Best of 2013: Russell Jelinek's highlights
John Murry (Photo by Amoreena Berg) I don't feel like ranking things, but here are some Bay Area highlights for 2013, limited to artists I wrote about: Favorite Albums: John Murry - Graceless Age: I tried to listen to Graceless Age in the background while doing some work on the computer. It didn't work. Murry punched me in the gut and took me away from whatever I was doing and totally consumed me. The standout "Little Colored Balloons", about Murry's heroin overdose in the Mission, may one of the most heartbreaking songs ever recorded, but there is so much more [...]
Interview: WOOF discusses 'The Thrill of it All' LP
Photo by Molly DeCoudreaux WOOF is an exciting new project from Different Fur Studio owner and engineer Patrick Brown, and Robert Pera, whoreleased their debut LP The Thrill of it All on Bandcamp's blog last week. The album is a collection of outstanding, eclectic beats matched up with a large group of guest vocalists from hip-hop (and other genres) located in the Bay Area and beyond. In short, the beats are all unique and every guest appearance kills, making this one of my favorite releases in 2013. I chatted with Brown and Pera via email about the project, and here's [...]