Ahh Mayer Hawthorne, how I love thee. How can a nerdy white boy with glasses have one of the sexiest, most soulful voices I’ve ever heard?
Through Mazda2Music you can download one of Mayer’s newest tracks “No Strings Attached” by simply providing your email address. Get it here.
I have to be honest – this song is not a favorite of mine… Mayer you disappointed me, it left me a little bored. If you are going to try and convince a chick to have a one night stand you’re going to have to crank up the pimp juice. “Just Ain’t Gonna Work Out” turned me on more. But it’s free and still fun, so I’ll let one slide.
I could be wrong… but whenever Ezra Koening’s vocals are featured on a track, the fun meter sky rockets. His voice is just so damn playful, like he’s in on some secret joke.
To celebrate today’s release of their 3rd EP Business Casual, Chromeo has allowed Pitchfork to stream their collaboration with Koening through Pitchfork – listen here. In “I Could Be Wrong,” Koening suspects he may be getting played by a lady friend. Great saxaphone solo.
The day I dyed my hair from sorority blonde to kick-ass brunette, my fabulous tattooed hairdresser Jessi told me that I must “fan” her DJ friend Erol Alkan on Facebook. I checked him out and dug it, yet it was his performance at this weekend’s Electric Zoo that solidified my appreciation for Erol Alkan.
“That’s the thing about Erol Alkan – hearing is believing. Until you’ve borne witness to one of his legendary live sets, poured headily over one of his meticulously crafted productions, or been catapulted to a sudden sonic nirvana by the dropping of one of his remixes, you might be justified for dismissing his existence as an extremely elaborate myth of the musical underground,” reads the cocky bio on Erol’s website.
Erol began playing indie clubs in London, before he opened up his own club, Trash, which allowed him to play whatever the fuck he wanted, since he owned the place. His concentration shifted from indie to dance, although both are still used in his sets. His performances flow seamlessly from genre to genre, sewn together brilliantly.
Erol’s older creations include mixing George Michael and Missy Elliot, and remixing the Chemical Brothers and Bloc Party. His fame magnified with his remix of Franz Ferdinand’s “Do You Want To,” which Franz Ferdinand enjoyed so much they began using it in their live performances.
For your listening pleasure, below is one of my favorites. Also turn on his remix of the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s “Zero.” Warning: If you were at Electric Zoo this weekend, this song may make you once again start dancing like a raving lunatic.
There’s more to the name than a great slant rhyme. The name of the Oakland based trio (two musicians and a belly dancing producer) perfectly describes the sounds Beats Antique create. If their name/rhyme was to be elaborated on, it would be Beats/Antique/Unique. They create antique worldly sounds with instruments, then tear them up with heavy electronic beats, flaunted by some dubstep. It’s really quite unique.
David Satori and Sidecar Tommy make the music on stage, while belly dancer/producer Zoe Jakes makes the magic and enchants the crowd with her body. The muse of Beats Antique, Jakes is credited with inspiring the “thematic Middle East tempo of the band.”
Beats Antique differs from other livetronica groups for their fusion of world music, gypsy music, hip-hop, dubset, and brass band. Accordions, horns, glockenspiel, and string quartets join the band on stage.
Beats Antique performed this past weekend at Liberate Music & Yoga Festival in Vermont. Their performance lasted until 4 am on a chilly Vermont summer night, but their set was impressive enough to pull even the most tired of hippies out of their tents to come up and dance for a few more hours. Jakes had injured her knee and was unable to perform with the group at Liberate, but despite lacking their belly dancer Beats Antique put on the most memorable performance of the festival. Toward the end of their performance they donned animal masks while they worked their instruments, simultaneously collaborating with the computer to create that mixed-mashed Beats Antique sound. The masks may have been overkill, but whatever, everyone likes a good animal mask at a music festival.
While Beats Antique may still be a new star on the horizon, they’ve gained recognition from some big names. Their collaborations include Les Claypool and Bassnectar, who remixed their track “Roustabout.”
Beats Antique is funky. It’s sexy. It’s original, and it’s damn good music. Turn on some Beats Antique, or better yet, leave your humble abode and catch them live. The belly dancer just isn’t the same through your computer. Check our their tour dates here.
“If Brooklyn and New Orleans had a love child it would be conceived while listening to Rubblebucket.”
A group of eight members hailing from Brooklyn, Burlington, Vt., and Boston, Rubblebucket credits influence from the Talking Heads, James Brown, and Bjork. Rubblebucket’s standout feature is its horn section, played by front man Alex Troth, (formerly of John Brown’s Body) and Kalmia Traver, the dynamic duo who also share lead vocals. Craig Myers (Mike Gordon Band) is in charge of Rubblebucket’s percussion, adding worldly beats to their eclectic rhythms. While tapping into funk and African influences, Rubblebucket sounds unconcerned with fitting into a genre, rather they play whatever the hell they want. Whatever it is, it’s groovy.
The upcoming fall release of Cee-Lo Green’s Cee-Lo Green is the Lady Killer wasn’t exactly on my radar, I pretty much forgot about him after his brief stint as Gnarls Barkley. However, when I read through Pitchfork that Green was covering Band of Horses’ “No One’s Gonna Love You” I had to check it out. His cover doesn’t come close to the greatness and soul of the original, however the track did make me miss Green’s unmistakable Southern vocals.
The video follows a lovely couple, in love, doing love-makey things – and they get naked! (until things start splittin’ at the seams)
David Byrne is suing Florida Governor Charlie Crist for $1 million for using the Talking Heads song “Road to Nowhere” without permission in campaign ads. No politician who opposes gay marriage can use a Talking Heads song!
Alright, alright, just kidding, it’s not about the politics. Byrne told Billboard, “It’s about copyright and about the fact that it does imply that I would have licensed it and endorsed him and whatever he stands for.”
GOP turned independent Charlie Crist used “Road to Nowhere” earlier this year in a YouTube video and attack ad directed at his primary Republican opponent, Marco Rubio. The ad has since been removed.
Charlie Crist
If Crist and Byrne can’t come to a peaceful settlement over this, at the least the two can bond over gray hair.
This is an album by The Black Keys. The name of this album is Brothers.
This album rocks hard.
By the thumping intro of “Everlasting Light,” the first track of the album, you‘re hooked. With his smoky howl, Dan Auerbach pleads “let me be your everlasting light.” A flame is lit and doesn’t burn out until the record stops.
Through NPR.org you can stream the album now, Brothers is released on iTunes May 18.
Now would be where I discussed jewels of the album, yet individual songs are difficult to pluck out, this album is dirty in its entirety. The Black Keys rolled around in the mud and came out filthy smooth.
Compared to past albums, the beats and melodies are more developed, with a hint of R&B flavor. Retro.
The lyrics alone are a work of art, dripping with metaphors and painting stories in your mind, dark and haunting; yet incredibly sexy.
“Tighten up your reins, you’re running wild…” murmurs Auerbach on “Tighten Up,” a track produced by Danger Mouse. The Black keys don’t need to tighten up their reins; it’s the fluidity of their sound that makes this diamond in the rough of shine.
Tiësto is no doubt one of the world’s most epic DJs of all time. Weeks on the top 10 UK chart, collaborations with artists such as Jonsí, Tiësto’s creations turned on trance music to the masses.
“I think the only way forward for DJs now is to play a diverse mix of sounds,” he told JamBase.com.
His latest creation, “Dreaming,” is a collaboration with emerging South African artists BLK JKS. You can download the track for free through Smirnoff’s Facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/Smirnoff.
A while back, Brooklyn-based folk band Grizzly Bear asked French indie rockers Phoenix to remix one of their songs, reports Paste.com. But as Phoenix saw it, they didn’t want to fix something that wasn’t broken.
“We never found the boldness to mess with their beautiful songs,” says Phoenix. “So the other day we figured, maybe if we combine great things together, it would create something good.”
Phoenix has posted YouTube videos of Brian Eno’s “Canon in D Major” and Grizzly Bear’s “Foreground.” The idea is to play both songs simutaneously, creating a “remix” that doesn’t scramble the original, yet simply layers it with another beautiful song. It actually works quite well – If a novice listener to either artists was unaware of the originals, they would have no idea that two tracks were being played at the same time.
I’m unaware how Phoenix understood the two songs would blend so wonderfully; it’s as if they set up Grizzly Bear and Brian Eno on a blind date and the two end up making seamless, mind-blowing love.
Ahh Mayer Hawthorne, how I love thee. How can a nerdy white boy with glasses have one of the sexiest, most soulful voices I’ve ever heard?
