June 2010
9 posts
Friday!
Heyyyyyy people,
Another long week that’s bound to transition into another stupendous weekend. Oh, the anticipation!
I love Fridays. Things feel a bit more loose. Everyone’s buzzing. Seratonin production is on the up. Music just feels gooood.
Friday’s are kind of like a road trip mix tape. How do you compliment the mood? You bring the Hot Shit.
Here’s a little slice.
...
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Hip-Hop Word Count →
Pretty amazing, this site will take a hip hop song and, using a complicated series of algorithms, will work out how smart you need to be to fully understand it.
Jay-Z - Dead Presidents 2: 16/20, University Degree (does HOV-A even have a degree?)
Kanye - Big Brother: 9/20, some high school.
Pretty rad little bit of musical theory shiz…
Good old Pickin'
I know they don’t represent a completely traditional bluegrass band, but i gotto give props to Yonder Mountain String Band. They’re a hard working, talented, and progressive band that, in my opinion, has opened up bluegrass music to a whole new crowd of people. Will they ever be considered bluegrass royalty with the likes of Doc Watson, Earl Scruggs, Ricky Skaggs or Del McCoury?...
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Summer Anthem fo shiz...
For all your fluro skittle nu-rave kids out there. This is a summer jam that will blow your mind. Needs big speakers by the way, yo shitty laptop tweeters aren’t going to do this justice.
16th April 2010. Essential New Tune: Dirty South - Phazing by PeteTongsEssentialNewTune
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Bringing something new to the (Bloc) Party
Remember the (Aussie) summer of 2004-05? Hot damn, epic dance-rock was blowing up, but was yet to be taken mainstream by the Killers and the Bravery. And Silent Alarms was released. To this day, this is a ground breaking album for me. Banquet, the first single, is kinda epic and holds its own even now, but my favourite track is Like Eating Glass. The frenetic pace, the overdrumming, the...
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TRILLION WATT LIGHT BULBS
Since this is a free for all and everybody’s trying to go in - I’m next.
Lots has happened since we collectively last posted. Shit, Gary Coleman died (RIP). But over in my microcosm of rap and hip hop - there’s this youngster named Drake. He’s never even put out an album. A classic mixtape, yes (even my friends who won’t listen to an artist once he’s done...
Keepin it real...weird
Holler! Day 2 back in action and i’m keepin it weird. Not too much of a write up here, as im not familiar with the band at all. I downloaded their album a few days ago and this was the first track i listened to. Its pretty cool and doesn’t seem too strange and abstract at all. At least, compared to mainstream pop these days, it seems pretty on par. I really liked it when i...
Three cheers for Frey! Bringin’ the blog...
Time Time Time...
to bring back this fucking blog. Honestly, i missed it. A couple changes to be made here. No more themes to the blog…just posting whatever, whenever. If you hear something you like, remember a track that you couldn’t stop replaying, or just found something new, POST IT! We all want to hear it. There’s nothing better than music, and sharing new and old music is a way to...
March 2010
10 posts
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Neon Trees
I’m going for a Supr 1337 post, demonstrating my n00b pwning ability and what not.
Actually, I’m just sending this in from my iPhone while I wait for a flight at SFO. Still, it’s a little rad right…?
Anyway, I just got a recommendation for a band called Neon Trees (I can’t remember who from - lucky for them). So I’m trying to find it on my iPod to see if...
Robots.
Alright. It’s been long enough. I’m bringing back the blog.
To be clear, I didn’t go into today thinking I was going to write. Quite the contrary - WillB actually stopped by and we joked about how we’re not posting anymore. We’ve been busy. We’ve been ignoring it. Whatever. It just hasn’t happened.
What did happen, though, was a big pile of shit from...
The Good Old Days
It’s a fact that today’s children are completely missing out with their Hannah Montanas and Jonas Brothers (and Justin Bieber apparently?). I really feel sorry for the parents that have to watch that stuff. In the 70s and 80s, not only were Sesame Street’s standards much better (See Mahna Mahna and 1-12), but they even featured performances that are awesome to listen to 30...
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The Brown M&Ms
For Freestyle Friday, and inspired by MJ’s post, I just wanted to address the urban legend of the infamous “no brown m&ms” at a Van Halen show. Seemingly a demonstration of the wanton excess of superstardom, I simply love the fact that this stipulation in their contact actually serves a purpose.
Seeing as I’m dealing with an enormous hangover, allow me to quote DLR...
A hippie bazaar.
Happy Friday! I don’t know about you, but I’m feelin’ kinda’ funky. It’s time to talk the Dead.
I was originally going to post a little Jerry Garcia Band because…well…he rips. If you haven’t heard, do yourself a favor and check it out.
Instead, I decided to bring to light one of the larger contributions the Grateful Dead brought to the...
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WTF from South Africa
You may have seen an interview with these dudes floating round the interwebz over the last couple of weeks. The dude on the right is Watkin Tudor Jones (wow), AKA Ninja, and the girl is Yo-Landi Vi$$er (really?). They’re a South African hip hop duo (well, along with DJ Hi-Tek) they have gone viral in the last month or so.
I’ve gone with their first single ‘Enter the...
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Beck: The King of Wacky
For the third album covered in its entirety by Beck’s Record Club, the Modern Guilt rocker recruited Wilco, Feist and Jamie Liddell to perform Skip Spence’s 1969 offbeat folk-rock album Oar. Beck’s Record Club, “an informal meeting of various musicians to record an album in a day,” laid down Oar back in June, when Wilco were in Los Angeles in support of Wilco (The Album). “They came by after a...
Synthpop?!
So I’ve been on some new shit lately. Normally I like to over-analyze, but I really know nothing about this new, old, genre of music. I guess that’s what Wikipedia is for.
Synthpop is a genre of pop music in which the synthesizer is the dominant musical instrument. It originated as part of the New Wave movement of the late 1970s and to mid-1980s, and it has continued to exist and...
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JB YA'LL!
Is this kid really real? Or just a flesh-covered teenage R&B robot?
Talk about a blatant industry strategy exposed in this “up-and-coming” teen pop star. They must’ve focus-grouped the shit out of these catchy tunes with 16-year-old girls (and Drake/Ludacris fans). It’s so funny, that I actually end up loving it. It’s like Chris Brown 2010 - remember his...
50 cent. What happened?
Remember when 50 cent was the hot shit? Well, maybe you’ve always hated him, but i remember when the “guess who’s back” mixtape came out and it was the sickest shit i had ever heard. I can specifically remember sitting in my boys car rollin through Jerz and he was bumpin some shit i had never heard before. It was so tight. My boy said “this is the hottest shit...
February 2010
47 posts
Love is a Beautiful Thing
So i’m not too much for that lovey-dovey shit, but i have to admit, when its done right, its some of the most beautiful music your ears can be blessed with. Its that feeling that you get that makes your heart & soul smile. Eric Lindell does this oh so well. He’s an SF native that made his mark in New Orleans where his sound really started to blossom.
Growing up as a skater...
It's safe to dance!
It’s Friday. I need a pick me up. The solution? A little 80’s groove!
Everyone’s heard this song - whether through the radio, Biodome, or the weird-in-an-uncomfortable-way music video. The Safety Dance is like that sweater your Aunt gave you when you were a kid. It’s only cool ten years later.
Now the twist.
The hippie in me never wants to let go of a good groove....
BBB
I would consider this group (Balkan Beatbox) to be somewhat weird and wacky due to all of the different sounds, styles, culters, and members of the band. The group somehow blends hip hop, dancehall, middle eastern/Israeli, and african sounds together, just to name a few. The style is really unique and different. It gives you the feeling of traditional middle eastern music with the beats that...
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Boom-ba!
Wacky Wednesday.
Today’s selection isn’t really a song. However, I think you’ll enjoy it.
I come from Pennsylvania Dutch country. (say?) Where the last word of every sentence is a verb. (don’t cha’ know?) The PA Dutch like large gatherings, food, drinks, and simple music. The soothing sounds of Polka were some of the first to grace my ears. Awesome, right?...
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I LOVE MY BITCH!
I just laughed out loud at the absurdity of this song and it’s title. It’s terrible tuesdays, and for good reason, Busta Rhymes is on now - with the instant classic, radio-friendly “I Love My Chick.” There’s really so much to say about this, but let’s just start by how Busta Rhymes has ultimately made his entire career by being an eccentric, caricature of a...
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Valerie je t'aime.
Valerie Collective could be the definition incarnate for Dreamwave - my current favourite genre of music. Initially formed by College and Anoraak, two producers from Nantes, France, it’s since grown to include various like-minded musicians, all obsessed with soft electro-pop from the 80s.
The music is brilliantly tongue-in-cheek parody of the 80s, replicating the period’s essence...
Keepin it Goin!
I may as well keep my shit consistent, so, i am. More legends for your friday pleasure! If you haven’t noticed, i started with the full legends crew, and now im breaking it down. This one is from Scarub who in my opinion is the most lyrically advanced of the crew. He’s got such a unique flow that seems completely all over the place, and then he somehow always brings it together. ...
WatchI’m going to make this short and sweet. It’s Friday. This is funny.
Disco Biscuits + Apache = hilarious video mash up
Dig the mustache.
- MJ
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It's the D-R-E
This song has such crazy vivid memories for me. When it surfaced, it had so much built-up anticipation and hype as the lead single to Dr. Dre’s 2nd (solo) studio album in 10 years. I remember downloading the song, and the album even as I anxiously awaited the leak on different FTP servers, or through IRC chat. Now all I’d have to do is google the album title and attach zshare or...
Children of the Corn
And this isn’t talking about the Stephen King story.
Im sure most of you have heard of Big L, Mase, and Cam’ron, but did you know that they all started off in a group together? This was back when Cam’ron was “Killa Cam” and Mase was “Murda Mase” (before Harlem World and before he became a preacher). This is one of the hardest groups, and one of the...
It was alright...
The term “rock music” is both a blessing and a curse. Over the years, its been diluted to a generic statement - much like rap, country, electronic, etc. In the process, the fundamentals of rock and roll have been lost.
The music itself was birthed out of rebellion. It was the simplicity of angst that helped shape a process that started in the 30s and 40s with jazz, gospel, and folk...
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Wacky With Talent
Living with an Aussie for the past few years, John Butler has become one of my favorite musicians. Those damn aussies are so persuasive. Anyway, his songs may be a little “hippy poppy” but the guy is ridiculously talented. Ridiculous!
No better example of his crazy talent than in his instrumental song “Ocean”. He plays this at every live show. I’ve seen him half a...
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Wilddd like a zoo!
It’s your boy Kells! I mean for a variety of different reasons, this guy is truly on some other shit (lawsuits completely set aside). If you can’t appreciate or understand why IFC picked up R. Kelly’s ‘Trapped in the Closet’ series, please keep reading - we’re in sync (No Lance!) thus far.
This song is called ‘The Zoo’ and well, the Pied Piper...
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Today's science lesson.
When it comes to Wacky Wednesday, I’ve frequently turned to electronic music. For one, I like it. Secondly, it always for the weirdness that just can’t be produced organically.
Today’s selection stems from one of my favorite producers - Simon Posford. He plays under a few psuedo-names. Sphongle’s the big one. He’s also part of Younger Brother and Hallucinogen. All...
More Legendary Music
Happy Friday peeps! Another end to the week for the Title TBD blog and i wanted to post some beats before the long weekend. I posted something earlier about the Living Legends, and i just can’t resist adding more. California Music Authority, or CMA for short, is comprised of The Grouch and Luckyiam from the Legends. Their styles really seem to go well together and the album All Over is...
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Brother Question on the drums
Honestly why aren’t there more hip hop bands? It doesn’t make much sense to me, especially when a number of artists are now touring with bands playing their electronically (or less likely live-recorded) songs, and it’s really GOOD.
Have fans and listeners finally realized that a DJ, a couple giant speakers, and an MC doesn’t make for a very entertaining live...
That jazzy shit.
I don’t know a whole lot about jazz. I just know I like it. The reason I like it is MMW - John Medeski, Billy Martin and Chris Wood.
These guys make jazz accesible. They touch on traditional jazz as a three piece, but have branched out on more than one occassion. They’ve touched on hip-hop, acid, funk, and a whole lot of live improv while ensuring that the listener doesn’t get...
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Faheem Rasheed Najm
who? ohhh. yeah, t-pain.
this is controversial and almost disrespectful to the blog, so i’m going to keep it short and sweet. for better or worse, this fucking guy influenced contemporary popular music (“hard & b”) in a pretty major way. look at the biters, look at the haters, look at the ringtones sold, look at the iphone app, etc. etc. i’m not even going to...
Life by the Drop
I bring to you, one of the best/most influential guitar players of all time. Thats right, SRV or Stevie Ray Vaughn. He is my favorite guitar player ever (sorry trey, even you have to take a back seat to SRV). He can play one note and you can hear the soul screaming out of the guitar. His radical take on blues guitar playing was unheard of when he first started. I actually used to have some...
Stop Making Sense
I’ve thought a lot about the Talking Heads’ influence on music. Their own stylings are hard to boil down to a single genre. At times they’re a little country. Other times they bring the funk. A lot of the time they’re straight rock n’ roll. Hell, their first show was opening for The Ramones. To pigeon hole them into a single musical thought isn’t doing them...
More Lipp Please
I hope most of you have heard of Eliot Lipp before. If you haven’t, then check him out. If you have, then lets move on to Lipp Service. This isn’ that wacky or weird in my opinion, but to a lot of people, i have a feeling it is. This is Eliot Lipp+Alex Botwin and Lane Shaw from Pnuma Trio (Lipp Service). My opinion (obviously), they kill it. Imagine heavy beats with an...
DJ Q-Bert... is an alien?
QBert is a perfect example for Wacky Wednesday… this dude is a complete nutcase. Originally from the Bay Area, he went to school with Mix Master Mike (from the Beastie Boys) and they joined Rock Steady Crew together, then won the DMC World Champs together too. And has had a long musical career since, of which you can read about on Wikipedia.
Reasons for the wackiness: 1. He doesn’t...
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Keeping it weird
in the context of jazz and its traditional sound and feel - thelonious monk was a standout. this is a passionate personal vendetta of sorts dating all the way back to school. i think monk is one of the most interesting characters in the history of the genre, and I’ve got a special thing for piano players, but hear me out.
his wacky = so. f. good.
why -> that not-so-well-enough-known...
Monome
I like to consider myself a bedroom musician. I try to write music, but usually end up sitting on the floor for hours twisting nobs, pushing sliders, and hitting buttons in an effort to make entirely unintended sounds through my instruments. I really enjoy finding weird musical toys.
A while ago I stumbled on to the Monome. The Monome is exactly that - a weird musical toy. It’s an open...
Bobby and the Midnites
This is so amazingly terrible that i had to post it up before the day ended. If you haven’t seen this before, its a must! Bobby and the Midnites fella’s. Its Bobby Weir’s side project from the 80s and its legendary. This band actually had some great musicians like alphonso johnson and brent mydland, but it is just hilarious to see bobby like this. Was he trying to be a bit...
How You Feelin!?!
So, i have a tough time with this artist. Typically, i don’t come up with a true opinion of a band until i hear them live, because a lot of times i fall in love with bands after i see them perform. This one goes against that rule.
The first time i heard Michael Franti and Spearhead i was stoked on it. Positive vibes and positive lyrics. It was a group that was really tying to say...
Let's rebel! Is that OK with you?
Growing up, I loved Metallica. They helped channel that period of angsty teenage rebellion. Seek and Destroy, …And Justice for All, Creeping Death - they all were rallying cries for those frustrated, angry and ready to do something about it (that “something” being headbanging).
Their career built up to what might be the greatest metal album of all time: The Black Album. Any...
Legends
Happy Monday Peeps! I hope everyone had a great weekend and is ready for more fun on the TitleTBD blog this week.
My reco for the day to add to your mixtape is from the Living Legends. The legends are a crazy influential group in underground hip hip. MURS, Scarub and The Grouch are definitely three of my favorite MCs around and can rhyme with the best of em. They combine unique flow styles,...
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You Don't Know What You Do To Me
It’s Friday Kids. And I’m excited about my post.
Todays treat combines a couple things that I love, a kick ass blues duo (The Black Keys), some killer hip hop (Jim Jones and Billy Danze) and some sexy soulful pipes (Nicole Wray). A couple month ago the Black Keys, great band by the way, put out an album where they collaborated with a bunch of hip hop legends, Mos Def, RZA, ODB, NOE,...
CNN - Broadcasted
Happy Happy Freestyle Friday!! So i probably should have saved this one for a Thursday post, but fuck it, it was in my headphones this morning and i couldn’t resist. CC mentioned those rappers that claim to have more authenticity than anyone else in the game, and im going to be cliche and say that this legendary duo does.
I hope you all have listened to CNN before, but if not, then...