Portugal is the Man

July 22, 2011 by Leave a comment

I grew up listening to classic rock. I knew everything; all the super groups, side projects and solos artists. I know more about classic rock than your hippy father, bet. However I am rarely spurred to write about current rock bands. Sure I love the Black Keys and My Morning Jacket but there is so much mundane rock music out there I get lost in the swamp and just end up bumping some Blockhead or rap. But for the last week I have been steady playing this new Portugal the Man album In the Mountain in the Cloud. Somehow its new and refreshing although familiar. They kinda sound like MGMT or Passion Pit, with the same high-pitched voice that can instantly turn some people off. I dig it, almost in a guilty way, you would find me singing Got it all in the shower, if you yelled at me I might stop, but when you left, I be singin again. Their sound is dynamic, lots of layered sythns give a lot of depth to the band.


Download – In the Mountain in the Cloud


 

Download – American Ghetto

Filed under Album Reviews, Downloads, Pop, Rock

DJ Ezasscul – Jazz Meditation 3 (The Final Installment)

July 19, 2011 by 2 Comments

Here is the final installment to the Jazz Meditation series from Daily favorite, DJ Ezasscul. Rusty mentioned this earlier but I think it’s worth repeating – he is nineteen years old. The last time I saw a teenager with this much game was Lebron’s rookie season. You can hear a lot of Pete Rock’s influence on Ezasscul’s sound, someone that he self-admittedly tries to emulate. But where Pete Rock’s soulful, funky hip-hop flirted with a jazzy sound, Ez covers his beats with piano, sax, and horn layers that take you back to Monk, Coltrane, and Davis. This series is pure genius. Mad respect to DJ Ezasscul, I can’t wait to see what the future holds for him.

DJ Ezasscul – EZ Does it (Instrumental)

DJ Ezasscul – Hi (Instrumental)

Download

Filed under Album Reviews, Hip Hop

Gramatik – Beatz and Pieces Vol. 1

July 14, 2011 by Leave a comment

The wait is finally over for Gramatik’s first album. Just as advertised, this is a blend of his hip-hop and electro styles featured on the Street Bangerz series and and No Shortcuts. Don’t know what to think about this one, my expectations might have been a little too high. I would like to know y’all thoughts on it.

Filed under Album Reviews, Downloads, Electronic

Odd Future Rap

July 13, 2011 by Leave a comment

Odd Future is a collective group of rappers and producers from LA consisting of Earl Sweatshirt, Tyler the Creator, Left Brain and others. They have a music label and skate label amongst other things.

Earl Sweatshirt is so damn raw, he raps about fighting, smoking blunts, skating, getting drunk and fucking bitches, but in the most unconventional way. He is too violent for radio and the mainstream rappers who do rap about typical things like fucking bitches. He is young (16) and immature but his style is so refined, he spits it fast, slow, to off note beats and simple ones. Compared to other rappers on the tracks he takes such command, his voice sticks out so well. His flow is wordy, off beat and lyrical, not to mention vulgar, eat a dick, he talks about mutilating bitches on every track. His delivery is almost talk rap but he has such control on time, anyone who was a punk as a kid can identify with his lyrics. The beats are simple and powerful, with basic drum kits and a lot of bass and at times like Stapleton melodic. But they back up the vocals so well they are necessary. Earl is in with the Odd Future crew but after they blew up last spring he went to boarding school in Samoa, hopefully soon to be back.

 

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Mellowhype are rapper Hodgy Beats and Left Brain from the Odd Future label as well. You can tell that this group is in the same crew as Earl, but the raps don’t stand out as much. Hodgy is rapping about the same shit but, like the beats, his delivery and flow is calmer and more refined. The production is better than Earls. While he occasionally spits the off beat talk flow, he normally sticks to a standard sing song rap. He switches up his style and does show some skill, he gives a shout out to Houston syrup sippers on the first track, and this does show on some of the beats as well.

 

Download

Filed under Album Reviews, Downloads, Rap

The Foreign Exchange – Dear Friends An Evening with the Foreign Exchange

July 6, 2011 by Leave a comment

The Foreign Exchange is rapper Phonte (Little Brother) and Dutch producer Nicolay. They came together originally trading beats and verses over the interweb. This live acoustic performance was recorded with 40 friends in a North Carolina studio. It accompanies their third release Authenticity.

Download

Here is their first CD Connected, much more hip-hop. Download

Filed under Album Reviews, Downloads, Hip Hop

Jazzstrumentals

June 30, 2011 by Leave a comment

A new genre I have been digging lately called Jazzstrumentals. Hip-hop drums over smooth jazz melodies.

Cincinnati producer with some smooth jazz remakes of classic hip-hop tracks and other instrumentals. Download

UK rapper turned producer who has worked with some big names throughout his career. This is vol 1 of Funky DL‘s crispy jazz instrumentals spanning his career. Download

18 year old out of Brooklyn with a couple of more uptempo jazz beats, with some vocal samples. A little more progressive style, look for more to come from this kid. Download

Download

Filed under Album Reviews, Downloads, Downtempo, Hip Hop

>Bun B – Trill OG

August 5, 2010 by Leave a comment

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Download Bun B-Trill OG
Download Bun B-Trill
Article, Album review

Filed under Album Reviews, Downloads

>Madlib Releases

July 12, 2010 by Leave a comment

>Madlib as The Last Electro-Acoustic Space Jazz & Percussion Ensemble – Miles Away

One of Madlib’s many side projects, a jazz fusion ensemble. It has been in the works for over two years with the group Yesterday’s New Quintet.
Download

Madlib Medicine Show No.4: 420 Chalice All Stars

Another release in the monthly CD series from his own label Madlib Invazion. This one features a heavy Jamaican dub, reggae theme.
Download

Filed under Album Reviews, Downloads

>Beastie Boys Instrumentals

February 4, 2010 by Leave a comment

To the knowledge of little the Beastie Boys have created two albums that push the boundaries of what three white boys from Brooklyn can do. In 1996 and 2007 they release two purely instrumental albums, The In Sound From Way Out! and The Mix Up respectively. These albums demonstraighted a neo-jazz funk seldom seen in the punk rap lyrics of Michael “Mike D” Diamond, Adam “MCA” Yauch, and Adam “Ad-Rock” Horovitz. I even had a few friends clueless as to who they were listening to when I played the Mix Up. Check out these two albums, and if you ever get the chance to see them live don’t miss out, they all play instruments, and rap.

Download

Download
For the entire Beasties catalogue check out this blog found by jesus.

Filed under Album Reviews, Downloads, Funk, Hip Hop

>Clipse – Till the Casket Drops

December 1, 2009 by 1 Comment

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I’ve been waiting on this one for awhile. After the first few singles including “Kinda like a big Deal” dropped I was pissed both at Clipse and Kanye for getting involved. I just found this one for download. Listening now hoping it will be up there with Clipse’s other major releases Lord Willin and Hell Hath no Furry. Review to follow in a few days.

Download

Been bumpin this diet coke for a few days now and finally getting a feel for it. Starts off with a soulful vocal sample, a nice intro song, but its followed by two of the horrid pop songs on the album “Popular Demand” and the over hyped “Kinda like a big deal”. Pusha T and Malice seem a lil too cocky even for themselves on these first two, I just really hate how they sound with Cam’ron and Kanye. Their styles are too conflicting and Kanye’s influence ruins the track. They rip on Common a lot for his love of hip-hop and how that whore has been exploited with the same lame raps. His last album did suck but they are walking that line as well with repetitive lines about yak, money and hoes. I definitely get the felling Clipse has lost the unique swagger they had back in the day. “I’m Good” finally reminds me of their classic style, with Pharrell dropping the snare and singin the hook, here the album picks up. A lot of verses on the album seem to be just going through the motions. They rap as though everyone in the world was eagerly awaiting their release, I think a lot of fans were let down. All of the guest features just take away from the definitive raps that Pusha T and Malice became known for. Too many pop tunes and too many guest producers made the album lack a consistent sound like their last two. Stick to the Neptunes and stop working with Kanye, look what he did to Common mang. “Eyes on Me” and the following track “Counselling” got on my nerves and required a next song after too many chorus hooks, a lot of the beats were just bad. The end of the album has a few uplifting rap songs, that have cheesy hooks but some decent verses. Clipse has definitely matured on this album and I’m not sure thats a good thing in terms of rap. Now they promote their clothing line and worry about their kids instead of spitin bout straight slangin yolla. I think they were trying to appeal to a wider audience, and that shit just didn’t sound right.

Clipse- Hell Hath no Fury A great Clipse CD

Filed under Album Reviews, Downloads

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