KDUR New Music Review: Thundercat and Crystal Fairy

Article by Douglas DuPont Photo by Jarred Green

Greetings, reader. It’s Douglas here, back with some music that’ll hopefully make you uneasy. The Independent News Organization and myself will be bringing you these short-yet-sweet breakdowns of two new interesting records bi-weekly. Today, both records come from very different genres. A testament to the diversity one can hear regularly on KDUR–where these discoveries occur, and where the music matters.

THUNDERCAT – Drunk – Brainfeeder Records

This record remains undeniably smooth despite the chaotic and experimental nature of Thundercat’s production and sharp words. Receiving assistance from the likes of Michael McDonald, Kenny Loggins, Kendrick Lamar and Pharrell, Drunk solidifies this Cat’s place amongst the best of yesterday's and today’s soul/funk, and hip-hop legends. It’s darkly humorous, yet playful. The record achieves something that doesn’t sound like it was produced in either of the last two decades.

FOCUS TRACKS FROM Drunk TO STREAM AT WILL:

(Ranked in ascending order of sexiness):

Walk On By (feat. Kendrick Lamar)

Them Changes (feat. Flying Lotus)

Show You the Way (feat. Flying Lotus, Michael McDonald, & Kenny Loggins)

Lava Lamp (feat. Sounwave)

CRYSTAL FAIRY – Crystal Fairy – Ipecac Recordings

Crystal Fairy is a new group composed of members of the Melvins, At the Drive-In and Le Butcherettes. There is a lot to this album. There are 11 complex tracks built of a narrative and mood that do not adhere to genre rules. Crystal Fairy is neither happy nor hopeful. Strength is drawn from the anxiety and paranoia of Gender Bender’s (of Le Butcherettes) lyrics and felt in the dark moods emitted from the melodies. Present lyrical themes borrow from traditions of established genres like metal and psychedelia but can’t be cleanly categorized. The album confronts human experiences in a grandiose fashion that buys into the idea that every day is a battle and every individual a soldier. But while some soldiers fight for shared causes, Crystal Fairy join the punk and metal troops in recognizing that the biggest fights are those that one confronts alone.

FOCUS TRACKS FROM Crystal Fairy TO STREAM AT WILL:

(Ranked in order of weight, ascending):

Crystal Fairy

Moth Tongue

Necklace of Divorce

Chiseler