With his collaboration on “All Summer” for Converse along with news of his impending album release Man On The Moon II: The Legend Of Mr. Rager, Kid Cudi has entered himself back into the music world’s consciousness. The news this time around is mostly positive, as opposed to that concerning a June arrest for possession and felony criminal mischief. With the overwhelming popularity of this artist escaping nearly unscathed, this led me to thinking: What is the perception difference for musicians and drug problems compared to, say, actors?
We can just get it out of the way in stating drugs are generally bad, right? I won’t get into the many issues surrounding drugs so I’ll just say drugs of all sorts have ruined many lives. Yet, there is a belief that musicians often produce better music when under the influence. To my knowledge, this isn’t said about many other professions other than perhaps other artists who produce tangible works of art. What is it about music or other art forms that lend themselves to psycho-tropic vulnerability in a ‘good’ way? Based on the multiple instances in this article, it seems drugs have certainly had a negative impact on the behavior of Cudi on multiple occasions. Yet he hasn’t taken an image hit in a manner such as a Lindsay Lohan, who has gotten herself involved in many altercations and has paid the publicity price. Do we let musicians off the hook a bit more in the perception game? Why is this? Is it because as music lovers form a more personal attachment to an artist or a musician’s work because of its own-able nature, more than one might with an actor whose work is more detached and just observed?
I don’t have any of these answers, but I found the lack of news and resulting hoopla following this arrest to be interesting. I was disappointed to learn of the arrest because I felt a personal connection to Cudi following his debut album. To hear of these problems after the displays of the personal anguish he conveyed in his lyrics on that album, in relation to crime and violence and drugs, made this worse perception wise for me. Why did that not transfer to the mainstream media? Is it because of my personal connection to music as an art form is stronger than my desire to be a peeping-tom and read gossip mag’s the likes of which Lohan graces covers frequently? I guess I don’t give a shit about what any celebrity does with their lives, but I would rather get a new Cudi album than watch a Lohan (or any other drug addled actor for that matter) movie I suppose.
When I first saw the email we received from this four-piece from Santa Monica by way of New Mexico, it was from the sender We Are Barbara. My initial thought was that it was going to be some cover band sending us their tribute album of We Are Scientists’ recent Barbara. Luckily I actually read the email instead of immediately deleting what would surely be a pile of nonsense. As it turns out, it seems I don’t check Hype Machine all that often. Were I to do so more, I likely would have heard of the band; their cover of KiD CuDi’s “Pursuit of Happiness” has been a hit on multiple occasions at Hype.
My reason for writing about them today, and the impetus for that electronic mail being sent our way, has little to do with the popular cover. Rather it is concerned with the band’s recently released debut EP entitled Robopopironica. What I heard upon opening the files was surprising; it’s an immensely pleasing fusion of hip-hop with a classically trained pianist/folk singer and a female vocalist/keyboardist who happens to play the glockenspiel, and oh yeah, a drummer. I was pleasantly surprised. The band is at work on a full length release that is as yet untitled, but after you listen here, go check out the Robopopironica EP, which is out now and ready for purchase.
It’s been a long time coming, really. This is our very first mix in all our long months of existence. We’ve talked about the vast majority of these tracks at one point or another here on the blog, but we’ve arranged them in such a way as to produce maximum listening pleasure. (That’s not a lie. I’ve had this on repeat for about 2 weeks now.) You can get each track individually if you want to, or there’s a convenient zip file at the bottom if you just want to get them all in one shot.
Leave some love if you’re feeling up to it. Leave some hatred for leaving off a good song. Just get outside with some cold beverages, good friends and this mix. Turn it up loud. Do some daydrinking. Enjoy the rest of the summer.
Because at this point it is bordering on obsession with this song, why not give you the recording of the first live performance of the hit from all three artists together?
The more I listen to and think about this song, I am amazed at how well crafted this promotional track is. I’m serious about this. The three principles put in superb work for their individual parts in ways that each is perfectly suited for. Converse seriously struck gold with this compilation. They’ve also given us a video, which is no less fun and has the three artists bouncing around in big paper-mâché heads. It fits the jovial atmosphere of the track and only adds to my enjoyment of it.
Kid Cudi, Best Coast and Rostam Batmanglij – All Summer (mp3)
NOTE: Concerts are in Rochester unless otherwise noted.
2/22: William Fitzsimmons
2/24: Mike Doughty
2/25: Charles Bradley (Buffalo)
2/29: Summer People
3/3: Matthew Good
3/5: Evening Man
3/23: The Men
3/30: tympanogram’s 3rd Birthday with Born Gold, Old Tapes, TBA
4/20: fun.
4/23: Cults (Buffalo)
5/6: Bear In Heaven (Ithaca)
5/7: M83 (Buffalo)
an examination used to test the condition of the middle ear and mobility of the eardrum, and the conduction bones by creating variations of air pressure in the ear canal.
Basically, it sounded like a cool name for a blog intended to be primarily about music. We’d both had other blogs previously, but over beers it was decided that more damage could be done as a joint venture. And here we are.
We share a passion for the undiscovered and under-appreciated, and hope that you’ll be able to find something you love as well.
Disclaimer
The music offered on this blog is for sampling purposes only. If you enjoy something you hear here, please go out and buy the music, see a show, or purchase some merchandise. Posted mp3s are available for a limited period of time only.
If there are any materials featured here that are your intellectual property, and you would prefer them removed, please notify us and we will be happy to oblige.
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About the Author: Dave
I like music. I can't describe how I came to like the music I do, because I don't know how or why, I just do.
Many years ago, Napoleon's brother, my great-great-great-great-great-great Grandfather, came to America. He was asked his name on Ellis Island while being processed as an immigrant. Not understanding English, he was under the impression that he was being asked how he had arrived in the new land. So he turned around and pointed at the sea vessel and said, 'LaBarge.'
About the Author: Andy
I come by my music taste of my own free will. My friends listened to 2Pac, my parents to contemporary Christian and me? Sunny Day Real Estate. I can’t explain it.
“Music, true music, not just rock ’n’ roll, it chooses you. It lives in your car, or alone, listening to your headphones…” - Lester Bangs
![45177 430336768585 90352253585 4823837 5816086 n [mp3] Whats all this Im hearing about some kid chewing cud?](http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs189.ash2/45177_430336768585_90352253585_4823837_5816086_n.jpg "[mp3] Whats all this Im hearing about some kid chewing cud?")
With his collaboration on “All Summer” for Converse along with news of his impending album release Man On The Moon II: The Legend Of Mr. Rager, Kid Cudi has entered himself back into the music world’s consciousness. The news this time around is mostly positive, as opposed to that concerning a June arrest for possession and felony criminal mischief. With the overwhelming popularity of this artist escaping nearly unscathed, this led me to thinking: What is the perception difference for musicians and drug problems compared to, say, actors?![4813134835 022c21a19e [mp3] Barbara We On The New Space Race/Pursuit of Happiness (Kid Cudi Cover)](http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4101/4813134835_022c21a19e.jpg "[mp3] Barbara We On The New Space Race/Pursuit of Happiness (Kid Cudi Cover)")
![[mp3] Barbara We On The New Space Race/Pursuit of Happiness (Kid Cudi Cover)](http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=tympanogram-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B003YPA2VA "[mp3] Barbara We On The New Space Race/Pursuit of Happiness (Kid Cudi Cover)"){kind=small}
![mix cover [mp3/mix] Tympanogram Summer Mix: post spring](http://tympanogram.com/files/mix-cover.jpg "mix cover")
