A Childish Gambino story from Camp

This is on a bus back from camp. I’m thirteen and so are you. Before I left for camp I imagined it would be me and three or four other dudes I hadn’t met yet, running around all summer, getting into trouble. It turned out it would be me and just one girl. That’s you. And we’re still at camp as long as we’re on the bus and not at the pickup point where our parents would be waiting for us. We’re still wearing our orange camp t-shirts. We still smell like pineneedles. I like you and you like me and I more-than-like you, but I don’t know if you do or don’t more-than-like me. You’ve never said, so I haven’t been saying anything all summer, content to enjoy the small miracle of a girl choosing to talk to me and choosing to do so again the next day and so on. A girl who’s smart and funny and who, if I say something dumb for a laugh, is willing to say something two or three times as dumb to make me laugh, but who also gets weird and wise sometimes in a way I could never be. A girl who reads books that no one’s assigned to her, whose curly brown hair has a line running through it from where she put a tie to hold it up while it was still wet.

Back in the real world we don’t go to the same school, and unless one of our families moves to a dramatically different neighborhood, we won’t go to the same high school. So, this is kind of it for us. Unless I say something. And it might especially be it for us if I actually do say something. The sun’s gone down and the bus is quiet. A lot of kids are asleep. We’re talking in whispers about a tree we saw at a rest stop that looks like a kid we know. And then I’m like, “Can I tell you something?” And all of a sudden I’m telling you. And I keep telling you and it all comes out of me and it keeps coming and your face is there and gone and there and gone as we pass underneath the orange lamps that line the sides of the highway. And there’s no expression on it. And I think just after a point I’m just talking to lengthen the time where we live in a world where you haven’t said “yes” or “no” yet. And regrettably I end up using the word “destiny.” I don’t remember in what context. Doesn’t matter. Before long I’m out of stuff to say and you smile and say, “okay.” I don’t know exactly what you mean by it, but it seems vaguely positive and I would leave in order not to spoil the moment, but there’s nowhere to go because we’re are on a bus. So I pretend like I’m asleep and before long, I really am.

I wake up, the bus isn’t moving anymore. The domed lights that line the center aisle are all on. I turn and you’re not there. Then again a lot of kids aren’t in their seats anymore. We’re parked at the pick-up point, which is in the parking lot of a Methodist church. The bus is half empty. You might be in your dad’s car by now, your bags and things piled high in the trunk. The girls in the back of the bus are shrieking and laughing and taking their sweet time disembarking as I swing my legs out into the aisle to get up off the bus, just as one of them reaches my row. It used to be our row, on our way off. It’s Michelle, a girl who got suspended from third grade for a week after throwing rocks at my head. Adolescence is doing her a ton of favors body-wise. She stops and looks down at me. And her head is blasted from behind by the dome light, so I can’t really see her face, but I can see her smile. And she says one word: “destiny.” Then her and the girls clogging the aisles behind her all laugh and then she turns and leads them off the bus. I didn’t know you were friends with them.

I find my dad in the parking lot. He drives me back to our house and camp is over. So is summer, even though there’s two weeks until school starts. This isn’t a story about how girls are evil or how love is bad, this is a story about how I learned something and I’m not saying this thing is true or not, I’m just saying it’s what I learned. I told you something. It was just for you and you told everybody. So I learned cut out the middle man, make it all for everybody, always. Everybody can’t turn around and tell everybody, everybody already knows, I told them. But this means there isn’t a place in my life for you or someone like you. Is it sad? Sure. But it’s a sadness I chose. I wish I could say this was a story about how I got on the bus a boy and got off a man more cynical, hardened, and mature and shit. But that’s not true. The truth is I got on the bus a boy. And I never got off the bus. I still haven’t.

Childish Gambino - Camp

If you're not listening to Childish Gambino's 'Camp'... You should be.

Donald Glover, actor...
Aka Donald Glover, Emmy Award winning writer...
Aka Donald Glover, YouTube sensation...
Aka @donaldglover...
Aka Childish Gambino, Rapper.

If you haven't even heard of this cat, you will very soon. Talent flows through his veins, in EVERYTHING he does. As Childish Gambino, Donald Glover offers original beats, produced by him, and intellectual rhymes combine to bring us 'Camp'.

It's hard to find words to describe the lyrics that flow out of the mouth of Childish Gambino. Intense hip hop, a R&B sound and even some gospel hymns, 'Camp' touches it all. While listening to such tracks as 'Firefly' and 'Les' you could close your eyes and be transported back to the late eighties. But then you're brought back to the synthed beats of 'All The Shine' and 'Backpackers'. If you have a pair of Dr Dre Beats, any Bose headphones or if you're lucky enough to have a pair of CES headphones, listen to 'Heartbeat', 'Sunrise' or 'You See Me'. *MIND BLOWN*

Sitting with an odd Metacritic score of 67/100, but receiving multiple 9/10 reviews from other reviews including AbsolutePunk.

Seriously... You should be listening to 'Camp' by Childish Gambino... Right now. And then go watch Community on NBC. Don't let that show get cancelled.

The Black Keys - Brothers

Very rare is there an album released that is damn near perfection from start to end. Brothers by The Black Keys offers this damn near perfection with a garage-rock blues twang that is sex to your ears.

Tracks to check out:
Ten Cent Pistol
She's Long Gone
Sinister Kid

Singles:
Tighten Up
Howlin' For You
Next Girl

Rocking an 82/100 on Metacritic.

Danko Jones - This Is Dank Jones

This isn't just a plug for this best of album but a huge shout out for this amazing band. When I think of ROCK, Danko Jones comes to mind. Incredible riffs, fist pumping sounds and bad ass lyrics accompany every single song! If you're a rock fan, give any Danko Jones song a listen and you will become an instant fan. Go out and do it now!

Thrice - Major/Minor

If you're not listening to Thrice's newest album 'Major/Minor'... You should be.

Thrice is a band that has evolved exponentially in 13 years, and at the same time has stayed the same. Evident mostly in their 4 EP release titled 'The Alchemy Index'. They expanded their genre from alt rock to electronica, folk and even country. Their next album, 'Beggars', my personal favorite album, was a taste of everything from Thrice. The hard rock, acoustic sound, electronic vibe and the folk twang. 'Beggars' was, to me, a review album that Thrice put out to say to everyone, this is where we have come from, this is what we have done and this is where we are. Thrice have covered more genres, ideas and themes in 10 years, than most bands have manage at all.

'Major/Minor' is what I would call a "back to roots" album, in the sense that the sound it offers is reminiscent of their earlier albums. In an interview with MusicFashionMagazine, Dustin Kensrue (lead vocalist) stated that the band might be "bringing back some more mathy elements" and drawing from their heavier influences, such as Botch. As I am a fan of what the band had matured to but also as a big fan of their earlier work, I was excited and afraid to hear this new album. I sat down, put on my beats headphones, and gave 'Major/Minor' a listen. It's strong, passion filled and is truly a triumph.

If you are not _________... You should be _________!

I like to think I have good taste in things. Be it movies, tv shows or music, I like good things. (Or do I've been told.)

If I see a good movie, I'll tell you why you should go see it. If I pick up an album, I'll tell you why you should give it a listen. A tv show that you should be watching, I'll tell you why. If you say to me "Ritchie! Have you seen/heard _________? NO? You should. It's great!!!" I'll check it out. And if others should see it, I'll let them know why. If you were wrong when you said it was great, I'll let everyone know my thoughts. Cool? Cool. COOL!

If you're not watching _________, you should be watching _________!

If you're not listening to _________, you should be listening to _________.