Stop-motion/animated videos seem to be all the rage of late (maybe you’ve already seen this new video for Mykonos by Fleet Foxes). I’m guessing production costs of videos are always a concern, and this might be a way to reduce expenses without compromising creativeness. (Also note: No band needed!)
Here’s a vid for Frightened Rabbit’s Bright Pink Bookmark, an instrumental interlude of sorts from 2008 favorite The Midnight Organ Fight. It was created by Mark Charlton of Bluestar Animation.
I warned you I’d attempt to interview Busdriver to preview his show tonight at Club Red in Tempe, and here is the result.
A couple of points worth noting:
• He’s a very nice guy.
• His new album is turned in to Anti- and he hopes it will be released before summer. It’s called Jhelli Beam.
• We talked about his touring with indie bands (Deerhoof, Islands, etc.) as opposed to hip-hop acts. When I asked him if he thought his audience existed outside the niche hip-hop crowd, here’s what he said (also in the story):
“I don’t think hip-hop circles really like it, to be quite honest. Some of them do. … The reason I was touring with those bands is, apart from me being really into them and them being friends of mine, rappers weren’t really fuckin’ with me. I really have to form some pretty strong connective tissue between another rap guy for him to invite me on a bill.”
If you live in a region with Cox cable, well, I’m sorry. But you’ve probably seen a commercial for the cable company that features music from Her Space Holiday (aka Marc Bianchi, who is a pretty big De La Soul fan). The track for that ad is Sleepy Tigers, one of the many pleasantly catchy tunes on his fifth album, XOXO, Panda and the New Kid Revival, released in October on Mush Records.
In another of the long line of shows that Stateside Presents is lining up, Her Space Holiday comes to Modified on May 10. No opening act has been announced. Tickets ($10) are available here.
XOXO was my introduction to Bianchi’s bedroom project, so I couldn’t tell you if his previous albums/EPs resemble his work here. But I love the whimsical pop and how it masks some of the more sobering lyrics, like on the standout No More Good Ideas: “Let’s be honest, lets be truthful / we’re a train wreck and this is not new.”
Related:
I Used to Love H.E.R.: Her Space Holiday
The aforementioned Cox Communications video below:
This would be a perfect post for Sundays with A Tribe Called Quest, except, well, it’s Tuesday, and I can’t wait until Sunday.
In November, I posted Q-Tip for President, a collaboration between Q-Tip and producer J. Period, who also hinted at a tribute mix in honor of the Abstract Poetic.
Well, the time is almost here. From J. Period’s site:
The mixtape, which has now turned into a 2CD collection, will be released in installments, starting with J.Period’s exclusive new track with De La Soul (a tribute to Q-Tip and A Tribe Called Quest) on this Tuesday Feb 3…. followed by the release of The “Best of Q-Tip” Vol. 1 on Tuesday, Feb 10. J.Period has also just announced that he will be releasing an exclusive Limited Edition line of “Best of Q-Tip” T-Shirts, designed by Fuse Green… as well as a Limited Edition Series 2 Flash Drive, available with extended bonus material, out-takes, interviews and more!!!
Yes, Q-Tip has turned into a cottage industry.
On this remix, Posdnuos and Trugoy update the opener from The Low End Theory with new verses over the same enticing bassline.
It’s probably sacrilege to even consider revamping a classic like Excursions, but you have to trust it in the hands of De La Soul. Who better to pay respects to it? Gotta admit, though: It’s disorienting to hear new words over that famous intro. “Back in the day when I was a teenager / when we signed to Tommy Boy instead of the major.”
The more I look at the guest list on this N.A.S.A. album The Spirit of Apollo, the more I look forward to its release on Feb. 17 on Anti-. This might be Handsome Boy Modeling School on steroids.
Given the A-list appeal of the album, it’s hard to not want to pick off individual songs, though I’m sure they take greater meaning in the context of the full album (ain’t that always the case?). Still, Samba Soul brings the funk as Del paces the track with his even-tempered flow, giving way to some delicious Q-Bert cuts. I’m listening quietly on headphones – it is past midnight and some people sleep around here – and I think they’re hiding the full potential of the bass. This track is getting cranked on full stereo at the first opportunity. (Side note: I love that N.A.S.A. segues into N.W.A. in my iTunes library.)
Related:
N.A.S.A.: Money (video)
You can’t say DJ Z-Trip will ever forget his roots. Case in point: He’s returning to Phoenix to play at Bar Smith on Feb. 18 for the birthday bash of Tricky-T, a local DJ that Z-Trip also brought out on tour a couple years ago.
Tickets for the event are $10 and can be picked up here.
As usual, Z-Trip is keeping busy. His most recent projects include his Obama mixes and a guest spot on the new N.A.S.A. album.
[ZIP]: DJ Z-Trip | Victory Lap: The Obama Mix (Pt. 2)
Related:
DJ Z-Trip at Unconventional ’08
DJ Z-Trip and Aceyalone: Automatic at It (video)
Mama Said Knock You Out (DJ Z-Trip remix)
Z-Trip offers Lounge Act remix for download
You might ask: Why would Delicious Vinyl re-release Tone Loc’s 1989 debut Loc-Ed After Dark? The real question is, Why not?
I’m just as wary as anybody of these seemingly endless reissue cash grabs that essentially ask fans to pay for an album twice, tempting them with additional, unreleased material. But in this instance, I’m OK with this 20th anniversary deluxe reissue (especially because you can download the six bonus tracks individually at eMusic or Amazon without purchasing the whole album again, assuming you already own it, which you should).
It’s also worth remembering that this was an important hip-hop record that helped thrust rap into the pop/mainstream world. That said, I have a hard time listening to Wild Thing and Funky Cold Medina anymore; those two tracks, played ad nauseam in my youth (and still now), have lost all semblance of relevant meaning. Though Tone’s raspy flow is the most recognizable trait of the album, the production/sampling team of Matt Dike, Michael Ross and the Dust Brothers makes Loc-Ed After Dark hold up 20 years later. (Dike and the Dust Brothers also were responsible for production work on Paul’s Boutique.)
Lastly, the album is one of many hip-hop records that drew inspiration from the Blue Note catalog for its cover.
The digital-only reissue features six bonus tracks: On Fire (OG 12″ version), Cheeba Cheeba (OG 12″ version), I Got It Goin’ On (Remix), The Homies (On Tilt Mix), Wild Beat and Funky Beats.
For those of us that can’t make John Vanderslice’s 10th anniversary celebration of Tiny Telephone, for which he’ll be performing with a 30-piece orchestra, he was kind enough to post a YouTube video to Facebook of rehearsal. It’s just one song — Fiend in a Cloud, the first track off the epic The Life and Death of an American Fourtracker — but it’s a nice peek into what to expect for the show, which is tonight. Here’s hoping the event is recorded to video and/or audio.
Related:
John Vanderslice: Time Travel is Lonely (with Spoon)
If you’re on Twitter, you gotta follow Q-Tip, who is pretty active and likes to post YouTube audio clips of classic soul jams.
Well, on Thursday, he posted access to a remix for Renaissance Rap, the “hidden” half attached to Move on The Renaissance. It’s basically the same (great) beat/melody but with new verses, including spots from Busta, Raekwon and Lil Wayne.
Related:
Q-Tip: We Fight/We Love on Conan O’Brien
Renaissance Rap video
Q-Tip: Move on Letterman
SPEAKING OF Lil Wayne, Martin Cizmar of the Phoenix New Times had a less-than-enjoyable time waiting for a very late Weezy to show up for his big gig in town on Wednesday night. Read the review here.
I’m guessing this one will sell out quickly. Stateside Presents is bringing Modest Mouse to play Marquee Theatre in Tempe on Feb. 25. Tickets ($35) are on sale today.
The band sold out the 5,000-capacity Mesa Amphitheatre in May 2007, and Marquee is probably half that size. So if you wanna go, buy tickets now.
According to Brooklyn Vegan, the band will be playing with Jim Fairchild (late of Grandaddy) while Johnny Marr is recording with the Cribs.
Mimicking Birds open the show.