Shifty Picks for the First Quarter of 2016 Clickbait Title

BIG NEWS GUYS AND GALS!!!!! Our prodigal son Shifty has decided to resume his award winning (I give myself pats on the back after I write each one. Does that count???) series of picking albums that he likes. Wow!!!!!!!!! This is good news. The rules of this beloved series are a little bit different this time around. Shifty is only going to do this for every quarter of the year. He doesn't have time to make a list once a month. He also ran out of Seals of Approval to give out. Gasp. All of these Shifty Picks came out in the months of January, February, and March. Without further ado, here are my music picks.

Anderson .Paak - Malibu

-This album is a very interesting fusion of PBR&B, Jazz, and Hip Hop that reminds me a lot of the sound that Kendrick Lamar achieved on To Pimp a Butterfly. That's very high praise, and Mr. .Paak has definitely earned it with this album. Very upbeat, warm, and uplifting. Perfect Summer music.

Big Ups - Before a Million Universes
-This is the second album by the band Big Ups, and this album goes in more complicated and unexpected directions than their previous album. Big Ups sounds like a toss up between Slint (Post Rock) and Fugazi (Post-Hardcore). They have a very unique take on being disappointed at the world around them. Check em out.



David Bowie - Blackstar
-David Bowie's latest and last album is a triumph. The Goblin King himself continues to show that he has more tricks up his sleeves on his 27th album. Apparently this album was inspired by the experimentation that modern rappers and rap groups have been doing over the past decade. One article I read said that Bowie was heavily inspired by the raw power and lyricism of the band Death Grips (check them out if you haven't already). This album may not be for every Bowie fan due to how experimental it is, but I believe that this is his best album since 1980.



Diiv - Is The Is Are
-This is the second album by the shoegaze/indie rock band Diiv (pronounced like dive). Is The Is Are is the result of a lot of turmoil by lead singer Zachary Cole Smith, and this turmoil results in a lot of emotions that are present throughout the entire album. This album reminds me of thunderstorms for some reason. Not the spooky scary kind though. It's more like the calmer kind that you want to hang out and dance in. It's very dreamy and before you know it, the storm is over and a new different kind of calm takes over. Definitely my favorite album of the year so far. LISTEN TO THIS IF YOU LIKE WEATHER STORMS!!!!!!!!



Kendrick Lamar - untitled unmastered
-Kendrick Lamar is on a whole 'nother level. His leftover songs are better than most people's none leftover songs. King Kendrick decided to let a 5 year old produce part of one of his songs, and it's one of the best parts of the album. We are not worthy.

Margo Price - Midwest Farmer's Daughter
-This is a country album that is about overcoming challenges and trying to make a good enough album so that you can make money and buy your dad his farm back. Margo honed her skills in Honky Tonks all across Nashville until Jack White heard her sing, and then he immediately signed her to his label. Margo Price does a fantastic job of putting you into her world. This album is the bees knees and it totally isn't just for country fans. It's for music fans. Definitely a standout singer, and a fine addition to the current wave of country singers who actually write their own songs (e.g. Jason Isbell, Sturgill Simpson, & Kacey Musgraves)The first song on the album tells you everything you need to know.



Nap Eyes - Thought Rock Fish Scale
-My coworker Alex put it best by saying that this is the best Lou Reed album in years. Very accurate.

Pinegrove - Cardinal
-They sound like a more emo Wilco. Great album about feelings and other stuff. The band describes their music as, "Music for the promotion of introspective partying!" That sounds about right.



Savages - Adore Life
-Savages has made another great revivalist post-punk album. This new album features the same intensity that was on their previous album, and perhaps a little bit more. This album is filled with sweet bass lines that sound real nice on my ear holes. Overall I feel like this album is a little more varied than their debut album.

Sheer Mag - III EP
-Fantastic album that reminds me of the glam rock band T.Rex, but with a harder more punky side and a female singer. Very catchy guitar driven music that is just a ball full of fun. Truly all that and a bag of potato chips. It's only about 14 minutes long, and it's definitely time well spent. Check it out on their bandcamp page. https://sheermag.bandcamp.com/

Honorable Mentions:
-Esperanza Spalding - Emily's D+Evolution
-Julia Brown - An Abundance of Strawberries
-Mothers - When You Walk a Long Distance You Are Tired
-Porches - Pool
-Thao & the Get Down Stay Down - A Man Alive 
-Wild Nothing - Life of Pause

A lot of good music has come out this year. I'm looking forward to a lot more music that is coming out. Thanks for reading. 

Shifty's Favorite Albums of 2015

Shifty's Favorite Albums From The Year 2015!!!! Hey That Was This Year!!!!!! 

This was a great year for music. Probably the best year since 2012. I listened to more than 300 (maybe 400?) albums that came out this year, and I made a list of the 50 that I liked the most. This isn't a list of the best albums that came out this year. This is a list of my favorite albums that came out this year.

My Top 15 Albums of 2015 

1. Ought - Sun Coming Down
2. Viet Cong - Viet Cong
3. Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp a Butterfly
4. Vince Staples - Summertime '06
5. Jimmy Whispers - Summer in Pain
6. Tobias Jesso Jr. - Goon
7. Jamie XX - In Colour
8. Protomartyr - The Agent Intellect
9. Pinkshinyultrablast - Everything Else Matters
10. Deafheaven - New Bermuda
11. Deerhunter- Fading Frontier
12. Lightning Bolt - Fantasy Empire
13. Panda Bear - Panda Bear Meets the Grim Reaper
14. Waxahatchee - Ivy Tripp
15. Majical Cloudz - Are You Alone?

Honorable Mentions (Alphabetical Order)

• Alabama Shakes - Sound & Color
• Arca - Mutant
• A$AP Rocky - At.Long.Last.A$AP
• Baroness - Purple
• Beach House - Depression Cherry
• Beach House - Thank Your Lucky Stars
• Blur - The Magic Whip
• Car Seat Headrest - Teens of Style
• Cloakroom - Further Out
• Courtney Barnett - Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit
• Czarface - Every Hero Needs a Villain
• Death Grips - The Powers That B
• Destroyer - Poison Season
• FKA Twigs - M3LL155X
• Freddie Gibbs - Shadow of a Doubt
• Girlpool - Before the World Was Big
• Grimes - Art Angels
• Hop Along - Painted Shut
• Jason Isbell - Something More Than Free
• Joey Bada$$ - B4.da.$$
• Julio Bashmore - Knockin' Boots
• Krallice - Ygg huur
• Krill - A Distant Fist Unclenching
• Kurt Vile - b'lieve i'm goin down
• Leon Bridges - Coming Home
• METZ - II
• Royal Headache - High
• Sleater Kinney - No Cities to Love
• Speedy Ortiz - Foil Deer
• Sufjan Stevens - Carrie & Lowell
• Sun Kil Moon - Universal Themes
• Tame Impala - Currents
• Titus Andronicus - The Most Lamentable Tragedy
• Tribulation - The Children of the Night
• Unknown Mortal Orchestra - Multi-Love
• The World Is a Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid to Die - Harmlessness

How many of these albums have you listened to? Did you have a favorite album this year?

Shifty's Annual Monthly Album Rundown: Shifty's March Madness-Shifty Forever!!!!!

Wowza this was a good month guys!!!!!!
 A lot of good music came out this month and it made everyone at Von's really happy.
This is a very long list.
#sorrynotsorry

The same rules apply. Good musics (#thingsiliked) get seals of approval. Double good musics (#thingsilikedliked) get two seals of approval. If your album is on this list, you can come in and get a pat on the back. I am 100% serious. This is what a seal of approval looks like. It's very cute and it is probably really good at cuddling. 

#thingsiliked

-Courtney Barnett: Sometimes I Sit and Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit

This album is about this girl who likes chairs. Therefore, she probably likes rocking chairs. Therefore, she probably likes rocking. That's some good detective work right there. Great job team. Actually, she really likes rocking. Like I mean a lot. She just tells stories and they just turn into rock n roll songs. It's some kind of Australian magic or something. 

#sometimesithinkwheniamstanding

-Earl Sweatshirt: I Don't Like Shit, I Don't Go Outside

Earl has been making some sweet sad raps ever since he came back. He did most of the production on this album too. Gather round kids cause Earl's got some shit to say, even though he apparently doesn't like shit.

#whyarepeoplestillwearingfreeearlshirts

-Godspeed You! Black Emperor: Asunder, Sweet and Other Distress

I'm a sucker for post rock. It's hard to believe that this is only their 5th album. I like it when they do that one thing when they make one song last for like two songs. 

#ihavenoideawhatthealbumtitlemeans

-Lightning Bolt: Fantasy Empire
This is about as hardcore as it gets. If you aren't familiar with Lightning Bolt, they kinda sounds like they play their music through a megaphone. It's very very loud. Their drummer is a fan of very frantic and primal drumming. The drummer is also the singer and he wears a mask with a microphone attached so that he can sing whilst he goes hard in the paint when he drums. Very bassy bass. They make about as much noise as two people can possibly make. But it's the good kind of noise, it's not just noise for the sake of noise. Ya boys know what's up.
#hardcoreparkour

-Modest Mouse: Strangers to Ourselves
Modest Mouse came through guys. This album had a lot going against it. It took a long time to make and there were a lot of shenanigans going on (Apparently they were very busy being strangers to themselves???), but the important thing is that they made a good album. It's got some real sweet tunes on it.
#hopefullythenextalbumtakeslessthan8yearstomake

-Pile: You're Better Than This
Pile makes some wild ass music. These dudes are getting really good at making music that is like the soundtrack to a panic attack. They made an nice instrumental song called "Fuck the Police", and it's really lovely. Besides laying down lovely NWA homages they like to make weird guitar noises and take short walks on the beach. Their songs make some people uncomfortable, and their singer makes me uncomfortable for different reasons.
#spoileralerts #heisababe #googleit

-The Soft Moon: Deeper
If Trent Reznor and Depeche Mode had a baby, it would probably sound like this. Apparently the songs on this make people want to groove or something. Kids these days will groove to anything. He even throws in some ambient stuff at the end too just for good measure. Did someone say dark wave revival?
#2spooky4u

#thingsilikedliked

-Death Grips: The Powers That B
This is raw as shit. They threw in some guitar and some Bjork mouth noises. The second half of the double album is a lot more interesting to me. The vocals are back to being aggressively aggressive. Everything is kinda all over the place, and it's beautiful. Hopefully we hear some more tunes from them in some form, cause this album made a lot of kids on the internet very happy. Death Grips 2.0? Yes please!!!!!!
#yourgrandmalovesdeathgripscauseitmakesherreallynoided

-Jimmy Whispers: Summer in Pain
Jimmy Whispers is all about honesty. He makes some of the most honest and earnest music that I've heard in a while. The only thing that matters in music is honesty. He only records his music on his phone and that's about as lofi as it gets. He writes about real things that he truly cares about. He sings about apocalyptic love sickness and how he thinks the fucking kids outside are all idiots. I mean who doesn't care about those things right? He's definitely the best bedroom popper popper in the tri-state area.
#youcancrytothis

-Kendrick Lamar: To Pimp a Butterfly 
This is a great album. I still like Good Kid Maad City better, but that doesn't take anything away from To Pimp a Butterfly. Kendrick really put a lot more thought into this album than most people put into most things. I really hope he does more poetry in the future. The buildup to the poem on the last track is just phenomenal and Kendrick is just on another level. Speaking of that last track, "Mortal Man" is one of the most bizarre songs that I have ever heard. This album has a great message, and people are still gonna be talking about it years from now. There's really not much left to say cause everyone else already said it. Great Job Kendrick!!!
#lol@greatamericanhiphopalbum

This is a song from that Pile album



This is a song from that Death Grips album.

This took forever to write. Thanks for reading.  :)