uhh serious technical difficulties over here. want my blog to be the visual equivalent of LSD but my attempts are the suave paint picture you see on your right.

currently haven't slept in 24 hours (overnight flight) so that is the maximum effort I can make at the moment.

for the time being, start getting groovy to the wacked out boxes in the green square.

BRAND NEW!! Mostly about music.

Decided to revamp by blog because even I didn't enjoy going to the dismal black background against red font. So I decided I would, however, enjoy an assualt on my sense (and probably yours) of colour coordination. I love it!!

More fluorescence to come. anyways: new blog!!

I'm going to start blogging more about non-music stuff because my internet qt consists of a lot of said junk which I think is actually pretty interesting.

anyway, word to my new blog!

Newish music: Tallest Man on Earth

im convinced; there is nothing the swedes can't do

I thought it was just great pop but here is some excellent folk...obligatory bob dylan comparisons abound...the difference being i hate bob dylan but love this guy!!



and

Why do I have to be rich to look like MIA?

Furthermore, why would I want to look exactly like MIA? she does have amazing style, and I do LOVE these clothes, but some of them take it too far ie I would feel completely style-less wearing those "Afrikan leggings" as they are all her. I could probably do "the president" tank top since I'm admitting my rip via an homage in the form of her pic on the front, but the rest of it is just too MIA for me. love it on her, feel like a bit of a poser on me.

Also why are the clothes so expensive? Who would pay 150 dollars for a HOW MANY HOW MANY purple pullover? I'll tell you how many. Three times. you'll wear it three times and then realize its passé and donate that shit.

New(ish) Lilly Allen

Love! Perfect balance between growth and maintenance of what made her so good...wit! and that la-la voice. this song has been out for a while, I heard a really crappy version earier in '08 but this finalized version is great

Gangsters Paradise = Pasttime paradise?

w.t.f. I had no idea that Gangsters paradise was originally past time paradise...is every rap/r&b song since the 90's some sort of stevie rip? the answer is yes.

prepare to be boondoggled:

New Music: Hannah Holland

I love it. Grimey-dub but not depressing, rave but you don't have to be on drugs to enjoy it.

Free download!

Kanye, sit down.

After giving Qtips "renaissance" a good listen, I realize that this is the kind of music an amazing rapper/producer combo makes.

now, sit down kanye. just sit down.

this song isn't really indicative of the rest of the album, but its a banger and its very maurader-esque, which is pretty much never a bad thing.

Random Lauryn Hill

Lauryn, how I miss you. Randomly remembering this old (relatively new) aretha song that lauryn wrote/produced...not the best lauryn and certainly not the best aretha song but I love it, and it just further proves how multi-talented lauryn was...her vibe is all over this song:



then remembered this song, another non-best lauryn but a song i was pretty obsessed with whenever the Sister Act soundtrack.



and for good measures sake, a non non-best lauryn...remember how cool this video was when it came out?



sigh. metaphorical rip ms hill.

BEST NEW MUSIC EVER??!?

ok so clearly I'm getting entirely too excited about what the folks at deal maker records are doing (re: last post) but this music has got me all hopped up on jazz samples

sample it, then buy it, then be like this guy

Deal maker records - stream it and pee your pants

Wow. this is amazing. down tempo but not depressing..ahem..burial..flying lotus..

check it out here, includes tracks from Lone who I previously blogged about

Sharam's "Party All the Time"

Some Sharam character covers Eddie Murphy's "Party All the Time" and essentially copies the video entirely except they added in a skank who 'parties all the time' just in case you needed the visual.

Anyways my point is that this is exactly the kind of shit british people love hearing when they're out - add one part r&b vocal, one part techno backdrop and one part drunk english people = OI MATE I LOVE THIS SONG!!

the original



the copy

New Music: Q-tip's Renaissance

Been feeling so indifferent towards hip hop as of late, can Q tip bring me back? Stream his new album here

The single "Gettin' Up"

New Music: Q-tip

Free & Legal: Zomby and some other electro and dub stuff: Megasoid, Lone, Bullion.

Megasoid is a Montreal name being thrown around a lot lately, as him (them?) and Ghilian Porter (who's mix I linked to) are (were?) playing at some New Yorker party. SFJ linked to this mix exclusively, etc. The mix isn't downloading on my computer but you can try it for yourself, or stream his myspace instead.

Zomby is a London electronic dub-y cat I found on pitchfork, and I am loving looooving this mix.

Lone is an ambient/hip hop instrumental guy I found out about since we were going to go to a gig of his at Cargo a couple weekends ago with Bullion, a garage guy who I don't love as much as Lone but might appeal to some.

More pop-arama: New Britney Spears "Womanizer"

I am part of the what I believe to be large demographic that both roots for Britney and has a psycho-social theory for her climb to and subsequent fall from the echelons of popular music (I even wrote an essay about it during my undergraduate). Essentially, pop-star becomes famous as virginal-slut puppet, goes crazy after years of manipulation. Not really a novel idea, but the essay but was about how perfect that image was to sell a perfume aptly named "Curious" if that ups my cred a little. Anyways check out her catchy cheese-tastic new song and video here -- whats up with her wig fetish?

While she's not exactly back to her original calibre, the video for 'womanizer' is so much better than the one for Gimme More or Pieces of Me (which confusingly won best video of the year at the VMA's).

If you can't watch the video, stream the song at her myspace

New Music: Beyonce "If I Were A Boy"/ "Single Ladies"

I can see this being very popular but really? First single?? Too radio friendly for my liking, and didn't someone do this before? The second single...hated it, then heard the chorus and started to jam, then heard the dereon jeans plug...resumed my original position.





On a more positive note, my favourite Beyonce song of all time

If I Were A Bell, Midnight soul.

Amel Larrieux "If I were a Bell" cover has been my favourite track of the last month or so..considering my turnover of albums is about one every few days, that says something. Actually, the more I listen to her "Lovely Standards" LP, the more I realize how amazing an album it is. anyways stream "if i were a bell" at her myspace and be sure to listen to "for real" as well, another one of my all time favourite songs.

My brother gave me this "Midnight Soul" compilation which is AMAZING. The tracks are great picks and its one of those automatic mood-making CD's. Most of the songs will ring a bell (pardon the pun) for their sample value if you are a hip hop head.

Triumph vs David Blaine

Hilar.

Can't.stop.sarah.palin.blogging.

I see what McCain's camp were doing with the whole "lets try and get hilary's voters to come to our side with sarah palin" thing but man. you can't hide stupidity like this.

Creep Creeping.

Some myspaces I've been streaming lately..

Lone - I can't vibe to Burial or Flying Lotus and other popular members of the dub/ambient hip hop stuff, but this, I can jam to.

Bullion - Grime-ish stuff is generally the same deal as above for me, but I'm liking his single "Get Familiar"

Tobacco - member of Black Moth Super Rainbow, insert appropriate hyphenated genre here. Electro something, I love it. (album oct 14th)

Sarah Palin instills genuine fear in my heart.

This woman cannot, cannot be vice president one day. Nor can she be potential leader of the free world as they say, should something befall McCain.

This is biased but still, behold.

New Raphael Saadiq

Everyone seems to be talking about Raphael Saadiq's new album "The Way I see It."

In the vein of the recent(ish) motown resurrection, the album is pretty tight but as one blogger wrote, it sounds sort of perfunctory.

Stream it here

New Mr Scruff: "Music Takes me Up"

featuring Alice Russell, sounds good, looks good.

And then...

there was Perez.

New ipod nano commercial: Chairlift

Chairlift is the new Feist, Yael Naim, etc. Apple knows how to choose them - CL's "Bruises" as featured in the new ipod nano commercial:

FREE&LEGAL: Bon Iver, Brightblack Morning Light, Ghislain Poirier

Some free stuff I have been listening to lately:

Bon Iver posted a 4 track EP recorded live for Myspace exclusively, this taster is a great reminder that I should stop procrastinating and just pick up this album..."Flume" is definitely the best track of the four...for doubters:



Found this song on Fader, (ignore the picture of the member of the duo who looks like he might impale you with that stick) its different and I'm verry interested to hear the full album.

Ghislain Poirier is some big deal it seems, he dj'd at one of the TIFF parties at the Drake and seems to be doing high profile events all over the place. This mix isn't 100% my bag (french rap nearly always makes me want to puke) but once you get past that its a cool mix of 'world' reggae/dub music to throw on at a party or something.

New Bill Gates/Seinfeld "teaser" ad

Wtf indeed

New Music: Menahan Street Band

This blog has proven to be pretty fruitful -- it led me to this verry promising new jazz/soul outfit, Menahan Street Band. Band members include those from (Sharon King and) the Daptones. While I've never been a huge fan of the latter, this music is sounding awesome -- I'm hoping the album (oct 14th) is just as good.

Okkervil River: Folk-Rock I could jam to.

Heard of Okkervil River before but never really gave them a listen until a few days ago. Their newest album can be streamed on their myspace (I love when artists do that) and it sounds great.