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Terrible Music? Check.

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August 21, 2007 in lameness, mashed, rehash and tunes. 12 Comments

So, I received the latest LP, Asleep at Heaven’s Gate, from “current big thing” band (as per Elbo.ws popularity charts) Rogue Wave the other day, fully alongside an intention to write something about it. I’ve listened to it twice now, purely out of devotion to the cause… but, seriously. All I can say is that it sucks. Big time.

This isn’t meant as an attack on our fellow bloggers or the population at large… but seriously - Rogue Wave = Futureheads + Coldplay doing a half-hearted Shins interpretation. Which, to me, is not an interesting combination. So, screw it.

But, now that we are on a bad music kick… Let’s move onto something that one of my professors just exposed me to that is, arguably, just as horrible.

Here is the background: the professor in question is a Dylan fanatic. Such that, a group of us all went over to his place the other night for a night of drinking and visiting each of Bob’s albums in chronological order (needless to say, we only got to the early ’70s by the end of the night). He downloads live shows (in flac) and is constantly reading & discussing everything that is Dylan.

So, this morning, he comes into my work asking if I know Dylan’s “Most Likely You Go Your Way (And I’ll Go Mine)” and, of course, I said that I did. He followed this with a reference to a remix by a man named Mark Ronson, which is making a stir in the Dylan community because, I guess, Bob doesn’t really allow remixes. But! Mr. Ronson declared that his remix is, at very least, on-par with the original and so, somehow, it has seen the light of day.

Now, I like remixes. I like mash-ups. DJ BC’s Wu-Orleans is still on near-constant rotation around here. But there is just something about this remix that bothers me. The horns sound canned, that screeching noise is just annoying and the most interesting aspect of the song remains Dylan’s voice. The remix adds nothing to the original. I can see the song being played at a club to half-smirks for it’s novelty… but, as compared to the 1966 version, Mark’s better off not pillaging Bob’s library.

the proof is in the sample:
Bob Dylan - Most Likely You Go Your Way (And I’ll Go Mine).
Mark Ronson’s Remix - Most Likely You Go Your Way (And I’ll Go Mine).

Building with Blockhead.

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matt.

July 31, 2007 in breakbeat, loungers, bang bang, space age bachelor pad, bassbass, indie, blip bloop, fuzz, hippity-hop, mashed and tunes. 0 Comments

Blockhead might not yet be very commonly known but, in the realms of hip-hop production, he is ace in my books. With a few solo LPs in the bag, Blockhead is also infamous for producing some of Aesop Rock’s best tracks, working alongside people like Cage, Slug & Murs as well as contributing to the hip-hop comedy troupe, the Party Fun Action Committee. Add to this list the forthcoming (and awesomely named) Uncle Tony’s Coloring Book LP, and it definitely becomes hard to say that the dude keeps to himself.

Uncle Tony’s Coloring Book is next level shit. Not only does it have some of Blockhead’s most interesting beats but they are mashed up with all sorts of funky samples (the mandolin on “Grape Nuts and Chalk Sauce”, for instance, or the reverberating guitar on “Duke of Hazard”) that transform “another beats record” into “holy old school batman, another BEATS RECORD!”

And, as you dig further… it just keeps getting better. “Squirmy Worm” switches between a rubbery didgeridoo beat, soft chanting, reversed electronic noises and smooth saxophone… all by the half-way point. The juxtaposition is not only ridiculously innovative but downright awesome. Other tracks, such as the album opener “Coloring Book”, sample from old spanish guitar records, finally bridging the gap between Esquivel & hip-hop. It is impeccable.

Fast forward to track 6 & watch as Blockhead shifts gears, locking into a late 70’s/early 80’s electro-funk groove on “Put Down Your Dream Journal and Dance”. And, just as soon as you start wishing for it to never end, “The Hucklebuck Slice” comes out of nowhere, feeling like a lost 007 take, with horns, stand-up bass & xylophones. And so the album continues, dropping references so fast that you might just want to throw up your hands in exasperation. I’d liken the experience to Controller7, if the Controller was more able to be more focused & maintain that focus for 58 minutes worth of beats. Blockhead definitely gives you the most bang for yer buck.

But, for real - this is one of the best beats albums I have heard in ages. Maybe I’m just a sucker for Blockhead’s retro leanings but I come out of every track on the album feeling sucker punched. You’ll definitely want to cop this one come August.

block rockin’ beats always come first:
Blockhead - Coloring Book.
Blockhead - Squirmy Worm.

Uncle Tony’s Coloring Book will be released August 14th from the surreal & respectable Ninja Tune Records & can be preordered from undergroundhiphop.com. Til then, visit Blockhead’s official site (I spent way too much time playing with the drums on his header) & myspace.

A Day at the Office, Part Three (M.I.A.).

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matt.

July 30, 2007 in bassbass, bang bang, classy ladies, mashed, grime-love, worldly and tunes. 2 Comments

Post-lunch & M.I.A.’s latest, Kala, hits my speakers with a metallic beat, the sound of zooming cars and M.I.A. crooning about “going 100 miles per hour… with your radio on” & I’m sold. The track is “Bamboo Banga” and, as far as I’m concerned, this brief first minute should mark M.I.A.’s return to the spotlight.

As the track continues, her vocals get layered, the beat intensifies, and siren-esque vocal samples begin to punctuate each lyric. The source of the beat is hinted at around the 3:40 mark, where the breakdown reveals it as a traditional sounding Indian song… before pumping back up the bass & bringin’ it all back home. On par with Oh No’s and Madlib’s latest outings, M.I.A. continues to choose beats whose impressiveness is only contested by their unconventionality.

Other highlights include the remix collaboration with the Wilcannia Mob on “Mango Pickle Down River”, a group of Aboriginal boys rapping over top a didgeridoo beat & scratching. Or what about hand drums on “The Turn”? Or the sweet Bollywood melodies of “Jimmy”? The album is seriously back-to-back world infused hits.

By the end of the album, M.I.A. is, literally, soaring. “Paper Planes” starts off with a rising shoegaze beat. It unselfconsciously references “Hit That”, a track whose omission from Kala is probably one of the only missteps of the album, with “all I wanna do” but instead of completing the phrase… cuts to the sound of three gunshots. What was once the most banging track of May is now, literally, the most banging track on the album. Tongue-in-cheek & ballsy, for sure.

The last track on the album, “Come Around”, will probably get the most peripheral attention due to the presence of the revered Timbaland. The duo trade verses over a simple tambourine & piano beat and, seriously, there isn’t anything wrong with the track… but it is certainly the most conventional sounding song on the record. But, when your record is as varied as Kala is… That ain’t nothing to worry about. This shit is B-A-N-A-N-A-S.

~~M.I.A. - Bamboo Banga.~~ (removed by request)
~~M.I.A. - Hussel (ft. Afrikan Boy).~~ (removed by request)

KALA is droppin’ August 21st from XL Recordings. While you wait, check out M.I.A.’s myspace - but beware. Sunglasses might be required.

A Day at the Office, Part Two (the Go! Team).

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matt.

July 30, 2007 in bassbass, mashed, lo-fi, funk, 80s, summertime, gleeful, jangle-pop, fuzz, horns, hippity-hop and tunes. 1 Comment

So, the coffee is starting to wear off. The drowsiness I’ve been valiantly fending off starts taking cheap shots. The ambiance of the Green EP starts to wear thin. I need to wake up, & with godspeed, dammit.

Luckily, for my mood, my work & my inner critic, I brought the new Go! Team LP, Proof of Youth, with me for just this circumstance. It is, in all seriousness, auditory caffeine.

The album jump-starts with the track that got us ridiculously excited back in June, “Grip Like a Vice”, with its awesome 80’s raps layered over badass bass, cheesy synths, sirens, hand claps & - I’m sure - skipping ropes. It is an explosion of summer fun.

And so, we waited with baited breath… Could the full-length carry this vibe over an extended period of time? Would it even be possible to maintain such momentum - especially when one considers the fact that Proof of Youth opens with “Grip Like a Vice”?

I am happy to report that, yes. The entire album is winning-free-candy style awesome. Hell, just look at these guest spots: we got friggin’ CHUCK D on “Flashlight Fight”, the Rapper’s Delight Club, Bonde do Role’s Marina Ribatski and, no joke, the Double Dutch Divas. Even the track listing epitomizes the party in party album.

The album jumps between fuzzed out, over-excited hip-hop dance parties to more down-tempo, Charlie Brown style meanderings… which, while the later may sound a bit boring in comparison, serve as perfect interludes, bringing together the album like a simple bread during a wine sampling.

It saddens me that I cannot share with you anything more than my excitement about this album, as the band’s label has requested that we not post any mp3s from the record. That being said, you can find some samples over at the band’s myspace page.

The album hits store in September via Sub Pop. You can get updates from the band’s official site ‘cuz this party ain’t restricted to no block.

Kano’s Return.

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matt.

July 25, 2007 in bassbass, bang bang, mashed, hippity-hop, blip bloop, grime-love and tunes. 0 Comments

Grime is still a burgeoning genre and, if releases like Kano’s upcoming London Town are any indication, the possibilities for mutation are endless. For real, while Kano’s latest begins by featuring the double time rapping typical of the genre, as the album progresses, the style diverges - into soul, r&b, 80’s cheese…

And, see, this is where my opinion of the album gets awkward. I love Kano’s flow, I love his words and this is more than apparent on the more traditional grime tracks. But, when he starts pulling out the guest spots (of which there are many), the tracks begin to lose focus. For example, Kano brings out English R&B singer Craig David on “This is the Girl”, a track which already suffers from unbelievably bad 80’s synth noises. When Craig shows up, it is easily comparable to some New Kids on the Block type shit. It is almost embarrassing. And the same could be said about the piano ballad, “Sleep Tight”.

Fortunately, there are more hits (and of those, a few completely untouchables) than misses on the release. The Clash citin’ “Fightin’ the Nation”, “Feel Free” (featuring lalalas courtesy of Damon Albarn), “Buss it Up”, the title track… The majority of the album is bangin’. Even the Lily Allen mimicking Kate Nash’s appearance on “Me & My Microphone” is welcome.

So, while London Town has some missteps… it comes out a contender. Kano is still young (remember, the kid is barely 22 years old) and, if the focus of his style and the majority of the LP is any indication, we can depend on quality from him for years to come.

This is London Town…
01. The Production of My Environment
02. London Town
03. Buss It Up (ft. Vybz Kartel)
04. Bad Boy
05. Fightin’ The Nation (ft. Leo the Lion)
06. Feel Free (ft. Damon Albarn)
07. Sleep Tight
08. This Is The Girl (ft. Craig David)
09. Me & My Microphone (ft. Kate Nash)
10. Over & Over
11. This Is My Life

and this is how London Town rolls:
Kano - Buss It Up.
Kano - Fightin’ the Nation.
Kano - Feel Free.

London Town drops early September from 679 Recordings. In the meantime, feel free to check Kano’s official site and his myspace.

Oh No’s Education.

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matt.

July 13, 2007 in psych-freakout, mashed, bassbass, hippity-hop, stones throw, worldly, fuzz and tunes. 0 Comments

There is a longstanding debate in psychology about whether certain behaviours are due to nature, (genetic causes) or nurture (that is, life experiences we encounter that might mold our future actions). Now, class, case-study: the younger brother of an internationally renowned beat juggler puts out an instrumental hip-hop album, which, like his kin’s releases, sample from all sorts of obscure sources. Overall, I don’t know if we can say that the brothers Jackson - Otis Jr. & Michael, more commonly known as Madlib and Oh No, respectively - are genetically-coded to search out & spin beats, but damn… if they don’t make a compelling argument.

Long-winded introductions aside, Oh No’s latest release (for those keeping count, it is his third), Dr. No’s Oxperiment, is his most eclectic yet. Like the last Madlib release, which found the Konducta sampling inspiration from India, Oh No also travels abroad, describing the mix as “an audio tour of Turkish, Lebanese, Greek, and Italian psyche funk”. It must run in the family.

And, in practice, it definitely works, sounding, at times, like a soundtrack to a James Bond film (which I am sure, judging based on the name of the album, is intentional) that happens to take place in the Middle East. It is some classy shit that reminds me, again, of the last Konducta release but heavier on the psychedelic rock sound. So, kind of like a hip-hop reinterpretation of Floyd’s More. It is a definite Tunes Consumed recommendation.

beats international:
Oh No - Higher.
Oh No - Bouncers.
Oh No - My Luck.

Dr. No’s Oxperiment drops July 31st via our favourite Stones Throw Records.

What To Do While Frequenting Widow City.

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matt.

July 12, 2007 in mashed, classy ladies, house-special, gleeful, fuzz, blip bloop, 'real' indie 'rock' and tunes. 0 Comments

Welcome to Widow City. We hope you enjoy your stay.

The Fiery Furnaces are not your typical band. More progressive than most prog-rock bands, the brother & sister duo of Matthew and Eleanor Friedberger seem to push the envelope in any & all directions possible, whenever possible. Perhaps mostly fueled by Matthew’s love for the Who, they live for the concept album; whose result either fuels all-encompassing love from their audience or flat-out loathing. With this band, there isn’t much of a middle ground.

At the moment, the band is readying their sixth album, Widow City; which is an hour long jumble that is both an awesomely random sonic mélange but accessible enough that it could, conceivably, be a mainstream success for the band. In any case, it will definitely beckon anyone who had previously fallen in love with the band, circa-Blueberry Boat, back to the fold. So, yes… that means say good-bye to the somewhat alienating “hard” vocals of the Friedberger’s grandmother & the frequent lyrics “backmasking” on Bitter Tea. As such, it is sort of an extension of the band’s previous work but, if one was to call Widow City derivative, I would be forced to disagree.

As per usual with the band, each song could really be described as being multiple songs. It is practically impossible to describe exactly what is going on in any given track or where it might lead. In general, the album feels more like a throwback to early classic rock than previous Furnace’s releases - featuring tons of fairly heavy guitar solos, distortion and… piano.

This album is not an easy one to write about or decipher. There is so much going on that to concentrate on one or two aspects would be missing the totality of the release. It is monumental - both as an accomplishment in the band’s repertoire & as a watermark for just how far two people can push the boundary’s of typical indie rock. This is Widow City… and you better like it.

don’t lean on me man:
The Fiery Furnaces - The Philadelphia Grand Jury.
The Fiery Furnaces - Navy Nurse.

The Fiery Furnaces’ home is currently under construction. However, you can get more information regarding Widow City through Thrill Jockey Records. There is an especially important, if not altogether confusing & humorous, press release up over there, too. The album won’t hit store shelves til October 9th… so, in the meantime, start savin’ those pennies. There isn’t much of a reason to not support this.

Confusion & Bemusement.

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matt.

July 9, 2007 in mashed, live, gleeful, worldly and videos. 2 Comments

Yeah yeah. Y’all know about Live Earth. Tons of bands, all over the world, playing huge concerts, fightin’ global warming and all that. Now, I haven’t really been paying attention to the press surrounding the event but I just stumbled upon this clip which makes me think that perhaps I should.

What we got here is a duet between Madonna and our favourite gypsy-punks Gogol Bordello, covering the usually pretty lame “La Isla Bonita”. And, damn, if I ain’t at least bemused with the results.

highly what-the-fuck gypsy + madonna dance-party:

So Crispy!

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matt.

June 27, 2007 in mashed, summertime and hippity-hop. 0 Comments

I fear that if I get in the groove of posting every time The Hood Internet does something awesome, I’m gonna be posting about them on a near daily basis. And, it is irrefutable that I didn’t hold since the Gift from The Hood Internet mix-tape. I held on Does It Offend You, Yeah? vs. Yo Majesty and Yung Holliwood. I held on DJ Khaled vs. the Junior Boys, Rihanna vs. M83 and Amerie vs. Daft Punk. Hell, I even held on Common vs. Bloc Party and UGK vs. Tv on the Radio.

But! Monday’s post from the Hood is just too irresistible to ignore.

We got the ever bizarre Man Man providin’ the beats, with Kia Shine’s Krispy layered on top. Needless to say, it is frigging sweet.

Everyone’s a winner in this match.

mp3:
Kia Shine vs. Man Man - Krispy Boombox (ABX)

A Gift from The Hood Internet.

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matt.

June 13, 2007 in summertime, mashed, hippity-hop, fuzz, grime-love and tunes. 2 Comments

The Hood Internet, for those not in the know, is a crew who do mash-ups so frigging awesome that they must be heard to be believed. They launched back in March & have been pumping out classic jams on a near daily basis ever since.

Once you’ve heard some of these, you just cannot look back.

And now, in time for the best days of summer, the Hood has released a “best-of” compilation mix-tape for y’all. Mash-ups or no, it is one of the best releases of the year by far. Cyndi Lauper vs. Dizzee, what? The Game layered over Go! Team? Mos Def meets muthafuckin’ Battles?!

It’s all here. And you know you want it.

Check & Salivate, Dawg:
1. Intro
2. The Pack vs Crystal Castles | I’m Shinin’ Like A Crystal
3. Dizzee Rascal vs Cyndi Lauper | Girls Just Wanna Fix Up
4. Rhymefest vs !!! | Put It On My Chk Chk Chk
5. Rick Ross vs CSS | Push It To The Alalimit
6. Birdman & Lil Wayne vs Black Rock | Stuntin’ Like Black Rock
7. Rihanna (feat. Jay-Z) vs Menomena vs M83 | Cyborg Umbrella
8. Trillville (feat. Cutty) vs The Knife | Some Cut Like A Knife
9. Omarion vs Mylo | Drop The Icebox Pressure
10. Tag Team vs LCD Soundystem | Great! There It Is
11. Lloyd vs Feist | My Moon My Shawty
12. Crime Mob (feat. Lil Scrappy) vs The Shins | Rock Yo Sea Legs
13. Swizz Beats vs Deerhoof | It’s E.S.P., Bitches
14. Lil Wayne vs Modest Mouse | Fire It Up, Firemouse
15. Lil Mama vs Marnie Stern | Absorb The Lip Gloss
16. Mos Def vs Battles | B-Boy Battles
17. The Game (feat. Kanye West) vs The Go! Team | Wouldn’t Grip Far
18. Snoop Dogg (feat. R. Kelly) vs Architecture In Helsinki | That’s That Whirlwind
19. T.I. vs Fujiya & Miyagi | What You Know About Transparent Things
20. TLC vs Led Zeppelin | All My Scrubs
21. Timbaland (feat. Nelly Furtado, Justin Timberlake) vs Hot Chip | Give It To My Boy From School
22. Destiny’s Child vs Justice | Lose My Waters Of Naza(b)reath
23. Ghostface Killah (feat. Jacki-O) vs Spoon | The Ghostface Of You Lingers
24. Khia vs Dan Deacon | Snatch Da Crystal Cat Back
25. R. Kelly (feat. T-Pain, T.I.) vs Broken Social Scene | I’m A Flirt (Shoreline)
26. UNK vs LCD Soundsystem | North America Walk It Out (UNK Soundsystem)
27. Outro