Thursday, July 28, 2011

Deep House Thursday

Dammmmnnnn. I really don't have any time to be doing this right now. I don't even know what I accomplished today but somehow time got away from me.



Dig it!

I promise, five new tracks tomorrow for the weekend.

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

I don't know what this site is or what it will become. I know that I enjoy digging up tracks I've never heard before and I enjoy writing about them but that doesn't mean this thing isn't going to change. There is no plan. I hope that doesn't offend you. 

Personally, I feel like a lot of times when it comes to creative endeavors like this, over-planning is not something you should strive for. Free jazz is an entire genre of music built on the idea that plans are over rated. I'm taking it to heart.

I have something to confess, prior to 2011 I was a slave to Pitchfork, the music website/soon to be media conglomerate. I was first introduced to the site back in 2001, my freshman year in college. From that day forward Pitchfork served as the starting point for all things music in my life. It was the end all, be all of music criticism and I was an defender of the site for many years. 

I read it religiously for almost 10 years, but late in 2010 I decided that I needed something different. The content that Pitchfork was putting out hadn't really changed for what felt like four or five years. I could guess which bands were going to be the next best thing based on how much press they would receive prior to their album coming out. Also, if I am really being honest, the reviews kind of suck and I barely ever read them. It is not because they were long, but half the time didn't know what they were talking about.

It is the tyranny of length; they have so many words they need to fill, and they can't make it not sound like a traditional music review, so reviews end up being 800 words long and are as enjoyable to read as a medical text book. All this is a way of saying that I had changed and my website had not.

My new years resolution for this year was to not read Pitchfork anymore and search out other music websites. I couldn't be happier with the way it has gone so far.  


Someday I will learn what dub-step is and what it is not. I swear, this label is practically garbage now. Not every electronic track that comes out of England is, or has to be, labeled as dub-step. Or maybe it does? Damn it, someone tell me how this works.

This track is a radio rip, which is awesome, and just shows that the internet is turning into one large mix-tape we all take part in. Remember ripping songs from the radio onto cassettes so you could listen to your favorite song later? Yea, well, that's what people are doing now with the internet. 

Anyways, this song supposedly is credited to Unknown. That is a lie. I have it on good authority this is a new track from Joy Orbison. I'm digging it. I don't know what to say, this song is another beautifully produced track from this guy and I'm jealous that I can't go to a club here in Columbus and hear this track. If I am wrong about that, please, someone let me know where that is happening.


This track is getting thrown on to some summer jam mix tapes for sure. This is prime sitting on the porch late at night and gazing out at the night.

Is it just me or does this beat sort of remind you of an early 00's hip-hop/r'n'b beat. I'm really digging the production here. And those horns! God damn those horns! They fly in an out or the song like they are flock or birds. There one second and gone the next, but always in the right spot. Damn. 

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Holy crap. Can someone please explain to me what is going on here?



This is insane. This makes any David Lynch movie look logical. This is absurd. Absurdly awesome though.

We gotta cover a couple of things here and I think we will go with the most obviously one first; this video is fucking sweet. Yea, I'm a sucker for awesome costumes but don't tell me you don't want to wear that big black metal one. That would be dope. Also, according to this interview there is suppose to be some sort of mythology associated with either the band, video, or song.  I can't really tell.

This video is fantastic and it is a shame more artists don't take advantage of the internet in relation to this medium.  There is no MTV anymore or VH1. You don't have to worry about censors or if the video is going to sell something to someone. You can make a video with a bunch of dancers wearing costumes that look like they belong in an acid trip and get away with it. This is the shit that is going to make me remember you song.

It doesn't hurt that this song is pretty great. I don't know NewVillager at all but that got me interested. This is what I have read about them so far; they sound like Animal Collective, the lead singer sounds like the singer from TV On the Radio, and someone characterized this as R'n'B. I can't really see how any of these are correct. First of all, find me one song of Animal Collective's that sounds like this and I will give you a dollar. Second, yea, I guess the guy sort of sounds like the dude from TV On The Radio but I would suggest that his vocal stylings are much more dynamic on this track. And, if this is what R'n'B is now I'm totally on board. This is a very intricate song that reveals its self through multiple layers that come into view throughout the song. Not bad at all.

Monday, July 25, 2011

This weekend I was at a wedding in Akron. During the reception I was seated next to, and across from, a pair of couples who were about my Dad's age. Three of the people sitting next to me had played in the Father of the Bride's band back in the early 1980's. They sounded like Captain Beefheart but with more of a dork like, Devo angle. My brother, who was sitting across from me, and I started talking about albums we had been into recently. I mentioned that I had just listened to "Tusk" by Fleetwood Mac a couple of days earlier and how much I still really like that album. Without skipping a beat the man in the sear sucker suit sitting next to me turned and asked, "Did you say you like Fleetwood Mac?"

"Yea," I responded. "I really like the album 'Tusk' I think it is pretty great"

The man then preceded to stick out his tongue, insert his finger into his mouth, and pretend to gag. I received the exact same reaction again when the man's wife found out I liked Fleetwood Mac. I got roasted on for liking dad rock by two people that were probably older than my dad.

I felt like I had won.

Junior Boys - Banana Ripple by DominoRecordCo

God damn it I love everything about the Junior Boys. I love how every time I listen to one of their albums I feel like I'm doing something a little dirty. If you think about it, there isn't much space separating the Junior Boys and, say, The Weeknd. Except that I would much rather hang out with the Junior Boys because A) I bet it would be more fun and B) I feel like there is a much lower chance of their being an existential crises with these guys.

There really isn't any new ground broken on this track, relative to other Junior Boys' songs. But god damn, if there isn't something about this dudes crooning voices,their pseudo-80's synths, and meticulous production value. This is just nine minuets of awesome.



I said a couple of weeks ago there needed to be more dub/reggae on this little website. I thought I would throw up a classic today, also, I heard it at the wedding this weekend and I've had it in my head ever since.

The first time I heard this song it was in some movie from the 70's about gangs in Jamaica. I can't tell you anything else about the movie because I honestly could not comprehend 90% of what was said in it. In fact, it might not have involved gangs at all, it just really looked like it did.  This song was the highlight of the movie.



This is for the guys at the wedding. The more I listen to this song the more I want to hear Swans cover it. The last third of the song could be a Swans song now, in fact I heard they are covering it on their next album. I'm not going to sit here and try and defend this for anyone, I just did it. So, get over yourself and listen to it.

Friday, July 22, 2011

5 tracks for the weekend

Well people. it looks like the heat dome is going to win. I know, I'm just as disappointed as you all are. I'm sorry it had to come to this. I will be living out the rest of my days on this oven of a planet listening to these jams. Enjoy.

Mount Kimbie - Flux by jonisaok

We had a track of these guys up yesterday but it was a remix. This is a track that didn't make the cut to their newest EP. Sounds a bit like if the The Books were into electronic dance music. Overall though, I find this to be a pretty solid  effort. Mount Kimbie are perfectionists with their sound; works are constructed in ways that resemble a mosaic more than anything else. Things, and I call them things because sounds feels like too large of a word to describe what is unfolding, build on top of each other until a very analog-y melody piece comes in about half way and takes over. These guys are more builders than they are musicians, in best way possibly.



Witch Hunt is the first song off of Zomby's newest LP, "Dedication". I have always had an affinity for any song, and mostly they were rap songs, that added the sounds of guns being loaded and shot off to the rhythm. That trick will always remind me of listening to Bone Thugs in fourth grad and hearing it for the first time. Back then it meant something much more dangerous than it does now. When Zomby uses it, is it a call back to the days of gangster rap in the mid 90's or a shallow hipster, ironic reference?

The only problem with this song is that it clocks in at a lowly 1:45. Seeing how this might be the best song on the album, every time it ends I want more.



Is it just more or does every Tribe song remind you of summer. All I can think about is Do The Right Thing and it being brutelly hot in NYC and everyone is wearing something that has neon on it. Is that wrong?

Also, this has to be one of the best rap lines I've heard in a long time.

If my mom don't approve, then I'll just elope
Let me sink the little man from inside the boat
Let me hit it from the back, girl I won't catch a hernia
Bust off on your couch, now you got Seaman's furniture
Seaman's furniture, brilliant.



Oh, Aphex Twin, when are you going to come out with something new that matters again? I think the world needs it. I think I need it.

This remix is getting the reissue treatment in the very near future. I had never heard it before today and it is pretty great. Would never had guessed that this was originally a Saint Etienne track because it sounds nothing like it. Which got me thinking, if Aphex Twin was to come out with an album this year and it was relevant again, what would it sound like? Would it sound like Aphex Twin trying to do Aphex Twin from 14 years ago or would it be Aphex Twin's take on electronic music now? I would hope it is the latter because it sounds like he was better at doing what people are doing now 10 years ago and he didn't even know it.



This song is called "Summer Groove". It can't fail.

I know absolutely nothing about this guy except that he is a Russian living in England and making some bitching house music. The first quarter of the song may be a little cluttered, but he rights the ship soon after. Bonus: the video is made up of random shots of America city life during the late 70s and early 80s. This is a great little summer jam, highly recommended.

Thursday, July 21, 2011

3 new tracks to melt to

The world is melting and we can do nothing to stop it. Hope you anti-climate change people are happy and I hope you burn up first.

I'm so hot I'm just posting dark electronic music today. Deal with it. (Actually sometimes it helps to cool you done. And they are some really good tunes, so it isn't that big of deal)



Mount Kimbie remixed by a dude that sounds like he has to be from Austria. I would not be surprised if he just dropped the title of 'Count' from his name. I don't know anything about this guy but I can guess he isn't sitting in105 heat right now. No, he is probably in some air-conditioned, 24 hour club, that has a pool, or is in a cave. I am jealous of him.



The darker one out of the bunch, but don't take that in a bad way. You know what is dark? The night. You know what is cooler than a sweltering July day? The night. So, it might not be the beach-y/surf-y tune that the kids are in to, but you know what, screw them. Maybe every once and awhile you need to listen to some dark-ass dance and electronic music. Somewhere, people are dancing to this tune. Don't ask me how.



I want a giant framed picture of the photo in this video and I want to put it on my office wall.

Also, the song is pretty great. The groove alone should cool you down.

Alright, I'm tired of looking at this damn thing, I'm going to the pool and hoping the sun doesn't swallow us whole.

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

M83 and the World Cup Final from 1982

The heat index was 103 when I started this blog post. I don't know how much longer we are going to be here people. It is clear that some entity has decided that we have existed too long on earth and he/she is going to turn this rock of ours into a fireball. Sort of a shame really.

See this guy here? I like to think he is really the man behind M83


And he made this tune for all the earth girls he was too afraid to talk to. Imagine an 80's teen movie but with this crazy alien dude and his ability to write a totally bitching song.

Midnight City by M83

It is always a good day when you get a new M83 track, even if the sun is inching closer by the minute to engulf us in flames. You can make a strong argument that M83 should be in the discussion for one of the top bands in the last 10 years. Jesus. Its been 10 years since Dead Cities, Red Cities, and Lost Ghosts came out. Bahhhh. Either way, everyone of the albums this guy has put out have been nothing short of awesome. He has created this world that is dramatic, dark, vintage analog-y, teen angst filled, and super fun.

I also saw him once get drunk, flick off an entire audience, and try and get in a fight with a very old stage hand. I will never forget it.


Refait from Pied La Biche on Vimeo.


Refait

"Refait" is a remake of the football WorldCup match between France and Germany (Seville, Spain, 1982). Shot by Pied La Biche in Villeurbanne (France), every aspect of the fifteen last minutes of the match was carefully reconstructed : players, positions, gestures, intensity, drama etc.
Just. Because. I. Can.

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Drake should listen to more Lil Wayne

FFFFFFFFFFFFFF' sorry dudes, I totally didn't post anything yesterday. Do you have any idea how hot it is here right now? It is so hot I saw trees melting. Literally melting, like they had only ever been a painting and now the heat was causing the paint to trip. It was that mother f'ing hot.

It's a jungle out there in central Ohio right now, be careful folks.



You're right Lil Wayne, it has been a long time. If you don't love it when Lil Wayne clearly lights a blunt while in the booth before a song you have no soul. Probably one of the best sounds in modern hip-hop; Lil' Wayne lighting a blunt, in a studio booth.

Can we all agree that Drake's version was unbearable. Listen, his first album was pretty good, the club bangers were pretty great, and that jam with The Dream was legendary, but lets not get ahead of ourselves, the rest I could have lived without. Sorry, the image of an overpaid rapper complaining about his life just doesn't go very far with me. I know, he is probably trying to be all post-modern, or some nonsense, but you are a rapper, you just can't wear that hat without coming off as a brat.

Drake's version of Marvin's Room were the worst parts of that album put into one track. Here is a suggestion my man, maybe think about laying off the drank and/or the weed. How about we start there? Just give it a shot and see how you feel. I'm not saying it is going to solve all of your problems, but hopefully it won't lead to you making any more obnoxious songs lamenting your problems.

And that brings us to Lil Wayne and his version of "Marvin's Room". I'm sort of ashamed how much I like this song. Here is the difference: Drake wants you to feel bad for him about how bad he feels about having empty hook-ups with women. While, Lil Wayne wants you to know how much he loves A) women and B) hook-ups with women. Lil Wayne owns it while Drake either doesn't want that associated with him or is ashamed it is. You always wear it better when you own it.

The Irrepressibles, "In This Shirt (Hercules and Love Affair Remix)" by The FADER

I don't know who The Irrepressibles are or what this song originally sounded like but I'm digging this version. Is this 80's or 90's techno, I can't remember. I want Hercules and Love Affair to remix one song everyday during the summer. I promise it would help us beat this heat.

Friday, July 15, 2011

5 tracks for the weekend

Man, I really should not have taken that nap. Now I'm tired, hungry, and I'm running late. That was a dumb move. Let's get to these 5 bitching tracks we got for your summer weekend.

Actress, "Parallel World" MP3 by The FADER

Fuck and yes, new actress tunes. Fantastic. His album from last year was one of my favorite and this one is a doozy. Clocking at almost ten minuets it is quit the affair. Apparently he just finished his album and if it is anything like this tune I can't wait.

Also, you should all be following his twitter feed. Yesterday he dumped links to a bunch of new tunes so keep an eye out for some more to come hopefully.





And that brings us to the GBV portion of this blog post. I found out today that one of the guys I work with is a probably a bigger GBV fan than I am which started me down the awesome road of listening to some old Guided By Voices tunes.  Goddddddd damn are they good. If you don't like GBV there is something wrong with you, you probably had a horrible child hood or something and you just repress any feels of joy. That's rough.

Oh my god, we need more Guided By Voices tracks on this blog. And more dub. More GBV and more dub.



It isn't the weekend without a little cutting edge dance music from England. FalthyDL is one of those names I constantly see getting thrown around, so based on that scientific analysis it seems like he is kind of King Shit right now. This is the first tune of his that I am aware that I have heard and it is pretty great. Lots of stuff going on here; some super complex percussion parts, weird vocals samples, some stop and go rhythms, pretty nice stuff over all. Stuff is getting insane, you are right.

I can't believe I'm the only one here with fantasies of going to England and spending 48 hours awake going to clubs in London and listening to this stuff on massive stereo systems?



Hey, its been like two weeks since I've posted by something by Clams Casino, give it a break. This is just a great rap track so take it easy.

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Thursday, July 14, 2011

Sleepy time tracks

Yesterday we had a Popol Vuh track and today we have some tracks from Johan Johannsson. Is it winter already? I'm doing this because we all need some jams to fall asleep to at night, right? These are ones you can throw on to pass out to.



If you know of Johann Johannsson you probably know him for being that modern composer from Iceland. You would be correct but I fear that the term 'modern composer' will scare people away so lets forget that term. Does he track in mostly long compositional pieces? Yes. Does he use electronic instruments? Yes. Does he come from a far away land I don't know anything about? You betcha, but none of that means this stuff needs to scare you.

Take this tune, "Fordlandia", a 10 minute composition built from strings and electronic waves. This is the stuff of late, late car rides through the country. Building slowly on top of its self, these are the types of songs that force listeners to pay attention to every layer. Details come to light only multiple listens, and that is OK, that is part of the fun.

The moving part of the track is around the middle third when these booming strings come swooping in, sucking all the air out of the room only to leave a sense reflection. There are multiple peaks and valleys within this song. String sections build to crescendos that topple down on each other only to build back up again.



Horns! So many french horns!

"The Cause" is another track that combines traditional instruments with electronic instruments to create a sound that is amazingly organic considering the parts. This is the last track to a soundtrack that Johannsson wrote for a documentary about British coal miners in the 1950's. Think thick gray, dark skies, huge pieces of industry exhaling black smoke, and men walking into coal mines kissing their lamps. This song is a solemn requiem for those workers or a triumphant exclamation honoring them; I can't decide which.

Another track of Johannsson's that builds and builds on top of its self. This time it is waves of french horns repeating half menacing, half glorious phrases accompanied by some marching like percussion. Ending with a lone organ slowly fading away "The Cause" is Johansson's effort to honor a long ago era of work that gave a sense of pride to many.

Damn, two days in a row. I promise, the hits come back tomorrow for the weekend.

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Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Good lord, it is already after 9 and I haven't posted anything yet. It's not because I don't love you, i've beenn busy thinking about tax loopholes. Those are fun too, right?



Popol Vuh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! F yea!!! This is what space sounds like. It has to, and if it doesn't I'm going to be pissed. I want to get a swimming pool and install speakers in the bottom of it and play this song on loop all day. So every time you go under water you hear this and get freaked the fuck out.

Also, you guys are getting this as an added bonus. This is the trailer to the film this song was used in.



Klaus Kinski was a crazy mo fo. I would not want to meet him in a dark alley.

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Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Drinking wine and taking shots of espresso at the same time

Random Tuesday Strategy
Make a blank valuable by putting it in an exquisite frame 
Take that to heart people.



Summer jam hall of fame candidate here. I have been addicted to this song the last two summers. It simultaneously reminds me of being dumped in 2009 and driving from Columbus to Nashville in 2010. One memory significantly better than the other.

I kind of gave these guys some shit yesterday, but it was in love, really, it was. This song sounds like how August feels.It's hot, the heat has started to get to you, but you are sitting on a beach so you can't complain all that much. And there is that nice gentle breeze that makes it bearable.

Of course, the song probably sounds or means nothing like that but I like to think it. I know this isn't the cool sound of 2011, whatever the hell that sound is now, but screw that, this song is going to be much more important to me for years to come than 99% of the stuff I hear this year. That guitar work is going to be something I'm going to always want to hear for a long time to come.

There is a feeling in this tune that I can't put a finger on. It is something like melancholy, or sadness, or a feeling of regret; something like one of those or all three combined. It doesn't have the normal beach sound one expects from a summer tune. Think Beach Boys circa Surf's Up or that crazy Dennis Wilson album about the ocean.

What is it about this song that makes me want to roll up into a ball and just sort of lay there?

Monday, July 11, 2011

It was 94 out today at one point with a heat index of 101 and then the sky opened up and just unleashed hell upon north Columbus. It was very strange and a little scary.  I also met with an FBI agent today. I can't tell you what it's about, it's top secret.



I'm not going to be satisfied until we have every last Wu Lyf track up on this blog.  I know we have already gone over them a couple times but every time I listen to the album I find a new song that I love. I love them all. There seems to be a sense of urgency in their songs that I feel like a lot of rock bands have sort of been missing. So much shit is being pushed out these days simple because artists can push it out. We want to give everyone a chance so we try and listen to as much as we can but that just means that the shit that is really good we get less time with it because we have to listen to all this other garbage. Either way, I feel like this album for me is one of the more interesting albums I've picked up in the last couple of years. (For those keeping track, the last one I was this obsessed with was probably the newest Swans album. Which reminds me, we need some more tracks from that on here.)

These guys take the Real Estate/Ducktails lo-fi, not giving a crap aesthetic, and puts some balls on it. Highly recommended.

 John Talabot - Leave Me (friendly pattern version) by John Talabot

Some of you guys are probably going to hate this. Fair warning, if you don't like House music just skip right over this one. The first 1:30 might sound really repetitive but that is only because you aren't listening to it loud enough. Turn it up and you will hear all the little things going on in the background that end up building on one another and become the huge hook in the middle of the track.  Pretty great stuff.

Bitching House music via Spain, I don't know a better summer music combo.

It's a big day here at Denim/On/Denim we got are own twitter account now. (HARRAR!!!!!HAARARARR!!!) I know, it's a pretty big deal. It's just another step toward our eventual media dominance. Come follow us on twitter and get updates through out the day. It will be fun. I promise.

Friday, July 8, 2011

Tell me about your love affairs


 People, it's Friday evening, it's a summer weekend, time to get down! Also, this photo is simply a document showing how hard I work for you all. Finding all these tunes isn't a walk in a park. It's a full time job.

On to our random strategy of the day.
Balance the consistency principle with the inconsistency principle 
I don't know what the consistency or the inconsistency principle are but I think I can take a guess. I try to do this blog consistently but the music and content is rarely the same = inconsistency. There, I did it.

It's the weekend, so you know what that means; I'm here to give you five tracks for the weekend. It's summer so I expect you people to enjoy these tracks outside on a porch, in a backyard, bumping them from your car, whatever you gotta do.



So this is something called Juke. I don't know much about it, apparently it is a European flavor of the month sound via the south side of Chicago. Who knew. Also, apparently there are dances that go along with this but I have no idea how that would work. I'm kind of digging it though, just sort of let the first third run its course and then you start to figure out what the heck is going on. 808s, some weird samples, a crazy vocal track. I recommend this at the peak of the party. Throw this on when there are way too many people in the room and get them to dance.

Footcrab/Footcrab/Footcrab/F/F/F/Footcrab



Not nearly enough dub and reggae on this blog so far. I take full responsibility for that. I'm going to start making that up to you all because, seriously, what isn't better summer music than some strong ass dub. I mean, this music was born and created in a place that is literally summer all year-round. I'm sure they know how to put a bitching summer sound together. Listen to that classic dub guitar work, a fucking flute for God's sake, some horns, and a classic dub rhythm section. Perfect. Get a beer, turn this up, and sit on your porch and watch the world go by.

The Weeknd - Loft Music (Chopped and Screwed by Babe Rainbow) by Babe Rainbow

Good lord what is wrong with kids these days. It's like all they do is take pills, make some wobbly R'n'B jams about loneliness, and then their friends, who are also doing a whole lot of pills, come in and remixe the track and make it even more mind altering. I feel like my brain is going to slide out of my head when I hear this remix. We are going to go into more detail next week regarding The Weeknd and Drake and why Canadians can't handle their booze, woman, drugs, and fame. Put this track on LATE in the evening when you are about to make a poor decision.



Well this is just great for a summer weekend. A little disco, a little soul, a whole lot of dance beats. Hells yea. I can't really say I was a huge fan of that Memory Tapes album but I'm certain that if the entire album would have been like this I would have had a different opinion about the matter. My suggestion is to play this at any time you damn well please.



Fuck and yes! I forced my roommates to put this album on last night while we were on the porch. I probably spent a good ten hours in total dancing to this song in college. It was one of the jams of the second half of my college career. You know what causes me to question my faith? When God allows a band that makes this song to break up without making at least one more album. No justice in this world. None. Not to bring this down but this is a great track after everyone has about 100 beers in them and then you all get up and dance around screaming IS THIS LOVE OF OURS ALIVE? IS IT KILLING ME INSIDE! And then you dance around, head banging for the next 90 seconds. Pure genius.

Thursday, July 7, 2011

Holy crap how did I not mention this one already

First order of business, our seemingly random strategy of the day.
Think of the radio
I'm thinking of the radio and I'm sort of drawing a blank here. This probably meant more to them back in the 70's. Somethings don't age all that well

This tune is in the Summer Jam Hall of Fame.



Oh my god 2002 is sooo long ago. God damn this track is awesome. Breaking about 3,000 copy right laws this track in '02 really was a precursor of things to come. (Looking at you Girl Talk.)  This track also has everything you could wish from a summer jam. An awesome beat, some flute, some Ohhhhh's and Ahhhhhh's, some bitching strings, and an infectious chorus. Good stuff.

Where oh where are you know the Avalanches? The world needs you now more than ever.

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

I've run out of time

Rando' strategy of the day:

Decorate, decorate
Alright, take that for what you will. I'm running late so this is all you get for today. Enjoy.



Bam!

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Big Moe sounds like how I felt today

First order of business, our random strategy of the day.

Disciplined self-indulgence
I think I did that this weekend. A lot.

The day after 4th of July is never fun. It's like leaving a huge party, trying to find your car, and realizing it has been towed. It is always sort of a bummer. I'm sure all the drinking we did over the weekend didn't help much. That is why finding Big Moe this morning at work was the crowning achievement of my day.



You probably won't be surprised to learn that Big Moe "invented" "rapsinging". Yes, that is just rap and singing put together. I'm sure he could tell us what the difference between "rapsinging" and just regular signing is but I don't really care. This is the song I heard today that made me look him up and it is a crying shame this song is only 1:18 long. (If you know where I can find a longer version please let me know.)



I think he really only does the chorus on this track, he might have a couple of verses near the end but it is still a great song. Jammin' for the South.



This beat just sounds like a track from like the early 90's in LA just slowed down. Also, you won't be surprised to know that Big Moe likes to rap about Codeine which he put in his drank. Oddly, his addiction to Codeine is most likely what led to him having a heart ache at the age of 33 and killing him. I remember around 2003-ish reading about how the rap scene in Houston was blowing up and it seems that Big Moe was probably part of all that. I'm sort of ignorant about the whole Houston scene but I'm going to start looking into it further.

Remember Kids, Big Moe says Leave Drank Alone.

Friday, July 1, 2011

First, lets get to our random strategy of the day

Use 'unqualified' people
Perfect, because that is what I am in probably about 90% of the things I do during the day. I am wholly unqualified to write this blog but I do it anyways.

This one is from my friend Katie who is stuck at work on the Friday before 4th of July weekend waiting for some website thing to load. She is moving to San Francisco to go to clown school. No, not really, she is going  to go to law school. I met Katie at my last job where I simply wouldn't stop bugging her with annoying emails about god knows what which successfully kept her from the work she needed to do. She still makes fun of me for being a liberal and a music snob. I've tried to tell her that she is confusing music snob with a music enthusiast, but it might be a difference without a distinction.   Really though - she is going to be missed but she will be an amazing clown.



Very appropriate for this weekend and all. I've been a long time Animal Collective fan. Lots of people don't like Animal Collective for a variety of reasons - a lot of which I think has to do with the whole pitchfork/hipster/single-gear bike association thing. Which is a shame because over the course of the last eight to ten years they have put out some of the most interesting albums. Considering they started out as essentially a free jazz version of an Americana folk group and seeing where they are in this song, they have come a long way. Songs like "Fireworks" barely feel like songs - more like long colorful tapestries of sound.  And, for bonus points, this is a pretty awesome summer tune as well. It's about fireworks and good times, so what else do you really need?



This is Joel's doing. I'm kind of digging it. I wasn't sure at first and then I went and heard the original and I think I like this one better. Nothing like listening to American rapper's just re-enforce pretty much every American stereotype of Europeans.

Sometimes you just gotta put a dude in a trunk.