They're huge in Europe...

Back at 'em! Pickin' it up with the funk...



Plantlife are a Los Angeles group that pretty much no one in Los Angeles knows about. Why? I dunno, probably because they're good. L.A. people aren't really into good music as a whole, friends of this blog excepted. They have, however, picked up quite a following across the pond, where people seem more interested in good new music in general. Gilles caned this record quite vigorously, and it was actually #1 on his year-end Worldwide Winners poll in 2004 - voted by the listeners, so there! It's a real throwback record, taking Parliament, Sly Stone and Prince, shoving 'em through the hip-hop tube and coming out the other end with one of the best pure funk releases in years. So yeah, the sound is retro and new all at the same time, and as you know, we like that around here...

Plantlife - We Can Get High

Buy It!

Word is to expect a new album this year, and I hope that happens. Maybe America will catch on this time. Somehow I doubt it though... sigh...

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So how was the big hoo-hah this weekend? I tried to watch some of it on the simulcast but my shitty DSL connection just made it too annoying. Video was almost non-existant and the sound wouldn't play more than 30 seconds without dropouts. I hate DSL so much... I hate it like it was the love child of Interpol and Deerhoof! Did anybody follow any of my recommendations? Are you praising my name for cluing you in on the awesome or are you cursing my bald head for wasting your time with the suck... lemme know!

This one's gonna be big...

Something brand new for ya, for a change!



Ben Westbeech is one of the first artists signed to Gilles Peterson's new Brownswood Recordings label, so you know he's got some game. A lot of people are comparing him to Jamiroquai, and I guess I sorta see it, although without the hat... but ya know, I'm over the hat, so I'll vote for Mr. Westbeech. As for the song, well... anthem of the summer anyone?

Ben Westbeech - So Good Today

I think just maybe...

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And this, well... maybe the mash-up thing has run it's course after all! :P



Have a great weekend!

Diamond in the back / Sunroof top...

... Diggin' the scene / With a gangster lean / Ooooh...



William DeVaughn was basically a one hit wonder, but what a hit, huh? He was a Washington D.C. government employee with a part-time interest in performing music, and basically came up with this song, saved his pennies, and went and recorded it (with an ace backing band). Not too shabby. I, as probably most of you did, first heard this song through Massive Attack's very faithful cover on Blue Lines, and then picked this original up as part of a big-ass box set, which I won in a silent auction at some fundraiser thingy (best 50 bucks I ever spent, music wise). Enjoy.

William DeVaughn - Be Thankful For What You Got

Words to live by, folks, fo' real.

Enough of this Coachella nonsense...

... we now return you to the previously scheduled program...



The Amalgamation of Soundz are yet another one of those producing teams that are just a couple of faceless, yet most assuredly dorky, dudes who for some reason cannot miss when they put out a tune or remix... and they've put out plenty, on a number of different labels. This here track is the first one on their second full length album (creatively titled Part 2 - I guess they used it all up on the music), and what a starter it is... super smooth, atmospheric breaks...

The Amalgamation of Soundz - For Real

Ya know, it's hard to come up with a funny, relevant anecdote for such relatively anonymous artists... so here, for your comedic portion of the blog today, is a guy ghostriding his whip into a telephone pole...



That's gonna leave a mark! Boing!

Blog-achella - Set Times & Recommendations

They're heeee-eeere... the Coachella set times, that is. And even though I won't be attending this little soiree, I still got some set time love for ya. Just do what I say, and you'll be in Fun City all weekend. Defy me and you're in Suck Town!

FRIDAY


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2:00 - 2:45: Flosstradamus & Kid Sister (Coachella Stage) - Now, I know that no one ever actually shows up to this thing on time, but I'll start from the beginning of the schedule anyway, cuz that's how I roll, bee-yatch. And while I'm still sitting here in my cave of an office at Extra hating my life, you can be out in the sun catching some good tunes, so you better. These guys are a late add... fun hip-hop/party mix DJ kids, and should lay down some party-starting tunes. Check the links for music samples.

3:00 - 3:45: Brother Ali (Coachella Stage) - Dude, they put the albino out in the hot-ass sun... what a bunch of cacks!

3:45 - 4:30: The Comedians of Comedy (Gobi Tent) - The last 45 minutes of their show will most likely include Patton Oswalt's set, which will be full of hatred and bile... and laughs!

4:30 - 6:00: Go grab a beer and some grub. Seriously, you won't be missing anything.

6:00 - 6:50: Amy Winehouse (Gobi Tent) - From beer to Amy Winehouse = a fitting segue.

6:50 - 7:30: Digitalism (Sahara Tent) - You may notice I'm not allowing for walk time in between the stages. That is because I am assuming you will all have jet packs.

7:30 - 8:15: Peaches (Outdoor Theater) - Probably the best chance for fun in another mediocre time slot. She says "fuck" alot. It's fun to say "fuck". Fuck Fuck Fuck.

8:40 - 9:30: Peeping Tom (Mojave Tent) - Yeah, you could catch the last couple of Jesus & Mary Chain songs after Peaches, but i'm trying to be at least slightly realistic here. Mr. Patton doesn't have much competition in this slot, and should have some surprise guests. You know who doesn't like surprises? Hitler.

9:30 - 10:20: Brazilian Girls (Gobi Tent) - Because you know you want to sing "Pussypussypussy Marijuana" at the top of your lungs. Don't even front like you don't. I also wouldn't hate on anyone for splitting this time slot up between these guys and Faithless... actually that's probably the way to go.

10:45 - End: Bjork (Coachella Stage) - And then they fuck the electronic fans. Bjork, DJ Shadow and Evil Nine all playing at the same time. Fuckers. Bjork wins, of course, but I would be shaking my fist in Goldenvoice's general direction over this one.

Probably one of the weakest single days of Coachella I can think of, but still pretty dang good, because it has Bjork in it. Let's be real though, Friday's just a warm-up day anyway.

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SATURDAY


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12:45 - 1:20: Fields (Mojave Tent) - 'Cuz ya gotta start somewhere...

1:30 - 2:15: Pharoahe Monch (Coachella Stage) - 'Cuz then ya gotta go somewhere after that, in order to properly work up your thirst.

2:15 - 3:15: Beer. Food. Plenty of it. You're going to be dancing for the next nine hours.

3:15 - 4:10: DJ Heather (Sahara Tent) - Starting with the only boompty-boomp house DJ on the bill. And we all need some boompty-boomp whenever we can get it.

4:10 - 5:00: Hot Chip (Mojave Tent) - Nerd out with the white boys. Dance with a cute girl with glasses.

5:10 - 6:40: MSTRKRFT (Sahara Tent) - The length of this set scares me a bit that it may just be a DJ set, but hopefully maybe it'll be half and half. Either way = bangin'! But hey, you can always bop over it PB&J if it ain't workin' for ya.

6:40 - 7:30: !!! (Mojave Tent) - I might be more impressed with the new !!! album than with anything else I've heard come out this year... just sayin'...

7:30 - 8:10: Ghostface Killah (Outdoor Theater) - You've been in the tents for a while now. Go out and get some air. Some extremely marijuana-heavy air.

8:10 - 9:10: Ozomatli (Mojave Tent) - I think ultimately Justice may just be a little too head-poundy for more than a quick look-see, so go with ol' reliable.

9:30 - 10:10: LCD Soundsystem (Sahara Tent) - Because they are awesome. But, you may notice that I recommend you leave a smidge early, and that is because...

10:00 - 10:45: Gotan Project (Outdoor Theater) - ... these guys under the stars is just too good to pass up on. Pry yourself away from the last couple LCD songs. You'll thank me for it.

11:00 - End: Cornelius (Gobi Tent) - As much as I have been digging The Rapture lately, this dude just feels like a better night-ender to me. Maybe I'm weird. Strike that, I know I'm weird. I just think the trippy visuals will be key, as opposed to looking at yet another group of scruffy dudes in tight pants. Or you could just entertain yourself by going to the big stage and throwing empty water bottles at Tiesto...

And that, my friends is a hell of a day.

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SUNDAY


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1:30 - 2:10: Kid Beyond (Gobi Tent) - If you can actually make it outta bed and to the show this early on Sunday, a) you are a beast and b) you will be rewarded with some seriously cool beatboxing and live-looping maneuvers.

2:10 - 4:00: Jack shit. You're not getting here before 4 anyways, so no sweat.

4:00 - 4:30: Explosions In The Sky (Coachella Stage) - Too early and too bright out for these guys, but they're worth a look. Then, after this, it's time to run around like a chicken with your head cut off thanks to a scheduling trainwreck...

4:40 - 5:00: Junior Boys (Mojave Tent) - Here's where you meet the cute girl with glasses you danced with at Hot Chip again. You only have 20 minutes though, so make it good.

5:00 - 5:40: Rodrigo y Gabriela (Gobi Tent) - Just too impressive to skip. You just missed all of Soulwax though. D'oh!

5:40 - 6:05: The Roots (Coachella Stage) - And you missed most of The Roots. More fist shaking is in order! But hopefully you've seen 'em many times before and that will ease the pain.

6:05 - 6:55: Kaiser Chiefs (Outdoor Theater) - Over CSS in a close one.

7:10 - 8:00: Klaxons (Mojave Tent) - Maybe mixed with a little Jose Gonzalez... but he's just so darn mellow, I see thumping from elsewhere possibly ruining his vibe a bit (see: Beck a couple years back).

8:35 - 9:25: Air (Outdoor Theater) - No explanation necessary. Although the sun will probably already be down... they should have put them on an hour earlier.

9:40 - 10:30: Happy Mondays (Sahara Tent) - Manu Chao and Teddybears are interesting, but to the Madchester fan in me, this is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to get my melon twisted properly.

11:05 - End: Spank Rock (Gobi Tent) - Because Rage can blow me. I don't feel like joining a mosh pit after three straight days of Coachella goodness. Hell, I'm usually barely able to stand up by the end of Sunday...

... he says as if he's actually going. Nope, I'll be home catchin' all the festivities on the simulcast with a cat on my lap. But I expect to hear stories, especially if you dare to follow my advice...

Do you dare?

Do you?

They probably hate Richard Gere, too...

What a fantastic weekend... but it's over. Hopefully some music can take the pain away from the soul-crushing reality that you are now back at work...



Fitting as to start off the week of Coachella with a band that turned in one of my all time favorite sets there, British-Indian rockers Cornershop. 2nd stage - Saturday afternoon - 2002 - Can you believe that was 5 years ago? They were fantastic though, and LOUD! And they haven't released any new music since... the slackers! Their website claims that they are actually working on new material, and I hope so, because all three of their albums are primo and they are easily one of the most unique bands out there. This here is a cut off the very first record, and I'm pretty sure was the first track of theirs I ever heard, and I'm also pretty sure Chris Douridas was the one that played it on KCRW. Which makes for a perfect opportunity to remind Nic Harcourt that he can blow me...

Cornershop - 6 A.M Jullandar Shere

Will we have more blasts from Coachellas past this week? Only the shuffle knows...

The Sensory Wave, Manifested In The Hips... Huh?

Funky and Friday... they go together like bacon and eggs, Laverne and Shirley, stalkers and restraining orders...



Another old one here... The Mighty Bop's "La Vague Sensorielle" was one of the very first releases on Bruno Guez's Quango label, from 1995. The Mighty Bop is actually one of the many pseudonyms of that Frenchy pretty boy Bob Sinclar, which is actually a pseudonym, too. (Dude's real name is Christophe Le Friant, if you care... but how weird is that, having a pseudonym that is in itself a normal name? Like if I decided to put out something under the name, I dunno, Greg Johnson or something? WTF?). Anyhoo, this album found Bobby, as his friends call him, collaborating with DJ Cam and Le Funk Mob, so it was kind of a French hip-hop supagroop! Sample-heavy stuff, as the downtempo of the day tended to be...

The Mighty Bop - Le Voyage

Buy It!

Is it just me, or is that sampled guitar line the same one Gang Starr used in "Manifest", just pitched differently? You tell me...

Gang Starr - Manifest

Might very well be... but I know what you're saying. You're saying, "Tone, if you were really as cool as you think you are, you'd have that sample source right there on your little hard drive, too." Well, I just so happen to, cuz I is exactly cool as what I done thunk I is :P

James Brown - Bring It Up (Hipster's Avenue)

Okay, not exactly obscure. I'm still kinda cool... sorta...

A Lesser-Known Ninja

Yet another compilation track today. I swear I actually own some artist albums... you'll see...



I try to keep abreast (I said "breast"... hehe) of every thing going down at the mighty Ninja Tune label, but somehow Mr. Chris Bowden has generally escaped my radar. Yes, even though I obviously own some of his music. Hey, I got a lot of stuff, okay? I can't know every obscure song on every obscure compilation! I'm just a man, dammit!

Okay, I'm better now. Anyhoo, Mr. Bowden is apparently a jazz player by origin, a sax man. And Easy Access Orchestra are a couple of dudes who play horns in the Herbaliser live band. So all these horny dudes got together and twiddled their knobs and out came this lovely piece of bossa-tronica...

Chris Bowden - Crockers & Killers (The Easy Access Orchestra Radio Edit)

Buy It!

By the way, I totally invented that word just then, and if I hear you use it, you owe me a nickel. Pay up, bee-yatch!

Skateboardin' Blues

Today, we get retro, in more ways than one...



Tommy Guerrero is a pretty interesting case. Dude was one of the biggest pro skateboarders of the '80s, then when he got too old or whatever for that, he went into making music. Not bad skate punk, but really groovy downtempo stuff. Kind of like if Tony Hawk suddenly turned into Nightmares On Wax. Pretty cool, if ya ask me. But you don't get a Tommy Guerrero track today (although here's what he has on Hype Machine). Today you get a track off of his edition of the bomb-diggity Another Late Night/Late Night Tales mix series, wherein your favorite musical stars "compile an album of their favorite music that inspired them to make music their profession - their favourite of the favourites". Um, okay, sure, whatever. Great series, though, and these kind of compilations are often filled with groovy old nuggets that you might have never heard otherwise, 'cuz artists love to show off their obscure old records when they get a chance - ya know, to show how cool they are and shit. And then you get to hear stuff like this excellent Muddy Waters electric jam...

Muddy Waters - Tomcat

Buy It!

Didn't know Muddy ever got that funky, did ya? Well ya do know, sucka!

Oh, and here's Tommy in action over 20 years ago, street skateboarding in San Francisco.



I've never been much into skateboarding, but that is sweet...

Fishbone Is Red Hot!

This here is the kind of selection that proves that the shuffle truly is random.



I have loved Fishbone since, well, since I had hair... and that, my friends, was a long time ago. I think I've seen 'em live more times than any other band, at venues from the Lost Horizon in Syracuse to Dragonfly in Hollywood. Actually, at the Lost Horizon back (cough cough) years ago, Angelo (the singer/sax man) performed maybe the greatest crowd surfing feat I've ever witnessed, hopping off the stage and riding the crowd across the entire length of the club to the bar, grabbing himself a beer and making it all the way back to the stage without spilling a drop... all while the band played an extended jam in the middle of one of the songs. Classic. Fishbone, at the time, was at the height of their powers, playing in support of their classic Truth & Soul album. At the time I'd say they were the best funk band in the world, the best ska band in the world, and one of the best rock bands in the world, all at the same time. They came up out of the L.A. scene alongside the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and they were always the better band - tighter, funkier, and they had musical chops that were straight unfuckwiddable. They came thisclose to breaking big, even playing SNL, but while the Peppers just built and built momentum to become the chart stalwarts they are today, drug and personal problems eventually knocked Fishbone flat for a few years. They've never fully left though and they're actually putting out better music than they have in years (albeit with very few original members). Crazy how they pop up in the shuffle when their new album drops next week. What a coinkydink! (Honest... total coincidence... the shuffle works in mysterious ways!).

Anyhoo, today's track is a rather obscure yet excellent alternate version of one of the jams from Truth & Soul, from the CD single... taking a song that's original had manic horns and one of the most ridiculous slap-bass lines ever, and stripping it down to the raw funk:

Fisbone - Bonin' In the Boneyard (New & Improved Bonin')

And we'll wrap it up with some classic concert footage from 1992, 'cuz the YouTubes are the best thing since sliced bread.



Fishbone is red hot, indeed!