Saturday, March 31, 2007

Now Playing

This is for the kids. This is only for the kids...



The vocals? Nothing new or revolutionary. The instrumentation? Juvenile and simple at best. Originality? Pops up here and there throughout the album. But infectious and entertaining? A resounding yes. From the high-soaring opener “Don’t Worry About It”, sung by Pharrell in a Curtis Mayfield style falsetto, to the buoyant Burt Bacarach pop of “Wonderful Place”, Pharell Williams and company craft a CD steeped in the thoughts, lyrics, and instrumentation of a band made up of high schoolers, all without losing any artistic integrity or creativity.
Key Tracks: Wonderful Place, Maybe, She Wants to Move

Old school funk for the true funk soldiers!

Hanging out with friends, drinks, and direct tv last night. Caught the tail end of Sister Act 2. [Lauryn Hill was singing the last ad lib of Joyful, Joyful, and the entire choir threw up their hands and sang "Fill Us With the Light of Day. LIGHT OF DAY!"]A few minutes later, as the camera did a close up of 'Oh happy day', boy, I couldn't help but sing the hook to this jam, presented below:

Riddle Me This



Back in the spring of 2005, I was all about this album. I remember blasting it quite often in my two bedroom with a bathroom and living room suite on the fif floor [commonly known by many a Bowdoin College student as Stowe Hall]. My baseball playing roommate with a fondess for Playstation 2 and video games across the way, Rosy, instantly recognized the band one afternoon, not because he was all about the little known bands that could, but because many a sports came on his Playstation console kept it gangsta; eschewing the popular tunes of the day in favor of little known and/or just breaking bands with hot, hot, tunes. For those like Rosy, these tracks, providing the sdtrk to play selections, and big time player entrances, was their very own college radio station, unknowingly putting them in the know.

I thought about all this as I flipped through the latest issue of Spin and came across an ad for 2K SPORTS MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL 2K7, featuring music from:

The Stooges
Sublime
The Walkmen [!]
The Specials
Nirvana [!]
Wolfmother
DFA 1979 [!]
The Thermals
Tapes 'n' Tapes [!]
Pixies, 311, and more...

Such an impressive roster begs me to ask: EA Sports, 2K7, and others like them. Fingers on the pulse or two steps behind?

Friday, March 30, 2007

Get Ya Hustle On

Floridians, You've been warned.


COLLEGE!!!! I hope the tunes provided for this event were obtained legally.

  • U.S. CONGRESSMAN RIC KELLER:Keller Bill Aims to Curb Illegal Downloading on Campus
  • Naturals Not In It


    Bloc Party, The Strokes, Franz Ferdinand, The Killers, The Hives, The Bravery, The Cribs, Razorlight. (?) Yeah, I gobbled up all those albums when it was fashionable to do so. [I am sure I left out many more who were on the bandwagon] In fact, some of those bands have become favorites of mine and even managed to wheel me back in when a second or third album dropped. Oh yeah, the "return" of that garage/new-wave/lo-fi/angular guitar driven period was good times. I'm reminded of all that when I listen to this:

  • IDOLATOR: Stuck On Repeat: The 1990s Take It All The Way Back To 2004
  • Sound of silver talk to me


    Sunday, April 29th. Save the date and clear you schedules. LCD Soundsystem might be in Los Angeles. [Performing and offering a DJ set courtesy of James Murphy and Pat Mahoney] Location TBA.

    Developing...

    Headline of the Day!



    “Life is too short to live closed up, guarding what you say..."-Ricky Martin

  • MSNBC: Ricky Martin defends pop stars who come out
  • Miss World

    Courtney Love at the beach.



    Yeah...I can't believe it either.

    Simply Irresistible

    Okay, so here's the deal. On Tuesday Beyonce is re-releasing her sophomore album B'Day. It will have bonus tracks and get this, a video for each of the songs on the original tracklist, hence the video for the non-single Freakum Dress presented yesterday. Presented below is one of the more entertaining and creative videos from the Anthology, Green Light. Check it out!





    I've said it once and I will say it again, very few in the game are stunting like Beyonce. Act like you know.

    MIXTAPE FRIDAYS!


    The usual suspects are back, with this, their

    woozy laments.

    one, new york, i love you, but you're bringing me down, lcd soundsystem.
    two, five years, david bowie.
    three, to the end, blur.
    four, the other side, scissor sisters.
    five, fundamentally loathsome, marilyn manson.
    six, biggest star, the elected.
    seven, the upstairs, my barbarian.
    eight, welcome to the black parade, my chemical romance.
    nine, 25 or 6 to 4, chicago.
    ten, me and mr. jones, amy winehouse.
    eleven, crazy on you, heart.
    twelve, somebody to love, queen.
    thirteen, sweet life, !!!.

    Thursday, March 29, 2007

    Old school funk for the true funk soldiers!

    Oh Word?


  • THE RAP UP: Rihanna feat Jay-Z-Umbrella


  • Is it just me, or does she employ some Beyonce like vocal inflections here and there, throughout the song?

    DJ CLUE...NEW MAROON 5!...MAKES ME WONDER!!

    Another minute goes by. Another video gets posted.



    Big ups to
  • Stereogum
  • for the clip!

    Girl Power!

    Yeah...I kind of watch this show...

    A Whassup Guurrrl...

    Draq queens and fine sistahs finishing up that "workout plan" rejoice! Here it is. Beyonce. Freakum Dress. The video.


    You down with G.O.P.?

    Oh.My.God. Take Idolator's advice and scan ahead to the 1:40 mark. You won't be dissapointed...



  • IDOLATOR: Karl Rove Wants To Know: "You Down With G.O.P?"
  • The Sweet Escape

    Gwen Stefani performed The Sweet Escape on American Idol last night and it confirmed a few things for me:

    1. I am still in love with her sophomore album, also titled The Sweet Escape.
    2. As much as I love Wind It Up, this song translates so much better to the live arena than Wind It Up did.
    3. This song is begging to be a hit based simply on the hook or refrain that gets stuck in your head factor. [The sing along WOO-HOOs]
    4. Damn Akon, sit still for a minute. Trying to outdo R.Kelly in the singing on hooks dept.
    5. Is Akon under the influence of something?
    6. When she puts her mind to it, Gwen Stefani sure can sell a song, and all I can do is sit back and smile.

    Wednesday, March 28, 2007

    Me and Mr. Jones


    So I have heard of this Mark Ronson fella a few times in the past, but it wasn't until the Lily Allen/Amy Winehouse exposure that I started to truly pay attention to the boy in da corner. And then there was this. Fluxblog reports:

    "Mark Ronson "Stop Me" transforms The Smiths' "Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before" into a slick R&B number with his signature horn bleats, crisp beats, and electro flourishes. The vocal starts out sounding a little bit like Damon Albarn, but once it gets going, it shifts into a rather impressive simulation of Prince in his "When Doves Cry" mode. As the song hits its peak, it mutates into a cover of the Supremes' "You Keep Me Hanging On." The transition is clever, fluid, and intuitive, and stands out as one of the more stunning pop moments of the year thus far."

    Oh Me! Oh My! Got myself into it and I'm loving it. Check it out!

  • FLUXBLOG: Mark Ronson "Stop Me"
  • I believe the children are the future



  • NEW YORK MAGAZINE: THE YOUNG INVINCIBLES They’re young and healthy, and insurance is expensive. As long as they don’t catch the flu, slip on the ice, crash a bike, snowboard into a tree, rupture an appendix, or get hit by a bus, everything will be fine. Right?


  • Big ups to
  • The Modern Age
  • for putting this on my radar.

    Come with me inside...inside my velvet rope

    Bling Bling

    -Sigh- Oh Pretty Ricky. Pretty, pretty Ricky. [Drops head. Rocks it back and forth in the palm of my hand. Eyes closed]



    I will say this though: OOH WEE! I sho' wish I was chillaxing at BET's Spring Bling 2006!

  • CONCRETE LOOP: BET Spring Bling 2007
  • Let Me Blow Your Mind



    E-V-E on the state of Hip-Hop today:

    "...For me it all started with [D4L’s] ‘Laffy Taffy.’ When I first heard that song on the radio, I just knew it was a joke, but then I kept hearing it. Every artist has the right to do what they want, but I don’t believe in making that kind of music. It’s disposable...Hip-hop is in cardiac arrest, but I think it’s revivable. it’s not that I’m so profound, rhyming about when Jesus came down or anything, but I take the time to sit down and make sure my words come together so they sound right and flow with the track. I think a lot of that is missing...Music is unfortunately, getting crazy. I mean, rock stars don’t even have longevity and music is just - hip-hop, especially - so…superficial...There’s nothing special.There’s not one hip-hop artist that I can say is special…There are some that are definitely better than others, and that’s my personal opinion, you know? But if I had a child, I wouldn’t let them watch TV, and I would not let them listen to the radio. As far as the videos go, and all that.. I just can’t."


    Big ups to
  • Concrete Loop
  • for the quote!

    Fire it up!


    First off all, I would like to say Big Ups to Modest Mouse. Issac Brock and company are currently sitting pretty atop the Billboard charts with nearly 129,000 copies sold of their wonderfully crafted new album We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank. I just get all sorts of excited and overjoyed when off-beat/creative/well-crafted long players get some exposure and bought up by the public. Holla. Why don't we all celebrate by enjoying the foot-stomping bayou bounce of this Modest Mouse vinyl only b-side, King Rat, courtesy of the folks over at Idolator, shall we?

  • IDOLATOR: Leak Of The Day, Part II: Modest Mouse Smell A "Rat"
  • Never too much/Never too much


  • PITCHFORK: The Rapture: Whoo! Alright Yeah... Uh Huh (Simian Mobile Disco Remix)


  • Now Dance!

    Round and Round/Round We Go


    I don't know if you have heard, but Timbaland has a new album coming out next week. It's littered with guest artists like whoa, and grants Timbaland the opportunity to spit, talk shit, or simply think out loud over a beat with a little help from friends. I've heard a few tracks here and there, but for the most part I'm not all ga ga over it as one would expect, cause after all, it is Timbaland. Maybe I need a few more spins? I don't know. Or maybe I'm too nostalgic for a time when the usual suspects swung by Tim's studio to "try and catch the beat." [See Aaliyah's John Blaze off of Tim's Bio or Up Jumps Da Boogie off of Welcome to Our World. Hell I'll take a Make it Hot starring Nicole Wray.]

    But I digress.

    One collaboration to get pumped about is definitely the one between Timbo and Ms. Maya Arulpragasam, a.k.a. M.I.A. Unfortunately for us Americans, said collaboration, Come Around, won't be on our copy of Timb's Shock Value. [Lucky brits and their bonus tracks] Fortunately for us, the internet always comes through, so here it is, M.I.A., Timbaland, Come Around. Turn the volume up.

  • Timbaland (ft. M.I.A.) - Come Around (UK bonus track)
  • Quote of the Day!


    "...There's just one Idol the hair guru doesn't worry about: 'Sanjaya tells me exactly what to do with his hair every time.'"-American Idol hairstylist Dean Banowetz to Shawna Malcom in this week's issue of TV Guide magzine.

    Photo courtesy of the folks over at
  • Idolator.
  • Tuesday, March 27, 2007

    Midnight Love

    New flava in ya ear!


  • STEREOGUM: Robyn - "Konichiwa Bitches (Klaus Ahlund mix)"

  • Ta-ta-turn the volume up!

    A Moment of Clarity

    Speak on it brotha! SPEAK.ON.IT!

    Stairway to Heaven?

    Old school funk for the true funk soldiers!

    While in the LBC yesterday I decided to have lunch at El Pollo Giro.*
    [*Can't remember the last word of the place, but when I asked for a translation I was told that it meant rotisserie]
    Before walking inside I noticed a few celebrity hand prints in stone with accompanying autographs posted on an outside pillar for the restaurant, one of them belonging to Mr. Tito Puente. It was then that I began to sing the hook for this song, presented below:

    Quote of the Day!



    "It means so much to me to look around and see Beth Ditto, all fire and graces blazing, Bjork coming back from her self made palace of technology, flesh, volcano and supernatural reality with a new, much needed voice in the army and apparently quite the disco shoes to match...Even Britney, ready to go with your head shaved, umbrella in hand."-Patrick Wolf

    Video of the Day!

    My Barbarian-Morgan Le Fay

    O Brother, Where Art Thou?


    For some odd reason, I decided to press play on this disc as I laid on the floor pretending as though ab excercises are something I actually enjoy and don't do half-assed. It had been a long time, but I do know this, I loved me some Cloven Soft Shoe, and here's why. You see, once upon a time in the ultimate Los Angeles an enchantress and four lovely lads came together to form a performance art musical act whose music would have a wide range of influences from Cole Porter to the B-52's to Kate Bush and Tin Pin Alley just to name a few. Calling themselves My Barbarian, this rag tag of actors, scholars, and UCLA grads would go on to release their debut album Cloven Soft-Shoe under the radar without anyone noticing. Said album is truly a stunning and mystical affair, an album in which the majority of the tracks revolve around trying to make it in your twenties/making it as a performer in your twenties. It’s all big kids with big dreams, buying tickets one way from NY to LA, dreaming of “being the first jew-yorican in the Bolshoi Ballet”, while sitting lonely in their apartments smoking a lot of pot. The themes and thoughts on making it in the city is backed by music that is both adventurous and haunting, channeling post punk dance rock with operatic vocal flourishes one minute [‘Dance You Withces (Dance)’] and psychedelic brit rock of yesteryear the next [the fanciful dance inducing psychedelia of ‘Morgan Le Fay’]. In ‘The Upstairs’ the band slows down as lead singer Alex Segade rhapsodizes on life in his spacious one room flat to the beat of a simple drum pattern and heavy keyboard melody. Rats line the walls, vietnam vets rant, masturbation has now become a bore, and the stairs go up, up, up. In other words a whole lot of something is going on around him. The same can be said for the album. While My Barbarian doesn’t necessarily take a kitchen sink approach to crafting their tunes, the incorporation of layered vocals, spoken word interludes, haunting song structures, and dips into various genres makes for one eclectic reflection of growing up actor/dancer/artist/confused trying to make it on your own.

    And that is why I must ask, O My Barbarian, where art thou? If anyone has any info whatsoever on this collective, please let a brotha know.

    Key Tracks: The Upstairs[still on of my favorite songs of all time], Morgan Le Fay, Secret Ceremony

    WHOO! ALRIGHT - YEAH... UH HUH!


  • NME: Justin Timberlake's new album to sound like The Rapture/Timbaland says next record will cowbell-tastic


  • And just like that, Justin Timberlake's street cred in the Echo Parks and Williamsburgs of America has gone up. like whoa.

    And she will be loved?


    It may be hard to believe, but it's been like forever and a day since Maroon 5 released a new single for the public to devour [and then proceed to play out on radios, strip malls, and television commercials across the country]. But not anymore. The boys in the band are back with a new track, Makes Me Wonder, off their forthcoming album set to be released this May. A lot of people are raving about it. Me? I'm not completely wowed, but any band willing to approach the same vibe and influences as the Scissor Sisters and the like, [and not completely fail in the process] gets a thumbs up from me. And yes, there's a little bit of mid to late 80's R&B in the mix [Rod Temperton, Johnny Kemp, etc]to satisfy your senses. Check it out!

  • IDOLATOR: Leak Of The Day: We Really Did Wonder About Posting This New Maroon 5 Track
  • Quote of the Night!


    "I think there's something wrong with modern culture if Britney Spears -- who I happen to like -- can't have a personal crisis without having it splashed all over the tabloids."-Bill Clinton

    Little Miss Sunshine

    A HA! DAAAAMN HOMIE!

    Looking good Kelly. Looking good. And big ups for getting E-V-E to rap on the track. It's been a long time.

    Monday, March 26, 2007

    Well I'll be a monkey's uncle...

    New Fall Out Boy video for a track produced by Babyface. Let's all hope that crazy neurotic apes behind the scenes no equal old school R&B savant behind the boards.

    [I be saying] NO! NO! NO! NO! NO!

    While you be saying YES! YES! YES! YES! YES!

    Old school funk for the true funk soldiers!

    Sorry, but I had to.

    Youmustnotknowboutme!


    Dizzee Rascal and a taste of some Rob Base and DJ EZ Rock. Pussyhole. Act like you know.

  • Dizzee Rascal-Pussyhole
  • Sunday, March 25, 2007

    [I be saying] NO! NO! NO! NO! NO!

    While you be saying YES! YES! YES! YES! YES!



    Two words: DAAAMMMN GINA!

    It's as if she woke up and said, "you know what? Today I'mma go with my Janet, Ms. Jackson if you're nasty look."

    Pic spotted over at
  • Bossip.
  • New flava in ya ear!


    So some time not too long ago I was on my way somewhere [probably off to spend some money on something I didn't really need. You know how we do] and I decided to give Missy Elliot's The Cookbook a spin. One of my favorite tracks on the disc is the album opener Joy featuring Mike Jones. It's low, thick, and heavy. And Mike comes with it on his guest turn. It's one of those fun guest turns that makes you want to go out and play more of whatever said artist is cooking, hoping it's as tasty as those few bars. Immediately I found myself wondering, where is the once ubiquitous Mike Jones? Did he fall off or something? Luckliy for us he didn't; he's been found by the folks over at
  • Discobelle.
  • My 6-4. Mike Jones, Bun B, the Snoop D-O-Double G, and one sick ass Eazy-E sample. Go on, press play and give the best song you'll hear all week a listen. MIKE JONES!

  • Mike Jones feat. Bun B and Snoop Dogg-My 6-4
  • Friday, March 23, 2007

    Quote of the Day!


    "...Damn right, I kiss my daddy / I think they mad at how rich my daddy is / and I'm his kid, I start with my daddy / Call miss Lee / she's with my daddy/so diss me and don't diss my daddy / 'cause who was down with no one, wasn't just my daddy."-Lil Wayne

  • DREWREPORTS: LIL WAYNE DIGGING A BIGGER HOLE!
  • You got that whip appeal!

    Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you, a finalist for You Tube's Music Video of the Year. Sitting pretty at number 9 is a man responsible for helping put Cassie on the map. Ladies Gentlmen I present to you Ryan Leslie with Rescue U.

    Black Snake Moan


    You know when I saw Black Snake Moan [Opening Weekend. Magic Johnson Theatres.]I walked away not loving it, but not really hating it either. And the more and more I look back on it, I realize that I actually like it more than I hate it. Here's some of the reasons why:

  • Stylus Magazine: Black Snake Moan
  • Crazy for you


    I don't know who Blitzen Trapper is, but I do know this: their cover of Heart's Crazy On You kicks ass. Big ups fellas!

  • STEREOGUM: Blitzen Trapper Cover Heart
  • Old school funk for the true funk soldiers!

    Dress you up

    So Jury Duty got cut short and came to an end today. [Thank the lord] Instead of taking my ass home, I decided to buy a new phone. Do I have a new phone? No. Do I have a kick ass nylon jacket and fresh brown tinted aviators? Yes. In other words, I somehow wound up inside H&M. And as was expected, the women's dept looked all cramped and action packed, while the men's section had a calm and serene chill and space to browse in peace. [Not that I was shopping in the women's dept, but you gotta walk through it in order to carouse the children's section. Wait did that explanation help matters at all?] Madonna will be happy to know that a shitton of women [and a few portly mohawked dudes] were all up in her new collection. I forgot the collection was out, and am surprised that I just got around to viewing this outrageous promo that's been floating around the internet for it, today. Check it out:

    Oh Word?


    This is bound to piss off more than a few music snobs:

  • ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Ashlee Finds the Cure? Joe Simpson tells EW.com his daughter is collaborating with Robert Smith on her new album, as well as with Timbaland, John Legend, Kenna, and Chad Hugo of the Neptunes
  • Nobody knows the troubles I've seen

    Big ups to
  • A Socialite's Life
  • for this one.


    Remember 3T?

    Micheal Jackson and one of his nephews.

    Do you wanna ride/In the backseat of my "caddy"?/Chop it up with Do or Die


    Pete Doherty. Smoking and Poking since 1979!

    Pete Doherty used to sell his ass for crack. But really, are you surprised?

    "There was no shame, because I kind of knew they were just lonely p***ed-up old queens. And £20 was a lot of money!"


  • PR-INSIDE: Pete Doherty has admitted he still smokes crack every day.
  • I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself!


    Dear RIAA,

    You should have little to worry about if from here on out, every year comes with it the way 2007 is. !!!, Modest Mouse, Bloc Party, Arcade Fire, LCD Soundsystem, Amy Winehouse, Of Montreal. I say shit goddamn! I'm leaving out many others, but so far so good on the new CD tip for me. But wait, there's more! New Spoon. New White Stripes. And a Hot Chip DJ Kicks collection. Oh. My. God. That's what I'm talking about baby. WHAT?!

    Holla at ya boy,

    Tauwan

  • PITCHFORK: Spoon Reveal New Album Details


  • PITCHFORK: White Stripes Reveal Icky Thump Tracklist


  • PITCHFORK: Hot Chip Compile DJ-Kicks
  • Young, Gifted, and Black


    Young Black men who have sex with the wives of mostly wealthy and well-to-do white men. [While the wealthy and/or well-to-do husband watches] Ladies and Gentlemen,
  • Meet the Mandingos.
  • MIXTAPE FRIDAYS!



    Fluff! Fluff! DANCE!

    1 + Get in, Fit in = Ciara
    2 + Into the Groove = Madonna
    3 + Take My Time = Junior Senior
    4 + Gronlandic Edit = Of Montreal
    5 + Dashboard = Modest Mouse
    6 + Rumors = Lindsay Lohan
    7 + Baracuda = Heart
    8 + I Don't Want to Fall in Love = She Wants Revenge
    9 + Smoke Bubbles = Basement Jaxx
    10 + Sound of Silver = LCD Soundsystem
    11 + The Sound = The Rapture

    Thursday, March 22, 2007

    Nobody puts baby in the corner!



    File Under: Girl you must have gone and lost yo damn mind

  • CW: Britney Spears Clearly Not a LCD Soundsystem Fan


  • Yes this story is a little old, but after finally listening to the latter half of LCD Soundsystem's excellent new album Sound of Silver this morning, I have come to realize that we could all use a little more James Murphy in our lives. Clearly this is something Ms. Spears didn't recognize at the time.

    Headline of the Day!


    "Where's my snare?"

    "You know it's hard out here for a pimp
    When he tryin to get this money for the rent
    For the Cadillacs and gas money spent
    Because a whole lot of bitches talkin shit"


  • JAM SHOWBIZ: Terrence Howard recording album
  • Daft Punk is playing at my house


    Remember
  • this?

  • Daft Punk. The Rapture. Late July. Los Angeles Sports Arena. I'm going. How about you? Tickets on sale this Saturday. OR you can get hip to the presale and get a ticket now using the password ROBOTS. SHHH! Naw, naw, it's cool. No need to thank me. A simple good looking out is good enough.

    Wednesday, March 21, 2007

    Gotta have faith!

    Til we find a cure...

    Y'all think this is a game?

    Unfortunately it is not...

    "My intellect deep, but I'm still a freak..."


    What do you get when you cross New York, a little Baby Bash, LL Cool J's swagger circa 1995-1998, Scott Storch's looks, and a song that so desperately wants to be Wait [The Whisper Song]? You get this video presented below. Check it out:

  • MC HAMMER/GET 2 NO U [does that even make sense?]


  • Me and my friends need to exit the club like that from now on.

    Big ups to
  • Crunk + Disorderly
  • for this one!

    This is how we do it.

    Yes it is Eddie. You don't even know...oh, and happy birthday buddy!

    This one goes out to Kevin Wilcox. Cause for some reason whenever I hear or think of this song, I think of him. Don't ask. I just do.



    Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Was that Ronnie Spector getting her Tawny Kitaen on? Damn. I ain't mad at cha.

    She smelled like 2am...


    Yeah, this picture will do nothing to dispell those coke rumors(?)

    Lindsay Lohan graces the cover of GQ's latest Love, Sex, and Madness issue. Yeah...she's looking pretty fucking hot.

  • GQ: AMERICA’S SWEET TART
  • Pic of the Day!



    Snoop Dogg in Paris. Nuff said.

    Old school funk for the true funk soldiers!

    For Britney. Out and ready to conquer the world. Get prepared. You've been warned.



    Doesn't this video look like it was shot in and around the Promises Rehab facility?

    WTF?


    Is this because Mr. Sorkin used to love him some drugs?

  • ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Sorkin Will Script Flaming Lips Musical
  • A Moment of Clarity

    Dear Chris Richardson,

    You are not Justin Timberlake.

    That is all,

    Tauwan



    And what was that look at the two minute mark? Tsk. Tsk. Tsk.

    New flava in ya ear!

    Tauwan Patterson, resident consumer whore for Last Night A DJ Saved My Life, here with my new release Tuesday round-up. So yesterday I got my hands on three new discs, and today I got to sit inside a court house for nearly nine hours reading Vanity Fair and playing the iPod til the red bar reared its ugly head. This gave me more than enough time to actually enjoy albums, not singles, or songs on shuffle. As was the case with the day Arcade Fire's new cd dropped and I bought like fifty-eleven CDs, I have a favorite of the three I purchased yesterday. And the winner is:



    Don't get me wrong, I adore the new LCD Soundsystem, and Devin the Dude's latest is charming, but this one grabbed me from track one and would not let go. And unlike the new Bloc Party, which gets less exciting for me after track 8 or 9, this CD entertains and is chock full of quirky surprises from start to finish. [I'm especially digging the Talking Heads vibe present in the stunning bottom half.] So big ups Issac and co. I am sure I'll play this one out as much as I did your last one, which just so happened to be my pick for album of the year in 2004. Oh, and big ups to you too Mr. Johnny Marr. Though honestly I completely forgot that you play a little guitar here and there on the disc til now when I gave you props. Guess we can blame that on the whole me not being well versed [or is it not giving a damn?]in the school of Morrissey and the Smiths.
    KEY TRACKS: Parting of the Sensory/Education/Steam Engenius

    Tuesday, March 20, 2007

    The First Taste


    Bjork's new album Volta isn't set to drop til early May. Til then, feel free to wet your willies with this quasi review of the new-and sure to be stellar-disc from the Icelandic queen.

  • S p r k.: Sprk en de Bjork recensie


  • Big ups to Trent over at
  • Pink Is The New Blog
  • for this one.

    A Moment of Clarity?


  • TMZ: Britney -- I Got My Life Back!!!

  • I'll believe it when I see it.

    Quote of the Day!


    After missing it on the new release wall and not finding it under the L or S sections* in rock, I decided to approach the young sales assistant who was busy pricing CDs and DVDs for Circuit City to see if the store had a copy of the new LCD Soundsystem CD Sound of Silver.

    TAUWAN: Excuse me. Hi. Do you know if you guys have the new LCD Soundsystem CD?
    YOUNG SALES ASSISTANT: [Looks at me with a confused look on her face, as if she wants to scratch her head as she speaks, but can't]...Ummmm...I'm sorry but you're going to have to talk to someone in tv about that.

    New LCD Soundsystem. Sound of Silver. In stores now!


    [*Don't fret. After walking off to talk to someone who opened the store, she led me to the rock section, but let me know that both her and the morning person she talked to have no recollection of seeing the disc this morning. Luckily for me I got the only copy in the store, tucked away behind some old Avril Lavigne discs.]

    Video of the Day!

    Trapped In The Drive-Thru

    Monday, March 19, 2007

    Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice!

    Mika-Love Today



    Yeah that was fun and all, but I am secretly hoping he releases
  • this
  • track as his next single.

    Don't be fooled by the rocks that I got

    Rosie Perez vs. Jay-Z? So what had happened was...



    Big ups to
  • Bossip
  • for the clip!

    HEY! HEY! YOU! YOU!


    Is it wrong that when I saw this picture, taken by the Cobrasnake at SXSW, I thought to myself "Look! Hip Black Kids!" ?

  • THE COBRASNAKE: Dinmak Prizefight
  • Check-Check The Melody


    One of my favorite albums of all time is Michael Jackson's Off the Wall. So when something comes along echoing that same vibe and whip appeal, I got show some love and share it with the masses. Ne-Yo. Jay-Z. Call Me Crazy. Ta-ta-turn the volume up.

  • Ne-Yo feat. Jay-Z-Call Me Crazy


  • And big ups to Ne-Yo and company for getting a couple inspired bars from Jigga; there's an urgency and desire to entertain underlying his voice that is largely absent from most of Kingdom Come.

    Aww Hell...To The Naww!



    "The BV Newswire has learned that Vivid Entertainment has offered Ray J a four picture directing deal, on the eve of release of his starring role in 'Kim Kardashian Superstar' --the full-throttle videotaped sexual escapades with alleged Hollywood socialite in the starring role."

  • AOL BLACK VOICES BLOG [Wait. AOL has a black voices blog?]: RAY J: In it For the Long Haul


  • WHAT?!@# I don't even know what to say about this, so I'm just gonna stop typ

    Gonna take you higher


    "Willie Nelson Spring Water. Always on your mind."

  • SIMPSON DISTRIBUTING, LLC: Willie Nelson Spring Water


  • Big ups
  • Idolator
  • for this one!