A couple of titillating news items:
- Talib Kweli goes gangsta-beefin Weird Al' all over Mims' "This is Why I'm Hot" with his version entitled "Niggas Lie A Lot". It would seem that Kweli is attacking easy prey in the hyper-boastful Mims, but he makes it clear that he's not interested in bullying, but policing. Protecting and serving the public from wack mc's making inflated claims of their "hotness" and "flyness".
Kweli and Mims aside -- this beat is SO filthy. PEEP IT
- Remixes are everywhere these days, but a quick roundup of the latest and greatest:
Bone Thugs N' Harmony - Ecstasy (Copy Remix)
The Bird and the Bee - Fucking Boyfriend (Peaches Remix)
Feist - My Moon My Man (Boys Noize Remix)
Clipse - Mr Me Too (Z.A.K. Remix)
Notorious B.I.G. - Party and Bullshit (Ratatat Remix)
- New Timbaland album means good things - one of which is the track "Oh, Timbaland" which samples Nina Simone's classic "Sinnerman". Tim isn't much of a rapper, but boy oh boy his production is butter. Also, I think Talib Kweli sampled "Sinnerman" in his song "Get By" a few years back. Aaaand we've come full circle.
**Be on the lookout for a Ratatat show review from both Dylan and myself sometime in the near future. **
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Do What You Do
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver
Remember the first time you heard "Daft Punk is Playing at my House"?
Remember how good that felt? Remember how it was on repeat for maybe a little too long?
Well, needless to say, the ante hath been upped with LCD Soundsystem's second full length album. What if I told you that you could now get an album of near perfect dance-rock proportions? Sound of Silver comes from a world where synths, guitars, drum machines, samples, vocals and many more live in perfect harmony with eachother swaying back and forth in the breeze but still to the beat. I would write more, but guess what?
I have to go dance, by myself. yeah. whoa. cya.
Cadillac Escapades
[NEWS FLASH]: Just a minute ago, I was sitting here surfing the internets and, as always, the constant hum of the television provided a comforting blanket of white noise in the background. This time, the banality was broken by a gem from The Album Leaf. Unsurprisingly, I was surprised and went to investigate. Turns out, the song was being used for a Cadillac commercial to adorn their claims of low APR's and dismal MPG's. I'm not going to rant about selling out or any of that biznezz, as the accusation has been previously oft cast, and the bands have already received many malignant and disparaging criticisms. I'm not mad, I'm just disappointed.
On a related note, I also recently heard an Animal Collective song on a Crayola commercial.
See Album Leaf?
There's a right way and a wrong way to do this sort of thing.
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
PDX POP!
Yeah, it's that time of year again, time to get off your fixie, put down your vegan sandwhich and go to PDX POP's website and request your favorite rose city bands.
Last years bands included:
Copy
Strength
Small Sails
Were From Japan!
...Worms
Horse Feathers
Thanksgiving
Yacht
Wet Confetti
Nice Nice
whew!
Thursday, March 08, 2007
k-os - Atlantis (Hymns for Disco) 6.5/10
k-os is huge in Canada. His last album went platinum and he has received several Juno awards (Canadian equivalent of the Grammy). But his lack of widespread success in the U.S. can be attributed to his critique of the mainstream hip hop that all know and love so much. On his latest album, he’s done away with the lyrical dissention, but continues to defy traditional genres. k-os is a talented producer and a fairly proficient rapper, but he does a hell of a lot of singing on this album and the result is a slew of boring, lackluster tunes. Atlantis indeed, as not even special guest / Nova Scotian wunderkind Buck 65 can save this lost empire.
Air - Pocket Symphony 9.1/10
French electronic duo Air make soundtracks to accompany your mysteriously bizarre dreams. With the help of Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich, Air has succeeded once again in creating a gorgeously conceived and crafted album. The 12 songs weave in and out of each other hypnotically with downtempo beats and delicate instrumentation. Pulp front-man Jarvis Cocker contributes breathy, self-assured vocals on the song “One Hell of a Party”, which, combined with Air’s new affinity for obscure Japanese instruments, highlights Air’s musical progression.
Let's Go Sailing - The Chaos in Order 8.9/10
Let’s get the name dropping out of the way. Courtney Love once joined them onstage for a song, and the Flaming Lips played their demos at their shows in between sets. Singer/songwriter Shana Levy has performed with Rilo Kiley and Dios Malos. Tanya Haden, member of Silversun Pickups and wife to the more famous half of Tenacious D, plays cello on the album. Now, Let’s Go Sailing. This delightful indie pop outfit make songs about love and loss and they do it with the greatest of ease. And, since it is chamber pop: Hark, the strings soar and the fair maiden’s wistful voice is layered in rapturous harmony; this is true splendor.
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
The Arcade Fire: Neon Bible 7.3/10
I often make the mistake of equating epic with grand, which then quickly leads me to great. Now if this little formula were to be applied The Arcade Fire's new album, it would end up being a 15/10 or something totally ridiculous. This album is epic to the point were it becomes a parody of itself. Somehow this is both a strength and weakness of the album. Neon Bible is what happens, apparently, when The Arcade Fire go out of their neighborhood for the first time and see the world with naive eyes. It seems that they realized the world is bigger than the 5 blocks they comfortably inhabited on Funeral. Songs like Intervention and No Cars Go are where The Arcade Fire truly shine. Releasing a barrage of organs, horns, choirs, strings (the works folks, the works). No Cars Go is Sufjan-esque indeed, but it is unequivocally their own which is what is great about this band: their ability to repeatedly and successfully incorporate a wide variety of influences into something wholly unique.
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
Still alive. Anyone reading?
So 2007 has been whoa... so far. Lets do a quick little recap:
Menomena's new album Friend and Foe is phenomenal.
Arcade Fire's Neon Bible is... good.
Sparklhorse's newest endeavor is 7/10
Copy's new album came out today, lookout for a review of that very soon as well as the new air album.
If you haven't already, checkout Strength, really good stuff.
If you have money go to coachella, if you have less money go to sasquatch.
peace.
-Dyl
