Monday, April 30, 2012

Darq E Freaker: "Pills & Cocaine" [feat. Danny Brown]

All I can do to keep WKMR from turning into a Danny Brown unofficial fan site. Can't help it. He's that good. And here he is hooked up London's Darq E Freaker, who is previously unknown to me, but one way of changing that is to hook up Detroit's finest with a beat that is equal parts haunted circus and rave hoovers. Somebody's on something.

Tennis: "My Better Self"

This video sucks. You don't have to watch it, particularly if you happen to have familiarized yourself with the song (Young & Old - the album - came out back in February and is available on Spotify). If you haven't copped to the tune yet you'll soon be wondering why people still give a shit about The Shins and The Decemberists when accessible bands like Denver's Tennis are on the scene, yet haven't been around long enough to lose the plot yet. Seriously: what the fuck does Death Cab for Cutie think they're doing nowadays? And why are you still paying attention? Don't let brand loyalty cause you to sleep on this here.

Netsky: "Come Alive" [Rockwell Remix]

Even electronic producers that ostensibly wouldn't touch brostep with a 10 foot pole still seem compelled to acknowledge the menacing, fractured monolith of sound that the genre has inspired... everyone is scrambling to top the latest fucked up beats. Ladies and gentlemen, I think we may have a winner: Rockwell starts off modestly enough on his remix of Netsky's "Come Alive", but in just over two-and-a-half minutes he manages to cover a pretty impressive range of spastic schrizophrenia.
(via FACT, for whom homeboy has also put together a long-form mix)

KILLER COVERS || The Flaming Lips: "God Only Knows"

Anyone familiar with the Flaming Lips - particularly their mid-90's (semi-)crossover period - knows that there's always been a certain pop sensibility behind their skewed, acid-drenched aesthetic. That said, this brand new cover of the Beach Boys classic "God Only Knows" proves that they're not particularly interested in separating the psychedelia from their pop. While arguably one of the more "accessible" things they've done in recent memory, they turn this old chestnut out (Paul McCartney's favorite song of all time, incidentally... let him do his own faithful cover if the original is so damned bulletproof).

This was recorded for one of those MOJO magazine cover CDs that seem to be nothing but anniversary celebrations of classic albums via current artists putting their own spin on the tunes.

Metric: "Youth Without Youth"

Metric have to be pretty happy that the ongoing "are they or aren't they?" controversies surrounding the likes of Sleigh Bells and Lana del Rey have kept the heat off of a band frequently cited as being too poppy [read: inauthentic] for their own good. I could care less. What I generally don't like about pop music is not its slick glossiness, but the canned, manufactured beats and predictable, cookie cutter melodies. Metric don't fuck around with any of that. Their sound hearkens back to the 80s, where you could be as slick as you wanted to but it really didn't mean a thing if you didn't have a killer hook to go along with it. That, of course, was before MTV established cultural hegemony and made it ok to settle for an image, with nothing more to offer... which leads us to where we are today. At least there's Metric.

Synthetica is out June 12

[UPDATE 6/12/12: added music video]:




Friday, April 27, 2012

Professor Green: "Remedy" [feat. Ruth Anne]

It takes balls to look like the chav Rick Astley.

Unicorn Kid: "Pure Space"

At 20 years of age, Oliver Sabin isn't even old enough to remember the original generation of 8-bit video games. That hasn't stopped him from becoming one of the more heralded chiptune producers, and possibly the one most likely to cross over into the mainstream with his Unicorn Kid alter ego. This isn't purist shit here. The backing synths obviously don't rely on circuit bending but just good old fashion analog. Either way, just think of it is instrumental dance pop if that's what it takes.

Thursday, April 26, 2012

Phonte: "The Life of Kings" [feat. Evidence & Big K.R.I.T.]

With more and more ambulance chasing rappers gravitating toward trendy ass dubstep beats, thankfully there is an alternate movement to recapture that old vintage soul-sampling aesthetic that rap cut its teeth on in the first place. Hell, even the sissy ass ballads these pop rappers are peddling on the public rarely sample anything that could conceivably put their treacly, cry baby lyrics over the top. 9th Wonder ain't having that shit. Tell me he didn't produce the hell out of "The Life of Kings". How is that virtual unknowns like Phonte can afford to hire a guy like 9th Wonder and clear the samples at the same time, but multi-millionaires like Rick Ross and Wiz Khalifa are still coming out with that Casio rap?

N.O.R.E.: "Google That" [feat. Styles P & Raekwon]

The $2 wi-fi homeless dude cracks me up, because AT&T actually pulled something similar during SXSW this year - basically paying homeless people to walk around with wireless routers strapped around their waists to help alleviate the typically overtaxed cell towers - but there was no $2 charge. Come to think of it, I neither saw any of these homeless people wandering about nor benefited from any better service than I've had at past conferences.

Anyway... there was a time about a decade ago when N.O.R.E. was considered an elite rapper, but sadly his popularity seems to have waned through no fault of his own. He's still bringing the same on point rhymes over super catchy beats, it's just that fewer of y'all are paying attention. It's that fuckin' pop rap shit, isn't it? Your girl likes Drake so now you like Drake. If you don't know what a punk ass bitch is and there's no mirror handy, go on and Google that.

KILLER COVERS || School of Seven Bells: "Kiss Them for Me"

If you know three Siouxsie & the Banshees songs "Kiss Them for Me" is one of them ("Peekaboo" and "Christine" are probably the other two... "Lord's Prayer" if you're nasty). No matter how many times you've heard the woozy Siouxsie version you probably won't place the version School of Seven Bells laid down for Record Store Day until the lyrics get rolling. Which is really kind of a baseline expectation for any cover song that legitimately aspires to greatness.

Kendra Morris: "If You Didn't Go"

For one thing, I'm a sucker for that sultry, relaxed drumming and vintage soul production reminiscent of the 70s, the decade that I think most truly mastered how to record all styles of music centered around guitar/bass/drums (as opposed to the 80s, where a lot of great innovations were made in recording electronic music, but those same innovations ruined a lot of rock n' roll when applied wholesale to guitar music).

Kendra Morris is on the bulletproof Wax Poetics label, where you can buy a 45 of "If You Didn't Go" (Jesus Christ, do 45's really fetch eight bucks these days???). More sanely, you can get both sides of the 45 for a mere 99 cents apiece over at iTunes.

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

El-P: "Tougher Colder Killer" [feat. Killer Mike & Despot]

El-P comes back hard with cohorts Killer Mike and Despot (all three will be touring soon with Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire) on "Tougher Colder Killer", which is basically what it sounds like: murder tauntin, man card pullin', cap peelin' mayhem. Cancer for Cure is out May 22 on Fat Possum.

M.E.D.: "Outta Control" [feat. Hodgy Beats]

This is gathering a little dust at this point (September release), but there's just now a video out and the visuals alone make this tune worth a revisit. Off the cocky-yet-accurately titled Classic LP by M.E.D., the animation here is like Roger Rabbit lost in a k-hole.

KILLER COVERS || YACHT: "Le Goudron"

Even though the French have a reputation for being passionate and romantic, they can also pull off aloof pretty well too. So it should come as no surprise that YACHT's cover of the 1969 Brigitte Fontaine number "Le Goudron" sounds like the missing link between Krautrock and Kraftwerk. There's a stilted pseudo-rap thing going on that recalls Austrian Falco more than it does Serge Gainsbourg or even Air, but the naive incompetence is half the charm, I guess. You're mostly in this for the beat anyway.

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Storm Corrosion: "Drag Ropes"

The kinship between Mikael Ã…kerfeldt (Opeth) and Steven Wilson (Porcupine Tree) goes back to at least 1999, when Wilson produced Opeth's breakthrough, Blackwater Park. A couple of years ago the two announced they would collaborating on a project together, with Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater) providing percussion. The Heavens wept, prog geeks creamed their jeans... and somewhere along the way Portnoy got kicked to the curb. It's not really clear whether Portnoy's ugly exit from Dream Theater really estranged him to either Ã…kerfeldt or Wilson, but I'm willing to buy the latter two's contention that there just wasn't a lot of call for percussion on what would end up becoming Storm Corrosion... at least not on the 10-minute epic that's been released as single #1. 


Rockie Fresh: "Into the Future"

Chalk it up to the dual Kanye / Common influences, but Chicago has established itself as one of the more chill rap scenes. Content to let other cities battle it out for alpha machismo, Chi-Town is the anti-Detroit: eschewing sappy hip hop love ballads while utilizing breezy, slightly foreboding back beats in service of thoughtful lyrics. "Into the Future" isn't particularly profound, but it's got a nice Sunday drive vibe to it, and who can resist that familiar model of Delorean?

The full Driving 88 mixtape can be downloaded here.

Black Pus: "Devolver" / "Police Song 2"

It never gets heavy enough for me, especially when it comes to shit with beats. I can do only do grind and noise for so long, but give me a beat and a groove and I can put that shit on blast all day long. I'd never heard of Black Pus before, but I should have: it's Brian Chippendale of Lightning Bolt fame, and both projects are on the way-too-pimpin' Load Records. Suffice to say, he's got my attention from this day forth. It's worth mentioning his blog Black Pus Won is both a hoot and a holler, a combination you don't often find outside of old school country & western.

So basically the first eight minutes of this clip is an unreleased song recorded back in January called "Devolver", at which point it fades out and kicks into an alternate mix of "Police Song" from last year's Primordial Pus LP.
(via Tiny Mix Tapes):

Portugal. The Man: "All Your Light (Times Like These)"

By all rights you should already be familiar with this song, which is approaching it's one year birthday, so I'm not exactly playing tastemaker by posting it here. But it does have a shiny new video and, besides, we can't all be Pitchfork. This is well shot but pushes a few familiar buttons: the whole edgy, violent psychodrama music video is on the cusp of a real shark hurdling moment.


BONUS: here's a recent RZA remix which in hindsight should have been worth of its own post a week or two back when it was released:

Monday, April 23, 2012

Widow: "Take Hold of the Night"

I've already reviewed this album over at Metal Injection, so I'll let that write up speak for itself. As I mentioned in the review, "Take Hold of the Night" was one of the highlights of Life's Blood, and I'm really on board with this retro 80's-metal movement in the US. Neo-thrash and Celtic Frost-influenced proto-black metal have been going strong for awhile now, so it's about time we cycle back even further and pick up on the trad / NWOBHM lineage. Widow is doing exactly that.

Witch Mountain: "Beekeeper"

A lot of female-fronted doom nowadays. That's not a bad thing. Witch Mountain is on Profound Lore so you'll be hearing shitloads about them on the indie rock blogs any minute now, but they are a pretty traditional, old school doom band, kind of a cross between Candlemass / Sleep but with more versatile vocals.

Cauldron of the Wild is out June 12 on... never mind, said that already.

St. Vincent: "Krokodil" / "Grot"

Well this is a bit of a departure. Annie Clark steps out from her usual baroque Kate Bush steelo and gets down with an electro-punk, almost NIN-evoking hardcore sound. These two songs represent both sides of a 7" released for - what else? - Record Store Day, so there seems to be a dearth of information on who produced and played on these two cuts, but the no bullshit brutality here isn't entirely unprecedented: "Northern Lights" off of last year's Strange Mercy showed a darker, more guitar-oriented side of St. Vincent, and if you want to go all the way back to 2007, "Your Lips Are Red" - while lacking in bludgeoning guitar - certainly had a more sinister, Siouxsie Sioux kinda thing going on; but "Krokodil" and "Grot" at the very least take those rare glimpses into Clark's psyche to an entirely different level. Side project?




Gangrene [Alchemist + Oh-No]: "Walk Hard"

No way were Alchemist and Oh-No sitting out 4/20 this year, not when their most recent album under the Gangrene tag was basically an extended paean to getting high. Now they have a free EP out (Red Bull apparently getting up on some of that Scion/AV sponsorship action) called Odditorium which even non-heads will want to hip themselves to due to the rugged, RZA-influenced beat and take-no-prisoners game spittin'.

The Flaming Lips: "Supermoon Made Me Want to Pee" [feat. Prefuse 73]

No one goes all out for Record Store Day like the Flaming Lips. This year they have a full album of collaborations out somewhat childishly called The Flaming Lips and Heady Fwends. In addition to brand new guest turns by Nick Cave, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes, Bon Iver and Chris Martin of Coldplay (whut?) - most if not all of whom have contributed their own blood to be pressed into the vinyl - it also rounds up a few previously released co-op's such as "Is David Bowie Dying?" (Neon Indian) and "I'm Working at NASA on Acid" (Lightning Bolt). "Supermoon Made Me Want to Pee" is the second of what will presumably be a long string of NSFW animated videos.

Lower Dens: "Lamb"

Joe Rogan starts all of his podcasts advertising for two items of incompatible usage: Fleshlights and nootropics, which he incorrectly pronounces "new troh-pics" (look up the real definition yourself, I don't know how to type one of those upside down e's). Nootropics are supposed to be brain food, FDA-unapproved vitamin supplements that some allege enhance your cognitive skills. At any rate, that's what Lower Dens seem to be going for, and you won't need that discounted Fleshlight to enjoy the desexualized cerebral pull of "Lambs".

Nootropics is out May 1 on Ribbon Music.

Friday, April 20, 2012

Jazzanova: "Believer (Funkhaus Sessions)"

Them Krauts know how to get down. Well, sometimes. They have a way of twisting other country's art forms into something cold and inhuman, but Jazzanova aren't your typical gabber, Krautrock, etc etc. I think Guru and Brand New Heavies were both attempting their own variations on this template, but Jazzanova tend to eschew the hip hop and house influences, instead doubling down on the soul and disco, live instrumentation similarly escalating the authentic jazz funk flourishes. They've made me a believer.

KILLER COVERS || STS: "Comeback Kid"

Cheating like a muffhugger on this one. Not really a cover song at all, but one of those typical mixtape things where they just steal the music from up under another song and rap over top of it. Two things in my defense, though: a) the producers basically just chops up Sleigh Bells' "Comeback Kid" without adding any other samples (aside from a reinforcement bass line), and b) STS retains the title of the backing track. Based on those two things I'ma include it here as a Killer Cover but if y'all wanna hate hate on me and not the track. STS tears this up, and it's a great fucking choice of song. Good job, guys.

Download here.

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Zambri: "Hundred Hearts"

That synth line sounds like Martin Rev from Suicide covering "Take My Breath Away". Zambri have gotten a lot more polished since their 2011 EP, Glossolalia, but they've countered that trade off with a remarkably keen uptick in songwriting process. "Hundred Hearts" may be the best song on this year's House of Baasa, but it's not the only one that's good, even stellar.

Rush: "Headlong Flight"

It's been a long time, Rush. I see you finally have a new tune.

I dig the heaviness and the central riff, but I'm not sure the chorus is quite strong enough to elevate this one to "instant classic" status. Nonetheless, if this is indicative of the overall direction they're taking on the new album it could be one of their best in years. I make no secret of my disdain for Snakes and Ladders: I don't like the "touchy feely" Rush, I like my Rush with balls and a backbone. "Headlong Flight" has both. Bottoms up.

Family of the Year: "Stairs"

I don't necessarily understand why every single user photo published on Facebook has to be rendered in the washed out Instagram preset, but I can understand why the aesthetic appeals to a lot of today's musicians: with all the throwback folk pop, neo-psych and sleepy 60's pop currently in vogue, the grainy 16mm home movie feel is the perfect mechanism for invoking the dreamy nostalgia inherent in much of the musical zeitgeist (in contrast, these music videos wouldn't be at all appropriate for trap rap or power metal).

Family of the Year have been making incremental strides forward in terms of career momentum the last few years, and having recently signed to the (historically industrial/EBM) label Nettwerk, 2012 could be their time to shine. "Stairs" is a good entry point to the band, infectious and loose, catchy and free-spirited. Peep more here.

Death Grips: "I've Seen Footage"

Been fiending for Death Grips almost non-stop of late. Can't figure out whether it's because I'm a basehead or they actually possess real talent, but "I've Seen Footage" is possibly their best single yet. It has a readily identifiable, Bad Brains-style hook - dare I say: catchy? - but the clusterfuck of chaotically interlacing voice and mechanical noise is still mostly intact, even if held a bit in check. Spring cleaning in the producer's shed, basically.

Did you know: Death Grips will release two albums in 2012, and the first can be streamed in full here?

Moodymann: "9 Nites 2 Nowhere"

Moodymann a.k.a. Kenny Dixon is lashing out with some 90s beats for that ass right hurr. Which if he wanted to he could go back to the 1890s because motherfucker antecedes dirt if you realize what it is that I am saying. I have no idea what's going on in this video except it appears a homeless dude finds a working keyboard in the trash and instantly starts creating 90s house with no prior experience. Sounds about right.

By the way, in their extensive efforts to prove that they are indeed down with the hipsters and not in any way a greedy, faceless corporate monolith, Scion/AV continues to fund hipster-friendly tuneage and offer it up gratis. You can get Moodymann's Picture This EP free o'charge here.

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

KILLER COVERS || Win Win: "Walls"

Win Win officially outpimps Spank Rock. Actually, they just one upped they own damn selves by outpimping Crass. Film at eleven.

Part Time: "I Wanna Take You Out"

This is probably a little too disco-y to be Chillwave Proper, but you get the idea. "I Wanna Take You Out" is the sound of a SF group sleeping until 1:00, waiting for the fog to burn off and then reveling sleepily in the sun. Maybe that park across the street from the Dirty Harry sniper church. Early drinking a few blocks away at Vesuvio. Dildo shopping at Big Al's. But here I am making this about me. You should make it about you. I'm in a weird place right now.

THEESatisfaction: "QueenS"

THEESatisfaction is not - as the name might suggest - a Billy Childish project, nor would it be a lot cooler if it was. They are a Seattle duo creating swirling, vertigo-inducing funk/soul/rap combinations of pure psychedelic intent. "QueenS" is not about the NYC borough but instead a reference to their own self-empowerment motto, "Queens Supreme". Whatever. Just get lost in the discombulation of this head bobbing motherfucker while snacking on those neo-vintage visuals.

Don't Talk to the Cops: "I Don't Like Rachel"

Goddamn it's been a slow day for quality jams. Thought I was going to have to sit this Hump Day out until this feisty little buzzbanger came along. Don't Talk to the Cops is not only a great lifestyle choice, it's also the name of a band. You've gotta love a song that sounds like the percussion is butt bongos being played on a passed out stripper. Rachel presumably being the name of that stripper. Man, did I mention I've got nothing today?

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Stylo G: "Dash Out" [feat. Chip & Delerious]

The UK has always done a better job at honoring Jamaica's musical heritage, so no surprise this electro-infused dancehall heater doesn't originate here in the US. "Dash Out" flirts with grime while keeping one foot firmly in the dancehall genre. Most obviously, the patois-inflected rapping evokes the likes of Wiley and Dizzee Rascal, but that's not bad company to be in.

You can find this track and more by Delerious at his Soundcloud page.
(via Soulculture):

Monday, April 16, 2012

White Suns: "Footprints Filled"

Whoa. Not sure what to call this shit. It's kinda sludge, kinda punk, kinda noise. Actually it's mostly noise, but there are vocals and discernible riffs so definitely don't think of Merzbow or old Earth style drone. White Suns are playing with genre conventions in a manner that the average metal blog would have you believe is only being done via Cascadian black metal. Fuck your Cascadian black metal in the ear. Sinews is out 4/20 (appropriately enough) on Load Records.
(via Tiny Mix Tapes):

Disclosure: "Boiling" [feat. Sinead Harnett]

This one's got an early 90's vibe to it, kind of a White Dove remixed for the clubs vibe. Gotta love that subterranean bassline at the very least. The song is called "Boiling" but it never really rises above a mild simmer, which is the track's primary strength. That and Sinead Harnett acquits herself well as guest chanteuse. Disclosure will be releasing their The Face EP on June 4 via Greco-Roman, home of Drums of Death and Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs, which leaves open the possibility of interesting future collaborations.

jj: "Beautiful Life"

Regrettably... not an Ace of Base cover. This track was leaked a few weeks back but - in true zeitgeist fashion - a belated video has been released as well, the better to milk the blog coverage with multiple entries. Is it any wonder I usually just wait for the damn video? Looking out for my peeps is what it is.

Artifact: "Brittle Bones" / "Freezedry"

I'm sure there are already a dozen or more men - and maybe even a few stray dogs - plying their wares under the sobriquet Artifact, so this may conceivably get confusing: this Artifact is a new out of the gate Bristol producer who didn't even have the decency to adopt some faddish affectation like spelling his name 4r71f6c7 or maybe a pirate-themed Arrrrtifakt, the better to distinguish himself from the competition. He did, however, have the decency to float us this free digital 12" as a teaser to any upcoming work that may arise out of his signing to Local Action. Resident Advisor has more on one Ryan Bonfield.

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Willy Moon: "Oh Yeah" [Sinden Remix]

One thing that gets lost in the era of 2.5-minute, truncated techno tracks - or the polar opposite: eight minute spacey, blissed out ambiance with beats - is the appreciation for the old school breakdown. On a Soundcloud post you can often tell a breakdown is coming by a certain bell curve in the middle of the waveform map. So on that basis alone you know that three fifths of the way through Sinden's remix of Willy Moon's "Oh Yeah" things are about to get epic.

Squarepusher: "Dark Steering"

Tom Jenkinson is supposedly backing off the live instruments for the upcoming Squarepusher album Ufabulum, which is fine by me. I enjoyed his efforts with traditional instrumentation - particularly the slap bass - but I can't say I liked it any more or less than his earlier, all electronic material, so sure... let's kick it old school. Jenks baby(*) did his own visuals for this clip, which presumably will be representative of what you'll see at any live engagements he books in the near future. Musically it doesn't seem crazy spastic at first, but if you ride it out until the end your drill & bass boner will pop. Promise.

(*) obligatory Monty Python non sequitur

Black Bananas: "My House"

Eschewing the usual found footage video thing to lens their own scattered thematic aesthetic, Black Bananas give you low riders, Mardi Gras Indians and hula hoops. If you can't manage a balanced diet out of those three ingredients your life is probably already fucked.

Machinedrum & FaltyDL: "Give In 2"

I'm the footwork pimp. I proudly admit. Send me any ol' footwork / juke track and chances are I'll probably post the fuck out of it. It's the new dubstep, which means I'm trying to enjoy it while it lasts before the bros get their damn dirty ape paws all over it. This one has an arty, non sequitur sense of progression but sticks close enough to that juke template to scratch any applicable itches.

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Jubei: "Say Nothin'" [feat. Flowdan]

Jubei of Metalheadz teams up with Flowdan of the Roll Deep crew for this stripped down, old school UK hip hop effort. The rolling bassline evokes dub but there ain't no half steppin' on this 90's throwback. Metalheadz' Soundcloud has an April 30 release date listed but I have no idea whether that's just a single or if "Say Nothin'" will be appearing on a full length Jubei album. Time will tell, because the internet ain't sayin' shit.





The Summer Pledge: "B's Teeth"

I don't know a whole lot about The Summer Pledge, aside from the fact that they've stuck it out in their hometown of Detroit, valiantly resisting the Williamsburg exodus, but other than that they're an obscurity to me. "B's Teeth" kind of fell into my lap not long after listening to the new Mars Volta, and though it's no math rock it does occupy a clever ground midway between prog and, say, Vampire Weekend. If you're interested in hearing more there's a link to a free download of their first album, You Are You, over at the band's website. Their sophomore LP Vessels will be (self?) released May 10.


Dean Blunt & Inga Copeland: "The Narcissist"

You may know Hype Williams as the guy who directed all those rap videos (and the movie Belly), but you may not have been aware that there is a strange musical duo who have appropriated the name and are now releasing a new record under their individual aliases (confused yet?), Dean Blunt and Inga Copeland. I'm gonna go ahead and dub "The Narcissist" Record of the Year at the 2013 Grammy Awards and be incorrect as early as possible. You can judge for yourself by streaming the entire album (Black Is Beautiful) at Resident Advisor. Smoke up, bitches.
(via Gorilla vs Bear):

KILLER COVERS || Neneh Cherry & The Thing: "Dream Baby Dream"

While every other blog is going to be polishing their knob over that middling 3D / DFA / Scarlett Johannsen cover of "Summertime", I've got my sights set on this Neneh Cherry comeback bid. That's because Suicide are one of my favorite acts of all time - and overall possibly the most underrated ever - and "Dream Baby Dream" is one of their greatest tunes, a saccharine antidote to the motorik scumfuck anthems that are "Ghost Rider" and "Frankie Teardrop". No Belgians ever started a riot over "Dream Baby Dream", but this (initially chill) free jazz rendition might just do the trick for those Trappist beer drinking bastards.

OFF!: "Wiped Out"

Saw these boys a couple of times at SXSW, including a slot opening for Pennywise. Yes, that's Keith Morris (Circle Jerks) on vocals, so although I do recommend seeing OFF! - soon to be sued out of existence by a litigious insect repellent - on tour the caveat is you have to be willing to listen to Morris rant about politicians at length between each and every song. It's the price you pay.

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Aesop Rock: "Zero Dark Thirty"

Slow day for new shit, both in terms of quality as well as quantity, so this one will have to tide y'all over. The good news it's Aesop Rock's first solo material in half a decade, and "Zero Dark Thirty" finds him in top form. His most recent work with Hail Mary Mallon wasn't without merit but it obviously wasn't meant to be taken too seriously. Skelethon is out July 10 on Rhymesayers. Yeah, that is kind of a long wait.

[UPDATE: 5/1/12: added official music video]: