Can’t say I’m a big follower of either Tokyo Police Club or Amplive. But I found this video (via Listening Post), in which Amplive sort of takes us inside the process of a remix, very intriguing.

He remixed the Tokyo Police Club track The Baskervilles. I’d love to see more videos like this, demonstrating the mechanics of what musicians are actually doing.

• Tokyo Police Club | The Baskervilles (Amplive remix f. Aesop Rock, Yak Ballz)

Fleet Foxes checked in for a three-song performance on WXPN’s World Cafe with David Dye. The session was produced by Steve Lillywhite, hence “The Lillywhite Session.”

Here’s a rip of the session. Be sure to listen to the whole thing, interview and all, over here.
Fleet Foxes, live on World Cafe (WXPN):

• 1. White Winter Hymnal
• 2. Blue Ridge Mountains
• 3. Tiger Mountain Peasant Song

(UPDATE: Files removed by request.)

Also, witness Fleet Foxes performing English House at the Pitchfork Festival:

Haha. You sorta knew this was going to happen, right? A spoof of Lil Wayne’s A Milli. But I wouldn’t trust in the hands of a lesser emcee. Busdriver and Antimc do this up right.

What? You want this as a ringtone? Glad you asked.

• Busdriver and Antimc | Pennyaire

Better late than never? Here’s a video for Automatic At It, one of the hotter tracks off Z-Trip’s All-Pro Soundtrack (at eMusic) that came out late last summer.

Anyone wanna take a stab at what’s going on conceptually here? Aceyalone, the lone survivor post-Armageddon? Aceyalone, motorcycle jockey sent from the future? Whatever, I love the bongo/drum break in this track.

We appear to have reached an ending (a happy one, at that) on this matter.

After I wrote the IFPI last week, stating (among other things) that Travis singer Fran Healy, as one of the four copyright holders, gave me his blessing to post the song, J. Smith, I received this letter today via e-mail.

Dear Kevin,

Regards,
Notices Department

There you have it. Quite a backhanded stab at an apology, eh?

Whatever, I feel fairly vindicated in this matter and I can’t thank Travis and singer Fran Healy enough for answering my MySpace message and giving me his permission to post this song. Please visit the band’s Web site or MySpace and show some love. I already considered myself a huge Travis fan; this situation only reinforced my faith in their music/message.

Lastly, take 30 seconds to download this track, not only for the satisfaction of this small victory but also because it’s another fine addition to the Travis catalog.

Thanks.

• Travis | J. Smith

Another record swap meet came and went on Saturday, which can only mean I spent far too much money adding to a vinyl collection whose weight I will curse if I ever have to move it.

Nevertheless, I’d call Saturday’s haul a success. Included in the bunch (list below) was a 7-inch by former Phoenix band Trunk Federation, whom I’ve written about before here and here. If I were you, I’d do my best to track down Trunk Federation’s 1998 record The Curse of Miss Kitty.

Anyway, this 7-inch (for low price of $3!) is called Winnie, and credits show it was recorded in the fall of 1994. Holy moses: That was 14 years ago. Doesn’t matter: Trunk Federation’s unorthodox pop probably would be better appreciated in these times than in the early ’90s.

Here’s the tracks converted from the vinyl:

• Side A: Trunk Federation | Beanie’s Soft Toy Factory
• Side B: Trunk Federation | Jello

Also purchased at the record swap meet (all 45s … Side A / Side B):

Salt-N-Pepa: Push It (remix) – same both sides; label says ‘Side A’ on both sides.
Fred Wesley and the JB’s: Doing it to Death / Everybody Got Soul
Harry Nilsson: Coconut / Down
The Turtles: You Showed Me / Buzz Saw (picture sleeve … Buzz Saw sampled awesomely/famously here)
Cat Stevens: Morning Has Broken / I Want to Live in a Wigwam
Ike and Tina Turner: Please, Please, Please Pt. 1 / Pt. 2
a-ha: Take On Me / Love is Reason (picture sleeve! with story board pages like the video!)

A Tribe Called Quest rehearses for the Rock the Bells tour. Intimate. Awkward. Awesome.

I really need to pay better attention to the weekly Tuesday release lists because it’s inevitable I’ll miss something like the jam-packed goodness of People Under the Stairs’ The Om Years collection, which came out this past week.

Granted, “the Om Years” lasted for just three records and various singles. But great records they are from Double K and Thes One, who are planning to release their sixth album, Fun DMC, in September on Gold Dust Media.

Of course, I’m never sure what to make of best-of collections – a throwaway contract obligation usually is my first thought. “Hey, here’s all the songs you already have plus one more! Buy it again, won’t you?” Weak. At least PUTS’ The Om Years (available on eMusic) comes with a second disc full of B-sides and rarities. Emusic even separates the discs into separate album downloads so you can just snag the second disc if you already own the released goods (I do).

And if you don’t own anything by People Under the Stairs, this is a fine way to introduce yourself. These guys are the epitome of California cool – laid-back beats and verses that celebrate the mellow side of West Coast living and obsessive crate digging.

Stream the The Om Years collection here.

• People Under the Stairs | Big Daddy Brown

(From B-sides/rarities side)

• People Under the Stairs | Youth Explosion

(From first disc and originally from Question in the Form of an Answer)

Thanks to everyone who commented and offered advice regarding my cease and desist letter from a Travis song I posted.

People sure do love to hate the RIAA, IFPI and record labels. My post was linked at numerous spots: Tech Scoop, Tech Dirt and this other site written in Italianwhat I think is Spanish (any translators out there?). Nice to see everyone fighting the good fight. Thanks for the exposure (and hopefully Travis gets a push out of this).

I wrote the IFPI back (again) regarding this situation yesterday with some of your advice from the comments. I have not heard back yet, but when/if I do, I’ll post the response.

Thanks again.

I feel a little less peeved about not being able to make it to Chicago this year for the Pitchfork Festival now that the blossoming media conglomerate is offering high-quality videos taken from its live feed of the event.

Man, I wish Public Enemy, performing It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back, would take this show on the road … um, well, not that they’d really want to ever come back to Arizona.

This looks just awesome, even if Flavor Flav is just a caricature of himself … whatever that self used to be.