Monday, July 31, 2006

"Cowbell" Tapes 'n Tapes

I like these guys. They're from Minne- apolis. Like Bob Dylan, and Brother Ali, and Jerry Lundegaard. So, points right there. Plus they write lyrics like, "Even now/ In solitude and stress/ I've been a better lover with your mother." Whatever that means. As long as they're not talking about my mother, I don't give a shit. This track is from their debut full-length, The Loon. If you like it, they have a bunch more free mp3s on their website.

"Cowbell" Tapes 'n Tapes

Thursday, July 27, 2006

"Night Rider" Girl Talk

I don't like posting stuff that Pitchfork is currently hyping because, you know, why bother. But I couldn't sleep nights if I didn't draw as much attention to this record as possible. Girl Talk is this dude from Pittsburgh who has taken the mash-up form and pushed it into the realm of the mentally unstable. He samples riffs/verses/beats from a retarded number of sources and crams them into dancefloor bangers, making Z-Trip look like a lazy fuckin deadbeat. Night Rider, is his third release and I suspect you'll be hearing a lot of it this summer. Here's your head-start.

PS I'm going to start linking to existing mp3 downloads whenever possible (label sites, etc.) so the tracks will be available indefinitely.

"Smash You Head" Girl Talk
"Bounce That" Girl Talk
"Hold Up" Girl Talk

Tuesday, July 25, 2006

"Playhouses" TV on the Radio

In case you ain't heard, TV on the Radio's new album, Return to Cookie Mountain, is out. I haven't been listening to much else for the past week. (Why go out when you got the good shit at home?) This will be the record that nudges them into householdnamedom. So, if you want to feel like you're in on the secret, you better hurry. They have some funny video promos on their website. David Cross is in one and the kid from Me and You and Everyone We Know plays the President in another. Nothin wrong with that.

"Playhouses" TV on the Radio (dead link)

Sunday, July 23, 2006

"Ya Playin Yaself (Mugwort)" MF Doom vs Jeru The Damaja

When Jeru dropped his second album, Wrath of the Math in '96 with the epic Premiere beats, the playa-hatin lyrics and that oh-so buttery flow, me and my Maple Ridge friends decided that as long as we had a big bag of weed and the CD on repeat, we would never have to leave my parents garage. Alas, the spell wore off and the last of us left the garage some years ago. But, thanks to guys like MF Doom, that dank, resin-stained, concrete box lives on in the 2G, if only in our hearts. Here's a track from one of Metal Face's numerous instrumental/accapella Special Blend releases.

"Ya Playin Yaself (Mugwort)" MF Doom vs Jeru The Damaja (dead link)

Tuesday, July 18, 2006

"Did I Step On Your Trumpet" Danielson

Look at these upstanding young citizens. They don't want to kick your ass. They just want to play you some really eccentric pop music. The dude in front is Daniel Smith from Clarksboro, New Jersey. He and his revolving-door collaborators record under the name Danielson. (which I choose to believe is a clever Karate Kid reference) And their new album, Ships, is receiving quite the critical rim-job. Allow me to toss my humble tongue into the mix. This album is full of surprises. A new song jumps out at me with every listen. You can safely file it next to your Arcade Fire, Decemberists, Frog Eyes and Sufjan Stevens albums. Just don't tell Daniel. I think he'd prefer to live beside Wesley Willis.

"Did I Step On Your Trumpet" Danielson

Thursday, July 06, 2006

"Still Life" The Russian Futurists

The Russian Futurists is this kid, Matthew Adam Hart, from Toronto. I don't go in for nationalism much but this guy has me scarfing down canadian flags smothered in maple syrup. Trying to describe his sound is an exercise in futility. Maybe...Sufjan Stevens produced by Mad Lib? Ugh. I knew I shouldn't have tried.

"Still Life" The Russian Futurists (dead link)
"Paul Simon" The Russian Futurists (permanent link)