Mar
31

Inexpensive Robotics

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBxKOmSIORE Admittedly, I get occasionally over-enthusiastic in my hometown pride — consider it overcompensation for the previous decade in which I hung my head with shame. But it’s worth noting again that Free The Robots’ Ctrl Alt Delete is a great album and now finally available for purchase. For those in town, the release party… Continue reading »

Mar
31

The New Rap Language: Quik Edition

When in doubt, think What Would Quik Do.  DJ Quik & Suga Free  – “Nobody” For the six people on the Internet and the pockets of Pomona, who understand that Suga Free’s Street Gospel is a classic (and that Free is probably the most underrated West Coast rapper of the 90s), the reunion of David… Continue reading »

Mar
30

The B-Side Wins Again: The Brainfeeder Sessions, Burial, and Some Guy From Brooklyn

The disconnect between the real world and the Internet music bubble is always striking. When I told friends that I was covering Jay-Z’s Friday night Staples Center performance, response came in two forms: “please take me,” or “I work in an office, fuck you.” Meanwhile, half the people whom I dragged to the Brainfeeder Sessions… Continue reading »

Mar
30

Sach O: Erykah Badu – New Amerykah Part Two: Return of the Ankh

Sach O was writing about Erykah Badu before it was all trendy. If you want to know how Part Two of Erykah Badu’s New Amerykah series relates to the original, look no further than the album cover. While The 4th World War had Badu raising her fists towards the listener from under a dystopian metal… Continue reading »

Mar
29

Sach O: Rox – My Baby Left Me (OG & Terror Danjah Remix)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXlBAadicBI Mainstream pop’s been a rut for a minute now. While the underground makes-out with synthesizers and day-glo, the US pop landscape dutifully churns out adequate songs without having really changed the formula since the advent of autotune. In this day and age, Riri and Gaga’s personalities and endorsement deals are worth more than their… Continue reading »

Mar
29

Douglas Martin’s Dirty Shoes: I Will Be, and What I Already Was

Douglas Martin might name his first-born daughter Dee Dee. Or he might not. Nostalgia’s a motherfucker. Kristen Gundred (better known as “Dee Dee”), front-woman and songwriting nucleus for Dum Dum Girls, once told NME, “I always said as a little girl that I wanted to be in a band that sounded like the kind of… Continue reading »

Mar
28

Holloway’s “Cool and Deadly” Reggae Mix

For those looking for a safer bet following Butler busting their brackets, I recommend taking the advice of Dam-Funk, who via Twitter rightfully praised Holloway’s excellent “Cool and Deadly” reggae mix. No tracklist available, but according to Holloway, “I’ve been collecting Jamaican 45s since the early 70s. This COOL & DEADLY mix mainly highlights music… Continue reading »

Mar
26

We Want Eazy (September 7, 1963 – March 26, 1995)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2x1fIX5mTCs Despite his Snapple-sized stature, it’s doubtful that another rapper has come along in the last 16 years, who was capable of inspiring the sort of terror that Eric Wright inflicted. The video for “Only If U Want It” wasn’t Eazy at his most menacing. For my loc’s, watch, and Compton hat, that would be… Continue reading »

Mar
26

Beards, Backpacks & Glasses: Souls of Mischief

Aaron Matthews did not accept the Souls of Mischief’s invitation to high tea. Following the meteoric rise of NWA and Dr. Dre, gangsta rap and G-Funk owned West commercial airwaves. Of course, there were alternatives like the Good Life Café, where the jazz-inspired Freestyle Fellowship and The Pharcyde got their start (also where a pre-Dogg… Continue reading »

Mar
25

Wooden Shjips – “Outta My Head”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmchBXiAlW8 As a fan of good/bad puns, I can’t help but be enthralled by a video for a song called “Outta My Head,” depicting a man crawling out of a skull, wandering the earth, and encountering zebras. Also, the 7th Voyage of Sinbad-esque stop-motion Claymation is worthy of lavish praise. As are Wooden Shjips, who… Continue reading »

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