U.N.K.L.E. - Eye For An Eye

U.N.K.L.E. is essentially British DJ and producer James Lavelle with assorted collaborators. They use a very ethereal, orchestral sound combined with breakbeats, hip-hip grooves, and sometimes transient, trippy lyrics. I would consider their 2003 album "Never, Never, Land" a masterpiece in electronic production. This is the second track of that album, and I'm including a remix of another track from it that features Ian Brown of The Stone Roses on vocals.

U.N.K.L.E. - Eye For An Eye



BONUS BEATS!

U.N.K.L.E. feat. Ian Brown - Reign [Evil Nine Remix]



Just got an Akai APC40 Ableton controller. Very exciting.

Booka Shade - Teenage Spaceman

It actually surprises me that I haven't posted anything by German duo Booka Shade yet, because they are definitely among my list of highly unique and influential artists that are a must-hear in the electronic genre. Their combination of technical excellence and use of harmony with alternative rhythmic patterns is really something special. This latest track is no exception. Simple but catchy, driven, and articulate, it embodies the "Booka Shade sound". This video is actually the winning entry in a contest they did, which had many many excellent submissions. I'm not sure I liked this one the best, but it's the one they picked, so here ya go.

BONUS BEATS!

Booka Shade - In White Rooms [Neo Mix]

Awesome.

Caribou - Odessa / Sun

Good grief, I missed two days. Things have been pretty hectic around here but I'll try to get back to business as usual tomorrow. This is Daniel Snaith, aka Caribou, from Ontario who makes crazy electronic tunes. I couldn't decide which video to post so I decided to post both since I missed a couple days.

Odessa

Sun

Back with more tomorrow!

Mad Season - Long Gone Day

Arguably my all time favourite band is Alice In Chains who featured the stunning talent of the late Layne Staley on lead vocals. In 1994 Staley became part of a supergroup of sorts called Mad Season. This side project gave us only one album, "Above", but what an album. This is a live cut of one of the songs on it, and it also features Queens of the Stone Age vocalist Mark Lanegan.

Mad Season - Long Gone Day



Check out an awesome full length 45 minute performance here.

Red Umbrella - Storm Warning

Ashley was in Ontario this past week and her friend gave her the heads up on this band from Parry Sound. Located about two hours north of Toronto, there's really nothing there except some cottages and the Bobby Orr Hall of Fame. Sure, it's not as bad as Sudbury, or even worse Timmins, but it's pretty dull. Somehow a band called Red Umbrella emerged from the nothingness and for that we can be thankful. I wouldn't describe them as groundbreaking, but they have a nice sound to them, kind of a cross between Coldplay and Franz Ferdinand. And they like to do cool covers, too.

Red Umbrella - Storm Warning



You can see a cool acoustic rendition of Beyoncé's "Halo" here.

The Ooks Of Hazzard - Kids

This, of course, is a cover of the hugely popular MGMT single. I'm not really a big fan of that track, but I dig this version by the Ooks of Hazzard. Now I know what you're thinking... what's an ook? I can't tell you for sure, but I'd like to shake its hand, or paw, or tenticular appendage, whatever it's got. As for the band, I'm not sure they actually play anything else, because I can't find anything else anywhere. Maybe they just show up and play this song continuously for an hour or so. Would you sit through it?

The Ooks Of Hazzard - Kids [Live]



Kinda ooky.

Willie Bobo - Rise

Still pretty busy right now, so here's some Willie Bobo to keep you busy. Some sweet soulful jazzy funk right here. That's ol' Willie front and center on the percussion.

Willie Bobo - Rise [Live]



He sure was great, that Willie Bobo.

Holy Ghost! - I Know, I Hear

This is kinda cool. Don't really know anything about Holy Ghost! except that they're touring around with Chromeo this summer and they sound like Chk Chk Chk. What a sweet show that would be. Still busy recording new mixes so here's some bonus beats I've got on the go.

Holy Ghost! - I Know, I Hear



BONUS BEATS!

Pleasurekraft - Tarantula



Some sweet minimal tech goodness right there.

Olive - You're Not Alone

I'm "in the studio" doing some new mixes for the next couple days, so I'll be brief. This is one of the songs that really hooked me into the electronic genre so many years ago. It first appeared back in 1996 and it was one of my first exposures to the breakbeat - garage house scene.

Olive - You're Not Alone



Classic.

Funeral For A Friend - History

Funeral For A Friend are a kind of punk-hardcore group from Wales who have gone through a few different incarnations in the past few years. I'm not really a big fan of a lot of their stuff, but I do enjoy this track. I always find it interesting when a heavy metal or hardcore band slows things down and does a sort of modern emo power-ballad. This one turned out well I think.

Funeral For A Friend - History



The video is a reference to riots by miners in Britain in the early 1980s.

The Roots & Monsters Of Folk - Dear God

The Roots are awesome. They're a sort of hip hop supergroup. Their 1999 live album "The Roots Come Alive" is one of my favourite live albums of any genre. The new album is great. Go get it. Today is New Brunswick day so I think I'm going to do a double post. The first is by Monsters Of Folk, a folk supergroup. The second is the Roots version.

Monsters Of Folk - Dear God

The Roots - Dear God 2.0

I like the second one more than the first.

Blackalicious - Alphabet Aerobics

So actually this is my 200th post because unbeknownst to me I had a draft of another post saved in there that was being counted. Here's to 200 not out.

Never heard of Blackalicious? Here's a good place to start... the A to Z of shibbidy bee bop the one drop and holdin' down the pop top with the skills to pay the bills. I highly recommend you go and get the A2G EP pronto. Like yesterday.

Blackalicious - Alphabet Aerobics



Respect.

Our Lady Peace - In Repair

It's my 200th post today. Woot. It seems like eons ago that I was watching Raine Maida climb up a lighting pole whilst singing on the Molson Park leg of the Summersault '98 tour. I guess it was quite a while ago. I'd seen Our Lady Peace live before that and had been less than impressed with Raine's singing in person, but on this occasion he stepped it up considerably and put on a great performance. Fast forward to 2010 and Raine will be headlining the FredRock fest that's going on as I type just across the river. I probably won't be able to check it out as I'm prepping for a wedding tomorrow and working tonight, but I hope they do well, and treat everyone to a rocking set that includes my favourite tune of theirs, posted below.

Our Lady Peace - In Repair



That's an Oli Goldsmith video, based on the Ray Kurzweil book.

Treble Charger - Morale

You might remember Treble Charger as the mediocre pop-punk group that put out cookie cutter hits like "American Psycho" and "Brand New Low" (oh, the irony...), but I will instead choose to remember them as an indie rock group with great song writing talent and loads of potential that was never quite reached. "Red" was the first song that got my attention, and then this one that you might not recall. A real shame that the corporate make-a-band disease infected them just when it seemed they would do something really memorable.

Treble Charger - Morale



Advice to upcoming bands: don't sell out.

The Beach Boys - Wouldn't It Be Nice

Gee golly look at that sun. Wouldn't it be nice if I posted some Beach Boys. Ok sure, why not.

The Beach Boys - Wouldn't It Be Nice



Phew, thanks to Dailymotion for not having their embedding feature disabled.

Pixeltan - Yamerarena-i

Who is Pixeltan? Beats me. This was a completely random find that I thought was pretty cool. Their stuff sounds kinda like Chk Chk Chk or Battles. I like the video, looks like an idea I had for an upcoming track.

Pixeltan - Yamerarena-i



Fun fact: yamerarenai is Japanese for unstoppable.

Fred Penner - The Cat Came Back

It's not often that a Member of the Order of Canada plays at a crazy hippie music festival like Evolve, but that's exactly what Fred Penner did this past weekend. That would have been the highlight of the weekend for me, no doubt. Thankfully, Martin Cathrae was good enough to give us this little video snippet of this classic. Mad props to Fred for keepin' it fresh. So epic.

Fred Penner - The Cat Came Back [Live At Evolve]



Remember this?

Kim Mitchell - All We Are

We'll just pretend that I actually posted this on Monday. I was at the Capital last night for the B.A. Johnston show, and it was complete madness. Definitely make it out to catch him in September, because he's absolutely hysterical. Afterwards Gemma had on some classic Kim Mitchell, and it reminded me that I haven't posted any of him yet on the blog, so here ya go.

Kim Mitchell - All We Are



Patio Lanterns!

Talk Talk - Life's What You Make It

One of my favourite retro songs is "It's My Life", done originally by Talk Talk, and later covered by No Doubt. Something about the synths and the great voice of lead singer Mark Hollis, just a great feel good song. This one is almost as good.

Talk Talk - Life's What You Make It



Simple but brilliant.

Florence & The Machine - Drumming Song

I have to admit I'd only been vaguely acquainted with Florence & The Machine until a couple days ago when Tonella posted this. Pretty cool stuff I have to say. I'm not sure I really get what's going on in the video, but it's quite stylish. See what you think.

Kinda catchy, isn't it.

Primus - Lacquer Head

Hey Rosetta! was awesome last night. So were FM Hi Low and Weak Size Fish.

Primus bears no resemblance to any of them, except that they are also awesome. Les Claypool is the bass player and he's utterly ridiculous in every sense of the word. These guys are definitely not everyone's cup of tea, but if you dig auditory insanity via world class talent, then you just might enjoy this. I was going to post a sick live performance of Southbound Pachyderm (click on that link!) but it's ten minutes long and I feel the one I picked better displays Claypool's manic on-stage persona.

Les plays on Carl Thompson custom basses, in case you were wondering.

Hey Rosetta! - A Thousand Suns

Tonight I will go to the Market and watch Hey Rosetta!! I'm not sure if that second exclamation mark was required or not, because technically there is one at the end of the band's name, but I feel that it's appropriate given that it's very exciting so either way it's staying. In case you've been living under a rock, these guys are one of the very best bands in the world right now. And they're from St. John's, Newfoundland. If you ever get a chance to see them, you should cancel whatever other plans you have, sell your shirt and shoes, and get on down to the show. They're that good.

Can't wait.

Moxy Früvous - Stuck In The 90s

I was told I needed to be more accommodating to people who don't use blogger or blogspot or whatever, so I've tricked out the blog a bit. I've added some "share" media thingies at the bottom of posts, and also an RSS subscription link. I have no idea how to use either, so don't ask. If you do know, have at 'er. I have some more tricks up my sleeve coming up in the relatively nearish future, but first I need to finish a couple new tracks.

Once upon a time it was the early '90s and while a bunch of bands were grunging it up around Seattle, back in Toronto there was a couple goofy folky rock groups just finding their feet. One would go on to become Canada's most successful pop ensemble, the other faded into relative obscurity. Moxy Früvous was the latter (can you guess the other?), and if you weren't there at the time to see them, you might not have ever heard of them, but you've probably heard of founding member Jian Ghomeshi before. This is an ironic smallish hit from '93, and followed by some bonus beats, with no beats.

Moxy Früvous - Stuck In The 90s [Live On Canada AM]



BONUS BEATS! (minus the beats)

Moxy Früvous - The Drinking Song



Oh the memories...

Shocking Blue - Venus

How about a little classic rock. Dutch band Shocking Blue took this single to to #1 on the Billboard charts in 1970. It's still pretty rockin' today. I feel a remix of some sorts coming on...

Shocking Blue - Venus



The fem-bot singing is the late Mariska Veres.

Arkells - John Lennon

These guys have come a long way in a couple years. The Arkells have won a CASBY, a Juno, and headlined the Burlington Sound of Music festival this year. Bigger things are surely in store. Here's probably their best-known song, live on Q.

Oh look it's Monday.

K-Os - Sunday Morning

Did I mention how I prefer contemporary Canadian hip-hop to American rap? This is a generalisation, and there exceptions of course, but for the most part I find that, for whatever reason, Canadian hip-hip is superior to them guys from below the 49th. Kevin Brereton, aka K-Os, has been leading the charge for a few years now, and despite K'naan not being a fan, I am one. I saw him live here in NB a couple years back, and it was a great performance. I wanted to post a live version of "Emcee Murdah", but there aren't any good videos out there, so this will have to do.

K-Os - Sunday Morning [Live On Q101]



BONUS BEATS!

K-Os - The Aviator



Love that one.

Batida - Alegria

I saw this one on Discobelle and thought it deserved a re-post. Some nice summer jam house from Batida, with a cool little video too. Goodness gracious it's hot out. The bonus track today is a song I just got that I absolutely love right now, yet another perfect summer groove from Gregor Salto.

Batida - Alegria



BONUS BEATS!

Gregor Salto & Florian T. - Mundocaso



I'm dancing, are you?

The Chap - Even Your Friend

I haven't done any research on The Chap yet, but I'll get to it sooner or later. In the words of Paul, this is "just wacky". Found this just surfing around on Vimeo. Some really awesome stuff on there.

The Chap - Even Your Friend



I don't even know what to think.

Miike Snow - Black & Blue

I first heard about these guys a while back from Megan in Germany, and while I enjoyed the first single "Animal", I kind of ignored the rest of the album. Natalie and Jess requested them the other night at the Phoenix and I have to say I am developing a new appreciation for the group. Spend a little time with these ones, they'll grow on you.

Miike Snow - Black & Blue



BONUS BEATS!

Miike Snow - In Search Of



Love that second one.

DJ Shadow - This Time

DJ Shadow is a legend, full stop. Jazz, funk, soul, hip-hop, whatever. The man is king. Enjoy.

DJ Shadow - This Time



Oh yes.

Martin Solveig - Hello

I'm not really sure why I picked this one today. I'm not a fan of big mega-production videos with more than a couple seconds of extra nonsense in them, nor is this my favourite Martin Solveig tune, but I thought this one was actually sort of amusing. It features Martin playing tennis against fellow French superstar DJ Bob Sinclar, and Martin Sorbara from Dragonette doing vocals on the track. The song itself is catchy, but in more of a mainstream radio way, I'm not sure I would ever actually use it in a DJ set. Give it a listen and see what you think.

Martin Solveig feat. Martin Sorbara - Hello

BONUS BEATS!

Martin Solveig - I'm A Good Man [Mousse T. Breakbeat Mix]



That's more like it.

Battles - Tonto

I saw Battles at Evolve a couple years back, and they pretty much blew my mind. They're a bit wild and weird and while I'd heard a couple tracks beforehand, I didn't really know what to expect. I gotta say, they are a phenomenal live act. Drummer John Stanier, formerly of Helmet, was front and center and I have never seen such a ridiculous performance by a percussionist. The guy must have lost 10 pounds just sweating up on stage. Check them out if you get a chance. I'm linking the Four Tet remix as bonus beats which is just a little more DJ friendly, with a slightly more driving beat.

BONUS BEATS!

Battles - Tonto [Four Tet Remix]

Rock on.

Al Jarreau - Take Five

This came from a Cosmo Baker blog post. If you're into funk/soul/hip-hip grooves, I highly recommend checking him out. Al Jarreau is a prodigiously talented vocalist who known for soul and R&B, but whose scat talents are virtually unmatched. This is a Paul Desmond song made famous by Dave Brubeck in the early 60's, and in fact Jarreau and Brubeck performed the song together live in 1997, which you can watch here. This performance is from Germany in 1976, and it's pretty sensational.

Awesome.

Sevendust - Broken Down

Phew, almost missed a day there. Long, busy day, played a little rugby and got the crap kicked out of me. Good times. This is Sevendust, an awesome progressive metal band from Atlanta known for soaring harmonic vocals and the amazing lead singer Lajon Witherspoon. They have a new album out that I just got but haven't listened to, but the first single "Unraveling" is pretty sweet. This is an older one from the stunning album "Seasons", easily one of my favourite metal albums. There's an acoustic version that's awesome too, but this is the original for your viewing pleasure.

Sevendust - Broken Down



Here's another one from that album.

Avi Buffalo - What's In It For

Avi Buffalo. Nice name. Beach rock from California. Who knew? Cool video.

Avi Buffalo - What's In It For?



I wonder what these guys like to do for fun.

Jamiroquai - Canned Heat

Jay Kay knows how to party. As the lead singer from the baddest funk band on the planet, Jamiroquai, he is by default a bona fide 11th degree grand master in the fine art of gettin' on down. That's almost as cool as Shaft. This deserves some airtime at the Phoenix tonight. The other track too.

BONUS BEATS!

A Flock Of Seagulls - I Ran [Remix]

See ya there.

Constantines - Young Lions

Constantines rock and Jarrett keeps playing them in the Wilser's Room, which is awesome. Yesterday he said they were no longer touring because they were all growed up now and real contributing members of society and such. I didn't much like the sound of that and I went and found a pretty recent performance by them on Q. They aren't touring but they're at least playing at the Dawson City Music Festival this summer, which I guess is cool if you're in the Yukon. Oh well. Their song "Shine A Light" is one of my all-time favourite rock songs. This is another one off that brilliant album.

All a man can build is his vision.

Kings Go Forth - One Day

Woooo! A new funk-soul group? So awesome. Kings Go Forth are from Milwaukee, and I'm definitely jumping on their bandwagon. Pure '70s groove, not much more to say about it except get the dang record already.

Toronto! Go to the Horseshoe Tavern on Friday night!

Ghettosocks - Don't Turn Around

I'm in Halifax right now and I'm off to the Tattoo tonight and in a bit of a rush, so here's some Ghettosocks.

So ghetto.

Flora & Low County - Have Faith In The Lord

Well I'm not really a country fan, nor am I a man of "the faith", but I ran into this completely by accident the other day, and it struck me as being kind of neat. This is from the Carter Ranch Music Festival in Bootjack, California, wherever that is. I just love the deadpan demeanor of the group, and the fact that it looks like they just randomly walked up to the stage after a few drinks at the local saloon.

Oddly catchy little ditty.

Caravan Palace - Suzy

French electro-swing? Awesome! Pete saw Caravan Palace at the Montreal Jazz Festival and said they were awesome, so I checked them out, and they are! Crazy that I've never heard of them before.

Awesome video too.

Iron Maiden - The Trooper

Today is Pete's birthday. To celebrate, I am posting my favourite song by his favourite band. This is from the "Flight 666" DVD. You should probably know who Iron Maiden is.

Skull Fist!

Shinichi Osawa - Love Will Guide You

This is a sweet fresh track from Shinichi Osawa, from his new album "SO2". I would describe his style as MSTRKRFT vs Röyksopp meets the Chemical Brothers after a nice cup of Fake Blood. Complete and utter madness. Seriously, click that link. Apparently Tommie Sunshine contributed somehow to this one. That calls for some bonus beats.

BONUS BEATS!

Fake Blood - I Think I Like It [Tommie Sunshine & Figure's Ec$tacy Edit]

I'm on at the Phoenix again tonight. I think I'll play that one.

Wiley - Never Be Your Woman

Remember that cool White Town song "Your Woman"? Back in '97 it was pretty fresh. Seems to reason that right about now someone would put their own little spin on it, so here ya go. This is Wiley, with Emeli Sandé on the chorus vocals. Cool track, I like the marimba.

Oh ya come to the Phoenix tonight cause I'm DJing.

Holy Fuck - Latin America

Holy Fuck, they're at it again. These guys are just crazy. They basically get on stage with a drummer, a bass player, and a couple keyboard players with a lot of pedals and knobby things that do all sorts of trickery on their music to make it sound super whack. They have a brand new album, called "Latin", and I'm happy to say it's pretty darn good. This is the first single.

BONUS BEATS!

WhiteNoize - Burnin'

Like this stuff? Check out Moullinex. And if you fullscreen those bonus beats it's kind of a cool video.

Hot Hot Heat - Goddess On The Prairie

Hot Hot Heat are coming to Fred Rock this year. I don't like ALL their stuff, but they have easily enough awesome to rock out on stage for an hour or so. This is their newest single, and it's a sweet little live performance c/o Southern Souls, which is an awesome website you should check out. No, not now... now! Right now. Do it.

Click on that Southern Souls link already.

P.S. I'm spinning on Wednesday at the Phoenix. Be there.

Tito Puente - El Cumbanchero

I'm taking a day off. This is Tito Puente. The greatest timbale player ever.

Oye! Tito!

Collie Buddz - Come Around

Me bredren Tony hooked me on the Collie Buddz a while back. He went to school with him in Bermuda, when he was merely known as Colin Harper. This stuff sounds mostly classic dancehall but he's got a little more meat to the lyrics. I think he's pretty dope.

This one is pimpin' too.

The Guess Who - No Time

I ain't got got got no time!

Back tomorrow.

Tom Deluxx - Run

Not sure who Tom Deluxx is but this is a cool video and some serious electro. Figured I'd mix it up a little with some new beats. Meanwhile I've got some new stuff on the go, and I'm in the process of re-mixing most of my older stuff as apparently the levels are a wee bit off.

BONUS BEATS!

Aaren San - Apes From Space [Dirtyloud Remix]

Craaaazy...

The Hollies - He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother

The Hollies are one of the defining rock groups of the 60s and 70s, though somewhat overshadowed by some of their more illustrious contemporaries. This particular track wasn't written by them, and in fact it was first recorded by Neil Diamond, but this was released as a single first and is probably the best remembered version of it. This one goes out to Jono, the man with the hatt.

Great tune.

Deee-Lite - Groove Is In The Heart

This is probably my all-time favourite one-hit wonder. Deee-Lite-ful. Perfect for summer funkin'.

Notice Bootsy Collins making a couple cameos?

Laurent Garnier - The Man With The Red Face

Laurent Garnier is a bit of a legend in the electronic scene. He's been around for ages, and somehow manages to seamlessly blend different genres into his sets and his production. This is probably his most popular track, really nice soft synth sound with some crazy horns in the background. You've probably heard it before, somewhere or other. It's since been re-produced by Mark Knight, which to be fair isn't bad either, but here's the original for ya.

BONUS BEATS!

Fred Everything & N'Dea Davenport - Don't Nobody [Hot Toddy Remix]

Sweet.

Creedence Clearwater Revival - Have You Ever Seen The Rain

This is an oldie but goodie. Just like my dad. Hardy-har-har. Today is Father's Day and while I'm not big on these sort of days, I suppose today I'll make an exception. It also happens to be raining like mad outside, so this song seems doubly appropriate. I don't suppose CCR had any kind of video budget or skills back then so we'll excuse the somewhat horrific video quality.

I'll call you later dad.

The Motorleague - You Wear Me Down

This is The Motorleague, from Moncton! They're pretty awesome and this is a pretty sweet little video they've put together. They're on tour right now so check them out if you ever get the chance. Just found out they're at The Capital on June 30th! Sweeeeet!

Nice job guys.

Blockhead - The Music Scene

Ninja Tune is a wicked awesome label with too many dope artists to list, but one of them is Blockhead, who contributes this sweet track to the blog today. The video is by Anthony Francisco Schepperd, who delightfully describes the video as "an animated mind melt into a post human New York where TV and animals rule."

Alrighty then.

Ministry - N.W.O.

Back in the days of listening to the late, great Martin Streek's live to air from The Phoenix on The Edge on Saturday nights, this was a staple of nearly every set. Ministry went from being a synth-pop outfit with songs like "Everyday Is Halloween" to one of the pioneering industrial metal acts. Their album "Psalm 69" from 1992 is certainly a must-have disc for fans of the genre. While they had some cool tracks later on like "So What" and even a cover of Bob Dylan's "Lay Lady Lay", this one really defined the band and is still relevant, and awesome, some eighteen years later.

Also, check out Ferg's video on the gulf spill. It's important.

Sick Puppies - All The Same

Remember this one?

I'll take one.

The Cinematic Orchestra - To Build A Home

The Cinematic Orchestra sounds like something you'd see in a Disney movie. A bunch of funny looking instruments playing themselves maybe. Thankfully, it's actually a bunch of people who make crazy cool music. Strangely, this video doesn't actually feature any of the group, but it's not a cover either. It's a live performance of a great track from the brilliant album "Ma Fleur". The track was co-written by Patrick Watson, who is the amazingly talented dude singing and playing piano here. Anyway check this out, and send it to all your friends, cause it's worth it.

Breathtaking.

Edward Shape & The Magnetic Zeros - Desert Song

Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros are driving around somewhere, right now, in a big white school bus, looking for their next gig. Sounds a bit crazy, doesn't it, but that's what Alex Ebert, the former lead singer of Ima Robot, is doing with his new group. Ebert uses the alter ego Sharpe to tell his story of love and other weird things in their album "Up From Below", which is evidently being made into a full length feature "musical" called SALVO!. You've probably heard the "Home" single a few times by now, but I find it one of the least memorable tracks on the album which is pretty epic in nature. This is the first part of the musical. I'll link part two at the bottom of this post.

Here is part two. And this is pretty great too.

Yoav - Adore Adore

This one comes courtesy of Tonella. Yoav is of Israeli and South African decent, a fairly unique combination, and this is reflected in his performance style, for the most part a minimalist sort of neo-folk trip-hop. Very cool indeed.

BONUS BEATS!

Yoav - Club Thing [Funkerman Remix]

Smooth.

Moullinex - Superman

There are two reasons for this one. Firstly, it's awesome, and again creds to Johnston for this find. I don't know how he does it. So ya, it's Moullinex, a crazy and ridiculous sounding band from Germany. Super cool.

The second reason is in the title. If Superman is really out there, we need you buddy. Really really. If you haven't been following this oil spill, and you live on the east coast of North America in particular, you should know that we're in dire, dire straits right now. Enjoy the beautiful day.

Superman, if you can hear me, please turn back time and stop the oil...

Breakbot - Baby I'm Yours

Ask, and ye shall receive. So I've had this tune on rotation for the past couple weeks, and I'd been thinking that it's such a great tune that I couldn't understand how there isn't a video for it. Lo and behold, today DJ Noematus posts it on his Facebook page. Yes sir! Sadly whoever uploaded the video attached a somewhat distorted audio track, but whatever. If you want to hear the full length non-distorted cut you can check it out here. Otherwise, this is a freakin' great summer track from Breakbot.

BONUS BEATS!

Zebo - Your Night

What a great day.

Genesis - The Carpet Crawlers

A while back I posted some Peter Gabriel. He's the guy who wrote much of this song, but he left Genesis at the end of 1975 so this is part of Phil Collins' first tour as lead singer. I consider this song a masterpiece and this performance is exceptional. WARNING: this is not pop music. Some thought may be required to process this product.

Epic.

Sébastien Tellier - Look

This one comes fresh from The Franchise. Great spot. It's by Sébastien Tellier, a mighty talented Frenchmen. What's with those French anyway? They're so crazy, and yet so fresh when it comes to the music department. Must be the wine. Anyway this video might be a little "graphic" for some of you, so be warned. I think it's an awesome bit of animation by renowned artists Petra Mrzyk & Jean-François Moriceau. If you're offended, lighten up.

Groovy.

The Isley Brothers - Lay Away / Said Enough

Marvin Isley has joined the growing list of brilliant musicians to have left us in the last few months. Marvin and his brothers were particularly gifted as they mastered both the soul and funk genres and they made it look easy. If you're wondering where most of the soul you hear today came from, look no further. These guys were so good they deserve two songs today. One for the funk, and two for the soul. Here's to you, Marvin.

and...

That's the amazing Jill Scott in the second one.

Wu-Tang Clan - Triumph

Sure, you've all heard this before, but have you listened to it yet today? Wu-Tang Clan. Triumph. Best rap song ever.

BONUS BEATS!

Wu-Tang Clan - Ain't Nuthin Ta Fuck Wit [Remix]

Enter the Wu...

Marching Band - Another Day

This is actually a post about Gigamesh, who Marching Band was lucky enough to have remix one of their tracks. This guy is a very talented producer from the US with a nice synth-pop style that translates into some very smooth tracks. You may have heard his mix of Mike Posner's "Cooler Than Me", which is my pick for the bonus beats today. The actual release sounds suspiciously like it, and there's a whole story behind it that you can read about here. The bottom line is that Gigamesh's mix is awesome and you should check out more of his stuff.

BONUS BEATS!

Mike Posner - Cooler Than Me [Gigamesh Remix]

Marching Band - Another Day [Gigamesh Remix] 



Damn I gotta get back to my own productions...

Modest Mouse - King Rat

Heath Ledger was one of those rare modern actors with real talent. Unfortunately most of us didn't really notice it until he was gone. I didn't even know this song by Modest Mouse had a video, never mind one scripted and initially directed by said Mr. Ledger. It's a cool song in a Nick Cave kind of way and the video is definitely something unique. MILD WARNING: somewhat graphic in nature.

Hmmm...

Broken Bells - The High Road

I've had a few "requests" for this one (requests on a blog? does that even make sense?) and admittedly it's hardly "new" but it's taken me a little while to get into it. After listening to it a few times it's starting to grow on me. Wait, is that why all that pop crap is so... popular? Marketers, kill yourselves!

Anyway this is Broken Bells, a collaboration of Danger Mouse and James Mercer of The Shins fame. I'm not a huge fan of The Shins, but they've got some cool tracks. I definitely dig Danger Mouse, especially his work with Gnarls Barkley. He's produced some pretty sick albums along the way, so I was definitely interested when I heard about Broken Bells. I can't say I like it as much as his other stuff, but it's worth a couple listens. Maybe you'll dig it more than me.

Bells, bells, bells...

Skyzoo - Easy To Fly

Props to my man Terry Thomas for givin' me the what's up on this cat. In a continually over-saturated market full of has-beens and wannabes, Skyzoo is keepin' it real with tight lyrics wound in a message. He doesn't muck around with booty shakin' videos, overly produced abominations, or cookie cutter hooks. Keep your eye on this one, and pick up "The Salvation".

Style kinda reminds me of a young Jay-Z...

Jurassic 5 - Ducky Boy

I just picked up this compilation from Decon Records that takes its title from their pretty cool blog. I'd been looking for some new hip hop grooves for a while and this one definitely hit the spot. There are some killer tracks on it including this short but sweet jam from Jurassic 5, and this funky joint from Izza Kizza I posted a while back. It also has the the bonus beats from RJD2, you might recognize the track as the title to that show Madmen that I don't watch.

BONUS BEATS!

RJD2 - A Beautiful Mine

More goodness in store for tomorrow...

Thornley - Changes

Thornley is coming to FredRock! Awesome! One of my all-time epic party stories, if not THE epic story, involves a Thornley show from Molson Snow Jam at Marble Mountain. I'd tell it to you, but it takes about 30 minutes and is best told over beers with The Franchise present to fill in the blanks. This is one of his lighter sounding poppy tracks, but it's still pretty good. When he really rocks out, he's frickin' awesome. I HIGHLY advise you to check this show out.

Wong bong!