The Animal Show » Beyonce

Wasn’t the Fourth of July Yesterday?

dfjacobs — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 15:55:36 +0000

Best. Days. Ever.

As all you avid readers remember, I promised a more thorough summer mashup article a few days weeks blogyears ago. And although we met pretty recently, I’m reliable. And I want you to know that. I’m here for you, and more specifically, I’m here to hopefully make you outrageously, Edward-esque cool*. So without further ado, I bestow upon you some summer sensations (and alliteration).
First on my summer hit list is “If I Were a Free Fallin’ Boy” by DJ Earworm. This one is for your Beyoncé mashup playlist, to go right behind “Single Foxes (Put A Wood On It).” Two gems put together in a solid fashion, good enough for me. It runs little bit slower than most mashups, but it’s enjoyable nonetheless.

The other thing I seemed to have skipped in my rapid launch into the blogosphere was my Michael Jackson tribute. Sadly, this too seems to have been done ad nauseum, but hopefully one more MJ mashup will not make me sink to “Entertainment Tonight” status. The Animal Show was extremely comforting to me during the first few hours, giving me “Thriller” and “Billie Jean” mashups to blast loud enough to impel my dad to moonwalk on his way to yell at me. My favorite part of this particular MJ tribute is the song choice. Not MJs, but rather his company, Steve Miller Band. “Keep On Till You Get Enough” by DJ Gizmo (remember him from icebergxc’s sacrosanct MJ Mashup article), integrates the SMB classic “Rock’n Me” into MJ’s immortal “Don’t Stop Till You Get Enough”. And while I can’t decide if finding a MJ mashup that my dad enjoys is good or bad, it seems that it’s just so impressive that it crosses generational gaps.

Last but not least in this mashup bonanza is a mix of Beastie Boys and Matt & Kim. Matt & Kim, the chic Brooklyn duo, released Grand at the beginning of this year. While Beastie Boys have been dropping hits since Saddam came to power (1979, a pretty interesting year that I sadly missed). The mashup combines “Good Ol’ Fashion Nightmare,” which was very good on its own, with the Paul’s Boutique classic “Shake Your Rump.” Matt & Kim create beats galore while Beastie brings “more rhymes than Jamaica’s got mangoes.” The Hood Internet, known for their Chicago love, create a nice Brooklyn tribute.

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If I Were A Free Fallin’ Boy (Tom Petty vs. Beyonce) – DJ Earworm (YSI)

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Keep On Till You Get Enough (Steve Miller Band vs. Michael Jackson) – DJ Gizmo (YSI)

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Good Ol’ Fashion Rump Shaker (Beastie Boys vs. Matt & Kim) – The Hood Internet (YSI)

*”Ready your dress suspenders, you guys!” – Edward

The Hood Internet Strikes Again!

Edward — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 18:46:00 +0000

OMFG, HIPSTER DJS??

The Hood Internet is responsible for many of my favorite A+B mashups, and they’ve just dropped a doozy of a pairing: Beyonce + Fleet Foxes.

In terms of pure musical grace, this isn’t their finest work, but it’s still a fun listen.

Catch it and some of my other favorites from their material after the break!

The Hood Internet:

Single Foxes (Put Some Wood on It) – Fleet Foxes vs. Beyonce I’m still not sure how I feel about that title.

Superbowl Jesus – Kanye West / The 1985 Chicago Bears vs. Wilco I don’t think I’m exposed to the super bowl shuffle frequently enough. Thanx, Hood Internetz!

Simple X-Plosion – Diverse feat Lyrics Born vs. Andrew Bird Is it just me, or does Andrew Bird lend himself to being sampled in hip-hop songs perfectly? Plus, the pairing of him with a rapper with intelligent and literate flow like Diverse is a match made in heaven.

Shut Up, American Boy – Estelle feat Kanye West vs. the Ting Tings Notice now that 2 of my top 5 songs of 2008 are represented here. Those Hood Internet kids know what I like.

My Top 5 Songs of 2008

Edward — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 17:35:41 +0000

Unlike my favorite albums of live acts or movies or anything sensible, my favorite songs reflect what gets me bobbing my head in embarrassingly reflexive reaction to the beats. These are the sort of songs I can put on repeat and still enjoy. And, for the most part, they’re hip-hop. Maybe they represent more of the guilty pleasure side of my musical taste. Blurbs, list and links after the break.

5) Beyonce – Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It): If you haven’t seen the music video for this, you’re living under a rock. I’m still working on learning the moves, but I’ve got this much down: having a Robotic Hand makes everything a little cooler. This is an uncompromising joy ride of hard-hitting beats and the sort of wails only Beyonce can pull of. It’s no “Irreplaceable,” sadly, but it’s my November party anthem nonetheless.
4) Vampire Weekend – Ottoman: Vampire Weekend are crazy addictive. I’ve probably listened to the album 50-odd times now, and by the end I’m always craving the beginning again. By mid-September, however, I was craving new material. Luckily this gem dropped right around then. Not ashamed to cover ground they’ve tread well, those cheeky Manhattanites followed their pattern perfectly, going so far as to even repeat lyrics from a previous song. Oh-ho! Indie bastards! How I hate to love you!
3) Swizz Beats – That Oprah: Viva La Vida is like the flaming bag of crap you leave on your old racist neighbor’s doorstep, but, because you rang his doorbell at 8:30 PM, he answers the door without his glasses and mistakes the enflamed turd for an orphaned baby who needs changing. Later, you see him walking the poop in a stroller around the block, and you think, “how the hell did I work my way into this metaphor?” Has noone caught onto how boring and repetitive that album is? Do people still like Coldplay uncompromisingly? I enjoy 3 songs on Viva La Vida, and that’s on days when I’m feeling generous. This masterpiece/craptastrophy samples the opening salvoes of the title track of my choice for most over-rated album of 2008, and then provides some choice rhymes over the pop beat. My personal favorite couplet? “Bill Gates! Steve Jobs! iPhones! Microsoft!” Shakespeare is crying in his grave.
2) The Black Kids – I’m Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance With You: Every now and then, you get a free song on iTunes that’s worth more than just one listen. I was really excited when I saw this was free, because the Black Kids definitely deserve the exposure that got them. Basically, this has everything I look for in songs to beat to death: a hummable synth part, repetitive lyrics, and explicit references to dance. If you can sing or shout “dance” while dancing, you know it’s an awesome song.
1) Estelle ft. Kanye West – American Boy: Late summer and early fall of this year, it was hard for me to turn my head without hearing this song. And I can say honestly I liked it more every time I heard it. Each of those million times. In a year in which Kanye spent the better part embarrassing us with off-key warbling, this reminded me of why I loved him. I’ll give you a hint why – the man drops hot rhymes about his clothes being designer. Also, the way he enunciates the “rubbish” at the end of his verse is priceless.