I was playing around with some stuff... got a new mash up together. It's hardly perfect, but there were a few things that came together really easily on it. Enjoy.
So about a week ago the new Lady Sovereign track hit the web, "I Got You Dancing". I was a hater at first, but I've given it a few passive listens and it started to grow on me. I think this is one time where the video kinda made it click for me. Something about her expressions and delivery. Check it.
It also reminds me I have to bump Warriors up on my Netflix queue.
The Bug has made a big splash this year with an exciting heavy dubstep-ish sound, but right now winter is about hit, and i'm feeling a need for something a bit more... relaxed. Well the Bug has been working on something for just such an occasion. King Midas Sound is cool, cool, cool soulful reggae influenced dubstep. I'm digging it this thanksgiving morn. I got this tune on repeat right now.
Dead Prez put out a new single from their upcoming album (early '09). Finally some folks are talking about Obama with some realizm. Damn right I voted for him. He seems legit, but any politician is still a politician. Especially when one seems too good to be true. But enough politrickkks. I gotta go look for a job.
Another stunning fall day in Oregon. Brilliant light, a crispness to everything... Colors, fresh air, a sweetness, a sadness, a hum... Here are some chill tracks for the changing seasons--
Guinea Pig is a brand new one from longtime producer/DJ Ben Watt, of EBTG fame. This track, released on Watt's own Buzzin' Fly records, is much more atmospheric than his usual work. Hypnotic echoes, glittering highhats, spare vocals.... Some of the finest vocal house I've heard in a long time...
Square Up (John Tejada Remix) ..... ooooh shit that bassline! Super simple but it works so well... Tejada's richly textured remix flows and pulses in just the right way. This track is pure, understated genius.
Posted a super nice mixtape from our friend Lucius ... new-ish DJ type (plays Saturdays at Bo) around here ... really sick indie electronica ... great grooves ... super nice beats ... tons of cutting edge pop. Essential.
God lord! Could it be?!? Another blog post on the internet about Kanye West? Today he has once again given more reason to talk, with his debut of the video for Love Lockdown (below). I have said plenty of praise as well as some harsh criticism in the past, (rhyming "Klondike" with "blond dyke"? Seriously?) But I'm going to have to admit that Love Lockdown is pretty nice. I know auto-tune vocals are getting a bit overplayed, I really don't want to hear another T-Pain hook. But somehow this tune doesn't shut me off completely. It's been growing on me for the past few weeks, and I'm ready to accept that I totally dig it. When I break it down it's odd, 90's piano stabs, sparse 808 kicks on verse, and some nice tribal drums on the chorus. It's sparseness just makes it so clearly NOT intended for a dancefloor, but he went around this by releasing all the materials needed to remix it via his blog a while back. This led to many a remix hitting the blogs days later, some good, many not so good. But this sorta allowed him to write a song, rather than writing a dancefloor track. The concept is pretty cool. He can make the art and then let others Andy Warhol his shit and make it palatable for the floor. Pretty smart. Who knows I very well might end up hating this tune in a months time though. It wouldn't be the first time that's happened to me with a Kanye tune.
Today while sitting in front of a coffee shop downtown with some friends, a reporter from the local paper comes by and asks us questions about how the economy is hitting us. We all said basically the same thing, that so far it's business as usual. He really wanted to hear us talk about how we lost our jobs and we were broke and desperate for work. Every attempt he made to coax that out of us failed. It just seems like people are looking for the devastation to some degree. We all want to focus on how fucked everything is. I pass a newspaper box and find a picture of a sad guy on the trading floor moments after this discussion with the reporter and I can only shake my head.
I was joking about posting a video of myself cutting my hair and the first song that pops into mind of course, when i sat down to edit the video... Cut Your Hair by Pavement. I'm always a sucker for some 90's alternative/college/indie rock.
Obviously Cassettes Wont Listen has some affinity to the 90's long hair, torn-jean genre as well, as demonstrated with the ep One Alternative that came out a while back. 5 covers of Blind Melon, Pavement, Sebadoh and others done in his unique and mostly likely laptop composed style.