more disappointments come, and they just kept coming. After a little while, I started to realize that the band wasn't going to last forever." The core of the band-- Owens and JR White-- have parted ways for now, but Owens will be back with his debut solo LP Lysandre, out January 15. -- Evan Minsker
Das Racist
Photo by Ceilidh Madigan
"You guys wanna know the secret? All right, so I'm going to do some Das Racist songs, but Das Racist is breaking up and we're not a band anymore." That was the curious announcement Heems made at a festival in Germany in early December. It was supposed to be a Das Racist set, but only Heems showed up. With that message (which Heems didn't remember saying), it came out that the rap group had been broken up for three months already. It's not that heartbreaking, as Heems and Kool A.D. each released two solo mixtapes this year and don't seem like they'll slow down anytime soon. But we miss you already, Dapwell. -- Evan Minsker
Handsome Furs
After Wolf Parade went on indefinite hiatus in 2010, we could get our Dan Boeckner fix from Handsome Furs-- his band with his wife, Alexei Perry. Then, in May, they announced that it was over. It was definitely a sad goodbye to Boeckner's music. You know, until he announced the formation of Divine Fits, a collaboration with Spoon's Britt Daniel, four days later.
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In 2012, we also said goodbye to Air France, WU LYF (maybe), the Books, G-Side, Studio, and, uh, Jet. -- Evan Minsker
Reunions/Big Returns
__Godspeed You! Black Emperor __
Photo by Erez Avissar
Godspeed You! Black Emperor
The post-rock titans proved that they still have the ability to shock and surprise after all these years. On October 1, tweets started coming out of their show in Boston-- people were holding brand new Godspeed albums in their hands, with sepia-toned album covers and all new music. So there it was: No press release three months in advance, no fanfare-- just a stack of LPs called Allelujah! Don't Bend! Ascend! on a Boston merch table. And it was really good. -- Evan Minsker
Nirvana, you know, but with Paul McCartney instead of Kurt Cobain
So Dave Grohl calls up Paul McCartney, like you do, and asks him if he wants to jam. So Sir Paul shows up and says hello to Grohl, plus two other dudes, including a 6'7" bearded bass player. They start talking about how they haven't played together in a long time, which confuses the Beatle. Somebody leans over to him and breaks the news: He's looking at Nirvana, and he's about to stand in for Kurt Cobain. So they jam, write a song together, play it live at the 12-12-12 benefit concert and on "Saturday Night Live", and then release it on the soundtrack for Grohl's film. Just like that. -- Evan Minsker
The Afghan WhigsPhoto by Erez Avissar
When the Afghan Whigs reunited this year, it was initially only for two ATP festivals, one in London in May and one in New York in September. (Greg Dulli also curated the NYC ATP.) But they went on to record new music, tour the world, and make their first TV appearances in over a decade. The Afghan Whigs also showed quite the affinity for Frank Ocean this year-- they got him to play the Dulli-curated ATP and covered "Lovecrimes". -- Evan Minsker
Refused
Pretty much every time Coachella announces their lineup, it comes along with a few surprise reunion announcements. This year, one of the biggest revelations was the reunion of Swedish hardcore greats Refused, who broke up in 1998 right around when they released their masterwork, The Shape of Punk to Come. They came back with an intense, solid live show, which they took to festivals, television, and on tour with OFF!. On December 15, it was over once again, as the band played their final show in their hometown. "Thank you for populating the pit in 2012. Over and out," they wrote in a farewell letter. -- Evan Minsker
At the Drive-In
Photo by Natalie Kardos
"ATTENTION ! To whom it may concern: AT THE DRIVE-IN will be breaking their 11 year silence. THIS STATION IS .... NOW ....OPERATIONAL." And with that, Refused weren't the only punks who would reunite after a decade's absence. Sure, At-the Drive In's return came with the caveat of no new music, but they made the festival rounds, played the classics, and geeked out a bunch of people who blasted their albums in middle school. And hey, we're still getting new Mars Volta material at some point. -- Evan Minsker
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This year, we also welcomed back the Replacements (sort of), Mazzy Star, Run-D.M.C., Grandaddy, the mid-'90s lineup of Hole, Martin Gore and Vince Clarke of Depeche Mode (as VCMG), Conor Oberst's Desaparecidos, fIREHOSE, Cannibal Ox, Moss Icon, the Make-Up, Die Kreuzen, Rocket From the Crypt, Black Tambourine, the Softies, the Aislers Set, and Small Factory. -- Evan Minsker
... And the Beach Boys
Photo by Cellidh Madigan
Will these kids ever get along? First, it's announced that Brian Wilson is back in the Beach Boys. They play the Grammys, release an album, and go on a big tour. It seems like Wilson and Mike Love may have finally, at least begrudgingly, buried the hatched for their 50th anniversary. Right? Nah. At the end of the 50th anniversary tour, Mike Loveseemed to fire Brian Wilson, Al Jardine, and David Marks from the band. But then, maybe he didn't? Either way, it bummed Wilson out. Maybe they'll work it out, but let's not hold our breath. -- Evan Minsker
Next:>Albums we were promised in 2012 that didn't quite happen, beefs of the year
The Artist Who Cried Album
One of this year's capital-L lessons, particularly for new artists, was: Don't count your eggs before they hatch. Don't talk about your album, announce features and improbable release dates before you've even made it into the studio. Perhaps the most most egregious example of the speak-before-you-think tendency was Azealia Banks, who reconfigured her schedule and pushed releases back more times than we could count, tweeting about it all the while and jumping between managers. She's cried wolf so many times that when-- or if-- her album arrives one day, it might be difficult to care. A$AP Rocky, whose major-label debut will finally be out in January (apparently), threw up several similar false alarms before he got the job done.
It's not a trait relegated to new artists, though-- they learned it from the veterans. Of course we didn't see Dr. Dre's Detox this year; if the album came out, we'd be forced to surrender all of the jokes about the album never coming out. And then there's the new My Bloody Valentine album, which Kevin Shields recently promised would see the light of day this year. (Spoiler alert: it hasn't. Although who knows, maybe it will be released this weekend?) We also didn't get that promised M.I.A. album.
Fakeout syndrome now extends out from all sorts of angles in the music industry: A final show is never usually a final show and a breakup is usually just the first building block toward a reunion. (This year, see: Blur, Nine Inch Nails, etc.) -- Carrie Battan
Beefs of the Year
Amanda Palmer photo by Shervin Lainez / Steve Albini photo by Ryan Muir
Amanda Palmer vs. Steve Albini
Death Grips vs. Epic
Erykah Badu vs. Wayne Coyne
The Weeknd vs. The-Dream
Fiona Apple vs. Sheriff Rusty Fleming
The Black Keys vs. Nickelback
David Lowery vs. NPR intern Emily White
Frank Ocean vs. Don Henley
Drake vs. Chris Brown
No Age (and Robin Pecknold) vs. Kings of Leon
NBC's Brian Williams vs. Lana Del Rey
Jessie Ware vs. Big Pun
Fiona Apple vs. Perez Hilton
Curren$y vs. Damon Dash
Josh Homme and Scott Reeder vs. Kyuss Lives!
Danzig vs. a photographer at Bonnaroo
Bradford Cox vs. the "My Sharona" audience
Torche guitarist’s eyeball vs. bat piss
A$AP Rocky vs. Spaceghostpurrp
Cloud Nothings vs. Twin Shadow
Jack White vs. Guinness World Records
Genesis P-Orridge vs. the other members of Throbbing Gristle
Lower Dens vs. Spotify
Ed Droste and Justin Vernon vs. the Grammys
Azealia Banks vs. Kreayshawn
Azealia Banks vs. XL
Azealia Banks vs. Iggy Azalea
Azealia Banks vs. Munchi
Lil Wayne vs. Pusha T
Lil Wayne vs. Quincy Jones III
Wayne Coyne vs. passengers at the Oklahoma City airport
M.I.A. vs. Anderson Cooper
The FCC and NFL vs. M.I.A.'s middle finger
Axl Rose vs. the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
RZA vs. Thea Van Seijen
Fucked Up vs. Katy Perry
Crystal Castles vs. Katy Perry
Bob Dylan vs. the dude who yelled "Judas" at him in 1966
Grimes vs. dudes who ask to produce for her
Yeasayer's Chris Keating vs. R. Kelly
Former Cro-Mags bassist's teeth vs. current Cro-Mags members
The Black Keys vs. Pizza Hut and Home Depot
Beach House vs. Volkswagen
Beastie Boys vs. Monster energy drink
Flying Lotus vs. Drake
Prince vs. Revelations Perfume and Cosmetics
Damon Albarn vs. the Olympics
Geoff Barrow vs. Diplo
Nicki Minaj vs. Hot 97 and Peter Rosenberg
Morrissey vs. every member of England's royal family
DJ Shadow vs. the Miami nightclub Mansion
No Age vs. Converse
Drake vs. Macy's and Walgreens
Next:>Instagrams of the Year
Instagrams of 2012
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__This year,Instagram exploded as the must-have social networking tool for musicians from the mainstream to the underground. But with thefirestorm over the new terms of service, will it last? For now, here are some of our favorite Instagram accounts of 2012:
Drake (@champagnepapi)
Rihanna (@badgalriri)
Diplo (@diplo)
Killer Mike (@killermikegto)
Next:>*Musicians we lost in 2012*
R.I.P.: Musicians We Said Goodbye to in 2012
January | February | March
Whitney Houston, vocal legend and pop icon
Jennifer "Miro" Anderson of the Nuns
Jimmy Castor, funk and soul singer and instrumentalist
Johnny Otis, R&B artist and broadcast host
Davy Jones, member of the Monkees
Etta James, soul and blues legend
Winston Riley, reggae producer
Don Cornelius, host and creator of "Soul Train"
Mike Kelley, artist and member of Destroy All Monsters
Michael Davis, MC5 bassist
Christopher Reimer, Women guitarist
Ronnie Montrose, guitarist
Jimmy Ellis, the Trammps frontman
Earl Scruggs, legendary banjo player
April | May | June
Photo by Phil Andelman
Adam Yauch, Beastie Boys MC
Jim Marshall, amplifier pioneer
Cynthia Dall, singer-songwriter and photographer
Dick Clark, iconic television host and producer
Levon Helm, the Band drummer/vocalist
Tommy Marth, the Killers saxophonist
Donald "Duck" Dunn, Booker T. & the MGs/Blues Brothers band bassist
Celso Chavez, Possum Dixon guitarist
Chuck Brown, guitarist, singer, songwriter, producer and Go-Go pioneer
Donna Summer, disco legend
Robin Gibb, Bee Gees member
Doc Watson, guitarist and folk singer
Bob Welch, guitarist and songwriter from Fleetwood Mac
Tim Mooney, Sun Kil Moon and American Music Club drummer
Pete Hayes, Echo Lake drummer
July | August | September
**
Photo by Leigh Ann Hines
Bill Doss, member of Olivia Trevor Control
Dennis Flemion, Frogs member
Kitty Wells, country star
Ms. Melodie, producer and hip-hop figure
Tony Sly, vocalist and guitarist of No Use for a Name
Jason Noble, member of Rodan, Rachel's and Shipping News
Brent Grulke, SXSW creative director
Byard Lancaster, jazz saxophonist and flutist
Christ Lighty, hip-hop executive
Hal David, songwriting partner of Burt Bacharach
Matthew Africa, hip-hop DJ
Andy Williams, television crooner
October | November | December
Ravi Shankar, sitar legend
Terence Connor, Total Slacker drummer
David S. Ware, saxophonist
Terry Callier, singer and guitarist
Natina Reed, singer in Blaque
Joel Burrows, multi-instrumentalist of the Minders and the Thermals
Elliott Carter, avant-garde composer
Major Harris, soul singer and Delphonics member
John Napier, Ethyl Meatplow member
Austin Peralta, pianist, composer and Brainfeeder affiliate
Mickey Baker, guitarist and member of Mickey & Sylvia
Dave Brubeck, jazz titan
Ewan Robertson, aka Offshore, producer
Sarah Kirsch, Bay-Area punk fixture
Mike Scaccia, Ministry guitarist
Capital STEEZ, rapper with Pro Era crew
Marva Whitney, funk and soul singer and James Brown collaborator
Fontella Bass, soul singer
