Tags: Picture of the day
Hollerado come to you from Manotick, Ontario, by way of Montreal, where they made a pretty big splash back in 2007/2008. Last year, they toured China with The Stills and released some EPs, literally, in plastic baggies. Hence, the title of their free, self-released album, “Record in a Bag.” The irony is that it’s a download and the one thing the internet has definitely been able to do is make retail greener by eliminating bags and bag-related packaging.
What can you expect from the record? Fun, action-packed rock and roll. Yeah, they’re Candadian, but they aren’t experimental, obtuse, or pretentious. This is party music, boys and girls. Enjoy.
Get the whole album here!
Video for Juliet:
Tags: Free Album!, Indie rock
I bought my son Wii’s new Super Mario Brothers edition for Xmas. It’s awesome.
Tags: Picture of the day, Video Games
1. The Smoking Section lists the most slept-on albums of 2009. Some real underrated gems in here. They also posted their list of the best mixtapes of 2009. Most are good, unsurpising picks (No Ceilings, J.Cole) but 50 Cent?
2. 24 Hour Party Pooper has a very personal tribute the late Vic Chesnutt.
3. Playback lists the top disappointing comics of 2009. I have to agree with #1–Fantastic Four. That’s one title that never seems to be very good.
4. Self hype! Part one: Go here to win a rad cool giftpack of 5 CDs.
5. Cover Me had a neat little New Years Day cover post, including a cover of the classic U2 song.
6. Self hype! Part two: Go here and read this post that I put a lot of work into and think is really cool.
Here’s another 2009 release that I missed–but how, I have no idea. I write about Masta Ace every chance I get–I picked him as one of the 10 most important rappers of the decade and I picked his Long Hot Summer album as the 9th best indie rap album of the decade. s for Ed O.G., he actually appeared with Ace on Long Hot Summer and in a few other songs now and then. So how did I miss this release, their first official album as a duo?
Although this isn’t their best work, it hits peaks that come damn close. In the first song on the album, “Hands High,” a keyboard-based riff of “There’s a Place In France” serves as the music bed. It’s a good first track (it follows a skit) to get your head nodding and your fists in the air. On the next cut, “Fans,” the duo really hit the beat. It’s the kind of smooth, “we are hip hop” tune that Ace and O.G. do so well–and it’s produced by, and features, another 1990′s genius: Large Professor. The title track follows, and it’s brilliant. It’s got a hook by Marsha Ambrosius, a british female I’ve never heard of before this, but she’s got a terrific voice. It’s also one of those alphabet tracks (where they use the letters A and E over and over in each verse), and I’m a sucker for those kinds of songs. Other highlights include appearances by Posdnuos of De La Soul, Doitall (of Lordz Of The Underground), up-and-commer Chester French, and KRS-One, and the song “Little Young,” which makes fun of all the rappers who put “Lil” before their names. My only quibble is I could have done without all the skits. A minor compaint, though, because they thoughtfully tracked each skit separately, making them easy to skip (or delete altogether) on your iPod.
Ace’s Take (from MC Esoteric’s 2009 release, Saving Seamus Ryan)
Wra Cypher Rise and the Avid Record Collector with Wordsworth & Masta Ace (from one of the best 2009 releases, “Risen,” which if you read this blog and you haven’t gotten yet, shame on you).
Tags: Monkeys, Picture of the day
The real reason we all watched Batman . . .
Get familiar! Clinton Sparks is the genius DJ behind Clipse’s classic “We Got It 4 Cheap” mixtape series. He’s teamed up with Star Trak’s newest indie rockers, Chester French, to produce a “story” mixtape featuring artists like Lady Gaga, Pusha-T, Jadakiss, Wale, N.O.R.E., Diddy, Jermaine Dupri, Pharrell, Bun B, Talib Kweli, and more. The story is Chester French’s bio, basically, a tale of how they got signed.
This is a rare mix of rock and rap that works well–most suck–and as you can tell from the previous paragraph, the guest list is phenomenal. The Common track, in particular, is hot shit.
Get it here (follow link) for free.
Taste a few choice cuts:
Campus Kingpin feat. Pusha-T of Clipse
Tags: Hip Hop, Indie rock, Mixtape
