DJ Shadow: "Listen" [feat. Terry Reid]

Remember back when Moby blew everyone's minds by releasing a techno album steeped in old school folk blues? Yep, 1999's Play was not only the Mob-ster's high water mark, but it also marked the last time anyone gave a shit about him. Needless to say his breakthrough was absorbed into the zeitgeist but those innovations have rarely been regurgitated in the decade since.

Perhaps taking note of recent successes such as Bobby Womack's The Bravest Man in the Universe and/or Norah Jones' ...Little Broken Hearts, both of which saw the artists updating their palette with minimalist, tasteful electronic touches, DJ Shadow enlisted semi-obscure UK blues singer Terry Reid to guest on "Listen", one of two new tracks on his newReconstructed: The Best of DJ Shadow comp. Shadow's production takes a back seat to the catchy, traditionalist verse-chorus-verse structure of Reid's singing. Hopefully this will spark a resurgence in the blues great's career. He's fucking great on this.

DJ Shadow: "Border Crossing"

Wow, did Robert Rodriquez commission this?  It's a little more straight faced than something like Machete but no more provocative, really. The question is whether anyone will be paying attention, what with DJ Shadow's latest, The Less You Know, The Better, getting middling reviews. Ain't nuthin' wrong with this.  It's better than Apollo 440 circa 1999 and no one minded that shit.