Helllooo, sexy! I haven’t been this titillated by a song since Pretty Lights. Hell, I haven’t been titillated by a song ever… and I’ll try never to be again.
I’ve been listening to Bassnectar for a few months now, but didn’t get into him past the occasional blackout session – he never seemed to sound as good when sober. Well, after coming across these two over the past month, and sober at that, I’m hooked. Both blow me away every time I listen to ’em, wasted or sober. I’ve never wanted to go to a concert so much and get completely obliterated. And Bassnectar plays in Minneapolis on Halloween, could it get any better than that… well, if he played here sooner, but whatever.
So I’m wondering which of the two do you like better I go back and fourth, but the “Massive Attack Remix” is on repeat at the moment.
[audio:MassiveAttackRemix.mp3,MagicalWorld.mp3|titles=Massive Attack Remix,Magical World](Download Link in Full Article)
Came across Binary Star while testing out a three-day trial of MOG. I’m not so sure about MOG’s fees – can’t justify $10 a month to use on the iPhone, but it’s got some promising features.
Anyway, I was pretty impressed by Binary Star’s “Honest Expression”, so I decided to check out the rest of their album, Masters of the Universe. It’s got a few standout tracks, and the rest of the album is better than most of the shit I’ve heard lately.
What I love about these guys is their witty lines laid out throughout the album. Although some aren’t so politically correct, “Rodney King ain’t never felt a beat like this”, it’s refreshing to hear some uncensored music.
What I don’t love is their obvious hate of mainstream, money hungry rappers. I’ve come across a few different talented MC’s who spend too much time hatin’ on the mainstream. Although I completely agree with ’em, it’s not something I really give a shit about. Leave a track for that and move on, they’re many more pressing issues to cover.
Other than that these guys have got something and hopefully will ignite another album soon. Though it’s been 10 years since their last LP, so I wouldn’t count on it. But I’ll make sure y’all are the first to know, just follow me on Twitter… or Facebook… or my RSS Feed… ;D
[audio:HonestExpressionIntro.mp3,HonestExpression.mp3,RealityCheck.mp3,KGB.mp3|titles=Honest Expression (Intro),Honest Expression,Reality Check,The KGB](Download Link in Full Article)
Music that isn’t easily classified, is so, usually because it pushes the boundaries of its genre, leaking into every other. When I first heard Inspired Flight’s “It’s the Chemicals”, I thought it was an electronic song; then after about a minute or so I realized that it had some hip-hop elements, as well; and finally, I heard some alt rock. Well, after listening to it a few dozen times more I’m still just as clueless on classifying it, but I guess that’s the case when a group pulls from different genres through the use of electron equipment.
Electronic instruments have given us the power to utilize instruments that were once too difficult and tiresome to learn. Now we can mesh up a range of instruments to create something that would’ve taken many hours and musicians to achieve. Yea, some say it’s just being lazy and blah, blah, blah (see Copyright Criminals), but this doesn’t consider everything. It may be easier, but it allows the artist to create without the limitations of knowing every instrument.
In the end it all comes down to what is produced. Art isn’t necessarily about method, but what the final outcome is. You wouldn’t fault photographers for not creating everything in their lens, just like you wouldn’t fault DJ’s for not creating every beat. Yes, there is a limit to the extent of sampling you do off of someone else’s work, but it’s not set in stone. As Newton put it, “if I have seen further it is only by standing on the shoulders of giants” – we are all just building off of our predecessors. The key is to build up, push the boundaries of a genre, and create something new.
Someone help me out on where to put this (what genre), I’m leaning towards electronica now…
[audio:ItstheChemicals.mp3|titles=It’s the Chemicals (feat. Scarub)](Download Link in Full Article)
I’ve been stuck to the television watching Sons of Anarchy all day, so I’m gonna make this quick – gotta finish the second season up!
“Genetic World” sounded like another electro trip hop song, sprinkled with nature sounds, but surprised me about half a minute in. The song sparked something in my head. It’s just one of those songs that hit it right. The bass kicks in and the vocals drop nicely, which brings be to my next point, the lyrics.
I’m known for hearing words in a song that are completely, well, wrong. At first I thought the chorus was in French, saying something like, “Jun-a-tick-twa-t”. After a while I realize it was “genetic world”… sometimes I just don’t know what I’m thinking…
[audio:GeneticWorld.mp3|titles=Genetic World](Download Link in Full Article)
Ever since I can remember, my father has hated the word fuck. I, however, kinda like it. It’s served me well, expressing my thoughts when I lacked the more appropriate words – it has so many uses. Yes, it can be crude & inappropriate, but it can express something like no other word can. It may even shock some at times, for example – when used in music, but isn’t that the fun in it anyway
Now, when I talk about it being used in music, I don’t mean by those hip-hop hooligans, they tend to overuse it. I’m talking about when a musician drops it when you’re least expecting it. A good example is Solid Gold’s “Just Like Everyone Else”. Zach Coulter’s voice is anything but crude, but when he slips in the good ol’ fuck bomb, it gets your attention. It was surprising at first, but after a while you start to understand its purpose. How else could you express such hurt & anguish from an ex-love Just picture the song without all the fucks, it’s just not as affective. I gotta give credit to Coulter for his use, and not overuse, of the word. Well played, sir.
If your in Minneapolis tonight, Solid Gold is playing at the Weisman Art Museum at 9. I may hit it up if I’m over in the Twin Cities tonight.
Edit: I just looked at the website and it’s sold out… fuck.
(Download Link in Full Article)
I’ve been a long time fan of the Quannum collective, but never got into Shadow’s work past Entroducing. Recently, the DJ Shadow team contacted me about featuring a new remix project – a compilation of remixes done by Shadow’s fans – so I thought this would be a good chance to check out more of his work… well, kinda…
Initially going through the album, I thought that most of the DJ’s did a decent job at putting their own spin on Shadow’s music, but none really stood out. There’s some that caught my ear but failed to keep my attention.
So I thought I’d turn to you guys. I’ve posted a couple of tracks on here for you to listen to and hopefully give some feedback on. If you want to listen to the full album it’s posted over at solesides. Hopefully we can find the track(s) that carry this album forward. I’ll post my thoughts in the comments below after I get a few more listens in.
[audio:BuildingSteam.mp3,WhatDoesYourSoulLookLike.mp3|titles=Building Steam With A Grain Of Salt (NiT GriT Mix),What Does Your Soul Look Like Part 2 (economics Version)](Download Link in Full Article)
Lissie is one pretty young thing (love you MJ) that packs some power. In her live performance at the Great Escape this last May, Lissie performs “Pursuit of Happiness” by KiD CuDi, or I should say outperforms. They’re only a handful of covers that I like better than the original. Along with Lissie, the instrumentals – especially Eric Sullivan’s guitar solo – make this song addicting as hell… which may, ironically, be it’s one downfall – it’s been stuck in my head for the last couple of weeks.
Make sure to check out the video of her performance in the full article. It really captures the passion she has for singing.
[audio:PursuitofHappiness.mp3|titles=Pursuit of Happiness (KiD CuDi Cover)](Download Link in Full Article)
Mayday’s latest EP’s, Technology & The Thinnest Line, came out over a year ago, just a couple of months apart from each other. Although they may not stack up to their first album, each has at least one catchy single.
The Thinnest Line features a single titled “Evil” – although, I don’t have much to say about it, its lyrics are too true… no offense, ladies ;). “Technology”, on the other hand, reminds me of my past years in college. My roommates and I senior year had a running joke about how obsessed I was with technology. It reminded me of just a few of the stupid things we did back then. Good times. “Technology” may have some corny lines, “USB, you and me connect so desperately”, but the rest of it isn’t half bad. I mean how bad could it be, it’s about technology.
I still can’t decide which sound I like better of the two. What do y’all think I’m leaning more towards “Evil”, right now.
[audio:Evil.mp3,Technology.mp3|titles=Evil,Technology](Download Link in Full Article)
It’s been over ten years since the original Deltron 3030 release and we still don’t know much about Event II. I’ve gone through a many a blog posts & forum threads and still can’t come up with shit. But here are the (few) things I got..
On Deltron’s Wikipedia page, reports claimed “the album would be released [in 2008] or the next”. However, this is 2010, which you know.
As I mentioned before, Deltron has been around for just over ten years now. Going through a lot of forum threads, many believe that the album is set to release somewhere around its ten year anniversary (this year). I mean, I hope to Christ they’re right, but these aren’t the most reliable people. We have, however, come across a more reliable source, Del.
Recently, someone posted a link on here (see comment below) with a YouTube video of Del who talks a bit about Event II and features a few clips off it (check it out in the full article).
If I get any other updates, or you do, post it in the comments.
[audio:Mastermind.mp3,Turbulence.mp3|titles=Mastermind,Turbulence (Remix)](Download Link in Full Article)
I went to see Bob Schneider live a couple years back in college. I’m not the biggest fan of his, but when I first heard Ready Let’s Roll, I was hooked. I had no idea what the song was called at the time, so I searched the net to figure it out. Well, I finally came up with it, but it just didn’t sound like it did in concert. With some more research I found the one featured here. It’s not as good as when I heard it live, but I think it still does it justice. Check out the video in the full article, it’s the closest thing I could find to what I heard that night.
[audio:ReadyLetsRoll.mp3|titles=Ready Let’s Roll](Download Link in Full Article)