Bitch, Look at Me Now (Two Weeks)
By: Childish Gambino
Imma trying to make my street-cred stack up. I mean I’m rapping over Grizzly Bear, what the fuck?
Lyrically, Childish Gambino (Community’s Donald Glover) is a triumph. As a master wordsmith, Glover requires your attention. He’s like an 8-letter word play on a triple word score in both directions. While it’s easy to pick up on his confidence as a comedian, rapper, and entertainer he emotes with a certain depth and vulnerability most rappers wouldn’t dare to explore. But that’s because he’s more than a typical rapper, which actually seems to pin him to a very specific audience. His style might not translate well for everyone, but anyone not ashamed to admit they consume television, sports, music, movies and the endless stream of web content and Internet memes will easily get his references, similes and metaphors.
Brimming with intelligence, this Gambino has a firm grasp on who he is as far as media goes. Relating “it seems we’re all friends here, only I don’t know you like you were me last year” Glover is very aware of his recent rise in popularity due to his role as Troy on Community (Thursday nights on NBC). But despite his bragging rights (and skilled performance thereof) he’s also very humble. He gives you tracks to shake your ass to coupled with honesty about his insecurities, former loves, and fears, but mostly you have to listen to what he’s saying. Layered in meaning and void of irony, Glover delivers in a way that only a skilled writer with real life experience could.
As far as his live shows go, they’re a combination of stand-up comedy and music. Apparently, the kind of music that kills butterflies. A full band backs him on stage, creating versions of the songs that are similar to what you can hear on his albums but very different in delivery paired with funny videos and live skits.
While for some, Childish Gambino (Glover’s musical alter-ego) isn’t for everyone, everyone should at the very least give it a listen. For free dot com, you can’t beat the price and what you get is far more than what a lot of artists are even able to sell.
If you want to get into this stuff head over to www.iamdonald.com where you can download his music for free. Start with his most recent and accessible EP (here) featuring the track Freaks and Geeks and growing fan-favorite Be Alone and work your way back through Culdesac to the first albums Poindexter and Sick Boi, both of which have been floating around on the Internet since about 2004. Yeah, he’s been doing this a while, you just weren’t listening.
DOWNLOAD: http://tranxcend.net/tumblr/BitchLookAtMeNow(TwoWeeks).mp3
Support the artist, go to a live show.
Biko
By: Bloc Party
“You’re not doing this alone…”
A couple of years ago I was riding the underground in Paris on my way to Musée d’Orsay when I noticed an ad overhead. It had lyrics from “Mercury” (also from Intimacy):
When I saw you last night
I wanted to say, run away with me
Away from the cynics
That this could be the start of
Something truly real…
But all that I could say was “hey”
I had heard the song countless times before without actually paying attention to the lyrics and as I stepped closer to the ad, I noticed it cited Bloc Party, and also rendered the verse in French. I wondered if the way these lyrics in English punctuate my own awkwardness around girls also had the same effect when translated. Quickly I jogged through my iPod and listened to the track. I think it was this moment that really solidified this band for me.
I started listening to them more and discovered lyrical gems sprinkled throughout all of their music. One of my favorite verses comes from “Waiting for The 7.18” and will always remind me of being in London. The sort of self-reflection and realizations of a late 20-something, “If I could do it again, I’d make more mistakes…” just kind of ring true to my own being.
In my opinion, Bloc Party deserves much more attention than they actually get. Bands this good suffer when stations like INDIE103 go strictly to the Internet and stations like KROQ continue to play The Postal Service and other credible, yet more popular indie rock bands in between their usual sets of Foo Fighters, Chili Peppers, Offspring, and whoever else was relevant in the 90’s but continues to make commercially accessible pop rock.
The thing about Biko, in particular are two very important concepts that I relate to a loved-one. Someone I care deeply about, but sometimes feel completely unable to get through to them.
“You’re not doing this alone.” and “Don’t you know that when you stand you stand up for the both of us? Remember that when the darkness looms.” This is just, to me, what it means to be in a relationship. To have a partner.
Enough of this. Enjoy the song. 
DOWNLOAD: http://tranxcend.net/tumblr/biko.mp3
Support the artist, go to a live show.
