Tracks of the Year (Alex)

Through sheer saturation and ubiquity, it’s hard not to declare 2008 the year of Sex On Fire and just be done with it. But too much good music came out this year that got lost in the fury that was the KoL, MGMT, etc explosion. What follows are my personal faves, to tessellate with the heat Nat dropped below. All are linked to individual zshares.

Bishop Lamont – Grow Up
Dre produces one of the hottest beats of the summer, in classic restrained Dre mode, and Bishop Lamont furthers his claim on being the new saviour of West Coast rap. So fresh.

Passion Pit – Sleepyhead
Hands-down banger of the year. The most exhilarating and life-affirming sub-three-minute experience since bungee jumping.

MGMT vs Notorious B.I.G vs Justice – Nasty Feel (DDPesh rework)
When someone gets a mash-up right, something like this happens and it’s so epic. Brooklyn's DDPesh come through with another rework that's so much greater than the sum of its parts.

Horse Feathers – Albina
It’s so mesmerizingly pretty, and then you listen to the lyrics and go “oh - woah. That is so bleak,” but the song is made all the more beautiful for its honesty and discordance.

Lykke Li – Little Bit (AutoErotique Bootleg Remix)
I posted a whole album worth of Lykke Li mash-ups in my Best Albums list, but this remix is so much fire it can’t be skipped for that reason. It takes a sparse, delicate song and turns it into a total banger, without losing the tenderness of the original track. (thanks to the good folk of creamteam)

Grouper – Heavy Water / I’d Rather Be Sleeping
Their album was super close to making my top five for the year. It would've made a top ten Although it’s only short, this is a song to get lost in.

Arthur Russell – I Couldn’t Say It To Your Face
I’m totally with P4K on this one. What is it with Arthur Russell? A track that should be mundane by any other standards is siphoned through Russell’s vulnerable sincerity and accomplished structuring, and so it talks to somewhere deep inside.

D. Gookin - Glad I Met You

Puts bop in your stride and gets your smile out. Catchiest song of the year?

Air France - Collapsing At Your Doorstep

My favourite song off one of my aforementioned favourite albums of the year.

Bon Iver - Skinny Love

The forceful passion of this song, and the damage in it, makes the idea of spending a period of alcoholism in the wilderness seem compelling. This would have been available from Nat Albums of the Year list, had it not been quietly assassinated by the fire Nazis.

Happy 2k9 all: may it be as fruitful as 2k8 was.

Tracks of the Year (Nat)

As promised in my now MIA Best Albums post I now present my top tracks of the year. Lets hope this one survives the blog wilderness. Please note that I'm feeling a little lazy and I have put all the tracks in one easy access ZIP file.

Tracks of the Year (Nat)

Young Love - Mystery Jets featuring Laura Marling



A quaint little English ditty about love made all that much sweeter with a cameo from Laura Marling and an inventive film clip.

Mr Carter - Lil' Wayne featuring Jay-Z


From an album full of standouts this one rises above the rest. Just Blaze lays down the best chipmunk soul since The College Dropout while Jay-Z pretends to pass the torch too his fiercest rival.

Hold On - Holy Ghost!


Nu/new/neu disco, or what ever the hell you want call it, exploded this year. Holy Ghost! were at the forefront with this pop space synth workout.

My Turn - Basement Jaxx


While the Jaxx have been knocking out interesting LP's for years now nothing has ever come close to their debut. Until now. My Turn captures is a more restrained side of the pair and uses the considerable talents of Devonte Hynes aka Lightspeed Champion to craft a tasty slice of emo electro.

Tear You Down - Brookes Brothers


Until recently High Contrast was the king of drum and bass single and remix. New comers Brookes Brothers have been kicking around for a while but it was this soul sampling banger which put them on the map and threatened to turn BW member Alex into a bonafide candy raver.

Pjanoo - Eric Prydz


Pjanoo was everywhere this year. With a huge showing at both Miami and Ibiza as well as remixes from Fred Falke and BW favourite High Contrast. All white noise, huge build ups and THAT piano line shit was guaranteed to get you reaching for the lasers.

Frayed - Hermitude/ Don't Mind - Calibre


These songs sit together as tracks that emit a certain mood. They both use dusty piano lines and muffled soul vocal to create beautiful emotive music. Deep.

Golden Cage - The Whitest Boy Alive (Fred Falke Remix)



Hands down my track of the year. Shimmering synths, clean drums and dash of french touch mixed with naked vocals of Erlend Oye. Audio bliss. Enjoy the amazing film clip for the original above.

Tracks of the Year (Nat)

Albums Of The Year (Alex)

To be honest, we here at BW didn't really discuss the logistics of posting individual Best Of lists in a year that saw us agree firmly on the releases of a certain few bands. Which is rarer than you might think. To avoid redundancy, see Nat's post for two albums which will probably make a heap of Best Of lists worldwideweb-wide, with mine no exception:

Passion Pit - Chunk Of Change EP

Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago

There were albums this year that had moments of sheer individual brilliance, from people as diverse as T.I and Bob Dylan, but it only seems fair to include the albums which got the most overall burn. So, as dictated by my iTunes play count, I present you the other 3 best albums of 2008 :

Kanye West - 808s and Heartbreak

Kanye's decision to move beyond his comfortable, highly successful mould as a hip-hop producer is demonstration of a commendable ambition, and largely unsurprising for someone with an ego as healthy as his. Like him or hate him for his bold claims about being 'the voice of a generation', with 808's, Kanye has managed that rare feat that is sporadically achieved in pop music: the ability to craft an album that will influence the sound of pop music for the immediate, and perhaps lasting future.

(On a sidenote, anyone unconvinced by the new material should try to catch a live show, as some of the BW family did last night. Moments of earnest indulgence from Mr West did nothing to stymie a concert that at times reached obscene levels of fun.)

Kanye West feat. Kid Cudi - Welcome To Heartbreak

The Hood Internet - Lykke Li minimix

I thought Lykke Li's album was amazing in and of itself. But it seems to have been the most fertile ground for people wanting to do mash-ups or remixes since Paper Planes. The Hood Internet's signature approach pairs her transcendent vocals with a range of sweetly tessellated beats, from the beautiful ambience of The Field and Gui Boratto to dancefloor bangers with Hercules & Love Affair and Booka Shade. When quite often mash-ups can be merely "oh that's kinda clever," these six little gems leave you more "oh woah that's better."

The Hood Internet vs Lykke Li - minimix (via The Hood Internet)



Air France – No Way Down EP
This was my go-to ‘in transit’ choice. It works equally well as background music to a book on the train, or when I’m skating somewhere, or when I’m just walking. Which is not to say it’s a white noise thing: the songs all just have a way of being present and feeling so appropriate to being in motion. Sort of like when a song sounds right at the beach, and you zen out a little.

Air France – Collapsing At Your Doorstep

Electric stimulus to face

What do you do for fun? This guy attaches electrodes to his face and makes compositions for his face to wig out to. Could easily be an Aphex Twin video. Bless the Japanese.

It's Obama bama

It may be a little late and barely musical but at BW we love ourselves a bit of Randy Marsh. Like Homer Simpson said, 'Its funny cause it's true'.

We say party - you say die!

As you know we here at BW are a big fan of the beats from the Blue Mountains. Cloud Control and Hermitude are two top acts to come from the region. Must be cause they don't have a mall or something.

Add to that list the psypop stylings of we say bamboulée who have recently come to attention of local Sydney station FBi and now myself. Peep their Klaxon's style lyrics and Passion Pit influenced beats below. Props to them for letting a little Aussie twang steal into the vocals. Refreshing.

we say bamboulée - Unwelcome Copacaban Holiday

Myspace

I heart Mark Ronson

Fuck yes Mark Ronson killed it yesterday at Global Gathering in Sydney. Along with an incredible list of supporting acts, are you listening Gorillaz? This is how you do a show, none of this 'soundsystem' bullshit.

There ain't much on YouTube yet but here is a little taste of set closer/encore 'Stop Me'. More as it develops.

The 10th Wonder

It's sort of hard to concentrate on anything other than 808's & Heartbreak at the moment because Kanye has - I think - dropped one of the most revolutionary albums of recent years, but apparently the world keeps turning for people who aren't utterly fascinated by Mr West. Prolific mix-taper Mick Boogie has yet another, this time with flame-spitter Cynicus. All the beats are produced by 9th Wonder which should make this a repository of heat. 9th Wonder's material is super fresh at the moment, possibly my favourite going around. And this is a beautiful thing because, between him and Kanye, we now don't have to put up with listening to the tween pop-rap that Will.i.am continues peddling and all the d-bags who choose the music in shops force on us.

Mick Boogie presents Cynicus - The 10th Wonder (rapidshare)

That is alot?!

So you may have noticed that Burnt Waffles has gone a little quiet lately. Well as we wait for the last few big albums of 2008 to drop and put the finishing touches on our best of's I thought I would point you too a few albums that have been locked in my pod.

Whenever other genres are feeling a little limp I find a trip to the deeper, heavier end of the spectrum is in order. The new Chase and Status album that dropped recently has filled that need quite nicely. Entitled More than Alot it lives up to its title with a buffet of different, dare I use marketing speak, urban sounds. While many of the bigger singles have been kicking around for a while and are made for losing your shit too at 3am such as Smash TV, Pieces and the massive Hurt You it is the dub step inspired Running which I find sticking in my head day after day. Enjoy the cheeky contrast of rattling bassline and soulful hook below.

Chase and Status - Running

Myspace

Moving to the deeper sound, specifically that of Cambridge, England. Hospital has recently release the third volume of their acclaimed Future Sounds of Cambridge compilation and it is smacking. Its filled with productions by drum and bass heavyweights Commix, Nu:tone and Logistics and even sports a number of collaborative tracks to sweeten the deal. Standouts include Cosmonaut and Intervention by comparative new comer Logistics and the collab track Ghost Snare. Ghost Snare can be found below, all clicks and deep grooves. For those who like to enjoy the subtlety of the jungle genre.

Commix, Logistics and Nu:tone - Ghost Snare

Hospital Homepage

Tiny Masters of Tomorrow

A school in Montreal started an after school program for kids to get involved with making music and lo-fi video clips. The results were stupendous... more at Naked Eye Magazine.

Viva La Hova

Stone Fact: every 12 seconds, someone, somewhere uploads a new Jay-Z mash-up. 

Mere Opinion: Viva La Hova, the latest mixtape effort from Mick Boogie and Terry Urban, might be the best yet. Not straight mash-ups, but more beats sampling Coldplay and using Jigga's vocals, the mix includes tracks like this banger from 9th Wonder, as well as a slew of others including Mick Boogie and, apparently, Coldplay themselves. Cop a sample below, and you can grab the full .zip via EastOfLA.

Jay-Z & Coldplay (prod. 9th Wonder) - Cold Success

Who's go is it?

So, this one is about 2 months late but I just needed to draw attention to the slight return of Basement Jaxx. While each album has been a compounding disappointment after their amazing debut Remedy it seems a set of EPs titled Planet 1 & 2 signals a return to form.

Standout track My Turn features BW favourite Lightspeed Champion, while Nifty is a straightforward big bass banger. Not every track across the two EPs is a classic but it definitely bodes well for future Jaxx albums. Enjoy the fire below.

Basement Jaxx - My Turn (featuring Lightspeed Champion)

Myspace

What does hipster mean?

Recently, rappers have seemed really, really affronted by hipsters. Or specifically, by the 'tight jeans.' It's part offense, part bewilderment. Bishop Lamont thinks tight jeans will prevent you from breathing, and Jigga argues that he won't wear them because his "nuts don't fit." Mickey Factz got all upset when people labelled his tracks hipster-hop, which they only did because he wears pants less than two sizes too large. Fortunately for us, Buff1 has gotten his pals Mike Lee and DJ Graffiti together, they've banged heads, and have delivered a deep, sociological exploration of just what exactly it is to be a hipster. Because - duh - underground rappers from Michigan are experts on it. 

(Incidentally, for those of you worried about it, they're cool with the whole hipster thing as long as "your music is as tight as your jeans.")

Buff1 & DJ Graffiti - What Does Hipster Mean? (feat. Mike Lee)

Buff1 Myspace

Sean Wrong - Minimix 10_10_08

Here is a mix i did for work on a Friday afternoon. (Everyone puts there name in a hat and whoever gets pulled out plays their music for an hour on friday arvo.) This is my latest offering, bit of Prog with some Trancey elements thrown in for good measure...

Mixed live with Ableton live (224kbps, 58 mins)

Download/Stream here

Chris Lake - Start Again (Dub Mix)
Leventina - Medical Insurance
Passenger 10 - Passenger 10 (Chris Reece remix)
Kenneth Thomas - Riders On The Storm (Brisker and Magitman remix)
Andy Moor - Fake Awake (Myon and Shane 54 remix)
Cressida - 6am (Kyau and Albert remix)
Deadmau5 - Brazil (Second Edit)
Pryda - Rakfunk
tyDi - Hide (Andy Moors Ecomix)
Adam K and Soha - Twilight (Deadmau5 remix)
Eric Prydz - Miami Atlanta

Alexis Taylor - Rubbed Out

Hot Chip's Alexis Taylor recently released a solo album, Rubbed Out, through Treader, who make some of the slickest little packages of music ever. I'm still not sure about how I feel about the album as a whole, but there's some nice little tracks. It's all kinda ephemeral and spacey, and sorta has some Beatles and Elliott Smith sounds, but still with a very Hot Chip tone throughout. Treader's site describes it as a collection of "bespoke songs and instrumentals" which is basically a nice way of saying 'he threw some stuff together.' But when you're responsible for the genius of Hot Chip what you can just throw together is about nine million times better than what anyone else can.

Alexis Taylor - Baby

Hellzapoppin' (1941)

Hellzapoppin' makes a super strong case for dancing in a movie. This five minutes is why learning Lindy Hop and going to swing bars could be the funnest thing ever in the whole world.

How To Spend Your Pocket Money

OK so it's heaps late news and whatever, but out of principle and because we're total bandits for their shit-hot gasflare pop, BW wants to make everyone aware of Passion Pit's EP "Chunk of Change" dropping. Nothing going around at the moment is as fun. Play them to anyone, and if they say "I don't really like them" you will know that person is boring and tonnes lame. Out now through Frenchkiss, it's $7 asking price might be the biggest bargain of the year - especially tasty given everyone has no money left and we're all going to lose our jobs.

Passion Pit - Cuddle Fuddle

Myspace

Update:

The video to Sleepyhead just got released over at Pitchfork.tv. Have a look below - no CGI is used, which is pretty incredible.

Eric Prydz pres. Pryda - Rakfunk

Yes people, it's happening. Eric Prydz is coming down under. He'll be in town for Shore Thing at Bondi on New Years, along with Underworld and The Presets in what promises to be an absolute stormer and will surely be off the proverbial hook. So if you haven't already got your tix via pre-sale your best bet is to gather round the computer tomorrow (Friday 10th) before noon or you will most likely have to make other plans for New Year's.

To celebrate here is a track from Pryda's latest release, Rakfunk. It is actually a B-Side of 'Evouh' which is also receiving heavy praise. I first heard Rakfunk on Paolo Mojo's EM a few weeks ago and it really did steal the show. I've also included Pjanoo below in case you weren't around here at the start of the year. Enjoy.

Eric Prydz pres. Pryda - Rakfunk

Eric Prydz - Pjanoo

Myspace | Website

It ripples our reflections

Radiohead - Reckoner - by Clement Picon


Reckoner was a favourite track of many from the In Rainbows album. This is the new video for it, and it's everything we've come to expect from Radiohead videos: intricate, complex, beautiful and challenging. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

MySpace | Website

Monotonix And The Art Of Rocking The Fuck Out

Sometimes you're lying there at night unable to get to sleep, pondering life's little mysteries, like: why are we here? Why did they take John Lennon from us, but they won't take Bono? Are the Republicans seriously going to stick with Sarah Palin? If you were wondering about this biggie:

What would Led Zeppelin have sounded like if they were a trio made up of the guys from Death From Above 1979 and one of their friends? And they lived now? And they were from Tel Aviv? And were tonnes into Dov Charney style clothing?

...wonder no more. The answer is Monotonix. And yes they will make you get awesome and naked and drunk.

(ps peep the videos on their Myspace - I haven't seen shit this frantic since DFA1979's shows.)

Monotonix - Summers & Autumns

Myspace | Website

She tears you down darlin'

Most mainstream drum and bass has a whiff of cheese about it these days but every so often a track comes along that is so bangin' and uplifting it cannot be ignored.

This is one of those times. The Brookes Brothers have been slowly building a name for themselves with releases on Ram Records and BBK as well as collaborating with the one like Danny Byrd on his recent LP. Tear You Down is their true breakthrough, working its way into the record boxes of everyone from Annie Mac to Andy C.

Defiantly one of those big summer tracks, super size big.

Brookes Brothers - Tear You Down

As a little bonus and on the insistence of other members of this blog I have also included a rare remix of Common's The Light by the Brookes Bros. Not quite as earth shattering the above track but still a nice little roller. Enjoy, and don't say we don't do nothing for you.

Common - The Light (Brookes Brothers Remix)

Myspace

Canada via Cali

I was searching for Pearl Jam's "Corduroy" a few minutes ago in a fit of nostalgia, and accidentally came across this track by Estea Elements. And snap, yo - like a breath of fresh air.

As a fan of pretty much everything under the 'hip-hop' umbrella, I do have to admit to a certain amount of fatigue with the continuing grandiose, hyperbolic direction of mainstream rap, and the hyphy electro stuff that you can't quite bang at a pool party. So whatever, underground isn't and hasn't done either of those, but they flirt with that consciously minimal (read: bad) production and make equally as exhausting claims about how real and incisive they are. YOU'RE RIGHT ATMOSPHERE, WE JUST DON'T GET IT LIKE YOU DO.

Estea Elements, however, seem to be a young group out of Canada (where else?) who are kicking a flavour of rap that's a soothing blend of some almost-p-funk with an inescapably Jurassic 5 flow. It's like late-90's skate vid music and I love it. So while the snow approaches up in the Northern reaches, my antipodean brothers and sisters can look to this as some great summer-vibe music.

Estea Elements - Corduroy B-Boy (feat. Miles Repeated)

Myspace | Website

Zozobra - Bird Of Prey

Well fuck me it’s been a long time between posts by yours truly. Ironic then that I should be posting about a band proving to be quite prolific. Zozobra have wasted no time brining us Bird Of Prey their follow up to last year’s debut Harmonic Tremors.

Yet again this album’s pretty much the work of Caleb Scofield, the band’s songwriter come bassist come guitarist come vocalist, but for this album he’s been joined by Isis drummer Aaron Harris who also handles the production and mixing.

Sonically this new album strays very little from what made Harmonic Tremors great. Severe amounts of distortion, slow hypnotic riffs, layered shouty unintelligible lyrics and a wall of sound production that makes you feel like the whole thing’s been recorded live in a train station toilet.

Altogether Bird Of Prey plays like a continuation of the sound Zozobra developed on Harmonic Tremors. It's a welcome addition to what looks to become an impressive discography.

Also like its predecessor, Bird Of Prey is a rather short affair, about thirty minutes, so at the end of it you may find yourself eagerly waiting their next effort. But hopefully, if Bird Of Prey is anything to go by, the follow up won’t be long off.

Zozobra - Heartless Enemy

Myspace | Hydra Head Records

Human (after all)

Stuart Price is a studio god. His remixes and production elevate even the most mundane artists (Gwen Stefani, Star Sailor, Britney Spears to name a few). After turning out a number of amazing remixes for the often over hyped Killers he has now produced their upcoming record, Day and Age.

The first single is titled Human. The lyrics are rubbish, the production is amazing. Enjoy.

Human - The Killers

Myspace | Homepage

He Say, She Say

Once again, Cream Team has come up with something I have flip out about.

It takes about one listen to get why He Say, She Say copped one of the support slots on Yeezy's recent tour. The ballsy, dirty production from Million $$$ Mano, coupled with the sassy rhymes from Drea have that X-factor you instantly recognise as cooler and better than you. This, I dunno, gangsta-electro-disco, would work anywhere from the clurrrb to home - but I badly wanna hear it at a house party. That would be the hype.

Actually, I'd also kinda like to just bang these tracks in public for a reaction, cause Drea fires out some of the most graphically sexual lyrics since Akinyele, while avoiding the forced crassness of Lil' Kim. It's special.

He Say, She Say - Crash Dummie

Myspace

Hermitude - Threads

Regular readers of BW would know that we are quite the fans of the boys from the Blue Mountains around here. It was with great joy that I have now got my grubby little hands on their new LP, Threads.

On this record Hermitude have moved to diversify their sound even further. Smooth hip hop inspired beats rub shoulders with live instrumentation and electronic bleeps and squeaks. It should be also noted that almost half the cuts are laced with a vocal. They range from soul to atmospheric with the odd verse thrown in for good measure, courtesy of Urthboy and Hau.

While not quite as consistent as their previous effort, 'Tales of the Drift', this record is still shines with effortless beats and grooves perfect for the coming summer months.

Hermitude - Slychain

Myspace | Website

I'm gonna sip this wine and pass the cup

Let's steer away from the folk and Kanye posts that have dominated BW of late and bring some epic to our lives. I'm talking those Followill boys, you know... Kings of Leon. Their new album, Only by the Night, is due out some time in the coming week depending upon where you reside. KOL's previous effort, Because of the Times, was best described by my co-contributor Nat as "flawless." Only by the Night, is almost as good, they've certainly maintained their stride. I particularly like KOL for their epic guitar tunes (see Knocked Up, On Call etc). The new album adds to these with the likes of Sex on Fire, Manhattan and Use Somebody. Dare I say, but can anybody else hear some Daryl Braithwaite in the new tunes...?
Anyway, no doubt you'll read about the album from real, qualified reviewers in the near future. My intent from this post was to point everyone to the live set KOL played for Zipper over at the beeb's Radio 1 last week - including all the epics!!! Get on board!

(I don't know how long that link will be live for so you could try here if you want something a little more permanent.)

MySpace | Website

Joe Pug's bandit video

Some months back, BW featured Joe Pug's Hymn #101, and banged on about about how sincere and beautiful it was. Well, Mr Pug and friends have been busy. Specifically, they've been running around in ghost towns in desert California, kicking in doors to forlorn taverns, and shooting a music video. Witness above the clip to Hymn #101.

Then go to his website and stock up on Nation Of Heat. Then listen to it, bug out on how awesome his voice is, and run around telling your friends you've found the next torch-bearer of the American troubadour tradition.

Myspace | Website

Horse Feathers

Anyone who doesn't like these guys just hates music. I mean it. Unless you like music but you dislike complex, soulful melodies and arresting voices. In which case you need to lay off the metal.

Also, they come from Portland, which should answer any questions as to what type of music this band plays.

Horse Feathers - Albina

Myspace

New-ye

It would seem that the youtube cuts of Kanye's performance of his new hot fire at the VMAs on Sunday are being taken down. Kanye can help you out with that: just head on over to his blog, and make a beeline for the Love Lockdown post.

Tha Shizzle

One of my very talented friends (check out his previous mixes here) has decided to celebrate the imminent Australian tour of the one and only Snoop Dogg with a seamless mix of some of his hottest jams.

Grab it for yourself here and find the track listing below.

1. Snoop Dogg – Who am I (Whats my name?)
2. Snoop Dogg – Snoop D O Double G
3. Snoop Dogg & Pharell – Sets Up
4. Snoop Dogg & Pharell – Drop it like its Hot
5. Snoop Dogg & Kurupt – Gold Rush
6. Snoop Dogg – Doggz Gonna Get Ya
7. Snoop Dogg - Those Gurlz
8. Snoop Dogg & Charlie Wilson – Perfect
9. Snoop Dogg & Charlie Wilson – Doggfather
10. Snoop Dogg & B-Real – Vato
11. Snoop Dogg & Akon – Boss’ Life
12. Snoop Dogg & Dr Dre – Just Dippin
13. 2Pac & Snoop Dogg – 2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted
14. Snoop Dogg – Doggy Dogg World
15. Snoop Dogg – Ups and Downs
16. Snoop Dogg & Nate Dogg – Crazy
17. Snoop Dogg & Nelly – Girl like You
18. Snoop Dogg – One Chance
19. Snoop Dogg & Charlie Wilson – Snoop’s Upside Your Head
20. Snoop Dogg & Tray Dee – 21 Jumpstreet
21. Snoop Dogg – Murder was the Case
22. Snoop Dogg – Gz and Hustla’s
23. Snoop Dogg – It Wasn’t Your Fault
24. Snoop Dogg – Make it Clap
25. Snoop Dogg – Snoop Bounce
26. Snoop Dogg & Xzibit – Bitch Please
27. Snoop Dogg – Tha Shiznit
28. Snoop Dogg, Dr Dre & D’Angelo – Imagine
29. Snoop Dogg – Gin & Juice
30. Snoop Dogg – Can You Control Your Hoe?
31. Dr Dre & Snoop Dogg – Nuttin’ but a G Thang
32. Snoop Dogg – Step Your Game Up
33. Snoop Dogg, Warren G & Nate Dogg – Aint No Fun
34. Snoop Dogg & Silkk the Shocker – Gangsta Ride
35. Snoop Dogg, Warren G & Nate Dogg – Dont Tell
36. Snoop Dogg & Pharell – Pass it Pass it
37. Snoop Dogg – Think About It
38. Dr Dre & Snoop Dogg – The Next Episode
39. Snoop Dogg & Akon – I Wanna Fuck You
40. Snoop Dogg, Pharell & Charlie Wilson – Beautiful
41. Snoop Dogg & Supafly – You Thought
42. Snoop Dogg & Justin Timberlake – Signs
43. Snoop Dogg – Sensual Seduction

We just dippin....

I Blame Coco

Ronson is back on EVR (check the link to the left) has been dropping hot fire for the last few weeks as expected. A particular standout has been this little gem by a new UK singer I Blame Coco. Check out her self titled single on her myspace page below. Will try to get an MP3 cracking soon.

Tasty.

Myspace

LOLye West

Proving advertising can be creative. (via SBTVC)

Czech bekanyenow.com for the rest of the campaign

Meet Burial

Burial yesterday unmasked himself and issued a statement via his MySpace -

"hi

for a while theres been some talk about who i am , but its not a big deal
i wanted to be unknown because i just want it to be all about the tunes.
over the last year the unknown thing become an issue so im not into it any more.
im a lowkey person and i just want to make some tunes, nothing else. my names will bevan, im from south london, im keeping my head down and just going to finish my next album, theres going to be a 12" maybe in the next few weeks too with 4 tunes. hope u like it, i'll try put a tune up later

sorry for any rubbish tunes i made in the past, ill make up for it


a big big thank you to anyone who ever supported me, liked my tunes or sent me messages, it means the world to me


big up everyone, take care, will ( burial )"


MySpace

Being Late To The Party

Something I really hate: you know there's something you should check out, because people are like "shit is amazing," but you don't have the time or the short-term memory to be able to do it. I'm currently doing it with The Dark Knight, and as of about an hour ago, I just finished doing it with King Khan & The Shrines. 

Now I'm all "holy shit. I really like this band. WTF was I doing?" 

It's kind of annoying, especially given the fuckers are on Vice so there's probably a billion teenagers going "oh those guys were so [x] months ago," but when you have a dude sweat-rocking in your ear with charming excess and a driving horn section, you can't be too unhappy. Man I would love to drink some beers and bug out to this band in the summer. I HOPE YOU JUST HEARD THAT, PROVIDENCE. 

The album The Supreme Genius of King Khan & The Shrines is out now.

King Khan & The Shrines - Took My Lady To Dinner

Myspace | Website

Givin' it a little bit more

Another much-hyped UK trio who came to the fore in late 2007 thanks to their tune Paris - a massive banger and undoubtedly set to be a classic, Friendly Fires' self-titled debut long player has arrived (in stores 1 September 2008).
The boys cite Prince as their strongest influence, and that definitely flows through in their tunes - this is more of the current '80s revival formula that's flavour of the day.
There are several tracks from the album that you'll already be familiar with. In addition to Paris, they released the frantic On Board, which has this crazy clip and was also used in this Wii Fit advertising campaign. Their latest single is number one on the album, Jump in the Pool, which has been single of the week on the Zane-Lowe-cum-Huw-Jones show for the last week.
These singles we already know are up the front of the album, with a couple of other tight tracks. White Diamonds, made up of plenty of cowbell and rising melody, and Strobe, laid back synth, are well worth a spin, . A curly one is Lovesick, which definitely takes its cues from the Shakedown "hit" At Night that you will all associate with a shameful night at some shithouse club somewhere, sometime in 2002.
Down the back of the album things start to get a bit loose. There's disco and distortion, the album climaxing in Ex-lover, the b-side on the Paris single, a track that verges on an 8-bit sound.
On my first listen I was a little disappointed, but it's since grown on me. The best tracks on the album are the ones we've already heard, nonetheless its still enjoyable.

Friendly Fires - Paris
Friendly Fires - Jump in the Pool

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The Dirty Diamonds - Meet The Dirty Diamonds

Recently, I was in my totally balla local sandwich shop (props Malibu), where they have a habit of sporadically bumping early rock and roll and some bangin' soul tunes, amongst some genuinely questionable music. Something like the Andrews Sisters was spinning and I had one of those moments of "who decided there was something wrong with this sound? Why did bands stop doing this?" like you do when you hear great stuff from yesteryear (see further: face-melting solos, epic wails).
Then karma/the internet smiled upon me and dropped a little gem in my lap - a couple weeks back BW featured "Naughty Girl" by the Dirty Diamonds. The band have gone on to cop some solid buzz, and the generous Diamonds themselves have offered us a link to their spanking new EP Meet The Dirty Diamonds. The soul-inflected indie pop and doo-wop sound of Naughty Girl is continued throughout the 4-song EP. It's a fun, fresh, eminently likable collection, and offers the increasingly rare treat of something different. BW reckons there's gonna be some serious chatter about them.

The Dirty Diamonds - Meet The Dirty Diamonds EP

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Icy Demons

In more P4k Music Fest news, organic Chicago band-experiment Icy Demons played what was apparently a banging set. I've had a jonesing to see this arrangement in action since I stumbled across their back catalogue a little while ago. Unfortunately, I live in the Antipodes. They're welcome to bring theyselves down Australia way though, and hit us with their TVOTR-meets-Can-meets-prog-rock goodness.

Icy Demons - Crittin' Down To Baba's

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Les Savy Shave

MOKB posted some snaps of LOLz-factory Tim Harrington of Les Savy Fav running a rookie barber stall at the Pitchfork Music Festival. I doubt that I'd trust him to not cut me, although he does look bang into it. Hilar.

ANTE UP!

The funniest thing I have seen in a long time. So simple yet so awesome.

....kidnap that fool!

Part of the weekend never dies.....

Part of the Weekend Never Dies trailer

David and Stephen Dewaele are just too damn talented. They rock it with Soulwax, mash it as 2manydjs and reach for the lasers with their remixes of everyone from Daft Punk to Robbie Williams.

Now they can add a kick ass tour/concert film to thier resume. See above.

Extra props to the loose chick at the end of the trailer, cracks me up every time.

Dr Dog

While sampling the excellent Fader podcast I stumbled upon this gem. Having now listened to their latest album Fate I can confirm that Dr Dog is worth a minute of your time.

Think Tapes n' Tapes kicking it with Spoon and your close. All rustic pop rock with splashes of psychedelia thrown for good measure. They have been around for a minute with a number of albums and their own record label, parkthevan. Get into it.

Dr Dog - The Ark

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