Antwon

Best in Sound 2012

Witness-This-BIS-2012-Header

words Lindsay Colip ▼ artwork Luke VanVoorhis

“I love to fly. It’s just you alone. You’ve peace and quiet. Nothing around you but clear blue sky. No one to hassle you. No one to tell you where to go or what to do. The only bad part about flying is having to come back down to the fucking world.”
-Rat, Streetwise (1984)

Listening to good music is like flying. In our headphones we can experience magic. Lyrics, beats, melodies….the right combination of elements can stoke our fire, provoke our hearts, rip us apart and sew us carefully back together all at the same time. We can get behind the above statement on most counts, however the last sentence doesn’t ring true. Coming back down to the world is actually the best part about flying. Why? Because we love sharing what we’ve learned. Maybe we’ve felt the same. Maybe we haven’t but we’re curious. Maybe we have something that you’ve been missing. Maybe we can change the course of your life with a single lyric. It is with this sentiment that we present to you our 2nd annual Best In Sound.

Witness-This-BIS-Luke

songs:
1. Black Marble – “A Great Design”
2. Balue – “West Coast Bros”
3. New Build – “Schism of the Mind”
4. A$AP Rocky – “F__kin’ Problems feat. Drake, 2 Chainz & Kendrick Lamar”
5. Pacific Air (formerly KO KO) – “So Strange”
6. Juicy J – “Bands A Make Her Dance”
7. Lower Dens – “Brains”
8. Kendrick Lamar – “Swimming Pools”
9. Tanlines – “Brothers”
10. Weekends – “Roommate”

albums
1. DIIV – Oshin
2. BrothertigerGolden Years
3. Wild NothingNocturne
4. Beach House – Bloom
5. AntwonFantasy Beds Mixtape

shows:
1. Twin Shadow – Casbah
2. Slow Magic – Central SAPC Santa Monica
3. Gardens & Villa – Casbah

Witness-This-BIS-Nissa

songs
1. Alt-J – “Something Good”
2. Sebo & Madmotormiquel – “Boys Boys (Original Mix)”
3. Lord Huron – “The Ghost on the Shore”
4. Rhye – “The Fall”
5. Pacific Air (formerly KO KO) - “Float”
6. Nicolas Jaar – “And I Say (ft. Scout LaRue and Will Epstein)”
7. Ghosts – “On An On”
8. Theme Park – “Wax”
9. Grimes – “Oblivion”
10. Pollyester – “Voices”

albums
1. Alt-J - An Awesome Way
2. Polica - Give You The Ghost
3. Lord Huron - Lonesome Dreams
4. The Tallest Man On Earth – There’s No Leaving Now
5. Nicolas Jaar - Essential Mix

shows
1. James Murphy DJ Set – Sasquatch Music Festival
2. Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros – The Malkin Bowl
3. Cat Power – The Vogue

Witness-This-BIS-Lindsay

songs
1. Tanlines – “Brothers”
2. Flight Facilities – “Clair de Lune”
3. Craft Spells – “Burst”
4. Lord Huron – “She Lit A Fire”
5. Frank and Ry Wiedemann – “Howling (Ame Remix)”
6. Pachanga Boys – “Time”
7. Hot Chip – “Flutes”
8. Pat Walter – “Ghost House”
9. Tomas Barfod – “November Skies”
10. Milo Greene – “Don’t You Give Up On Me”

albums
1. Lord Huron - Lonesome Dreams
2. Tallest Man on Earth – There’s No Leaving Now
3. Brothertiger - Golden Years
4. Hot Chip – In Our Heads
5. DIIV – Oshin

shows
1. Other Lives – La Blogotheque Take-Away Show
2. Hot Chip + Passion Pi t- Hollywood Bowl
3. Gary Clark Jr. – Sayers Club

Witness-This-BIS-Freshair

songs
1. Summer Heart – “I Wanna Go”
2. Tanlines – “Brothers”
3. Pat Walter – “Ghost House”
4. Arsenal – “Melvin (Compuphonic Remix)”
5. Lord Huron - “She Lit A Fire”
6. Perseus – “Seychelles”
7. Jean Winner – “Alive & Kicking (Zimmer Remix)”
8.  Flight Facilities – “Clair de Lune”
9. On an On – “Ghosts”
10. Pachanga Boys – “Time”

albums
1. Lord Huron - Lonesome Dreams
2. Brothertiger - Golden Years
3. Tallest Man On Earth – There’s No Leaving Now
4. Summer Heart - About A Feeling
5. Wild Nothing - Nocturne

shows
1. Poolside (dj set) – V Lounge Santa Monica
2. Radiohead – Santa Barbara Bowl
3. Other Lives – La Blogotheque Take-Away Show

Witness-This-BIS-Dersu

songs
1. Father John Misty – “Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings”
2. Lord Huron - “Lonesome Dreams”
3. Summer Heart - “I Wanna Go”
4.  Nico Stojan – “After The Hour”
5. Peer Kusiv – “Let Her Go”
6. Ben Howard – “Burgh Island”
7. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis – “Thrift Shop”
8. Crystal Castles – “Affection”
9. Twin Shadow - “Five Seconds”
10. Brolin – “NYC”

albums
1. Lord Huron - Lonesome Dreams
2. Odesza – Summer’s Gone
3. Summer Heart - About A Feeling
4. DIIV – Oshin
5. Father John Misty – Fear Fun

shows
1. Radiohead – Wuhlheide, Berlin
2. Nico Stojan – Kater holzig, Berlin
3. Bon Iver – Spreckles Theatre

Witness-This-BIS-Reyjay

songs
1. Tame Impala – “Feels Like We Only Go Backwards”
2. Summer Heart - “I Wanna Go”
3. Icky Blossims – “Cycle”
4. Twin Shadow - “Five Seconds”
5. Tibury – “Tenderloin”
6. Housse De Racket – “Roman”
7. Grimes – “Oblivion”
8. Lower Dens – “Brains”
9. Benchwarmers – “Benchwarmers”
10. Moon Duo – “Sleepwalkers”

albums
1. Summer Heart - About a Feeling
2. Tame ImpalaLonerism
3. Housse De Racket – Alesia
4. Tibury - Exorcise
5. Moon Duo – Circles

shows
1. Beats Antique – Belly Up
2. Bridge School Benefit Concert – Shoreline Ampitheatre
3. Delta Spirit – Belly Up


Antwon

Following the wave of rap resurgence led by Los Angeles based OFWGKTA and made coast to coast by A$AP Rocky comes another contender bringing back the raw energy to this genre’s 90′s strength and rescuing rap from how disappointing the past five years have been.  Putting the Bay Area into this same movement is Antwon (Antonio Williams) who hails from San Jose, California.  Using a similar raw talent no BS DIY style rendition of the 90′s mixtape that has been a launch pad for the aforementioned acts of late, Antwon’s Fantasy Beds Mixtape comes strong with his twelve song offering.  As it was released at the end of September of 2011 I don’t know how I slept on this so long considering that I could go for anything Clams Casino, Walsh, Javelin, or Salem.

Finally rap might just be about having fun in the streets again and we’ll finally get away from the 2000-2010 rap formula about cars, bling, name brand alcohol, and general clubness that was born from Puff Daddy and Bad Boy Records.

The latest video for the song Helicopter (prod. by Walsh) was directed by Brandon Tauszik and features spliced footage of the Bay Area from the 1968 American Classic, Bullitt, which starred Steve McQueen.  The song that Antwon raps over is Walsh’s Helicopter Does Not Exist from his September 2010 release Smoke Weed About It.