Mixtape Monday: November 21, 2016

Another Monday has arrived, and with it comes some legit fall weather.  Warm up with some fresh Denton tunes, ranging from rap and hip hop to acoustic tunes to electronic jams. (We're really digging the variety of work that's come from our little area in the last couple of weeks!)

No. 7 - William Austin Clay
“No. 7” cheerfully urges us to vote, and although November 8th has already come and gone, William Austin Clay’s message is still an important one. Clay’s album 22 Etudes For Keyboard, Voice and Multi-Track is an incredible project as a whole—citing influences like Blanche Blanche Blanche and Joey Pizza Slice, Clay wrote and recorded the entire album for synth keyboard. The album was just released on the 15th and you can check the whole thing out on Bandcamp.

Water ft. Chisom - Keegan Johnson
“Water” is a beautifully chill track that’s just as groovy as it is calm. Johnson’s clear vocals mesh perfectly with the song’s catchy bassline. The artist has plans to release a single from his upcoming LP later this week; keep an eye on his SoundCloud for new developments.

Djembe ft. Christopher Rodriguez-Chen - Kent Rousseau
This track features jazzy piano, a sax line that’s one hell of an earworm, and—yes—plenty of djembe, a kind of African hand drum. Rousseau’s vocals float above the music in a specific quest: to “Sort my disarray / A goner / For honor / I try to find esperanza.”

got sum questions - Madeline Crisman
“got sum questions” is a dreamy, sleepy track of beautiful simplicity: it’s Crisman, a guitar, and a quiet keyboard melody that floats behind the two. The song sounds like a note-to-self to figure some things out in the morning: “Smoke too many cigarettes / Wake up always regretting it,” Crisman sings. No matter the issues at play, this is a lovely tune to end a day.