I know a lot of you love using Last.fm to find music similar to your tastes, or impressing that girl you like with over 9000 track scrobbles count. Just want to advise that all of you listening to leaked albums and actually having the boldness to scrobble them to change your e-mail addresses on your Last.fm account or be more anonymous with the way you go about it (i.e., not linking to your social network profiles within your last.fm profile). You're putting yourself unwillingly in a huge database for record labels to harvest later (since even song timestamps are stored, it'd be hard to offer an alibi). This comes after seeing the 10+ thousand scrobbles for Teen Dream off the Beach House Last.fm page recently. Sure, nothing's going to happen now, thanks in part to current relative internet anonymity, but you never know. 2cents.
Tracklisting: 1. Zebra 2. Silver Soul 3. Norway 4. Walk in the Park 5. Used to Be 6. Lover of Mine 7. Better Times 8. 10 Mile Stereo 9. Real Love 10. Take Care
Review: A post from the future? While Beach House's Teen Dream isn't due out until January 2010, I recently listened to a rough mix of it. All I can say is that it will be worth the wait and would advise you, the reader, to do the same (assuming you even read this far). The tracks on the album show an evolving duo, which is evidently one of favorite signs from a staple band in my musical interests. Since their self-titled debut, Beach House's formula has been mostly the same. 2008's Devotion was not a huge leap from it's predecessor but saw a band utilizing more dynamism in their performances with varied drum loops, slightly more complex layering and vocal harmonies. Plus, Devotion was much more memorable after listening, maintaining their unique sound with more pop shades (maybe even adult contemporary). Now? Very interesting. On the single "Norway" the difference is evident. There's live drumming. Dare say, more layers? More complex vocal harmonies? Faster tempos? Legrand's recent collaborations show their influence (such as with Grizzly Bear, Future Islands) as well as the trend of pop music in the "indie" East Coast scene. The lush soundscapes reminds me of the grandiose layers found in contemporaries of pop, Animal Collective & Grizzly Bear. But Beach House still drives their own unique sound (listen:"Zebra"). Plus, Legrand's voice is still undeniably haunting. I would wait until the release to cop this, though I doubt the mastering will get any better. What's worth waiting for is the DVD which the duo will release with the album, which is supposed to be a collection of music videos for each track of Teen Dream.
Tracklisting: 1. Out Of Control 2. Walking On A Line 3. Hey You 4. Future Of A Nation 5. Cherry Love Brazil 6. First Date Mullet 7. What I feel 8. 1997 (She Said It's Alright) 9. Lover Veritable 10. Show Me Show Me 11. Girl I Know 12. Hey You (PPRR Dance Remix) Review: Pop, Electro, French. Sound's great but it has it's limits. Pony Pony Run Run is certainly fresh, but the sound all to familiar. Weezer is definitely one of there great influence. Songs like "First Date Mullet" feel like an 80s montage is around the corner.
Tracklisting: 1. You 2. M.T.A. Entertainment 3. Towelette 4. Such A Face 5. The Way I Always Do 6. Another Ballad Of Agony 7. Return From Home 8. Speeds Of God 2000 9. Formation Suites 10. As The Banks Crumble 11. Julie In Real Time 12. So Much Over Time 13. Pescado 14. I Was Just Leaving
Review: Electronica, downtempo hip-hop. After the spotty Everything She Touched Turned Ampexian released earlier this year, I was a bit surprised to hear another release from Prefuse 73 so soon. Seemingly acknowledging the last album's lack of consistency and downright head-nod-abilities, Prefuse has returned with a record that has completely blown me away. The tracks are in, I guess you could say, bluer shades, subdued and heavily reliant on filters and hi kills (you know, the DJ equivalent of giving a song a "in-the-next-room" sound) with the Books-like found-sound or film samples and, my favorite, sublime Jazz samples! It's like the best of Prefuse, from One Word Extinguisher, with a lot of nice new inflections. Case in point, highly recommended. I'm not exactly sure where you can cop a purchased copy of this, but iTunes is probably your best bet.
Tracklisting: 1. Graze 2. What Would I Want? Sky 3. Bleed 4. On a Highway 5. I Think I Can
Review: I'm really on the border on whether or not I should purchase this. Following the experimental electronica pop of Merriweather Post Pavillion earlier this year, Animal Collective's latest EP follows in the tradition of the last release, though downplaying all the elements a bit, resulting in a more simplified sound. "On A Highway" is an amazing track; it's haunting, ephemeral, and bittersweet. Like Unkle + Thom Yorke's "Rabbit In Your Headlights" reinterpreted by Animal Collective. Then there's "What Would I Want? Sky", a perfect pop song in an odd time full of dense layers of melodies and cascading vocals. "Graze" is one of the strangest openers, starting with a brooding overture apt for a film score before mutating into a kind of kitschy circus theme with the Animal Collective surge of electronic bass and big beat. The last track, "I Think I Can" is...well, it definitely isn't my favorite Animal Collective song. The group spends three-fourths of the track on an uninspiring theme. At about the 5 minute point it changes up enough to make a good ending. Overall, this EP is a bit of a mixed bag but doesn't detract from it's high points. Technically it's only available for digital purchase for now (I think) but there's a FLAC floating around.
Tracklisting: 1. Jet Generation 2. Fujiyama Attack 3. Kaminari One 4. Kung Fu Ramone 5. Teenage U.F.O. 6. Cosmic Space Girl 7. Roaring Blood 8. Gakulan Rider 9. Refrigerator Zero 10. Shimane Slim 11. Cyborg Kids 12. Summertime Blues 13. Can-Nana Fever
Review: In punk, there is only one real rule: if your ears aren't bleeding, it ain't punk. Guitar Wolf is a Japanese garage punk band who threw such a fucking show in the mid-90's that Matador instantly picked them up. These guys are fucking loud, fucking raw, fucking punk. If you don't believe me read the disclaimer: "the whole album is labeled with a disclaimer sticker which semi-humorously states "Warning: this is the loudest album ever recorded. Playing at normal volume may cause irreparable damage to stereo equipment. Use at your own risk." (wikipedia). If you have an 11 option, dial that motherfucker up!
Review: Great noise rock, shoegaze group from Austin, Texas. Title track "In Love" is so similar to My Bloody Valentine, you'd think it really was Kevin Shields singing. The track "Summertime" is a haunting song, complete with ghostly female vocal, guitar noise and a very catchy melody. Definitely one of my favorite songs of this week. If this short release is any indication of the band's direction and potential then I can't wait to hear a full length release from this group. Comes highly recommended.
Tracklisting: 1. For Minors Only 2. Minor Yours 3. Resonant Emotions 4. Tynan Time 5. Picture of Heath 6. For Miles and Miles 7. C.T.A.
Review: "These Halloween 1956 sides originally appeared as Playboys in 1961 on Pacific Jazz. Myth and rumor persist that, under legal advice from the publisher of a similarly named magazine, the collection would have to be retitled. When the CD version of the same material was issued in the early '90s, it had been accurately christened Picture of Heath — as more than half of the tracks are Jimmy Heath compositions. Since then, a CD version sporting the original provocative '50s pinup cover and the name Playboys has also surfaced. Regardless of title, however, the music is the absolute same. These are the third sessions to feature the dynamic duo of Art Pepper (alto sax) and Chet Baker (trumpet). Their other two meetings had produced unequivocal successes. The first was during a brief July 1956 session at the Forum Theater in L.A. Baker joined forces with Pepper's sextet, ultimately netting material for the disc Route. Exactly three months to the day later, Pepper and Baker reconvened to record tracks for the Chet Baker Big Band album. The quartet supporting Baker and Pepper on Playboys includes Curtis Counce (bass), Phil Urso (tenor sax), Carl Perkins (piano), and Larance Marable (drums). Baker and Pepper have an instinctual rapport that yields outstanding interplay. The harmony constant throughout the practically inseparable lines that Baker weaves with Pepper drives the bop throughout the slinky "For Minors Only." The soloists take subtle cues directly off each other, with considerable contributions from Perkins, Counce, and Marable. With the notorious track record both Baker and Pepper had regarding other decidedly less successful duets, it is unfortunate that more recordings do not exist that captured their special bond. These thoroughly enjoyable and often high-energy sides are perfect for bop connoisseurs as well as mainstream jazz listeners." (allmusic)
Some great cuts from a fantastic session between two Jazz icons.
1. Good Morning Intro 2. Green Light (feat. Andre 300) 3. It's Over (feat. Kanye West) 4. Everybody Knows 5. Quickly (feat. Brandy) 6. Cross The Line 7. No Other Love (feat. Estelle) 8. This Time 9. Satisfaction 10. Take Me Away. 11. Good Morning 12. I Love, You Love 13. If You're Out There 14. Can't Be My Lover (Bonus Track) 15. It's Over (Teddy Riley Remix) (Bonus Track)
Review: Since "Ordinary People" I have been a fan of John Legend for quite a while now. But "Evolver" really does try to take a new turn with John's music. This album is more Pop than the soulful RandB I was expecting. If you can still grasp the soul behind the pop this album is worth an ear. "No Other Love" has a great reggae vibe including a horn section. Comment on that "Nice".
Tracklisting: 1. Your Ex-Lover Is Dead (with Final Fantasy) 2. Set Yourself On Fire (with Montag) 3. Ageless Beauty (with The Most Serene Republic) 4. Reunion (with Jason Collett) 5. The Big Fight (with Minotaur Shock) 6. What I'm Trying To Say (Part I) (with The Dears) 7. What I'm Trying To Say (Part II) (with The Dears) 8. One More Night (with Apostle Of Hustle) 9. Sleep Tonight (with Junior Boys) 10. The First Five Times (with The Russian Futurists) 11. He Lied About Death (with Metric) 12. Celebration Guns (with Camouflage Nights With Kevin Drew) 13. Soft Revolution (with The Stills) 14. Calendar Girl (with Young Galaxy)
Review: A very great remix/cover album of Stars' LP Set Yourself On Fire. Very unique interpretations from some popular indie acts similar/opposite to Stars, friends and label mates. "The Big Fight", "Your Ex-Lover Is Dead" are awesome.
Tracklisting: 1. I Know Kung Fu 2. Reactor Party 3. Disco Blood 4. 72 Virgins 5. Dream of Infinity 6. 3D Sex Show 7. Lover of Others 8. Another 9. OK 10. Fear of the Future
Review: GO FUCKING INSANE; is all that comes to mind coming into this album. "I Know Kung Fu" is an explosive track with energy that overflows into your soul. If you put punk and possibly dance/house together you have "Shitdisco!"
Tracklisting: 1. Since We've Been Wrong 2. Teflon 3. Halo Of Nembutals 4. With Twilight As My Guide 5. Cotopaxi 6. Desperate Graves 7. Copernicus 8. Luciforms
Review: There are a few bands out there that I will follow to the end. That consists of buying all their releases and breaking plans with others if they are preforming in close vicinity the same night. The Mars Volta is one of those bands. Following the unfortunate (?) news about drummer Thomas Pridgen's relationship with the group, I re-listened to this album, which I can admit I haven't done so in a few months. It's not to say I dislike it. It's great, it really is. It's a formidable entry in their catalog and, as far as bands in the present go, represents a small progression in their sound. Though many might not hear it, Octahedron is certainly an evolution from The Bedlam In Goliath. It's "quieter" as "Since We've Been Gone" signals, yes, but also a lot looser. TBIG is an album of strict large proportions, where each single note is intentional, albeit overwhelming powerful. Octahedron is a little looser, giving room to the instruments and musicians, letting the music breathe. It's been awhile since I hadn't felt Omar's off-kilter guitar riffs sounding like melodies from a player piano. Still, Octahedron can be considered a transitional record since most elements of the band's strive for perfection is still evident: the song "Cotopaxi" is a page off of TBIG. And despite Omar's plethora of guitar effects, the ones he chooses doesn't vary the sound an awful lot. Even more, sometimes the band works backwards, seemingly inspired by their past success (look no further than the "Televators" copy, "With Twilight As My Guide") Every now and then I feel like TMV has pigeon-holed themselves into a certain sound which, even though it progresses a bit each time, doesn't seem to change enough to satisfy one who glosses over their albums. Despite being a fan, I must admit that is exactly what I have been doing these last few releases (TBIG, Octahedron, Cryptomnesia etc). Maybe I'm just reaching for something fresh and invigorating. "Copernicus", with it's short electronic drum machine segment, is probably the closest I'll come to that realization, a track that represents a radical shift from TMV's usual song repertoire which hasn't been felt since maybe "L'Via L'Viaquez". Until next time.
Tracklisting: 1. Emergency Contraception Blues 2. Lamplight 3. Evening , Morning 4. Dust On The Ground 5. Ghost 6. Always Like This 7. Magnet 8. Cancel On Me 9. Autumn 10. The Hill 11. What If 12. The Giantess
Review: 2009 had been a somewhat disappointing year for up and coming indie rock bands. That was until British band Bombay Bicycle Club released this staggering album. It is such a tremendously great record I don't think most releases from new artists this year can even compete. There are just so many things that this band does right. The singer has a perfect wavering voice, and the band's style of rock with slight pop mélange interspersed is absolutely terrific. On "Magnet", one of the album's singles, the rare crossover to electronica/dub at the end of the song was so unexpected but perfect that it made me jump up for joy. I haven't said "ooooooohhh" over a new artist in a long while. This album comes highly recommended from me and belongs in everyone's top list for this year.
Tracklisting: 1. Keep On Knocking 2. Rock-N-Roll Victim 3. Let the World Turn 4. You're A Prisoner 5. Freakin Out 6. Where Do We Go From Here??? 7. Politicians in My Eyes
Review: You should consider buying this. The band's history is remarkable, and this collection of their songs is just fucking rockin'. These songs are from demos originating from 1975. Death was a proto-punk band which remind me of MC5 quite a lot. The band rocks out, with thumping but harmonic bass lines (listen:"Where Do We Go From Here???"), firey guitar playing and fantastic drumming (listen:"Let The World Turn"). And who could doubt the awesome vocals? The lyrics make me feel like throwing a ruckus. Fuckin' ace as shit. Seriously, buy this if you enjoy it.
Tracklisting: 1. Heaven 2. Disco Paradise 3. Solid Gold 4. On & On 5. Flash (Live) 6. Teenage Dancefloor (Live)
Review: I'll have to concede with Tong. That is to say, VHS or Beta's Night On Fire is a polished record with some 80's pop cheese. On it the group celebrates many moments of funk but interjects that with Robert Smith singing, Corey Hart 'tude and guitar stabs likened to (the only thing I could think of) John Waite. But it isn't to say it's bad. Despite two or three bad songs, Night On Fire is above average (but much better than the awful and glaringly pop Bring On The Comets). This album, however, finds a middle ground between funk and 80's pop, coming off more like a house or disco record. Think Parliament bass lines x Disco x Daft Punk's Homework. Those minor cheese quips pop up every now and then but combines well. The record is more of a house jam than a full on record. "On & On" is serious business. The live "Flash" showcases how well this band preforms and their underlined talent, the bass and guitars are just spot on.
Tracklisting: 1. Ghost Under Rocks 2. Each Year 3. St. Peter's Day Festival 4. Winter '05 5. Dying Is Fine 6. Can You Tell 7. Too Too Too Fast 8. Oh, La 9. Suspended In Gaffa 10.Run My Mouth
Review: "Ra Ra Riot, as their name implies, are not only capable of autumnal, Arcade Fire hymns. "St. Peter's Day Festival" and "Can You Tell" represent the breezier, brighter side of the band, taking perky melodies and swelling them with luscious string arrangements. Those strings prove to be the secret to Ra Ra Riot's success; "Too Too Too Fast", on which they lean on synths rather than the organic warmth of a cello or violin, is the flattest of the bunch." (pitchfork)
Tracklisting: 1. Jump In The Pool 2. In The Hospital 3. Paris 4. White Diamonds 5. Strobe 6. On Board 7. Lovesick 8. Skeleton Boy 9. Photobooth 10. Ex Lover
Review: "Formed out of the ashes of First Day Back, the St Albans, United Kingdom hardcore band they formed while still at school, Friendly Fires make razor-sharp post-punk that burns through the memories of all the dismal, skinny jeaned ‘80s revivalists you’ve been hearing these past few years. Sounding brittle, knotty and urgent, Friendly Fires are the real deal. With no fat or padding on them at all, their songs possess an elegant sparseness. As guitarist Edd Gibson notes: “The hardest thing I think is to know what to leave out, to know when something is enough.” But amongst all the stripped-back twists, there are also moments full of deep, blissed-out melodies. “I love lush, massive, tingly chords; the My Bloody Valentine sound,” says bassist and singer Ed MacFarlane." (last.fm)
Lover's of electronic rock/pop do not want to miss out on this.
Review: A great house single from Cassius. The best version of the title song is "Y-S-T-C". Though it runs for around 7 and a half minutes, it's a powerful house thumper about the many trivialities plaguing teenage-hood (you know, Y-S-T-C of course!). The other two sound a bit kitschy in comparison. My favorite song at the moment, "Almost Cut My Hair", is a pulsing electronic rock track that speaks of a sentiment I'm sure any twenty-something guys like myself feel. Must. Keep. Hair. Long. Will. Live. Forever.
Tracklisting: 1. Chrome Knight (Featuring Chromeo) 2. White Knight Two (Laidback Luke Remix) 3. Kid Gloves (Bobmo Remix) 4. White Knight Two (Blaqstarr Remix) 5. White Knight Two (Original)
Review: Surkin threw a great show at I Love Techno '09. This was his most recent EP. This is great glitch, dance electro. Just check out the track with Chromeo below. The Laidback Luke remix is also pretty prime. It's been quite a while, but all clubs now a days play the same tired tracks from 8 months ago anyways. So turn this motherfucker up.
Tracklisting: 1. Red Clay 2. Delphia 3. Suite Sioux 4. The Intrepid Fox 5. Cold Turkey
Review: "This may be Freddie Hubbard's finest moment as a leader, in that it embodies and utilizes all of his strengths as a composer, soloist, and frontman. On Red Clay, Hubbard combines hard bop's glorious blues-out past with the soulful innovations of mainstream jazz in the 1960s, and reads them through the chunky groove innovations of 1970s jazz fusion. This session places the trumpeter in the company of giants such as tenor saxophonist Joe Henderson, pianist Herbie Hancock, bassist Ron Carter, and drummer Lenny White. Hubbard's five compositions all come from deep inside blues territory; these shaded notions are grafted onto funky hard bop melodies worthy of Horace Silver's finest tunes, and are layered inside the smoothed-over cadences of shimmering, steaming soul. The 12-minute-plus title track features a 4/4 modal opening and a spare electric piano solo woven through the twin horns of Hubbard and Henderson. It is a fine example of snaky groove music. Henderson even takes his solo outside a bit without ever moving out of the rhythmnatist's pocket. "Delightful" begins as a ballad with slow, clipped trumpet lines against a major key background, and opens onto a mid-tempo groover, then winds back into the dark, steamy heart of bluesy melodicism. The hands-down favorite here, though, is "The Intrepid Fox," with its Miles-like opening of knotty changes and shifting modes, that are all rooted in bop's muscular architecture. It's White and Hancock who shift the track from underneath with large sevenths and triple-timed drums that land deeply inside the clamoring, ever-present riff. Where Hubbard and Henderson are playing against, as well as with one another, the rhythm section, lifted buoyantly by Carter's bridge-building bassline, carries the melody over until Hancock plays an uncharacteristically angular solo before splitting the groove in two and doubling back with a series of striking arpeggiatics. This is a classic, hands down." (allmusic)
Tracklisting: 1. Body And Soul 2. Carnival (Manha De Carnaval) 3. Chocolate Shake 4. Dedicated To You 5. Clarence's Place 6. Aries 7. Skylark 8. I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good) 9. Thermo
Review: "At age 25, Freddie Hubbard made inroads into modern jazz most trumpeters could not imagine, much less come through with. As a soloist, one of Hubbard's crowning achievements in his early period was this recording on which he teamed with Wayne Shorter, marginally as a performer but prominent in the role of arranger/conductor for his first time ever. Utilizing a septet, 16-piece big band, and orchestra plus stings to play concise, tight tunes, Shorter provides the backdrop to employ Hubbard's bold toned trumpet and all of its devices in a full display of his powerful melodic talents. Yeoman Reggie Workman plays bass on all selections, with drummer Louis Hayes in the seven-piece combo, and great work from Philly Joe Jones in the larger bands. Interestingly enough, the three tracks with the smaller ensemble are the most interesting, due to the presence of Eric Dolphy, Curtis Fuller, Cedar Walton, and Shorter on the front line. "Clarence's Place" is a post-bop jewel with spiky brass accents and Dolphy's ribald and outre alto sax solo contrasting Shorter's relatively reserved tenor, "Dedicated to You" is a wisp of a tune, while "Body & Soul," an atypical choice for the opening selection, is a straight read of the classic ballad with a chart that sounds larger than the small horn section, and a wavering flute via Dolphy. The big band does an unusual soul-jazz treatment of the Brazilian number "Manha de Carnaval" flavored by Robert Northern's French horn, while "Aries" is a hard bop show stopper with two-note accents buoying Hubbard's great lyrical lines, and goes further into hard bop with "Thermo" as the horns demand attention with the trumpeter as an afterthought. The string section, ten pieces strong, joins the big band on the film noir type Duke Ellington piece "Chocolate Shake," the stock "I Got It Bad," and "Skylark," with its soft clarion intro bubbling underneath with the violins, violas, and cellos. The manner in which this recording is programmed is thoughtful in that it lends to the diversity of the project, but is seamless from track to track. Dan Morgenstern's hefty liner notes also explain the concept behind this ambitious project, one which did not compare to any of Hubbard's other recordings in his career. Therefore it stands alone as one of the most unique productions in his substantive discography, and a quite credible initial go-round for Shorter as an orchestrator." (allmusic)
Tracklisting: 1. Orange Shirt 2. Osaka Loop Line 3. Can You Discover? 4. I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend (ft. Angel Deradoorian) 5. So Insane 6. Swing Tree 7. Carby (ft. Ezra Koenig) 8. I Want You Back 9. It's Not My Fault (It's My Fault) 10. Slang Tang
Review: Sitting here with my coffee and cheese danish, I discovered these guys and was in complete awe. The Duo is composed of Ra Ra Riot’s Wes Miles and Vampire Weekend’s Rostam Batmanglij. Tracks like Osaka Loop Line just make that sky that much bluer. I predict "Can You Discover?" will become the next club hit(hopefully not). The album overall is worth a listen if you are a fan of VW or Ra Ra.
Tracklisting: 1. Out Of The Blue 2. Left & Right In The Dark 3. 11th Dimension 4. 4 Chords Of The Apocalypse 5. Ludlow St. 6. River Of Brakelights 7. Glass 8. Tourist
Review: As far as I see it, there has been one great solo Stroke's project. Even so, Stroke's fans weren't really going apeshit over alternative and indie pop side projects. It missed the bite of Julian Casablancas' voice, that gritty attitude you swore could be made of sandpaper. Julian has returned, prepped with synthesized gizmos, blaring organs (listen:"11th Dimension"), and mechanized drum beats. The songs, most averaging around 5 minutes long, seem to go on forever. The monotony of the song structures, limitations of "inventiveness" and reliance on all things electronic, really make this supposedly electronic rock album slightly dull. Even the singers' embrace of other songs styles, like the blues (listen:"4 Chords of the Apocalypse"), doesn't really work. There are a few comfort spots, as "Left & Right In The Dark", "Out Of The Blue" and the single heralds what could be (I am often reminded of the combining forces of a Flock of Seagulls and Morrisey's self-deprecating lyrics in these instances). But the album doesn't really pop up with many classics, instead ending with a slew of awful songs: "River of Brakelights" to the touchy "Tourist". Even the ironically self-delusional country track "Ludlow St." just sounds like a horrible way to advertise a city block. Swan dive? Success drive? Maybe it's so damned futuristic I can't assess it's potential. In either case, at least one Strokes' member has made an album you wouldn't dare play at a barbecue.
Tracklisting: 1. Fresh Mode 2. Now Who's Laughin' 3. Get On This 4. Einstein's Takin' Off 5. Everybody C'mon 6. Do You Know What I'm Sayin' 7. Everything's Alright 8. We're Here
Review: "Ugly Duckling is a hip hop group that formed in 1993 in Long Beach, California. Ugly Duckling's members include Dizzy Dustin (Dustin McFarland), Young Einstein (Rodney Pleasant Jr) and Andy Cooper. The group's style is alternative hip hop, influenced especially by old school performers such as the Native Tongues. Most of their songs follow the creed that hip hop is about having fun and often mock the clichéd gangsta emcees who dominate the mainstream. An example of this can be heard in the song "A Little Samba" and in "Smack," in which they rhyme about the enormous wealth about which mainstream emcees brag, and the ridiculous nature of their possessions, such as gold name plates on their cars, pet sharks, and jetting off to Bermuda on private planes." (wikipedia)
Classic hip-hop. Ain't nothing like good beats, slick positive raps and a nice fall day to remind you how good things can be.
Review: If you're a Shinichi fan...wait scratch that if you're a fan of electronic music and you don't own this album you are seriously MISSING OUT. This collection of (possibly) all of Shinichi's remixes is simply fucking amazing. Bag raiders track is freaking bumping, just when you thought Shinichi was great. He goes and puts this collection and BLOWS YOU'RE FAWREAKING MIND. Great album I recommend it.
Tracklisting: 1. If Ever I Would Leave You 2. Mirrors 3. For Duke P. 4. The Kicker 5. Step Lightly 6. Bedouin
Review: "Bobby Hutcherson recorded frequently for Blue Note in the 1960s, though this session remained unissued until 1999. The first half features the vibraphonist in a cooking hard bop session with Joe Henderson and Duke Pearson, starting with an energetic take on the normally slow ballad "If Ever I Would Leave You" and a sizzling Hutcherson original, "For Duke P." Guitarist Grant Green is added for the second half, beginning with the first recording of Henderson's "The Kicker," which became well known from it's later rendition on Horace Silver's highly successful release Song for My Father. Because this is part of Blue Note's limited-edition Jazz Connoisseur series, don't delay in picking it up." (allmusic)
Tracklisting: 1. Introduction 2. The mind 3. For the children 4. Ample energy 5. Heartistically 6. One soul 7. Pure reason 8. Moon flow 9. Gratitude 10. Emanation 11. Wind beat 12. Conclusion
Review: I personally prefer this album for the spiritual and serene touch. With spiritual melodies this album speaks with so much zen. Great for meditation or a practitioner of massage therapy. Great Sunday morning morning music, kicking back with a great book and camillomellow tea. Beats that remind you this coming Monday is not going to be so bad.
Review: Fuck these beats are huge and heavy! Samiyam returned this year with another batch of beats that'll rock your fucking bass. "Catch Me Riding Dirty" and "Rounded" are smooth thumpers while "Porno Slap" is raw. "Fireball" is an 8-bit wonder with an unbelievably bass note which not many speakers will be able to reproduce. Overall, Man Vs. Machine is as satisfying as velvet liquor with chocolate truffles. If you can imagine that, then you can definitely appreciate this.
Tracklisting: 1. City To City 2. Habibi 3. Madame, Madame! 4. Love To Run 5. Cardiac Arrest 6. Who Can Act 7. Zodiac 8. What's That Sound 9. All Those People 10. The Draft
Review: "Like Toronto's Metric and Portland's the Blow, Sweden's Andrea Kellerman (aka Firefox AK) occupies a middle ground between D.I.Y. dance-pop and synth-driven, new wave-inspired indie rock. Her debut album, issued in Sweden in 2006 and picked up by Minty Fresh the following year, is flush with gleaming keyboard riffs and chunky programmed beats, but it also has a rocky grit that sets it apart from the pure pop likes of Robyn and Annie -- it's telling that Kellerman initially wrote these tunes on guitar before enlisting Viktor Ginner (of synth pop duo Rupesh Cartel) to help dress them up electro-style. It's a tremendously satisfying fusion, if not a terribly innovative one, and when combined with Kellerman's top-notch pop songwriting and her striking, girlish but powerful voice, makes for an impressive debut showing that's comparable to plenty of other artists but still retains its own distinctive flavor. Her nine solid originals (along with an edgy, driving cover of "Habibi" by the Swedish electro-house act Assid) are sweet and upbeat but not breathlessly sugary, and at their best -- as on "City to City" and "Who Can Act," with their harmonized chorus hooks, and the single "What's That Sound" -- they're instantly catchy without feeling forced or fussy." (allmusic)
Since 2006, "What's That Sound" still remains a guilty pleasure for me after all these years. The closer "The Draft" is a well-made and appropriate slow number to conclude this essentially dance pop rock album.
CD 2 1. Spanish Key 2. John Mclaughlin 3. Miles Runs The Voodoo Down 4. Sanctuary
Review: "Thought by many to be the most revolutionary album in jazz history, having virtually created the genre known as jazz-rock fusion (for better or worse) and being the jazz album to most influence rock and funk musicians, Bitches Brew is, by its very nature, mercurial. The original double LP included only six cuts and featured up to 12 musicians at any given time, most of whom would go on to be high-level players in their own right: Joe Zawinul, Wayne Shorter, Airto, John McLaughlin, Chick Corea, Jack DeJohnette, Dave Holland, Don Alias, Benny Maupin, Larry Young, Lenny White, and others. Originally thought to be a series of long jams locked into grooves around one or two keyboard, bass, or guitar figures, Bitches Brew is anything but. Producer Teo Macero had as much to do with the end product on Bitches Brew as Davis. Macero and Davis assembled, from splice to splice, section to section, much of the music recorded over three days in August 1969. First, there's the slow, modal, opening grooves of "Pharaoh's Dance," with its slippery trumpet lines to McLaughlin's snaky guitar figures skirting the edge of the rhythm section and Don Alias' conga slipping through the middle. The keyboards of Corea and Zawinul create a haunting, riffing groove echoed and accented by the two basses of Harvey Brooks and Dave Holland. The title cut was originally composed as a five-part suite, though only three were used. Here the keyboards punch through the mix, big chords and distorted harmonics ring up a racket for Davis to solo over rhythmically outside the mode. McLaughlin is comping on fat chords, creating the groove, and the bass and drums carry the rest for a small taste of deep-voodoo funk. Side three opens with McLaughlin and Davis trading funky fours and eights over the lock-step groove of hypnotic proportion that is "Spanish Key." Zawinul's trademark melodic sensibility provides a kind of chorus for Corea to flat around, and the congas and drummers working in complement against the basslines. This nearly segues into the four-and-a-half minute "John McLaughlin," with its signature organ mode and arpeggiated blues guitar runs. The end of Bitches Brew, signified by the stellar "Miles Runs the Voodoo Down," echoes the influence of Jimi Hendrix; with its chuck-and-slip chords and lead figures and Davis playing a ghostly melody through the shimmering funkiness of the rhythm section, it literally dances and becomes increasingly more chaotic until about nine minutes in, where it falls apart. Yet one doesn't know it until near the end, when it simmers down into smoke-and-ice fog once more. The disc closes with "Sanctuary," a previously recorded Davis tune that is completely redone here as an electric moody ballad reworked for this band, but keeping enough of its modal integrity to be outside the rest of Bitches Brew's retinue. The CD reissue adds "Feio," a track recorded early in 1970 with the same band. Unreleased -- except on the box set of the complete sessions -- "Feio" has more in common with the exploratory music of the previous August than with later, more structured Davis music in the jazz-rock vein. A three-note bass vamp centers the entire thing as three different modes entwine one another, seeking a groove to bolt onto. It never finds it, but becomes its own nocturnal beast, offering ethereal dark tones and textures to slide the album out the door on. Thus Bitches Brew retains its freshness and mystery long after its original issue." (allmusic)
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