J Dilla

J Dilla (or Jay Dee), posthumously, has become known one of the most respected producers in the history of hip hop. Before his heartbreaking death due to a combination of Lupus and a rare blood disease called TTP, he was produced Busta Rhymes, Ghostface, A Tribe Called Quest, The Pharcyde, Common, De La Soul, Mos Def, and rapped on and produced his own hip hop collective Slum Village, and collaborated with Pete Rock (who he idolized) and Madlib, and also released solo records. Anyone who likes hip hop should know this cat because he's one of the heavies. His production style borrows from all over but typically relies on soul and jazz loops but his signatures are woozy basslines and drums that always have that satisfying thwack that is essential for good hip hop.

With anyone as diverse as Dilla, a primer is necessary and for this I recommend:


1.) The 2006 album Donuts- I can say, without fear of hyperbole, that this is easily one of the most creative things hip hop has ever been responsible for. The principal of the album is fragmented beats that are primarily based off loops but have more changes than you're typical hip hop instrumental. The songs flow into each other but you don't have much warning of what's gonna come next, it just hits you, you start grooving to it and- WHAM- next song. It's a headspinner at first but once you start digging it, you start to gain more and more respect for this guy. This album was a labor of love and will be his enduring masterpiece.



2.) The Pharcyde songs "Runnin" and "Drop" off 1995's Labcabincalifornia- Perhaps after the psychedelic experience of Donuts, you need some more proof that Dilla was the man. Look no further than these mid-90's classics. "Runnin" features the production techniques that he held until he passed away- a thumping bassline, odd African drum loops, and also adds in simple, down home guitar lines, a sax solo and the Pharcyde's rhymes. "Drop" is very bit it's equal in quality and features a trippy backwards synth (?) loop and another good bassline and drums that are higher and harder than those of "Runnin."


3.) The Busta Rhymes song "Woo Haa!! (Got You All In Check)- A cold classic of mid-90's hip hop and a hit on the radio too. You've probably heard this but in the context of the Dilla canon, it deserves another spin.


4.) The collaboration with Madlib, Jaylib, and their album Champion Sound- A perfect mathc, Madlib and Dilla both seemed to be coming from the same place sonically and their collaboration is mostly golden. At it's best it's some of the best work the two have ever done and at its "worst" its still better everything on major hip hop radio. They have loads of stoner-y battle raps and their production makes the best with the combines jazz influence and even touches on Madlib's Indian music fetish (especially "Survival Test").


5.) The Jaylib remix of Quasimoto's "Hydrant Game"- One of Dilla's all time best beats, put to Madlib's high-voiced alter ego. This is one of the most addicting songs I've ever come across and the rhyme fully does the beat justice.


Further studies: J Dilla- Ruff Draft, Slum Village- Fantastic Vol. 2 (actually any Slum Village is good but that's the best that Dilla produced), and the Ghostface Killah song "Whip You With a Strap" off 2006's Fishscale.


Here's a few samples but listen here- Normally I want you to get the albums I'm talking about by any means necessary but here's the deal- you need to buy at least Donuts. Since Dilla's death, his estate has not been getting hardly any money, even as his notoriety spread. Also complicating matters is that Dilla's mom, Ma Dukes as she's nicknamed, has also been battling lupus. So BUY some of this shit. You won't regret it- scouts honor!


MP3- Bye


MP3- Light Works


MP3- The Pharcyde: "Runnin"


MP3- Busta Rhymes: Woo Hah!! (Got You All In Check)


MP3- Jaylib- "Champion Sound"


MP3- Nothing Like This


MP3- Wild


MP3- Make 'Em N.V.

History Lesson- Soul and the 60's Music Revolution

I became aware of the Motown sound nearly three decades after it was “hip”. The music of Motown, and to an equal extent, Stax, are still relevant because they differed from their contemporaries. Four decades after their composition(s), the brands’ opuses still hold significant musical weight because their sound was simple and appealed to a broad audience. The solely African American rhythm and blues music of the 1950s and early 1960s branched out into the musical mainstream with the help of a number of musical acts. Rhythm and blues was banned from a number of mainstream radio stations, white radio stations, because the music was viewed as subversive. The rhythm and blues acts of the late 1950s that heralded the sound under a new musical banner, rock n’ roll, blazed a path for the Motown, Stax, Brit rock, and jazz fusion acts of the 1960s. White and black acts including Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Buddy Holly (to name a few) helped redefine popular music. Though many music critics will argue that the 1960s was the decade dominated by rock n’ roll, the various genres tested the limits of their respective sounds. Rock acts, bourne of rhythm and blues, incorporated everything from jazz to world music. Jazz artists like Miles Davis were intent on keeping their genre relevant by incorporating psychedelic rock and electronic sonorities. Though lambasted by critics, the musical acts of the 1960s redefined our nation and our world’s musical perspectives. Below are a few defining tracks from 60s artist that (I feel) changed music forever:

1) Otis Redding- “Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa (The Sad Song)” and “A Change Is Gonna Come”: Otis Redding and the Bar Kays were one of the most soulful and energetic live acts of the 1960s. Both the “Sad Song” and “A Change…” are some of Redding’s better balads (with the latter a cover of Sam Cooke’s classic ballad). Redding and most of the original members of the Bar Kays, his backing band when he toured, died tragically in a late 1960s plane crash.

2) The Animals- “House of the Rising Sun”: The Animals and the psychedelic rock revolution that dominated most of the 60s redefined popular music. The group was among the many British rock acts that was inspired by the black rhythm and blues acts of the 1950s. They interpolated that sound into their own to develop a rich, soulful tone. Lead vocalist Eric Burdon’s work on this track alone sends chills down my spine.

3) The Beatles- “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”, “Helter Skelter”, “Lucy In the Sky With Diamonds” (take your pick of any album they did when they were experimenting with psychedelic drugs and you’ll be amazed): You can’t discuss popular music in the 1960s without mentioning the Beatles. Their earlier works were pop laden opuses with a great degree of radio airplay. As the decade progressed, the group experimented with drugs, made several movies, delved into world music, and even made the silly mistake of recording an album with Phil Spector. Nonetheless, the writing team of Paul McCartney and John Lennon was one of the most prodigious in the history of rock music.

4) Smokey Robinson and the Miracles- “Tears of a Clown”, “Ooo, Baby Baby”, “If You Can Want”, and “Second That Emotion”, “Going To A Go-Go”: Smokey Robinson is someone who will always be cool in my eyes. I saw him perform a few years ago (I’m pretty sure he’s in his late 70’s) and he sounds as good as he did on the Motown songs he wrote and performed 40 years ago. Robinson was one of Motown’s most prodigious song writers, composing tracks for his label mates and other artists (he composed “My Guy” performed by Mary Wells, “My Girl” made famous by the Temptations as well as Carly Simon’s “You’re So Vain). Robinson left the Miracles in 1970 to pursue a solo career. The Miracles continued to produce hits including 1970’s “Love Machine”.

5) Marvin Gaye- “Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing (w/ Tammi Tyrell)”, “Too Busy Thinking About My Baby”, and “Heard It Through the Grapevine”: The music Marvin Gaye recorded in the 1960s was in stark contrast to what he wrote and recorded in the 1970s. The socially conscious “What’s Going On?” and the sexually charged “I Want U” were a quantum leap from the poppy duets performed with Tammi Tyrell in the 1960s. It was, nevertheless, the genesis of a 60s music legend.

6) The Velvet Underground and Nico- “Heroin” and “I’m Waiting for the Man”: The Velvet’s influence on rock music is undeniable. They never enjoyed a great degree of commercial success, but the critics couldn’t (and still cannot) say enough about this legendary musical act‘s influence on the rock genre and all the avant garde rock that came after it. The group’s first album (colloquially known as the “banana cover album”) was one of the greatest cult rock albums of the 1960s. It was produced by the band’s manager, artist Andy Warhol, who introduced the band to a German model named Nico. Nico was the source of a lot of turmoil in the band and she was never truly treated as a member of the group. “Heroin” and “I’m Waiting…” were two songs that ostensibly discussed 60s drug culture.

7) The Rolling Stones- “Under My Thumb”, “Paint It Black”, “Ruby Tuesday”, and “Gimme Shelter”: The Rolling Stones were white boys, British white boys, that knew the blues. Their aforementioned songs are some of the greatest rhythm and blues songs of the decade though they were considered a hard blues/rock n’ roll band. Mick Jagger’s cacophonous voice was the perfect accompaniment to the band’s gritty sound. He was sex on a microphone.

8) Jimi Hendrix- “All Along the Watchtower”, “Little Wing”, “Angel”, and “Stone Free”: Jimi was another 60s legend who was posthumously celebrated. A decade or so after his passing, fans were drawn to his sound and style. The song “All Along…” was his only song that hit the musical charts.

9) James Brown and the JBs- “Night Train”, “Cold Sweat”, “Get Up (I Feel Like A Sex Machine)”,  “Doing It To Death” (the JBs), and “Cold Sweat Pt. I and II”: The self proclaimed “Hardest Working Man in Show Business” was a phenom in the 1960s with the tightest, most disciplined live act of any rhythm and blues outfit. His backup band, the JBs, were a who’s-who of 1970s funk instrumentalists. Maceo Parker, William “Bootsy” Collins and his brother “Catfish” were just a few members of the legendary backup outfit. Brown’s sound is so synonymous with 60s R&B music that it’s no wonder he also holds another nom de guerre: “Godfather of Soul”.

10) The Who- “Substitute”, “My Generation”, “Magic Bus”, “I Can’t Explain”, and “Boris the Spider”: The Who was another group that came to the states with the wave of British boy groups during the British invasion. Their sound wasn’t as edgy as the Stones yet not as pop laden as the early Beatles records, yet anticipated punk and grunge by being TOUGH. Keith Moon's and John Entwistle are one of the all time great rhythm sections in all of popular music and make their more adventurous songs such as "A Quick One While He's Away" and their more theatrical operatic albums work so well, because they never loose sight of their groovy roots in rhythm and blues.

And yeah, feel free to disagree with me…I dare you.



-Rodney

Black Flag

The hardcore punk made in L.A. during the early 80's is some of the most culturally significant music ever put on record. The kids who rallied around the scene needed the music as much as the music needed them (look at the movies Suburbia and The Decline Of Western Civilization Pt. 1 for anthropological proof), and the barrier between audience and performer was near-invisible. Never was this more apparent in the even the most talented on the L.A. punk bands- Black Flag- who recruited two of their lead singers (Ron "Chavo" Reyes and Henry Rollins) from out of the audience at shows. Guitarist Greg Ginn was the driving force of the band, often incorporating micro-tonal solos among his distorted riffage, before losing control later on to Henry Rollins who eventually came into his own as the prototypical punk grunt singer.

The first album with Rollins, 1980's Damaged is the high point of hardcore punk, second only to maybe the Bad Brains self titled LP. It's lyrical content and sonic aggression channel the frustration of being on the fringes of society in Los Angeles. Raging against the police, the idle, and their own personal demons, they gave people who relate a masterpiece and anyone who doesn't an emphatic "fuck you." Not to say you have to be poor and misanthropic to succumb to the charms of this album, but you should be empathetic to the outlaw kids this album emboldens.

Just because I'm such an amazing guy (and because I happened to come across it), here's the entire album for free. If you've never heard any original LA hardcore punk music, be prepared to be blown away at it's inspiring vitriol. Keep an open mind and decide your yourself which side of their war you're on.

Click HERE and follow directions to get the whole album in a ZIP file.

Public Enemy

Now, let me tell you the story of how I came to love Public Enemy. I was into Rage Against The Machine all through Junior High. "Into" may not be the right word- obsessed! They represented all that I thought was awesome sonically and railed on all that I was angry about lyrically. Having learned this, my brother gave me a copy of Public Enemy's 1988 masterpiece It Takes A Nation Of Millions to Hold Us Back. I was skeptical because I'd never related to hip hop before this point and after a couple listens, I still didn't. It was unlike anything I'd ever heard- dense and angry, get I couldn't penetrate it because it didn't have big guitar riffs or whatever my wack hang-up was when I was 14. The breakthrough came when I started reading up on them. About how they scared the shit out of white people at their stage shows opening up for the Beastie Boys with their S1-W security team armed with Uzis. About how they said 'Mother fuck Elvis and John Wayne' (I paraphrase). About how they were basically a PUNK band. This little nugget of context blew my mind and I had a new obsession, devouring their albums and breaking down every song, looking up every reference.

A lot of people think it's kinda strange that I like a group that is so radically black and I'm a white kid from a lower-middle class background, but I've always been confronted with social issues that I find unjust. I went to Christian School in Marin, and I stood out for being ungodly and poor. I was raised by a single mother. I was born into certain circumstances and can empathize with anyone who fights back against this sort of American fatalism, and Public Enemy not only fought back, they challenged those who adhered to the status quo and scared them a lot with threats of revolutionary action.

It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back is probably the greatest whole ALBUM in hip hop right next to Wu Tang's Enter The Wu Tang, Quasimoto's The Unseen, The Beastie Boy's Paul's Boutique, Nas' Illmatic, N.W.A.'s Straight Outta Compton, A Tribe Called Quest's Low End Theory, and Biggie's Ready To Die. The production of the Bomb Squad has withstood the test of time and their technique of layering samples has yet to be duplicated. They sample Slayer, ESG, Isaac Hayes, Queen and shitload of others on Nation Of Millions and to this day I'm still picking up new sounds among the horns, drums, sirens, samples and scratches.

Public Enemy's other masterpiece- 1990's Fear of A Black Planet- riled just as many people and is equally essential to the Hip Hop canon and their 1987 debut Yo! Bum Rush the Show, is good too, but their place in music history is cemented with Nation of Millions and every person should own it if you're into hip hop or not. If you're not it may just make you come around.

MP3- Rebel Without A Pause

MP3- Cold Lampin' With The Flava

MP3- Fight The Power

MP3- Your Gonna Get Yours

(Right Click To Save)

If you're down with the Bomb Squad, they also did an awesome album with Ice Cube called Amerikkka's Most Wanted, which is really the only solo album he has thats up to the standard of Straight Outta Compton.

P.S. Notice how I didn't mention Flava Flav's reality show bullshit? Yeah thats because P.E. is not about him. He was the court jester to Chuck D's king. He was hilarious for being wack and then he got into hard drugs and now he's just kinda wack. Yet, when I saw them live at Rock The Bells in 2007 it was pretty obvious Flava's still got it as the best hype man in the business.

Justice

Two Words:

Baroque

Apocalypse

Planisphere (Left Click & Follow the link)

MP3- Stress (Live)

MP3- Genesis (Datsu Remix)

MP3- Phantom Pt. 2 (Soulwax Remix)

MP3- D.A.N.C.E. (Jackson & His Computer Band Remix)

Disclaimer: All of these are meant to be put on at the height of everyone's drunkenness and blasted so loud you get the cops called. Failure to do so will result in a so-so night.

Pavement

Pavement are a band from Stockton, California who I think were a little ahead of the curve in their years of operation (1989-1999). At the time I could see the world not being ready for singer/songwriter/guitarist Stephen Malkmus' stoned ruminations and non-sequiturs, but as rock radio has gotten so bland that words are incidental in meaning as long as they sound good in sequence, I think the world is ready to revere these dudes. Heavily influenced by the Fall and other hyper-literate songwriters, Pavement played lo-fidelity ditties that oozed slacker style and, I think, embody the Northern California aesthetic better than anyone in popular music, right down to Malkmus' accent. They are one of the preeminent Indie bands that existed before the term was used as a weird pejorative to mean "pretentious hipster music." They were indie because the mainstream wouldn't have them, and they liked the underground just fine and existed comfortably in their cult status. They gained fans by being themselves, and in the case of their weirder stuff, the alienated fans by being themselves, yet I think the passage of time has smiled on their work.

One note I'll give you if you're listening to this band for the first time is that you should really listen to the lyrics. They're cryptic as fuck, but they Malkmus' Lou Reed-like delivery and charm definitely make up for it. He really kind of invented a new way to express himself- it's more like a series of one liners than full stories. If you like it (or even if you just don't hate it) check out their studio albums, which have recently been nicely expanded in deluxe editions. My personal favorite is 1995's Wowee Zowee, which is a lot like their "White Album," with lots of sprawling, fractured songs some fully fleshed out and gorgeous ("Grave Architecture," "Father To A Sister Of A Thought"), some taking longer for their artistry to register (usually they get stuck in your head and you can't place it until you figure its the fucking awesome melody lines on the :37 mark on "Black Out" or some such revelation).

It's best to start by listening to the songs below, then getting 1992's Slanted And Enchanted and 1994's Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain. Both of those are certifiable indie classics with fuckign brilliant songs like "Summer Babe (Winter Version)," "Cut Your Hair," the California love/hate note "Unfair," and "Here." Then move on to Wowee Zowee and 1997's Brighten The Corners.

MP3- Cut Your Hair

MP3- Summer Babe (Winter Version)

MP3- Stereo

MP3- Shady Lane

MP3- Rattled By The Rush

MP3- Grounded (Live)

MP3- Here

MP3- Range Life

MP3- Transport Is Arranged

MP3- Stop Breathin'

RIGHT CLICK THE MP3s TO SAVE!

Gang Of Four

One of my most beloved styles of music is "post punk" which is not as much a genre as an art movement. The shock value of punk was palpable and the energy was impassioned but you could only take it so far in it's original form. Post punk ripped it up and started again, in terms of the formal elements and combined that minimalism with the attitude of punk and the grooviness of funk. Gang Of Four was amongst those in the upper echelon of post punk, who are in my opinion Joy Division, The Fall, Wire, Talking Heads, Echo And The Bunnymen, and the Cure. Their style was heavily politicized lyrics of class warfare and social problems, over jagged staccato guitar and a super funky rhythm section. Their lyrics are among my favorites of all time, especially "Naturals Not In It"-

The Problem of the leisure
What to do for pleasure.
Ideal love a new purchase.
A market of the senses.
Dream of the perfect life
Economic circumstances.
The body is good business.
Sell out maintain the interest.
Remember Lot's wife.
Renounce all sin and vice.
Dream of the perfect life.
This heaven gives me migraines.
Repackaged Sex keeps your interest.

Their influence is peppered all over the popular music today with obvious examples being Red Hot Chili Peppers and Franz Ferdinand. Gang Of Four, much like the Clash, were hugely influenced by reggae as well as punk and funk so a lot of the bass rhythms Flea employs for the Chili Peppers are based off the dynamic Gang Of Four touched upon in 1979. The best place to start, consequently is at the beginning with 1979's Entertainment! Here's a few of the best off that album plus the best track off 1981's Solid Gold.

MP3- Natural's Not In It

MP3- Damaged Goods

MP3- I Found That Essence Rare

MP3- At Home He's A Tourist

MP3- What We All Want

Avalanches + Aphex Twin Videos

Avalanches- "Frontier Psychiatrist"
The Avalanches are a group of Australian dudes who make electronic hip hop in a similar vein to DJ Shadow- lots of obscure samples from random places and obscure vinyl over hip hop drum beats. This video is the case of a basic premise done extremely well. The concept for the video is to animate the samples with live action actors on a simulated live stage. That's it. Oh and there's a lot of old people. Forgot to mention that.


MP3- Frontier Psychiatrist


Aphex Twin- "Windowlicker"
Aphex Twin is a guy named Richard D. James who has been one of the foremost creators of electronic music in the past 20 years. Though he has released songs in the genres of ambient and acid techno, "Windowlicker" has more of a universal appeal as just something entirely without genre. It's electronic but the beats knock like hip hop, it's dancable, but not a floor-filler. It's a unique piece of work and its become more well known since it's inclusion in the movie Grandma's Boy. Director Chris Cunningham- who has his own little DVD music video box set next to those of Spike Jonze and Michel Gondry- does an incredible job at satarizing the hip hop videos of the late nineties who basically adhered to the premise "if you oil up your hos they jiggle better" and then throw a loose plot or just follow dudes around an imaginary club. This video is terrifying when you think it's going to be sexy. Yes there's jiggling hoes, but look closer and recoil in horror.


MP3- Windowlicker

Andrew Bird

I am new to Andrew Bird, having just, uhhh "legally purchased" his albums Noble Beast, Armchair Apocrypha, and The Mysterious Production of Eggs. I am WAY down though, he's a classically trained violinist who sings like fucking Thom Yorke (Radiohead, of course) and can whistle better than anyone I've ever heard. In terms of genre it's kinda folky-pop-rock but has electronic manipulation everywhere and, again, whistling. The background on this dude is that he's from Chicago, had a band called Bowl of Fire (which I have not heard) and was in that late nineties band Squirrel Nut Zippers (not full time just a contributor), but after he left, he sequestered himself alone on a farm to make his solo albums. The sounds of his albums aren't as weird as you may think with that description but his lyrics are subjectively nuanced and quite lovely.

2009's Noble Beast has gotten a lot of attention and is, in my opinion, quite deserving of it. It's very similar to 2007's Armchair Apocrypha, with it's grandeur and epic sense of scale, even in it's most intimate compositions. The popular knock on him is that he is too insular and he doesnt translate but that is said by people who listened to Noble Beast once then deleted it from their iTunes (read: bullshit). This is music for when you're by yourself, or if you must surround yourself with other people, make them shut up. Preferably, play these songs on headphones when you're on a hike or just put him on when you wake up.

MP3- Dark Matter (Off Armchair Apocrypha)

MP3- Oh No

MP3- Fitz And Dizzy Spells

MP3- Not A Robot, But A Ghost

MP3- Anonanimal

I am in love with all these songs but I have to say "Dark Matter" and "Not A Robot" are my favorites, especially the latter's lush breakdown at the 3:15 mark.

Grizzly Bear

Grizzly Bear are a four man band from Brooklyn, NY that have quietly become one of the best bands on Earth by letting their breathtaking music speak for itself, and terraform the scene around them. Since their breakthrough 2006 album Yellow House, the band has laid low and still produced some of the best music of the last few years. The Friend EP reworked old songs beautifully and hinted at future directions. Daniel Rossen's 2008 side project, Department of Eagles, was deservedly lauded by critics and fans of the group. Yet the world has changed since Yellow House. Fleet Foxes have broken through critically and to the masses with a sound akin to that of Grizzly Bear and pals Animal Collective have finally gotten the audience they deserve with Merriweather Post Pavillion. The time is right for Grizzly Bear's new LP, Veckitimest (named after an uninhabited island in New England) to artistically dominate when it's released on May 26th. It promises to be a more pop affair than the progressive folk-rock of Yellow House and their 2004 debut LP, Horn Of Plenty based on the songs the band has already debuted.

"While You Wait For Others" is just fucking drop dead gorgeous. Delicate sounds make way for triumphant crashes and ethereal harmonizing and the thunderous finish makes you want to just hit repeat over and over. The band unveiled this gem on NPR's Morning Becomes Eclectic, and I've been playing the shit out of it ever since.

MP3- While You Wait For Others

"Two Weeks" was debuted on Letterman and it's every bit the equal of "While You Wait For Others" in quality. Words are harder to come by in explaining it's genius, but I'll just say the band's vocal harmonizing enters the realm of justifying the adjective "heavenly" near the end.

MP3- Two Weeks

If you're new to Grizzly Bear check out Yellow House posthaste! Here's one of the best off that album and, what the hell, ONE OF THE BEST OF THE LAST DECADE- "Knife".

MP3- Knife

Just because I love you, here's the Girl Talk remix of "Knife" that adds "Wamp Wamp" by Clipse as well as other fun shit to create one of my favorite mash-ups of all time.

MP3- Knife (Girl Talk Remix)

Off the Friend EP, comes the band's reworking of Horn Of Plenty's "Alligator" which goes from being a poetic aside to a triumphant blast of sound that bowls me over every time.

MP3- Alligator (Choir Version)

Frank Zappa

"She had a snake for a pet and an amulet, and she was breeding a dwarf, but she wasn't done yet…"-Frank Zappa, "Camarillo Brillo"

My buddy Paul hipped me to Frank Vincent Zappa one day while we were en route to his girlfriend's house. "What the hell are we listening to?!" It was an acceptable reaction to music that was without a doubt "out there". The song blaring out of his stereo speakers was a Zappa song that I consider a masterpiece (in hindsight at least) "Peaches En Regalia". The bizarre sonorities, odd time signatures, and…"did I just hear a kazoo?!" weren't initially my cup of tea. Then I heard the double album that changed my perspective on avant-garde music forever: Apostrophe/Over-Nite Sensation. It was musically brilliant, lyrically crude, and downright genius! And what could one expect from an artist who drew inspiration from modern classical music (is that an oxymoron?) composers such as Stravinsky and Stockhausen other than an unappreciated genius? Zappa, a Southern California native, formed the legendary Mothers of Invention in 1966 (the band was initially called "The Mothers", but Zappa's record label, Verve, felt it was too offensive and added "of Invention" to the band's name.) Their breakout LP was entitled Freak Out! and blended Zappa's infatuation with Stravinsky, doo-wop, and psychedelic rock into a very unique sound. In the 1970s, Zappa reassembled the Mothers and recorded several legendary cult rock albums and films. 

Among these are two of my favorites Apostrophe/Over-Nite Sensation and the rock opera Joe's Garage. Zappa produced a prodigious amount of work, most of which a single collector wouldn't be able to amass in a single lifetime. Below are some of mine and Ethan's  favorite Zappa tracks that we recommend:

1) "I'm the Slime" (Album: Over-Nite Sensation): An amazing track that castigates the absurdities of the corporate media. Oh, and did I mention the ladies screaming the "I-am-the-slime-from-your-vid-e-o!" refrain are Tina Turner and the Ikeetes?

2) "The Black Page" (Album: Zappa In New York): This song was a prerequisite for any instrument playing musician who wanted to join Zappa's touring band. The song derived its title from the fact that the song's sheet music had so many notes that it looked like a "black page". The syncopation in this song alone is golden.

3) "Peaches En Regalia" (Album: Hot Rats): The aforementioned song that introduced me to the bizarre world of Frank Zappa. It's certainly not the first song I recommend anyone listen to in order to become a huge Zappa fan. The instrumental stuff can be a little far out.

4) "Bobby Brown Goes Down" (Album: Sheik Yerbouti): A song that's a tad bit crude lyrically but sheds light on Zappa's sense of humor. I once put this on around some friends who weren't hip to Zappa and they asked "is this Ween?"

5) "Lucille Has Messed My Mind Up" (Album: Joe's Garage): Ike Willis' vocals on this track still give me goosebumps. It's a track about a sappy garage band member who gets his heart broken by the girl of his dreams (funny how some things never change)

6.)"Absolutely Free" (Album: We're Only In It For The Money): For the sake of time I'll just include one song off the Mother's best effort and it's hard to choose just one. This is representative of Zappa's rebellious stance on the hippie movement, which he called out for being phoney and no different than any corporate fad- thus foreshadowing the yippie fallout after the movement had run it's course. Key Line- "Flower Power Sucks!"

7.) "Mr. Green Genes" (Album: Uncle Meat): I have no fucking clue why Zappa had so many meditation on vegetables (the Mother's album Absolutely Free is full of them), but this is a shorter distillation of the epic that appears on Hot Rats- "Son of Mr. Green Genes." It's psychedelic and abstract so the vegetable fetishism kinda manages to serve it well witht he low horn rumble of Ian Underwood and the omniscient xylophones of the Mothers. 

8.) "Hungry Freaks Daddy" (Album: Freak Out!): A good introduction of Zappa's critical songwriting style of the late 60's, he calls out conformist America "All the corny tricks you try will not forestall the rising tide of hungry freaks, daddy!" He begs the subject of his vitriol and the listener to check themselves, lest, they wreck themselves.

9.) "Willie The Pimp" (Album: Hot Rats): This is a match made in heaven- Zappa and Captain Beefheart. Beefheart's creepy Delta blues drawl works perfectly to describe unsavory events, but that is just the first few minutes, the real meat of this track is the virtuosic solos Zappa rips for over 7 minutes. In another players hands that would be self-indulgent, yet this is one of the greatest solos of all time, so sit down and shut your trap and get your face melted before it all comes together in the final 30 seconds. 

10.) "The Return of the Son of Monster Magnet" (Album: Freak Out!): Yeah...a freak out pretty much- savage, slightly groovy and infinitely weird.

Enjoy lemmings!

-Rodney & Ethan

Bonus! Zappa pwning noobs on Crossfire in 1986

OutKast

The dilapidated state hip hop is in at the moment is mostly the cynical imagination of the disenfranchised music fan- there is dope shit out there, it's just not getting to the masses (like every genre, really). That said, hip hop needs heroes to rally around. Lil Wayne is amazing but polarizing, either you get him and love him or you lump him in with all the wack party rappers out there (for the record, I love Lil Wayne and think the fact that he's mainstream is a coup). No, we need more to enlighten the populous, we need to resurrect the dormant masters that the masses and the underground trust- OutKast. We need them to make people think about hip hop outside a party setting where it seems like words are clutter and the beat is king. They've been active lately releasing singles quietly and letting the internet masses hype it for them. Well they've been good to me over the years so I'll return the favor. 

On "Royal Flush" Big Boi and Andre 3000 sound hungry and ready to re-take the throne. Raekwon sounds equally determined and KILLS the second verse. If OutKast's new album is anywhere near as good as this song, we have a new classic on our hands. It sounds so refreshing to hear the boys spit out their words just like the old days with surgical precision and clarity.

MP3- Royal Flush Ft. Raekwon

In 2007, Andre made a big splash with his verses on UGK's International Player's Anthem, so here's that too (just so you're caught up). You might recognize this if you've heard Girl Talk's "Feed The Animals" because he begins and ends the mix with this song. 

MP3- International Player's Anthem Ft. OutKast

Though they've been taking their sweet time, the rumors are that Big Boi and Andre 3K are hitting us with solo albums as well as a collaborative effort in '09 so prepare to soil yourself at least 3 times in the coming months. 

Diplo/Santogold- Top Ranking Mixtape

For those new to the whole internet mixtape boom, I weep for you, because at this point it's nebulous and hard to know where to begin and what's good. Mixes at their best- like Diplo and Santogold's Top Ranking- are better than the albums they promote (See DJ Green Lantern's Nas mix The Nigger Tapes as opposed to the "self titled" album Nas dropped in '08). Top Ranking blends Santogold's self-titled album with her influences- The Clash, dancehall reggae, old school punk, Dub, hip hop, new wave, etc.

Diplo (one of the best DJ's in the world if you didn't know) combines so much awesome shit it makes your head spin. Nimbly going between genres and era's he perfectly contextualizes Santogold's aesthetic. Perfect for driving and hanging out, this mix also has it's good party moments like the 3-6 Mafia's "Late Night," Cutty Ranks "Dutty Six Pack" (which mixes in the bassline from Black Flag's "Six Pack" and adds a dancehall reggae beat and rhyme. AWESOME!) and Tony Matterhorn's "Big Belly Guns" (which mixes the Dead Boys' "Sonic Reducer" and Dead Kennedys "California Uber Alles" with another, even better, dancehall beat and rhyme. Awesome +1). If you like M.I.A, Girl Talk, Kanye, or reggae at all, get this mix and crank it on a worthy sound system (read: big subs).

Here's the mix (Left Click and Follow the link)- Top Ranking

Here's Diplo's remix of Santogold's "Starstruck"

MP3- Starstruck

Here's a few songs off her debut, too just because you've been a good boy/girl/transgender

MP3- Shove It

MP3- Anne

MP3- Lights Out

Right Click The MP3s To Save

And here's Santogold's video for her breakout song "L.E.S. Artistes"

OH! and henceforth I guess her name is Santigold, not Santogold (Her real name is Santi White)

P.S. Diplo's blog is worth checking out too (though it used to be a little better when it was just him posting)

MadDecent

Valentines Day Mixtape

1. How Fucking Romantic- Magnetic Fields

2. Mathilde- Scott Walker

3. My Moon My Man- Feist

4. I'm Not Gonna Teach Him How To Dance With You (The Twelves Remix)- Black Kids

5. I'm Good, I'm Gone- Lykke Li

6. The Most Beautiful Girl In The Room- Flight Of The Conchords

7. The Girls- Calvin Harris

8. Windmills of Your Mind- Dusty Springfield

9. Love Sick- Gang Starr

10. I'll Come Running- Brian Eno

11. Ever Fallen In Love?- Buzzcocks

12. Librarian- My Morning Jacket

13. Love Will Tear Us Apart- Joy Division

14. Heart Of Chambers- Beach House

15. I'm Waiting For The Day- Beach Boys

16. Today Your Love, Tomorrow The World- Ramones

17. Mother Of Pearl- Roxy Music

18. Someone Great- LCD Soundsystem

19. Debra- Beck

(Right Click any of the links to save, the rest you can buy/steal on your own)

Scott Walker

Scott Walker was, is and always will be an enigma. Born in America, he was one of Britain's biggest talents with his work with the Walker Brothers and his solo material in the 60's. He is one of the few people, however, that truly spit in the face of success with his career after the Walker Brothers. His signature crooning style never left him, yet he began to cover and write songs that were morose and heartbreaking, instead of taking his Frank Sinatra/Tony Bennett voice to the bank. After a string of increasingly gutsy solo albums (entitled Scott 1-4), he worked sparingly, before re-emerging with some of the darkest material ever put to music. 1984's 'Climate Of Hunter' and 1995's 'Tilt' enraged certain fans with their morbidity and absolute subjectivity, yet fascinated those on the cutting edge of art and music, who deemed these gothic masterworks. My opinion of these albums and 2006's 'The Drift' are that they are breathtaking, yet are punishing to listen to. You feel as if you've spent time in a mental institution by the time they're over. The voice is this there however, and the writing is absolutely stunning, but you can tell he doesn't give a fuck about pleasing his old Walker Brothers fans a bit. 

The two examples I have for you, show the juxtapositions in the two era's in his career. The first is off 1967's 'Scott' (which got to number 3 on the U.K. charts at the time) and it's his cover of Jack Segal's "When Joanna Loved Me." I don't even want to track down the original because these lyrics might as well have been made by God for him to sing. The string arrangements are very representative of his work at the time and his other albums in the 'Scott' series are much like this.

The second is a fan made video put to "Cossacks Are" off 2006's 'The Drift.' The difference is pretty drastic, like I said. Yet the subject matter he chose for his solo albums were always a little dark, but this is just fucked! Very cerebral and cinematic however, with strong writing and vocal intonation. The fan-made video fits well, as it shows an old snowy town, inter-cut with war footage from 1907 and is edited in the Soviet Montage style to be in rhythm with the music.

Boards Of Canada, eh?

Boards of Canada are an electronic duo that employ minimalistic, repetitive hip hop beats with atmospheric loops and samples that come together to form a hypnotic flow perfect for putting on when you're driving, doing homework or just kickin' back. 1998's 'Music Has The Right To Children' album is one of the seminal works in the retardedly-named IDM (intelligent dance music) genre. I would venture to call this music trip-hop, but even that's a name not worthy of this band. They sound at once futuristic and retro, like a dystopian sci-fi movie, yet maintain a very hip hop feel. Even though their songs are mostly cyclical, they're so well constructed that the progressions sound new every time they're repeated. Plus their albums have plenty of trippy interludes and the songs bleed together perfectly.

To newcomers I can say that if you like "Endtroducing" by DJ Shadow, you will dig on these guys a lot (Radiohead are big fans of BOC and their influence can be heard on 2000's "Kid A" and 2001's "Amnesiac"). The albums that are essential in the Boards of Canada catalog are the aforementioned 'Music Has The Right To Children' and an alternate mix of that album called 'BOC MAXIMA.' 2002's 'Geogaddi' is where to look next if you're down.

Their sound also happens to be conducive to scoring weird-ass found-footage montages by filmmakers who want to cut their teeth editing weird things together in a Soviet Montage kind of way. The first is called "Everything You Do Is A Balloon" off 'BOC MAXIMA.' The mash-up of sound and video on this is perfect and my friend Justin said "it seemed like I was on an Oxy Contin trip for 7 minutes." Be patient because the main beat kicks in at the 1:35 mark. Primus has also used this video footage as well at their concerts.

The next is a fan made video of "Happy Cycling" off 'Music Has The Right To Children' featuring some impressive home-made CG that goes well with a condensed version of the original 7 minute album closer.

Finally a weird mash-up of "ROYGBIV" also off 'Music Has The Right To Children' to what appears to be edited together from commercials and promotional video for software companies in the 80's.

Rod's favorite jazz vocalists and some choice tracks

Sarah Vaughn

The venerable jazz vocalists that most people know have been condensed into a small number of women and Frank Sinatra. Everyone is familiar with the name Billie Holiday, but only a modicum of folk can respect her voice, vocal phrasing, and the overall richness she brought to the jazz vocal genre. Ella Fitzgerald is another jazz vocal legend that had an influence on every female vocalist from Aretha Franklin to Christina Aguillera. As I’m typing, I’m listening to Sarah Vaughn, a jazz vocalist legend who, unlike the aforementioned ladies, isn’t AS recognized by most. Below are some choice cuts I recommend:

1) Sarah Vaughn, “Jim”: In this particular track (which is a sweet ballad about a guy named Jim who doesn’t give Sarah the love she deserves) we’re allotted the opportunity to experience Sarah’s phenomenal range. Clifford Brown’s soft, open horn, eight measure trumpet solo is as warm as a neat serving of scotch and compliments Ms. Vaughn’s vocal phrasing well. I sometimes close my eyes and pretend its 1954 and I’m sitting in a smoky jazz club in Harlem watching Sarah Vaughn perform and trying my best not to get emotional in front of my date.


2) Anita O’Day, “You’d Be So Nice To Come Home To”: Anita O’Day had a crackly and sultry voice that sounded as though she smoked a carton of cigarettes before she got on stage. In this track with Billy May’s Big Band, she exhibits her crisp elocution though her range is not that of the aforementioned Vaughn.


3) Eartha Kitt, “St. Louis Blues”: I can’t listen to Eartha Kitt without thinking of a cat (and for those of you not hip to Ms. Kitt, she was Catwoman before Julie Newmar on the 60s psychabilly version of Batman). Ms. Kitt had a distinct vibrato that’s also evident in her most famous song “Santa Baby”.


4) Dean Martin, “Powder Your Face With Sunshine”: “Dino” was one of the members of the 60s group of “swingers” known as the Rat Pack. When the Pack would perform on stage, Dino was the lively drunk who would walk on stage with his drink and a massive grin. Dean Martin’s off stage persona was completely different. Martin rarely drank (he’d bring a glass of apple juice on the rocks on stage most of the time) and was a devoted family man. Like his fellow Rat Packer, Frank Sinatra, Martin was a medium range crooner with a timber that was unmistakable.


5) Blossom Dearie, “When Sunny Gets Blue”: Blossom Dearie was a well known lounge act in her prime (which was the 50s and 60s) who also had several radio hits. “When Sunny Gets Blue” is a perfect example of her tone: girly, upbeat, and lively.


6) Norah Jones w/ the Charlie Hunter Quartet, “When The Day Is Done”: People give Norah Jones (whose nickname among a number of music critics is “Snore-a Jones”) a lot of grief for making music that sounds too similar. Though I agree in some cases, in most, these critics are wrong…very wrong. Jones is a contemporary artist who is taking the jazz vocalist torch and proudly running with it. She understands jazz is a living art form and is capable of being protean. “When The Day Is Done”, a collaboration with Berkeley guitarist Charlie Hunter and his quartet is proof of her abilities. Her smooth tone and vocal phrasing hark back to the ladies of early jazz.


7) Chet Baker, “Let’s Get Lost”: Like many of his contemporaries, Baker was an extremely talented man with many demons. Unfortunately there were many cases where his demons prevailed. “Let’s Get Lost” is a low tempo ballad where Baker not only croons, but plays the opening trumpet solo and a stellar trumpet solo during the song’s bridge.


8) Diana Krall, “Peel Me A Grape”: Krall is another contemporary jazz vocalist/pianist whose talents are lambasted by music critics. But critics ignore Krall’s striking vocal range and phrasing, and not to mention her stunning good looks.


9) Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong, “I’ve Got My Love To Keep Me Warm”: Ella’s exciting, rich, and girly voice juxtaposed with Armstrong’s craggy “growl” are genius. This particular track always give me goosebumps.


10) Nina Simone, “Don’t Let Me Be Understood”: I got in an argument the other night with some friends about the greatest female jazz vocalist of all time. I’d committed a sacrilege when I said “Nina Simone is good, but…meh, she wasn’t great…certainly not in my top five”. I’m here to apologize (and yes, internet apologies DO carry more weight) and say that alcohol can make one say things they don’t always intend to say. Simone’s soulful voice sends chills down my spine with every note she utters. Her music wasn’t the straight-ahead, big band themed music of her contemporaries and predecessors, but it was stunning nonetheless. Simone’s ballads (especially the track “But Beautiful” which I’ll also mention to make up for my blasphemous comment the other night) remind me of the all consuming feelings I felt when I was in love (a long, long time ago).

Beach House

Beach House's 'Devotion' was an album in 2008 that I LOVED but hesitated to show people, because it seemed to be so largely reliant on the darker side of life. BUTCHAKNOWWHAT?! That was before I had a blog! This husband and wife duo makes bummer music of the highest order, with delicate guitar and vocal melodies over simplistic but perfectly atmospheric organ and keyboard. For music aficionados I'd say it sounds like the funeral marches that are the last two songs on Joy Division's 'Closer.' These songs are lush and calming and are exactly what you need if you're feeling a bit detached.

This is music for rainy days and sunday mornings. Do me a favor. Go to a party. Drink a ton. Make a fool of yourself. Then play these songs on the way home the morning after.

MP3: Beach House- Gila (Right Click To Save)

MP3- Beach House- Heart Of Chambers (Right Click To Save)

MP3: Beach House- Master Of None (Right Click To Save)

Madlib

Madlib is a hip hop producer and DJ from LA who's been one of the biggest parts of the underground scene since his days as a part of the Lootpack. His specialty is making groovy, jazzy music that has a psychedelic feel, and hints of world music. He also has an alter ego, Quasimoto, where he raps with a sped up voice, and collaborated with MF Doom and J Dilla as Madvillian and Jaylib, respectively. I feel it's my responsibility to inform you that you should get very stoned to fully appreciate this music, because that is the state in which he works most of the time. His classic albums are Quasimoto- The Unseen (2000), Madvillian- Madvilliany (2004), Jaylib- Champion Sound (2007), and his mix of the Trojan Dub Reggae catalog, Blunted In The Bomb Shelter (as Madlib in 2002). 

Here's a sampling of his work with an MP3 of a live Jazz, Funk, Hip Hop mix he did for radio station KRCW on their Chocolate City Show in 2001 with a lot of good, rare songs and videos for "Come on Feet!" off Quasimoto's the Unseen and "All Caps" off Madvilliany.

MP3- Chocolate City Mix (Right Click To Save)

Tracklisting for the mix is HERE

Delta Spirit

The Delta Spirit are for drunk people. Drunk balladeers who are full of soul. I was drunk and I am rather full of soul, and when i saw the San Diego band live on February 3rd that the Bottom of The Hill, in SF they spoke to me on a deep level. Their singer, Matt Vasquez, shreds his voice, his impossibly clear yet raspy all-the-same voice, and the band gets you moving with the kind of good old rock and roll thats been lost to this generation. They rely on simple melodies on guitars and piano and pop song structure to highlight the tight rhythm section and the voice of Vasquez. They ain't no sissys either, they have well placed freakouts at the end of songs (especially when they play "Children" live with three people playing drums/percussion) that push them to new heights of emotional brutality (without going too far into any kind of ugly Trent Reznor sadism). Their debut album, "Ode To Sunshine" came out to 2008 and is extremely underrated, probably due to the fact that the only people that know them are people who see them open for people like Matt Costa. However, on the tour they're currently embarking with awesome openers, Dawes, they are the headliners, they can respond to the cries for encore, they can have the full attention of the crowd, and people will take notice, believe me. How can you not with an album cover like this? 

Here's a sample, with an MP3 of "Trashcan," off Ode To Sunshine, a link to their in-studio session @ Daytrotter.com and a video for their single, "Motivation." BUY ODE TO SUNSHINE!

MP3- "Trashcan" (Right Click To Save)

Link- Daytrotter.com Session

Talking Heads- "Once In A Lifetime"

Inspired more by punk's jittery energy than its alienation, the Talking Heads blew a hole in the late 70's and early 80's by constructing likable pop songs pregnant with weirdness and avant gardeism. Ever expanding their sound, the Heads went from the neurotic, rinky-dink funk of "77" to the peak period of "Remain In Light" and "Speaking In Tongues" which led to the penultimate music films of all time- Jonathan Demme's "Stop Making Sense."

"Once In A Lifetime" is one of those songs that you hear a lot ambiently in the store, radio etc, yet the full emotional impact hits you when you hang on the words and feel the existential horror future that he describes as a result of letting your life slip away from you. Combine the lyrics with the futuristic funk of egghead producer Brian Eno and the influence of African musicians like Fela Kuti and you have a hit that both appeals to and subverts the average listener. The video was also a trailblazer, experimenting with sampling random clips and editing them together and combining them via green screen.

Eureka!

Ever since Ramrod posted that first Lee Morgan song it's been driving me crazy, because I knew I'd heard it sampled before. BUT WHERE? Finally found it! It's an RJD2 song from his days with the hip hop collective mHz called "Rain." This is not the first weird moment I've had with that song either. I heard the vocal track in a JC Penny's a while back but with a way different arrangement. Also, more obviously, the first sound in the track is the Pink Floyd "Echoes" ping. Anyways, this is one of RJD2's finest moments, as a DJ/Producer. If you want to get this song, it's off the album "Table Scraps," which is on iTunes. 

Tokyo Knife Attack

Kicking off a new label, Pest Control, is the debut EP 'Circuitcism' from Tokyo Knife Attack. Craig Bell out of Glasgow, UK has also produced under the name Ditone. With influences of electro hip-hop, disco and synth pop, this release was definitely crafted for the dance floor. The EP gets started with Alright, an instrumental with a strong new wave vibe with a modern sound, and finishes strong with Too Much Information, a track heavy with an old school hip-hop/electro groove. This guy is BRAND NEW (as in his first live performance was 11-08-08), so lets help him out and buy his shit and watch out for him when he comes around, and nobody gets hurt!

Flying Lotus

Flying Lotus is a DJ from Los Angeles that creates warm, percussive loops of sound, meant for a sunny afternoon drive in the cuts or a bong sesh in a dank dungeon. His style recalls that of J Dilla or Madlib, yet takes on a very foreign/world music quality pretty often over the course of his debut LP "Los Angeles". If you like very dirty drum beats and have been needing a (mostly) instrumental album to trip out to, look no further as it is QUALITY. Much like Dilla and Madlib, Flying Lotus' style is very jazz oriented with a penchant for looping ethereal stuff and creating a lush atmosphere, then ripping out the rug from under you and switching it up to something to get you grinding. Here's his trippy-in-a-cough-syrup-bender-kinda-way remix of the already wacko Lil Wayne jam "A Milli." (Right Click to Save) 

Lil Wayne- A Milli (Flying Lotus Robo Tussin Remix)

Eric Wareheim of Adult Swim's "Tim and Eric Awesome Show: Great Job!" fame, made the best music video of 2008, in my opinion with his take on Lotus' "Parisian Goldfish". This video is so wild and dirty it got banned from YouTube. Fuck that! This is gold!