Line Out Music & the City at Night

Slog

News & Arts

@SEAshows
Twitter feed of Seattle shows on sale now

« Hot... Tip? | Losing the Vegan Challenge »

Thursday, January 10, 2013

206 My Philosophy: Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, BSBD, Skull & Bones, Kung Foo Grip

Posted by Larry Mizell, Jr. on Thu, Jan 10, 2013 at 2:41 PM

The year 2013 opens in fine style, with Seattle rap scoring its second-ever platinum single—Macklemore & Ryan Lewis's "Thrift Shop." (Yes, the first would be Sir Mix-A-Lot's "Baby Got Back.") Congrats to Mack, Ryan, and the whole crew responsible for its massive success. Now can you little snot-nosed, rosacea-having fucks reading this please leave the thrift stores alone so we can still find some gear in there occasionally? The guy from Portlandia would at this point be screaming, "THRIFTING IS OVER!"

On the complete flip side, Blue Sky Black Death closed out their 2012 with two quality collaborations—the first with Charlotte, North Carolina's Deniro Farrar. Cliff of Death (is that a fiscal-cliff joke, maybe?) finds Farrar, who I'd heard and disregarded before, sounding the best I've heard him yet, with a G'd-up spill that reminds me of Houston's unimpeachable Trae Tha Truth. It's all balanced well by BSBD, who mix up Southern swang with angelic loftiness, sweetening the pot and making it all sound epic—the occasional hook from Fake Four's Purity Ring–ish duo Child Actor, last heard on Dark Time Sunshine's ANX, helps, too.