The Animal Show » Buzz Band

Cymbals and O-faces

marquismeowmersiv — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 23:44:17 +0000

Dude, this guy has the best guitar/O-face of all time.

Hi kids, I’m still alive. I’m in NYC with my good friend Edward Gottfried. Being in NYC grants me access to all kinds of fun and awesome things. Like seeing Cap’N'Jazz and Lightning Bolt and No Age for free. Or eating ungodly amounts of delicious burritos. Or being bothered on the street by a shivering gentleman who is holding his nose for fear of it falling off. Or not showering and having no one notice how bad I smell because the garbage behind me is emitting the foulest of foul odors (3 week old shrimp that’s been basting in an old canvas shoe resting in a literal river of shit). Or going to Siren fest.

Siren fest was fantastic. There was a nice mix of middle-to-mainstream bands playing decently long sets for the best price: nothing. Also, it was at Coney Island, so if the bands were dull, you had an ocean to play in or a freak show to watch. Man, what a great place. Suck it Pitchfork Fest. Although I did not make it there in time to catch one of my favorite new bands, Dom, I did get to see the likes of Ponytail, The Pains of Being Pure At Heart, Apache Beat, and Holy Fuck. But my favorite performance by far was Cymbals Eat Guitars. I was ecstatic the hear them open their set with the words “we’re going to play a few new songs” because I was honestly afraid of Cymbals Eat Guitars being a one-and-done band. For those who are unaware (all of you), I was a huge fan of CEG’s debut Why There Are Mountains. Although many called it overly-derivative, I preferred to think of it as a positive expression of postmodern pastiche. In a year filled with fairly excellent releases, Why There Are Mountains is one of the only albums that continues to get regular play 1.5 years later (for the record, Edward has expressed similar sentiments). A debut as strong as WTAM that received as much press as it did often results in lofty expectations from fans and critics a like. It can also influence an artist to develop in an unnatural way, either experimenting too much or lying too dormant to be a followup worthy of similar praise. Luckily, Cymbals’ new material sounds just as strong as their previous stuff, with no influence rising above the others to pull their music in an unnatural direction. The Pavement is still there, but so is The Modest Mouse, Guided By Voices, Explosions In The Sky, Tullycraft, Cap’N'Jazz, etc. All of their songs retain the baroque-strength of WTAM while adding an unexpected maturity in both song structure and song writing that is beyond the band’s average age (25). Below the jump you will find the videos of these as-of-now-untitled songs, in decent quality, for your viewing and critiquing pleasure. All the videos were taken by Jay “Shapster7″ Sharp, who apparently like, “Glam, wacky shit, and acoustic covers.” Thanks Jay.

Of the new songs on YouTube, this is by far the best. Lead singer Joseph D’Agostino said that it might be the lead-off to their as-of-now-untitled and undated and officially unannounced 2nd album. It has the same intensity as Wind Phoenix, though it feels a little more contained and makes use of the synths a bit more. It’s thoroughly enjoyable and highly recommended by yours truly.

Turn the Beat Around… Again

dfjacobs — Tue, 25 May 2010 15:00:33 +0000

Image Courtesy of Brooklyn Vegan

Since my last post, the world has turned to crap. Time Square fell under siege, Greece almost collapsed, BP pulled an Exxon Valdez in the Gulf coast, the Mexican victory at the Battle of Puebla was celebrated (oh wait, Cinco de Mayo was a pretty rowdy fiesta), Tennessee almost sank (and with it all photo evidence of Edward’s awkward years), and Lost ended. Suffice to say, the world is a pretty depressing place without dfjacobs. So to cheer all of you up, I decided to continue my only most read post of the last month: Turn the Beat Around.

Launching our rave is “Crown on the Ground” by noise pop’s burgeoning stars, Sleigh Bells. Comprised of Alexis Krauss and Derek E. Miller, the Brooklyn duo formed all the way back in 2008. On May 11^th, they released their first album (that wasn’t a demo) Treats, and it’s spectacular. Even for those of you averse to the feedback spewing and amp destroying that the noise pop genre is famous for, Sleigh Bells’ album may yet make a convert out of you. Treats is indubitably one of my favorites of the year, and the highlights include (but are not limited to) “Tell ‘Em,” “Kids,” “Riot Rhythm,” “Infinity Guitars,” “Rill Rill,” and “Crown on the Ground.” For those of you keeping score at home, I just listed six of the eleven tracks. I swear, the album is THAT good.

From burgeoning stars to seasoned doyens, our next track is “Dance Yrself Clean” by electronic superstars, LCD Soundsystem. The James Murphy helmed dance/punkers released their third studio album This Is Happening on May 17^th. The album, much like Treats, is dazzlingly brilliant, and another early front-runner for our best albums of the year list. LCD Soundsystem is similarly mesmerizing live; putting on one of the greatest shows I have ever seen on Saturday night at Terminal 5. Finishing with a balloon filled rendition of “Empire State of Mind” (see picture above), the show was simply tremendous, much like their album.

Capping off this trio of dance hall destroyers is our first Hip-Hop track of day, “Like a G6” by the Cataracs. Chances are, if you’ve left your house at any point in the last month, you’ve heard this blazing hot track, but nonetheless I couldn’t resist appending it to this article. Recently, the duo of Cyrano and Campa released a free mixtape titled, I Thought They Were Black!?, with their track “2Nite” debuting at 24 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Airplay charts. While their lyrics are not going to cap the oil spill, bring solvency to Greece or recover Edward’s embarrassing photographs (oh phewf, we never lost those) they make incredibly fun, party starting music (“Poppin bottles in the ice, like a blizzard/ When we drink we do it right gettin slizzard”). So with that I’ll conclude my latest self-indulgence, and I promise to release another article with much less lag time, and hopefully at a considerably lesser cost to the world.

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Crown on the Ground – Sleigh Bells (YSI)

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Dance Yrself Clean – LCD Soundsystem (YSI)

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Like a G6 (feat. Far East Movement & Dev) – The Cataracs (YSI)

Is It Time For An Audio Safari Again? Yes, Yes It Is Time For An Audio Safari Again.

Edward — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 16:45:56 +0000

There comes a time in every man’s life when he must own up to the fact that he is 100% mailing it in. And I’m not going to lie about it. For weeks now I’ve been circling in my car around the e-block, passing my virtual domicile — this website — repeatedly, slowing down each time while I debate whether I can summon the strength to come in and act like things are normal with my e-family inside before speeding up and driving out of sight to the nearest Motel 8 to spend another night on a bumpy, crumbling mattress watching HBO on a fuzzy, boxy old tv. I can’t do it. It’s not the same. I’ve changed, you’ve changed, the internet’s changed.

I guess I should make one thing clear: I’ve left. Skipped the country to broaden my horizons with a semester studying abroad. What does this mean for the blog, you ask? Well, things may be weird for a while. Mommy and I still love each other very much, but sometimes that’s not enough, or so that heartbreaking flashback from Juliet’s childhood in the finale of last season of Lost informed me. But I promise to visit every other weekend, and maybe uncle DFJ can take you to the zoo every now and again.

Realistically, what this changes is that I have a genuinely good excuse for not posting. Internet here is sketchy at best. I’m also 6 hours off real people time (yes, Eastern Time is “real people time”), and uploading is stupid hard. Also, my downloads are capped pretty aggressively, so even promos are hard to receive. I’ll try my best, but a week will, at most, contain 3 posts. Sorry, duders. I’ll start you off right with an Audio Safari, whose last iteration I’m far too lazy to look up. Enjoy “BedRock,” a stupidly adorable Young Money single you’ve undoubtedly heard, “California English, Pt. 2,” a Contra b-side that takes the auto-tune all the way to the top, and Caribou’s infectious “Odessa,” which should keep you smiling even as you talk to your internet psychologist about the abandonment issues I’ve spawned in you.

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BedRock – Young Money ft. Lloyd (YSI)

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California English, Pt. 2 – Vampire Weekend (YSI)

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Odessa – Caribou (YSI)

“How Many Gentlemen Does It Take To Screw You In?” – The Milkman’s Union’s Roads In in Review

Edward — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 16:46:29 +0000

There’s a delicate balance struck in the best writing between excessively stark and overly florid. In cinematography, there’s a tension between too dramatic and too impersonal. Visual art ranges between too inexpressively vague and disinterestingly matter-of-fact. In music, however, comes one of the thinnest wires to tread. All popular songs exist on a spectrum: at one end, there are the catchiest melodies whose lyrics are essentially meaningless — the “ra ra ah ah ah, ro ma romama”s of the world — and, at the other, are the Leonard Cohens, whose words are the true meaning, and whose tunes exist only as subtle enhancement of the written word underneath. It is in the center of this spectrum that the very best of popular music falls. Every musician, whether consciously or not, seeks to make a song such that the lyrics are enhanced by the music and vice-versa. The ones who succeed are the names probably most familiar to you — precious few artists are capable of passing with one or the other, and only then by the overwhelming merit of their one strength. Henry Jamison’s compositions straddle this line perfectly, creating an album in his Milkman’s Union’s Roads In that is both deserving of listen upon listen and which asks for it of its own musical merit.

It seems almost unfair to compare Roads In to his earlier works — indeed, based on the availability of the previous albums released under the name the Milkman’s Union (now no longer available on either CD Baby, the iTunes store, or Amazon), it would seem that he’s tried exactly to distance himself from those previous albums — and necessarily so, since both were released some 3 years ago, a significant chunk of lifetime to a 22-year-old. Yet it’s easy to assert that this is by far the most varied and mature work that Jamison has released, even without those previous points of comparison available to the hoi polloi. The songs are fantastically diverse, ranging between experimental and familiar, raw and polished.

The Milkman’s Union have created an album which is truly the best sort of collection of songs an album can be. Each is different than the previous, each leads elegantly into the next, each shows a band who have taken more time and energy into sculpting a fantastically finished product than most college groups would ever find or make the time for. (It should be noted that this, unlike previous “The Milkman’s Union” songs, represents the work of more than just Henry Jamison, but rather of 5 musicians, whose influence is undeniable when compared to the home recordings Jamison had previously released.) The result is so overwhelming that I almost feel as though each time I allude to the age of the band I do them a disservice, as I know well that each time age comes up it is read a compensation for a lack in something.

It really is in Jamison’s lyrics that the Milkman’s Union find what makes them as a band so undeniably well-rounded. He has certainly found the balance between florid and sparse, and does so in a way that’s delightfully witty and literate without much baggage of pretension. Yes, I could complain about how the instrumental “A Kidney for Bloom” comes off as a little show-off-y, but would anyone other than the son of a Joycean really find a bone to pick with a Ulysses reference, most of all having that bone be about how obvious the reference is?

There are lines scattered throughout Roads In that I keep returning to, or find myself thinking of in conversation. My favorite of these is probably “How many gentlemen does it take to screw you in?” a deft put-down from “Emerald Flares.” Another comes in “St. Petersburg,” where Jamison works in a pairing similarly shocking: “She has her way with words / and then she has her way with me.”

In my opinion, the album highlight comes in “America,” a song whose stark lyrics are perfectly counterpointed by the slow build of its instrumentation and harmonies. Its lines find a simple beauty in the mundane, and create a perfect nostalgia in few words:

It occurs to me that I am America

That I am your front yard, your tree

It occurs to me that I am America

and everything from sea to shining sea.

The fadeout from the radio broadcast into album-closer “Percy, Lost at Sea” create a mood more ideal than can be fully expressed in words, a perfect blend of all that the Milkman’s Union can do so well. It’s an ending that leaves the listener wanting more, and I’m sure I’m not alone in saying that the place the Milkman’s Union is in at this point in time ought to be good enough to get them wherever they might want to go.

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The Milkman’s Union – Roads In (YSI)

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The Milkman’s Union – St. Petersburg (YSI) (Download removed at band’s request. If you dig the stream, follow the links below and buy the damn thing.)

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The Milkman’s Union – America (YSI)

If there ever were an album truly worth buying (you know, as opposed to “acquiring”), this is it. Find it at CDBaby, iTunes or Amazon.

Also, The Milkman’s Union is currently touring the northeast, with dates in NYC upcoming. Check the dates out at their website.

Rock and Roll; Complete Control — Vampire Weekend’s Contra in review

Edward — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 07:41:29 +0000

It’s no small feat following up an album as critically acclaimed and overwhelmingly backlashed as Vampire Weekend’s self-titled debut. Even in a vaccuum, expectations for sophomore efforts run rampant, and the challenge is to stay consistent to the sound present or impression given by the first album while growing and making something decidedly new and different.

In many ways, Vampire Weekend is the truest blogosphere buzz band. Back in the summer of 2007, when a blue CD-R with “Vampire Weekend” scrawled lazily on it began to make the blog rounds, it was almost universally accepted that this was the ever-elusive “next big thing.” Long before Vampire Weekend ever came out, bloggers were predicting it would be the best album of 2008. Naturally, the backlash coming the requisite 90 days after the album’s release was as overwhelmingly negative as the prereviews had been positive. And, when news of the followup broke, you could already hear the whispers of “overrated” creeping up from the formerly faithful fans.

The beauty of Vampire Weekend was that it grabbed you from the first line of the first song. It was undeniably catchy, a delicious assortment of pop-punk, afropop, and twee, and the erudite upper middle-class prep school bunch had never seemed so cool. The band had a persona too — they’d marketed themselves about as well as any quartet this side of the mophead Beatles, with their preppy do’s and keffiyeh lyrics. Contra spins out of that perfectly, popping the collars of their Lacoste polos and heading west into the sun.

I admit that I was very skeptical when I heard about the “California flavor” of Contra. It seemed like a cheap trick, an unnecessary additional buzzword to add to an already overblurbed band (see above for examples). But it turns out that the theme is only there as much as you want it to be — perhaps the better way to understand it is that Contra on the whole is more spread-out, experimental, and atmospheric than Vampire Weekend was. VW’s great strength was its power melodies; here, production reigns supreme. Rostam is the lead every bit as much as Ezra, having spread his wings on Discovery’s LP. The resulting product is more varied and mature than the debut — a gift as well as a curse.

The hardest part of Contra for me was the fact that it doesn’t have the same instant gratification that Vampire Weekend did. The first time I listened to it all the way through I wasn’t even sure if I liked it. But on listen two it began to click, and by the fourth time I spun it I was ready to put it on repeat. Ultimately, the growth the band has experienced in the whirlwind 24 months between releases has brought us a richer, more textural sound, a little less catchy and a little more beautiful. It’s a sound that’s decidedly Vampire Weekend, but a more refined and unique Vampire Weekend.

Ultimately, and unlike the debut, Contra tends to fade out of memory, as fleeting as the 80’s aesthetic it tries to live up to. It’s no Vampire Weekend, but what is? The attempt is a step in an interesting direction, and shows promise for the eventual 3rd effort.

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Giving Up The Gun – Vampire Weekend (YSI)

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I Think Ur A Contra – Vampire Weekend (YSI)

Top 10 Songs of 2009

Edward — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 17:27:39 +0000

It’s time to refocus, kids. Yes, we’re all excited that it’s finally 2010 and Lost will be returning soon and that maybe the Apple tablet will be released and hovercrafts, etc. But the Show is not done looking back. No, in vintage .org form, we have returned to the task at hand much later than promised. I would make another promise to continue to post regularly, but I don’t make promises I can’t keep (New Year’s Resolution 20-10, y’all). Today we bring you our 10 favorite songs of 09, and tomorrow you’ll get our favorite mashups. It was one smash-banger of a year, and I’m sure I speak for all of us when I say I miss the hell out of it. Oasis, you may be gone, but you will never be forgotten. You and I are gonna live forever, Noel. Team Noel forever. Liam can go straight to h-e-double-hell.

Oh, and here are the songs we liked:

#10: Drake – “Best I Ever Had”

The best thing about the year-end lists, in my opinion, is that it often gives us a chance to talk about guilty pleasures we would otherwise be too embarrassed to share. By my count, there are 3 such songs on this list; I’m writing about 2 of them. Drake has it all, ladies and gentlemen: the blessing of Lil’ Wayne and Kanye, the sort of street cred attainable only by appearing as a regular character on Degrassi: The Next Generation, and a voice that could make angels shit their pants (do angels wear pants?). “Best I Ever Had” is derivative, it’s repetitive, and it will stay with you, so that whenever anyone does anything you appreciate you find yourself saying (depending on whether you favor the radio-friendly version, or, like this foul-mouthed writer, the real version), “you da fuckin’ best” in your best Drizzy voice. It’s a hot jam, and leads me to believe that the R. Kelly signature only-somewhat-subtly-sexual-song approach to music may actually be the apex of musical composition. -Edward

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Drake – Best I Ever Had (YSI)

#9: Grizzly Bear – “While You Wait for the Others”

There are many reasons why a song is the most popular song off of the album, and many times, they are not the same reasons why a song is the best song off of the album. But, in the case of “While You Wait For The Others,” these reasons do seem to be in concert. I’ll explain. Veckatimest is a very good album. What keeps it from greatness is an inability to put together all of their skills—good orchestration, dynamic contrast, catchy melody—in the same song on a consistent basis. Incidentally, these are the same reasons that many songs get radio play, because put together, these traits form a sweeping melody with emotion to carry it along. “While You Wait For The Others” is one of the few places where Grizzly Bear gets it all together, and it sounds great. It makes it the best song off of a good album, radio worthy, and shoo in for top ten tracks of the year. -Dave

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Grizzly Bear – While You Wait for the Others (YSI)

#8: Edward Sharpe and Magnetic Zeros – “Home”

Look at them in that picture. They’re so happy! All that energy and excitement you see in that picture, I feel in this song. The driving backbeat under whistling and trumpets give the feeling of trekking over previously unchartered territory, but Edward Sharpe and the gang are willing to take you along for the ride. You’re in the wagon, and they tell you a story with folksy honesty, evident from the girl/boy interplay to the less-is-more philosophy in the simple chorus of, “Home/Let me go home/Home is wherever I’m with you.” You tap your feet, hum along, sing along, and before you know it, you’re smiling. “Home” is a prescription dose of happy pills shot right through your ear canals into your brain, and while you’re smiling, you’re thinking that there’s nothing wrong with that. -Dave

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Edward Sharpe and Magnetic Zeros – Home (YSI)

#7: The Black Eyed Peas – “I Gotta Feelin’”

This song is completely retarded! But you knew that already; negative reviews, serious and comedic, abound for this track. Its inclusion in this list is thanks to the uncanny way that it touches any listener with the same reassuring and convincing message: tonight IS going to be a good night. Just watch the Oprah season opener again with any individual middle-aged or better — they’ve seen it already — and observe them boogie modestly to the inescapable beat. While you’re at it, notice that the Peas lack talent as live performers, but immediately forgive them because they gave the world a song that delivers unfailingly the message that it is now time to party. -Icebergxc

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Black Eyed Peas – I Gotta Feelin’ (YSI)

#6: Girls – “Lust For Life”

Late in 2009, Edward sent me a message that was like “hey have you heard of Girls you tend to like things that people desribe as ‘jangly’ so you might like this.” I was like “well yeah I’ve heard of Girls they’re all over Pitchfork’s best new everything list how could I not have heard of Girls numbnuts?” But the problem was, while I had heard of Girls I had not heard Girls. And so I went and got myself a copy of The Animal Show’s 8th favorite album of the year, ‘Album’. I listened to it. And the first thing I said to Edward after hearing the album in it’s entirety was ‘man, I wish they had just released a 7″ EP of Girls/Laura.” And that’s because every track after “Lust For Life” is totally forgettable due to “Lust For Life”’s greatness. You hear it, and its catchy jangling guitars rip apart any want or will to hear anything else. You must hear the bizarre croon of Christopher Owens over and over again as he sings about the harsh reality that clashes with our most desirable dreams. You must feel the beams of sun hit your face again and again as you travel about in San Franciso’s Mission District. And right as the repetitive garage-surf riffs start to get slightly annoying, the song jumps off the pool deck and into an aquatic sounding, finger-picked soft outro. Simply sublime. -Marquis Meowmers

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Girls – Lust for Life (YSI)

#5: Miley Cyrus – “Party in the USA”

Could every person who has never lost their voice singing to this at a party please raise their hand? If you’re raising your hand, congratulations, you probably look like a moron. I hope nobody’s watching. The nice thing about “Party in the USA” was that it was a guilty pleasure you didn’t have to hide. Everyone loved this song. Everyone loves this song. Everyone will continue to love this song. Oldies stations will devote entire hour-long blocks to this song in 2020, and we’ll still be sad when the hour’s up. This song reminded us that it’s cool to love our country. We stood and saluted Wal-Mart, KFC, and liposuction, and the tears rolled silently down our cheeks. We danced pantsless around a fire of Dixie Chicks albums, and we were glad. We tea-partied, surged, and gave shout-outs to God in our tweets. We stuck our thumbs in our belt-loops and hootenanied like there was no tomorrow. It was a damn good year, and it’s all thanks to Miley. (Oh, and also the poor nameless male-pattern-baldness sap stuck somewhere in a 1960’s office building who wrote the song under the flickering hum of a flourescent light.) We salute y’all. -Edward

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Miley Cyrus – Party in the USA (YSI)

#4: Jay-Z featuring Alicia Keys – “Empire State of Mind”

As a New Yorker, Jigga’s unendingly epic ode to the greatest city in the world was an integral part of my year. Getting to blast, “Shit, I made the Yankee hat more famous than the Yankees can/ You should know I bleed blue but I ain’t a crip though” as I popped bottles to celebrate the Yankees was a fantastic gift. Who cares if it was played at Game 2, the ticker-tape parade, every other NYC event, and on every radio station in the country 237 times too many. Does that detract from how incredible it is? No way. This track has too many extraordinary rhymes to be ignored, from “Mommy took a bus trip and now she got her bust out/ Everybody ride her, just like a bus route” all the way to “MDMA got you feeling like a champion/The city never sleeps better slip you a Ambien.” Not to mention how Alicia Keys belts the inspired chorus, and Stephen Colbert’s rap debut for “Empire State of Mind Part 2″. All in all, this song will forever be associated with ’09 and its ass-kicking greatness. – DFJacobs

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Jay-Z feat. Alicia Keys – Empire State of Mind (YSI)

#3: Kid Cudi featuring Kanye West and Common – “Make Her Say”

Every facet of the hella hot “Make Her Say” screams best rap song of the year. The beat, like the song itself, is catchy and imaginative, improving upon everyone’s favorite Lady, the Gagski. Cudi’s supporting cast is top notch with Kanyeezy and Common spitting sweltering hot verses. And while both are impressive, Kanye’s submission is possibly his best since he signed up late for college. “I’ve got seniority with the sorority/ so that explains why I love college/ getting brains in the library ‘cause I love knowledge” and “fuck the bus, the Benz is parked like Rosa(osa)” explode out of his mouth and into your ear like one of Weezy’s hand guns (too soon?). “Make Her Say” was indubitably one of the more iconic and quintessential 2009 songs, and is more than worthy of its place near the top this list. – DFJacobs

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Kid Cudi ft. Kanye West & Common – Make Her Say (YSI)

#2: Phoenix – “1901″

Tainted as it was late in the year by its appearance in a Cadillac commercial, 1901 shines as an anthem. When it first dropped, many were predicting that it would be one of the big songs of the summer. However, by avoiding a seasonal meteoric rise, it has settled into a hot slow burn that will keep it fresh for a long time to come, despite its dangling above death by advertisement. – Icebergxc

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Phoenix – 1901 (YSI)

#1: Animal Collective – “My Girls”

Are you shocked? If you don’t like this song it’s probably because, “hey it’s pretty good but it just got overplayed” which is my own pretentious diatribe about brilliant songs that get too popular, and thus are not cool to like anymore (’Paper Planes’, I’m sorry). So, yeah, Animal Collective isn’t making ‘Sung Tongs’ anymore. Bummer. And everyone (and I mean everyone) likes them now. Bummer. But you have to face the truth at some point: bands that are THIS good will almost certainly get mainstream exposure sooner or later. In the animal kingdom that is popular music, bands can either evolve or die. Part of evolving is exposure. And, yup, Animal Collective evolved. But what they haven’t evolved into is shitty husk of their former greatness, crapping out the same mediocre money maker after the other. Instead, Animal Collective has evolved into an unstoppable pop machine capable of ruling the earth with an iron fist of infectious rhythms, catchy hooks, and brilliant song composition.

The first time I heard ‘My Girls’ was when it was inexplicably leaked on various blogs and music forums in the waning weeks of 2008. Having spent a solid month or two checking the internet twice a day for MPP leaks (and getting Rick Roll’d not once, but twice in the process), I finally got a hit around December 14th. I found a stream of ‘My Girls’ on a message board, and naturally, I listened to it. And then I listened to it again. And again. The first time had access to ‘My Girls’, I listened to it so many times that I was 20 minutes late to my first class. And then, in between classes, I listened to it two more times. Why? BECAUSE IT WAS THAT FUCKING GOOD. I wrote about it in my personal blog. I claimed that ‘My Girls’ would be the best song of 2009. And here we are. The best song of 2009.

I shouldn’t have to describe this song to you. You’ve heard it. You’ve rated it a ‘5′ on your iTunes, favorited it on you Last.FM, and clicked the ‘heart’ button next to it on HypeMachine. It was on every mixtape you gave to your crush, you heard it 5 times a day on your college radio station, and it got played at least thrice at every party you went to. It’s just that kind of song. The infectious bass brings together the layers of electronic melody in an amalgamation of ‘experimental sub-cultural capital’ and ‘pop accessibility’. In other words, this song has something for everyone: the synth nerd, the lyrics freak, the girl who ‘just wants to dance’, the guy who is trying to get with her, and all those people who have “everything” listed under the ‘music’ section of the Facebook ‘About Me’ page. And it’s because they all love this fucking song, regardless of whether or not it’s for the same reason you love it. So go ahead, scoff a little bit and then give it another listen. You and I both know it wont be your last. -Marquis Meowmers

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Animal Collective – My Girls (YSI)

More Bang for Your Buck

Edward — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:17:16 +0000

Boyz, In Da Hood.

Usually, I don’t pay much attention to mixtapes. It’s been my experience in the past that you have to cut through a lot of crap in order to get to the good stuff. That said, there are a few key exceptions to this rule, and that comes in the people who know best how to maximize the mixtape. The best example I can think of is Wale, whose Mixtape About Nothing flaunted copyright laws in mixtape-perfect form, while showcasing his ability to rhyme on every and any topic. Lil Wayne also manages to make his stuff consistently awesome, so that each mixtape is newsworthy. And, after their Swelly Express, Chiddy Bang are making a serious case for inclusion among the ranks of those hip-hop all-stars.

We’ve heard of these Chiddy boys both with their summer-smashing “Kids” and in the form of a sweet mashup courtesy of their DJ, Xaphoon Jones. Lucky for us, the mixtape holds pace with those two. The production value on it is pretty amazing, and they drop some samples that are sure to please. The highlight in my opinion is “Truth,” which samples the only Passion Pit song as catchy as “Sleepyhead,” “Better Things.” Plus, they reference Full House’s Jesse Katsopolis, so what’s not to like? Kickstart your week with a bang, and thank me later.

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Fresh Like Us (feat. Yelle) – Chiddy Bang (YSI)

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Truth (feat. Passion Pit) – Chiddy Bang (YSI)

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All Things Go (feat. Sufjan Stevens) – Chiddy Bang (YSI)

Grab the mixtape for free here.

Call A Plumber, Music Has Sprung A Leak

dfjacobs — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:18:37 +0000

DC Chillin'

As I was surfing the blogosphere (as I am apt to do Friday nights. What? I do it for you!) I found that Attention: Deficit, the new Wale album I have been eagerly awaiting was “leaked onto the streets of binary code”(see: firstup.se). Just eleven days before its official release, Attention: Deficit fell victim to music’s H1N1 virus. After taking Blueprint 3 officially on August 31st, MH1N1 has been attacking artists of all genres, but rap in particular has taken a huge hit. Jockin’ Jay-Z, the aforementioned self-proclaimed “greatest rapper alive” took a lighthearted approach to the leak saying, “it’s a preview. I’m excited for people to hear the album. I’m very proud of the work I’ve done, so enjoy it.” However, not all artists can afford to give their listeners this free preview. But, seeing as Edward has recently explored the music industry’s trying times, I’ll move on to Attention: Deficit.

What separates Wale’s leak from Hova’s is that the Blueprint 3 was by and large a disappointment. “Empire State of Mind” may be the hottest Jigga track I have heard since “The Black Album,” (with the exception of “Brooklyn We Go Hard”) but other than that and possibly “Young Forever” the album was highly anticlimactic. Attention: Deficit, however, is a revelation. After the Back to the Feature bust, Wale brings us his first commercial record. And in the interest of full disclosure I have not listened to the whole thing (I’m waiting till the official release on November 10th), but “90210″ is the most promising hip-hop song I’ve heard since Cudi’s “Make Her Say” hit us this spring. The Mark Ronson-produced track features Wale’s classic one-liners, “word spread fast that your knees spread quick,” to accompany the Barney-sounding beat (definitely a compliment, impressive at least). Promise me you’ll support Wale; he’s great, and any guy that makes a whole mixtape about Seinfeld is my hero (sorry JFK, you shoulda made a Seinfeld mixtape). I’ll give you “90210,” which I have perpetually put on repeat, anotha hot track off of “Attention: Deficit,” the Neptunes’ produced “Inhibitions (Let It Loose) (feat. Pharrell),” and also an awesome “Chillin’” remix by Top Billin.

Editor’s Note: In the time between DFJ’s Friday night composition of this piece and my publishing it on Tuesday, the Hood Internet dropped a sick Black Moth Super Rainbow/Wale mash, which I’m appending to this. DFJacobs has not preapproved this track, but we all know how much he loves his Hood Internet.

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90210 – Wale (YSI)

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Inhibitions (Let It Loose) (featuring Pharrell) – Wale (YSI)

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Chillin’ (Top Billin UK Mix) – Wale (YSI)

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Sticky World Tour (Black Moth Super Rainbow vs. Wale) – The Hood Internet (YSI)

It’s About Time

Edward — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:23:36 +0000

Look who's back

In February of 2008, I received an email from Marquis Meowmers IV, which simply read:

Awesome song just listen not a mash-up just fucking rad.

Also, fuck Georgia and their do-nothing Bulldogs.

I couldn’t tell you what the second line was in reference to (something about a Georgia legislative attempt to annex something or other away from Tennessee, I think), but the first was about a song he had attached, the Wiz Khalifa single “Say Yeah,” a teeth-rattling monster that, in hindsight, should have easily made my Best of 2008 list. What was I thinking? Since then, I’ve been sitting around waiting for new Wiz to be as amazing as that, and have been continually disappointed. But not now.

After a long and tortured battle, Wiz Khalifa’s debut album, Deal or No Deal, is set to be released on November 24th. However, that album won’t include the sickest Wiz track that’s making the blog rounds these days: “The Thrill,” which features pop monsters Empire of the Sun’s “Walking on a Dream,” a song I’m amazed I haven’t posted yet. Maybe I’ll do that soon. But for now, enjoy a few choice songs from Wiz, including “The Thrill” and lead Deal or No Deal single, “This Plane.” And, while you’re here, nab “Say Yeah,” and then consider how divinely inspired the lyrics are:

I’m high and drunk, doing my same dance
They call it Pocahontas, doing that rain dance
Talking dough: I got it, so make it rain man.
Cause the flow retarded, sorta like that rain man

All are hot, but none that hot. Eat ‘em:

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Say Yeah – Wiz Khalifa (YSI)

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The Thrill (feat. Empire of the Sun) – Wiz Khalifa (YSI)

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Ode to Naked Pop Stars (feat. Drake) – Wiz Khalifa (YSI)

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This Plane – Wiz Khalifa (YSI)

Did Brown Reinvent the Wheel?

dfjacobs — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 14:42:28 +0000

Teenage fun

After reading my first few articles, hopefully you are all thinking, “Edward struck gold again, who is this young Renaissance man?” And while I hope that the belief applies to more of you than my mother, I trust that you are not so outraged by my writing and musical selections that you find yourselves collectively organizing to storm my house, pitchforks in hand, asking for my head, or at least my wordpress password. Remember, Edward has his reasons for everything; I was not just brought to the Show to end my incessant begging.

You see, young Skywalkers, the educational establishment which I attend happens to be the very same institution that famed Ivy League front man Adrian Simon and lesser known yet equally awesome Ivy League guitarist Alex Beer attend. And it just so happens that I am actually pretty good friends with the both of ‘em. Now, what does this mean you ask? Didn’t the Ivy League disband? Well, yes and no. Yes they did, but it lasted about 30 minutes. They have a new CD in the mixing stages and from the one or two songs I’ve heard, you will not be disappointed. “Adrian Simon and other kids playing instruments” stay true to their bubble gum pop roots and a bust out an even tighter record than their debut (I say all this having heard only two of their new songs, although I have heard most of the others live).

But for all of you New York based readers (or at least those of you within 6 hours driving distance), boy, do I have a surprise for you! November 14th at Don Hill’s, Adrian, Alex, Dan Hockstein (the regular bassist, for all of you non-Ivy aficionados), and Griffin Emerson (a dashing young drummer who’s been groomed for the role of drummer for about 4 years), will all assemble to play a show entirely devoted to covers. And good ones too, I can’t reveal the set list, but I can give you three previews of classic Ivy covers. I think it’s safe to say I’ll see most of you in a few weeks.