The Animal Show » E-603

This time you can call it a comeback

Edward — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 14:53:56 +0000

I was at a social function last night, and a formerly mustachioed friend came up to me to ask me what the hell was up with this blog of mine. My first reaction was, naturally, what the hell is up with that late great mustache of yours, but my second reaction was “what blog?”

They say you don’t know you’ve hit rock bottom until you can see China on the other side. Well, after leaving that social function, another friend made me watch a slideshow of his abroad pictures. Was it a sign? Almost certainly. Really contrived pithy aphorisms don’t grow on trees. At least, not where I’m from.

The truth is that I’d stopped blogging because there wasn’t any music out there that was getting me going (with a few notable exceptions, but they were by no means the rule). But this summer has been a downright cavalcade of elegant albums progressing onto the scene at a slow clip. I’ve never liked Arcade Fire more, been more blown away by a debut album than Janelle Monae’s (don’t hold me to that), or been as scared shitless as I was the first time I heard Salem. More on that later. More on a lot later. MORE LATER YOU GUYS.

For now, I’m dropping an Animal Show exclusive release. Everyone’s favorite mashup artist (and by “everyone,” I mean all five of your faithful correspondents here at the Show, which is to say everyone who matters in this confused, mosque-hating world) E-603 has remixed a sleeper off tourmates’ Passion Pit’s Manners, an album which also continues to grow on me. Ethan takes “Seaweed Song” and given it the Passion Pit handclaps it was missing, synths to the wall, and a Ratatat-reminiscent guitar line sure to make your hips quiver. Even if the kid may never make another E-603 album, this track makes clear that we have years of production and remixing to look forward to. Now when’s that Air Bud sophomore release coming?

Play it loud:

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Seaweed Song (E-603 Remix) – Passion Pit (YSI)

Will Heartbeats Ever Flat Line?

dfjacobs — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 15:00:53 +0000

Whether due to highly flammable vocals, otherworldly beats or the mere presence of Weezy, certain songs are simply mashup gold. Recently I used the phrase “mashup darling” to describe Down’s “Lean Like A Cholo,” and surely any track by Jigga or the Young Money inmate would also fit the bill. However, the apotheosis of this phrase is undoubtedly The Knife’s “Heartbeats.” The first track off the Swedish duo’s sophomore album Deep Cuts is an astounding combination of poignant lyricism and an infectious beat. The song manages to be both haunting and explosive; a lethal blend that makes it irresistible to a wide-range of listeners (and mashup artists).

In addition to popular covers by Jose Gonzalez as well as Scala & Kolacny Brothers, I discovered six different mashups featuring the track in my iTunes library. While this may only confirm my consistent taste and overwhelmingly large music collection, I believe it’s also a testament to the far-reaching appeal of “Heartbeats.” With mashes by A-Trak and E-603, featuring the likes of Drizzy, Yeezy, M.I.A. and Grizzly Bear, the variations of “Heartbeats” feature some of the best in the business. To evaluate the tracks, I channeled the Sports Guy (that’s Bill Simmons you hipsters) and created a pyramid to illustrate their varying levels of success.

Level 1 a.k.a. “the flyest of the fly” features A-Trak’s “Get ‘Em High (Remix)” and POTAMIC’s “The Way Heartbeats (Eminem vs. The Knife).” Both mashups take similar approaches; introduce incredible rap verses to the contagious “Heartbeats,” let them get to know each other, and watch the sweet harmonious love-making that ensues.

Level 2 a.k.a. “still fly with unforgivable shortcomings” includes, E-603’s “Bittersweet Heartbeats,” DJ Topcat’s “Paper Heartbeats (M.I.A. vs. The Knife),” and Press Play Deejay’s “Heartbeats Forever (Drake vs. The Knife).” E-603’s Something For Everyone hit finds itself in Level 2 due to it’s lesser quality, but more importantly because of Mr. Ward’s prolonged failure to accept my Facebook friend request (I mean seriously, what’s a brotha gotta do?). DJ Topcat’s mashup finds itself demoted to Level 2 because the “Paper Planes” beat is far too incredible to ever be removed. And finally Press Play Deejay’s cardinal sin is the removal of Eminem’s career-saving verse. Lebron tell Press Play what’s up.

Level 3’s a.k.a. “great song choices but half-ass combination” sole member is PARRKA’s “Knife/Heartbeats (Grizzly Bear vs. The Knife). I love both songs, and especially the witty wordplay of “Knife” vs. the Knife (that’s sharp, aaand boom goes the dynamite). However, PARRKA tries too hard to let both lead and in the end, neither song benefits. Perhaps because they are too similar, the tracks never truly unite and instead amount to an inept 5+ minute mishap.

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Get ‘Em High (A-Trak Remix) – Kanye West (YSI)

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The Way Heartbeats (Eminem vs. The Knife) – POTAMIC (YSI)

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Bittersweet Heartbeats – E-603 (YSI)

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Paper Heartbeats (M.I.A. vs. The Knife) – DJ Topcat (YSI)

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Heartbeats Forever (Drake vs. The Knife) – Press Play Deejay (YSI)

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Knife/Heartbeats (Grizzly Bear vs. The Knife) – PARRKA (YSI)

Mash Update

dfjacobs — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 15:00:07 +0000

Spring Breakin' like a champ

With spring break in the air, I needed some television that could match my enthusiasm for warm weather and poor decision-making. As my now permanently Cheetos stained fingers explored the current bill of fare, I found my way to the holy grail of spring break programming, the ‘Fist Pumpin’ Top 20 w/ Jersey Shore’. Watching the Jersey Shore to celebrate spring break is like listening to Justin Bieber to commemorate NAMBLA day. And for me, seeing tequila drenched, scantily clad women means only one thing, of course, it’s mashup time.

Let’s start with The Hood Internet, who has been terrifyingly hit or miss of late, but have returned to form and mixed some classic Big L rhymes with Bibio. Big L, in his coolest collaboration since this sweet tee, sounds at home atop Bibio’s experimental electronica. By the way, anyone feeling their fancies tickled by Bibio’s stellar synth sound should check out his 2009 release Ambivalence Avenue, a great album that did not receive its proper dues.

Next is The White Panda who threw together mashup darling “Lean Like A Cholo” with Two Door Cinema Club. The White Panda put the chic rock sound of Two Door Cinema Club behind everyone’s favorite ode to Mexican gangsters. The most common side effect of this combination is ear euphoria, and in rare cases, bowel incontinence.

Moving right along we have T.H.I.’s “How Purple Can You Go.” This mash removed the disgusting futuristic garbage from Luda’s “How Low” and instead backed it up with Joker & Ginz’s “Purple City.” This track finally does Mr. Bridges’s flow justice with a first-rate beat.

Lastly I leave you with the Show’s favorite masher, E-603. Even if Sir E can’t accept my friend request, his skillz that killz have been described by commentators (me) as “Glenn Beck crazy”. He posted this track and a subsequent message on facebook describing how he had the song stuck in his head, so he naturally made an exceptionally cool remix to blow our minds. As is par for the king of the 603, he tore this track up. That’s all I’ve got for now, so turn up all these jams and enjoy spring break Snooki style, even if you’re stuck on your couch.

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Dwrcan ‘Em Up (Big L x Bibio) – The Hood Internet (YSI)

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A Cholo You Know – The White Panda (YSI)

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How Purple Can You Go – The Hood Internet (YSI)

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Money To Blow (feat. Drake and Lil Wayne) (E-603 Remix) – Birdman (YSI)

Top 5 Mashups of 2009

Edward — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 17:04:16 +0000

It’s alright. You can lean back from the edge of your seat. Our year-end lists are coming to their long, drawn-out conclusion in the form of our favorite mashes of 2009. It was certainly the year of the long-form mashup, with not one but two fantastically different and perfectly executed albums dropping, both of which placed in our favorite albums.

The list sort of reads like it was intended to just be our favorite Hood Internet tracks, but I’m going to go ahead and blame that on the fact that there is no one out there executing as effectively or consistently as those guys, and I really do think they’ve earned all 3 of the spots on this list (and I should probably mention that my own list had “Comfortable Up In Here” filling out the #5 spot, so I’m certainly 100% behind anything and everything Hood releases). Anyway, enjoy, and then help me in looking forward to 2010’s exciting first quarter releases.

#5: Hathaway – “Party and Bullshit in the USA” – There are some mashups that exist only out of the hilarity of their titles — in fact, for a long time, that was what I thought the most of mashups were, due mainly to icebergxc’s constantly asking me (way back in 07) if I’d heard “Walking in Memphis Down The Boulevard of 99 Broken Problems” or “Kiss You Through the Bananaphone” or “Yoshimi Battles the Pink Panther” — and this one certainly exists out of the merits of its overlapping titles. The strange part is that it works. Really well. Maybe it’s because everyone loves the synth backing of “Party in the USA” or we all like to shout “I’m a bad boy” along with Biggie. Or both. Sometimes, though, it’s best not to question, and to instead complacently enjoy “could you be kicked, pushed, loved, and then take on me while running so far away.” – Edward

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Hathaway – Party And Bullshit in the USA (YSI)

#4: The Hood Internet – “Cult Logic Forever” – This is a great mashup without a hint of kitsch. “Forever,” on its own, is a disappointment. It’s got the right rappers, but the beat wrecks it mercilessly with sirens and other garbage noise. Stripping the mess off and bringing it up to speed with some talented instrumental from Miike Snow was the best thing that has ever happened to it. Now it’s as smooth as it is sharp and hangs together tighter than BFFs sharing a straightjacket. – icebergxc

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The Hood Internet – Cult Logic Forever (YSI)

#3: The Hood Internet – “Make The Loop Say Aye” — I’ll admit it: I was one of the Vampire Weekend fanboys who nearly peed his pants the first time he heard “Osaka Loop Line.” I thought Discovery’s LP was going to be my favorite album of 2009. And I swear to god, the tattoo pen was not inches from my upper thigh when I finished the cd for the first time and realized that it was definitely not ink-worthy. But, as the saying goes, those that can’t do teach. And those who don’t know that “who” is the personal pronoun probably shouldn’t be calling others inept. And those who may not have the force to sustain your interest on their own ought to be mashed up. Yes, the song ruled on its own. But this was the late-inning pep-talk it needed. In October, long after I had grown tired of Discovery (although the fantastically polyrhythmic “So Insane” even to this day continues to impress me), I heard this for the first time, and my faith was restored. The Hood Internet perfectly match breaks and builds in every song they assemble, though this may showcase it the best. Beauty, grace, Ms. Mashup #3 of 2009, ladies and gents. – Edward

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The Hood Internet – Make the Loop Say “Aye” (YSI)

#2: The Hood Internet – “Two Weeks of Hip-Hop” — As Matthew Whipple of the 2009 breakout Cymbals Eats Guitars said, “[“Two Weeks” is] pure ear candy… what a song… I want to be Chris Taylor’s bass line.” So when the Hood Internet’s ABX threw Dead Prez over one of the best songs of the year, chaos ensued in the form of “Two Weeks of Hip Hop.” The opening features two of my favorite intros of all time, the now classic keyboard progression of “Two Weeks” and Dead Prez yelling, “it’s bigger than hip hop, hip hop, hip hop.” The track seamlessly combines genres in a strikingly natural fashion, one which I believe Ethan Ward once said was the ideal goal of mashups (clearly he’s the freaking authority on this matter). A few of my stunningly brainless friends even believed “Two Weeks of Hip Hop” to be the original (don’t fear, I no longer associate with those morons). But in their defense, this is because the two wildly disparate tracks come together like Ben & Jerry’s delicious and all-natural Half Baked to create earth-shattering awesomeness. -DFJacobs

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The Hood Internet – Two Weeks of Hip-Hop (YSI)

#1: E-603 – “If You Wanna” — On ‘If You Wanna’, international superstar E-603 saves a potentially generic mash-up affair from mediocrity by adding the only possible ironic element to a mash-up: a narrative. Mash-ups and bootleg, by definition, are anti-narrative, deconstructing source texts and transforming them into a work that is based in pure aesthetics. Taking a vocal sample and chopping out pieces and parts, as E-603 does at the beginning of the track, leaves you with nothing but a glorified DJ set. But by adding the song long crescendo, ending with the full story of City High’s gritty ‘What Would You Do?’, the song develops a more full structure that leaves the listener in awe of E-603’s ability to create true songs, rather than mere mash-ups. Bringing the song’s two distinct parts together is a fantastic showcase of technical ability, in what one internet critic called, “some of the most fluid mixing I’ve heard.” A sublime track in itself, it is by far the most accurate representation of E-603’s mature mash-up opus.- Marquis Meowmers

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E-603 – If You Wanna (YSI)

BEST ALBUMS OF 2009 — #10-6

Edward — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 15:20:33 +0000

The trek towards our favorite album of 2009 continues, as today we give you numbers 10 down to 6, available after the jump.

Here we go:

**#10 – Circle of Fifths – Milkman**

The two greatest mashup albums to date were released this year. While this is excellent news for mashup addicts and college-aged partiers alike, it’s quite unfortunate for Circle of Fifths. Because Milkman’s sophomore release arrived in the same tragic year (think Billy Mays and Tiger’s career) as Ethan Ward a.k.a E-603’s Torn Up, the Show has designated Circle of Fifths second best. Milkman is truly a master of his craft, and he creates some of the most seamless and technically sound mashups ever made. The album is perfect for those diagnosed with “musical ADD,” filled with eclectic, “Prius-shaking” tracks galore. The standout of the cd is definitely “Rap Music is Beneath Me,” featuring an unbelievable mash of “Still D.R.E.” and “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” that WILL bring tears. – DFJacobs

Milkman – Rap Music is Beneath Me (YSI)

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#9: Hospice – The Antlers

The first time I listened to this album, I was struck by how pleasing it all sounded, and yet, no single song separated itself from the rest. I figured that eventually this feeling would fade, and the continuous fabric of the album would turn into patches woven together. Even to this day, though, this has not come true. Sure, I have songs that I like on the album more than others (the song “Bear” comes to mind), but I can’t sit down and listen to one song on Hospice without letting the rest play out. As the title suggests, the album lyrically tracks the care of a terminally ill patient, and as the content would suggest, the narrative goes from care, to love, to death, to the deep contemplative haunting that only death can provide. It provides it all at once, with impressive subtlety.

But it doesn’t limit itself to its own lyrical constraints. I found out for myself one day when I was at the South Orange, NJ train station on Halloween, waiting for a train to take me into New York. The day was gray, and all were sullen faced except for one woman in her mid-twenties on a cell phone who possessed a voice so sharp MacBeth may have effectively used it to stab Duncan. Eventually, more people eventually filed in—groups of college age girls dressed in slutty maid costumes giggling in noisy clusters, even happier looking couples waiting with weekend suitcases. Everybody there, from the sullen, to the content, to me, at the train station waiting to be transported somewhere else. I watched this entire scene form before my eyes, and Hospice provided me with the perfect soundtrack to such dynamic discord. It chronicles not only death, but a clarion clear message of displacement—a struggle to hold on indicative of today. Its sounds echo through those train station walls as support for all of those in transit somewhere or towards something. These days, isn’t that everybody? – Dave

The Antlers – Bear (YSI)

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#8: Album – Girls

The new Girls cd was so wild that it was rumored to have been produced by Joe Francis (I apologize for making a “Girls Gone Wild” joke, but this was too easy). Indie critics and fans alike have “gone wild” for the aspiring lo-fi group who made bursting onto the Indie scene quite easy for themselves by making a truly great record. The standout for me, was the “Costelloesque” vocals of Christopher Owens. I was able to convince almost every prehistoric (over 35) family member that Girls was really a new Costello-helmed project. And really, that’s a huge compliment. I love Elvis (Costello), and Girls really took the sound so much farther than simply Costelloesque, creating a fun and promising debut. – DFJacobs

Girls – Lust For Life (YSI)

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#7 Ray Guns Are Not Only Just the Future - The Bird and the Bee

It’s a clunky name, and it’s not even true: ray guns don’t exist—yet. I voted this album as the best album of the year. It is not. Not even by a long shot. But I think that The Animal Show’s scoring methods nicely balanced out my folly, and this album landed in the seventh place, where it more or less belongs. This is me, cheating the system (and grammar rules). In any case, this album is definitively good, in my opinion. My only regret is not doing this for Hospice instead. In a year where I feel as though music tried way too hard without commensurate reward, I found Ray Gun’s sound really quite pleasing, and I would much rather listen to it than, say, Merriweather Post Pavilion (and I realize this discredits my opinion and all future opinions I offer in life). Listening to it is like transporting yourself into the opening credits of a Sean Connery-era James Bond film, and you never have to put yourself out too far to gain this experience. While some pieces of the album have their more melodramatic moments that are worth listening to, it’s really at its strongest when you don’t necessarily think while listening. Songs like “Diamond Dave” and “Love Letter to Japan” are great fun, and the title track “Ray Gun” has an electro-lounge cool that’s not necessarily innovative, but it’s extremely well done. - Dave

The Bird & The Bee – Ray Gun (YSI)

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#6 Torn Up – E-603

It would not surprise me if, at some point in the future, I were to look back on 2009 as the year in which I last had any interest in long-form compositional sampling. There are certainly serious restrictions on the genre — namely, that there is an alarmingly finite number of good acappella tracks, and one can only hear a mashed up version of “Jump Around” so many times. However, the biggest nail in The Coffin Gillis Built may be this monsterpiece of an album, which nailed the rollercoaster ride every good mashup cd should be. Others may point to Feed the Animals as mashup’s finest hour, but I’ll hold tight to Torn Up. No mashup artist has E-603’s fine-tuned command of pairing up emotional peaks, and every ounce of tension and release possible in a song is present in Torn Up. While Something For Everyone perfectly played to the typical mashup elation of “hey, I know both these songs! And they work surprisingly well together!,” Torn Up creates a new rhythm and drama for the genre, teasing samples in and out and making the climaxes that much more example. From top to bottom, the album weaves magnificently through genres and years, all while maintaining the professional sheen and personal grace we’ve come to expect from E-603. It’s hard to imagine the genre getting taken much further. – Edward

E-603 – Lights Out (YSI)

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CHECK OUT THE STUNNING CONCLUSION TO OUR LIST HERE

I feel like a kid in a crystal meth shop

marquismeowmersiv — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 15:53:51 +0000

This dude wants to own a gun. He creates bangers. He is blowing my mind. IS THE METAPHOR CLEAR?

I have something for you. Something you might want. Something that, if you are Marquis Meowmers IV, you have wanted for almost a year now. I have E-603’s sophomore effort. I am listening to it RIGHT NOW. It is called Torn Up and it is on my speakers. Like, now. And if you want to get at some sick TRACKS as well as my initial thoughts you should click the link and MAKE THE FUCKING JUMP.

Previous E-603 coverage on The Show was nothing but absolute praise, and with good reason. Something For Everyone was simply fantastic, a mash-up album that got all the fundamentals right. Its beauty lay in its simplicity, as E-603 (real name Ethan Ward) had simply mastered the ability to start and stop samples in all the right spots. Instead of creating a seamless Girl Talk clone in which generic samples flowed in and out of each other fading into nothingness, his simplistic start and stop method made for an interesting style which was noticeably different from his contemporaries. The peak of the album, a mind blowing combination of Nirvana’s ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ and alt-rapper Spank Rock’s ‘Coke and Wet’ nearly made me rip the steering column from my poor Subaru Forester almost every time I heard it while driving. I don’t think I’ve listened to any mash-up album as much as Something.

Simply put, Torn Up is a grown up version of Something For Everyone.

Opening with Eminem laid over Nirvana’s ‘Territorial Pissings’, the album takes a path much more technically proficient than its predecessor without losing any of the artist’s signature sound. Samples flow a little more naturally and are stacked a little deeper into the track, meaning less a+b+c and more a+b+c+d+e+z+x+HowardStern. However, early Blink 182 and Lenny Kravitz samples keep the album from taking on too much of GT’s Night Ripper’s overly artsy glitch sound. The album really takes stride by the second track, reaching its first “peak moment” on ‘Lights Out’ with the combination of Lil Jon, and about 4 other samples I can’t quite name. Ultimately, while Lit might be laid behind Ying Yang Twins (’Hey Shorty’), E-603 knows when to pull his punches and create a slower jam, which makes the highlights even more lovable. This is not to suggest that the album is ‘boring’ at any moment, as the sheer technical ability will leave the listener in awe during the moments of rising action or denouement. The word that keeps popping into my head is “smart.” Torn Up is a very smart mash-up album.

I don’t want to go over the entire album step by step because I am lazy and I need to get up to work my manual labor job, but I can tell you that you will not be disappointed when this album is dropped later this week. Be you a casual GT fan, a hardcore mash-head, or a technical nerd who wants to know what program E-603 uses to chop, screw, slop, mash, crunch, and generally create, you WILL find a reason to like this album. And to prove this to you, below are some kick-ass sample tracks. Animal Show exclusive. We love you too.

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E-603 – Lights Out (YSI) (Mediafire)

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E-603 – If You Wanna (YSI) (Mediafire)

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E-603 – Hey Shorty (YSI) (Mediafire)

The album is set to be released later this week — keep your cursors pointing to E-603’s website.

Mix Tapes

marquismeowmersiv — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 11:50:43 +0000

Just think, I could totally be forcing you to listen to William Basinski's Disintegration Loops, but I'm not because I know that not everyone likes hour-long minimalist songs.

Hello Animal Show readers / Hype Machine users. Tis I, Marquis Meowmers IV. While taking a work break from a paper I’m writing (entitled “Hyper-reality, Animation, and Irony”), I StumbedUpon a nice little website that will probably be sued into oblivion by the end of the year. 8tracks.com is an online mixtape service, similar to the now recontexualized (due to legal issues) muxtape.com. All you do is sign up, log in, and start mix-taping.

Now, I know you probably aren’t asking yourself, “Why the hell does this deserve a post?” but I’ll tell you anyways. I’ve been wanting to do a series of posts that tackle musical topics that are larger than a single artist or remix or mash-up. I’ve wanted to make posts like “the best albums of 1988″ and “Shoegazing: a beginners guide” and “My favorite tracks by Fucked Up” and “D.I.T.C – Rest In Peace Big L”. However, it’s nice to have a very wide array songs available for that sort of stuff, and this is an easier and way more legal way to share tracks than uploading to Boxstr. If nothing else, I will probably have a mixtape every week or so documenting my 10 favorite songs of the week (my musical tastes change to reflect whatever Pitchfork is promoting).

So, without further ado, mixtape 1: Marquis Meowmers IV’s Best of 2008 MixTape.

This MixTape encompasses my favorite track from each of my top 15 albums of 2008. Complicated enough? I thought so. Here’s to new trends. Additionally, if you’re a regular reader get stoked! Within the next two weeks, we will have an exclusive surprise here on The Animal Show!

No related posts.

I've Just Been Falcon Punched in the Ear.

Edward — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 16:34:40 +0000

Show me your moves, indeed.

After a lengthy spring break from the Show, ably handled by my co-captains with covers, mashes, and MSPainted shutters galore, I’m back in full force. It’s Edward time, bitches. And I’ve decided that, with the extra time SB09 has given me, I’m going to be treating all ya’ll to some full album recommendations. It’s gonna be the beginning of a weekly album feature, where we try to turn you onto sweet gems, new, old, hip and forgotten. Quick! Sweep everything off your desk in a symbolic room-making gesture. It’s Show time. Animal Show time.

Coming at you first is a monsterpiece of a compositional sampling album from some sweet dudes called Super Mash Bros., who have unleashed “Fuck Bitches. Get Euros.” on the world. For the uninitiated of you, compositional sampling is the full-album kind of mash-upping, a la Girl Talk and my personal favorite, E-603. The problem is that, at this point, many of the potential matches have been played out. Hence Mash Bros. promise to be “Girl Talk’s hot cousin,” and obviously one who’s sporting sweet nineties jorts, an oversized polo, long, long blonde hair and spunky sneaks. And, like every good mash-up album, it’s got the sort of moments that make you grin with the brilliance of the pairing.

For sampling purposes, I’m providing 4 of the tracks streaming. I’ll let them more or less speak for themselves, but let me fill you in on what you’re not hearing: In “D.G.A.F.L.Y.F.”, there’s a bone-chilling mix of “Crank That” and DaRude’s deathless “Sandstorm,” which will make your grandmother break both her hips with some serious heel-toeing. In “Testarossas for Everyone!” we find yet another “Say Yeah”/”Better off Alone” mash, coming tied to Li’l Mama’s “Lip Gloss.” I should be tired of all these songs, but, damn it all if they don’t keep getting better. Also, I think the Bros should get mega points for the moment in their brilliantly-titled “Broseidon, Lord of the Brocean,” where Imogen Heap’s “Hide and Seek” is paired with “Tipsy,” which then transitions into “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger” and Death Cab’s “Title and Registration.” One other serious highlight is Modest Mouse’s “Float On” flowing into Sixpence None the Richer’s “Kiss Me,” both bouncing over “Miss New Booty,” which has me grinning ear to ear as I type. And if “I Fucking Bleed Purple and Gold” doesn’t sell you with its “Kids” vs. Eminem moment, don’t read my blog, dammit, because you obviously have feet for ears and snot for brains.

Listen, download, dance:

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I’m Onto Something (That’s What She Said) – Super Mash Bros.

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I Fucking Bleed Purple and Gold – Super Mash Bros.

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Stop That Booty (Here We Come) – Super Mash Bros.

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Meet Me at Fantasy Island – Super Mash Bros.

Download the album for free here. Listening to this album will be the best half hour of your day.

Super Mash Bros. will make you poop gold. It's a fact.

Golden Retrieving Some Rock

marquismeowmersiv — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 16:12:08 +0000

This is the official ironic picture of the band Air Bud.

Hello. I am Marquis Meowmers IV, and I have been asked by Edward to provide you with interesting things to listen to. My title of Marquis denotes that I am above an Earl, but below a Duke. I one day hope to assassinate my father, the Grand Duke Whiskers, so that I may take my rightful place in the Kingdom of Stupid Pet Names. But I digress… for today, my friends, I am here to present to you the explosive music of Air Bud.

Air Bud is related to E-603 by way of members; Ethan (the ‘E’ of E-603) plays keyboards, drinks beer, and screams his lungs out. Though this may excite some of the mash-up fanatics that frequent this site, you should be warned that this new material takes a significantly different direction from Something For Everyone. Direct comparisons can be drawn to electro-punk outfit, The Death Set, with hints of Dan Deacon (who has new tunes up on his MySpace) and Matt & Kim (who just put out a new album) thrown in. Ultimately, Air Bud sounds exactly like the party scene from 10 Things I Hate About You* (you know, the one where Kat gets too drunk and dances on a table to, like, Sublime) combined with the party scene from SLC Punk (you know, the one with the fight between that guy from ‘Friends’ and some Morman rednecks). Super-fun synths plus drum machines plus mindless screaming plus lyrics like “You people think we’re dogs / but we just want to rock / you think we give a shit / but we don’t give a fuck” combine to make one super-fun, 4-song EP. While this might not be everyone’s cup of tea, those with the urge to chug PBR while shooting skeet with grandma’s china set instead of clay pigeons might enjoy this shift of tempo.

The best part? The EP is free off of their MySpace site by way of ZShare.

Sample one song here: The Internet – Air Bud

*R.I.P Heath Ledger

(EDITOR’S NOTE: AS IF YOU NEEDED ANY FURTHER REASON TO LISTEN, CHECK OUT THIS PICTURE OF THE BAND. AWESOME, RIGHT? — Ed. Edw.)

(EDWARD’S NOTE: ALSO, MARQUIS MEOWMERS IV IS THE NEW WRITER I PREVIOUSLY REFERRED TO AS “DOUG.” HE TOOK THIS WHOLE ANIMAL SHOW THING FAR TOO LITERALLY. I STILL SUPPORT THE SUPER-COOL PEN NAME.)

My Top 10 Albums of 2008

Edward — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 19:02:59 +0000

Only 8 days left to wear these!

I know, I know, dear readers. You’ve been so very patient these past 24 hours waiting for this, and I appreciate it. Well, now you can stop sending me hate emails, and feast your eyes and ears on this cornucopia of musical goodness. Just in time for Christmas Eve.

Did you know making year-end lists is hard? I really hadn’t counted on there being so much writing involved in blogging. I thought it was all about writing funny things over people’s faces in MS Paint. Dagg, yo. Anyway, I wrote many many words, and I hope you read at least one out of every 5. That’s really what I’m going for.

Catch the list after the break.

10) MGMT – Oracular Spectacular: Technically a 2007 release, I’m including this because the physical release was 2008. And because I don’t care to split hairs. I liked this album a lot, but not as much as some people (deep, right?). Mainly, I was turned off by the album art. What the hell, guys? Do you think you’re cooler than me? I can paint my face, too. Anyway, there are some sweet tracks on here, which have inspired some even sweeter remixes. Check em both out.

MGMT – Electric Feel

9) Esau Mwamwaya – The Very Best Mixtape: I do a lot of reading the internets for music. Presumably, you do too, unless you’re my dad, in which case, Hi, Father. Anyway, in September, the entirety of the information superhighway was blowing up with news of this dude, Esau Mwamwaya (pronounce his name just by reading it so fast that noone can tell the difference). He was totally bringing afro-pop into the world-wide-web generation, man. He sang Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa! Totes out-Africa’d Vampy Weekend! And then he released this super-sweet mixtape for free, and I was all like, dang, bro, this is sum hawt shitt. You’ll prolly be like that, too.

Esau Mwamwaya – Funa Funa

8 ) Cut Copy – In Ghost Colours: The word “Colours” snagged me, although this album has the dubious distinction of being the only one on this list I purchased at Pitchfork’s recommendation. To be fair, I bought it because I was going to Pitchforkfest (which I cannot recommend highly enough), and they were one of the bands on the lineup I hadn’t heard of. I was not disappointed. My major criticism of Pitchfork is their love for music more cacophonic than melodic. Cut Copy is none of that. If anything, they err on the side of Eurotrash pop beats, which is fine by me. All in all, this is an album which delivers the jams without compromising intelligence.

Cut Copy – Feel the Love

7) She & Him – Volume One: Zooey Deschanel is a mystery to me. Mainly because I have no idea how to pronounce her name. I’ve been told it’s supposed to be like Zoe, but I will continue to call her “Zoo-ee” until she personally corrects me. I find that exoticism makes her all the more attractive. She has one of those instantly recognizable voices, and the songs on Volume One could have been written forty years ago. And I mean that in the best way possible. She’s a cutey patootie. I’m waiting for Volume Two.

She & Him – This is Not a Test

6) Okkervil River – The Stand Ins: I had a poster of the cover art from The Stage Names up on my wall last year, and I told my roommate at the time that I thought it would be hard to find creepier album art. Then Okkervil River stepped it up, to make something even more disturbing. Then put them together. Yummy. This was completely a sequel to The Stage Names, which was, at one point, going to be a double album. Stage Names was probably my favorite album of 2007, so I was understandably very excited about Stand Ins, and it really didn’t disappoint. It didn’t have as many amazing individual songs as Stage Names, but it flows perfectly and makes me all the more excited about the prospect of new Okkervil material. Of course, now if they don’t release another album in 12 months I’ll probably be disappointed.

Okkervil River – Bruce Wayne Campbell on the Roof of the Chelsea Hotel, 1979

5) E-603 – Something for Everyone: If Girl Talk and Diplo had a lovechild, I would be very confused. But I’d be a lot more interested if, instead of Girl Talk, E-603 and Diplo had a lovechild. Because I think E-603 is legitimately better than Girl Talk. And not just because he looks like this or dresses like this, or writes things like this. Having seen both perform this year, I can say that E-603 puts on a better show. Period. Whereas Girl Talk plays through his hits, prolonging some samples and occasionally venturing into new material for a few seconds, E-603’s show is completely different every time. I kept looking for my favorite samples from the album, and being impressed and surprised when the ones I heard were even better. His debut album is all the mash-up I need. And it’s available for free on his website. Download it now.

E-603 – Crystal Friend

4) Santogold – S/T: If I said this was due to my embarrassing affection for Gossip Girl, I wouldn’t be giving Santi enough credit. But I can’t say it didn’t help. If you’ve never heard the blood-curdling “Ah-ah-ah-ahhh”s of “Creator,” you’re missing out. I’m not afraid to say I like Santogold more than M.I.A., and her collaborations have been sick. Though I have too much of a conscience to post her album (you should buy it. Now.), she did release a mixtape with Diplo, one of my favorite DJs of the year, which is nasty (and an honorable mention on this list). Catch it.

Santogold – Creator

3) TV on the Radio – Dear Science: 2006’s Return to Cookie Mountain has been one of my favorite albums of the past couple years. It showed TV on the Radio’s stepping in stride, perfecting their formula for hard-hitting electro-rock. I would have been all right with a straight sequel to that (a la The Stand Ins), but Tunde and the boys rocked my world with a deep and troubled album that still rocks. I feel it’s hard to write about it in a way that gives it enough credit. Just listen.

TV on the Radio – Halfway Home

2) Fleet Foxes – Sun Giant EP/ S/T LP: Pitchfork packaged this as their number one, the LP I bought came with the EP in it, and both were released in ’08. I’ll follow Subpop’s lead and do the same. Enough has probably been written about Fleet Foxes, but I’ll say this: the album continued to surprise me. It stood the test of time, of overplay, of overblogging, and still came out a surprisingly strong effort. I’m a big fan of indie-folk, and this seems to be the perfection of it. The most amazing thing about Fleet Foxes to me is how note-for-note they could replicate their harmonies live. Listening to them, you’d assume that overdub after overdub had gone into the recording, but those chords in White Winter Hymnal really just are a few guys singing together. Beautiful.

Fleet Foxes – Drops in the River (From the Sun Giant EP)

1) Vampire Weekend – S/T: It’s a little disappointing to me how quickly the tide of public approval can turn against an artist. Overexposure really is deadly (and I suppose I’m not doing much to remedy that..), and Vampire Weekend suffered more than any other band in 2008. They deserved all of the hype, though. They brought simple youthful joy to music for upper-middle-class hipster kids. They exposed the too-cool-for-school to pure, unadulterated fun. And that’s no easy task – I saw them in concert in July, and, during “A-Punk,” they attempted to get audience participation in the form of a few well-placed “ohs.” Ezra Koenig, before teaching us, looked out at the audience (which had been standing still for the entirety of the 4 songs leading up to the moment) and asked, “do you guys do this? Are you into this?” Not really, but Vampire Weekend helped them try.

Vampire Weekend – M79