Song of the Day - Mos Def (feat. Slick Rick): "Auditorium"

I'll be honest. I thought Mos Def was starting to lose his magic back in 2004 when he released the lackluster Black on Both Sides follow-up The New Danger. Then two years later True Magic essentially confirmed my suspicion. Of course, now that he is free from his deal with Geffen Records (which would never have happened without the demise of Rawkus) he returns from the dead with The Ecstatic (subtle enough?), his most inspired music in ten years.

While almost every song is solid, "Auditorium" is without a doubt the standout track. Using an absolutely devastating beat from Madlib's Beat Konducta in India as his foundation, Mos lays down some of his best rhymes in a decade, boasting with urgency "My presence speak volumes before I say a word/I'm everywhere/Penthouse, pavement, and curb" before eventually giving way to Slick Rick. Mr. Rick proceeds to do what no other MC has ever done better, tell a story. In this case, about an Iraqi soldier who's losing patience with the American occupation. Mixed together it makes for a lethal combination that should make the doubters take notice.

Mos Def (feat. Slick Rick) - "Auditorium" (from The Ecstatic)

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Song of the Day - Hot Chip: "Transmission" (Joy Division Cover)

I usually don't like it when bands cover classic songs for any kind of commercial release. It's understandable that a band/artist would perform a cover during a concert, paying homage to your influences is only natural, but releasing said cover for sale is almost like admitting that your version is better than the original. I know that isn't normally the intent, but artists have to know once the song has the chance to penetrate the masses comparisons are sure to follow.

Of course, there are some exceptions. For example, charity benefit compilations always get a pass. If the purpose of an album release is to generate maximum sales for a good cause, then filling it with 15 covers from some of the most recognizable indie artists is a good way to accomplish that goal. I mean, who wouldn't be interesting in hearing what Franz Ferdinand's take on Blondie's "Call Me" sounds like?. The folks behind the War Child organization piqued my interest with nuggets like that by releasing Heroes, their latest compilation aimed at benefiting child refugees of war.

Artists like Beck, Duffy, TV on the Radio, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and the Hold Steady pepper this record with personal cover selections from their musical heroes, such as Bob Dylan, Paul McCartney, David Bowie, The Ramones, and Bruce Springsteen. While many of the tracks are good (for example, Elbow's cover of the U2's "Running to Stand Still), nothing on the album comes close to the awesomeness that is Hot Chip's cover of the Joy Division classic "Transmission".

Rather than attempting to match the emotion and ferocity of the original (which would've been a train wreck, btw), Hot Chip decided to turn the song on its head and strip it down to a simple bass line, steel drums and keyboards. Toss in Alexis Taylor's playful sound vocal and the song becomes transformed to an electro dream-pop gem. But without that killer bass line this song would be nothing. In any event, it's one of the better covers I've heard from any band in a long wile.

Hot Chip - "Transmision" (from War Child Heroes)

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Song of the Day - U2: "Get On Your Boots"

After a four year hiatus, U2 is finally ready to unveil new music to the rest of the world. "Get On Your Boots" marks the first shot of what is sure to be a two or three month mega-promotional blitz for the supergroup's 12th studio album, No Line on the Horizon (available March 3rd in the US). So, get ready to see these guys plastered all over the place for the foreseeable future.

As an unapologetic fan of U2, I have absolutely no problem with this. The last two albums, while not large creative leaps forward for the band, still brought many moments that displayed their knack for writing driving anthemic rock music as well as melodic pop. This time around all signs point to a change of direction as early reports say Bono, The Edge, Adam, and Larry have branched out into more experimental territory.

Because of that swirling bass line and Bono's vocal delivery comparisons to Elvis Costello and Escape Club are inevitable, yet there's more going on here than that. . For starters, The Edge doesn't so much like...well, The Edge on this song. His guitar is a little grimier than I've ever heard, absent his trademark shimmering sound and even touching on (dare I say) metal influences. He sounds like he's taking his cues from Jimmy Page, which is almost never a bad thing. Add a whole bunch of Larry Mullen snare bombast and a catchy chorus ("you don't know how beautiful you are") and you have a driving rock song that seems to get better with each listen.

Of course, I am far from an impartial listener, so I will let you listen to it to make up your own mind.

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Song of the Day - The Clash: "The Magnificent Seven/Armagideon Time" (live at Shea Stadium)

I have really neglected this blog lately. It seems that in the last two weeks I haven't been able to come up with anything interesting to write about. Lately I've been listening to mostly old David Bowie, Lou Reed, The Smiths, and early Rolling Stones, and since millions of words have been written about all of those artists, it's not really my place to add anything to that criticism. Being out of the loop on newer music (at least in the last two weeks) is often the cause of all my bouts with writer's block. Luckily, a new release from The Clash came around to bring me out of my funk.

Live at Shea Stadium marks an important moment in The Clash's legendary history. They were finally becoming a household name in the States after the release of Combat Rock, yet the band was internally falling apart. Just prior to being invited to open for The Who in 1982 the band ousted longtime drummer Topper Headon due to his heroin abuse and replaced him with original drummer Terry Chimes, who was not as highly regarded by most of their fans. Only one year later singer-guitarist Mick Jones would leave the band and The Clash would essentially be dead forever.

But just before they broke up for good The Clash was at their apex on this cold and rainy night in New York City. Often bootlegged during the past 25 years, this excellent sounding official release displays the band doing their best to win over the crowd of mostly ambivalent fans who came to see The Who. As a result, the setlist was heavy on the hits, as Joe Strummer artfully directed the band's breakneck pace for over 47 minutes.

My favorite moment of their set was this little medley of "The Magnificent Seven" and Willie William's "Armagideon Time," which probably didn't go over as well as "Should I Stay or Should I Go?" or "Train in Vain", but to me sounded like the epitome of what The Clash were all about.

For one, "The Magnificent Seven" is my favorite song in their catalog, so I am a little biased to begin with. It's easily one of the funkiest rock songs of the 80's and it so perfectly captures how vast and varied the band's creative influences were. If most of the crowd hadn't heard much funk or rap music before, you can bet Joe Strummer wasn't going to let such a golden opportunity to spread the word go by. And for good measure he manages to squeeze in some reggae music by announcing to the crowd that he's going to "take you to Jamaica."

Right as the spotlight was brightest Strummer and his band mates chose to focus some of it on black music in front of a mostly white crowd. Before the segue into "Armagideon Time" Strummer announces to the crowd that they "stole" the "black New York rhythm" to "The Magnificent Seven", as if to imply there's plenty of great music to be found throughout the streets of NYC if you just open your ears.

If you know anything about Joe Strummer, such a move shouldn't come as a surprise. He always used his notoriety to shine a light on music and political issues that never made it to the mainstream. Sure, most of the crowd probably had no idea what he was talking about, nor did they care, but undoubtedly at least handful of attendees that night understood what Joe was trying to say, which was all he needed to bring his point across.

The Clash - "The Magnificent Seven/Armagideon Time" (from Live at Shea Stdium)
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Song of the Day - Fela Kuti & Africa 70: "Gentleman"

So, I was watching the Presidential Debate on Friday and I couldn't get Fela Kuti out of my head. It actually started about an hour before showtime, when I raced out of the office to get some dinner and a six pack of Red Stripe at the grocery store before the debate began and "Sorrow, Tears, and Blood" spontaneous starting playing in my mind. It is one of my favorite Fela songs ever and its political message surely played a part in getting it stuck in my head to begin with.

While it is certainly somewhat analogous to the current draconian presidential administration, it would be quite a stretch to draw too close of a comparison between the oppressive military dictatorship of Fela's Nigeria to the George W. Bush era, but the song did get me thinking about Fela's message of unity and how it parallels to Barack Obama. Basically, Fela Kuti found an audience by connecting with people traditionally on the margins of society who felt the power establishment would never listen to their voice. When you look at the millions of young, first time and historically apathetic voters who form the backbone of the Obama phenomenon, it's easy to draw comparisons.

Anyway, as I watched John McCain do his best to represent the interests of the elite classes (yes, his wife is worth $100 million and he's been part of a "broken" Washington government for 26 years) while cloaked in this absurd notion that he's a "reformer", I realized that power establishments never fall until public sentiment reaches a breaking point. In a dictatorship the will of the public usually manifests itself in the form of revolution, but in America the revolutions come at the ballot box. As America stands on the verge of becoming a majority minority country, a realignment of political power is almost a certainty. It may not happen on November 4th, but a change is coming and usually it requires a transcendent figure to lead the change.

Which brings me to "Gentleman." While the Fela catalog is peppered with songs about political unity, struggle and revolt, many of them are either too sad ("Sorrow, Tears and Blood", for one) or too dramatic ("Coffin for Head of State" comes to mind) to make the Obama connection, so I decided to go with one that is kind of light and upbeat (for Fela, that is). "Gentleman" achieves this by describing how one needs to act in order to stand up in the face of corrupt power. Throughout the song he declares "I no be gentleman at all/I be Africa, man/original", as if to say the traditional means of attaining political change no longer apply. In fact, he goes on to assert that real change won't come until "somebody come bring original trouble."

Now, Obama may be more of gentleman than Fela would've liked, but he is African and certainly an original. You could also make the argument that his movement has brought its share of "original trouble" in that it shook up the electoral process by awakening a silent majority of people who were waiting for someone to come along and give voice to their political frustrations. In barely over a month we should find out if that formerly sleeping giant is enough to knock down the traditional power monopoly, or if it needs a little more time to grow.

Fela Kuti & Africa 70 - "Gentleman"
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Song of the Day - Budos Band: "Chicago Falcon"

Today's song came to me as a result of a friend's recommendation. My buddy Rob called me and told me I should check out Budos Band because he thought I would really like them and that I should post something about them. Now, normally I never promise anything because I take the business of writing this blog very seriously, so I told him I would check out their MySpace, but ultimately I would only post something if I liked what I heard. It basically took about 30 seconds for me to decide that I liked these guys.

According to their MySpace page Budos Band is comprised of 12 members and their musical style can be described as "Instrumental Staten Island Afro-Soul" (their words). What does that mean exactly? Basically it means they lay the funk down with the best of them. By mixing Afrobeat percussion (Tony Allen would be proud), funk-inspired bass lines, and soulful horn melodies, Budos Band creates a hodgepodge of beats and rhythms that can get any party started.

"Chicago Falcon" is the lead track off their generically titled sophomore album Budos Band II and it showcases this winning formula quite well. Waves of jazzy bass, funk guitar, conga/bongo drums, and a piercing organ prop up a brass fanfare that pronounces the coming of some severely funky times ahead. It's a great way to kick off a record and lure in the listener for the long haul. Luckily, the rest of it is so good that keeping your interest shouldn't be much of a concern.

Budos Band - "Chicago Falcon" (from Budos Band II")
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Song(s) of the Day - Atlas Sound: "Holiday" & "S.S.C."

Over the weekend Bradford Cox left a generous gift on the official Deerhunter/Atlas Sound/Lotus Plaza blog, new Atlas Sound songs! While the download link originally led one web savvy fan to discover backdoor access to Cox's personal MediaFire storage account (which promptly resulted in an unmastered Deerhunter EP and the yet-to-be-finished new Altas Sound full length Logos being leaked on the At Ease Web message board), spurring a much-publicized hullabaloo on the Cox's blog, I chose to only post what Cox originally intended to share. He is nice enough to share new music for free with fans on a regular basis, so I won't tempt karma by posting stolen music not ready for the public on this blog.

Anyway, the new songs are pretty much in line with what you would expect from Atlas Sound. That is, they are fucking awesome and they will leave you wanting more. Hopefully the wait won't be long before Cox gives us another taste, so long as we show our appreciation and refrain from hacking into his personal files.

Atlas Sound - "Holiday" (from Holiday/S.S.C. Virtual 7")


Atlas Sound - "S.S.C." (from Holiday/S.S.C. Virtual 7")

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Song of the Day - Primal Scream: "Can't Go Back"

Primal Scream is one of those bands that I haven't really thought about in years, yet whenever I pick up one of their albums I'm almost surprised by how good it sounds. Not because I expect not to like it, but rather, I forget how good this band can be.

I have no idea why that is, considering they gave us three of the best albums to come out of the UK rock scene in the last 20 years. Screamadelica was simply a masterpiece of electronic ecstasy, every bit as important as any album produced by the "Madchester" scene of the early 90's. While 1997's Vanishing Point explored the darker underside of dance music better than most by leaning heavily on dub and trip hop influences. Then in 2000 they hooked up with Kevin Shields to create one of the heaviest albums I've ever heard. XTRMNTR was a mash-up of industrial noise and anti-establishment political fury that tested the limits of my speakers (and eardrums) while I was in college more than almost anything else I listened to.

Yes, there's been a few clunkers in-between (1994's Give Out But Don't Give Up, and 2002's Evil Heat), but at least you could never accuse Primal Scream of complacency. As they released their ninth studio album, Beautiful Future, last month I was reminded once again how good these guys can sound when they stay focused on their strengths.

On "Can't Go Back" all of them are on display in spades. In short, it's a high-octane mix of punk guitar sonics, dance grooves and pop rhythms that sounds like a (slightly) less intense version of "Accelerator." It bears similarities to the "Nu-Rave" (I hate that term, BTW) sound of Klaxons, which makes sense considering they wouldn't exist if it weren't for the strong influence of Primal Scream's earlier work, but it's refreshing to hear someone who helped originate this sound recapturing the glory (even for a moment) without even trying (seemingly).

Primal Scream - "Can't Go Back" (from Beautiful Future) >>>Continue reading "Song of the Day - Primal Scream: "Can't Go Back""

Song(s) of the Day - U2: "Two Hearts Beat as One" (Club Version) & "Treasure (Whatever Happened to Pete the Chop)"

I haven't posted a Song of the Day in a while, so today I decided to give you a little treat by posting two, so I will keep the words short.

The only things that need to be said about these songs is they kick ass. Say what you want about contemporary U2 (I think they are still a great band, and I make no apologies for thinking that), but it's hard to deny how great their early work was and finally their first three albums, Boy, October and War, have been re-worked and remastered to breathe new life into them. Today's selections come courtesy of the War Deluxe Edition, and they are perfectly indicative of two of U2's greatest (yet under reported) influences.

I always felt that "Two Hearts Beat as One" was one of the most underrated songs in U2's catalog. I have no idea why because the backbeat is fierce, thanks to the lethal combination of Adam Clayton's deep clanging bass and Larry Mullen's rapid fire high hat mastery. And The Edge does what he does best, which is pepper the song with intermittent thunder strikes of sweet guitar noise. Bono's lyrics are big on imagery (as usual), but small on grandiose themes, which makes the song a perfect fit on the pop charts (which, of course, it never was).

Regardless, this song is the closest thing you will ever hear U2 sounding to Gang of Four. The Club Version is basically a longer version of the original that emphasizes the dance aspects of the song even more. Which is to say, it is the Larry and Adam Show. Put this on at a party along side some Gang of Four, The Rapture and LCD Soundsystem and you would be surprised how well it fits.

"Treasure" is another gem found on the second disc of the War Deluxe Edition that finds U2 paying homage to another hero of theirs, Joy Division. Seriously, listen to to the first 20 seconds of this song and tell me it doesn't sound like an outtake from Unknown Pleasures or Closer. Bono's voice is obviously nowhere near as melancholy as Ian Curtis (to be fair, whose really is?), but it certainly isn't out of place. Oddly enough, "Treasure" answers the question of how Joy Division would sound if they had a less depressing vocalist even better than listening to New Order does.

U2 - "Two Hearts Beat One (Club Version)" (from War (Deluxe Edition))


U2 - "Treasure (What Ever Happened to Pete the Chop" (from War (Deluxe Edition))
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Song of the Day - Wire: "One of Us"

Wire is one of those bands who could never be accused of complacency. Nor would anyone be foolish enough to confuse them for nostalgists. Even though they've been around for over 30 years and continue to influence newer legions of musical followers, they always seem to be looking forward.

"One of Us" is no exception, as it sounds different from any of Wire's previous output. It's pop sensibilities bear some resemblance to their mid-80's work (A Bell Is A Cup Until It Is Struck, The Ideal Copy), yet the driving mechanical bass rhythm is indicative of their more recent Read and Burn and Send era. What's more, this song finds the notoriously serious band sounding somewhat playful as they wax pseudo-philosophical on the chorus ("One of us will live to rue the day we met each other").

After three plus decades of setting the standard of excellence for art-punk, post punk, experimental noise and seemingly everything in between, Wire sounds as if they're ready to embrace toe-tapping pop rhythms with open arms. Considering how most of their career has been characterized by pushing the envelope, perhaps it's time to pull some of it back in?

Wire - "One of Us"

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Song of the Day - Cody ChesnuTT: "Afrobama: The Unified Party Anthem"

[Photo courtesy of Flickr user dublabrat]

Nobody in the world of music, except Lil Wayne (and maybe Miley Cyrus), has more heat than Barack Obama. Dude's Rolodex is filled with more names in the music biz than Sophia Coppola and Timbaland combined. Everyday that draws closer to our historic presidential election it seems as if a new artistic tribute is released praising his message of change and unity.

The latest one comes courtesy of Cody ChesnuTT, who many of you know from his collaboration with The Roots a few years back. After laying low for the past couple of years Cody is back with "Afrobama: The Unified Party Anthem" a double homage to two larger than life Africans (remember, Obama's dad is Kenyan).

Now, the title of the song makes the identity of the first African obvious, but some of you might not know who the second is. If you've ever listened to Afrobeat music then it's easy to understand who ChesnuTT is honoring, the legendary father of Afrobeat, Fela Anikulapo Kuti.

By creating an homage to Obama in the style of Fela's signature sound, ChesnuTT is comparing two men with transcendent messages of change. Fela used his art as a platform to rail against government corruption and oppression in his native Nigeria (where he survived torture and assassination attempts) by spreading the gospel of Pan-Africanism. While not nearly as revolutionary (after all, Kuti was a socialist in the mold of Kwame Nkrumah and Che Guevara, while Obama is a quasi-liberal more in line with the legacy of RFK), Obama's message could be described as Pan-Americanism, in that the central theme of his candidacy is his desire to unite America across political and ideological lines. In Obama's world, we are all Americans first and foremost, much like Fela believed in identifying oneself as an African above national or tribal affiliations.

Hopefully Obama's story ends happier than that of Fela Kuti, who ended up dying of AIDS in 1997 amid a continuing cycle of dictatorial military rule that continues to plague Nigeria (and many parts of Africa) to this day. What is certain is that his pleas of unity have spawned new generations of Africans (or, African-Americans) to feel a sense of pride and optimism about the future that people across the African continent felt over 30 years before.

Cody ChesnuTT - "Afrobama: The Unified Party Anthem"

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Song of the Day - The Rapture: "No Sex for Ben"

It's really an amazing thing to see how different the music industry is today than five or ten years ago. No longer is the CD the medium of choice when it comes to marketing and distributing music. Today, digital downloads, social media (think iLike, imeem, Last.fm, MySpace, and Pandora), blogs, TV commercials, and video games provide more exposure for artists than ever before.

The newest installment of the enormously popular Grand Theft Auto video game franchise illustrates this concept wonderfully. In it you can control the music playing on the car stereo by switching between 18 different radio stations. Not only did Rockstar Games include a diverse roster of artists for the game's soundtrack (including Thin Lizzy, The Who, Fela Kuti, Philip Glass, Justice, Kanye West, Aphex Twin and John Coltrane, among many others), but they also give gameplayers the ability to purchase MP3's of the songs they hear directly within the game. No need to hop on your computer and look around, simply text Amazon from the in-game cell phone and you can have that Liquid Liquid track on your iPod in minutes. Now this is what I call innovation!

Considering Grand Theft Auto IV sold 3.5 million copies ON THE FIRST DAY of its release, it's safe to say that many of the artists included on the soundtrack have never sold anywhere near that many albums/singles before, so why not jump on the bandwagon if you are given the chance? The Rapture followed through on this no-brainer by contributing this previously unreleased track to GTA IV.

Produced by Timbaland, who also performs beatboxing duties, "No Sex for Ben" sounds exactly like what you'd expect from The Rapture. That is, it's catchy and fun and doesn't stray from the formula that yielded the band's last two excellent albums. It's not their best song, but it's far from their worst and it's the first new track I've heard from them in nearly two years. That alone is enough to warrant the Song of the Day honor in my book. Besides, if you own a video game console then chances are you've heard it already.

The Rapture - "No Sex for Ben" (from Grand Theft Auto IV Soundtrack)

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Song of the Day - Hercules and Love Affair: "Raise Me Up"

I always thought disco music was far more abstract than many people may recognize. Even though the Disco era gave us "Play That Funky Music", Teena Marie, and ABBA (nothing against ABBA, btw), it also blessed us with Giorgio Moroder, The Wiz (for better or worse, but still undeniably strange) and Arthur Russell. Mr. Russell's legacy as a monumental figure of the disco movement keeps growing as each year passes and more artists emulate aspects of his musical style.

I can name several artists on DFA Records alone that owe a huge debt to the dance rhythms created by Russell, which makes it no surprise that one of their newest acts has pulled off perhaps the best Arthur Russell homage I've ever heard.

Hercules and Love Affair is the brainchild of New York DJ Andy Butler, who enlisted the help of Antony Hegarty (from Antony and the Johnsons) and Tim Goldsworthy (among others) to create the group's debut self-titled album. The entire album is indebted to the legacy of Russell, but it was "Raise it Up" that instantly gave me goosebumps for how striking the resemblance is. Now, it isn't a straight carbon copy, since the pace is a little quicker than typical Arthur Russell beats, and the inclusion of Antony's unmistakable wail is in itself sufficient enough to provide a real distinction.

About that voice. I know I'm in the minority, but I've never much cared for Antony and the Johnsons, consequently making me skeptical every time I hear of a new collaboration of his. I've always found his voice too whiny for my tastes. His guest work on Bjork's Volta started chipping away at the prejudice a bit, but you'd need to have a crappy nose for hypocricy to cry about someone's voice being a distraction when they share the mic with Bjork. On this track and throughout Hercules and Love Affair's debut Hegarty sounds perfectly suited for this particular brand of space disco. I don't know if it is Goldsworthy's production or Butler's beautifully crafted songs, my guess it is a little of both, but the setting manages to turn Antony's voice into an asset.

Even though the lyrics are far from uplifting, Antony manages to sound that way during this song. I guess just because you're sad doesn't mean you wouldn't still be in the mood to dance.

Hercules and Love Affair - "Raise Me Up" (from Hercules and Love Affair)


. . .And just for comparison's sake:

Arthur Russell - "Loose Joints" (from The World of Arthur Russell)

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Song of the Day - Nine Inch Nails: "Discipline"

This whole I-don't-need-no-stinking-record-label thing is really beginning to suit Trent Reznor real well. In the old days fans used to have to wait four to six years in between albums, but now that Mr. Reznor is free of record label contracts he can release music whenever the hell he damn pleases. Did you realize in the last four years we have been treated to four proper Nine Inch Nails albums? That's the kind of production we expect from the hip hop world (MF Doom and Talib Kweli come to mind). And now that he's figured out this whole digital distribution thing, who knows how much more prolific Reznor's output is going to get.

His most recent album, The Slip, was released last week without much advance warning and once again he allowed fans the freedom to download it completely for free (in MP3, AAC and FLAC versions, no less). In fact, unlike the last NIN album (Ghosts I-IV, released barely two months ago), there is no way pay for a digital version even if you really want to fork over some of that hard earn scratch to show your appreciation. For those that prefer to pay for their music, you'll just have to wait until The Slip is released on CD.

OK, so Reznor proves again that he has his ear to the ground and will give the people what they want, but how's the music? Actually, it's pretty damn awesome. The Slip is perhaps the most focused and straightforward Nine Inch Nails album since Broken. It's not some 70 minute concept opus, but instead a concise little package (it's just under 44 minutes long) that feature's some of Reznor's best work in years.

"Discipline" is without a doubt my favorite track on the record, and possibly the best NIN song since "The Perfect Drug". For one, it's catchy as hell. I'm talking catchy in the same way that "Closer" and "Head Like A Hole" were catchy. That is, the bass line grooves in such a way that you might catch yourself tapping your foot extra rhythmically or even, dare I say, dance to it (yes, not all NIN songs require you to sit in the bathroom with a razor blade to your wrist). On top of the sick bass line, Trent incorporates just the right amount of noise with pretty little piano lick to give the song a feeling of powerful adrenaline, but not aggression.

When he sings in the chorus "I need your discipline/Once I start I cannot help myself" I am reminded of the old Trent Reznor, the one who was anti-establishment and authority and how that guy doesn't exist anymore. He's still a rebel, but he's mature enough to admit that he needs something to keep him in line. I think in this new post-record-label era that instrument of 'discipline' is his fans. If the results keep sounding as refreshing as this song, and by extension this album, then I am all for it.

Nine Inch Nails - "Discipline"

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Song of the Day - Jamie Lidell: "Figured Me Out (Garage Mix)"

Jamie Lidell is one of the funkiest white boys you'll ever see. After making a name for himself as one half (along with Christian Vogel) of experimental techno group Super_Collider, Lidell released a solo debut (2000's Muddlin Gear) that was basically a primer for IDM, but when it came time to record a follow-up he changed up his act almost entirely. That watershed moment, known as Multiply, marked the transformation of Lidell from synth beat scientist to electro-soul crooner and the result was a fantastic album full of ass-shaking songs and saucy rhythmic jams.

On April 28th Lidell will release the long-awaited follow-up Jim on Warp Records, and preliminary buzz indicates that it's going to be even funkier than Multiply. Since the original version of "Figured Me Out" is found on the new album, I don't really have much of a reference point from which to compare this song, but it doesn't really matter since it stands on its own (as all good remixes should) quite well.

For those of you who aren't familiar with Mr. Lidell's music, this song will give you a pretty accurate picture of what he sounds like. Funk guitar hooks, slap bass and Hammond organ grooves form the perfect backdrop for Lidell's gritty soul wail. It's almost impossible not to have the urge to dance to this music and Lidell proves once again that even (former) techno computer geeks can get down like James Brown.

Jamie Lidell - "You Figured Me Out (Garage Mix)"

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Song of the Day - Goldfrapp: "Happiness"

  Since Spring is finally upon us (at least here in Los Angeles), I feel the time is right to post a song that conjures up images of sunshine and happiness. And since I finally picked up Seventh Tree, the latest album from English duo Goldfrapp, I wasn't short on songs that match the Spring feeling I am looking for.

Appropriately titled "Happiness", this song is exactly the kind of thing I want to hear as I drive down the coast on a gorgeous weekend, or walk along Griffith Park with my dog as the sun shines off the grass. At first glance it may sound like a trite love-makes-you-happy little ditty ("Time stops still/when you've lost love"), but "Happiness" is actually an ode to philanthropy ("give us all your money/we'll make it better/we're here to welcome you") and its fulfilling qualities. Musically, it's a pretty simple formula; a toe-tapping beat, some brightly colored poppy synth hooks and a catchy chorus ("Happiness/How'd you get to be happiness/How'd you get to find love/Real love"). It's indie-pop with electronic flavoring. It aint rocket science, but it's something that Goldfrapp manages to pull off rather prolifically. For the rest of the season you can bet music like this will find a home on my iPod in heavy rotation.

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Song of the Day - M.I.A: "Paper Planes" (Remix for the Children by Adrock)

I am a huge sucker for dub remixes. Since basically  anything considered Dub Reggae is in and of itself a remix, no other genre is better suited to reinterpret songs of all shapes and sizes. I love how anything that is given the dub treatment immediately demands you crank up the volume and let the deep bass shake your speakers. I love how random sound effects permeate in the background that sound as if they were created with kitchen utensils (often times they are). Most of all, I just love how good dub music creates a mood that makes it hard for me to be pissed about anything.

That last part definitely applies to this remix of M.I.A.'s "Paper Planes" by Beastie Boy Adrock. While it isn't better than the original, which happened to be one of my favorite songs of last year, no remix is supposed to be (unless it is of a crappy song). To get your hands of your own copy of this remix, and four others, it can be found on the digital-only EP Paper Planes (Homeland Security Remixes), which includes mixes from Diplo, DFA, Blaqstarr and Scottie B.

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Song of the Day - Dragonette: "I Get Around" (Van She Vocal Mix)

I don't know very much about Dragonette, other than they are from Ontario, Canada and sound like a teeny-bopper hybrid of Ladytron and Metric. If that sounds like a disastrous combination to you then you can skip listening to their MySpace page if  you hope to be proven wrong. But if there's one thing redeeming about derivative electro-pop like Dragonette it's that it makes great remix material.

Sydney's Van She, themselves an unremarkable blend of 80's new wave revivalism and electro-pop, illustrate this concept with their take on Drangonette's "I Get Around." Whereas the original version sounds like something you would hear inside an obnoxious clothing store like Hollister or Forever 21, Van She's Vocal Mix would fit in nicely on the decks of some of the better dance DJ's around the world. That's because they gave this mix some serious techno beats and stripped away the annoying guitar riffs of the original. What results is a song that doesn't merely suggest you dance (like the original single), but instead smacks you on the back of head and demands you get your ass on the dance floor.

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Song of the Day - Y Society: "Never Off (On & On)

This gem came my way courtesy of my brother, who first heard it on Mike Nardone's excellent We Came From Beyond hip hop radio show. Anyone who is familiar with the excellent track record of Mr. Nardone knows that when anyone who appears on his playlists is definitely worth a listen.

Basically it took all of 30 seconds to convince me that Y Society have some serious skills. After falling in love with all the songs on their MySpace page I decided to immediately buy their debut album Travel at Your Own Pace and I could not be happier with the purchase. The production is smooth and tight, while the lyrical delivery of Insight and Damu the Fudgemunk are reminiscent of some of my favorite duos from back in the day like Showbiz and AG or Pete Rock and CL Smooth.

Within an hour of being introduced to this group I was singing their praises to all my co-workers and friends. Since there hasn't been much written about Y Society on the blogosphere, I felt it was my duty to do my part to spread the word. Hopefully you like this track and take it upon yourselves to keep the word of mouth active.

Y Society - "Never Off (On and On)"

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Song of the Day - Mexican Institute of Sound: "El Microfono"

I decided to continue shining the spotlight on Mexican music for another post since I have been listening to this track over and over again the past week. Today's ditty comes from Mexican Institute of Sound who, like Cafe Tacuba, hail from Mexico City.

Mexican Institute of Sound is the brainchild of DJ/producer Camilo Lara, who chooses samplers, synthesizers and sequencers as his weapons of choice. All of these are arranged beautifully on "El Microfono" as Lara combines elements of Cha Cha Cha, Funk and Hip-Hop to create a sexy sounding rhythm that is almost guaranteed inclusion on my next party music playlist. If you enjoy this song then the rest of Mexican Institute of Sound's excellent sophomore album Piñata is definitely worth checking out.

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