Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Next Big Thing Alert: The Shortwave Set

Yesterday we discussed the merits of Danger Mouse producing brilliant pop albums in 2008, and listed, in passing, a new artist out of the UK called The Shortwave Set. Certainly they deserve much more than just a passing mention, and so instead we've liberally deemed them a Next Big Thing.

Their debut EP, The Debt Collection, garnered the attention of D Mouse, possibly due to its description as a "Victorian Funk Masterwork" (never mind that it was the band themselves that described it as such, nor that there isn't much in the way of a Victorian Funk Failure). Earlier this month their Danger Mouse-produced sophomore release, Replica Sun Machine, was released on Wall of Sound. Recorded in LA, the album also just happens to feature orchestration by Beach Boys collaborator Van Dyke Parks, not to mention contributions on two songs from The Velvet Underground's John Cale. Ho hum.

With a psychedelic-cum-a.m.-radio vibe reminiscent of Air in songs like "Harmonia", "Replica", and "Distant Daze", intermingled with 60s dream-pop numbers "Glitches N Bugs" and "Sun Machine" sounding like a British New Pornographers, Replica Sun Machine provides a cohesive collection of atmospheric pop music. And Danger Mouse's stamp is clearly demarcated throughout. Have a listen:

"Harmonia" mp3

"No Social" video


"Replica" video










Go get the album,
Replica Sun Machine.


Make friends @ http://www.myspace.com/theshortwaveset.

-J2

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Beck + Danger Mouse = Favorite Song of the Day

It only makes sense that Beck and Danger Mouse would eventually work together on a project, and on its way sometime soon is Modern Guilt. Given their affinity for spaced-out, LSD-infused bubblegum-pop and obscure deep grooves from the 60s & 70s, their collaboration was inevitable. And so Danger Mouse has produced Beck's latest LP with a potential release date in June or July.

The first leaked track, "Chemtrails", is garnering justifiable comparisons to Pink Floyd thanks to the thunderous drumming of Joey Waronker. But Beck's lilting and wispy vocals recall Pet Sounds-era Brian Wilson, and until those powerhouse drums kick in, "Chemtrails" crawls through the hills of Southern California more than those of Cambridge.


It's probably safe to say that Danger Mouse gets our vote for Producer of the Year 2008 (if that award exists). So far he's brought us new albums from The Black Keys, Gnarls Barkley, Martina Topley-Bird, The Shortwave Set, and now the latest from Beck. And to think, just four years ago he was a 26 year old up-and-coming DJ who'd illegally made the greatest hip-hop album of the decade that never made a cent.

Check out Beck.com for fun with flash media.

-J2

Monday, May 19, 2008

Hip Hop Is Dead. Long Live Hip Hop!

Big Boi and Andre 3000 may have ventured off in differing directions this past half-decade, but Outkast remains the same. Since December, rumors of Big Boi's next solo album have been circulating, but for the last coupla months, this is the only track we've heard. Still, it's more than enough to keep the hype alive. The album is to be called Sir Luscious Left Foot, and the track, "Royal Flush" features Raekwon and Three-Stacks himself, who's become a bit of a Gandhi of the Streets. On DJ Drama's "Art of Storytellin' Pt 4", Dre deftly postulates:
She said, While you in the club, you don't make it precipitate?
You know, make it rain when you can make it thunderstorm
I'm like, Why?
The world needs sun
The hood needs funds
There's a war going on and half the battle is guns
How dare I throw it on the floor
When people are poor
Here he drops the lines:
When all the other kids are fresh and they got new Nintendo
Wiis
And yo' child is down on her knees
Praying hard up to God for a Whopper with cheese
"Royal Flush" MP3 (that someone else made a video for):


Official Outkast page.

-J2

Friday, May 16, 2008

Friday Flashback: Public Enemy

In excited anticipation of Public Enemy performing It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back at the Pitchfork Music Fest in a couple of months, let's go back 20 years (20 fucking years?!?) and remember why this remains one of the greatest albums of all time.

"Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos"


Lyrics:
I got a letter from the government
The other day
I opened and read it
It said they were suckers
They wanted me for their army or whatever
Picture me given' a damn I said never
Here is a land that never gave a damn
About a brother like me and myself
Because they never did
I wasn't wit' it but just that very minute...
It occured to me
The suckers had authority
Cold sweatin' as I dwell in my cell
How long has it been?
They got me sittin' in the state pen
I gotta get out - but that thought was thought before
I contemplated a plan on the cell floor
I'm not a fugitive on the run
But a brother like me begun - to be another one
Public enemy servin' time - they drew the line y'all
To criticize me some crime - never the less
They could not understand that I'm a Black man
And I could never be a veteran
On the strength, the situation's unreal
I got a raw deal, so I'm goin' for the steel

They got me rottin' in the time that I'm servin'
Tellin' you what happened the same time they're throwin'
4 of us packed in a cell like slaves - oh well
The same motherfucker got us livin' is his hell
You have to realize - what its a form of slavery
Organized under a swarm of devils
Straight up - word'em up on the level
The reasons are several, most of them federal
Here is my plan anyway and I say
I got gusto, but only some I can trust - yo
Some do a bid from 1 to 10
And I never did, and plus I never been
I'm on a tier where no tears should ever fall
Cell block and locked - I never clock it y'all
'Cause time and time again time
They got me servin' to those and to them
I'm not a citizen
But ever when I catch a C-O
Sleepin' on the job - my plan is on go-ahead
On the strength, I'ma tell you the deal
I got nothin' to lose
'Cause I'm goin' for the steel

You know I caught a C-O
Fallin' asleep on death row
I grabbed his gun - then he did what I said so
And everyman's got served
Along with the time they served
Decency was deserved
To understand my demands
I gave a warnin' - I wanted the governor, y'all
And plus the warden to know
That I was innocent -
Because I'm militant
Posing a threat, you bet it's fuckin' up the government
My plan said I had to get out and break north
Just like with Oliver's neck
I had to get off - my boys had the feds in check
They couldn't do nuthin'
We had a force to instigate a prison riot
This is what it takes for peace
So I just took the piece
Black for Black inside time to cut the leash
Freedom to get out - to the ghetto - no sell out
6 C-Os we got we ought to put their head out
But I'll give 'em a chance, cause I'm civilized
As for the rest of the world, they can't realize
A cell is hell - I'm a rebel so I rebel
Between bars, got me thinkin' like an animal
Got a woman C-O to call me a copter
She tried to get away, and I popped her
Twice, right
Now who wanna get nice?
I had 6 C-Os, now it's 5 to go
And I'm serious - call me delirious
But I'm still a captive
I gotta rap this
Time to break as time grows intense
I got the steel in my right hand
Now I'm lookin' for the fence

I ventured into the courtyard
Followed by 52 brothers
Bruised, battered, and scarred but hard
Goin' out with a bang
Ready to bang out
But power from the sky
And from the tower shots rang out
A high number of dose - yes
And some came close
Figure I trigger my steel
Stand and hold my post
This is what I mean - an anti-nigger machine
If I come out alive and then they won't - come clean
And then I threw up my steel bullets - flew up
Blew up, who shot...
What, who, the bazooka was who
And to my rescue, it was the S1Ws
Secured my getaway, so I just gotaway
The joint broke, from the black smoke
Then they saw it was rougher thatn the average bluffer
'Cause the steel was black, the attitude exact
Now the chase is on tellin' you to c'mon
53 brothers on the run, and we are gone
BONUS TIME! Yes, there's more!

Trip-hop patron saint, Tricky, did a sweet cover of this track on Maxinquaye with the help of Martina Topley-Bird which we've always enjoyed thoroughly as well.

Dig it:


-J2

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Next Big Thing Alert: Chin Chin

Funky, soulful(/soul-filled/soul-fueled) baby-making music is back, people (though, does it ever really go away?). We're gonna go 'head and give sole credit to Danger Mouse for singlehandedly resurrecting the spirit of Ike Turner, and therefore this current movement.

The latest arbiters of Funk are Brooklyn trio Chin Chin, whose eponymous full-length debut dropped a coupla weeks ago on Def Jux. While at heart a trio - guitarist Jeremy Wilms, keyboardist Wilder Zoby, and drummer Torbitt Schwartz - Chin Chin has many friends that often propel the band into Funkadelic or JB's formations. The resulting sound is somewhere between soul, hip-hop, lounge, and acid jazz, and it's everywhere around groovy.

Comparisons to other artists are inevitable in the blogosphere, so here goes: the same way Kanye West and Daft Punk joined forces, imagine Gnarls Barkley and Air getting together to do Steely Dan covers produced by Pharrell Williams. In fact, it'll be interesting to see if the new N.E.R.D. album due out this summer results in even more attention for Chin Chin and similar bands.

MP3: "Miami"

Video: "Appetite"











Go get the album.


Make friends and hear more @ www.myspace.com/chinchinnyc.

-J2

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Help Save Chicago's Music Scene!

Please take a moment, read the following, take action and save the Chicago music community.

PLEASE READ, DISTRIBUTE AND SIGN THE PETITION!

The City of Chicago is trying to pass an ordinance this Wednesday (May 14th, 2008) that could severely damage the live music and theater scene.

In summary:

The "Event Promoters" ordinance requires any event promoter to have a license from the city of Chicago and liability insurance of $300,000, but that's just the start:

* The definition of "event promoter" is so loosely defined it could apply to a band or singer-songwriter that books their own shows or a theater company that's in town for a one-week run.

* "Event Promoter" must be licensed and will pay $500-$2000 depending on expected audience size.

* To get the license, applicant must be over 21, get fingerprinted, submit to a background check, and jump over several other hurdles.

* This ordinance seems targeted towards smaller venues, since those with 500+ permanent seats are exempt.

* Police must be notified at least 7 days in advance of event.


The first link gives a summary of the proposal, and the second is a petition (Chicago Acoustic Underground is one of the sponsors of the petition). Please read the links and contact your alderman before Wednesday, when the City Council will be voting.

SUMMARY OF PROPOSAL:

Jim DeRogatis's story: Chicago Sun-Times

FIND YOUR ALDERMAN & CALL THEM ASAP:

Click here to find your local aldermen.

The alderman for The Empty Bottle is Manuel 'Manny' Flores.

Make your voice heard, call your alderman and call often!

Thank you for support.


*above text taken from Empty Bottle newsletter

-

Friday, May 09, 2008

Friday Flashback: Blind Melon

In 1993, Blind Melon gave the world "No Rain". A great song with a great video, it was overplayed to death at the time. Fifteen years later, however, looking back on what a truly brilliant song it is, I admit to getting a little weepy when I hear it (maybe the premature death of one of the most underrated singers/songwriters of my generation plays a part in that). Especially this slowed down, psyched-out version from Saturday Night Live:


(If you want to see the original music video, find it here.)

Lyrics:
All I can say is that my life is pretty plain
I like watchin' the puddles gather rain
And all I can do is just pour some tea for two
and speak my point of view
But it's not sane, It's not sane
I just want some one to say to me
I'll always be there when you wake
Ya know I'd like to keep my cheeks dry today
So stay with me and I'll have it made
And I don't understand why I sleep all day
And I start to complain that there's no rain
And all I can do is read a book to stay awake
And it rips my life away, but it's a great escape
escape......escape......escape......
All I can say is that my life is pretty plain
ya don't like my point of view
ya think I'm insane
Its not sane......it's not sane
Lovely.

-J2

Thursday, May 08, 2008

Chicago Concert Calendar: Friday, May 9th

Murphy's Law, we suppose, but there are a gazillion good shows in the City of Wind that are all happening tomorrow night. Here's a little breakdown to help you decide where to go:

Who: The Kills
Where: The Metro
Price Tag: $14.00 (get tix)
For Fans Of: Boy-girl duos, Primal Scream, Jesus & Mary Chain
What to Wear: Skinny jeans, scarf 'round yo neck
Listen:

Who: M.I.A.
Where: Aragon Ballroom
Price Tag: $27.50 (get tix)
For Fans Of: Sri Lankian rebels, dirty-house, M.I.A.
What to Wear: All-over print tees, multi-colored Adidas
Listen:

Who: DeVotchKa
Where: The Vic Theater
Price Tag: $19.50 (get tix)
For Fans Of: Gypsies, the soundtrack to Little Miss Sunshine
What to Wear: Eastern European Immigrant Fashions
BONUS: Basia Bulat opens!
Listen:

Who: The Heavy
Where: Darkroom
Price Tag: $5.00 (get tix at the door)
For Fans Of: Dancing, Curtis Mayfield, Prince
What to Wear: Dancing shoes, that new Puma hat
Listen:

Who: Ministry
Where: House of Blues
Price Tag: $41.50 (get tix)
For Fans Of: Overpriced concert tickets, late-80s Industrial Metal, NIN
What to Wear: Black
Listen:

Who: Hum.V
Where: Funky Buddha Lounge
Price Tag: $10.00 (mention Hum.V at the door)
For Fans Of: Local hip-hop, Slim Shady
What to Wear: Flat-billed cap, ice 'round yo neck
Listen:


Who: Presidents of the United States of America
Where: Abbey Pub
Price Tag: $20.00 (get tix)
For Fans Of: That one song, "Peaches", from 1996; or "Lump" from 2000; oh, and they're still making really rocking music, by the way
What to Wear: Flannel? I don't know, they're from Seattle
Listen:

BONUS! I know you just wanna hear "Peaches" now, so:


Enjoy.

-J2

Tuesday, May 06, 2008

Crystal Castles Love Their Atari

Canadian electro-funk duo Crystal Castles make brilliant background scores for those that wished they lived life in a video game. Their eponymous debut LP (Last Gang Records) came out in March and has been destroying Space Invaders in my head ever since. Oh, and they take their band name from She-Ra's home, so that's cool.

Video: "Courtship Dating"











Go get the album.



Make friends or hear more @ http://www.myspace.com/crystalcastles.

-J2

Monday, May 05, 2008

New Releases Tuesday: Firewater

The latest release from Firewater, The Golden Hour, drops tomorrow on Bloodshot Records. A truly World Music album, frontman Tod A has been traveling across the globe the past few years and recorded with artists along the way. It's an inspirational story he tells on his blog, and this video gives some insight - along with a sneak peak of the music - as to what his travels have meant:



Bloodshot also allows you to stream the first single, "Borneo".

Make friends and hear more @ http://www.myspace.com/realfirewater.

-J2

Friday, May 02, 2008

Next Big Thing Alert: Santogold

Okay, so she may already be The Big Thing, but we here at middleCoast just can't get enough of the Santogold. Along with her compatriot, MIA, this Brooklynite makes pop music as it should be made in our post-contemporary society. The future is now, and Santogold is already there.

Santogold (née: Santi White) - not to be confused with Santo Gold, the wrestler/actor/singer/infomercial-mastermind - dropped her eponymous debut earlier this week on Downtown Records. Having worked with artists and producers such as Mark Ronson (you may remember "Pretty Green" from Version), Spank Rock, and Diplo, along with Miss MIA herself, Santogold's sound is an amalgamation of Hip-Hop, world jams, and girly pop.

We posted the video for "L.E.S. Artistes" last week, but here's a sampling of a few more:

"You'll Find a Way"


"The Creator"


"Shove It" (featuring Spank Rock)











Seriously, go get it.



Make friends or hear more @ http://www.myspace.com/santogold.

-
J2

Thursday, May 01, 2008

75 Bars (Black's Reconstruction)

*Warning: if you are disturbed or remotely bothered by (a) angry black men or (b) excessive use of the term, niggaz, then you may very well be the type of person this song is directed towards.

Rising Down, The Roots' follow-up to the highly-acclaimed 2006 album, Game Theory, came out this week, and after just a few listens it's safe to say that these dudes are pissed. And I don't mean pissed like some Brit-rock boozehounds get pissed. I mean Angry. In fact, the first track / Intro of the album - "The Pow-Wow" - is a recording from the 1994 meeting between Black Thought, Questlove and former Roots manager, AJ Shine, after they got threatened with being dropped from their record label. Needless to say, the fellas ain't happy. Throughout the majority of the album, Black Thought and an array of guest MCs (middleCoast faves, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, and Common, to name a few) let the listener know with urgency and immediacy exactly how they feel about everything from the climate (both environmental and cultural) being in a downward spiral, to pharmaceutical companies' justifiable drug trade, to the state of the entertainment industry eating itself, to the struggle of poverty-stricken Americans getting no help.

One of most impressive (and rage-filled) rhymes is "75 Bars (Black's Reconstruction)" in which Black Thought spits fire for 75 bars. Seriously. In one take. Find me another MC that can do this. I dare ya. Unfortunately, it's the video that is getting most of the attention, as it features a white man being held captive by the band. What? What's the big deal? Check it out first...

The Roots - '75 Bars (Black's Reconstruction)'


Now depending on your personality (or perhaps the color of your skin), you probably have differing reactions to seeing that. However, read the lyrics now and see if you can figure out why the video exists as it does...
I’m from the land of the straight razor face beard niggaz
with hammers on their waist, yeah ta waste weird niggaz
and erase scared niggaz, them snake head niggaz
the take care o' niggaz who don’t break bread wit us
niggaz make dead niggaz, and hate black niggaz
brown niggaz high yellow niggaz and them red niggaz
no telling when that bullet comin be prepared niggaz
cause when it do its comin land sea and air niggaz
that’s everywhere niggaz am I the mutherfucking legendary? yeah niggaz
make it very clear niggaz, been looking at y’all in my rearview
mirror niggaz, wanna be a millionare I’m already there niggaz
I’m a debonaire nigga, a bear taking more than my share
Looka here yeah I know it aint fair nigga. neither is a bald eagle wit a hair trigger
haystack try to find a needle up in there nigga leave u up in there nigga
show me the puppet that don’t need a puppeteer nigga shed another tear nigga
I’m the field with a shield and a spear nigga,
I’m in your girl with her heels in the air nigga
I am such a rare nigga, You in a battle telling me you not ready
like u figured imma bare wit cha! I don’t care nigga!
you now listenin to the sounds of the money makin jam trillionares nigga
gentlemen of an extraordinary league, you never see me blowin on no ordinary weed
what I’m smoking aint a product of no ordinary seed, your boy is heavy treed
I’m feelin merry as a Tyler Perry scene mad monetary gangrene
We tried to launder the cash, it never came clean
So now I’m in the story with all them cats before me
in smoke pergutory for doin the same thing
And them niggaz aint change, them niggaz cant change
your moms shake her head say it’s such a dang shame
the train to the bus and then another dang plane?
my stage and my government they aint the same name
I’m a rockstar loving it my wallet chain hang
Im a rider they was sayin, I’m a modern day kang.
My definition I can finally explain, cold smooth like that dude Sean Connery was playin
I just gotta be the man I’m the father figure and
when I spit it its something like a psychology exam,
if you stand where I stood you can probably understand
how that mic feelin like a million dollars in my hand
its the silence of the lambs, go and cop another gram ta twist with your zanny, percoset percodan what's your networking plan?
you better look alive cause them niggaz outside looking desperate again nigga
and the blunts and liquor killin my lungs and liver
the athsmatic drug addict I function wit it
I put a rapper in a hole where the dunce was sittin for spittin a played out pattern that once was hittin
I got news for you all, let me show you how to ball
See the legendary fall? I aint heard of that
Yall niggaz is off the wall like arsenio hall
I’m a put you right back where the dirt is at
450 farenheit pon the thermostat
somebody stalkin like da white jawn Bernadette
but she's not an earner yet, she couldn’t put in no work for Nat Burner yet
the black microphone murder vet, im in a class of my own
if I got beef with you you're the last one to know, I arrive on time I’m never fashionable you late I’m already internationable
I done twirled Berlin banged in Bejing
you never seen nothing cant say the same
tell somebody black thought yeah you know the name ring
so give him the game ring, for bringin what them niggaz cant bring
my hutsle is long my muscle is strong my man put the paper in the duffle I’m gone
yall still a light year from the level I’m on
just a pawn stepping right into the head of the storm
you've been warned, I will blow you niggaz into centigrade
I’m a rebel, renegade must stay paid
Damn.

Now the speculation: Obviously Black Thought has something to say, and most likely feels very strongly about it. He wants you to LISTEN CLOSELY. The seemingly kidnapped white man in the video represents a certain population of white America that are NOT listening. Now, if you've been to a Roots show in the past decade, you'll notice an overwhelming number of white kids in attendance. Artists like The Roots and Talib Kweli have spoken out before on what it's like to make black music with a black audience in mind, and yet have a white audience embrace it as they do. For a black artist, this can present a dilemma. What Rising Down seems to want to do is grab hold of the person listening by the collar (or the jugular) and make them pay a-fucking-ttention. Black or white doesn't matter. Perhaps the harder sound, the sheer force of the album is designed to get black kids to switch off the Lil Wayne for a minute; and, simultaneously, get white kids to do more than noodle-dance to their beats at whatever summer festival they're at. You must pay attention now.

Well when all is said and done, Rising Down remains one of the best releases of 2008 as The Roots continue to be the greatest Hip-Hop band on the planet. Plain and simple.










{Go get Rising Down}


Make friends @ http://www.myspace.com/theroots.

-J2