Ken's Top 10 of 2015 - #5 - Colleen Green - I Want to Grow Up

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For her 2015 album, I Want to Grow Up, Colleen Green lost some of the lo-fi noise of her previous recordings and went for a more full, produced sound. That can sometimes be the signs of a disaster, and after the first listen, I was a little bit disappointed. A few months later, I stumbled across the title track "I Want to Grow Up," immediately loved it, and was shocked to rediscover it was Colleen Green. Sometimes you need to listen to a song blindly without the artist's back catalog to realize how great it is.

 I Want to Grow Up mixes 90s noise with 60s doo wop quite a bit, kind of like a smoother version of Jemina Pearl's solo work. The song "I Want to Grow Up" starts off faurly quietly, and then evolves into the greatest power pop noisy rocker recorded in the past 20 years with an honest to goodness guitar solo. The title of the album is also a recurring theme throughout, with most songs about self improvement and leaving your bad habits aside. The song "Things That Are Bad for Me" is broken up into two parts. It also contains the greatest ode to TV ever recorded, "TV." My inner 12 year old relates to that song far more than I would care to admit.

 You can stream I Want to Grow Up below via Spotify.

On Repeat...

Liam Kazar - "Shoes Too Tight"

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Photo by Alexa Viscius This may be Liam Kazar's debut single, but the Chicago based musician already has an impressive resume, having worked with Jeff Tweedy, Chance the Rapper, Steve Gunn, Daniel Johnston, and others. "Shoes Too Tight" features childhood friend Spencer Tweedy on drums, Lane Beckstrom on bass, and Ohmme on vocals. It's an absurdly fun and groovy little song that is a party waiting to happen. What he gives us here is a timeless song that could truly have been released any time since the 1960's (ok... maybe not the 80's...) There are elements of classic rock, 60's crooners and R&B, indie rock, modern Americana... it's really just packed with everything in a cohesive song that maintains the vibe the entire way through. You can watch the video for "Shoes Too Tight" below. For more on Liam Kazar, check him out on Instagram and Twitter . He's also raising money on his Bandcamp for Constellation and The Hungry Brain. ...
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Dutch ReBelle - "GOONIEZ"

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How is Dutch ReBelle not a national superstar at this point? The Boston MC just released "GOONIEZ," and I know I'm a bit out of touch with current mainstream hip hop, but this song is absolutely killer. It's a stripped down hip hop song that has this futuristic space age sound to it. Plus, ReBelle's flow is unsurpassed. You can't listen to her and not be completely sucked in. The song has a feel reminiscent of classic Missy Elliott. As much as I love that we can still see Dutch ReBelle in smaller Boston venues, "GOONIEZ" proves she should be playing much larger venues nationwide very, very soon. You can watch the video for "GOONIEZ" below. For more on Dutch ReBelle, check out the artist's website . 
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The Freqs - "Witch"

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Photo via Facebook When you're a rock band from Salem, MA, you have to have at least one song about witchcraft. The Freqs have fulfilled their obligation with a banger of a song. "Witch" is this giant monster of a song, filled with fuzz and strained, screaming vocals. This is the type of song that doesn't usually exist in this century. It's giving me some serious 90's flashbacks, like if Hum got aggressive or Alice in Chains decided to do some damage on the college charts. As great as the vocals are in "Witch," what's really drawing me in is the instrumental break down that takes over about halfway through. This is the kind of song to make the hipsters and the headbangers equally excited. You can listen to "Witch" below. For more on The Freqs, check out the band on Facebook and Instagram . The Freqs · Witch
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