Meanest Man Contest has released its latest single – You Don’t Wanna Know – via RCRD LBL – and it’s a doozy.
We’ve seen the duo all over the place, from remixing Daedelus to getting a little violent over some bad-ass electro beats. But on You Don’t Wanna Know – off the tremendous Partially Smart EP – MMC cool out over some analog crackling that pairs nicely with overall warmth of the production. Eriksolo even sings. Settle down, ladies.
Stream it below or download it here.
Cleveland production duo the Kickdrums — Alex Fitts and Matt Penttila — have remixed and produced some hip-hop heavies (Jay-Z, 50 Cent, Talib Kweli), and they just released their debut, Just a Game, on Tuesday. I haven’t heard the whole album – I’m downloading it now – but this single, Things Work Out, has a delicious Motown-meets-modern-day-production vibe.
You can check out the album at imeem. Also, I’ve asked the guys if they’re interested in writing an I Used to Love H.E.R. entry and they are down to do it. Expect that in the near future.
From black cabs to train tracks, you just never know where you’ll stumble across a great performance. So how about a park bench? Scott Hutchison of Frightened Rabbit offered up three songs for a session at Off the Beaten Tracks, including a new/unreleased song called Swim Until You Can’t See Land (via Forkcast).
Does this mean we’ll see a follow-up this year to my favorite record of 2008? If that’s the case, we’re looking at a potentially big year from Fat Cat’s Scottish representatives, including We Were Promised Jetpacks and The Twilight Sad.
Related:
Frightened Rabbit: Bright Pink Bookmark (video)
Frightened Rabbit: I Feel Better (video)
Frightened Rabbit: Keep Yourself Warm (live in Phx)
I’ve been eagerly awaiting word on a new album by The Cave Singers, and the news came today that Welcome Joy – a fine piece of advice, if it’s meant to be that, for a pessimist like myself – will be released Aug. 18 on Matador.
I love the campfire/indie-folk quality of their debut, Invitation Songs, an album whose pretty melodies paired nicely with singer Pete Quirk’s slight rasp.
After hearing Beach House, the first single off Welcome Joy, I have high hopes for what this new album will bring.
I just picked up the new 33 1/3 book by Matthew Gasteier on Nas’ classic debut Illmatic. So, naturally, I’ve revisted the album and listened to it about four or five times in the past couple days – just as a reminder of its near-flawless standing.
But listening to Illmatic can be as frustrating as it is rewarding, knowing now that his propensity for greatness was undermined by his inconsistency in the albums to follow (It Was Written, I Am …, etc.). Because in the post-Illmatic years, for every Nas Is Like (a DJ Premier gem) there was a Hate Me Now (feat. Puff Daddy). How do you reconcile that?
Perhaps that’s the curse of releasing one of the most influential hip-hop albums of the ’90s (ever?). Sadly – and inevitably – nothing Nas has done or will do can live up to Illmatic’s perfection. Needless to say, I’m eager to dig into Gasteier’s account/analysis of the album.
Meantime, here’s my favorite cut from Illmatic, the Large Professor-produced It Ain’t Hard to Tell that famously samples Michael Jackson’s Human Nature.
While my wife can wipe the floor with me in Guitar Hero, I kinda like my chances in the upcoming DJ Hero game. DJ Shadow, who apparently is the unofficial spokesman for the game, launched details for it on his site, along with some screen caps.
In-game characters include DJ AM and, our favorite, DJ Z-Trip, who was mum on details a couple weeks ago in an interview with KCRW but sent out an e-mail blast today:
“The past couple months I’ve been sworn to secrecy, but can now finally speak on it. I’ve been working on the new DJ Hero video game that will be coming out later this year. I’m also going to be a character IN the game! This is a big highlight in my DJ career, as it’s the first game of its kind. DJ Hero is being put together by Activision, the same people who do Guitar Hero, so this thing is gonna be mega!
But I guess we can’t really call ’em the wheels of steel anymore, eh?
Serial collaborator Chali 2na, late of the great Jurassic 5, is finally breaking out with his own solo album, due for release July 7 on Decon. Despite the somewhat cheesy title (Fish Outta Water … get it?), it’s good to hear one of the MCs from J5 steppin’ up.
The first single from the album is called Lock Shit Down, featuring Talib Kweli. And I guess the real question is whether Chali 2na and his baritone pipes can carry a full album or if it will only make us yearn for the J5 days.
Also, Chali 2na lends his voice to a new adidas campaign called “Inner Workings” with two animated videos featuring NBA stars Dwight Howard and Derrick Rose.
Just in time for their June 12 show at Chyro Arts in Scottsdale, Sub Pop is offering up a new mp3 from the new Handsome Furs album, Face Control. (Buy your tickets.)
Much as I love Wolf Parade, why would Dan Boeckner even bother when he can pose for press shots like this … or this? Spencer Krug is so jealous.
No surprise here, but The Roots remain the only reason to watch Jimmy Fallon’s show. So every time a decent musical guest is booked, the tantalizing notion of a collaboration with The Roots – like the one with Public Enemy – warrants some attention.
On Monday night, they teamed up with the old-as-dirt Beastie Boys (what’re they, like, 45?) for a top-notch rendition of So What’cha Want off the recently remastered Check Your Head.
By now, Jay Bennett has been eulogized enough that you hardly need another written remembrance. To be honest, as astonishing/sad as it was to watch the news spread over social networks – especially Twitter – in a matter of minutes, I’m always appalled at how some people can turn the news of death into some trumped-up cry for attention, this odd compulsion to justify sorrow in 140 or fewer characters. Unless you knew him, pay your respects from afar and move on.
So in an attempt to follow my own advice, I won’t belabor the point here. Surely, I’m like most Wilco fans. Yankee Hotel Foxtrot and Summerteeth rank as my favorite albums by the band, both with Bennett’s fingerprints all over them. Even after watching the documentary I Am Trying to Break Your Heart several times, I never was completely comfortable picking sides in the Bennett vs. Jeff Tweedy flap. Though Bennett’s recent lawsuit against Tweedy painted him as desperate and exploitative – at least that’s how Pitchfork’s unprofessional editorializing made it sound – there’s just no telling, really. In a way, I feel bad for Tweedy, a broken relationship now never to be repaired.
While I never quite warmed up to Bennett’s solo material, his contributions to Wilco are countless (and probably more valuable than we would know). Poor Places, from Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, is one of my favorites.