OST OCD: Colors

If you’ll do me the favor of thinking back a couple of weeks, you’ll recollect I posted up a remixed cover version of Ice-T’s classic “Colors.” At that time I mentioned I would consider a post of the original if I still had the soundtrack. Well, friends, guess what?

This is actually sort of a relevant time to post from this soundtrack, with the death last week of Dennis Hopper. Hopper, in case you’ve forgotten, directed the 1988 flick, which starred Robert Duvall and Sean Penn.

Your basic plot summary, from IMDB:

Colors stars Robert Duvall and Sean Penn as partners on the LAPD’s gang crime division. Duvall had hoped to spend more time with his family, but he's pulled back into active service because of a step-up in gang activity. He makes no secret of his contempt for his novice partner Penn, but eventually comes to rely on the younger man as a valuable street contact. The central crisis is the battle for supremacy between the Crips and the Bloods, with every effort to call a truce stymied by the gang members themselves and by undue police intervention.

The soundtrack itself did pretty well, chart-wise. It went as high as number 31 on the Billboard charts, and helped launch the career of the future Detective “Fin” Tutuola. Before Colors, Ice-T was doing OK, releasing 12-inch singles and the moderately successful Rhyme Pays. But it would be “Colors” that put Ice-T on the map as a “gangsta rapper” as well as a commentator on that lifestyle. From that point, Ice’s lyrics would become sharper and more incisive, putting him in the role as “OG” of west coast rap.

Along with “Colors,” I’ve also got for you the classic Cold Cut remix of Eric B. & Rakim’s “Paid in Full,” another old-school, not-to-be-missed hip hop track.

Colors.mp3
Paid in Full - 7 Minutes of Madness (The Cold Cut remix).mp3

Labels: hip-hop, movies, soundtracks

posted by aikin @ 9:35 PM 2 Comments

Music from My Mailbox

This month has probably been the most prolific month for me since I’ve started this blog. I’ve blasted out 20 posts (21 counting this one) and cleared out my mailbox three times. By my own low standards, that’s amazing. I think I deserve a vacation.

Items of note for you to note: Amanda Zelina makes a third appearance on these hallowed pages. This go ‘round, she has released an album of gritty blues under the name The Coppertone. It’s very much in the vein of the Dead Weather. I’ve liked everything I’ve heard from Amanda and this is no different.

When I opened the e-mail from These Guys and read all the typical raves, “These Guys are the second coming, blah, blah, blah,” I almost hit delete and just moved on. Instead, something made me click the link to watch the video for “Pete’s Sweet Sixteen.” It is just auto-tuned, cross-dressing hilarity: “You’re like a sister to us, bro.” I can’t let you miss out on this.

In a similar vein are the Deli Boys, whose indictment of Sex & the City culture is neatly wrapped up in “P.R. Girls.”

And if you’re tuning in for some regular ol’ rock ‘n’ roll, try Shellshag, The Enthusiasts, or Tomorrow’s Tulips. You know I ain’t gonna steer ya wrong.

As always, follow the links for more information.

The Coppertone
Blues / Rock / Soul
From: Ontario, Canada
Band MySpace
Nighttime Wishes.mp3

Thought
Rock / 2-Step / Funk
From: Brooklyn, N.Y.
Band MySpace
Echka (I Like to Party).mp3

Shellshag
Punk / Rock
From: Brooklyn, N.Y.
Band MySpace
Crashing Rockets.mp3

PackFM
Hip-Hop / Rap
From: Brooklyn, N.Y.
Band MySpace
I F*cking Hate Rappers.mp3

These Guys
Rock / Comedy / Grunge
From: Los Angeles, Calif.
Band Website
Pete’s Sweet Sixteen.mp3

The Enthusiasts
Garage / Blues / Pop
From: Ardsley, N.Y.
Band MySpace
In the City.mp3

Hot Hot Heat
Indie / Minimalist / Showtunes
From: Vancouver, B.C., Canada
Band MySpace
Zero Results.mp3

Moving Castles
Indie / Rock / Progressive
From: Tyler, Texas
Band MySpace
Wives (You’re Near Me Always).mp3

The Deli Boys
Electro / Crunk / Comedy
From: New York, N.Y.
Band MySpace
P.R. Girls.mp3

Thank God
Punk / Experimental / Jam Band
From: Columbia, Atlanta, Charleston
Band MySpace
Ice Age.mp3

Monarques
Pop
From: Portland, Ore.
Band MySpace
Angel Eyes.mp3

Tomorrow’s Tulips
Minimalist / Pop / Shoegaze
From: Costa Mesa, Calif.
Band Myspace
Eternally Teenage.mp3

~~~~~
Pictures, top-to-bottom: The Coppertone, These Guys, The Deli Boys

Labels: "alternative", blues, comedy, hip-hop, indie, rap, rock

posted by aikin @ 1:11 PM 0 Comments

Music from My Mailbox

This seriously has to be one of the largest mailbox dumps I’ve ever done. Sixteen songs – and that’s after I deleted a good number I didn’t want to post. What’s funny is I started off thinking this was going to be an unusually small post because I had to go through about 20 e-mails before I ran across something I liked and wanted to post.

Like always, I was happy see big names like the Dead Weather and MIA reaching out to bloggers to help promote their respective albums. I’ve seen both of these tracks posted on other blogs the last few days, so I apologize I’m a little slow getting them to you.

Besides the Dead Weather, of course, some other tracks you should pay particular attention to: The Ex-Girlfriend’s Club and Best Coast both fit loosely into the garage / psycho-fuzz genres I like and can recommend.

A lot of bands sending out music seem to be shooting for summertime pop-hit type of stuff. Sometimes that can come across like they’re trying too hard, but the couple I picked here – The Like and Sonny and the Sunsets – are bearable, if not downright decent. The Like also went for a purposefully lo-fi sound, recording their album direct to analogue tape.

Finally, I usually shy away from remixes, but I went with this remixed cover of Ice T’s “Colors,” from the movie of the same name. I was just talking with someone the other day about the 1988 flick, a classic directed by Dennis Hopper and starring Robert Duvall and Sean Penn. If I still have the soundtrack, I may get that up as an OST OCD post soon.

Like always, follow the links for more info.

The Dead Weather
Rock / Blues / Gothic
From: Nashville, Tenn.
Band MySpace
Die By the Drop.mp3

Sonny and the Sunsets
Indie / Beach-Pop
From: San Francisco, Calif.
Band MySpace
Too Young To Burn.mp3

Pearly Gate Music
Tropical / Concrete
From: Seattle, Wash.
Band MySpace
Big Escape.mp3

MIA
Other
From: London & Southeast U.K.
Band MySpace
XXXO.mp3

Ganglians
Showtunes / Celtic / Roots Music
From: Sacramento, Calif.
Band MySpace
My House.mp3

Pete Covington
Alternative / Psychedelic / Pop
From: New South Wales, Australia
Band MySpace
Balloons.mp3

The Like
Pop / Garage
From: Los Angeles, Calif.
Band MySpace
Fair Game.mp3

Sleigh Bells
Electronic / Rock
From: Brooklyn, N.Y. & Florida
Band MySpace
Infinity Guitars.mp3

The Ex-Girlfriends Club
Garage / Rock / Glam
From: Portland, Ore.
Band MySpace
Your Prescription.mp3

Lana Del Ray
Glam / Surf / Hawaiian
From: New York, N.Y.
Band MySpace
Diet Mtn. Dew (demo).mp3

Yelawolf
Hip Hop / Ghettotech / Southern Rock
From: Gadsden, Ala.
Band MySpace
Good to Go (ft. Bun B).mp3

DJ Troublemaker / King Fantastic
Punk / Funk / Crunk
From: Los Angeles, Calif.
Band MySpace
Colors (Ice T cover).mp3

Best Coast
Surf / Pop / Gospel
From: Los Angeles, Calif.
Band MySpace
Far Away.mp3

Katelyn Dawn
Indie / Pop / Acoustic
From: Toronto, Canada
Band MySpace
Puzzle Pieces.mp3

Luna is Honey
Pop / Rock / R&B
From: Los Angeles, Calif.
Band MySpace
Who Wouldn’t.mp3

Lisa Jaeggi
Soul / Folk / Freestyle
From: Brooklyn, N.Y.
Band MySpace
Oh Lady You Shot Me!.mp3
~~~~~

(pictures, top-to-bottom: Dead Weather, MIA, The Like, Lana Del Ray, Best Coast)

Labels: "alternative", acousticness, blues, covers, electronic, folk, funk, garage rock, glam, hip-hop, indie, Jack White, pop muzik, RnB, rock

posted by aikin @ 6:02 PM 1 Comments

Music from My Mailbox

There is, if I say so myself, some pretty high-power stuff in this purge of my mailbox. Big names like Julian Casablancas, MIA, and Atari Teenage Riot don’t usually go to the blogs to promote their wares. I like it.

Speaking of MIA, “Born Free” is sort of unusual territory for this blog. I liked “Paper Planes” – the mix of the Clash, gunfire, cash registers, and MIA’s original style made it interesting and new. “Born Free” continues in a similar vein with an intermingling of styles – rock, hip-hop, etc. Also, the video, if you haven’t seen that, is worth your time. I’m sure her intention is some deeper message, but it’s like a more violent version of the South Park “Gingers” episodes. You can see it on her MySpace.

Some other key tracks: Semi Precious Weapons seem to be some sort of mad mash up of Hanoi Rocks and Lady Gaga. Whether these guys can extend the act into a career remains to be seen, but “Magnetic Baby” is a glam-ish song that isn’t going to make your head hurt.

Scott Morgan is a Detroit rock legend whose band The Rationals had the MC5 open for them and almost landed a young Iggy Pop as their drummer. He also formed Sonic’s Rendezvous with Fred “Sonic” Smith and Scott Asheton. “Fallin’ For You” continues the legend with a nice slice of Motown rock ‘n’ soul.

And I gotta show a little local love – AluKarD come from here in Miami. Don’t let the “rock / hip-hop” tags fool you: There’s no Limp Bizkit going on here.

As always, follow the links for more information.

AluKarD
Rock / Alternative / Hip Hop
From: Miami, Fla.
Band MySpace
44 Kaliber Love Letter.mp3

Julian Casablancas
Rock / Alternative
From: New York, N.Y.
Band MySpace
Old Hollywood (live).mp3

MIA
Other
From: London & Southeast U.K.
Band MySpace
Born Free (album version).mp3

The Pipettes
Pop / Powerpop / Glam
From: United Kingdom
Band MySpace
Stop the Music (Will Eastman remix).mp3

Semi Precious Weapons
Visual / Garage / Rock
From: Brooklyn, United States
Band MySpace
Magnetic Baby.mp3

DeVotchKa
Indie / Rock
From: United States
Band MySpace
Clockwise Witness (live).mp3

Scott Morgan
Soul / Rock
From: Ann Arbor, Mich.
Band MySpace
Fallin’ For Ya.mp3

Atari Teenage Riot
Electronica / Experimental / Hardcore
From: Berlin, London, Tokyo, New York
Band MySpace
Activate.mp3

The Joy Formidable
Other / Other / Other
From: United Kingdom
Band MySpace
Whirring.mp3

Inside the Black
Rock
From: Hollywood, Calif.
Band MySpace
Adult Movies.mp3

~~~~~
Pictures, top-to-bottom: AluKarD, Semi Precious Weapons, The Joy Formidable

Labels: "alternative", electronic, garage rock, hip-hop, indie, pop muzik, rock

posted by aikin @ 9:06 PM 0 Comments

Just Say 4/20 - the repost

This is a repost from 4/20 a couple of years ago. My thinking goes along the following lines:
- I always kinda liked this post;
- I can't be arsed to dig up five or six more songs about weed;
- If you're really celebrating 4/20, you probably don't remember I've posted this before.
Also note that Nirvana's "Marijuana" is likewise known by the name "Moist Vagina."

~~~~~

I’ve been more or less responsible all day, so it’s time to go ahead and roll out (roll up?) some music and celebrate 4/20.

I know a couple of people who are actually taking the day off of work tomorrow and plan on celebrating the day as if it’s some sort of religious holiday. I’m not that dedicated.

In case you don’t know what 4/20 is (and if I know, there’s no reason you shouldn’t know!), High Times magazine can help expand your mind: “420 is not so much a time or place as it is a state of mind. The original story of 420 begins with five fellow students – all of whom assumed the nom de pot ‘Waldo’ – who met after school at the appointed hour to smoke some of California’s finest, and occasionally searched for a hidden pot field they’d heard about in the hills outside town.” Click here for the very informative “History of 4/20” timeline.

For today’s post, I’ve gathered a variety of appropriately themed music; I’m sure there are some classics I’ve, ahem, forgotten. Be safe and know that I am not endorsing any sort of illegal activity.

Smoke Two Joints.mp3 ~ Sublime
Sweet Leaf (live).mp3 ~ Ozzy
30 Days in the Hole.mp3 ~ Humble Pie
Sweet Leaf.mp3 ~ Black Sabbath
Hits from the Bong.mp3 ~ Cypress Hill
Let’s Get High.mp3 ~ Dr. Dre
Marijuana.mp3 ~ Nirvana

Labels: classic rock, grunge, hip-hop, ska-punk

posted by aikin @ 7:00 AM 0 Comments

Malcolm McLaren: 1946 - 2010

I just heard this afternoon about Malcolm McLaren’s death from mesothelioma at the age of 64. The following is a repost from November 2006.

~~~~~~

Malcolm McLaren: Clothing designer, impresario, rock ‘n’ roll swindler, and manager of some of the most unique musical acts ever to grace a stage.

He began his career as a rock and roll manager by attempting to resurrect the fading New York Dolls. He brought to this – and his other efforts – the philosophies of the French Situationist movement, which advocated provocative, even absurd, actions as political statement and performance art. Following the Dolls, he of course introduced the Sex Pistols to the world. After the Pistols’ crash landing, he launched the careers of Adam Ant, Bow Wow Wow, and Boy George.

Always moving forward, McLaren began his own musical career in the early 1980s, with the single “Buffalo Gals,” which combined traditional folk music with hip-hop. The single was credited to McLaren and the World Famous Supreme Team, and became a Top Ten hit in the U.K. The remix mini-LP “D’Ya Like Scratchin’” gave McLaren his first American album chart entry in February 1984.

Which leads us to today’s music: A sampling from that EP, which was released in 1983. There’s a long, but interesting story about McLaren titled “The Unlikely Origins of UK Hip Hop” posted on a message board. In it, the author writes about McLaren’s discovery of hip hop while in New York: “It was extraordinary cos the sound coming out was totally inarticulate; it was a load of rough noises, noises that sounded a little like guitar, but had a sort of concrete chisel sound and the sound I realised was actually coming from the way they were messing around with their hands on the decks, moving records backwards and forwards [sic ].”

The posting goes on to talk about how the British initially dismissed scratching and other sonic experimentation (particularly from McLaren, a white man, of all things!). Ultimately it was the video for “Buffalo Gals” that changed the minds of the British youth and opened the floodgates for the British B-Boys.

D’ya Like Scratchin’.mp3
She’s Looking Like a Hobo.mp3
Buffalo Gals.mp3

Labels: current events, hip-hop, repost

posted by aikin @ 9:03 PM 0 Comments

Music from My Mailbox

Wow. I just can’t get the motivation or inspiration lately to post. I look through my CDs and the stuff on my computer and think, Nah, that’s all been done. Then I look through the 100-plus emails clogging my inbox and think, There’s gotta be something interesting in there. So out of those hundred-some emails, this is what I culled. Can you see why I’m not feeling too inspired these days?

My pick of the litter this go-round is Univox’s “Pi,” which I think I had attempted to post before but there was a problem with the link they sent me. Whatever the issue, I’m glad it showed up again, because it’s a rockin’ little number.

A song I almost passed on is Marc Robillard’s “Butterscotch High.” I’m glad I didn’t. I don’t know much about Marc, but there’s something about this song that I really like and it reminds me of someone else, but I can’t quite put my finger on who.

And just to mix things up a bit, I also want you to check out Dominique Young Unique. This is something you might hear thumping in your local strip club this summer.

As always, follow the links for more information

Science Fiction Theater
Rock / Indie / Melodramatic Popular Song
From: Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.
Band MySpace
Gasoline.mp3

Marc Robillard
Pop / Rock / Acoustic
From: Venice, Calif.
Band MySpace
Butterscotch High (acoustic).mp3

Univox
Glam / Soul / Folk
From: Philadelphia, Penn.
Band MySpace
Pi.mp3

Thought
Rock / 2-step / Funk
From: Brooklyn, N.Y.
Band MySpace
The Hardest Thing.mp3

Lloyd’s Garage
Rock / Indie / Blues
From: SF Bay Area, Calif.
Band MySpace
Return to Sender.mp3

Hunters & Runners
Rock / Indie
From: New York, N.Y.
Band MySpace
Sociology.mp3

Dominique Young Unique
R’n’B / Hip-Hop / Electronic
From: Tampa, Fla.
Band MySpace
Show My Ass.mp3

~~~~~
(pictures, top-to-bottom: Science Fiction Theater, Lloyd's Garage)

Labels: acousticness, electronic, hip-hop, indie, pop muzik, RnB, rock

posted by aikin @ 12:48 PM 0 Comments

Music From My Mailbox

Cleaning out the mailbox for the first time this month. Once again I let it get full enough that I could skip over most of the really wretched “indie” stuff and the various remixes of songs I’ve never heard of. Something I saw for the first time is an email from a band’s promo person directing me to another blog to download the music. I can’t tell if that’s lazy promotional work or outstanding blog work.

A pretty fair amount of rock comes up with this purge: Burn the Evidence, Throwing Seven, and Gangcharger all crank up the electric guitars and pay homage to some combination of Metallica and Jesus and Mary Chain. Karnivool was kind enough to send me an actual CD. Their music is reminiscent of Tool – very much prog-metal. If you’re into that, you’ll definitely want to check Karnivool.

One song I almost passed on, but ended up liking after a couple of listens, is Paper Tongue’s “Ride to California.” It’s almost-but-not-quite rap-rock, which isn’t yet far enough in our past to make us nostalgic. The singer screams like a rocker, but the music, which emphasizes electronics over guitars, keeps this track from lapsing into Limp Bizkit territory.

As always, follow the links for more information.

Karnivool
Rock
From: Perth, Australia
Band MySpace
Set Fire to the Hive.mp3

Visqueen
Rock
From: Seattle, Wash.
Band MySpace
Beautiful Amnesia.mp3

Borrowed Eyes
Folk Rock / Indie
From: New York, N.Y.
Band MySpace
Slaves.mp3

The Soft Province
Indie
From: Canada
Band MySpace
One Was a Lie.mp3

Twin Tigers
Rock / Shoegaze / Tropical
From: Athens, Ga.
Band MySpace
Passive Idol.mp3

City Light
Indie / Alternative / Rock
From: San Francisco, Calif.
Band MySpace
Someday Maybe.mp3

Paper Tongues
Rock / Electronic / Hip Hop
From: Charlotte, N.C.
Band MySpace
Ride to California.mp3

Dana Falconberry
Visual / Tropical / Melodramatic Popular Song
From: Austin, Texas
Band MySpace
Singing Lullabies.mp3

Throwing Seven
Alternative / Post punk / Experimental
From: Los Angeles / Inland Empire, Calif.
Band MySpace
Let it Bleed.mp3

Gangcharger
Visual / Experimental / Rock
From: Denver, Colo.
Band MySpace
Apparition.mp3

King Khan and the Shrines
Psychedelic / R&B / Hardcore
From: South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
Band MySpace
Land of the Freak.mp3

Burn The Evidence
Alternative / Rock / Metal
From: Worthing/Brighton Area, U. K.
Band MySpace
New Disease.mp3

~~~~~
pictures, top-to-bottom: Visqueen, Twin Tigers, Dana Falconberry, King Khan

Labels: "alternative", electronic, folk, garage rock, hip-hop, indie, rock

posted by aikin @ 3:52 PM 0 Comments

Check Out Chalant's Special Place

Those of you who have been around for a while will remember almost two years ago when I first posted about Alabama hip-hop trio Chalant. That post remains one of my most popular, not only because the songs were great, but because one of the songs I posted was “Suck My Pussy,” which seems to attract a lot of random Googlers.

It’s taken some time, but Chalant has finally released some new music. They were kind enough to drop me a note the other day to let me know about the new EP, Special Places.

While not at all short on the sexums, Special Places is a lot darker and angrier than The Trill Life. “Freaky Secret” and “Cop Killer,” which more or less bookend the disk, are sort of a matched set of songs about revenge killings. And “Dead Men Don’t Rape” is singer Jenital Candies getting back at a father who molested her by putting him in a cage and making him “eat his own poop.”

The music is slow groove, synth-based hip-hop, sort of along the lines of Prince’s old protégés from the 80’s, Apollonia 6. Something you could grind to in a club, maybe.

Check out this track, then click over to Chalant’s MySpace, where you can download Special Places for free.

Dead Men Don’t Rape.mp3

Labels: hip-hop, new stuff

posted by aikin @ 7:39 PM 0 Comments

OST OCD: 'He Got Game'

It’s been a long time since I did one of these OST posts and, truth to tell, the origin of this particular post didn’t come from the movie, but from a Buffalo Springfield song.

I heard “For What It’s Worth” the other day, which got me thinking about Public Enemy’s soundtrack for Spike Lee’s 1998 movie, He Got Game (I’ve mentioned before how my brain moves along those paths). I watched the movie once, some time ago, and, at least in my opinion, it wasn’t one of Spike Lee’s best.

The movie stars Denzel Washington and current Boston Celtic Ray Allen. The plot is basically as follows: Jesus Shuttlesworth (Allen) is an extremely talented basketball player being pursued by the top college programs in the nation. Washington's character, Jake Shuttlesworth, is a convicted felon serving time at Attica State Prison for accidentally killing his wife (Jesus’ mother). Jake is temporarily released by the governor, influential alum of one of the colleges Jesus is considering, so that he might direct his son to sign with the governor's college. (See the trailer here.)

As a longtime listener of Public Enemy, I got the soundtrack long before I saw the movie. This album reunited Professor Griff and Terminator X with Chuck D and Flavor Flav, giving the album the feel of the early PE disks. They also invited a host of guests, including Masta Killa, KRS-One, and one of the last people you’d expect to find here, Stephen Stills.

Stills stepped in to lend his voice and acoustic guitar to the title track. While the original version symbolizes the unrest of the 1960’s, this more-or-less updated version touches more on oppression: Racial oppression, political oppression, self oppression.

More than your eye can see / And ears can hear
Year by year / All the sense disappears
Nonsense perseveres / Prayers laced wit’ fear
He Got Game the soundtrack remains one of my favorite Public Enemy disks and one of only a few soundtracks that can stand on its own.

He Got Game.mp3 ~ ft. Stephen Stills
Unstoppable.mp3 ~ ft. KRS-One

Labels: hip-hop, movies, soundtracks

posted by aikin @ 1:27 PM 0 Comments

Music from My Mailbox

Dumping out the mailbox one last time this month with hopes of starting fresh in July. For regular viewers, it should come as no surprise when I say again there is a good variety of music on the platter, from hip-hop to metal and a few stops in between.

One of the more interesting tracks is “Bad Driver,” by Dudley Saunders. Saunders, who looks more like Tommy Gavin’s sponsor on Rescue Me than a musician, spins an interesting tale in this song. I’ve listened to it several times and I’m still not sure if it’s about road rage, a redneck in a pickup, or male prostitutes. At any rate, it’s a cool song and I think you oughta think so, too.

A couple of other things worth mentioning: Drawing from the Jesus and Mary Chain school of distortion is Chicago’s Apteka. They sent me a really low-key email that I almost missed, but I’m glad I didn’t. I like this style of music even though it’s something I never seem to actively seek out. At the other end of the spectrum is D-Boyz, some hip-hop from The Big Easy. “Wipe ‘em Off” features former Cash Money producer Mannie Fresh, who has previously shown up on numerous tracks you’ve probably heard at some point.

As far as some decent heavy rock, my pick of the week goes to Verismo, a metal band from Brooklyn. They proudly wear their Metallica influence without sounding like they’re trying to rip anything off.

As always, follow the links for more information.

ides of space
Shoegaze
From: Melbourne, Australia
Band MySpace
I Promise Not to Notice if You Promise to Pretend.mp3

Caw! Caw!
Pop / Punk / Psychedelic
From: Chicago, Ill.
Band MySpace
Toothless (demo).mp3

Grand Lake
Indie
From: Oakland, Calif.
Band MySpace
Sandusky Sunset.mp3

D-Boyz
Hip-Hop
From: New Orleans, La.
Band MySpace
Wipe ‘em Off.mp3

Verismo
Rock / Metal / Thrash
From: Brooklyn, N.Y.
Band MySpace
Greed.mp3

Shawn Farley
Rock / Pop / Experimental
From: Seattle, Wash.
Band MySpace
I Like You More Than You Do.mp3

Eulogies
Rock
From: United States
Band MySpace
The Fight (I've Come To Like) (live on WOXY).mp3

Apteka
Rock / Psychedelic
From: Chicago, Ill.
Band MySpace
The Sheet.mp3

Will Dailey
Rock / Acoustic / Roots Music
From: Boston, Mass.
Band MySpace
Never Be Your baby (live on WERS) .mp3

Dudley Saunders
Alternative / Folk Rock / Pop
From: Los Angeles, Calif.
Band MySpace
Bad Driver.mp3

~~~~~
(Pictures, top-to-bottom: Caw! Caw!, Verismo, Apteka)

Labels: "alternative", hip-hop, indie, metal, pop muzik, rock

posted by aikin @ 1:30 PM 0 Comments

Music from My Mailbox

Tons of stuff in this early month mailbox purge. Even as I compile this, more music is flooding the LICORICE PIZZA inbox, so with luck and proper organizational skills, I may actually get out another mailbox post this month. Let’s all keep our fingers crossed.

You’re going to see a couple more than usual electro-dance sorta things. Everybody wants to be the next Lady Gaga. I usually just delete these and move on unless I think the song is catchy or somewhat interesting, or if I just happen to be in a good mood. Two of the more interesting are the tracks by Ze! and Emma. Ze’s in particular has an 80’s synth vibe to it.

On the rock side of the street is where you’re going to find my pick of the litter, which goes this time to The Perms for their solid indie rock – not a ZZ Top cover – track, “Give Me All Your Lovin’.” I’m also liking the county-tinged tracks by Leslie and the Badgers and the interestingly named Donny Hue and The Colors.

As always, follow the links for more information.

The Perms
Powerpop / Indie / Rock
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Band MySpace
Give Me All Your Lovin’.mp3

Ancient Astronauts
Down-tempo / Funk / Hip Hop
Cologne, Germany
Band MySpace
Everybody.mp3

Zé!
Electro / Pop / Disco House
Kuala Lumpur / Brussels / London, UK
Band MySpace
I Am Glam.mp3

Leslie and the Badgers
Indie / Folk Rock / Country
Pompadourous Angeles, Calif.
Band MySpace
Los Angeles.mp3

Jessie Murphy In The Woods
Indie / Lyrical / Glam
New York, N.Y.
Band MySpace
In the Woods.mp3

EMMA
Rap / Electro / Club
Essen // Düsseldorf, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany
Band MySpace
Couch Potato.mp3

Donny Hue and the Colors
Other / Experimental / Country
Brooklyn, N.Y.
Band MySpace
I speak of the Hayseed Cousins.mp3

Jeannine Hebb
Pop / R&B / Rock
Brooklyn, N.Y.
Band MySpace
Things Haven’t Been So Bad Lately.mp3

The Plastic Revolution
Pop / Rock / Electronica
San Diego, Los Angeles, Calif., & New York, N.Y.
Band MySpace
Sex-Crazed.mp3

TPF!
Electro / Punk
Los Angeles, Calif.
Band MySpace
143.mp3

new numbers
Indie
Brooklyn, N.Y.
Band MySpace
Whatever I Want.mp3

~~~~~
pictures, top-to-bottom: Ancient Astronauts, Emma, TPF

Labels: alt.country, electronic, funk, hip-hop, indie, new stuff

posted by aikin @ 11:39 AM 1 Comments

Music from My Mailbox

Hey – this is my second mailbox dump this month, not including the things I’ve posted individually. You can’t say I’m not right on top of things!

Alongside the something-for-every-taste-bud tracks, there are a few goodies here: Telling on Trixie and Ash are both solid “indie” bands; the songs here are catchy and stuck in my head even after the first listen.

The Rest is soothingly creepy. They kind of remind me of a lo-fi Jesus and Mary Chain. My pick of the litter is Radical Sons, out of St. Louis. They sound a little like the Strokes’ first album and I like the subject matter of this track (“I’m feeling nostalgic for things I’ve never known).

In any case, there is plenty of variety – give this stuff a listen and, as always, follow the links for more info.

Cas One
Hip Hop / Soul / Rap
From: Evansville, Ind.
Band MySpace
Masked Moniker.mp3

Radical Sons
Indie / Rock
From: St. Louis, Mo.
Band MySpace
I’m So Sick of The 21st Century.mp3

them:youth
Indie / Electronic
From: London and the Southeast United Kingdom
Band MySpace
F.R.A.N.C.E..mp3

Will Dailey
Rock / Acoustic / Roots Music
From: Boston, Mass.
Band MySpace
How Can I Make You Happy.mp3

The Rest
Pop / Soul / Tropical
From: Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Band MySpace
Drinking Again.mp3

Solid Gold
Tropical / Black Metal / Chinese pop
From: Minneapolis, Minn.
Band MySpace
Bible Thumper.mp3

Ash
Indie / Rock / Alternative
From: Downpatrick, Ireland
Band MySpace
Return of White Rabbit.mp3

Lori Lieberman
Folk / Indie
From: Santa Monica, Calif.
Band MySpace
New York Mining Disaster (Bee Gees cover).mp3

All Smiles
Minimalist / Other / Rock
From: Portland, Ore.
Band MySpace
The Ones I Want to Live.mp3

Telling on Trixie
Rock
From: New York, N.Y.
Band MySpace
Crash Me Up.mp3
~~~~~
(pictures, top-to-bottom: Radical Son, The Rest, Lori Lieberman)

Labels: "alternative", electronic, folk, hip-hop, indie, new stuff

posted by aikin @ 7:11 PM 0 Comments

'B-Boys Makin' with the Freak Freak'

I found something a little bit cool the other day: A Website hosting remixes and some live and rare stuff from the Beastie Boys.

The site, BeastieMixes.com, is mostly about remixes, with what looks like daily updates and links to a cappella versions of Beastie songs that you can use to remix. Some sample things from the last couple of days:

(4-7-2009) 11:05 PM
DJ AK47 bringin' on the craziness with his two latest mixes. I'll give him one thing, he sure finds some great music to mix with the Beasties.
Ch-Check it out -vs- dZihan Kamien - After 7

(4-5-2009) 1 AM
Next up, MCScoobyT takin' it back to the old school again with three Check Your Head mixes. Takin' it back to 92' with:
Live At PJ's - Beastie Boys Are Play'n At My House f. Afrika Bambaataa
Stand Together - Stand Conjunto f. Cypress Hill
The Maestro - Red Maestro f. Redman

Although remixes are the site’s mainstay, there is also a good selection of Beastie Boys live recordings (some dating back to the early days); some rare tracks; and a few boots, too. And if you’re into doing the whole remix thing, you’ll also find some helpful resources linked from the site.

Bottom line, if you’re any sort of a Beastie Boys fan, you definitely need to check out BeastieMixes.com. Here are a couple of things I found there:

I’m Down (Beatles cover).mp3
Radio Radio (live-SNL).mp3 ~ with Elvis Costello
Lotta Cocaine (live-1994).mp3
Hey Ladies (DJ Strictnine Paranorm Remix).mp3

Labels: covers, hip-hop, Internet, remix

posted by aikin @ 9:36 PM 0 Comments

Music from My Mailbox

Time to clean out the inbox again. There was not only a ton of music there, but there was a lot of really good stuff, too. And I don’t necessarily mean to say that like I’m surprised to find good music.

I got a few submissions from Touch and Go Records and every one of them was great – rockin’ stuff. Not only newer stuff like Crystal Antlers, but also punk veterans the Jesus Lizard (who, by the way, will be playing the Pitchfork festival in July if you get a chance to attend).

I got also got a couple of things from people just reaching out after they found my blog. Hemmit and Liquor Boxx came to my attention that way. Both play hard rock in the “classic” mode and I really appreciate them finding me they way they did.

And, as always, there are some songs here that are totally different from what I usually post: Some folksy-type things that I liked, and a couple of remix / hip-hop things.

Give them a listen; you know I wouldn’t intentionally make you listen to something terrible. And, as always, follow the links for more information.

Midnight Masses
Gospel / Gothic / Religious
From: New York/Texas, Antarctica
Band MySpace
Heaven.mp3

Jesus Lizard
Alternative / Punk / Metal
From: Chicago, Ill.
Band MySpace
Boilermaker.mp3

Double Think
Rock / Rock / Rock
From: New London, Connecticut
Band MySpace
You Think We’re In Love.mp3

Hemmit
Powerpop / Rock
From: Portland, Oregon
Band MySpace
Hold Out.mp3

Pooma
Shoegaze / Indie / Other
From: Helsinki, Finland
Band MySpace
Through the Calm.mp3

Leonard Mynx
Acoustic / Indie
From: New York
Band: MySpace
Mary.mp3

Weinland
Americana / Pop / Folk
From: Portland, Oregon
Band MySpace
People Like You.mp3

Screaming Females
Rock / Rock / Rock
From: New Brunswick, New Jersey
Band MySpace
Lights Out.mp3

Liquor Boxx
Rock / Classic Rock / Alternative
From: Chicago, Ill.
Band MySpace
Samantha Fox.mp3

Peter Walker
Rock
From: United States
MySpace
Stars.mp3

All the Saints
Rock / Psychedelic
From: Atlanta, Alabama
Band MySpace
Fire On Corridor X.mp3

Two Fingers
Hip Hop
From: Canada
Band: MySpace
Backyard Betty (Spank Rock remixed).mp3

Crystal Antlers
Rock
From: Long Beach, Calif.
Band MySpace
Andrew.mp3

Nopse
Thrash / Thrash / Thrash
From: France
Band MySpace
We'll Drink The Blood (Meho Plaza remixed).mp3

Mikey Wax
Pop / Indie / Rock
From: New York
Band MySpace
In Case I Go Again.mp3

Labels: "alternative", folk, hip-hop, indie, new stuff, punk, remix, rock

posted by aikin @ 5:33 PM 0 Comments

Music from My Mailbox

I made a promise to myself that this year I would try to keep on top of my mailbox and post new music in a timelier manner. Well, you can see how that’s going. I really need to dedicate one post a week to whatever’s in my mailbox, that way it’s out there and fresh, rather than gathering dust like a souvenir from a Grand Canyon trip three years ago.

As usual, the mailbox dump yields a large variety of music. My pick of the litter is “Youth Against the Empire” from King of Conspiracy, a neo-punk band from London. They sound young, loud, and snotty.

Probably the most astray from my usual postings is the joint (as the kids call it) from XRabit and DMG$. I don’t know anything about these guys, but the song was interesting enough to post. See what you think.

Like always, follow the links for more info.


Mi Ami
Tropical / Punk
From: San Francisco Calif.
Band MySpace
New Guitar.mp3

King of Conspiracy
Rock / Progressive / Punk
From: London/Paris, UK
Band MySpace
Youth Against the Empire.mp3

Illinois
Indie / Folk Rock / 2-step
From: Bucks County, Penn.
Band MySpace
Missing Piece.mp3

XRABIT + DMG$
Hip Hop / Experimental / Pop
From: East London, UK; Dopeside, Texas
XRabit MySpace
DMG$ MySpace
Damaged Goods (Photomachine Dubplate Remix).mp3

Sweet Sweet Concorde
Indie / Pop
From: Sweden
Band MySpace
Carrot Cake.mp3

Overman
Rock / Blues / Pop
From: Joliet, Ill.
Band MySpace
Move On.mp3

The Submarines
Folk / Ghettotech / Shoegaze
From: Los Angeles, Calif.
Band MySpace
Waiting for a War (Benders cover).mp3

Labels: "alternative", folk, hip-hop, indie, new stuff, rock

posted by aikin @ 3:04 PM 1 Comments