Wednesday, September 27, 2006

Caaaaallllllifornia, rest in peace.

Well, not really. I've only been there once, but I liked it. This song that I'm posting, by the truly awesome Brandtson, is all about the state that knows how to party (in the city, city of Compton, for example). This song "Earthquakes & Sharks", is a 3-minute pop song all about the dangers of living of Cali -

Earthquakes and sharks to start us off,
If Chupacabras ain't enough,
Black widow spiders and killer bees,
Ain't no shade and ain't no trees.
Black bears and heat, polluted air,
There's traffic jams beyond compare.
That's all I got to warn ya bout Mexico and California.

That's pretty funny stuff, I think. Maybe I'm wrong, but it wouldn't be the first time that's happpened. Anyhow, enjoy it.

I've also got something fun for you in as enjoyable as it gets "Cobrastyle" by Teddybears - nothing like Swedish reggae rock. It's dancey as all hell, and I like that.

Audio: Brandtson - Earthquakes & Sharks
Audio: Teddybears - Cobrastyle

posted by b, 9/27/2006 03:05:00 PM | link | |

Tuesday, September 26, 2006

Muh Fav'rit.

If you hadn't realized by now, k-os is probably my favorite MC, up there with Mike Skinner of the Streets - and easily my favorite "traditional" MC on the planet. He has a new album coming out on October 10th, called "Atlantis: Hymns for Disco", and the tracks that I've heard so far are fucking brilliant. The first single, called The Seekwill, is an upbeat song in the style of a faster Man I Used To Be. More than anything, it's got some sweet samples (Public Enemy for one), and that's alright in my book.

I think that one of the things that I really like about k-os is that he's about hip-hop, not about so much of that "Shouuulda Lean"/80bpm crap that seems to be the popular form of rap out there right now. I can't stand most of that (T.I. being an exception) - and it's nice to hear someone sticking to the roots of real hip-hop music.

Audio: k-os - the SeekWill

posted by b, 9/26/2006 10:42:00 AM | link | |

Friday, September 22, 2006

ALIVE!

I am alive, have no fear, loyal readers, I am alive.
I am now living in Atlantic City as the Entertainment Director for three bars down here. It's pretty amazing. Part of the job is to create the playlists for a couple of the bars -- and don't worry, one of them is going have really truly fantastic rock and roll music -- everything from the Murphys and Flogging Molly, to the Clash and the Police. It's pretty awesome.

My Internet is very sporatic right now, and combined with the fact that I'm working roughly 16 hours a day, it's a wee bit hard to blog. But that's all good.

I've got a bunch of songs ready for you, about 20 or so, that I've been listening to. Once things slow down a little bit, or I have even a spare second, I'll post some.

Thanks for sticking with me.

posted by b, 9/22/2006 11:03:00 AM | link | |

Thursday, September 14, 2006

Revelation time.

There's a reason I haven't been updating.

You see, I'm moving to Atlantic City. (Audience: BOOOOO!!!!) No, no, that's not it! Look, okay, this is how it is. The company I work for is opening up three bars/restaurants/clubs in the brand-new Pier at Caesars. It's a pretty big deal, and I'm going to the Entertainment Director for them. It's a big deal to me, and since it's been very... sudden, I've spent the last week tying up loose ends and packing my stuff. My room is, at this point, half-full (not empty), and it's getting emptier by the day.

The point is this - I've been hellabusy (as you Californians say), and since basically the end of August I've been non-stop on this stuff.

That said... I've got two (2!) song for you today.

One is a cover of "Song 2" by Blur done by My Chemical Romance - it's stellar, and you'll like it. It's from the BBC1 Radio sessions, and it's really, really quite good.

The other is a truly WONDERFUL song by Hellogoodbye, those crazy Californian (two "Californian" references so far!) boys. The song is "Here (In Your Arms)", and it's one of those really GREAT songs that hooks you in from the first note. You're going to love it.

Audio: My Chemical Romance - Song 2 (Blur Cover)
Audio: Hellogoodbye - Here (In Your Arms)

posted by b, 9/14/2006 01:55:00 AM | link | |

Friday, September 08, 2006

You Can't Love It.

The British band, IV Thieves, has come out with their debut album "If We Can't Escape My Pretty". According to Liam Gallagher, they're "going to be one of the biggest bands in Britain" (even if they have hair as bad as the guys in Panic! At The Disco).



They're really, really, really good. They wear their influences on their sleeves - Oasis, Stone Roses, Led Zeppelin, and other great British groups - even a touch of GNR. With any justice, these guys will end up on the cover of Blender and Stereogum will be blogging about how lead singer Nic Armstrong is rogering Lindsay Lohan. Well -- maybe not that. But they are really good. And their first single "You Can't Love What You Can't Understand" is a fucking fantastic rock song that evokes great music of the past.

Audio: You Can't Love What You Can't Understand
Myspace

posted by b, 9/08/2006 05:40:00 PM | link | |

Thursday, September 07, 2006

Oops.

I can't be the only one who sees the similarities.




I was at the record store today and they had these next to each other.

Oops!

posted by b, 9/07/2006 04:17:00 PM | link | |

Wednesday, September 06, 2006

What's the story, Stipey?

Some mashups, as I've said before, just fall together perfectly - everything about them combines and they just sound like it could be an original. This is one of them - done by the tremendously talented Faultside, we hear Liam Gallagher and Michael Stipe battling each other - with Michael winning out, but that's okay. Liam gets his licks in. It's "(What's the Story) Morning Glory" vs. "The One I Love", and it's just the awesomeness of fun. I didn't even realize I had this one on my computer and randomly it turned on yesterday and, goddamn if it ain't just the cat's ass.

Audio: The Morning Glory I Love

Just another track - and one that you may have heard - Dashboard Confessional on MTV2 performing a bunch of REM tracks, and then Stipe joining them on stage to perform the DC hit "Hands Down". And here's the thing - it's a very average cover until Stipe absolutely steals the show from Carabba at about 2:36 in when he kicks his vocals into overdrive and blows the audience away. I was talking to my friend Chris about this last summer and we both commented on how weak the cover was until Stipe decides to just destroy every version that Carabba has ever done.

Audio: Hands Down (feat. Michael Stipe)

posted by b, 9/06/2006 02:37:00 PM | link | |

Saturday, September 02, 2006

A buncha songs!

Here's a bunch of songs I've been listening to on my trip to Atlantic City.

Mycomplex - Tired Of Sex (Weezer Cover): I think this cover is really well done - I love the original, and this is off the Weezer covers album that featured Midtown, The Ataris, and Dashboard Confessional (among others). This cover is my favorite on the album outside of Christopher John's "The World Has Turned" - it evokes the same emotion of the original but still is different enough that it's enjoyable.

The Sunshine Underground - Put You In Your Place: This is off my personally most anticipated release of 2006, ever since I heard the truly mindblowingly good "Commercial Breakdown" back in March. This track, "Put You In Your Place", is a fun, punky, dancey track that demands to be heard. In fact, this entire album "Raise the Alarm" is a fantastic one and you should probably just go buy it.

posted by b, 9/02/2006 12:55:00 PM | link | |