January 2008 Archives

Another week of "American Idol" auditions (Omaha, Nebraska and Miami) and wow, one has to wonder how this show made it to seven seasons? Auditions used to be fun, really freaky and a little harsh. So far, this season's uninspired auditions have been tantamount to watching the proverbial paint dry. Now we know what the people in charge of the screening process go through whittling down 10,000 "Idol" wannabees to the few who make the show. To be fair, there were some hilarious moments -- just not enough of them.

Rafter’s latest album, Sex Death Cassette, is a piece of expertly crafted post-modern pop. While not as invested in African tones as some of the other indie bands we’ve previously looked at, his own tastes—namely for the pioneering Fela Kuti—are evident. Check out opener “zzzpenchant,” which throws resoundingly Afrobeat horns on top of a gently chugging melody line, or “adventurers,” which marries lo-fi production to bold, brassy trumpets.

PLAY asked Rafter to discuss his current African and world-music obsessions. He told us about pop music’s voracious eating habits, and why Vampire Weekend might be a bit too “safe.”

Song: Song of Hope
Album: Raining on the Moon
Artist: William Parker
Selected by: Steven Joerg
Date: January 31, 2008

Masterful jazz bassist/composer William Parker marries his poetic songcraft (via singer Leena Conquest) with his small jazz group. This piece literally features "Hope" itself as the narrator: "I have a rag doll filled with sunlight/ and when I squeeze her the world gets brighter and brighter."

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by Jen Guyre

Vampire Weekend may be the most oft-buzzed band currently channeling African music in an indie-rock context, but they're also the least eager to wax didactic about what it all means. Their self-titled debut draws firmly from the upbeat, relentlessly sunny school of both West African and "township" instrumentation -- take a listen to Kanda Bongo Man for a general idea. Unlike Dave Longstreth of the Dirty Projectors, Vampire Weekend gleefully appropriates as they see fit, less concerned with name-dropping specific African artists than with conjuring an overall vibe. 

We spoke with vocalist and guitarist Ezra Koenig about what sets the band apart from Paul Simon, and learned a bit about Madascagan accordion music and the "un-academic process" of rocking out, African-style.

by Jen Guyre

(PHOTO: Kate Glicksberg)

On January 24, over four years since they last played New York, Neurosis and their apocalyptic sounds bellowed deeper and louder than anything that had previously crossed the threshold of Brooklyn’s Masonic Temple, frequent host to baby showers and community events. The church of a secret society was an appropriate venue for doom metal’s enigmatic elder statesmen, not to mention a most popular group of their disciples, Mastodon. It was unfortunate then that Mastodon's lengthy set signaled the exodus of much of the crowd. Those who stayed however witnessed one of the most captivating and personal live shows of their lives: a powerful set  loaded with signature, wounded introspection, and immaculately crafted, boding walls of sound.

By Toshitaka Kondo

At a time when many DJs are fretting about their job prospects being extinguished, DJ Khaled is a beacon of light. Through hard work and a refusal to be boxed in, he has completely stretched out and remolded what it means to be a DJ.

Since moving to Miami, the 31-year-old New Orleans native has made Miami hip-hop a mainstay on the airwaves nationwide and currently has the number-one-rated show on the city's 99 Jamz radio station. But it's his work behind the scenes that has really impacted DJs' opportunities to get legal money. Traditionally, mixmasters have been the recipients of finished products, but Khaled has taken an active role in the creative process, whether A&R-ing Birdman's 5 * Stunna, co-managing hitmaking production duo The Runners or producing songs for Jadakiss, Fat Joe and Clipse.

He has also released two successful albums on Koch — 2006's Listennn ... The Album and 2007's We the Best — that serve as strong rebukes to 50 Cent's statement that the label is an "artists' graveyard." "We Takin' Over," the first single from We the Best, is an epic, "go getta" anthem featuring T.I., Rick Ross, Fat Joe, Lil Wayne, Birdman and Akon. Rhapsody spoke to Khaled about his various hustles, and the result is a conversation that has got to make DJs feeling persecuted by the RIAA a little more optimistic.

Song: Smile
Album: Howl on the Haunted Beat You Ride
Artist: The Go
Selected by: Eric Shea
Date: January 30, 2008

Where most retro bands usually have one anachronism that gives away their true time, this actually sounds like it was recorded back in the day. It sounds like the Brian Jonestown Massacre actually existed in the ‘60s, had more original ideas and recorded with a more disciplined producer.

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Mahjongg makes densely repetitive, experimental rock that draws from various facets of world music, including contemporary Congolese—check out their slow-building track, “Pontiac,” and compare to the distorted mbira (“thumb-piano”) stylings of Konono No.1. Their sound also recalls the seminal David Byrne/Brian Eno work, My Life in the Bush of Ghosts, which placed North African rhythms and melodies in the context of electronic music. Whereas Vampire Weekend threads bright, uptempo, guitar lines through breezy pop songs, Mahjongg requires a more concerted listen: songs add and shed layers at their own languid pace, repeating rhythms to trance-like effect. The organic spirit of African music is fed through a synthesizer, reborn on a drum machine.

Their latest release, Kontpab, samples from eclectic sources. “Problems” adds synth-pop to the mix; “Those Birds Are Bats” squeals into lo-fi punk. Elsewhere, they share a tendency toward droning tribalism with Drum’s Not Dead-era Liars. More than many of their compatriots, Mahjongg have chewed up their influences, spitting back a sinister musical polyglot that will reward the curious and infuriate the impatient. We asked Mahjongg multi-instrumentalist Hunter Husar to share his thoughts on Africa’s popularity with the indie crowd, and he was more than happy to opine.

By Angela Bruno

Once upon a time in 2004, Estelle (formerly Est’elle), heralded as the queen of U.K. hip-hop and the second  coming of Lauryn Hill, put out “1980,” from her first album The 18^th Day. A coming-of-age tale about humble origins, hard knocks and hitting it big – very much in the vein of the former Fugee’s “Every Ghetto, Every City” – “1980” finds the songstress/emcee rocking a Missy-"Supa Dupa Fly"-era 'do and rhyming a little grittier than would her new glossy self. But these days, she’s rolling with her label boss John Legend and Kanye -- who gives Estelle a taste of the good life on “American Boy,” her latest single. And, she’s even been touring with Wyclef. Hmmm ...

by Chris Ryan

What’s new? What’s good? What will you find here that you won't hear anywhere else this week? Sit back, relax and click through to the premieres, the  originals and the exclusives available only on Rhapsody! This week:

Dead Meadow, Old Growth (Rhapsody Premiere)

Dead Meadow offers up another slab of their beatific, hippie-metal. Features some downright pastoral moments of acoustic folk, mixed in with their usual Sabbath-gone-camping feel.

Josh Ritter, Rhapsody Originals
When Josh Ritter looks at modern America, he sees a place not unlike the one John Steinbeck saw in The Grapes of Wrath; a country in depression. Inside his music beats the heart of a Guthrie, albeit one with a flair for contemporary production flourishes

Vampire Weekend are one of many indie bands currently experimenting with African musical styles, combining soukous and township sounds with their own breed of buoyant, upbeat pop. The band has enjoyed a wealth of critical acclaim for months -- and they finally unveil their self-titled debut today.

We asked guitarist/vocalist Ezra Koenig, keyboardist Rostam Batmanglij and drummer Chris Tomson to share some of the varied influences -- from reggaetón to Afro-pop and Tropicalia -- that have shaped Vampire Weekend. Click here to stream their full playlist.

Song: Big Timber
Album: Summon in Thunder
Artist: Himsa
Selected by: Jen Guyre
Date: January 29, 2008

Seattle's thrashing metalcore band never had it easy, but as shown on Summon in Thunder, the only thing that’s hard for them now is the severity of their sound. Their seminal hardcore, taken with a dose of melodic death metal and devastating guitars, experiences a roaring rebirth.

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(PHOTO: Camarena)

The Dirty Projectors aren't your average indie band: cerebral and conceptual, their songs veer between bursts of accessible pop and spasms of chaotic guitar noodling. The band is the brainchild of musical polymath Dave Longstreth. Their latest record, Rise Above, is a re-imagining, track for track, of Black Flag's Damaged, trading hardcore punk for pristine female harmonies, African-tinged instrumentation and Longstreth's own richly modulating voice.

We caught up with the Dirty Projectors guitarist and vocalist to ask him what he thinks about indie rock's fascination with Africa, the joys of desert blues, and why post-colonial guilt is totally passé.

by Linda Ryan

Oh my God, what is going on with "American Idol"!? Where is the hard-hearted Simon Cowell we've come to know and love? Okay, not love, so much as enjoy watching rip people to shreds. Season 7 has been on for a scant two weeks and we’re already wondering whether or not Simon has been abducted by aliens. He's being really ... nice!

In 2007, David Byrne described a Vampire Weekend concert in New York as "poppy, but fairly skewed too, with bits of soukous guitar thrown in from time to time, as if it was just a way of playing lilting guitar and not a specific African style." Lest anyone was thrown by the sight of four 20-something Caucasians channeling the vibe of world-music greats like Kanda Bongo Man, Byrne clarified: "They're not a world-music act by any stretch; these various styles are just out there now, to be used when appropriate."

Whatever your own opinion of the post-modern buffet that culture has become, it's impossible to ignore the number of indie bands currently lifting, borrowing, and re-imagining sounds from Africa -- as did Eno, Byrne, Peter Gabriel and Paul Simon in previous decades. This week, we’ll be talking to a few of the most prominent groups adding an African flair to their indie rock: Mahjongg, Dirty Projectors, Vampire Weekend, Rafter and Extra Golden. Is this a trend that bodes well for the neglected corners of world music, or simply an attention-deficit culture’s ongoing cannibalization of international sounds? And if, as the London Times asserts, even Coldplay is going wild for the desert stylings of Tinariwen, does that mean indie rock’s flirtation with Africa is reaching its expiration date?

Song: Ticket to the Moon
Album: Time
Artist: Electric Light Orchestra
Selected by: Dan Shumate
Date: January 28, 2008

By the early ‘80s, Jeff Lynne and co.'s illustrious career was in decline. Though the band was trying to keep up with the … uhm …Time by releasing a synth-pop album, “Ticket to the Moon” is one of the last great ELO songs and is sorely lacking from their “Best of” albums.

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Our friends at Idolator seem to take issue with Arcade Fire's new online video for "Black Mirror," but we  happen to think the b&w mini-opus -- which lets users remix the song in real time -- is a damn fine piece of entertainment. The video, directed by Oliver Groulx and Tracy Maurice, owes more than a small debt to the work of Canadian auteur Guy Madden, whose Saddest Music in the World should be required viewing for anyone who knows the difference between "kind of pretentious" and fricken awesome.

With a bit of keyboard coordination, you can pare the whole song down to Win Butler's voice and the propulsive drum beat, then send in the strings right at the moment when that dude's gigantic head starts rising out of the ocean. Curious? Get remixing.

Further Watching:
Arcade Fire's Interactive "Black Mirror" video

Sara Bareilles is an up-and-coming female performer who has made some big noise with Little Voice, her collection of piano-driven pop. You might have caught her behind the baby grand on our Rhapsody/TiVo commercial, or heard her hit, “Love Song,” blasting on the radio recently. With a sound that recalls the soulful side of Feist, Norah Jones and Fiona Apple, Bareilles is poised to make her own mark on the musical landscape. She took some time to talk with us just a few days before setting off on a national tour with James Blunt.

by Piotr Orlov

What’s new? What’s good? What will you find here that you won't hear anywhere else this week? Sit back, relax and click through to the premieres, the  originals and the exclusives available only on Rhapsody! This week:

Willie Nelson, Moment of Forever (Rhapsody Premiere) - Latest album from the outlaw country troubadour is produced by Nashville golden boy, Kenny Chesney, who adds a coat of polish to Nelson's weary and serene voice. Features a R&B-tinged cover of Bob Dylan's "You Gotta Serve Somebody."

Louis XIV, Slick Dogs and Ponies (Rhapsody Premiere) - Their name is borrowed from the 17th century French king, but Louis XIV's sound comes from the glam rock of the 1970s. Slick Dogs... has the swagger and swing of classic records from Bowie and T. Rex, but adds synths and beats found only in our modern world.

Natasha Bedingfield, Rhapsody Originals (Rhapsody Exclusive) - Natasha Bedingfield brings her sleek pop to life on this Rhapsody Originals EP. Features her heat-seeking hits "Unwritten" and "Love Like This."

Natasha Bedingfield is returning to the States in a big way this year. Back in ’05, the infectious hook of singles like “These Words (I Love You, I Love You)” had her reciting Byron, Shelley and Keats over a hip-hop beat. (Her other hit "Unwritten," also the theme song to MTV's "The Hills," is getting even more of a boost on the Obama campaign trail.) Her new album, Pocketful of Sunshine, explores the same energetic, R&B-influenced pop terrain that made Bedingfield famous. “Love Like This,” a duet with Sean Kingston—check out the laid-back, Southern California video here—should introduce her to an even wider audience.

We asked Bedingfield to share a few of the musical discoveries she’s made over the past year, from quirky female pianists to what she thinks will be “the biggest band” of 2008. Click here to listen to the full playlist.

Song: Takeover
Album: The Blueprint
Artist: Jay-Z
Selected by: Toshi Kondo
Date: January 25, 2008

Jigga fired vicious and concise shots at Nas and Prodigy while Jim Morrison’s sampled primal yell signaled war. Some say P was never the same again. Jay mocked lackluster follow-ups to Illmatic and hinted he slept with Nas' baby’s mother. That’s just plain mean.

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The Onion's A.V. Club points us to the most recent case of  musical censorship in the Magic Kingdom. U.K. punk sensation Gallows was set to take the stage at Disneyland's House of Blues -- before the Mouse determined vocalist Frank Carter's lyrics were a bit too darkly inappropriate for the family-friendly venue. Previously, management had scuttled a scheduled set by Machine Head for much the same reason. Gallows themselves are taking the decision lightly. "I think Mickey Mouse got jealous that Minnie Mouse had Gallows posters on her wall," the band said. "I recommend Mickey shows Minnie some more attention, you know, take her out and make her feel special. Cartoon mice need love too."

While foul-mouthed British punks might be barred, Disneyland is on the record for welcoming young goths in all their pasty, black-pleathered, Manic-Panic'ed glory.

Song: Tailspin
Album: The Conch
Artist: moe.
Selected by: Casey Lowdermilk
Date: January 24, 2008

In nearly 17 years, politics have never surfaced in the good-humored, jam-friendly music of moe. -- until this song from 2007's The Conch. Press conference audio and lyrical commentary are woven together with blazing solos and riffs so catchy you just might start reading the newspaper!

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(PHOTO: Lydia Russo)

You’d be forgiven for thinking that a man who dresses in all white, moonlights as an inspirational speaker, and belts out the anthem “Party Party Party” is just having a laugh. But don’t get it twisted—Andrew W.K. is pretty damn serious, whether he’s collaborating in the studio with Lee “Scratch” Perry or drumming for  noise-rock wet dream, To Live and Shave in L.A. Two recent New York solo piano performances add a further, refined layer to the artist previously responsible for lines like “We kill, we stab, we rob, we steal/party till you puke.”

by Chris Ryan

Travis Barker did not invent the remix. Diddy did that (according to him, at least).

But Travis Barker did re-invent himself using the remix. See what I did there!?

Song: The Clap
Album: Who Will Cut Our Hair When We’re Gone
Artist: The Unicorns
Selected by: Scott Indrisek
Date: January 23, 2008

Most of the time The Unicorns shuffled and shambled, sheepishly harmonizing about ghosts and death. Who knows, then, where they acquired these fuzzed-out punk cojones. Too bad they broke up before seeing where this all-too-brief slice of noise might’ve taken them.

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by Sarah Bardeen

It's a heartbreaking story: a musician in the prime of his career suffers from blurred vision, goes to the doctor and two days later, he's dead. But Andy Palacio wasn't just any musician. The man championed his native -- and dying -- Garifuna culture, helped revive its disappearing language, and made music that enthralled fans around the globe.

By Toshitaka Kondo

Soulja Boy isn’t particularly offended by being called a “ringtone rapper,” the nouveau digital-era term for artists who deliver big singles, but lackluster album sales. Yet, such a description doesn't exactly do him or the impact he's had on pop culture any justice. The 17-year-old Atlanta native’s number one single, “Crank Dat (Soulja Boy),” recently became the first-ever song to surpass three million digital downloads, and has had everyone from Ellen DeGeneres to Natalie Portman doing the accompanying dance. Unlike other artists like the Shop Boyz or Hurricane Chris who've also been dubbed ringtone rappers, Soulja’s album actually Soundscan’d nearly 700,000 units (by mid-January '08). But maybe most importantly, the rapper born DeAndre Way has captured the generational zeitgeist of hip-hop babies, while older rappers vilify what he symbolizes. “Little kids think I’m the best ever and grown-ups are like, ‘Man, kill Soulja Boy,’” he admits.  Rhapsody had a chance to talk to him while he was in New York promoting the video for his third single, “Yahhh!”

by Chris Ryan

According to the very on-top-of-their-game folks at LatinoReview.com, Adrien Brody and Jeffery Wright are being lined up to star in Cadillac Records, a chronicle of Chess Records and the Chicago blues scene of the 1950s.

Song: 98.6 Degrees
Album: '60s Gold
Artist: Keith
Selected by: Linda Ryan
Date: January 22, 2008

This teen heartthrob cracked the Top 10 in 1967 with "98.6 Degrees," a horn-laden, feelin' groovy kind of song that was as infectious as it was insipid. Although Keith actually had three Top 40 hits, he is often found on one-hit-wonder type of lists. Fact: The Tokens provided the background vocals on "98.6."

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Song: Feeling Good
Album: I Put a Spell on You
Artist: Nina Simone
Selected by: Sam Chennault
Date: January 21, 2008

Simone likens herself to “birds flying high,” the “sun in the sky” and “the breeze drifting by” on this 1965 classic. It would sound like self-help mush in the hands of another singer, but Simone’s world-weary vocals suggest a genuine (that is to say hard-earned) optimism. It’d be difficult to find a more transcendent and celebratory song to mark MLK day.

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by Chris Ryan

Elisabeth Hasselbeck prefers their early stuff, Whoopi and Joy are partial to Jeffrey Lewis, Barbra would take Judy Collins every day of the week and twice on Sundays, and Sherri thinks the world is flat. But that's not stopping the Moldy Peaches from making a never-thought-you'd-see-the-day appearance on ABC's chatty Thunderdome known as "The View." The Peaches, made up of Adam Green and Kimya Dawson, are riding a newfound wave of interest sparked by the success of the Juno soundtrack (which they contribute to significantly). Somewhere Rosie O'Donnell is weeping over an out-of-tune acoustic guitar.
History happens on Monday, January 21, at 11 a.m. EST on ABC.

by Chris Ryan

The literate, piano-laden indie pop of Kate Nash might not seem the likeliest fodder for a thumping electro-remix. But who are we kidding? It's 2008! We live in an open source world and everything (music, video, lunch!) is ripe for the remixing. Rhapsody is the only place you'll find the Tape Deck remix of Nash's first ever single, "Caroline's a Victim." The Brit remix crew (who've also worked with Love Is All and Mystery Jets) gives the original a menacing beat and a cut-and-paste stagger, turning Nash's personable voice into a weapon of dance-floor destruction.

by Sarah Bardeen

Twelve years ago in a drafty flat in San Francisco's Mission District, I used to listen and laugh as my roommate squeezed an accordion quietly -- if that's possible -- in his room. He'd given up his high-tech, high-pressure job and chosen the life of a wandering Balkan folk troubador, and I was paying the price, listening as he learned his new trade. I can't count the times he dragged me off to some Slavonic center on the edge of the city where gypsies and hippies, freaks and aging peace activists danced complicated circles around tuba-wielding musicians. It seemed like the fringiest of music fringes, and we liked it that way.

Song: Harnessed in Slums
Album: Harnessed in Slums
Artist: Archers of Loaf
Selected by: Tim Quirk
Date: January 18, 2008

The world needs more anthems you can yelp without feeling like a fascist, and this Archers of Loaf scorcher delivers. It's dissonant in all the right places, with lyrics that are garbled enough to let you impose your own meaning on whichever bits you can decipher. For example, are they singing “We won’t wait” or “We won’t waste”? Who cares?!

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Natasha Bedingfield may be preparing for the release of her new album, Pocketful of Sunshine, but her previous hit singles are still in heavy rotation with American voters. Take “Unwritten,” for instance — the upbeat track is part of Barack Obama’s playlist for the campaign trail. “I didn’t know that! That’s fantastic,” she said, after we told her that the junior Senator from Illinois was a fan. “That’s wonderful, that someone would find my song inspiring. There’s so many people who are like: I put it on my playlist at the gym, because it makes me feel like running!” As for Bedingfield’s own take on our political race, she won't say. The pop star — a Brit via New Zealand — doesn’t feel it’s fair to play pundit in the States. “When I came to America, they advised me: if you’re from another country, don’t ever talk about politics. No one likes someone from outside your country telling you how to run it!”

Song: The Price You Got to Pay to Be Free
Album: Live in Montreux
Artist: Les McCann
Selected by: Nick Dedina
Date: January 17, 2008

Les McCann is a talented bop pianist and soul jazz keyboardist who enjoyed a short period as a funky crossover R&B star during the '70s. McCann's live album from the 1968 Montreux Jazz Festival, Swiss Movement, was a bestseller and introduced the world to the timeless "Compared to What." Captured at the same festival four years later, "The Price You Gotta Pay..." is another unstoppably kinetic protest anthem.

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In 2000, a couple of friends and I started hosting a not-so-open-mic at San Francisco's Cafe DuNord. It happened every Monday night, so we called it the Monday Night Hoot. At any given Hoot, there'd be 9-15 acts playing three-song sets each. After four years, the venue changed ownership and remodeled the room, making it a lot harder to host a (mostly) acoustic weekly event. So, sadly, we laid the Hoot to rest. But on Monday we unearthed the owl and had a full blown Hoot reunion. I thought maybe we'd just get a few original players to show up and do it for each other and some of our friends, but we totally packed the joint with an appreciative crowd and had ourselves a gathering that was way better than I could have ever expected. A lot of our old school Hoot veterans showed up, including Devendra, who was in town for a performance at the SFMOMA in conjunction with an exhibition entitled Abstract Rhythms: Paul Klee and Devendra Banhart. (More on that in a moment)

by Chris Ryan

LCD Soundsystem's sophomore effort, Sound of Silver, has won the second annual Idolator.com Critics Poll, besting M.I.A.'s Kala in the albums race. And in a turn of events about as surprising as the sun coming up this moring, Rihanna's "Umbrella" was named single of the year.

Juno is currently America's favorite feel-good, teen pregnancy flick written by an ex-stripper. The best-selling soundtrack draws heavily from the back catalog of anti-folk sensation Kimya Dawson, formerly one half of the Moldy Peaches. Rob Harvilla at the Village Voice weighs in on a recent Dawson solo set in Brooklyn, comparing the singer-songwriter's post-buzz fame to that generated by another, equally musical romantic comedy.

Song: What A Job
Album: Waiting To Inhale
Artist: Devin The Dude 
Selected by: Toshi Kondo
Date: January 16, 2008

Another example of why Hip-hop needs Andre 3000. Snoop and Devin may be talking about what it’s like to be a rapper, but 3000 is just more vivid. Switching from robotic flows to conversational, he scolds those illegally downloading music and cleverly recalls how a certain couple made it into his verse.

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by Piotr Orlov

What’s new? What’s good? What will you find here that you won't hear anywhere else this week? Sit back, relax and click through to the premieres,  the  originals, and the exclusives available only on Rhapsody! This week:

Cat Power, Jukebox (Rhapsody Premiere) – Chan Marshall’s second album of covers is a full-band affair, and includes versions of Hank Sr.’s “Ramblin’ Man,” Dylan’s Christian paean, “I Believe in You,” and a lazy, bluesy take on “New York, New York” for the Lower East Side generation. God bless the Chaircat of the Board!

Drive-By Truckers, Brighter Than Creation's Dark (Rhapsody Premiere) – The new standard-bearers of Southern Rock return with 19 songs of guitar brawn, 21st Century Dixie drama, and wisdom beyond their chord-count. Darkness at the edge of the trailer park.

by Sarah Bardeen

Okay, we know that "best children's music" might sound like a bit of an oxymoron. But children's music is undergoing a renovation these days, and it's time we celebrated it! Things started changing when former Del Fuego Dan Zanes made a pact with the devil, erm, that is, Disney and brought his literate, inter-generational folk to a wider audience. The process of kids music-hippification was furthered along by the wonderful For the Kids compilation series, which has brought the music of Jolie Holland, Tom Waits and Robyn Hitchcock to the pint-sized set. And we can't leave out They Might Be Giants, whose Here Come the ABC marked the band's tacit acknowledgement of their natural fan demographic.

But what about the best albums of 2007, you ask. Well, for starters, did you know that Andre 3000, the wild child of hip-hop duo Outkast, released a children's album?

by Chris Ryan

I thought Soulja Boy's performance of "Crank Dat Soulja Boy" with Natalie Portman was going to be that particular song's highwater mark. I was wrong. According to CNN, "Crank Dat" is the most popular digital song of all-time, making his duet rendition of the track on TRL but a footnote.   

     
According to the Boston Globe, the Clinton and Obama camps have been working their signature tracks on the campaign trail this week. The perfect campaign setlist strikes a delicate balance. Choose the wrong song and you can appear too cheeky, too eager, or too corporate; pick wisely, and you're floating to victory on the swelling chorus of a hit single. While they both share a predilection for Earth, Wind & Fire, Hillary hits up her pop and country constituents, while Obama tends to the soul and R&B faithful. After a recent endorsement from Arcade Fire's Win Butler, perhaps he'll throw a bone to the indie rock crowd and add "Keep The Car Running." (Also, note to Barack: rocking a U2 track off an album entitled "How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb" might not be the most auspicious route to the White House).

Song: Loose
Album: Fun House
Artist: The Stooges 
Selected by: Jaan Uhelszki
Date: January 15, 2008

This twitchy slice of braggadocio, bellicose exhibitionism and sex yodels used to lead off the Stooges sets in 1970 -- sets that were immortalized on Fun House a record that captured these proto punks in the act of inventing themselves before the peanut butter and razor blades. This track was discarded as the lead off track by the band's label for "Down on the Street," but later was restored to its place of honor in the reissued version of the album. No one sexualized and anthropomorphized their job the way Iggy Pop did in this oddball anthem.

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by Sarah Bardeen

Seekers of  obscure samples, look no further. Rhapsody has recently become flooded with a handful of albums by Lebanon's premier diva, Fairuz. The pickings are...well...crazy. Fairuz is sort of like a Middle Eastern Madonna, Judy Garland and Maria Callas all rolled into one.

by Chris Ryan

The shockwaves of the performance-enhancing drugs earthquake are now being felt in the of entertainment. According to Sunday's Albany Times Union, the Albany District Attorney's office investigating the illegal trafficking of steroids and human growth hormone, has found evidence that artists including Mary J. Blige, Timbaland, Wyclef and 50 Cent had allegedly received performance enhancing drugs from pharmaceutical companies of dubious origin.

by Chris Ryan

John Mayer does three things really well: date famous women, play guitar and make viral videos. The above clip, featuring Mayer inventively interpreting Justin Timberlake's "Lovestoned" as a solo guitar piece, shows off the video and axe skills. There's no appearance by current Mayer-galpal (Friday Night Lights star) Minka Kelly. But hey, two outta three ain't bad.

Further Watching:
John Mayer covering Radiohead's "Kid A"

No matter your political affiliation, it was difficult not to get swept up in Obama fever last week. According to Page Six, the junior Senator from Illinois celebrated his Iowa victory by blaring Jay-Z's "99 Problems" at the after party. (He previously told CNN that he's a fan of Beyonce's "Crazy In Love" -- "a good song to dance to" -- and Eminem, "although he curses sometimes.") With early polls predicting a clear follow-up victory in New Hampshire over Hilary Clinton, it's understandable that his campaign would get a bit cocky with their musical choices.

As the Guardian notes, the Obama camp was rocking Steve Wonder's "Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I'm Yours" in New Hampshire -- right up until the concession speech. While the bouncy love song is no "We Are The Champions," it was still a bit incongruous for a momentary front-runner forced to accept an unexpected second place. Obama later swapped it for Bill Wither's "Lovely Day," a song that's more contemplative, less pop-open-the-bubbly.

Further Reading:
Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I'm Yours...Not Quite (Guardian)
Hilary, Barack Rap & Rock (New York Post)

Song: Africa Meet Africa
Album: Journey Of The Spirit
Artist: Ephat Mujuru
Selected by: Judy Cantor-Navas
Date: January 14, 2008

Late Zimbabwean master Ephat Mujuru’s sweet salute to the African diaspora set to a tapestry of delicate “mbira” (thumb piano) and percussion name checks his brothers from Cuba to “South Caroline,” but ultimately transcends geography with a song whose message is as embraceable as its uplifting groove.

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By Toshitaka Kondo

It’s hard to imagine that Drama will look back on 2007 all that fondly! The year in the life of the mixtape DJ born Tyree Simmons began with officers from the Clayton County Sheriff’s Office raiding his Aphilliates Music Group office, and arresting him for allegedly violating Georgia’s RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations) laws. And while one of the most influential DJs in the game sat in jail, the record labels that had previously been quick to pay him a reported $15-$25,000 to create mixtapes promoting their artists (the very recordings that had gotten him jailed), mostly stayed quiet. The arrest lead to a publicity bonanza – including a New York Times Magazine feature -- spotlighting the issue of mixtapes in an already turbulent music industry.

Not everyone’s won over by bass-playing, hard-dieting Republican candidate Mike Huckabee. While R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe dubbed him “funny” and “a good sport” after seeing his turn on The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson, Moby isn’t buying the Huckabee image as it’s presented on television. “Mike Huckabee is a lunatic. He’s nuts,” Moby told Rhapsody.

by Chris Ryan

You gotta tip your Stetson to Snoop Dogg. He aims high (no pun intended). In a recent interview with MTVNews, The Doggfather—in a truly inspiring act of wishing upon a star/putting the cart before the horse—gave a tease of what we can expect from his upcoming album Ego Trippin' (someone woke up on the ironic side of the bed, no?).

Song: Stuck Between Stations
Album: Boys And Girls In America
Artist: The Hold Steady
Selected by: Nate Cavalieri
Date: January 11, 2008

Sure, Craig Finn and co., bring to mind peak Springsteen on this power ballad, but lines like "she was golden with bar light and beer" make us a bit misty for the particular mating rituals of Midwestern dive bars. And that big finish? Someone's been listening to Layla.

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by Chris Ryan

If you think Tom Petty being from Gainesville makes Southern Accents a southern rock album then you probably think Don Henley wearing cowboy shirts makes The Eagles' Desperado a country album. And while I hate to undermine any truths you hold to be self-evident, I'm here to tell you: that just ain't the case.

by Chris Ryan

So Hillary can rock the pantsuits, Huckabee can rock the bass and Fred Thompson can rock the Law & Order gong...but can they throw down on the mic? Check out this video, filmed in November '07 at then-newly elected Philadelphia mayor Michael Nutter's victory party. With The Roots' Questlove on the decks, Nutter does a pretty bang-bang-boogie version of The Sugarhill Gang's "Rapper's Delight." Leading us to believe that if elections were decided with 8-Mile-style battles instead of these anachronistic debates and ballots, then Nutter would have one foot in the White House.

Song: Menos Tú
Album: Malamarismo
Artist: Mala Rodriguez
Selected by: Angela Bruno
Date: January 10, 2008

Spain’s lady MC/flamenco spitfire unleashes some check yo’self fury on “Menos Tú,” which translates to “Except for You,” a dis track in its own right. Over a glitchy futuro-funk beat, La Mala’s lyrical lashings cut through the holier-than-thou hubris of haterade sippers like a machete, as she preaches the value of humility and oozes irreverence. 

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VH1 points us to a few choice moments of Paula Abdul zaniness and passes on a hearsay report about the ex-pop starlet's nervous breakdown in an airport, days before the seventh season of American Idol debuts on January 15th. Meanwhile, campy misanthrope (and willing shoulder-to-cry-on for beleaguered Britney Spears) Simon Cowell spoke to  the Los Angeles Times about the smash-hit show, which has launched the careers of Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Taylor Hicks and Clay Aiken, among others.

Yesterday's New Hampshire primary once again proved this year's election maxim that whoever owns "Change" is in the campaign driver's seat. (Kudos to Senators Clinton and McCain for extending the conversation at least a few weeks longer.) And it strikes us that since few people are as attuned to cultural change as artists and musicians, maybe it would not be a bad thing to have a few musicians in the cabinet. It's not like this is a novel notion -- or even an old one -- around the globe.

Just a couple of weeks ago, there came news that Brian Eno -- co-founder of Roxy Music, experimental glam-pop deity (check out Here Come The Warm Jets for proof), the father of ambient, and all-around philosophe -- is adding "political appointee" to his resume. In late 2007 Eno, 56, was named as an adviser on youth issues for the UK's Liberal Democrat chief, Nick Clegg, 40, who apparently needs all the help he can get when it comes to young people.

Song: By The Time It Gets Dark
Album: Little Honda
Artist: Yo La Tengo
Selected by: Steven Joerg
Date: January 9, 2008

OK: no band so consistently manifests rewarding cover versions like Yo La Tengo. While there actually was a time when Georgia Hubley's beautifully plaintive vocals weren't a part of the YLT mix, here she and Ira Kaplan harmonize in tender unison on this gorgeous song of hope by the late Sandy Denny.

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Ice Cube's impressively diverse career has seen him firing off politically-conscious hardcore rap couplets on wax or trying to control unruly kids on the screen. But no matter what he's doing for work, he's a voice worth listening to. In a bracing, forthright interview on the Complex Magazine blog, Cube talks about everything from the economics of the movie industry, why Bow Wow should stick to rapping about what he knows, and the state of his comic partership with Chris Tucker.

Further Reading:
Complex blog's Q&A with Ice Cube

Music criticism is not often thought of as one of the world’s most dangerous jobs; but according to The Guardian, it can get you shoved, chain-whipped, and otherwise brutalized by irate bands and the fans that love them. Steve Wells describes his own run-ins with testy artists, like potentially 'roid-raging Henry Rollins, as well as adamant U2 and Morrissey aficionados. He then gives a rundown of the selfless critics of yore who were willing to risk life and limb to speak their minds, including Nick Kent (assaulted by Sid Vicious and Jah Wobble) and Philippe Manoeuvre (“gaffa-taped” to the Eiffel Tower by The Stranglers).

“Writing anything even vaguely critical about certain bands,” Wells surmises, “is like firing a rocket launcher into a rainforest canopy packed with psychotic howler monkeys.”

Further Reading:
Musical Hack Attacks (Guardian)

by Angela Bruno and Chris Ryan

Angela Bruno: Hipster rap, I like it.

Chris Ryan: I don’t.

AB: Except maybe for the hipster part.

CR: And the music part.

AB: But at least the hipsters involved have a relative sense of rhythm. I like it from the perspective of a quasi-round-the-way girl who can see this as an alternative to high-falutin’ pre-fab lyrics of the mainstream hip-hop world – because I am not interested in rocking chinchilla or owning five cars.

CR: I think that’s gotta be a pretty elastic definition of the term “rhythm.” And don’t knock owning five cars. Variety is the spice of life.

AB: I only want a bike and roller skates (maybe I’m a hipster) ...

CR: (I probably am, too).

AB: …and an alterative to the art-imitates-life-imitates-art behavior involved when going to "da club"  -- the objectification – which Spank Rock does – but ironically.

CR: People who ironically go to clubs usually make ironic club music which I usually react to with irony-free hate.

Song: Strings of Life
Album: Strings of Life/Space Jam
Artist: Christian Prommer's Drumlesson
Selected by: Dan Shumate
Date: January 8, 2008

[In the voice of Vizzini from The Princess Bride] “It’s inconceivable” that downtempo producer Christian Prommer could improve the world’s first techno anthem, Rhythm Is Rhythim’s “Strings of Life” -- as perfect as any song can be. But strangely, this funky German’s near-Muzak version of the Derrick May classic is on par.

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AllHipHop.com points us to the news that Pierre Sarkozy, son of French president Nicolas Sarkozy, is a seasoned hip-hop producer. Dubbing himself “DJ Mosey,” the young Sarkozy belongs to a clique known as Da Crime Chantilly, and has allegedly been recording tracks for both French (Poison) and American  (David Banner) artists without divulging his true identity.

Today’s political coverage may be focused on Obama’s trouncing of Hillary in the pre-New Hamspire primary polls, but let’s not forget Huckabee fever within the Republican camp. The rock’n’roll-loving candidate leapt ahead of the pack in Iowa, and now he’s finding admirers in strange places. Specifically, R.E.M. lead singer and committed leftie Michael Stipe, who declared Mike Huckabee “funny” and “a good sport” after watching him on “The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson." The television appearance was Stipe’s first and only substantive exposure to the candidate, but the initial impression was very positive, as he told Jane Pratt on her Sirius radio show. It’s further evidence of how comedy programs, like Jon Stewart’s and Ferguson's, have complicated the political image-making process, forcing prospective candidates to crack jokes in order to climb the opinion polls.

Song: Joe Tex, These Taming Blues
Album: Aw Come Aw Wry
Artist: Phosphorescent
Selected by: Nate Baker
Date: January 7, 2008

Here's a slice of sullen pie served in waltz time. Matthew Houck, aka Phosphorescent, sports a boozy warble in his voice -- a good counterpoint to his band, which sounds like a gang of soused mariachis.

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By Toshitaka Kondo

It takes grindin' to be king in the streets. That and a ruthless demeanor, top-notch instincts and zero qualms about using violence to get the job done. On HBO's "The Wire," Jamie Hector's deadly character Marlo Stanfield, the king of Baltimore's most dangerous drug cartel, possesses all of these traits. And while running the streets usually leads to jail time or an early grave, one gets the feeling this gangsta won't die -- he'll just move to Miami. Hector, a twenty-something Brooklyn native, had small roles in Clockers, Paid in Full and He Got Game before locking down the block as Marlo on "The Wire." He picked a playlist fit for the streets and Sunday service.

by Chris Ryan

While staring at his immaculately styled hair or listening to his comforting Southern drawl, you may find yourself coming under the spell of Democratic presidential hopeful, John Edwards. But beware! This is a man who plays fast and loose with the truth! At least in so much as how it relates to John Mellencamp and corporate sponsorship!

Punk House (Abrams Image); Photo: Abby Banks

Gawker sneers us toward this piece in the New York Times about the upcoming photo book Punk House: Interior in Anarchy, which explores ramshackle lodgings designed for code-breaking occupancy, minimal rent and maximum rock'n'roll. Creativity reigns, even if hygiene doesn't, and carnivores will probably find themselves outnumbered by testy vegans. While the article covers interesting ground, it does quote Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore spreading some rather mysterious falsehoods.

Song: The Kettle
Album: The Valentyne Suite
Artist: Colosseum
Selected by: Eric Shea
Date: January 4, 2008

Colosseum were not one of those obscure bands that should have been bigger than they were, like the Creation or the Stone Roses. Their meandering, seemingly endless proggy jams may have helped set up the punchline for Spinal Tap’s “Jazz Odyssey,” but “The Kettle” is a heavy anomaly that rocked like it could have been Blue Cheer’s little brother. Check out the dueling guitars that open this song: one kicks out chunky, distorted riffs while the other sounds like the guitar player invented a pair of wah-wah pedal shoes, strapped them to his axe, and went for a psychedelic walk down Sugarcube Lane. And singer James Litherland’s cool and aloof vocals sound awesome even when he’s scat-singing along with the lead guitar.

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This week's Village Voice tallies the votes for its annual Jazz Poll, and Francis Davis mulls over what it all means. Women made a strong showing, including Maria Schneider, Dee Dee Bridgewater and Abbey Lincoln at the head of the list.

by Sarah Bardeen

Brazilian chanteuse CéU -- a.k.a. Maria do Céu Whitaker Pocas -- made waves in the United States with her 2006 self-titled debut on Six Degrees Records. But it was in '07, after Starbucks featured CéU in their Hear Music series -- she was the fourth artist and the first international one in the program -- that her underground buzz blossomed into international fame. The album, a masterful update of Brazilian pop, owes its seductive hues as much to American R&B as it does to samba. We caught up with the singer just after she'd played a series of shows in California, and we got to hear a little bit about her 'hood, her influences and how intimidating it was to cover Bob Marley.

Song: In Between Us
Album: The Fix
Artist: Scarface
Selected by: Sam Chennault
Date: January 3, 2008

Mike Dean’s bluesy romp and vocalist Tanya Herron’s angelic squalor provide the backdrop for Scarface and Nas’ tale of a drug game adrift. Face speaks on the snakes and snitches who “wish my time had never come,” as Nas laments that the “codes of the streets got new rules, but no guidance.” Somber.

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Tomorrow is the Iowa Caucus, the first pivotal event of the 2008 Election season and an opportunity to welcome you to Presidential election coverage, Rhapsody-style. There is always a lot going on during years when the White House is at stake, but this year promises to be especially unique, what with the thrill of knowing that a woman, an African-American or a Mormon has a realistic chance to end up in Washington, D.C.'s seat of power for the first time in history. Beyond the details of personality and policy, this election year promises to be a remarkably musical one. And that's where we come in -- covering the intersection where the worlds of electoral politics and music meet.

By Angela Bruno

From the vaults of Snoop Scorsese, the Doggfather's directorial alter ego, comes this once-thought-to-be-lost gem from raspy soul mama LaToiya Williams, featured on 2002's Snoop Dogg Presents Welcome to tha House, Vol. 1. The video for "Fallen Star," a '70s-inspired cosmic funkadelic trip-out, complete with psychedelic muumuus, rollerskating hot thangs rockin' Rainbow-Brite tights, Jupiter-sized ice cream cones, and cameos from a bell-bottom-clad Snoop groovin' on asteroids, is a predecessor and stylistic first cousin to Snoop Scorsese's latest oeuvre, "Sensual Seduction."

Song: We’rewolf
Album: The Big Dirty
Artist: Every Time I Die
Selected by: Jen Guyre
Date: January 2, 2008

The filthy aggression on this Buffalo, NY metalcore outfit’s gritty single displays an energy the rest of their pummeling album The Big Dirty can barely keep up with. Just the kind of song that should be blaring from an ‘87 Iroc-Z in ‘08, “We’rewolf” is as heart-pumping as an hour of cardio.

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Song: New Year's Day 
Album: War
Artist: U2
Selected by: Nick Dedina
Date: January 1, 2008

Want to feel like Will Smith at the beginning of I Am Legend? Just go out and walk around the eerily calm, dead-quiet streets on New Year’s Day. U2 captures that feeling of peace that happens on New Year’s Day and offers hope for a romantic future -- even if Bono isn’t feeling particularly hopeful for the rest of the world on this classic. For once, we can out-hope Bono.

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