2.26.2010

Broken Bells

Recently I've been getting into all sorts of new music. Last month I came across a new collaboration between Ron Mercer, from the Shins, and Danger Mouse. They call themselves Broken Bells. A few weeks ago I put their single "The High Road" on my Music Monday.

This is the video:
The High Road

Broken Bells | MySpace Music Videos


If you liked that, be sure to get their album when it releases on March 9th :)
They are highly addictive.

xoxo,
Lmo

2.25.2010

Don't hit me! Don't hit me!



Bjork is a bad bitch.

P.S. When I was 11 years old, I went through my opera/classical phase (while living in East St.Louis, IL mind you, lol) So one day, Im looking for a Charlotte Church cd when I stumbled across Bjork. I randomly bought her "Homogenic" cd and Ive loved her ever since...BLOINK!

Smells Like Teen Spirit.

90% of modern-day "hip-hop" bores me; I hardly even listen to it anymore.
Everyone is adorable, no one is radical and it all looks, sounds and feels the same.
Well, that's what I thought until I discovered Odd Future.

Imagine a gang of skateboarding, negro Eminems who just don't give a fuck...that's Odd Future, and they're refreshing.
...a group of ten or so rebellious, talented and precocious L.A. natives that shut the notion of "boring hip-hop" out of my head for the time being.

1) Tyler, The Creator-"BASTARD"


2)Tyler, The Creator-"French"


3)Mellowhype (Left Brain & Hodgy Beats)


And not only are they dishing out interesting music, but they're also entertaining as eff!

"Nigga. That nigga did it nigga!"

Say what you will about Odd Future, and their sometimes offensive, "shocking" lyrics, but hip-hop kinda needs this.

Head over to oddfuture.com to check out more videos, and download Tyler, The Creator's "Bastard" here.

Punk rock, anyone?

P.S. California is in dire need of hip-hop substance.
Dom, Blu and them can't be the only ones...

2.23.2010

Steppin Laser Tour Dates.



Lupe Fiasco + B.o.B + Spring tour = A major problem.

Friday 3/5 - Bridges Auditorium - Claremont, CA - (w/B.o.B)
Saturday 3/20 - Bob Hope Theatre - Stockton, CA
Wednesday 4/07 - House of Blues - Boston, MA - (w/B.o.B)
Friday 4/09 - House of Blues (Atlantic City) - Atlantic City, NJ - (w/B.o.B)
Saturday 4/10 - The Fillmore NY at Irving Plaza - New York, NY - (w/B.o.B)
Tuesday 4/13 - 9:30 Club - Washington, DC - (w/B.o.B)
Wednesday 4/14 - Royal Oak Theatre - Detroit, MI - (w/B.o.B)
Friday 4/16 - Eagles Ballroom - Milwaukee, WI - (w/B.o.B)
Saturday 4/17 - Lund Arena (Gustavus Adolphus College) - St. Peter, MN
*Sunday 4/18 - Midland Theatre - Kansas City, MO
*Tuesday 4/20 - Peoria Civic Center Theatre - Peoria, IL - (w/B.o.B)

Thursday 4/22 - East Tennessee State University Center - Johnson City, TN
Friday 4/23 - UNC – Charlotte - Charlotte, NC - (w/B.o.B)
Saturday 4/24 - Worcester Polytechnic Institute - Worcester, MA
Monday 4/26 - House of Blues - Houston, TX - (w/B.o.B)
Tuesday 4/27 - House of Blues - Dallas, TX - (w/B.o.B)
Thursday 4/29 - Ogden Theatre - Denver, CO - (w/B.o.B)
Saturday 5/01 - House of Blues (Las Vegas) - Las Vegas, NV - (w/B.o.B)
Sunday 5/02 - House of Blues (Sunset) - Los Angeles, CA - (w/B.o.B)
Wednesday 5/05 - Regency Ballroom - San Francisco, CA - (w/B.o.B)
Friday 5/07 - Showbox SoDo - Seattle, WA - (w/B.o.B)

P.S. I know, I know...
St.Louis once again gets jealouused on this tour, but I could definitely make that trip to Peoria on 4/20. *elbow nudge* lol

P.P.S. LMo and I made that 7 hour trip to the Quad Cities for the Glow in the Dark Tour (click here for pics),where Lupe opened, and the shit did not suck.
It was a life changing experience and I can firmly say it is the greatest concert I'll ever attend...

2.22.2010

Music Monday. 2.22.10

1. Bjork-"All is Full of Love"
Bjork is simply amazing.
I think she's one of the most original and ingenious artists we've ever had.
Check out this live performance in NYC...
If I was at this concert and experienced her hitting that crazy note (at 2:30), my heart would've exploded from extreme glee.
Probably the best way to go...ha


P.S. Can you believe she's gonna be 44 years old?

P.P.S. I'm thinking about going to see "Avatar" again, but instead of listening to the movie's dialogue, Im just going to listen to Bjork's "Vespertine" album.
That album literally sounds like "Avatar" looks and my mind would be blown.
Im talking brains ur'whur...

P.P.P.S. Sorry for the weak, one song MM.
I have a test tonight, and mama dont got the time right now. ha
I promise, next week's MM will be the unjealouus.

Peace,
Jai.

iSalute him.

Check out this midWest boy making major waves in the big city...



Oww.

You come out seven, you going to heaven.



Highlights:
1. He's Italian and a Chicago native. #midWest
2. He smokes weed (for arthritis pain, of course).
3. He went through a post-fight voice change (Did his voice not drop like 7 levels?).
4. He has cool lingo. Example: truckin'= walking
5. He LEEEAKIN''! (I just wanted to say that. lol)
6. He wants to give the black guy 7 chances, wait another 20 years and still whoop his ass at the age of 103.
7. He can kick that black guys' ass in 23 seconds and kick em' in the head, 7 feet in the air.
8. He's a prize fighter...where dah prize money?!
9. Approximately 1,000 people have wanted to meet him since his popular youtube fight.
10. He's an honorary citizen at a school. (Why aren't I enrolled in that school?)
11. His homeless best friend, Scottie, is a negro and he doesn't like to smile.
Sidenote: Scottie doesn't like to smile because Vietnam Tom knocked all his teeth out. (That's how they even became friends in the first place.)
12. He's got a one bedroom, a colored t.v. (pause) and a bunch of furniture.
13. R.I.P Tom's mom.
14. There could be a possible re-match in March. *crosses fingers*
15. Am-buh-lambps.

2.15.2010

Music Monday. 2.15.10

None of the MM songs I picked are "new musical finds" for me.
All of these songs are actually pretty damn old, but sometimes you find new appreciation and a fresh perspective from older music...

1) Esthero-"Breath From Another"
Ive said it many times before: Esthero is one of the most underrated artist of the last decade.
She's on another level, period.
And no matter what you're into, you will probably eff with her on some level.
Besides, today's r&b sucks, so stop listening to that rubbish and support her instead.
P.S. I love getting ready to this song and when those drums blaze in, it's euphoric...


2) Bob Marley-"Running Away/Crazy Baldhead"
Ive watched this performance at least 25 times in the past week.
The harmonies, the horns and the way the songs perfectly blend are too funky to deal with.
And as always, my man is singing the truth:
"Didn't my people before me
Slave for this country?
Now you look me with that scorn,
Then you eat up all my corn."

I suggest you read the lyrics here & here
And did you check his little jig at the end? Adorable...lol


3) Esthero ft. Miguel-"Many Times"
This is one of Esthero's latest songs that was released in 2008 and it features Miguel (another talented, overlooked artist).
Let me just say, this has to be the most sensual song about group masturbation that ever existed.
"Its good to know I'm not the only one that knows what I like..."


4) Gnarls Barkley "St.Elsewhere"
I still don't think people realize how solid this group is.
(As 1970s as it is, "solid" was the first word that came to mind, dead serious. Ha)
But hopefully they'll drop another album in 2011 cause man...
Lyrics must be read while listening to this song here.


5) Sade-"Skin"
Of course, I had to throw some new Sade up here.
Random: I love how you can hear the little Michael Jackson "Wooo!" right when she sings,"Like Michael, back in the day."


-Jai
-------------------------------------------------------------------

1) B.O.B feat. Asher Roth-"Fuck the Money"


2) Sade-"Moon and the Sky"


3)Wings-"Band on the Run"


4) Curren$y-"Reset"


xoxo,
LMo

2.10.2010

This video does NOT suck.

Be prepared to have your mind blown by this video.
I'm talking brains eve-ree-where...
The visuals are out of control; this ish is just plain ol' inspiring.

Dan Black feat. Kid Cudi-"Symphonies Remix"



And you can download this song and many other dope ditties here via
the "How To Make It In America: The Mixtape".

P.S. I appreciate Cudi stepping in as my mid-West artistic man muse while Ye is on "hiatus".

2.09.2010

America's a melting pot; mix it up.



Ive been doing so many plugs for HBO's new series, "How To Make It In America", that I swear I should be getting paid for it. lol
But as expected, besides having a dope cast,"How To Make It In America" also has a dope soundtrack.
It's filled with everything from pop-electro/rock to hip-hop/southern rap back to funk/r&b.



Download it here.

2.08.2010

Pre-term delivery.

As you know, Im geeked to see "How To Make It In America".
HBO is supposed to drop the premiere on February 14, but my homie @DragonflyJonez just sent me the full episode a week early.

I'm currently in class watching it. ha
Hood up with the headphone cord zipped in my hoodie.
Works like a charm. :)

So whether youre impatient like myself, or if youre just gonna be too busy doing "boo thangs" with your "boo thang" on Valentine's Day, you can watch it here early:


Ju like?

P.S. Bryan Greenberg is from St.Louis.
If you didnt know, now you do.

P.P.S. "She makes an exeption for black dudes."-Rasuk
"Youre black?"-Greenberg
"Black enough."-Rasuk
Shout out to Latinos who recognize their "Africaness".
If you didnt know, Im passionate about that shit.
Read here and get familiar.

P.P.P.S. I wouldve liked to see Zoe Kravitz in this show.
I think she would make a good fit with the cast.

Music Monday. 2.8.10

For the past few weeks, Ive been obsessed with watching interviews and live performances of my favorite artists.
I'm starting to write songs, so I'm hoping to soak in some of their artistic processes and "techniques".
I want to understand how they create the music I love; I want inspiration.

One of the artist who Ive been "studying" is Sade.
Thank God I was raised listening to their music.
Sidenote: If you weren't raised on Sade, then the next time you see your parents, smack them with all your might because they dont care about your general well-being and they certainly don't love you. lol, jk
But seriously, their music is king.
Their lyrics are simple, yet powerful and the music is beautiful and unique.
I adore and respect that band like no other.

Anyway, as I started to study their music, I realized,"Damn. Ive been listening to Sade since I was a little kid and Ive never even heard her speak...not even once."
That's insane, especially in this celebrity obsessed culture we live in.

Sade rarely does interviews, but I found these rare little ditties from the mid-1980s.
I love to watch her speak and she's just cool.
Plus, her beauty is out of control...I was hypnotized by it, literally.
The first time I watched this, I didnt hear shit she said; I was in awe of how beautiful she is.


The fact that I had never seen a interview of Sade speaks volumes.
Sade lets the music speak for her; that makes her more of an artist than a celebrity.
She's a throwback to how music used to be.

Anywho, I also stumbled across this non-rubbish behind the scenes video of the band as they created "Soldier of Love".
This is rare (like Mr. Clean with hair), so enjoy:


Ive waited 10 years for the "Soldier of Love" album to drop. Im copping it ASAP tomorrow and you should to if youre into music...thats good...and shit.

P.S. Music Monday will be back to it's regurly scheduled, diverse programming next week.
I just had to dedicate this one to Sade...

2.01.2010

Theo; London, not Huxtable.

Theophilus London.
With a name like that, youre gonna need good music to back it up, and thankfully for us, Theophilus is backing it up like them guss in this video.

Theophilis London is a rapper/producer/writer and he's been doing his thang in his native Brooklyn, NY for the past few years.
He's basically moving hip-hop in a new direction and his genre is hard to describe.

For instance, on one of my favorite tracks, "Enjoy the Sun":
It starts out like a Keane song when that feel good beat, reminiscent of N.E.R.D, drops.
Then, Theo's active flow comes in (reminds me of some other niggies with "strange names", Wale & Wiz Khalifa) and Theo starts singing the 80s pop/neo-soul hook when all of a sudden, a Major Lazer , dancehall beat drops.
By the end of the song Theo is sounding like a baby Kanye exclaiming,"I guess I musta been brave!" and the song crescendos into a harmony worthy of being mistaken for Foreign Exchange .
If you don't believe me, click all those links and see for yourself; it's that diverse.

He's like some good ass gumbo; the more you add to it, the better it taste; and you'd think all the ingredients would clash, but it somehow just makes the flavor more interesting.

His first mixtape, "JAM!", dropped in 2008 and it was probably one of the most slept on projects of the year.
Download it here and see what "JAM!" is about...

In 2009, Theo kept coming with that good ish by dropping "This Charming Mixtape".
You can tell he's still trying to develop his sound, but you wont mind going on that "musical journey" with him because he's promising.
(Shout out to the Elvis Costello inspired cover!)



download here



This guy's an interesting character.
Check out how he's so crazy, sexy on stage, yet so cool during interview.


Hip-hop Prince anyone?


Download the mixtapes and let me know what you think.
Also, let Theophilus know how you like it when you follow him on Twitter @TheophilusL

Music Monday. 2.1.2010

"It's been a long time, we shouldn't have left you, without a dope beat to step to..."
Yes, it has been a while since Leslie and I have posted any groovy tunes on The Clearance Aisle, and I'm sorry; but we have so much good shit for you this week, you're not gonna be mad at us for long.
Let us begin...

1) Theophilus London-"Hundrum Town"
This man is slept on. Period.
Besides the fact that he has a cool ass name and looks like a shrunken version of Lebron James while riding that motorcycle, his music is super cool.
He's dropped two mixtapes since 08' and you probably should download them muggles ("muggles" = super plural form of "mugs") when I post the links on the blog tomorrow.


2) Memory Tapes-"Green Knight"
Ive been rocking out to this song, on repeat, for weeks now.
Its perfectly ambient, yet perfectly funky at the same time and the transitions are just OC.
But ya girl gos-ta point out her favorite moments on this track:
Moment 1: Minute 1:03 is sick and Ive never heard this sound in a song before.
Hint: High school gym, basketball season.
Moment 2: Minute 3:40 equates to pure funkiness.


3) Washed Out-"Belong"
This song is lo-fi per-FUCKING-fection.
"Let me see who are. Let me see who you are."


4) Citizen Cope-"Healing Hands"
Citizen Cope is one of my favorite musicians.
Ive been listening to his soulful, talented ass for years now and he's dropping a new album in March.
I really wanted to post another song from his upcoming album, but this a good song to listen to if youre not hip to Citizen Cope and want to catch his "general feel".


5) Neon Indian-Mind, Drips"
Luh dis.

Also, I just love to watch electronica/ acoustomatic/ trip-pop bands perform live.
It never sounds as good as the recording, but I like to observe the process of how they create such awesome sounds.


6) Theophilus London-"Cold Pillow"
Another good one from Mr. London.


Peace,
Jai
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1) Broken Bells-"The High Road"


2) Talib Kweli ft. Termanology & Royce da 5'9-"Come Around"

3) Laura Vers-"July Theme"


4) Surfer Blood-"Harmonix"


5) Talib Kweli ft. Hi-Tek, Jay Electronica and J.Cole-"Just Begun"


xoxo,
LMo