Good for Mayer Hawthorne.The guy pays his dues for a decade in Ann Arbor anonymity, DJ’ing for Buff 1, under the ill-sculpted name Haircut, and generally living a life of underground indigence. Then one day, Peanut Butter Wolf discovers he has a golden throated falsetto and convinces him to record an album steeped in classic 60s soul a la Daptone. The next thing you know, he is Snoop Dogg’s favorite white boy and he is cavorting in idyllic California sunshine with the hottest girls in Silverlake. Granted, they may be from Echo Park, but I’m fairly certain I’ve seen at least one or two of those girls at the Cha Cha–before I was permanently barred for lacking a proper mustache.
If you’re anything like me, the whole lily-white retro-soul thing seemed like schtick at first, but the further A Strange Arrangement gets from its initial novelty, the better it sounds. There are songs there. Good ones. Maybe they pull from obvious influences, but no more so than Dum Dum Girls, Freddie Gibbs, or nearly every other other critical darling of 2010. There’s something endearing about what Hawthorne’s doing. Amiable, goofy and without any pretense or self-seriousness. And yes, having a video like this doesn’t hurt — it’s like the hipster “Ice Cream” or maybe its “Baby Got Back.” Four years later, my theory remains valid: we are living in Sir Mix-A-Lot’s world.
More Mayer videos below the jump and random MP3′s amassed during his stellar recent run.
Download:
MP3: Mayer Hawthorne-”Held the Hand” (Daniel Johnston Cover)
MP3: Mayer Hawthorne-”Thin Moon” (James Pants Cover)
MP3: Snoop Dogg-”Gangsta Luv” (Mayer Hawthorne G-Mix”)
MP3: Mayer Hawthorne-”Just Ain’t Gonna’ Work Out”
MP3: Mayer Hawthorne-”Maybe So, Maybe No”
7 comments
Matt Shea says:
July 20, 2010 at 6:17 pm (UTC -7)
“the further A Strange Arrangement gets from its initial novelty, the better it sounds”
The exact same thing happened to me. When I first heard the LP I cynically labeled it as being a bit cynical, but about four months later I’d started wishing I was Mayer Hawthorne. From the album cover right through to these vids (Maybe So Maybe No in particular), he gets everything absolutely spot-on.
hl says:
July 20, 2010 at 6:31 pm (UTC -7)
“Good for Mayer Hawthorne.The guy pays his dues for a decade in Ann Arbor…”
Does he have any other releases besides “A Strange Arrangement” to your knowledge. I wasn’t aware he’s been around for so long.
Matt Shea says:
July 20, 2010 at 7:12 pm (UTC -7)
I’m pretty sure he is/was a member of Athletic Mic League, but don’t quote me on that…
hl says:
July 20, 2010 at 7:34 pm (UTC -7)
I thought Athletics Mic League were rappers? Mayer Hawthorne raps? I did see a video of him digging through crates a while ago…
Passion of the Weiss says:
July 20, 2010 at 7:47 pm (UTC -7)
He was the DJ.
Matt Shea says:
July 20, 2010 at 7:47 pm (UTC -7)
Yeah, I always assumed he was their DJ/producer.
Zilla Rocca says:
July 20, 2010 at 8:21 pm (UTC -7)
He was also an MC in the group Now On. Check his label/management company A-Side Worldwide for all his past releases.