10

From the absolutely catastrophic earthquake in Haiti to the deaths of Willie Mitchell and Teddy Pendergrass, two of souls undeniable greats, it's definitely been a very somber way to start off 2010.

It's been stormy all week. I haven't seen or experienced wet and windy weather like this in a long time. Thankfully, there's been a slew of new music I've come across so far so I've managed to weather this storm with a calm. Some to consider:

Vampire Weekend: Contra - Not as good as last year's Vampire Weekend but who cares? "Diplomat's Son" is fantastic, in all it's electro-bleepness. Does the description "tropical" make any sense?

Method Man, Ghostface, & Raekwon: "Our Dreams" - Will The Wu Massacre be any good? If it even comes out? This cut isn't what I expected to be the first to leak from their collabo but I'm not complaining. I understand what they're trying to do with the "Ice Cream" approach (minus RZA's icey touch). New Wu is always welcome.

____________________________________________________

R.I.P. Willie Mitchell - He produced any Al Green album that was good. He was pretty much the Memphis sound behind Al Green's most endearing tunes. He's been sampled a bit too, but you already knew that.

R.I.P. Teddy Pendergrass - I only discovered he was a member of Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes after I became familiar with his solo hits. "Turn off the Lights", "Come Go With Me", and "Love T.K.O.", all "syrupy lovesong" classics. But man, his stint with Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes produced this uber-burner (and talk about "syrupy lovesong") - "I Miss You".

Looking Back

Songs Discovered/Re-discovered


1. "Ready, Able": Grizzly Bear
2. "We've Got A Good Thing Going": Michael Jackson
3. "Begin Here": Brother Ali
4. "Exhibit C": Jay Electronica
5. "Darkness": Roger Saunders
6. "Chunky": Ghostface
7. "Samsonite Man": Fashawn feat. Blu
8. "Kids Thats Rich": Raekwon
9. "Just A Gigolo": Thelonius Monk
10. "Just Begun": Reflection Eternal feat. Jay Electronica, J. Cole, & Mos Def
11. "Quiet Dog": Mos Def
12. "Minute By Minute": The Doobie Brothers
13. "Start The Show" (Original Version): Common
14. "Cavatina": Stanley Myers


Albums


1. Veckatimist: Grizzly Bear
2. In Da Ruff (Retail Version): Diamond District
3. My World: Lee Fields & The Expressions
4. The Salaam Remi Collection (Mixtape): Presented By Uggh...Nice Watch
5. Disintegration: The Cure
6. Ghostdini: The Wizard of Poetry: Ghostface
7. The Aretha Mix (Mixtape): DJ O-Dub of Soul Sides.com
8. My Maudlin Career: Camera Obscura
9. The Ecstatic: Mos Def
10. Anything Michael Jackson

Listening

**The Black Keys and Hip-Hop are BlakRoc. NPR did a quick write up. This group is Damon Dash's baby and the album figures to be an official mash up with some Hip-Hop heavyweights (Mos Def, Raekwon, RZA, M.O.P, and Pharoah Monch to name a few). I like what I've heard so far but this kind of collaborative, cross-genre effort is nothing new. Peep the Mos Def and Jim Jones collabo "Ain't Nothin' Like You (Hoochie Coo)":



**If there's something you're looking to do, get familiar with Blu and Exile. I've still got 2007's Below The Heavens on heavy rotation. Blu recently collaborated and lended production duties to Sene's ADayLate&ADollarShort, which is out now. Not mindblowing by any means but very consistent and solid material.

**Listened to Thelonious Monk's Monk's Dream last night and spun "Just A Gigolo" for 30 minutes straight.

**On a Lauryn Hill note, I don't remember where I came across this song but I sat down with it the other day and played it several times over. I know I didn't care for it much when I first heard it so I never really went back to it. But after running through some Fugees back catalog and the J. Period's L-Boogie mixtape from way back, I went back to it and let it kind of grow on me. It's really nothing spectacular. It's something that was not officially released so the sound quality is pretty shitty and it kind of drags at 8 plus minutes but I like the melody and it's cozy, acoustic quality. What do you think?

Lauryn Hill: "The World Is A Hustle" (unreleased)

Fugee Flashback!

Free L-Boogie!



I tend to tune out at the 1:24 minute mark. The "Vocab" remix is classic material minus Pras and Wyclef...

Post-Turkey Day Notes

**Soulsides' first podcast brings you an excellent assortment of funk instrumentals.

**Method Man feat. Raekwon: "Meth vs. Chef 2" - Not sure where it's from, not sure where it's going to end up (if anywhere). More of a mixtape cut.

**Common feat. John Legend: "Strange Fruit" - Left over from Common's 2007 Finding Forever, produced by Kanye West. Kind of snoozy, but judge for yourself.

**Fashawn feat. Blu: "Samsonite Man" (Produced by Exile) - Excellent cut from start to finish, lyrics to production, this track is fantastic.

**Mick Boogie and Terry Urban bring you 20 years of the one of greatest groups of all time. Not what you'de come expect in that the mix features different artists on interpolated De La cuts. Solid though nonetheless.

**Why is Beach House so good at creating music that sounds like this. It brings your weary mind the instant calm and relaxation it deserves.

The Blackstar Embassy

Late Night with Jimmy Fallon live performance, backed by ?uesto and company.

Alas! A video!

More Cinema

Wow. Red Cliff is going to be an amazing piece of work if only for its stunning visual presentation and action sequences.

If you have any familiarity with John Woo films you know that action plays center stage to the plot and storylines. I hear this picture boasts the biggest budget ever for an Asian motion picture. After all, you can't assemble some of Asia's most esteemed actors and cast them for peanuts.

"I keep it Pharrell with the Clipse"

Cinema

Besides music, bloody, ultra-violent martial arts movies are near and dear to my heart. Especially ones that feature Korean mega-superstars in them.

(Spotted at Angry's)

Cosmic Slop

ODB is for the babies! "Don't Do Drugs! Say No!"

-----------------------------------------------------------

I was perusing through the Altantic the other day and came across an October 28 Gore Vidal interview, a really good read. His take on Roman Polanski's soap opera was interesting. I especially liked how he closed out the interview when asked "Who is the best leader in the Democratic party right now?"

"Do you mean, Who can give the best speech? Who can raise the most money? Look, I’m not a sentimentalist. Nor am I a romantic. I don’t believe in the Great Man theory of history. Great men come along very seldom – and when they do, it’s pretty bloody. But, as Chancellor Bismarck once observed, God looks after alcoholics, little children, and the United States of America."

------------------------------------------------------------

O-Dub's got some choice mix's at Soul Sides you need to get upon right now.

They Reminisce

Considering all the bad blood between these two over the years I would have never figured them to reunite together for anything.

So this came as a surprise. A pleasant one.



(Spotted at Nahright)

The Humble Magnificent

There's been an Edan sighting.

Rejoice.

Cypher Sparked

The Swift Chancellors

If you don't already know, Raekwon, Ghostface, and Method Man are forming like Voltron for a December album release, complete with trailers.

There are two other versions of this video for "New Wu" but this is the official, every bit as gully as your gulliest videos.

Mr. Field's Cookies

Lee Fields & The Expressions' My World already came out in June but I've had this on rotation for a while now. Some of the songs on this album had already surfaced in 2008 (the exceptional ones by the way) so I already knew this full length was going to be solid. Forget that Lee sounds like a poor mans James Brown. The work he put in with The Expressions is fantastic and I highly recommend picking this up. You know you can this on vinyl as well.

Don't snooze.

Bonus:

Check this live performance of "Love Comes and Goes", one of my favorite cuts from the album:

Jay Tronix

Well, by now you should already know. He plays the enigmatic well but isn't so mysterious these days. At first, I didn't really understand what the fuss was with Jay Electronica. The verdict is still out until he drops something official but I'm not mad at material like this, the track courtesy of Justin Blazini.

Jay Electronica: "Exhibit C"

Elastic Flows

The new Red.

New Yorke

The Twilight New Moon soundtrack is interesting.

The drum kick on Thom Yorke's "Hearing Damage" smashes.

Villainy!

Madvillain sequel coming soon.

Billy Vera & The Beaters

I've seen and heard many incarnations of this song. Michael Buble actually does a cover of it on his new album. I don't think Buble's version does the original much justice because his vocals just doesn't fit with how this song should be sung. It just doesn't have that soulful bottom to it.

As far as love songs go, "At This Moment" is one of my all time favorites. The live performance is really what I enjoy hearing the most because Billy Vera's vocals express the sentiment of the song so perfectly. Again, I've seen him perform this song many times and he always delivers.

Diamond District

Oddissee talks production.



By the way, Diamond District's In Da Ruff is extra-spectacular...

And the bonus cut they dish out for the official retail release is beautiful. I'm saying, Oddissee is one of my favorite beatsmiths doing it right now.

"Hologram"

Speaking of tracks:

Clipses' "Popular Demand (Popeyes)" is bananananas! Pharrell is no chump when it comes to programming those drums. Throw Cam on the track aaaannnddd...

In The Music

In The Music is not available in the U.S. yet although the U.K. has had it since mid-September. I haven't had a chance to sit down with it yet but the title track isn't bad.

Low Budget

New Kev Brown. Cop that Random Joints EP.

Another Random Joint - Kev Brown from Humble Monarch on Vimeo.

Mos Def Embedded

(by way of Nahright)

"Spit some wizdom"

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
The RZA
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor Michael Moore

Ghostface is for the ladies!

I really thought this album was going to be terrible. It's not that I mind Ghostface doing R&B tracks coupled with contemporary R&B artists, but the thought of an entire album of them made me want to throw up. And hearing a couple of leaks from the album didn't necessarily help. But the two songs I heard prior to listening to the whole album didn't tell the whole story because I'm liking what the Wizard of Poetry has to offer. I mean, Ghost did say that he was going to do an all R&B album dedicated to the ladies and he definitely followed through. And it doesn't entirely suck either. As a matter of fact, it's vintage Ghostface material here and it's on display in typical Ironman vernacular fashion, if that makes any sense.

Lyrics-wise, Ghost is always going to deliver and that's not what I was really worried about when I first heard he was going through with this. I was more worried about the tracks, the beats, the producers. Most of the producers on this are unfamiliar to me save maybe Sean C & LV (who Ghost has worked with before and who produced some tracks for Jay-Z's American Gangster). Otherwise, never heard of Skymark ("Stay"), Clyde & Harry ("Forever"), Anthony Acid ("She's A Killah"). But the tracks work and, as far as R&B production go, are solid.

Here are couple that really work:

"Let's Stop Playin" feat. John Legend
"Paragraphs of Love" feat. Vaughn Anthony & Estelle

De La and EA?

So it looks like De La Soul's got a track for NBA Live 10. Hip-Hop and videos games are nothing new but I was a little surprised to hear that De La would do something with EA Sports. No matter cause I'm always happy to hear something new from them considering it's been um-teen years since their last official release.

As for the track, I wasn't sure I liked it at first listen but it's grown on me.

De La Soul: "La La La"

Classic?

First off, great cover. If Rae's going for the sequel this is the way to go.

So now that I've heard a few leaks I'm convinced Cubin Linx 2 is going to be a mixed bag. Although I'm not convinced the current track list floating around will be representative of the final product, I'm pretty sure it's going to disappoint. "Broken Safety" featuring Jadakiss and Styles P and "Have Mercy" featuring Beanie Sigel (and Blue Rasberry sings like shit), sound like mixtape throwaways.

"House of Flying Daggars" is good. Vintage Wu-Tang with Dilla providing the stampede. Can't say much about the video though, a little too cartoonish for my tastes.

"Catalina" , one of Dr. Dre's productions on the album, is nice. Doesn't blow my hair back but consistently effective, like all of Dre's recent work. As always, no change up on the tempo.

I think it's safe to say that if you're promoting your own album and you're not calling it a "classic", you're basically shitting on your own project. No? I may be premature. Maybe the rest of it is classic material. And don't get me wrong because I want this album to meet and/or exceed all expectations because Raekwon's no slouch with his mic skills. But if he's saying that the strength of this album is it's production then the product should hold true to that. So far my reaction is...meh.

None of what I've heard is on par with this and I don't even think its going to be on the album. He should get in the studio with Pete Rock and bang out a whole album because they definitely have a chemistry that works. Now THAT would be a classic collabo cause the PR has consistently churned out bangers for various Wu-Tang artists.

Thank You Letterman

Great band. And great, great song.



Grizzly Bear's Veckatimest is my album of the year...so far.

Classic Al Green

I discovered this live acoustic version of "Simply Beautiful", taken from a VH1 special that I should have never missed.

And on another random video note, I didn't even realize that there was a video for my favorite track on TVOTR's Return To Cookie Mountain.

Space Oddissee 3000

Oddissee has consistently been churning out quality material for years. I'm a fan of the whole Low Budget collective which includes Oddissee, Kev Brown, Cy Young, Roddy Rod, etc. It's not that they're creating mind blowing material either. It's just consistent, quality beats and rhymes that don't necessarily hit the mark every time. But the sound is coming from a very authentic place and is put on display, albeit under the radar, exceptionally well.

Oddissee is both producer and MC and very apt at wearing both hats. I thinks his production has steadily showed growth and improvement as far as arrangement and diversity of sounds. I hear his influences - Pete Rock, J-Dilla, Premier... But, like his Low Budget co-hort Kev Brown, the sound is distinctly his. As an MC, he's always been impressive. He is hands down the best of his peers.

Let me break down the Oddissee flavors that don't miss:

Kev Brown feat. Phonte & Oddissee: "Beats & Rhymes" - From Kev Brown's excellent I Do What I Do released in 2005 and the first time I ever heard Oddissee. His verse is last of the three and the only one to leave an impression. Phonte delivers but Oddissee closes this track out like a veteran champ.

Oddissee: "Gentrification" - Great production by Kev Brown and the content is more on the reflective side as he speaks about the gentrification of D.C., where he rests his head. From his mixtape Foot In The Door.

J-Live feat. Posdnous & Oddissee: "The Upgrade" - This is probably my favorite Oddissee production. The fact that J-Live brought in Pos of De La Soul to drop a verse was a treat but Oddissee's beat is tremendous. It's the horns kid!

Little Brother feat. Oddissee: "Delusional" - Produced by Oddissee with a lyrical cameo as well. Love the theme and the hook.

Oddissee feat. Buckshot: "Where I Be At" - From Pete Rosenberg Presents: A Rosenberg Oddissee EP. Can't really go wrong with Buckshot over an Oddissee track, especially if that Oddissee track is as flavorous as this one.

The Diamond District: In The Ruff album - Oddissee's trio featuring XO and YU. It's my favorite Hip-Hop album released this year. The beats are reminiscent of 90's eastcoast Hip-Hop, heavy on the drums and kicks. "Streets Won't Let Me Chill" is my anthem right now.

Michael Jackson

I thought I'd have a lot to say considering how his music dominated the airwaves throughout the decades, but the only thought I can muster is that I feel really sorry for the guy. Otherwise, his music (that includes the music he recorded with the Jackson 5), will never get old or outdated.

Instead of throwing the MJ5 favorites out there, I decided to share his music as it was flipped for some memorable Hip Hop cuts:

Nas: "It Ain't Hard To Tell"
De La Soul: "Breakadawn"
LL Cool J: "Hey Lover"
Pete Rock & CL Smooth: "Appreciate"
Ghostface: "All That I Got Is You"
Rhymefest: "Dancin' Machine"
Naughty By Nature: "OPP"
Kanye West: "Good Life"

Gimme Summer Dat

Songs for the summer heat.

The Beach Boys-"God Only Knows": You know The Beach Boys are synonymous with summer. It's probably not the song from their catalog that someone might expect to put on a summer mixtape but this tune is the breeziest to me.

The Gap Band-"Outstanding": I'm an 80's product, shaped and molded by the music of that era. The Gap Band's "Outstanding" always held down my summers and I never tire of it. Classical summer soul. And as a bonus, Matthew Africa liberates "I Found My Baby" to throw on at your BBQ this season.

Ibrahim Ferrer-"Bruca Manigua": There's no other voice like his on this planet and this tune is a perfect summer sizzler, complete with groovy percussion, horns, violin, and background vocals. Ae!
Bonus: You have to see a live performance to really appreciate Ibrahim Ferrer's vocals.



Brother Ali-"Real As Can Be" and "Begin Here" instrumentals: Not that Brother Ali's presence on these tracks is bad. It's just that the tracks (produced by Ant) are simply two of the best produced tracks I've heard so far this year-the smoothest shit I've heard in a while.

Ghostface-"Forever": Ghost lamenting over something soulful trying to get her to understand. Summer's definitely here folks.

Krumbsnatcha-"Yesterday": What is summer without songs that reminisce and conjure memories of the good 'ol days. The meloncholy track is produced by Pete Rock and fits snug with Krumb's theme. I'm really digging the hook PR has strewn in there.

Red & Meth

Truthfully, my expectations came in low for "The Blackout 2". Not that I wasn't looking out for Redman and Method Man material. Sequels seldom hit the mark, especially in Hip-Hop music. "Blackout 2" has probably 2 really strong tracks that I'd take with me and the lead single "Ay Yo", produced by Pete Rock, is one of them. The other, "Dangerous MC's" produced by Erick Sermon, is the other. Lyrically, Red and Meth are always going to impress. It's the scattered and anemic production that makes this album such a wash.

I forgot to mention the Cookin Soul Remix of "Dangerous MCs" is RIDICULOUSLY good.

Check Your Heads

The Beastie Boys were on Jimmy Fallon last night. His show airs way too late for me to check but here's their performance of "So Whatcha Want", backed by the incomparable Roots crew.

M-Def The Flavorous

Mos Def - "Casa Bey" - The Ecstatic - 6.9.09

What record is that!?

...anyone?

Noisemakers

Peter Rosenberg chops it up with Q-Tip. Q-Tip's Busta Rhymes impression is priceless.

In this segment, Q-Tip talks about Dilla. The sad thing is when you think about the potential of the Ummah and what we will never get to hear because of Dilla's passing. Everbody lights up whenever they have a J-Dilla story to tell...

Causin' Much Damage

Here's something from the past worthy of revisiting. Jeru The Damaja's "Can't Stop The Prophet" video was pretty original for the time. Early nineties Hip Hop videos weren't the most creative productions back then. And the track, produced by DJ Premier, is wicked.

I See Red

You don't understand...

...this is my favorite group of all time.

And this album is a sound revolution, still, 20 years later.

And the making of this masterpiece is broken down to it's very last compound here.

If you love this record as much as I do it's an absolute must-read.

Beatminerz

I've been on a major Beatminerz binge lately. I discovered a thunderous Beatminerz remix of Notorious B.I.G.'s "Gimme The Loot!" from an under-the-radar remix album they put out in 2007 and started to revisit some old (and new) material from this Brooklyn collective. It was also cool to, coincidentally, come across the video below and see that something like that is actually being put out confirming the relevance of authentic beatmaking and it's enduring significance.

Good producers develop their own sound and it eventually becomes their signature. All the greats have that singular sound and Evil Dee and Mr. Walt have mastered theirs. Da Beatminerz is heavy and stark, New York boom-bap, kick and snare Hip-Hop. To really appreciate a Beatminerz production you have to turn it up and don't be afraid to blow your speakers out. Even the slick tracks will blow your wig back.

Here's what I've had on rotation in no particular order. Brace for impak.

The Notorious B.I.G.: "The Loot!" ("Gimme The Loot!" remix) - Is there a white label for this? If not, someone needs to get upon it and make it happen.

Black Moon: "Stoned Is The Way" - This is what I mean by heavy. Something to crush cinder blocks to.

Mic Geronimo feat. O.C. & Royal Flush: "Men Vs. Many" - From Mic Geronimo's solid debut The Natural (1995). This Beatminerz production is more sparse but it's still got a kick to it and the three MC's don't slouch on the track either.

Beatminerz feat. Flipmode Squad: "Take That!" - This was a track absolutely made for Busta Rhymes but it's got the whole Flipmode featured on it. No matter, I could crank this instrumental and still lose control. "Bladoowww!!!!!"

Rah Digga: "Tight" - Her Dirty Harriet debut album in 2000 is probably one of the best female rap albums I've heard mainly because it's anchored down by such excellent production (Pete Rock, Premier, Nottz, and Da Beatminerz). This is my favorite from that album, track courtesy of Mr. Walt. It's tighter than three or more heads in a CRX.

Smif 'N' Wessun: "Shinin...Next Shit" - From Dah Shinin' (1995) and the second official release from Duck Down Records and exclusively produced by Da Beatminerz. This album boasts "Bucktown", "Sound Bwoy Bureill", and "Let's Git It On" to name a few, but I always go back to this one.

If you're wondering why I didn't post these,

you
should
already
know

School of Hard Beats

Scratch Academy DVD: Beatmaking 101 from Hevehitta on Vimeo.

I don't even know who the other guy is (DJ Shok?). He seems a little jittery, probably because he's in the company of a couple of legends. Very good stuff from DJ Premier and DJ Evil Dee who provide some interesting insight on the art of beat-making.

Speaking of DJ Evil Dee, I've been meaning to post something on the Beatminerz. For some reason, the random shuffle of my iPod has been landing on some burners from Evil Dee and his brother Mr. Walt. I think it's a precurser for the heat that's about to hit this summer and I've got some Beatminerz material to match that. Stay tuned.

Simma down simma down now

Mos Def's full length The Ecstatic is set for a June release. Can't say that the first official single "Life In Marvelous Times" did much for me. The production (Mr. Flash) is a little snoozy. "The Glow" might have been a more solid choice but there's no confirmation that it will even be on the new album.

"Quiet Dog" is the second official single. Produced by Preservation, it's a stronger, uptempo cut that showcases Mos Def's ability to pretty much become the track he jumps on. Production-wise, it's basically a rhythm track anchored down by groovy percussion and, of course, Mos Def's steady and unwavering flow. Quiet dog bite hard!

Mos Def: "Quiet Dog"

On My Grizzly

Grizzly Bear is serving it up big and heavy with this one. From their new album dropping this spring.

Grizzly Bear: "Cheerleader"

Uptown Baby!

Random flashback here. I only put this up because I was listening to Steely Dan's essential Aja album this morning and kept going back to "Black Cow", probably my favorite Steely Dan song from one of the best albums ever recorded. Donald Fagen and Walter Becker created a masterful "Side One" that lines up "Black Cow", "Aja", and "Deacon Blues", a flawless 1, 2, and 3 song combo that I don't think any other "classic" album is able to match.

I'm not the biggest fan of Peter Gunz & Lord Tariq but "Deja Vu (Uptown Baby)" is intoxicating simply because the "Black Cow" break was used to such perfection.

The Chef

What we can count on when it comes to Hip Hop album release dates is that you can't really count on them. It's been a few years now since the Cuban Linx sequel was suppose to drop and Raekwon is confident that it will actually drop this year, tentatively in June. And I use the term "tentatively" very loosely.

CBRAP put up a list a while back on building your own Cuban Linx 2 and dropped a couple of woozies that, in all likelihood, are not going to make the final cut (if a final cut actually exists). I've already heard most of them but there are two cuts that are new to me that I hope will make it on the album.

"Kids That's Rich" - Produced by Pete Rock. Chef puts his lyrical skill and wordplay on major display here. I think a Pete Rock and Raekwon collabo album should be seriously considered by both camps. By the way, Raekwon apparently knows nothing about this track so I think it's going to be on the album with a different title. It's too good to be excluded.

"Blue Eagles" - There's a complete version of this floating around out there somewhere. This is a snippet. If I can't find it I'm hoping it makes the album.

This goes out to you, and you, and you...

And you.

And you can get the lyrical remix.

You can even get the Gasface Rebuttle.

The Nat King Cole Remix Project

I've heard some scattered remix projects created for legends of the past. For instance, I really enjoyed the Sergio Mendes Timeless project. It's got one of only a handful of Wil.I.Am productions I like on it by way of "That Heat", a f--kin' scorcher.

The Nat King Cole project Re:Generations sounds promising. I've heard "Walking My Baby Back Home" featuring The Roots and wasn't much impressed. But "The Game of Love" featuring Nas and reinterpreted by Salaam Remi? Excellent. It's short and wastes no time. Nas follows Nats lead and goes in. The tracks whimsical sound is a definite winner here and doesn't make either artist come off awkward.

Nas: "The Game of Love"

For the record, after watching the above trailer, I'm actually looking forward to the Wil.I.Am and Natalie Cole collabo.

And the Just Blaze track sounds hot as well.

The Blaq Out

Wow. Now this is the Primo production I've been waiting for. From the other half of Queensbridge's own Screwball.

Blaq Poet: "Ain't Nuttin' Changed"

The album The Blaqprint set to drop via DJ Premier's Year Round Records this spring.

Nothing mind blowing with the video but still, the track is ridiculous.

March On

What I love about Beirut is that the music takes me someplace unfamiliar. From the instrumentation and nuanced vocal stylings of Zack Condon to the wistful worldliness that comes through in his lyrics, Beirut is simply good listening.

Although not as strong as the previous two releases, the EP combo of March of the Zapotec and Realpeople: Holland is consistent with Beirut's sound. There's a little dabbling of electronic stuff thrown in the mix but I still enjoy it overall. I'm throwing "The Concubine" out there cause it's my favorite of the set. My daughter's fond of "The Shrew".

Beirut: "The Concubine"

It's Curtains...Really?

"Whether you describe it as the dawning of a post-racial age or just the end of white America, we’re approaching a profound demographic tipping point. According to an August 2008 report by the U.S. Census Bureau, those groups currently categorized as racial minorities—blacks and Hispanics, East Asians and South Asians—will account for a majority of the U.S. population by the year 2042. Among Americans under the age of 18, this shift is projected to take place in 2023, which means that every child born in the United States from here on out will belong to the first post-white generation."

I'm a little late getting to this but it's an interesting observation. Read Hua Hsu's full essay in The Atlantic here.

Get It

Incredible mixtape from start to finish. I'm enjoying this more than J.Period's Lauryn Hill endeavor.

The blends are perfect, the music is still incredible to this day and relevant as ever. The Q-Tip commentary is great as well.

I've usually stayed away from the mixtape circuit for numerous reasons but I have to give it to Tip and J.Period for putting together a fantastic mix of unforgettable Hip-Hop.

Definitely on point here.

And it's free in case you ain't heard...

Don't sleep.

WTF????

You know, I (We) should be dumbfounded at how someone like this has served, not one, but two terms as the President of these United States, elected by the people for the people. And we're supposed to be one of the more educated societies of the world. Are we??? I think that's a legitmate question.

(Footage brought to you by way of Poplicks)

Amerie

What happened to this album's official U.S. release???

The Donna Cappa Goines

The Cappatilize Project is better than some of the other Wu member's projects that have dropped. I'm not saying it's any good. Two of my favorite tracks clock in under the 2-minute mark.

"The Annointing"
"Peace God" feat. Born Divine - (Somebody actually flipped the Bee Gee's "Nights On Broadway" and layed it down quite flat).

Not Here

I think I could turn and live with animals, they're so
placid and self-contain'd,
I stand and look at them long and long.
They do not sweat and whine about their condition,
They do not lie awake in the dark and weep for their
sins,
They do not make me sick discussing their duty to God,
Not one is dissatisfied, not one is demented with the mania
of owing things,
Not one kneels to another, nor to his kind that lived
thousands of years ago,
Not one is respectable or unhappy over the whole earth.

- Walt Whitman

Fleet Foxes: "Meadowlarks"

The Next Plateau

Wow. Things done changed.

I just caught Planet B-Boy on MTV2 this past Sunday night. I know that breakdancing had evolved into something more than uprocking and backspins but the contemporary b-boy continues to take the art form to new heights. Sometimes when I see what they're able to do, physically, with the precision, speed, intricacy, complexity, and the sheer strength and body control it takes to pull off each move...I dunno. I don't think they're human. And battles sure as hell aren't what they used to be.

Oliver Wang interviewed the documentary's director Benson Lee back in June of 2008 which you can read here.

The documentary is definitely worth checking out.

He is a Grandpa, but he fathered your style...

Wasn't too impressed with Pro Tools but this track, produced by Bronze Nazereth, is worth a listen. GZA sounds like he just rolled out of bed and into the booth but the track bangs.

GZA feat. Bronze Nazereth: "7 Pounds"

Welcome 2009

"I'm still living, at the old address..."

Toro!

One of my favorite films of the year is Guillermo Del Toro's Hellboy II: The Golden Army. I absolutely loved the first installment and the sequel is mind-blowing visually. The plot isn't very dynamic but I wasn't expecting too much in that respect. It is, after all, a sci-fi action extravaganza anyway. I'll take Hellboy II over The Dark Knight in a battle over this year's blockbusters any day. The Batman sequel was actually pretty disappointing.

I am a huge fan of Del Toro's other films as well, especially 2006's Pan's Labyrinth which I just watched again for the third time last night. I usually don't watch movies more than once, especially ones with exceptional stories and plots because the thrill is gone when you already know how the story and plots unravel, but Pan's Labyrinth is such a mulit-layered picture I discover something new with each viewing. It's a fascinating movie with stunning visuals and thought-provoking themes. It's become a more enjoyable experience revisiting the movie after diving into some of Del Toro's older interviews where he discusses the film, it's early beginnings, how he developed the story and it's various themes, how he chose the score, and so forth. Here's some interesting stuff I picked up around the way. He gives engaging and insightful interviews, good stuff.



These excerpts are on the Deluxe DVD release of Pan's Labyrinth as added bonus features:





Here he makes an appearance on Charlie Rose with fellow Mexican directors Alfonso Cuaron (Director of The Children of Men) and Alejandro Gonzales Inarritu (Director of Babel) who are also his compadres as well as peers. This also appears on the Pan's Labyrinth Deluxe DVD release.



Guillermo Del Toro's next project is the prequel to the Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Hobbit (and it's sequel). I'm pretty sure it's going to be a monumental piece of work. Look at what he did with the Hellboy II budget.

Random Shots

I discovered Vampire Weekend's self titled release a little late but it's ridiculously good and is well worth mentioning as the year in music winds to a close. I usually browse "The Best Of..." lists at the year's conclusion to acquaint myself with music that may have flown under my radar during the year and Vampire Weekend was one of them. It was released January of 2008 but I didn't give it a thorough listen until the other night. Like The Walkmen's You & Me, it boasts an album's worth of strong cuts, all catchy, all well-produced.

The pleasure in listening to this album is that it's hard to nail down a favorite, but here's a couple to goodies worth throwing out there.

"Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa"
"Mansard Roof"

...and Beach House's "Gila" is such a mesmerizer...

Fleet Foxes' self-titled debut is another album I just discovered. "Blue Ridge Mountains" is amazing. Very sublime, as is the rest of their solid debut.

And I can't begin to tell you how indispensible Soul Sides has been in introducing me to such an amazing catalog of the most soulful of soul classics. You know, the soul music variety that simply absorbs you...like these...

The Impressions: "I'm Loving Nothing"
Candi Staton: "Too Hurt To Cry"

The video is terrible and this song came out last year but I haven't been able to get enough of it. From it's quiet and unassuming introductory 2.5 minutes to the unravelling of it's 1.5 minute conclusion that you want to sing from the rafters-The Shins' "Sleeping Lessons" from 2007's Wincing The Night Away is a sonic nova.

Junichi and Oliver over at Poplicks have rounded out their usual year-end lists.

Junichi's "Best Quotes of 2008" is a must read.

The Albums

1. The Walkmen: You & Me
2. Various: Fallin' Off The Reel Volume 2
3. Menahan Street Band: Make The Road By Walking
4. Q-Tip: The Renaissance
5. Jean Grae: Jeanius
6. Estelle: Shine
7. Coldplay: Viva La Vida
8. Final Solution: Brotherman OST
9. Erykah Badu: New Amerykah Part 1 (4th World War)
10. Vampire Weekend: Vampire Weekend

Honorable Mention:

Fleet Foxes: Fleet Foxes
J-Live: Then What Happened?
Beach House: Devotion

This Year In Music - The Songs

Some of these tunes didn't come out in 2008 but were heard for the first time this year. Here's my month to month breakdown of this year's most memorable songs...

January:

1. Candi Staton: "Too Hurt To Cry"
2. Kev Brown: "Batida"
3. Nas: "On The Real"

February:

1. Pete Rock: "We Roll (Instrumental)"

March:

1. Lee Fields & The Expressions: "My World"
2. Lee Fields & The Expressions: "Love Comes & Goes"
3. Pete Rock feat. Slum Village: "Gangsta Boogie"
4. Erykah Badu: "Soldier"
5. Gnarls Barkley: "Who's Gonna Save My Soul"

April:

1. Rock Marciano: "MC's"
2. Nut-Rageous: "They Wanna Know"
3. Estelle: "Back In Love"

May:

1. J-Live feat. Posdnous & Oddisee: "The Upgrade"
2. BIG: "Another Rough One"
3. J-Live: "It Don't Stop"
4. NYGz feat. Lady of Rage & Royce 5'9: "Ya Dayz R #d (Remix)"

June:

1. Solange: "I Decided (Pt. 1)"
2. Coldplay: "Strawberry Swing"
3. Quantic & Nickodemus: "Mi Swing Es Tropical"
4. Little Brother feat. Oddisee: "Delusional"
5. Jean Grae: "#8"
6. Elkin & Nelson: "Vamanos"
7. Ray Barretto: "Pastime Paradise"
8. Infakt feat. Moonrokk: "California"

July:

1. Bishop Lamont: "Grow Up"
2. Rock Marciano: "4 All The Real Raw Deal"
3. M.I.A. feat Freeway: "Paper Planes (Remix)"
4. Alicia Keys: "Teenage Love Affair (Instrumental)"

August:

1. Mos Def: "The Glow"
2. The GZA: "IntroMental"
3. Q-Tip: "Gettin' Up"
4. Solange: "Would've Been The One"
5. Joe Bataan: "Gypsy Woman (Demo Version)"
6. Menahan Street Band: "Make The Road By Walking"
7. Portishead: "Threads"

September:

1. The Walkmen: "The Blue Route"
2. The Jacksons: "Show You The Way To Go"
3. Final Solution: "Brotherman"
4. Joe Bataan: "Under The Street Lamp"

October:

1. EPMD: "Listen Up"
2. Roberto Roena y Su Apollo Sound: "Que Se Sepa"
3. Menahan Street Band: "Go The Distance"

November:

1. Raphael Saadiq: "Kelly Ray"
2. Cesaria Evora: "Sodade"
3. Bill Withers: "I Want To Spend The Night"
4. Q-Tip: "Move"
5. Oddisee feat. Buckshot: "Where I Be At"
6. Stevie Wonder: "Send Me Some Lovin'"

December:

1. Jay-Z feat. B.I.G.: "Brooklyn Go Hard (Mick Boogie Remix)"
2. Paul Mitchell Trio: "Now That I Know What Loneliness Is"
3. Jay-Z: "Sweet (Feli Kuti Remix)"
4. Marsha Ambrosius feat. Little Brother: "Sunshine"
5. The Temprees: "(Girl) I Love You"
6. Joe Bataan: "Ordinary Guy (45 Version)"
7. Nina Simone: "Gimme Some (Mike Mangini Mix)"
8. Fleet Foxes: "Blue Ridge Mountains"
9. Vampire Weekend: "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa"

Dante For President

I'm all for Jam Master Jay Day...

?uesto on Dilla

Blackstar's "Little Brother" just so happens to be one of the most gorgeous J-Dilla tracks I've ever heard. And that's saying a lot when you consider his body of work prior to his passing two years ago.

And it just so happens that ?uestlove has recounted the events leading up the creation of this Dilla jewel here. When I first heard this track my first response was "where did he sample this from?" So when I read ?uesto's story about how the beat came to life - let's just say that my wig is completely flipped backwards.

J-Dilla was on some other shit. But you already knew that...

Blackstar: "Little Brother"

(Story brought to you by way of Nah Right Lite)

Pass The Mic

SEMTEX TV: DELA SOUL, MOS DEF, NAS, WILL I AM, KANYE WEST, DAMON ALBARN ROC THE MIC @ THE G.O.O.D. MUSIC AFTER PARTY, LONDON, UK from DJ SEMTEX on Vimeo.

Nas, Mos Def, and De La Soul passing the mic here at the G.O.O.D. Music after party in London just makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Taking it back.

Reckoner

Radiohead - Reckoner - by Clement Picon

Politics As Usual

I really enjoyed this this morning.

Courtesy of Junichi over at Poplicks.

Keep Walking With Me

"The Blue Route", my favorite cut from my favorite album so far this year.

Hamilton Leithauser's vocals weave flawlessly through this song.

But Matt Barrack on drums is the star, not only on "The Blue Route", but the on the entire album.

You remember the "The Rat" right?

Walk With Me

So far, the best of 2008.

The Maverick

The Notations: "It Only Hurts For A Little While"

The Glow

Mos Def: "The Glow"

"Peep The Instrumental"

Alicia Keys' "Teenage Love Affair" was one of my favorite songs last year. The lyrics are pretty run-of-the-mill but the backing track really carried this tune to soulful sublimeness. Now, if only someone can track down Ghostface to get vintage on this... The LL Cool J remix was meh.

Alicia Keys: "Teenage Love Affair (Instrumental)"

Bonus:

Her David Letterman performance some time back.