I've never blogged about Trip Hop though it is one of my favourite genres of music. The easiest way to describe Trip Hop is to call it downtempo electronic melodies. It's moody and dark, not mainstream, and relies on the deep sounds of the drum as you would naturally hear in dub music. Trip hop is also referred to sometimes as the Bristol sounds which made its mark through Europe with bands like Massive Attack, Portishead, Tricky, etc. Interestingly enough, there is a strong relationship between world-celebrated graffiti artist Banksy and the Bristol scene.

I won`t post the video because it`s definitely R rated material so here`s Massive Attack - Paradise Circus. The first single from their new studio LP being released February 8, 2010.


Massive Attack - Paradise Circus

THE HOTTEST ROCK BAND TO EVER LIVE

Can't believe what I'm about to do. Sell my CD collection. However. It needs to be done.
It's become a very sad day. On top of me catching a cold - which I only hope to be H1N1, I feel like I'm losing connection and a part of my soul, giving away this collection I've built for years. Don't get me wrong, I'm going to keep about 20-25 but I've limited myself to just that.

Here are some of my favourites that I need to bid farewell to...

2Pac - Loyal to the Game
Alexisonfire - Crisis
Atmosphere - God Loves Ugly
Avenged Sevenfold - City of Evil
Bjork - Post
Bush - Sixteen Stone
Deftones - White Pony
Donnell JOnes - Where I wanna be
Gorillaz - Demon Days
Hawksley Workman - Lover/Fighter
In the chamber with Mudvayne
Incubus - A Crow left of the Murder
LL Cool J - All world
Lost Boys - Legal Drug Money
Moneen - The Red Tree
Mylo - Drop the DJ Mix
Neil Young - Mirror Ball
Nine Inch Nails - WIth Teeth
Our Lady Peace - Happiness
Sneakerpimps - Becoming X
Sparta - Threes
Stabbing Westward - Darkest Days
Sublime
The Crystal Method - Vegas
The Mars Volta - Deloused in the Comatorium (Still sealed)
Tool - Aenima
Tori Amos - Strange Little Girls
Treble Charger

"GOodbye my Lovelies."

I'm not saying Wale is the best rapper right now but he does have a very impressive resume. This D.C. rapper came out with 100 Miles & Running - remixes of songs by Amy Winehouse, Lily Allen, and Justice - also includes appearances from Daniel Merriweather and Mark Ronson. Chicago Reader picked it as a staff favorite from 2007 and called "W.A.L.E.D.A.N.C.E.", Wale's remix of Justice's "D.A.N.C.E", "positively epic", I agree. The Mixtape about Nothing. If you can tell me you're putting together an album inspired by Seinfeld, I'm sold. He inserts catch phrases and references from the series in his raps throughout the album.
Now, what I'm really here about is to sell through Attention Deficits' Diary by Wale ft. Marsha Ambrosius. It's aspirational but angry. He samples Yann Tiersen's score from my all-time favourite movie, Amelie. When Wale starts his spoken word, it just proves that he's a poet. This is what groups him with all these rookie rappers like Kid Cudi. Wale does not need to hide behind his collabos as he shines through this song despite Marsha's killer voice - this is why Wale is a perfect embodiment of an artist these days.

La Valse D'Amélie (Version Piano) - Yann Tiersen

Wale ft. Marsha Ambrosius - 'Diary' (prod. by The Sleepwalkers

LaLaLadies

Following Santigold, M.I.A., Emily Haines and Karen O to name a few, the next batch of ladies need to step it up huge. And they are. I'm not saying that the Yeah Yeah Yeahs or Metric will go anywhere but they'll need to make room for more. The next girls are dropping bassy sounds that are always good practice for the subwoofers. But it's interesting when vocals and lyrics are hard - sometimes nastier than you would hear from "males". Watch out for these girls in particular, I'm going to follow them closely...


Lykke Li - Until we Bleed (Kleerup)

Thunderheist - Little Booty Girl

La Roux - Bulletproof(Gashups Filthy Dubstep Remix)

Amanda Blank - Might Like you Better

when life gives you lemons

A look into my underground really means a shit load of atmosphere. Rapper, Slug (Sean Daley) is not only beautiful but one of the sickest rappers i've EVER heard. This could be one of the most difficult blogs I'll ever write because no matter how much I hype him up, I'll never be able to serve justice to his brilliance and authenticity. You really need to just listen to all his 9 albums, watch his show, and study his words.

It's very much like him to not give any sort of notice and drop a free EP - Leak at Will - his most recent album. Everything he does is GOLDEN. This is no exception. Do you remember "Millie Pulled a Pistol on Santa" - De La Soul? It's a tragic story of a girl and her father that sexually molests her. In the end, she goes to the department store where her father's volunteered to be Santa, and shoots him. Atmosphere released a second chapter to the story where it takes you through Millie's thoughts and how she's about to turn herself in and possibly explain herself. She thinks, "Daddy's little girl is never gonna hurt again". But the last words of the song tells us she loses balance on the fire escape and falls to her end.

Download "Leak at Will" here



Atmosphere - Trying to find a Balance

Atmosphere - Yesterday

Top 25 Album Covers

This list took me forever to put together but I'm quite content with it now after so many hours starring at my CD shelf and doing some research. It's a subjective list of my top 25 best album covers of all time. Now I couldn't just write this up in a matter of minutes and pretty sure something as epic as BEST ALBUM COVERS OF ALL TIME requires a certain level of seriousness.

I think the best are the ones that will never age and you see printed innumberable times on t-shirts and posters - and could quite possibly be hanging in John Cusack's living room wall in High Fidelity? Nirvana - Nevermind's back cover reveals, when you look closely, a collage of va-j-j's, raw meat, and randomly, Kiss. So my list isn't just based on the music, but the adjacencies of the cover (front & back), packaging is important.. and also, the inside sleeves.



1. Sex Pistols - God save the Queen
2. Nirvana - Nevermind
3. Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon
4. Pink Floyd - Animals
5. The Beatles - Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club band
6. Bjork - Medúlla
7. Radiohead - OK Computer
8. The Roots - Things fall apart
9. Tool - Aenima
10. Flaming Lips- Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots
11. U2 - The Joshua Tree
12. Beatles - Abbey Road
13. The Clash - London Calling
14. Kraftwerk - The Man Machine
15. Björk - Post
16. The Chemical Brothers - Surrender
17. David Bowie - Aladdin Sane
18. Blondie - Parallel Lines
19. Marilyn Manson - Mechanical Animals
20. Prodigy -The Fat of the Land
21. Nas - Illmatic
22. Madonna - True Blue
23. Sigur Ros - ()
24. Run DMC - King of Rock
25. Ramones - Ramones

Bjork - Hyperballad (DJ Ayres Remix)

Radiohead - Karma Police

i heart GG

I'm just going to come out and say it. Gossip Girl has a pretty alright soundtrack! GG is one of my guilty pleasures but what girl will tell you that Nate Archibald and Chuck Bass aren't the sexiest things you've ever seen on legs?!!

I digress.

I just finished watching the show and heard a T.I. whatever you like cover which led me to do some investigating. Altho I still don't know who sang it, I found out that their playlist included; Siousxie and the Banshees (I didn't know anyone even listened to S&B other than me & Carrie), MGMT, The Republic Tigers, Coeur de Pirate!! Shiny Toy Guns, Matt & Kim, The Kills, Black Kids, Nappy Roots, and more. I'm quite impressed with the breath of indie-pop they've partnered with the show. It's not as good as half-naked Nate as my desktop wallpaper, but it's way better than the Hills' soundtrack (you suck MTV), but it's pretty much the feeling that you got when Blair and Chuck FINALLY got together at the end of season 2.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Runaway

Say Hi - November was White December was Grey

Coeur de Pirate - Comme Des Enfants

i'm not feeling well, so im hating...

1. Jason DeRulo - Whatcha Say
2. Owl City - Fireflies
3. Jay-Z - Empire State of Mind feat. Alicia Keys
4. Jay Sean feat. Lil Wayne - Down

These 4 singles have two things in common. 1. They're currently your top 4 singles on the billboard charts and 2., they piss me off horribly. All for different reasons.

Let's start with Jason De Rulo Whatcha Say. First, who is he? And where did he come from? I can hardly give any respect to a singer/ so called- song writer that grew up in the beaches in Miami. Unless you're going to drop hard gino beats, let's face it, you didn't grow up in the ghetto. Okay. That's not fair to say but the real reason I'm upset is he just about BUTCHERED one of the most beautifully made songs by Imogen Heap.

Owl City somehow pretends they don't sound like The Postal Service when they sound identical. Maybe next time you bite someone's sound, Adam Young, you atleast try to give it your own spin.

JayZ - Empire state of mind feat Alicia Keys. I like this song, I kind of like Jay Z, I like Alicia Keys but it upsets me that this is the follow up after so many years of amazing hip hop.

Jay Sean feat Lil Wayne - Down. I think this is the new anthem for your orange-faced, hairband wearing Woodbridge guy. Enough said.

Don't break my heart
Say you'll love me again

I dedicate this one to my team - you know who you are. Break-ups are hard and hurtful and I think that all of us have turned to music in such difficult times. Hehehe, do I sound emo or what?! But really, music has a fairly simple theory on ways to express these emotions - whether you're feeling angry or sad, or...relieved. So I thought I'd compile some of my favourite break-up songs of all time.

Fleetwood Mac - Go Your Own Way

Usher - Separated

The Postal Service - Nothing Better

Lauryn Hill - Ex Factor

Green Day - Good Riddance (Time of your life)

mmm DROP

You may know Wale from such collabo's as Chillin feat. Lady Gaga or Letter feat. John Mayer. But he's coming out with his first full length album which drops next month. I, like many others, got a sneak peak at this album and it's pretty good. I certainly can't get enough of 90210 so I decided to share that with you.

Wale - 90210

And another one. Here's a fresh track hot off the press(Biggie vs. Tupac vs. The Xx - Runnin' with the Xx). Yaya, there's so many Biggie vs. Tupac tracks out there but how many of them are remixed with a group of 20 year old English boys that call themselves the Xx? To top it off, they're not hip hop - they're indie.

Biggie vs. Tupac vs. The Xx - Runnin' with the Xx

I'm just waiting for the day Karen O takes over the world. She's taking over my blog but I can't help it, she's just so amazing. WU TANG WU TANG WU TANG! My favourite Wu Tang is probably Rza but a close second goes to Ol Dirty Bastard. A tribute to ODB's life/ documentary will be coming out next month so look out for that. Lastly, I missed Designer Drugs in Toronto but shit, im totally regretting it now.

N.A.S.A feat. Ol Dirty Bastard, Karen O - Strange Enough (Designer Drugs Remix Radio Edit)

Phili-based DJ, Diplo made a Santigold mixtape called Top Ranking with an interlude by Panda Bear, mixes with 3-6 Mafia, Amanda Blank, Aretha Franklin, and Ratatat. Similar to what he did for MIA...but in my opinion, made this one so much better. Fast forward this track to about 2 minutes to hear what I'm saying.

Santogold/Diplo - LES Artistes (XXXchange Mix ft Movado)

I'll tell you where they at!



I just got back from watching Where the Wild Things Are. AMAZING! So I know that it was probably too weird for most of you who have seen it. But for me, it was my cup of tea. I would expect nothing less from my buddy Spike. And Spike, by chance you're bored and read this - can we grab waffles at midnight and figure you out?

Lead vocal of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Karen O is either still dating or was dating Spike Jonze. So as no surprise, she's the voice of the awesome score for the movie. I bet you didn't know she was Korean/ Polish! Anyway, the soundtrack is beautifully put together. It's definitely a melodic, fun, and sometimes somber album that really does take you through the Spike Jonze's version of a great story from beginning to end. It's a long way from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs but does not lack Karen O's powerful vocals.

Where the Wild Things Are Soundtrack


Before I leave, here's my favourite Spike Jonze piece. Brilliant! Need I say more? (Apologies for the intro..this is the only version that youtube would allow me to post)

Not to be mistaken by the robot in StarWars

Just because you can't sing-along, doesn't make it bad. RJD2 has announced another album dropping in January called Colossus - which I'm totally stoked about. His last album The Third Hand, wasn't exactly what I expected from this credited DJ but I'm having high hopes he's going back to his roots. Here's Ghostwriter from his 2002 album Deadringer - it has already paved mega roads by supporting the score for a famous commercial in the UK. Too bad i can't get my hands on it now.

RJD2 - Ghostwriter

TRIPLE-WHAMMY


This, as you can see, is my first blog. Bare me with your harsh criticisms for now. You can put your trust in me that I will deliver on music-taste-excellence and also offer some knowledge or two about the artist(s), production, and sometimes when I'm really feeling it, I'll disect a rhythm or two.

This will be left short and sweet since my dog needs to unload his bowels. :)

SO, you've got Santogold aka. Santi White, Julian Casablancas, and Pharrell Williams. 3 Amazing artists you wouldnt even think to mesh together. This is what you get. My Drive Thru. Santogold and N.E.R.D. have been recently known for their big beats. So, collaborating with one of my favourite vocals (JC) just before his album drops in NA couldn't have been more timely.