A complex blend of electronica, hip-hop, and dancehall makes Pale Fire (SOUNDiNK) an intricate ride down “I’m going to dance my ass off” lane. Tragically, this isn’t what I’m used to listening to, so you might finish this review and whisper, “What the fuuuuuck?” to yourself, but I’ll do my best to help you understand why this is a great piece of musical artistry.
Eccodek: Voices Have Eyes
The blend of down-tempo beats with indigenous music has helped fuel the popularity of upscale, themed cocktail lounges, National Geographic IMAX films, and compilation CDs from places like Ibiza and Paris’ Hotel Costes.
Kidz in the Hall: School Was My Hustle
The first band signed to the reformed Rawkus Records, Kidz in the Hall is made up of MC and DJ duo Naledge and Double-O. These two have a penchant for old-school and golden-age hip hop, offering a refreshing sound and witty, intelligent lyrics and a throwback to the days for which ‘heads fiend.
Is Black Milk: Popular Demand
Despite the unfortunate passing of J Dilla, aka Jay Dee, Popular Demand proves that the Detroit sound in hip hop is still going strong. A mixture of hard rhymes and soulful production has brought widespread attention to the region and producer/rapper Black Milk is currently carrying the torch with his debut album Popular Demand.
Paula Frazer and Tarnation: Now It’s Time
In the last twelve years, Tarnation has recorded two albums, split up, pursued solo careers, and now reunited with lead singer Paula Frazer for their best work yet. Though it would be easy to shove Tarnation into the ever-expanding blanket genre of alt-country, the group ranges between folk and plain old country.
SJ Esau: Wrong Faced Cat Feed Collapse
There’s a revolution going on in bedrooms all over Bristol, England. There, musicians, buddies, and the guy who sells coffee down the street are arming themselves with tape recorders and documenting their experiences in song.
Mental Floss: The Trivia Game
Want to truly prove that you’re whole brained? Take a gander at Mental Floss, a game that challenges players with trivia of all types geared towards the left and right sides of the brain as well as spotting the “big fat lie.”
300
As you likely know by now, 300 trounced its opposition at the box office this weekend, topping $70 million in ticket sales and satisfying moviegoers yearning for a new cinematic blood fest. In that last regard, the highly stylized rendition of the comic book created by Frank Miller and Lynn Varley and based on the Battle of Thermopylae doesn’t disappoint.
Sleepytime Gorilla Museum Reopens in May
Though avant-prog rockers Sleepytime Gorilla Museum recently disclosed the title and tracklisting for their forthcoming album, In Glorious Times, on the website for The End Records, a tentative date for release did not follow. That, however, changed with the band’s current tour with Secret Chiefs 3, as the group announced that the new disc is slated for May to coincide with another tour.
Green Pitch: Ace of Hearts
When recording in lo-fi with minimal instrumentation and hefty sentimental baggage, a band is bound to sound honest. Banking on the “less is more” truism, we have Green Pitch, a Danish group that plays earnest, barebones indie lullabies.
Secret Mommy: Plays
As stated on his website, the desire of Secret Mommy (a.k.a. Andy Dixon) in making Plays was “to create the most anti-electronic electronic album.” It seems that he has done it.