I know, I know - this song came out a month or two ago. I missed the boat. I blew it off, figured it was bloghouse garbage, and moved on with my life.Then, for some reason that I have now forgotten, I revisited it. Over and over and over. And over. There’s something about this tune that I can’t get past – it’s addictive, seductive. “I Don’t Like Your Band” is an exercise in tension a
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You're So Vain, You Probably Think This Song Is About You(r Band)
Did You Know That?
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You probably know the classic soul track “Try a Little Tenderness,” by Otis Redding. It’s a terrific song that builds from an understated beginning (“She may be weary…”) to an over-the-top enthusiastic barking climax (“You’ve got to try a little tenderness!”).But, did you know that “Try a Little Tenderness” is not an original Otis Redding song? It wasn’t even written for hi
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To Make An Apple Pie From Scratch
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Artist:Carl Sagan
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Track:Glorious Dawn
Just heard yesterday that Jack White’s new label is going to be releasing a 7" vinyl featuring a Carl Sagan-/Stephen Hawking-sampling tune. The record is inspired by the overwhelming success of a song uploaded (by a guy called Cosmos) to YouTube. To date, the video has more than 1.4 million views.If you ever need evidence that we live in a totally bonkers era, re-read everything in that first p.
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RJD2 Likes Silly Hats
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Album:Tin Foil Hat
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Track:The Planetarium
RJD2 recently released a collection of material spanning his the height of his career, which includes an EP of previously unreleased stuff entitled Tin Foil Hat. While nothing groundbreaking, I find myself really enjoying the EP. Rather than some of the bigger beats of his recent work, Tin Foil Hat finds RJD2 going back to his funkier roots with a lot of interesting instrumentation. The long an...
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News Flash from the West Coast
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Track:We Want Our Things
While I'm still not ready to call the West Coast the Best Coast yet, it has been churning out some impressively eclectic tunes recently. From the ramshackle to the dreamy and guitar-driven, these tunes showcase some pretty exciting young acts from the other coast. The Sandwitches mix male and female vocals with some banjo for a delightfully rundown singalong.The Sandwitches - Back to the Sea (Y...
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The Very Best - 11/1/09 @ Great Scott
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Wow, tough to find words to describe how baller last night's The Very Best show at Great Scott was. Fresh off of a 36 hour plane trip (he landed an hour before the show) Esau Mwamwaya completely dominated the night, turning Great Scott's usually chill scene into a frenetic dance party. Two phenomenal dancers from the UK joined him on stage to up the energy level, and Johan Karlberg of Radioclit...
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Oh No? Oh Yes!
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As foreshadowed a month or so ago, Oh No has released his latest LP on the Stones Throw label, the awesometastically titled Dr. No’s Ethiopium. It’s an interesting album – 18 songs totaling only just over half an hour of music. Only three of the album’s tracks break the 2 minute mark (and those, only barely). It’s a format that fits Oh No’s style perfectly; he’s a beatmaker, not a so
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Halloweenie with the B-52s
While not technically a Halloween song (is there actually one besides the Rocky Horror Picture Show or Monster Mash?), Rock Lobster by the B-52's is a sort of weird song with a ton of slightly spooky organs. I love it though, finding a Rock Lobster out of the blue would be pretty scary. That makes it Halloweenie to me, plus everybody had matching towels!Go eat some candy.The B-52's - Rock Lobst...
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Rod Stewart Strikes Again
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Last week, I wrote about Rod Stewart, and how sickened I was to see his name attached to a Sam Cooke LP. This week… well, it gets worse, folks, it gets worse.Plastered all over Boston are ads for Rod Stewart’s most recent album (released on Tuesday), entitled Soulbook. You can tell it’s a terrible album just by looking at the CD cover (see left). It is vomit-inducing. What, Rod, you think yo
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TSRE Wonders: Exclusive Interview with The Very Best!
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We're big fans of The Very Best - a collaborative project between two European producers called Radioclit (Johan Karlberg and Etienne Tron) and Esau Mwamwaya, a Malawian singer. Their mixtape took the world by storm, making our Best of 2008 list and winning over some ears. Since then, they've released a full length album, spawned dozens of baller remixes, and become a big name to watch in indep...
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Sick Cipher f. Mos Def, Black Thought, and Eminem
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We haven't really been posting many videos recently, but this one caught my eye and I couldn't say no. It's a cipher from the BET Awards featuring Mos Def, Black Thought (of The Roots), and Eminem. All three of them completely slaughter the beat, and their different styles make it awesome to watch.It's even better than the last cipher we posted of Charles Hamilton vs. a fan.Saw this first at Pi...
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The Antlers Are Devastatingly Good
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I just realized that I haven’t posted about The Antlers here on The Stu Reid Experiment, despite my ongoing love affair with their debut album, Hospice. I was sorely disappointed to miss them in Boston this past weekend (I was out of town, unfortunately) since the album is exceptional and their live show – which I was able to sample thanks to the inimitable NYC Taper – seems to match the sta
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New Boston Band Alert!!!
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Artist:Truman Peyote
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Album:Light-Lightning
Its not too often that I come across a new Boston band that really gets me excited. But Truman Peyote from Jamaica Plain sounds pretty awesome. Their jam New Wife, New Life sounds a lot like Animal Collective (and even a little like !!!) in a good way, with swirling group vocals and a churning guitar line that drives the entire track. Some great rhythmic claps don't really hurt either. Truman P...
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Laura Marling @ Club Passim 10/22/09
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Weakness, thy name is man. I was wooed on Thursday night by a songstress named Laura Marling. You may know her as a former member of the illustrious Noah and the Whale, or as the charming woman who recorded a folk duet cover of Eminem's "Brain Damage." I now know her as my ultimate indie crush, a tiny English woman with the voice of a siren. I would never have guessed, when Marling took the sta...
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Danny Schmidt @ Club Passim 10/22/09
Drawn by British acoustic goddess Laura Marling, Chris, Claire and I arrived at Club Passim a few nights ago anticipating a great show. We were not the only ones excited. The place was packed and pretty rowdy for Club Passim. Chris is going to talk about Laura Marling tomorrow, but we were all impressed by the opening act: Danny Schmidt. Schmidt, a folky singer-songwriter from Austin, TX is a s...
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An Open Letter to Legacy Recordings
To Whom It May Concern:I recently went to my local record store looking to purchase a record or two. I’ve only just started my collection, and so was looking for a few cornerstones upon which to build. Fortunately, my trip was successful, and I found two records that I was seeking, one of which was a 180-gram audiophile recording of Sam Cooke’s One Night Stand: Sam Cooke Live at the Harlem Squ
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TSRE Wonders: Exclusive Interview With Brother Ali
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It's no secret that we're big Brother Ali fans around these parts. I happen to think that he is one of the most impressive voices in the rap game, and his story is exceptionally interesting. Recently we had a chance to catch up with Ali for an interview, check it out!The Stu Reid Experiment: You’re on tour right now, aren’t you?Brother Ali: Yeah. Just rollin’ into LA. About half way through
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From the Dancehall to the Mountaintop
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Artist:Ellie Goulding
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Track:Under the Sheets
I am sure that many of you have already heard the new single by hipster heartthrob Ellie Goulding entitled Under the Sheets. The track is catchy as hell and Goulding's voice is melodious as usual, but she seems almost overly polished on here as compared to some of her earlier tracks and TSRE faves, like Guns + Horses. The synths seem a little too heavy and a lot of the endearing quirkiness from...
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Keep It Chilly
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Album:Alela and Alina
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Track:Bowling Green
I’ve been listening to a bump of thumping jams recently, and my ears got tired. Sometimes it’s just nice to take a deep breath, step back from the thudding speakers, and partake in some good old relaxed and relaxing music. I like to get my heartrate below 200bpm every now and then. So it was perfect that a few such songs found their way into my playlist in the last week or so, and I frankly c
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Game On!
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Track:I Am the Champion
Remember when Mortal Kombat used to have little midi files playing in the background all the time? Or the Russian music that bumped while you played Tetris? Those were the days. Instead, today, kids have…like…real music to listen to while they rot their brains. Oh the humanity. Video games have become a great way for up-and-coming artists to make a name for themselves and get heard (like a t
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