5.2.10

So...sad to say this blog has long been forgotten and slid under the rug. After the move to Portland, I found myself too busy to keep it going. Over the last several months though, me and my lovely girlfriend have been producing a podcast to share our musical tastes. If you dig some of the offerings on this blog, you may like our show. Check us out on Koala Klaws Radio!

7.5.09

PDX!
In honor of my up coming move to Portland, OR I wanted to post something Portland related. So here they are, Quasi! Quasi formed as a band in 1993 and toured with Elliott Smith as his backup band back in the day. They've been putting out their special blend of indie/grunge/progressive ever since. I'm looking forward to having a chance to see them live. So I'll be taking a vacation from this blog for a few weeks while we make our way west and get settled in PDX. Peace and Love!

6.29.09

One third cLOUDDEAD/DJ/Producer/Co-Founder of record label Anticon, Odd Nosdam puts me in a daze. Combining elements of ambient electronic and hip-hop, Odd Nosdam can easily make you feel dizzy...in a good way. Check out Fly Mode off T.I.M.E. Soundtrack below.

6.26.09

Peace MJ...

My fondest MJ memory isn't of a song I grew up listening to. In fact I hadn't heard my favorite MJ song until almost 20 years after it was recorded. I used to accompany my sister to "parties" when I was 14 and her boyfriend (a house DJ) would always play Rock With You at some point in the night. I can clearly remember dancing with my sister in a sweaty bingo hall at like 4am and Mr. DJ would put this on. It was and still is my jam.

6.25.09

Quickie...

Just a quick one today. I'm tired and it's been a long one. Blind Melon, awesome 90's rock band. Amazing lead singer/songwriter Shannon Hoon from Lafayette, IN died in '95 of a drug overdose. It's definitely one of those "good die young" stories. My sister turned me onto them when I was a teenager and have been a fan ever since. Check out my fav, Soup below.

6.24.09

Just sort of stumbled onto this album the other day. I have yet to purchase it, but am definitely planning to. Ocote Soul Sounds and Adrian Quesada released this eclectic, Latin inspired/Afro Beat(ish) record on June 23rd. This is summer porch music. Best enjoyed with friends or a loved one. Cannot wait to listen to this one by the Pacific this summer! Check out the video below to catch this huge band turn out funky grooves for your enjoyment.

6.23.09

A friend of mine schooled me on some El Michels Affair a few weeks. The album, Enter The 37th Chamber, sat in my bag for two solid weeks. Finally ripped it a few days ago and have been giving this little record a decent amount of my attention since. Released in April of '09 on Truth and Soul records. The group covers stuff. Sounds simple, but that doesn't really do them justice. They somehow got hooked up with Raekwon in 2005 which lead to a series of concert dates. The dates were so popular they decided to record an album of all Wu-Tang covers. If you're a Wu fan and dig listening to instrumentals, I highly recommend it. Have a listen below.

C.R.E.A.M.


The PJs Remix feat. Raekwon

6.22.09

MF, the holder of a boulder...

MF Doom (the MF stands for Metal Face), IMHO the dopest lyricist around. Doom's story is an interesting one. One of those rise and fall, and rise again kind of stories. Doom (Daniel Dumile) started out as 1/3rd of the hip-hop group KMD. KMD released one album before Doom's little brother and KMD member, DJ Subroc was killed in a car accident. Doom fell into a deep depression, walked the streets, retreated from the hip-hop lifestyle, seemingly for ever. In the late 90's he moved to Atlanta from NY and swore revenge "against the industry that so badly deformed him." He took on a super villain persona. Wears a metal mask when he performs and murders crowds with his lyrical talents. Best wordplay rapper out there. Get a taste below...and if you say you know hip-hop, you don't know shit if you don't know DOOM (ALL CAPS).

Money Folder


Doomsday

6.19.09

Koushik. What can I say about him? I bought his debut full length Out My Window not long after it was released via Stones Throw. I think the first song I heard by him was a free emusic download. At the time I was heavily into Hip-Hop and since it was released on Stones Throw, you know I had to give it a listen. It didn't really fit into my Hip-Hop bubble at the time though. I was hesitant. It had a "poppyness" to it the first time I heard it. Maybe it was the sugary vocals. It definitely had a certain quality that I couldn't deny, nor could I really define. It had that "this sounds familiar" quality. Like something you heard as a child.

I bought the album thinking it deserved a complete listen. I was right, it definitely deserved one. It has become the most played album I've bought in the past few years. I literally play this album at least twice a week...on the regular. In the car, at the park, at home cleaning, at work working. It's one of those records that works in lots of different environments. Koushik Ghosh, Canadian via Calcutta, holds two masters degrees. One in ethnomusicology, one in biostatistics. It's no wonder this record is so genius. Check out the video for Nothing's The Same below.



Also, enjoy the beautifully buoyant Be With (right click, save as).

6.18.09

Come Back!

Quite possibly my favorite band of all time, Arcade Fire hasn't put out a new record since March of 2007's Neon Bible. I've seen a few pieces of new material since then, but nothing that compares to their two full length releases. Their contribution to the Dark Was The Night compilation, Lenin is an amazing piece of music. Well done, but it really just leaves me wanting more. In March of 2009 a concert DVD was released named Miroir Noir that features footage from the Neon Bible tour. Still though, I just want a new album. I'm greedy I guess. They have given me so much, yet I am never satisfied. Finally! A ray of sunshine breaks through the clouds when I hear that they are playing music again. Founding member Win Butler said in April of 2009, "We feel really creative right now. We're in a really good space as a band...I'm happy to play music". No official word on when they would start working on it, but fingers crossed they already are. Watch the band perform Neon Bible in this amazing video below.



And please enjoy one of my favorites from the Funeral album, Rebellion (Lies).