Blog-achella 08: The Anti-Christ (plus Friday wrap-up)

To finish out your Friday artists, here's the dude that has the Indie Kids' panties in a bunch. Actually, I'd say their panties are in more of an atomic wedgie situation...

Jack Johnson



Who he is: Easily the most maligned Coachella daily headliner in history. But man, he's just a dude, bra. He just likes to chill and surf and drink a beer and strum his guitar, man. Why you gotta be hatin' on the dude? Why you gotta be peein' on his proverbial carpet? Whaddaya you say, Dude?



Well put!

What he sounds like: He's just up there jammin' with his bras, dude. He's just strummin' and singin' and it's vaguely funky but not really and theres a piano sometimes... but it's just so damn innocuous, dude...

Jack Johnson - If I Had Eyes (ysi)

What I think: ... which is exactly the problem, I guess. For a festival that's built it's reputation by staying away from radio pop, to have the current king of adult alternative radio pop headlining is a bit of a strange choice. Or, if you're a douchebag Indie Kid, it's the end of the feckin' world. You know what, just deal with, ya twatwaffles! There are plenty of your favorite shitty bands playing on Friday, as we've seen, so just let the people who wanna see Jack see him and enjoy him and (most importantly) shut the fuck up. Those people think your favorite band sucks, too. And you know what... they're right.

-----------------------

And so there you have, it... Friday's line-up. Howzabout a little quickie rundown, which I've handily divided into four categories...

Don't Miss: The Verve, Fatboy Slim, Mum, Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings, Spank Rock... yep, that's really all the acts I'd label don't miss... and that's a heckuva fine day of music by itself. But you'd also have time to see some of the bands in category 2 and make it a double heckuva fine day...

Worth A Look: The National, Pendulum, Stars, Midnight Juggernauts, Dan Le Sac vs. Scroobius Pip, Diplo, Adam Freeland, Santogold, Architecture In Helsinki, Cut Copy, Datarock, The Bees, Rogue Wave, Luckyiam... see? You're so gellin'... and you don't even have to bother with...

Meh: The Raconteurs, The Breeders, Tegan and Sara, The Swell Season, Aesop Rock, Does It Offend You, Yeah?, Minus the Bear, John Butler Trio, Busy P, Reverend & The Makers ... who, you know, if that's yer bag and all go for it, but I'll pass... which leaves...

Teh Suck: Slightly Stoopid, Battles, Les Savy Fav, Jens Lekman, Vampire Weekend, Dan Deacon, Black Kids, Sandra Collins, Black Lips, Professor Murder, Porter, American Bang... none of whom should be seen by anyone ever...

But hey, that's just my (extemely well-informed and undebatable) opinion. Next week, we begin Saturday, the day I will be attending... so I might even be arsed to put some effort into it... :P

Have a fantastic weekend!

Blog-achella 08: Don't believe the hype

Stepping out of order for a late addition to the Friday line-up...

Black Kids



Who they are: Some ugly lookin' folks from Jacksonville, Florida, of all places, who, by the way, don't even have a freakin' record out yet... more on that later...

What they sound like: More mediocre Indie rock... more on that later as well...

Black Kids - I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance With You (ysi)

What I think: Okay, I'm going to forego my usual (immensely accurate and hilariously entertaining) comments this time, in order to direct you to this ridiculously dead on article from Idolator. Required reading, that.

You like it kinky?

It's Leap Day, February 29th, the day that only happens once every four years! I had a friend whose birthday was on Leap Day, and when it was actually her birthday, she'd be like "I'm 7!" when actually she was 30... gay...



But anyhoo, it's House Music Leap Day! Today's selection comes from a bunch of Nottingham blokes with the excellent moniker Kinky Movement. Much like Joey Youngman, these guys have just made their way onto my radar recently... but if a label like Drop Music is putting out their jams, you know they got it goin' on. Check out this funky goodness...

Kinky Movement - Be-Bop (ysi)

All night long, baby...

Blog-achella 08: The big reunion

Now here's this year's official Coachella "Reunion To Get All Excited About"... and yeah, I know they've been back together for a few months now, but whateva... close enough!

The Verve



Who they are: Probably the best of all the Brit Rock acts of the '90s (noting that I give Radiohead their own genre of one), and the recipients of one of the biggest fuck-jobs all time courtesy of The Rolling Stones.

What they sound like: They sound like awesome. And this is my favorite, albeit completely depressing, song of theirs...

The Verve - The Drugs Don't Work (ysi)

What I think: There's one real reason I'm pissed I can't go on Friday, and that's because I'll be missing The Verve. Curses, gainful employment! Curses!

Mouf Soundz!

This here is one of those groups that, in addition to making good music, possesses the extra "Wow" factor when it comes to method, and the fact that the group is made up of a bunch of white Austrian dudes... that beatbox... gives it even more "WTF?"...



... and that group is the so-called "vocal groove project" known as Bauchklang. And yep, the song you are about to hear was made nothing but the human voice, some good compression and reverb. Maybe these aren't the only folks that do that sort of thing, but I've never heard it done so well... credit mad skeelz and good songwriting...

Bauchklang - Don't Step (ysi)

Just so you know, I first got tipped to Bauchklang by the excellent blog Comfort Music, which posted a couple tracks a while back, and I liked it so much I went out and got me the album. So suck on that, RIAA!

Here's a little YouTubes look at the boys in action...



Incredible stuff... come to America, Bauchklang! Of course, if you did, some record label putz would probably insist that you change your name to something like Mouf Soundz... on second thought, just keep doin' what yer doin... :P

Blog-achella 08: Jack sheds the deadweight

Question: How is a band a "supergroup" when it only has one famous member? Discuss...

The Raconteurs



Who they are: They're what happened when Jack White decided one day that he'd like to participate in a band in which the other members could actually play their instruments.

What they sound like: Solid rock, I mean, this is by no means bad, but!... I wouldn't say it's terribly interesting...

The Raconteurs - Hands (ysi)

What I think: ... because it's a throwback sound that sounds a lot like a lot of other stuff. Do you really think that people would think this band was all that special if Jack White wasn't in it? Honestly? That said, they're bound to be much better live than The White Stripes, who are just awful to watch. Oh, wait, maybe you like 12-minute guitar masturbations while some borderline retarded chick pounds the snare, tom and kick on the 1's over and over again... because that's what it is, dammit!

Across the ocean, across the styles

A little genre-bending trans-continental remixeroo action today...



... as L.A. (by way of Colorado Springs(!)) hip-hoppers The Procussions meet Parisian DJ/Remixer Grant Phabao and we get some rap inna rubba-dub style. The Procussions have recently broken up to pursue solo stuff, but they put out a couple of nice albums of laid-back, jazzy hip-hop worth peeping. Mr. Phabao is one of those guys keeping the name of King Tubby and the like alive with his dub stylees. This was one of those remixes where nobody ever met anyone, but they sent stuff back and forth on the Interweb tubes and voila!

The Procussions - Simple Song (Grant Phabao Remix) (ysi)

And since this joint was all unofficial-like, it was made available for free at Paris DJs.com, so you can snag it and enjoy it guilt-free... not that you have any guilt about downloading music, ya jackals... :P

Blog-achella 08: Prepare to be unimpressed

And now, I present you with an extremely half-assed post... :P

The Breeders



Who they are: An offshoot of The Pixies, as you might recall... or not... it's been a while.

What they sound like: Gotta be honest with ya... for some reason I know jack diddly shit about The Breeders, except for "Cannonball", so therefore...

The Breeders - Cannonball (ysi)

What I think: I find it hard to get excited about a band that I wasn't even that excited about 15 years ago when they were popular. Does that make me an old curmudgeon? If so, then so be it!

Blog-achella 08: Fatboy Slim is fucking in Indio

I'm sorry, but if you hate on this guy, you're just a wanker...

Fatboy Slim



Who he is: An old, old man who's probably on his last 20 or so brain cells.

What he sounds like: You know, it seems like there's been a bit of a Fatboy Slim backlash, that people don't think he's as relevant as he used to be and that type of hogwash... but hey, Norman is no Moby. Norman doesn't have a gay little overpriced tea shop or hang out at the flash parties or make political statements when nobody gives a shit what he thinks... nope, Norman just does his thing... gets fucking lit, makes big hits (and far better ones at that) and moves asses, like he's done for over a decade. And I'm gonna take you back that far, to what I think may be his best track ever, a track with the most brain-melting breakdown/build-up ever put to wax...

Fatboy Slim - Everybody Needs A 303 (ysi)

What I think: Shit, I just got my vicarious roll on listening to that! The thing about a Fatboy Slim set is that he's having so much fun up there, ripped to the tits, that you can't help but join him. If you've never seen him spin, do NOT miss it. What, you gonna go watch Jack Johnson instead? That would be like passing up free Superbowl tickets to attend a hacky-sack match on your cousin's lawn and grill meat weiners (your stupid cousin was too stoned to remember to buy beef franks) on a rusty hibachi. But hey, if that's what yer into...

Boards of awesome-ness

Today, an act that people have been begging Goldenvoice to book for Coachella for years... the only problem being that these guys pretty much never ever play live.



And that act would be the "mysterious" Scottish brothers Boards Of Canada. Considering how damn good their music is, I can't blame people for wanting to see 'em. There aren't too many people who can touch these dudes' downtempo creations. But you don't get the sense that they don't play out because they're difficult twats (I'm looking in your direction, Richard James), rather that they just kinda carn't be arsed. I mean, you gotta get all the gear together, learn all the songs, slog around in a van... who wants all that bother? These dudes just wanna chill in their little cabins and have tea and crumpets or whatever it is that British people do in their little cabins... and I won't hate on 'em for that. Crumpets are good, yo...

Boards Of Canada - The Beach At Redpoint (ysi)

Just so you know, you pretty much need to own everything Boards Of Canada have put out. So put that on your crumpet and butter it!

Blog-achella 08: The L-word!

If I may be a typical male for a minute...

Tegan And Sara



Who they are: Identical twin sisters and they're lesbians? Now, this sounds like an absolute can't lose situation, right here!

What they sound like: Seems like they've taken their Indie Pop up a notch with a fuller sound lately after getting famous producer guy Chris Walla to do his stuff on their new record...

Tegan And Sara - The Con (ysi)

What I think: ... but it's still not quite my cup of tea. Getting better, though. What can I say... I expect more from lesbian twin sisters. Wait, were we talking about music?

Blog-achella 08: The Oscars rock Coachella... softly...

Okay, I said I watched the Oscars last night... I didn't say anything about paying attention. I didn't even realize that the next Blog-achella act, like, won one. How's that for wacky timing?

The Swell Season



Who they are: The singer from Irish band The Frames and his 19-year-old Czech sex muffin. Nice.

What they sound like: Reaaaaaaalllyy mellow, acoustic and folky. And Oscar-winning! They now have something in common with Juicy J!

The Swell Season - Falling Slowly (ysi)

What I think: It's purdy and all, but trying to see an act that plays music this quiet at Coachella is almost always an act of complete frustration. You either get drowned out by the rawk comin' from the big stage, the boom-boom-boom from the Sahara tent, or the annoying high people who won't just, you know, shut the fuck up for five seconds... so keep that caveat in mind, sucka.

Tunes make the blog go 'round

Well, if it isn't Monday again... watch the Oscars last night? I did, but don't really have any comments because I've only seen like three of the nominated movies. Was happy to see the gal from La Vie En Rose win, though... just watched that movie Saturday and it's a good one. As for the music performed last night... ugh. Just ugh. Obviously they are going to be trying to make up for giving Three Six Mafia that Oscar for a few years. They were drunk, you know... someone slipped 'em some Purp, then next thing you know someone called Juicy J has an Oscar... anyhoo...



I don't think Jazz vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater has ever dropped the hook on a Juicy J production, but despite that shortcoming she's had quite a successful career in Jazz and on Broadway. Since you probably can't read the teeny-tiny print on the album cover, I'll tell you it's called Afro-Blue, it was her first record, and here she does a nice version of one of my favorite jams...

Dee Dee Bridgewater - People Make The World Go Round (ysi)

... love the Innerzone Orchestra version of that song, too... go find it. This record's out-of-print, so get on that Google Blog search if you want the whole thing. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone.

Blog-achella 08: Can't think of a good title for this post...

This week's Blog-achella posts conclude with a band that had one of the most well-reviewed records of the year... but that doesn't necessarily mean they're any good... or does it?

The National



Who they are: A Brooklyn-by-way-of-Cincinnati Indie Rock band. Random tidbit: Watched a documentary last night called Eat This New York about two dudes opening a restaurant in Brooklyn and the New York restaurant tradition in general... very good...

What they sound like: Said well-reviewed record, Boxer, is a very mellow affair, all strings and piano and the singer's baritone voice, but I'm told that their earlier stuff rocked a bit harder.

The National - Fake Empire (Live - from The White Session) (ysi)

What I think: Said baritone voice doesn't always work for me, but it's an okay record, nicely atmospheric. Best of the year? Nah. Rate 'em on the good side of "meh", but there would have to be a lack of other good acts playing at the same time for me to see 'em.

Have a great weekend!

Why haven't they signed Olivia Newton-John?

Since we got all disco-fied yesterday, House Music Friday ventures once more into darker territory...



Get Physical Music is a label that's been doing some real damage lately, serving up the tech-house goodness with acts like Booka Shade and M.A.N.D.Y. topping their impressive roster. You probably already know about those guys, because you're so cool, but maybe you haven't yet met Elektrochemie. They are two German dudes and a girl, which is a much better combination than two girls and one cup. And if you don't get what I mean by that, you're much better off for it. They've got some nice ones out there, and here's one of 'em... deep & dark with breathy female vocals...

Elektrochemie - Caiti (ysi)

Definitely diggin' that sound...

And it's time for some more housecleaning 'round here. This will be your last chance to raid the May archives, 'cuz that stuff's gotta go. There's tunes from folks like Mark Ronson, Cinematic Orchestra, Talking Heads, Plump DJs and a bunch more, ripe for the plunder, so get on it because they will be gone by Monday. However, I did go ahead and re-up the Brazilian "Hello Summer" DJ mix for those of you who might be new around here... so check it out and get your Rio on...

Blog-achella 08: Spare some change?

Prepare your bong load, here's another act for the Jack Johnson fans...

Slightly Stoopid



Who they are: A buncha lunkheads from San Diego, like you couldn't a guessed that. They're into, like, surfin' and beer and partyin', wooo!

What they sound like: If I may steal a concept from Bill Simmons, you've all heard of the phrase "so-n-so is like a poor man's so-n-so". Well he takes that one step farther, to the sub-"poor man's" level, aka the "homeless man's" level, therefore... Slightly Stoopid is like a homeless man's Sublime.

Slightly Stoopid - Everything You Need (ysi)

What I think: Now, I loved Sublime and I'm not diametrically opposed to this kind of music per se (hell, I'll even admit to seeing G. Love & Special Sauce once... at Coachella mind, you... it was early and no one else was playing... and you know what, I didn't hate it), but... these guys kinda stink. Homeless man's, indeed.

Blog-achella 08: Mum's the word

Here's an act that has "sunset time slot" written all over it...

Mum



Who they are: A bunch of happy-looking Icelandic folk. They're just all so freakin' happy in Iceland, aren't they? As a matter of fact, I think I read a news article recently that said Iceland is the best country to live in in the world, based on economics, low crime rate, and the fact that Bjork will come to your house and make you cupcakes if you call her ahead of time. I wanna go to Iceland.

What they sound like: I'm gonna throw "a mellower Boards of Canada with the odd girlie vocal" at ya. Whaddaya think?

Mum - We Have A Map Of The Piano (ysi)

What I think: Like I said, a band like this playing outside while the sun goes down in the desert = fuck and yes. They better make that happen... but then again, Jack Johnson was booked to headline, so all bets are off.

Disco doesn't (always) suck

No, really, I'm serious! Bear with me, here...



Yeah, a large majority of Disco does in fact suck large hairy coconuts, but much like how even a shitty movie can have a couple of good scenes (most likely involving young, supple breasts), it's not all bad. And there are a couple of major sources of this knowledge. One would be TJ Gorton's awesome blog American Athlete and the other would be any disco compilation mixed by Monsieur Dimitri From Paris. Pretty much for me it comes down to the strings. I hate the cheesy disco strings just as much as you do. But you take those strings out, what do you have? Stuff that sounds kinda like House! And we like house! So here's a no-strings-having Latin disco-funk jammy from Dimitri's Disco Forever compilation, courtesy of The LTG Exchange, who I can't find squat about...

The LTG Exchange - Corazon (ysi)

See? It's okay to admit that you sorta kinda like some certain disco songs. No one's gonna hate you for it... I promise!

Blog-achella 08: Bring on the fat guy!

Get ready for the fat guy, but first...

Pendulum



Who they are: Aussies (yep, them... again...) Before the first act plays, everyone at Coachella will join together and lift up their voices in a rousing version of "Waltzing Matilda".

What they sound like: Drum & Bass! It seems like every year, by rule, there is exactly one Drum & Bass act. It's like affirmative action for fading dance music genres... these guys are hard, fast, and often Heavy Metal guitar-y...

Pendulum - Slam (ysi)

What I think: As far as D&B goes, I'm sorry to say I find these guys kinda "meh". The guitars (of which there's a lot in the live clips you can see on their website) are where they lose me. That said, the video for this song is genius...



Dancing Fat Guy = Comedy Gold, every damn time.

Blog-achella 08: Funk fi-yah!

Okay, pretend I was going to Coachella on Friday instead of Saturday (can't, stupid "job")... then I could say "Believe it or not, this is the act I'm most excited to see on Friday", and you'd be like, "Really?", and I'd be like "Really!"

Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings



Who they are: They are one bad black mama and the (mostly) white boys that back her up. Because it seems that most all of the hippest current funk "revival" bands are pretty darn white in composition. Discuss...

What they sound like: Like they stepped straight out of 1965 and straight into your ass! In a good way... In a good way!

Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings - Give Me A Chance (ysi)

What I think: Fuck and yes. I mean, I don't need to say much about it. If you can't dig Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings, you're probably rooting for the terrorists to win. How 'bout some extra video goodness?



Now, if you still can't dig it... (sighs, shakes head dismissively, resumes getting funky)

Don't piss off Primo!

It's been like three months since I served up some old school NYC boom-bap for ya... wassupwiddat?



Jeru The Damaja is probably not a name you've heard too much of recently, but he is certainly a memorable MC of the early '90s. He's got one of those great gravelly voices and his first two albums, produced by none other than DJ Premier, rank as essential releases of the era. But then, it seems, he kinda started acting like a cock, pissed off Primo, and faded into semi-obscurity. The moral of the story? Don't piss off Primo...



"Dont' piss me off, yo."


Fo reals. But he'll always have those first two records, and here's a classic joint for ya...

Jeru The Damaja - Whatever (ysi)

Jeru actually just put out a new album last Fall. Did you know that? Me neither! Point proven! :P

Blog-achella 08: Nice hair, dude

Tryin' to fight off the flu, here... wish me luck...

Stars



Who they are: A group from Montreal, Canada, whose music is thankfully no where near as ridiculous as that one guy's hair. Seriously, dude the diagonal high-lighted pink mohawk is so last week.

What they sound like: Some very nice Indie Pop. I'm almost positive this song has been in a commercial, though I wasn't able to find it. Let's just say if it hasn't, it certainly should be...

Stars - The Night Starts Here (ysi)

What I think: Me likey. Actually, one time I went to Amoeba to shop for music and suddenly found myself smack in the middle of a Stars in-store performance. I was nicely impressed then, and continue to be now. Wow, that politeness doesn't sound like me, does it? Fuck fuck shit! There, that's better...

Blog-achella 08: Oompa Loompa mosh pit!

People have been saying that this year's Coachella lineup is certainly a bit odd, but I think I've figured out what the deal is... I've figured out the exact demographic they are catering to...

Battles



Who they are: A New York band.

What they sound like: I've seen the term "math rock" used. That term is gay. That term does not come close to properly describing this music. This music is Heavy Metal for Oompa Loompas. I dare you to listen to it and not see that...

Battles - Atlas (ysi)

What I think: Man, that's feckin' awful, innit? But certainly the Oompa Loompa dance party at Dan Deacon will make it's way over to these guys for some headbanging... yep, these guys are all over this shit...



"We've found a suitable whore! Let the triple penetration commence!"


I just calls 'em as I sees 'em, folks...

Sings like a bird

Today, a great vocalist who is finally getting her own shine...



British singer Martina Topley-Bird has been heard here on Tonegents a couple of times, doing vocals for both David Holmes and Tricky, but today we take a listen to her first solo album, which features collaborations with folks such as, um... David Holmes and Tricky... oh, well... go with what works for ya, I guess :P The sound is sorta along those dark, sultry Trip-Hop lines as well, and it's a nice listen...

Martina Topley-Bird - Soul Food (ysi)

Martina's got a new one coming out in May, and there are downloadable goodies from that available on her website. Hmm, this blog is sounding like an advertisement today, isn't it? "And the first 10 to order will receive the melon baller, a $25 value, absolutely free!"...

Blog-achella 08: Does he call his tracks "fables"?

Now we have a must-see for the Hip-Hop heads, whose choices are kinda slim at the 'Chella this year...

Aesop Rock



Who he is: White rapper alert!

What he sounds like: Underground Hip-Hop, and I can't lie to ya, homeboy's sound is a bit, shall we say... obtuse...

Aesop Rock - Super Fluke (ysi)

What I think: So yeah, interesting... certainly a unique flow and certainly interesting beats, but not exactly party-starting material, knowhutimean? I'd add more, but I'm still distracted by the Lindsay Lohan photo shoot from New York Magazine that surfaced today. What can I say, men are pigs and I is a men. Sue me. :P

Blog-achella 08: Next!

Blog-achella starts the week all unimpressive-like...

Les Savy Fav



Who they are: A band from Brooklyn that's apparently been around for quite a while, although I'm not particularly sure why.

What they sound like: Shouty Indie Rock.

Les Savy Fav - Pluto (ysi)

What I think: Oh, and did I mention, from photos I've seen it appears that the fat bearded guy is the singer and apparently likes to do shows half naked? Bonus! An affront to both my ears and eyes! Not quite as shit-riffic as that Black Lips nonsense, but not far off...

The ORIGINAL Gangsta

Another one of my all-time favorite artists to start the new week, but this one you might not expect...



Now, don't get me wrong. I hate Country music. Watered-down rock with a slide guitar and an annoying accent? No thank you, sir. So why then, do I love Johnny Cash? Because he's the baddest mutha ever to put a song on wax, that's why! He shot a man in Reno, just to watch him die! Johnny Cash didn't need no beef, he just whacked fools because he was bored! One time, Johnny Cash was playing Ice Cube in basketball... know what happened? Johnny Cash fucked around and got a triple double, that's what! Back when I did this blog on Mysuck, I wrote a whole essay one day about how Johnny Cash was so much more gangsta than 50 Cent, and I stand by that! But I won't rehash the whole thing...

But there's another reason to love Johnny Cash. He was one of the best storytellers ever through his lyrics. Listen to this song, and doubt for a second that Johnny hadn't lived every second of it a thousand times over. Hell, your own hung-over self can probably relate quite well today, US readers on Day 3 of the long weekend...

Johnny Cash - Sunday Morning Coming Down (ysi)

So yes, I hate Country music, but I love Johnny Cash. And if you have a problem with that, Johnny will rise from his grave and kill you with his bare hands, just to watch you die. Don't fuck with Johnny Cash!

This guy is no secret

Time for House Music Friday to get you prepared for the long weekend...



... and again this week, the shuffle landed on one of the truly elite Deep House producers in the game, San Francisco's own Miguel Migs. I've featured one of his incredible remixes before (check here for that slab of goodness), and now it's time for an original. I gotta tell ya, I've always been amazed by how good this guys' records sound. Not only the music, but his production quality is just sick. Almost no one makes the keys sound so warm or the drums so punchy. I'd kill to know how he does it. Well, I assume that he has pieces of gear that cost more than my monthly rent, that's how... but I can't playa hate! Migs is also known for songs with the sweetest vocal melodies, but here's an instrumental, because that's how the shuffle rolls...

Miguel Migs - Secrets (ysi)

Now, although this Japanese 2-disc set costs a bit of coin, it's kinda worth it because you'd have to collect a whole shitload of vinyls to get all this stuff, and it is all, as they say, good...

Blog-achella 08: I'm not making a "shrimp on the barbie" joke, I promise

You know what I see happening right now? I see a supergroup to be announced as a last minute addition... a supergroup featuring Jack-o, Yahoo Serious, Paul Hogan and Bindi Irwin on vocals...

Midnight Juggernauts



Who they are: Did you think you'd seen enough Australian bands yet? Well, too bad! Maybe this year's festival is sponsored by Foster's and I missed that somehow...

What they sound like: More Indie Dance music...

Midnight Juggernauts - Shadows (ysi)

What I think: ... but these guys are my favorite of the lot, so far. Their tracks started hitting the blogs last summer, and I was pretty much immediately on board. Although some folks were disappointed with their album when it finally dropped, I like it well enough... and who are you gonna believe, me or them?

The greatest band in the world

I've been doing this blog for nearly a year now, and finally I'm posting a song from my favorite band of all time...



I know that cover won't tell you who it is, but this 2-disc compilation does include a remix of the band that is simply better at music than everyone else and that band is... (drumroll)... Radiohead! OMGWTFLOL! A blogger whose favorite band is Radiohead?!!?!?! I've never heard of such a thing! This kind of paradigm-shifting craziness might just break the interwebs! I know, I know... but hey, there's a reason Radiohead is so popular... they make your favorite band sound like amateurs. The only thing that has held me back from posting a track up here is that seemingly every single thing they've done has been covered a million times over... but I think I've found one that hasn't been blogged yet, at least according to Hype Machine and Elbows searches I did. And that track is this remix of "Planet Telex", from The Bends, courtesy of the mighty Mr. J. Saul Kane, aka Depth Charge. He puts the track against a huge dub baseline, a huge-ier boom-bap beat, and drenches the vocal in echoes, stretching it out into a 7 1/2 minute head trip. Dig it...

Radiohead - Planet Telex (Depth Charge Mix) (ysi)

Ahh, nothing beats a good Radiohead remix. I hope this one is new to you, and encourage you to pick this comp up for the 5 bucks it's selling for on Amazon. This puppy didn't leave my CD player for months after I picked it up, and I would probably rate it as one of the best I've ever heard... just look at this tracklist... heavy hitters top to bottom! Get on that...

Blog-achella 08: Vote Obama!

Lacking a particularly entertaining and relevant opening comment at this time, let me just say that I'm loving that Obama is starting to kick Hillary's butt at the polls...

Does It Offend You, Yeah?



Who they are: A British duo who easily adapt to blend into the natural background and escape from hungry predators, such as the hyena. Hyenas will fuck you up.

What they sound like: On the song below they kind of sound like a more aggro version of Chromeo, what with the vocodered vocals and all, but on a couple of other tracks I heard, the vocals are more shouty and obnoxious...

Does It Offend You, Yeah? - We Are Rockstars (ysi)

What I think: There are a large number of acts of Friday that are prepared to give you a serious case of tinnitus with their grindy analog synthamathizers, and these guys are one of them. In other words, "meh".

And speaking of Obama, there's this music video that Will.I.Am made that sort of makes a song out of one of his speeches. It's pretty cool, especially for the fact that he somehow convinced Esthero to back away from the gravity bong long enough to show up for the video shoot...



All kidding aside, though, Barack Obama is the guy we need to elect to be the next President of the United States... let's make it happen!

Blog-achella 08: Let's get wanky

Next up, we have another band making a return appearance at the 'Chella, although for these guys it's been a couple years...

Minus The Bear



Who they are: A Seattle band that eschews the flannel for a multi-pack of T-Shirts from the Ross clearance aisle.

What they sound like: A couple of years ago when I reviewed them, I seemed to think that they were a moderately clever yet ultimately forgettable Indie Pop band. Since then, they seem to have added a keyboard player and gotten more experimental in sound, lovin' 'em some odd time signatures... basically a lot more wanky...

Minus The Bear - Dr. L'ling (ysi)

What I think: I guess I'd say... nice try, but you're not yet there, boys. A good measuring stick for a band is how well they can pull off disappearing up their own arse. You gotta be really, really good to make your most self-indulgent efforts worthwhile (like, say, Radiohead in the "Kid A/Amnesiac" period). If you're some guys who were just "meh" in the first place... hmph.

Post #300 = This! Is! Sparta! Okay! Not! Really!

Since I'm so gay for posting something special when I hit a milestone, and this is post #300 at Tonegents, here is a mini-mix I put together recently for another project... but now share with you. Not a beat in sight here, folks. So put on your headphones and tune out the annoying bastards you work with...

Tonegent presents "Level 1: Ambient"

(Continuous Mix - 24:46 - 43.75Mb @ 224kps VBR)


1) Global Communication - 4 14
2) Klimek - Milk (Klimek Remix)
3) Manual - Azure Vista
4) Alice Coltrane - The Ankh of Amen-Ra


Enjoy!

Blog-achella 08: Return engagment

Okay here's a first, an act that played last year, too. You can see what I said about them then, although it wasn't much. Musta been busy that day or something...

Spank Rock



Who he is: You know, I'm still not 100% sure if Spank Rock was a guy or a group... I think now that he's a guy, that one up there... but anyhoo, whatever Spank Rock actually is, it's the flagship act of the Baltimore sound.

What he sounds like: The 2 Live Crew of today, if you don't believe me, just check out the cover of his recent "Bangers & Cash" EP... yikes!

Spank Rock - Bump (ysi)

What I think: I think you should go see Spank Rock and shake your ass. So just do it, already! :P

Your home for fine interior accessories

More unknown producers turning out fabulous music today...



So, Mitchell & Dewbury, huh? Sounds like a place to buy some fine linens or perhaps a classy end table. Where are you registered for your wedding? Mitchell & Dewbury. Lovely, I'll get you the Onieda Silver dinner set. Okay, not really. They're a couple of dudes with some pretty serious steez, if you read their bio. And this track, from an excellent 2-CD compilation, is a vocal Nu Jazz epic. Just super lush and warm and fuzzy...

Mitchell & Dewbury - Spaces & Places (ysi)

I'd say more, but I just happened to be made aware of the John Mayer/Borat pictures and quite frankly I'm a little disturbed...

Blog-achella 08: What's a Scroobius?

Some extremely British music here...

Dan Le Sac Vs. Scroobius Pip



Who they are: A couple of British dudes that look like they live in a van under an overpass and shouldn't be allowed near schoolyards... I'm just sayin'...

What they sound like: A pleasant surprise! They sound very much like The Streets, but with better backing music, sort of lo-fi electronica. Be sure to check the hilarious yet mostly dead-on lyrics to this song...

Dan Le Sac vs. Scroobius Pip - Thou Shalt Always Kill (ysi)

What I think: If you saw them live, would you be able to understand a single word they said? Find out Friday at Coachella!

Blog-achella 08: This one could be mad decent

Back to this Blog-achella business, where Natalie Cole will not be playing this year...

Diplo



Who he is: Crazy record spinning, M.I.A.-boning DJ from Florida, Philly and pretty much everywhere else. Don't you think he looks like one of the fucked-up kids from a Larry Clark movie? Kinda scary.

What he sounds like: From what I gather, he's likely to play anything in a set, but he's best known for Mash-Ups, Baile Funk and booty music in general... this track will give you a bit of an idea...

Diplo - Diplo Rhythm (ysi)

What I think: Never seen him, but I'd very much like to just to see how it goes... could be a Z-Trip like "every beat and the kitchen sink" set (which I love) or could be an hour straight of Baltimore booty bass crap. We'll find out!

Natalie Cole can bite me!

Now, we all know the Grammys are a big joke, but I must report on one thing from last night that pissed me off, namely Natalie Cole saying that Amy Winehouse didn't deserve her Grammys because of her famous tabloid exploits. Actually, she deserved her Grammys for making a fantastic album, Natalie Cole - and it was even her own material! What, are you just bitter because the only hit you ever had was a gimmicky cover version of one of your dad's songs, which was basically just you doing karaoke? A singers' personal problems have nothing to do with the quality of their music. You yourself admitted to having a major heroin and crack problem in the past, and you're gonna hate on this chick? You gonna give your Grammys back? Didn't think so. Fuck off, Natalie Cole. Go get hit by a bus, you self-righteous hypocrite.



Anyhoo, let's cool off the hate with a little love & happiness, shall we? Here, off a fantastic old Soul/Funk compilation on the always quality BBE Music is pianist Monty Alexander doing a bouncy Reggae/Jazz take on the Al Green classic, complete with some nice guitar playing, too...

Monty Alexander - Love And Happiness (ysi)

Smooth. And here's an awesome fact about this song from Rolling Stone...

"Guitarist Hodges wrote the urgent, romantic "Love and Happiness" one morning in between having sex with his girlfriend and watching wrestling on TV."

I can't tell you how much I love that. Morning sex, pen a timeless classic, watch Bruno Sammartino and the Iron Sheik in a steel cage match. That's the life! Peace, everyone... except Natalie Cole, who can suck it.

Blog-achella 08: Breaks biznezz

Time for the last Blog-achella post of the week, and we're going to end up back in the Sahara Tent...

Adam Freeland



Who he is: One of the most respected Breaks DJ's out there, and has been for quite some time.

What he sounds like: Well, I kind of gave that away up there, didn't I? Expect funky, techy Breaks up yer earholes. Here's a recent original...

Adam Freeland - Silverlake Pills (ysi)

What I think: If I had my choice of Breaks DJ's, Freeland wouldn't necessarily be on the top of the list (that would be Plump DJ's, btw) but if you want to end your Friday night dancing your face off, the likely
Adam Freeland/Fatboy Slim back-to-back action is a pretty damn nice way to do it.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

He's kinda tubby, and his beats are fat, too.

House Music Friday brings you yet another A-list producer...



First off, the thing I didn't know about Ian Pooley... he's German! Huh? Well, turns out Pooley's not his real name - it's Pinnekamp. Hmmm, I'm voting good move on the change. Pinnekamp doesn't exactly flow from the tongue, does it? (Also, I didn't realize that ol' Ian needs to lay off the ham sandwiches a bit... homeboy's a bit chunky.) Anyhoo, whatever his name is, he's put out three full albums of Brazilian-influenced house goodness and has at least a couple stone-cold classics to his name ("What's Your Number?", "Balmes" with Esthero), plus lots and lots of top-notch remixes. That said, this track is none of those things... but it is a nice instrumental Deep House number, very summery...

Ian Pooley - Here We Go (New Version) (ysi)

Pooley's got a new one due out in the next couple of months. You can bet I'll be checking that one out and you should, too. Why? Because I said so, that's why! Don't argue with me... I'll send you to your room!

Blog-achella 08: Santo-good!

Here's a bad-ass sista for ya...

Santogold



Who she is: A gal from Brooklyn via Philly who makes her own beats, always a plus!

What she sounds like: Well, I don't think her full album has even come out yet, but from the few tracks I've heard, she sounds quite a bit like M.I.A, I gotta say...

Santogold - Creator (ysi)

What I think: ... which is a good thing! Me likey! And um... I can't really come up with any good comedy for this one right now, so here's a sketch from Chelsea Lately that I'm in...



You know you want this!

Blog-achella 08: Loves the gays

Disclaimer: The management of Tonegents would like to say at this time that despite the comedy contained below, Tonegents does not in any way support the punching of gay people...well, unless they're also annoyingly twee musicians...

Jens Lekman



Who he is: A sensitive Swedish singer/songwriter (alliteration, bitchez!)

What he sounds like: I wanted to say that he sounds like Jose Gonzalez dipped in three coats of gay... but the voice doesn't really match... ah, fuck it. I like the joke, I'm runnin' with it...

Jens Lekman - Your Arms Around Me (ysi)

What I think: I know you looked at that picture up there, and you thought to yourself "Hmm, I'm pretty sure that upon hearing this guy's music, I'm going to want to punch him in the face", but then you heard the song and you're like "Hmm, maybe not! That's a decent song." Well, trust me, if you heard too many more of his songs, you would in fact want to punch him in face... because it gets a lot wussier from here.

P.S. Don't punch gays.

Hey, I forgot to put a title on this post!

This one is for ma laday...



Oooh yeah... you know what we're missin' around here? Some slow jamz... and I brought in a guest DJ to help me out...



"Welcome to We-Love Radio, this is Mister Senor Love Daddy comin' to you from around the block, around the clock. Yes, children, this is the cool-out corner. We're slowing it down for all the lovers in the house. I'll be giving you all the help you need. Musically, that is. The rest is up to you, but I know you know what to do. So grab your lover, squeeze 'em tight, and dig the smooth sounds of Rufus & Chaka Khan..."

Rufus & Chaka Khan - Sweet Thing (ysi)

"...and that's the triple truth, Ruth..."

Blog-achella 08: Time to jam, bra!

I think these guys might be on the bill so Jack Johnson has someone to play hacky-sack with...

John Butler Trio



Who they are: Yet another Australian band (although Mr. Butler was born in Cali). Last year it was the Canucks, this year it's the Aussies.

What they sound like: Jam band alert! Lock up your patchouli and/or your bong! 'Cause that shit's gonna get totally bogarted!

John Butler Trio - Better Than (ysi)

What I think: While certainly nothing special, I'll take these guys over the last couple acts any day. As much this is music for dirty, dirty hippies, I can't totally hate on it. (Full disclosure: I totally dug the Spin Doctors when I was in college... hate me!) But maybe I'm defending this because the hipsters are so quick to hate on it, and quite frankly the hip-sters may be an even more pathetic group of losers than the hip-pies (italics added to emphasize cleverness). Discuss...

Blog-achella 08: You're kidding me, right?

If there's one act out there that's getting their cyber-knob collectively slobbed by bloggers more than that Dan Deacon idiot, it's these guys...

Vampire Weekend



Who they are: Four smarty-pants Columbia grads.

What they sound like: Like they only own two albums, Paul Simon's Graceland and... no, actually, that's probably the only one they own...

Vampire Weekend - Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa (ysi)

What I think: Weak sauce. Exactly the kind of music you'd expect a bunch of too smart for their britches Ivy Leaguers to make... and I'm sure it kills at their shows down at the Student Union. I mean, come on, people! You're going crazy for this? You are so freakin' white...

Syracuse funk?!?!?!

Yet another return appearance here at Tonegents... sorta...



... because here we have our second track from a Keb Darge compilation to pop up in the shuffle. Keb is a Scottish DJ that lives and breathes the deep Funk (actually, I think he may have even coined the term), and his comps are just full of rare fire you seemingly can't get anywhere else... well at least not without a wad of Ben Franklins in your pocket. Now, Bad Medicine, an all white guy funk band from Syracuse, NY (!!!!!), are pretty much known only for their well-sampled cut "Trespasser", but here Keb drops the b-side, because that's how guys like him roll...

Bad Medicine - Trespasser, Pt. 2 (ysi)

Syracuse, home of more than just a pathetic college football team! And do you believe that the only place I found that has this in stock is Barnes & Noble? How weird is that? (Answer: kinda weird)

Blog-achella 08: I don't get it

Sometimes you read the blogs and they are all raving about this particular new act. Your interest is piqued so you download a track by this incredible,amazing,OMG BEST MUZIK EVARRRR new act, and you listen to it and you think... what in the HELL are these people thinking? This is one of those times...

Dan Deacon



Who he is: A possibly retarded guy from Baltimore

What he sounds like: I thought long and hard about how to describe this, but the best thing I could come up with is that it's dance music... for Oompa-Loompas on crack...

Dan Deacon - Wham City (ysi)

What I think: I like to think I'm all hip, I'm cool, I'm in the know... but I am man enough to admit... I don't get it. I see the YouTubes videos of the kids going crazy at this guys shows, and I think to myself... these are not humans, they are crack-smoking Oompa-Loompas, because that's who this music is for. I mean, this just makes me want to pour battery acid into my auditory canals. But hey, maybe I just don't get it...

Miles away from the standards...

Another heavy hitter makes a return visit to the blog today...



But this is not the Miles Davis you hear every day. Amandla was his next-to-last album, and gets the gas face from a lot of people who bring up the dreaded word... fusion... aaaaagh noooooo! And while it does resemble that description (the drum sounds are way-'80s) and certainly isn't anywhere near the level of his classics, it's a decent listen. Hey, the dude was 63 years old at this point... cut him some slack and give him some props for trying to stay current. (Actually his very last album, Doo-Bop, in which he gets into Hip-Hop, is really, really good.) Here's the lead-off track, it's got kind of a "city at night" vibe to it... judge for yourself...

Miles Davis - Catembe (ysi)

See, that's not bad. I imagine if Miles were still around today, he'd be jamming with people like Squarepusher and making some crazy shit. Of course, he'd be 81 now... actually he'd probably just be yelling at some kids to stay off his lawn...

Blog-achella 08: Dare I say "quirky"?

Hey, did I mention the Giants won? SUCK IT, TOM BRADY!!!!

Okay, I promise I'm done with the football smack...

Architecture In Helsinki



Who they are: A whole bunch of folks from Australia again... I told you the Aussie music scene is happenin' these days. Too bad they couldn't get a Midnight Oil reunion together. That would be the dingo's bollocks!

What they sound like: I hate to use the word quirky, because music described has such tends to trigger my gag reflex, but this is some pretty darn quirky Pop...

Architecture In Helsinki - Do The Whirlwind (ysi)

What I think: Really like this song, but haven't heard another of theirs that I've liked as much. Does that count as "meh"? Hmm... I'll get back to you on that...

SUCK IT BELICHICK, OR HOWEVER THE HELL YOU SPELL YOUR NAME!!!!

(Sorry.)

Blog-achella 08: Boom-ch, Boom-ch, Boom-ch, Boom-ch...

Time for the Sahara Tent freaks to get some love:





Who she is: A DJ who has seemingly been on the L.A. scene fo-evah.

What she sounds like: Unfortunately, she plays bad trance. I scoured the interwebs high and low for a sample for ya, and here's the best I could do. If you're interested, go ahead and download. I haven't had any problems grabbing stuff from this site...

Sandra Collins Live Set

What I think: I've seen her play a few times, most notably one New Years morning at this after-hours where I hung out with this dude who looked exactly like Jeff Bridges for a few hours. He claimed his name was "Todd"... yeah, sure buddy... or should I say, "Dude"...

... oh, and her music pretty much sucked...

Suck it, Pats!

GIANTS WIN!!! GIANTS WIN!!! THEY SHOCKED THE WORLD!!! SUCK IT, PATS FANS!!! SUCK IT HARD!!!

Okay, now that I've got that out of my system...



... here's some really nice downtempo from the defunct Nuphonic label, which I've mentioned around here before. Again, there's not a lot of information out there about Fug, especially not on why some folks would choose such a crap-tastic name for their band. But that aside, this extremely overlooked record goes toe-to-toe with anything by Zero 7 or Morcheeba and holds its own quite nicely...

Fug - Thin Air (ysi)

... but seriously though, can you believe that 3rd & 15 play where Eli got away from three guys who had him by the shirt, lofts it up there, and Tyree caught it with his freakin HEAD!



Ho. Lee. Shit.


And yes, I know many of you have no idea what I'm talking about... just bear with me here...

Blog-achella 08: Enter the French

There's gonna be a LOT of this next kind of music at Coachella this year, so I hope ya like it! Yeah, right, like you'd have to spend even a second at this festival listening to something you didn't like...

Busy P



Who he is: Mr. Pedro Winter, the head of Ed Banger Records and seemingly one goofy motherfucker :P

What he sounds like: Well, he's the head of Ed Banger, so it's that grindy, dirty French Electro/House that the kids are all crazy for these days. This is most definitely going to be a DJ set, but here's one of his own for ya...

Busy P - Rainbow Man (ysi)

What I think: Not really lovin' that song, but again... DJ set. The thing with this French sound is that it can literally from song to song go from really good to intensely irritating, so who knows? How's that for conclusive?

Have a great weekend!

Go Giants! (plus music)

This week's House Music Friday presents one of my favorite producer/remixers...



... and that man would be Mr. Fred Everything, formerly of Montreal, now based in San Francisco. Them's two damn good cities to hang out in, right there! I'd love to have something a little more interesting on the guy, but really... a lot of these house music producers aren't terribly interesting dudes. They don't really need to have much of a personality... they make music, they go out and DJ, they smoke cigarettes and they probably get a lot of hummers from E'd-up groupies. Actually that sounds like a great time... but it don't give me much fodder for clever commentary. But who needs commentary when you got some funky deep house?

Fred Everything - Winter Blues (ysi)

Not nearly as depressing as the song title would suggest, huh? You know who's gonna be depressed this weekend? Patriots fans, that's who, when my New York Football Giants shock the world!!!!!

(Okay, that's probably not gonna happen...)