Young L – Automated Oceans
I never listened to The Pack. When I heard Lil’ B, I was immediately disinterested in visiting his previous incarnation because (to me) he is overhyped and generally boring. By chance, I checked out this mixtape based on the cover art not having a full-body shot of the performer on it. I was too quick to dismiss The Pack entirely,...
Our Five Most Popular Articles
Looking at our article archive, we’ve noticed there’s a lot of good content already in here that’s still relevant. It’s just not right on the front page. Here’s a countdown of our five most popular articles since we’ve been up and running: 5) Keeping it Long Distance: An Interview with Onra Synconation’s very first interview . . ....
Chiddy Bang – Handclaps and Guitars
Chiddy Bang is certainly not one of those artists that we feel a mission to bring exposure to. The duo has traveled the now familiar track of internet releases gone viral translating into major label deal. Today was the first I heard of the group on the news of their Virgin Records release, Breakfast, dropping this past...
Dan le Sac Vs Scroobius Pip – Thou Shalt Always Kill
Little Friday is here. So an oldish but great track to get you moving—simply genius British hip-hop artist Scroobius Pip goes on a tear of brilliant “Thou Shalts” which are hilarious, random, revelatory, inspiring and meaningless all at once. One driving electro beat and Pip’s distinct, immediate, agitated, passionate, driving and humorous delivery style literally and...
Blue Sky Black Death Makes Beautiful Music for Your Soul
If any one of their songs had to be compared to a snack, it’d be one of those gigantic crunch bars comprised of layers upon layers of tasty crispy wafers—too many layers to count, but you know they’re all essential components of this treat’s deliciousness.
Main Attrakionz – Swaggin’ Hard
Novel, not novelty hip-hop . . . but make no mistake, it’s a tad quirky. The beat sounds like it’s constructed with wind chimes and water jugs, there are analog synthesizer appearances and there is a break with the emergency television announcement beeps (although I don’t know if that was strictly for video purposes). But the Bay area...
CunninLynguists – The Park (remixed by Blue Sky Black Death)
Ladies, what it do; fellas, what it iz? Greetings from Richmond, VA, where it has been quite dark, both literally and figuratively. Hurricane Irene dropped us off a tropical storm, which knocked out power in 75% of the city; I got mine back after seven days, and let me tell you—doing chores around the apartment is so much...
Kid Cudi – Pursuit of Happiness (Nightmare)
Chances are, most of you are well aware of this song already, but it’s only one week until Kanrocksas and we’re getting a bit excited around here. Kid Cudi will be there. Will you? “Pursuit of Happiness” is off his 2009 album, Man on the Moon: The End of Day and features MGMT. There’s something to...
Serengeti – Family & Friends Album Review
On his latest album, Family & Friends, Serengeti (Chicago’s David Cohn) presents a collection of world-weary tales about life’s disappointments and the complexity of interpersonal relationships. Low-key and laid-back, Serengeti’s narratives move at an easy pace with a mix of direct and abstracted imagery; imagery that gives the listener a distinct sense of the songs‘...
Zion I feat. The Grouch – Silly Puddy
“This ain’t what ya used ta.” So true, Zion I—y’all are some pretty weird cats. Of course, I’m referring to the good kind of weird, otherwise I wouldn’t be recommending this track. And “weird” is usually synonymous with “unafraid to think outside the box,” which tends to make for some good, good music. I’ve always enjoyed the...
Shabazz Palaces – An Echo from the Hosts That Profess Infinitum
Wow, I feel like I’m truly hearing something completely new. The brainchild of Ishmael “Butterfly” Butler, formerly of Digable Planets, Shabazz Palaces is the first hip-hop project signed to Sub Pop. “An Echo from the Hosts That Profess Infinitum” is off their recently released album, Black Up. At times head scratching, at others enigmatic and always intriguing,...
I Got Your Perfect Album for the Summer. You’re Welcome.
DJ/producer Sabzi and MC Geologic strike again. The Seattle-based hip-hop duo, Blue Scholars, have dropped their third full-length studio album, Cinemetropolis, just a couple of weeks ago and it is THE PERFECT soundtrack to summer.
