My introduction to hip hop wasn't Jay-Z or DMX. I suppose you could argue that it was the Beastie Boys (after all, what white suburban kid wasn't introduced to rap by Licensed to Ill?) but I'd go a couple years later to another influence. Because it wasn't until I heard Blackalicious that I really began to love hip hop. Blackalicious is a duo made up of emcee Gift of Gab and DJ Chief Excel. On ..
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1 C Dirty Projectors2 Tbsp TV On The Radio2/3 C Ladysmith Black MambazoZest of Regina SpektorCombine ingredients in mixing bowl. Beat furiously, until frothy and rich. Voila: Tune-Yards!Apologies for resorting to the music critics crutch, the “this-band-sounds-like-these-bands” technique. It’s a lame way of describing a sound, and it’s nearly impossible to encapsulate Tune-Yards anyway. Bu
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One of the premiere female voices to emerge in 2009 has to be, without a doubt, Florence Welch of Florence + the Machine. She has been making music before 2009, sure, but it wasn't until this year's brilliant Lungs that she really started getting the props she deserves. About two minutes ago I had one of those moments where I looked at her Wikipedia page, saw that she is younger than me, and we...
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Bear in Heaven recently received a sterling review on Pitchfork and it was pretty spot on. Layer upon layer of drone-y guitars, reminiscent of personal favorites A Place to Bury Strangers (minus the darkness), contribute to the expansiveness of Bear in Heaven. While tending to the abstract on some tracks, Wholehearted Mess is an absolute gem. Vocals float atop an ocean of sound that occasionall...
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Claire and I went to see the new movie Pirate Radio on Saturday night and despite lackluster reviews circulating online - it was a completely worthwhile trip to the movies. While not a great or deep movie necessarily, The Boat that Rocked as its called in Britain (a more fitting title actually) is hilarious, fun, rife with British characters and constantly blasting a perfect 1960s soundtrack. T...
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The weekend is here again and it couldn't have come sooner. Grad school applications begone already. I've always been a secret fan of Austin Texas, since I have never actually set foot in it. Most of this fascination stems from my love of White Denim. First introduced to me via Gorilla vs. Bear, White Denim's sharp garage sound will force its way into your bones. Having seen them live, White De...
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Wallpaper. is, inconvenient period and all, responsible for some of the most ballinest remixes I've heard in recent memory. The pinnacle of Wallpaper.'s achievements is probably their remix of Das Racist's "Combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell" (which, coincidentally, is the greatest track ever created) but these guys are by no means a one trick pony. They are a three or four trick pony, as far ...
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This week, I’m going to touch on a topic that’s pretty close to home. It’s a little embarrassing, and part of me thinks that I’d maintain more of whatever credibility I might have by withholding this info, but what the heck.Confession: Like Andy Bernard, I am a former collegiate a cappella singer.Say what you will about the “genre”; I probably agree with you. It’s a questionable form
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We've never been shy about the fact that we have the hots for Ellie Goulding. She hasn't disappointed yet - everything that she's released thus far has been brilliant. "Under The Sheets," her latest, is no different.The different thing about "Under The Sheets," though, is that it seems to be getting the attention throughout the blogosphere, not just in the small corners that we frequent. "Under...
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One of my favorite things about being plugged into the blogosphere is being clued in to the relatively new phenomenon of an artist going from obscurity to hype in the blink of an eye. One mention in the right spot and suddenly a band is blowing up. One blog features a tune, which gets picked up by three other blogs. Those three turn into nine, which turns into twenty-seven, which is about the l...
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One of my favorite things about being plugged into the blogosphere is being clued in to the relatively new phenomenon of an artist going from obscurity to hype in the blink of an eye. One mention in the right spot and suddenly a band is blowing up. One blog features a tune, which gets picked up by three other blogs. Those three turn into nine, which turns into twenty-seven, which is about the l...
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I loved Madvillainy. It served as one of my first introductions to really good rap outside of the mainstream and was really a jumping off point for my greater exploration of hip hop in general. Plus, its an awesome album to boot. Needless to say I was very excited after hearing the radio leaks from the upcoming proper followup to Madvillainy due early next year. So excited. While it has been a ...
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At first I was planning on talking about Wale's debut LP Attention Deficit, which features a track produced by TSRE favorite David Sitek and is aptly titled TV in the Radio. The track also features TSRE fave K'Naan and some pretty catchy horns.Wale - TV in the Radio (YSI) (filesavr)Unfortunately I have been completely distracted by the brand spanking new mixtape from Chiddy Bang, which complete...
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What is it about bass? Bass that pumps in your ears, makes your headphones vibrate and your car windows shake. Instant hype.When I test out headphones, I put on Clipse. Specifically, I put on the Megasoid remix of Clipse’s “Monopoly,” but that’s beside the point. The point is that Clipse knows how to work the low register, and they do it on the regular.I’ve been split on the new stuff th
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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 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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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 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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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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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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