All posts by Kevin

arizona, general

Birdmonster: Yuma

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bloodmemory

If you’ve never been to Yuma, Ariz., let me offer a bit of advice: Don’t bother. Unless you have to stop to pee on your way to San Diego, there’s not much to see (though the Padres held spring training there and I once stared in amazement from about 30 feet away as Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn took batting practice).

So what would compel anyone to write a song about this scorching-hot southwestern pit stop? I can’t be certain, but Birdmonster’s ode likely has more to do with getting the hell out of Yuma than anything. (For a history of the band’s run-in with this city, see here. Only Lil Wayne has had it worse in Yuma.)

Whatever the case, Yuma is part of Blood Memory, a new eight-song “mini album” coming out on Sept. 22, so the band took to the social media world to spread an mp3 of the new song.

hip-hop

New Gift of Gab: El Gifto Magnifico

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giftofgab

I swear I didn’t plan on back-to-back posts on Quannum artists, but then, I didn’t know Gift of Gab was releasing a new album – Escape 2 Mars – on Oct. 27.

The album – a follow-up to his 2004 solo debut 4th Dimensional Rocketships Going Up – comes roughly a year after Gab, Headnodic and Lateef released Droppin’ Science Fiction under The Mighty Underdogs moniker. Guests on Escape 2 Mars include Headnodic and Lateef (naturally), Del and Brother Ali (on the same track!).

Though that somewhat tacky space-themed press photo isn’t doing Gab any favors, the first single is fire – a Latin-style beat that Gab negotiates with ease.

hip-hop, video

Lyrics Born: Pushed Aside, Pulled Apart (w/Lateef)

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One of the great (and overlooked) hip-hop works from the ’90s was the debut from Latyrx – a record so undeniably cool it only needed to go by the name Latyrx (The Album). The duo – Lyrics Born and Lateef the Truthspeaker – created one of the first albums that really challenged my ideas of what hip-hop was (and what it could be). Coming from the inimitable Solesides/Quannum crew, that shouldn’t have been a surprise.

Sadly, we never got a proper follow-up. But maybe we have the start of something here with the new Lyrics Born single, Pushed Aside, Pulled Apart, which features his old running mate Lateef. There must be some sort of market still yearning for Latyrx because LB’s bandwidth took a hit on a free download of the mp3 (at least as of Tuesday night).

So I don’t have an mp3 to offer – keep checking back with the good peeps at Solesides.com – but there was a video released for the song, which appears on The Lyrics Born Variety Show: Season Pho mixtape (purchase here).

UPDATE: MP3 is available again.

Related:
Lyrics Born: Funky Hit Records

general, video

Bowerbirds: Northern Lights (at Pitchfork Festival)

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I didn’t get to see Bowerbirds a couple weeks back at Rhythm Room, so I’ll have to settle by living vicariously through Pitchfork, which offers up this clip of the band performing one of the great songs of 2009 at its festival this year.

Northern Lights certainly isn’t a bring-the-house-down festival-ish kind of jam, but it is big and gorgeous and probably best enjoyed under a big sky (preferably not among a swarm of sweaty/skinny hipsters, however).

general, hip-hop

New/old RJD2: Find You Out

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facekneecaps

RJD2 came out of hiding today with a pretty massive update on his doings, the highlight of which is the creation of his own label, RJ’s Electrical Connections.

In the process, RJ says he’s acquired his first three releases – Deadringer, Since We Last Spoke, The Horror EP – for the label and just this week he digitally released three albums of B-sides/rarities he previously put out on the Bustown Pride label. Your Face or Your Kneecaps, In Rare Form and Things Go Better: Instrumentals are now yours for the taking at eMusic, etc.

Also, RJ says he’s going to release a box set in October “commemorating close to 10 years in the game” and that he’s finished his new album.

Really, it’s a lot to digest. But the good folks at The Orchard offered me a track from Your Face or Your Kneecaps to share while you sort out all the good news.

Related:
I Used to Love H.E.R.: RJD2
10 questions with RJD2

general

Throw Me the Statue: Hi-Fi Goon

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throwmethestatue

While I’d heard of Throw Me the Statue, I really had no plans on hunting down the Seattle band’s new album Creaturesque – until I caught wind of Hi-Fi Goon. Now it’s about the only thing I’m listening to of late.

Something in Hi-Fi Goon just struck me right away. It is only one second short of that magical 2:42 mark. More likely, though, it’s the song’s flawless hooks and splendid pacing. Strains of Built to Spill’s perfectly messy melodies are readily apparent – another plus in my book – but that’s probably not a surprise considering longtime BtS producer Phil Ek oversaw Creaturesque, too. You’ll have a difficult time getting this one out of your head.

As luck would have it, Throw Me the Statue is playing Modified in Phoenix on Sept. 14 with the Brunettes and Nurses. Tickets are $10.

hip-hop

Felt (Murs + Slug): Protagonists

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felt

After tributes to Christina Ricci and Lisa Bonet already, Murs and Slug (collectively known as Felt) are preparing for Vol. 3 of their “musical collaboration with the long-term goal of having sex with b-level Hollywood actresses.”

Nobody is saying who this round’s lucky lady is, but Rhymesayers is offering some clues in the form of a blurred-out photo and fans are taking their guesses at Facebook. One thing appears to be clear: Aesop Rock handles production for the album, whose release date also seems to be shrouded in mystery. Will the suspense ever end?

Rhymesayers was kind enough to offer up an mp3 from the album, a track called Protagonists.

general, video

Mayer Hawthorne: Maybe So, Maybe No (video)

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We all have our favorite summer songs, but if there was such a thing as a perfect video for summer, this new one for Mayer Hawthorne’s Maybe So, Maybe No is probably it. The Mayer strolls around the streets of Los Angeles, digging record crates and chillin’ with skaters and street performers (Rob Dyrdek makes a cameo).

Hawthorne’s A Strange Arrangement comes out Sept. 8 and he’s coming to town on Oct. 14.

Related:
Incoming: Mayer Hawthorne, Oct. 14
Mayer Hawthorne: Maybe So, Maybe No
Mayer Hawthorne: Just Ain’t Gonna Work Out

general, video

Julian Plenti: Games for Days (video)

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I’m still not sure if I enjoy the Julian Plenti album Julian Plenti Is … Skyscraper on its own merits or because (and I’m guessing I’m not alone here) it simply pulls on my Interpol heartstrings. For as much as I’ve listened to Interpol frontman Paul Banks’ solo album the past couple of weeks, I’ve been equally drawn back to the Interpol catalog (well, Antics, mostly … oh, how I love C’mere).

By my feeble way of thinking, it’s difficult to hear Banks’ unique voice and think anything other than Interpol. Pitchfork seemed to sum it up rather plainly and directly: “While Julian Plenti Is… Skyscraper is not as strong or as exciting as Interpol’s first two records, it is certainly a step up from their third, and makes a good case for Banks’ individual strengths within and without the band.”

The video for Games for Days, featuring Metric’s Emily Haines, is below:

general

The Cave Singers: At the Cut

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Matador Records has released a second mp3 from the Cave Singers’ forthcoming album Welcome Joy (due out Aug. 18).

The track is At the Cut – the first song released was Beach House – and it’s one of the (many) highlights off an album that didn’t take very long to impress me. At the Cut is a pulsating stomper that infuses the band’s bearded folk with burning blues-style heat.

The Seattle trio is coming to Modified on Sept. 29 (the same night as the Bon Iver show in Mesa). Check the Matablog for full Cave Singers tour dates.