A Little Bit of This and a Little Bit of That

I recommend taking a little bit of this and a little bit of that and mixing them together. You trust me, don't you? 

Team 9 - Screaming Pro

The Beastles - Tripper Trouble

DJ Shadow vs. Keane - We Might As Well Be Strangers

It’s remix day! I’m pretty proud of these, if it’s possible to be proud of stuff you’ve downloaded (I’m a music geek, so it’s possible). Unlike most the other stuff I post up, I downloaded all these. The Team 9 track is found on Beck's website in the links section (worth checking out). It rocks so hard I’m having trouble controlling myself as I type this. I just wanna smash my keyboard into plastic shards and tear down the walls of the hideaway. It’s a seamless mix of Beck’s “E-Pro”, Michael Jackson’s “Scream” and AC/DC’s “TNT”, Oi! To describe it as energetic would be a gross understatement.

The next track by “The Beastles” is a remix of the Beastie Boys “Triple Trouble” and the Beatles “Daytripper”. Almost as energetic and awesome as the Team 9 remix, they’re both raveups that will get you ready to go out for the night.

The third remix is another new one, it’s the latest official release by DJ Shadow, the dj who saved my life last night, figuratively at least. He’s remixing Keane’s song “We Might As Well Be Strangers”, and it’s not a raveup like the first two, but it’s every bit as great. It sounds nothing like the DJ Shadow that I've come to know and love, but it's the man's gotta change, right? Give a listen and get an idea of the direction that Shadow's next album could go. I saw Keane on SNL and they sounded great, but when I listened to part of their album at my local record store, it didn’t hook me, besides the two singles. The lead singer has a great voice though. If the first two tracks are to be played before you go out, this song should be played on the way home.

Have a great weekend, Hideawayheads.

Hideaway Party Essentials

Beck - Where It's At/Make Out City (remix)

Grandmaster Flash - The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash On The Wheels Of Steel

Ah, it's springtime in the Hideaway...my favorite time of the year. Maybe it's the shock of sun and warm weather after so much gray chilliness, I don't know. What I do know is that when it gets warmer, I get looser. I when get loose sometimes I like to move my body in a rhythmic fashion in time (as much as caucasianly possible) with music. Furthermore, I've got a select few musical numbers that never fail to get me and my dutch-butt movin and/or groovin. People around me have been known to do likewise, and 'get up offa that thang' as they say. Not so coincidentally, this is one of those aforementioned musical numbers. It's Beck's "Where It's At" remixed with elements of "Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheels of Steel". (And, because that tune is so dope in and of itself, I've included too). I think this track is also known as "Make Out City" now that I'm looking around for details on it. I found the song in the middle of a crappy Vans Warped Tour promo that an old roommate passed on to me. Beck wasn't even ON the Vans Warped Tour! This diamond in the rough was surrounded by a bunch ska and alt.rock songs. U.N.K.L.E. also did a remix of Where It's At but it wasn't nearly as good as this version.

If you've been at a party with me where I was in charge of the music, you've heard these songs. They're bootybumpalicous. (Please don't steal that word, I just made it up.)

My Main Man Beck

You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows. You need Beck 

Beck – Go It Alone - from "Guero"

Beck – Clap Hands - from limited edition version of "Guero"

Beck – Broken Drum (Boards of Canada remix) - from limited edition version of "Guero"

Beck – Girl (8-Bit remix) - from the Hell Yes remix EP

If you know me (or if you’ve been hanging around the Hideaway for very long) you are probably aware that I’m prone to hyperbolic proclamations when it comes to music groups that I love. And, I love Beck, so try this one on for size: Beck is our generation’s Bob Dylan.

What do I mean when I say that? I mean that both men were dubbed spokesmen for their generation when they started (Generation X’s “Loser” King of the Slackers and the Hippies’ “Protest Singer”). I mean that 1) Beck is gonna consistently be making records until he’s Dylan’s age. 2) Both men started out with their roots in folk music. 3) Both maintain a relatively private life away from the media. 4) Both are natural performers whose songs take on new life and new interpretations when performed live. 4) Both are revered by their musician peers as being at the head of the class, so to speak. 5) Early in their careers, both earned their creative freedom to release whatever they feel like (Who releases a remix album a month before their album drops?). 6) This is the last one: I’m gonna buy whatever they’re selling. Today, I bought the limited-edition release of Beck’s new album, “Guero”. And, believe it or not, Rolling Stone actually has a pretty accurate review of it (in addition to giving it 4 stars):

Guero will get Beck accused of copying Odelay, but it has a completely different mood. Tune in "Missing" or "Earthquake Weather," and you can't miss the melancholy adult pang in the vocals. The closest he comes to a funny line on the album is "The sun burned a hole in my roof/I can't seem to fix it." Which isn't too close. Beck is thirty-four now and can't pretend to be the same wide-eyed, channel-surfing kid who buzzed with wiseass charisma on Mellow Gold, Odelay and Stereopathetic Soulmanure. On Guero, he sounds like an extremely bummed-out dude who made it to the future and discovered he hates it there. The lyrics are abstractly morbid -- lots of graves, lots of devils. Nearly every song has a dead body or two kicking around. At times, Guero feels as emotionally downbeat as Mutations or Sea Change. But there's a crucial difference: The rhythmic jolt makes the malaise more compelling and complex, with enough playful musical wit to hint at a next step. Beck isn't trying to replicate what he did ten years ago; instead, on Guero he finds a way to revitalize his musical imagination, without turning it into a joke.

Alright, now to the songs. Beck’s newest album, “Guero” (latino slang for "white boy")was released Tuesday, I picked up the special edition today with the bonus tracks and album-length dvd. “Go It Alone” is the only regular album track I’m including since it’ll be more interesting to offer some harder to find songs and remixes. Buy this cd, burn it from a friend, or download it…I’m issuing a broad “must-have” recommendation on "Guero". “Go It Alone” from the regular album features Jack White on bass. The next two tracks “Clap Hands” and “Broken Drum (Boards of Canada remix)” are only on the special edition cd. The last track “Girl (8-Bit remix)” was included on the Hell Yes remix EP which was released about a month ago. It sounds as if the remix for this song was done with samples from Mike Tyson’s Punchout, it’s brilliant. Anybody else hearing that?

Enjoy. If you have any trouble downloading the tracks from the server site, see the instructions I gave in the comments from last Friday’s post.

Stay Classy, Hideawayheads

Stay classy, hideaway heads...and thanks for stopping by...but mainly, stay classy.

Kaada – Thank You For Giving Me Your Valuable Time

I’d like to take a moment and thank everybody who stops by from time to time to check out the site. People are visiting and commenting more often, two things that I wholeheartedly encourage. Don’t believe me? Check out the chart above, things are picking up around the Hideaway. So, in honor of you guys, I am posting my favorite “thank you” song. I like putting this on the end of friends’ mix discs sometimes, it makes a great closer. Kaada is a Norwegian sample artist who I recently heard has made an album with Mike Patton (Faith No More, Mr. Bungle, Loveage) that was released last November. This song, however, is the title track from his 2001 album. To me, “Thank You…” sounds like Otis Redding singing over an old Motown tune (hackneyed comparison of the day) . Except, I believe it’s Kaada himself doing the crooning over his own 50’s style instrumental track that he built via samples. I’m a sample-artist aficionado and I’ve never heard anybody else doing anything close to what he’s got on this album. It’s not anything near hip-hop, it sounds like a 50’s soul collage and Kaada found some great vocal samples to lay on top of the tracks. I think this album came in pretty far under the radar when it was released, because The Avalanches were getting all the sample-artist media love at the time. Here’s a great description of the album by Popmatters.com:

So what does the record sound like, you ask? Well, it's sort of similar to The Avalanches, in how Kaada cuts and pastes snippets from various songs to create aural collages of his own, but unlike the Australian outfit's joyous energy, Kaada takes a more minimalist approach, taking a small handful of samples, and layering the sound with sparse electronic beats, live bass and percussion, as well as some guest vocals. It's like being forced to sit next to a crazy old man who's listening to an old AM radio, rolling the dial, and singing along to whatever he comes across. Kaada's choice of songs, namely obscure pop gems from the late '50s and early '60s, and his bare-bones accompaniment, has somewhat of a David Lynchian quality, one that evokes warm thoughts, but also gives you the feeling that there's some pretty nasty business happening beneath the surface. It's that blend of old kitsch with new technology that makes Thank You For Giving Me Your Valuable Time so compelling.

Can’t get enough of Kaada? I know the feeling...Here’s the first track from the album, which is actually my favorite song from it. I love the vocals on this track. THESE are sampled vocals, not a crooning Norwegian soulman.

Kaada - Care

The Greatest Day This Blog Will Ever See

pretty self-explanatory, I'd say



really, does it get cooler than this? THESE kind of songs are what mp3 blogs are made for. Not M.I.A. songs...

Mark Savage – Do You Think I’m Sexy?

Bill Lawrence and His Talking Guitar – Pussy Baby

Last year when I discovered mp3 blogs I immediately started combing the web for free mp3s. And, I came across a couple fascinating sites that would post up the craziest, most awesome songs I’d never heard. I'd give away the links for the site, but I plan on posting more songs from it...ancient chinese secret...Here’s the blurb for Mark Savage’s “Do You Think I’m Sexy”:

Could there be a more expressive performance of rod stewart's 1979 hit "do ya think i'm sexy" than this? i don't think so.
i know very little about this recording. just that it was made in 1983 for an album entitled "trojans all the way live" by the douglass high school marching band, oklahoma city, ok, and that the front cover has a sketch of two performers on it.
i put it on just about every mixed tape i make these days.
-j.s.

It is every bit as great as you would hope it could be, cheesy intro, minor puberty-related voice cracking, crappy rhythm section, it's all there, baby! J.S. was right, this should indeed go on any mix disc.

The second song “Bill Lawrence and His Talking Guitar – Pussy Baby” is from the same site. This tune is just unexplainable, I think it’s from 70’s German porn or something. It’s groovy, baby. And, really, how much cooler can you get than 70’s German porn songs? This song is another one that you can slip into a mix disc somewhere and surprise some people.

You owe me one, blogosphere.

May You Stay Forever Young

Bob Dylan – Forever Young

Today I became an uncle for the third time as Amelia Grace “Koopa” was born into the world. At about 10 days late and after a couple false starts, Amelia arrived via stork this morning. While her brother and sister were born on-time and within an hour or two of arriving at the hospital, Amelia had to be induced and then it still took her almost another day before she decided she was ready to be born. Ah, how refreshing, she’s as stubborn and unpunctual as her uncle! Let’s hope the similarities stop there.

Is there a more perfect song to dedicate to a baby than “Forever Young” by Bob Dylan? He wrote it for his son Jesse (yes, the guy from The Wallflowers) and it’s nothing if not sublime. What better wish to have than to stay “forever young”?

May God bless and keep you always,
May your wishes all come true,
May you always do for others
And let others do for you.
May you build a ladder to the stars
And climb on every rung,
May you stay forever young,
Forever young, forever young,
May you stay forever young.

May you grow up to be righteous,
May you grow up to be true,
May you always know the truth
And see the lights surrounding you.
May you always be courageous,
Stand upright and be strong,
May you stay forever young,
Forever young, forever young,
May you stay forever young.

May your hands always be busy,
May your feet always be swift,
May you have a strong foundation
When the winds of changes shift.
May your heart always be joyful,
May your song always be sung,
May you stay forever young,
Forever young, forever young,
May you stay forever young.

Ring in the New Rouse

what a friendly looking chap 

Josh Rouse – Saturday


Josh Rouse – It’s the Nighttime

Continuing in the singer-songwriter row I’ve been a-plowing lately, here’s some freshly unearthed lil ditties. These two songs are from Josh Rouse’s new album, “Nashville”. Amazon.com describes the new album better than I feel like spending the time to do, so I’ll let them give you the overview:

Don't be fooled by the title of Josh Rouse's fifth solo album. Yes, the singer-songwriter lived in the commercial country music capital for nearly a decade. Yes, he has been known to use the occasional pedal steel guitar. And okay, there is a soft southern lilt to his voice. But there are no rhinestone-studded cowboy hats or tattered American flags to be found in this "Nashville," an album of gentle AM radio nostalgia and understated folk-rock beauty. Influenced in equal parts by Marvin Gaye, Bob Dylan, and the Smiths, Rouse moves gracefully between intimate acoustic ballads ("Saturday") and handclap-drenched pop songs ("Winter In The Hamptons"), all the while delivering more personality and deft songwriting than his platinum-certified neighbors could ever conceive. - Aidin Vaziri

Rouse’s previous album, “1972” was one of my favorite albums of ’03/’04, and “Nashville” might as well be applying for an extension. “1972” was a veritable gateway drug that enticed me, seduced me, and ultimately led me on an upward spiral to singer-songwriterland. The last two songs on this album are a letdown, but the first 7 or 8 songs more than make up for the last two stinkers. With "1972" and "Nashville", Rouse has almost made it onto my shortlist where I’m buying whatever he’s sellin’…

The song “Saturday” is so far my favorite. It’s on more of the quiet, slower end of the album’s spectrum (translation: no handclaps on this one). Devastatingly beautiful, though. The best song I’ve heard in awhile. “It’s the Nighttime” is the lead-off song and it’s more typical of Rouse’s pop stylings (translation: there ARE handclaps on this one). Lately, I’ve been a sucker for songs that employ handclaps to ridiculous lengths (see “T-Rex”). “It’s the Nighttime” has a modest amount of handclaps in the chorus, and there’s even some tasteful pedal steel up in the mix. Kinda like steel drums, pedal steel guitars can sound great when used in moderation. Just don’t let a couple pedal steel licks scare you away. Pedal steel guitars may be the sonic signposts of “new country”, but they don’t bite.

On the 6th Day God Created Animals, And it Was Good

-- 

Donovan - Riki Tiki Tavi

Loudon Wainwright III – Dead Skunk in the Middle of the Road

Dave Bartholomew – The Monkey

The (Band of) Bees – Chicken Payback

I’ve always had an affinity for animals, I love ‘em. And, animals have always been drawn to me. When I go for a walk in the woods, I come out with animals stuck to me like Velcro (if you’re picturing the scene from Ace Ventura, you’re on the right track). I’m like the pied-piper of the animal world, kinda like Aquaman except he’s got an edge when it comes to everything aquatic. When I was younger, I used to hang up “No Hunting” signs around the edge of my family’s woods, only to come by in a week and see them all obliterated by shotgun shells. I’d go storming back to the house and stew over different ways I could thwart the plans of those darn hunters. Most of those plans employed tactics closely resembling those used by the Swiss Family Robinson, such as tiger pits, rolling logs, and strings of tin cans. I never caught one of those hunters, darn it. And, they kept shooting up my No Hunting sings. The struggle continues.

In case you couldn’t tell, today’s songs are all about animals. My favorite animal song of the bunch is Donovan’s homage to the most famous mongoose in children’s literature: “Riki Tiki Tavi”! It’s a great song and it’s an f’n jam, whoo! There needs to be a mongoose dance to go with this song. It’s that great. I’ve got it on 7”, so just you wait til I get my jukebox that I’ve been talking about for years and years…

The second tune, Loudon Wainwright III’s “Dead Skunk in the Middle of the Road” is another one of those one-off 70’s pop hits from left field that makes money for the artist, but at the end of the day Loudon probably wishes he’d never written it. It’s got a “rootin-tootin” feel to it, you’ll see what I’m talking about when you listen to it. If the name sounds familiar, 1) He’s the father of Rufus Wainwright and 2) He’s a character actor these days (Big Fish, Undeclared). He was the “next Bob Dylan” when he first came on the scene, but he carved out his niche in the singer-songwriter world by incorporating humor into most of his songs (take this one, for example).

The third tune, "The Monkey", is an even older one from established New Orleans bluesman Dave Bartholomew. T Rex’s “Get it On (Bang a Gong)” employs a VERY similar guitar riff, maybe Marc Bolan isn't the guitar god we once thought. But, like "Get it On" It’s Barholomew's guitar licks that anchor "The Monkey". Lyrically, this song is pretty interesting for it’s day and age. It features a monkey listing the ways in which man has socially de-evolved from acceptable monkey standards since taking the evolutionary leap forward. Mildly profound and a juke-joint rocker…yeah, the monkey speaks his mind.

The fourth and final tune is from the newest album by the 60’s revivalists The (Band of) Bees. Unfortunately, this album appears to be available only by import, even though it’s been out in Britain since last summer. The song, “Chicken Payback” sounds like 60’s English garage band like The Kinks doing a Rufus Thomas tune (hackneyed comparison of the day). Rufus Thomas did all kinds of songs about different animals, and this is sort of a tribute to him, I think. They go through a whole list of animals that they feel are due a “payback”. Camels, chickens, monkeys, donkeys, piggies, they’re all there. Got any animals to add to the list?

(I mentioned yesterday that I might post a werewolf song, but I forgot my 7” of Warren Zevon’s “Werewolves of London” is at a friends house, waiting for the piano break to be sampled. 1000 apologies to all the Zevon-iacs.)

These songs are all on my “fun” list, so sadsack sourpusses need not download. Come join the rest of the party animals in the barn, we’re having a hootenanny!!!

This Nick-Nack is Nicked

neat nick 

Nick Drake - Poor Boy

Nick Drake - Hazey Jane II

Nick Drake - Northern Sky

Nick Drake - Pink Moon

Iron and Wine has relit my singer-songwriter flame, so today we go back to that same well and draw from a little deeper, a little earlier. The instrumentation and production values in "Woman King" reminded me of some of Nick Drake's stuff. Recently, when I finally got around to purchasing a Nick Drake retrospective cd (Way To Blue), I was blown away that I hadn't heard more of him. It's just so beautiful and warm, it's like a bowl of oatmeal on a snowday. He's a perfect example of discovering an awesome new band that you think nobody else has heard of, but when you tell your friends about this guy Nick Drake that you found, they're like, "Oh yeah, he's legendary." And, then you feel silly that you haven't been singing his praises all along. As far as other contemporary references go, when Nigel Godrich went in to produce Beck's "Sea Change" he admittedly was going for a Nick Drake-type sound. Here's what ubl.com has to say:

A singular talent who passed almost unnoticed during his brief lifetime, Nick Drake produced several albums of chilling, somber beauty. With hindsight, these have come to be recognized as peak achievements of both the British folk-rock scene and the entire rock singer/songwriter genre. Sometimes compared to Van Morrison, Drake in fact resembled Donovan much more in his breathy vocals, strong melodies, and the acoustic-based orchestral sweep of his arrangements. His was a much darker vision than Donovan's, however, with disturbing themes of melancholy, failed romance, mortality, and depression lurking just beneath, or even well above, the surface. Ironically, Drake has achieved a far greater stature in the decades following his death, with an avid cult following that grows by the year.

A couple years ago, Volkswagon used "Pink Moon" to sell some Jettas, so it should sound familiar. Another song of Drake's, "One of These Things First", was featured in Garden State, but I figured enough people probably already have that song. The first three songs I've posted are from his previous album, "Bryter Layter", which is more upbeat and orchestrated. "Pink Moon" is the title track from the last of his three albums, and it's a bit sparser.

And now for the hackneyed comparison of the day: Nick Drake = Van Morrison's "Astral Weeks" as arranged and produced by Burt Bacharach & Herb Alpert.

Ironic Whine

-- 

Iron And Wine - Woman King

I tried to locate the song, “Jezebel” by Iron and Wine, that the American Mastodon requested but pitifully, I was unsuccuessful. What I did manage to find was the title track, “Woman King” and it’s pretty darn good too. I know very little about this guy, but he seems to have a new album every few months. That’s usually a good sign of some gems to be discovered, if given the time to trawl through all his stuff to find them. If any of the Hideawayheads have access to “Jezebel”, please email me.

Until then, here’s what Iron & Wine’s label, SubPop, had to say about his new album, “Woman King”: Aside from the immediacy and intimacy of his recorded work, there is one thing (aside from the evidently ceaselessly noteworthy fact that he sports a beard...) clear about Iron & Wine's Sam Beam: he is wonderfully prolific. In just short of 2 1/2 years he has released 2 albums (2002's The Creek Drank the Cradle and 2004's Our Endless Numbered Days) and (with this and 2003's The Sea and the Rhythm) two EPs. Recorded in August 2004 with Brian Deck at his Engine Studios, Iron & Wine's latest release is striking both for its broadened palette (percussion, piano, violin, electric guitar) and its thematic focus on female characters both archetypal and personal. The latter is mostly coincidental, a larger batch of songs yielding recurrent imagery when pared down for this EP. The increasingly complex beauty of Iron & Wine's albums might best be summed up by the following, from SPIN (in a review of Our Endless Numbered Days):"...Beam is a fearlessly accessible songwriter, framing his melancholy in concrete imagery and solid, inviting melodies. He writes with the self-confidence of a man at peace with his gauzy gifts. He sings like a father talking to a child he respects or like a husband to a wife he adores. Beam has given us his second straight masterwork: self-assured, spellbinding and richly, refreshingly adult."

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Happy St. Patrick's Day Hideawayheads! 

U2 - Bad (Live)

U2 - Springhill Mining Disaster (Live)

U2 - "40" (Live)

Today’s posts serve a three-fold purpose. Firstly, I gotta post some songs by an Irish Band since it’s St. Patty’s Day. Who would be better than U2? Secondly, I’ll be posting some Live U2 from 1987 when they were on their Joshua Tree tour and I’m making sure to post songs from the second disc of the live set since I’ve already burned the first disc for Buster. And as far as I can tell, he’s one of the few people who regularly downloads what I post up here. And, thirdly, these songs are dedicated to one of my oldest friends, a guy I’ve grown up with and have known literally my entire life. I just found out from his brother last night that he’s been going through a seriously rocky period in his life. So, these songs are in honor of him, especially since I first heard U2 from being around him. In fact, I went to see U2 @ Soldier Field w/ him, his brother and my brother during U2's PopMart tour.

All these songs come from the double disc bootleg set “Rock’s Hottest Ticket” which was recorded at the Rosemont Horizon arena in Chicago back in 1987. It was just after Time magazine had put them on the cover. “Bad” could very well be my all-time favorite U2 song. It sounds amazing live, and it’s just such a great song. What else is there to say? “Springhill Mining Disaster” is my St. Patty’s day tune, it’s an old Irish folk song that U2 used to regularly play in concert. I’ve got another rare bootleg version of this song with Larry Mullen Jr. singing it from my “Zoocoustica” bootleg, but he REALLY can’t sing. This version’s kinda funny because in the middle of the song Bono tells the crowd to “shut up for a second” and “stop whistling”, because he’s not in the Beatles! The third song, “40”, is the last song of the show and it’s another one of my all time favorite U2 songs. U2 used to end their concerts with this song. It is based on Psalm 40 (that’s right, King Koopa’s a man of faith). This song’s been a source of inspiration for me during some low times in my life and I’m sending it out to my buddy. I’m praying for ya bro. Here’s an excerpt from Psalm 40:

I waited patiently for the Lord; and he inclined unto me and heard my cry. He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord….For innumberable evils have compassed me about: mine iniquities have taken hold upon me, so that I am not able to look up; they are more than the hairs of mine head; therefore my heart faileth me. Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me: O Lord, make haste to help me. Let them be ashamed and confounded together that seek after my soul to destroy it; let them be driven backward and put to shame that wish me evil.

Getting In Early

the earlies

The Earlies - One of Us is Dead

The Earlies - Morning Wonder

The Earlies - Song For 3

The Earlies - Bring It Back Again

I’ve got a burning question for all my fanatically devoted, comment-leaving subscribers. Which is better?: 1) Getting to download tracks from a newly released domestic album (Sam Prekop), or 2) Getting to download tracks from an import-only album by a band that is playing their first ever US gigs TONIGHT at the SXSW festival down in Austin (The Earlies)? It’s a question no one should have to answer, but that’s what I’m asking of you. I’m sure it’ll be tough, no doubt, but I have faith in my constituents.

Alright, today’s songs are from The Earlies who released their debut album in England in July 2004. If you’re eagerly awaiting the next Flaming Lips album, this should tide you over until this summer/fall when that drops. Half the group is from Britain, half is from Texas and they sound like Spiritualized & Brian Wilson got together to record some Flaming Lips-type songs (I’ve committed myself to do more hackneyed comparisons like this on here, people seem to like them.) A little bit psych and a little bit orchestral, it's perfect for a Sunday morning or a lazy sunny afternoon. Hopefully the SXSW festival will create some more hype around this band so they’ll release their album stateside at some point.

Check out "Morning Wonder" first, that's the song I heard that got me into this album in the first place.

--And, my regular server site youshareit.com is operational again. Hopefully there won't be anymore problems for awhile.--

Baby's Got Depends

Baby's Got Depends, oh no

Radiohead - Planet Telex

Radiohead - The Bends

Radiohead - High and Dry

Radiohead - Fake Plastic Trees

Today, we start to plan ahead for the forthcoming 90’s musical nostalgia cultural movement. You know it’s, like, totally just around the corner, and stuff. So, kind of like squirrels collecting all the acorns they can before winter blows in, you’re going to want to be well-stocked with all your 90’s faves that still sound good and have stood up to the test of time. (That means no Jesus Jones and no EMF, sorry.) Can ‘em, pickle ‘em, turn ‘em into jerky, whatever you gotta do to get yourself ready. And, where else should we begin in our 90’s retrospective than the best band to make it out of the decade alive: Radiohead. Is there any argument there? Take it to the comment section. Thom Yorke is the picture of the artist who can’t deal with celebrity (but hasn’t shot himself in the face w/ a shotgun). I saw a documentary of their OK Computer-era and Yorke and rest of the guys seemed absolutely miserable with all the attention they were garnering. But, they’re evidently coping with it, they’re still making good music

Radiohead has stayed relevant since their first album, Pablo Honey “Creep”-ed onto the grunge scene. Today’s selections are from their sophomore album, The Bends, which opens with 4 great songs that still sound remarkably fresh to me today. “Planet Telex” reminds me of Yoshimi-era Flaming Lips, although Yorke and Coyne are vocally pretty different. “The Bends” is fantastically bombastic Brit pop, this song wouldn’t sound out of place on Oasis’ first album (another revisit-able album). And, it probably sounds totally kickass live in concert, I can only imagine however. “High and Dry” could easily be a Shins song and it wouldn’t have been out of place on the Garden State soundtrack (by the way, a belated thanks is due to my man Buster for burning me both the Shins cds!). A great acoustical arena rocker, an angsty sing-along for the 20-something set. And, lastly, “Fake Plastic Trees” is that song that hooks the ladies, no doubt about it. A beautiful melody, a little touch of strings, and a video that made it onto Beavis and Butthead. Is it a ballad? I don’t know what classifies as one, but I could see lighters being lit when this song is played live. So, let’s call it a ballad, but a good one nonetheless. And, for whatever reason, I think Ben Folds was listening to this song a lot when he wrote that “She’s a Brick” song. Don’t they sound kinda similar now that you think about it?

That's Hot

"that's hot" - the n-iz-ew "bling bling" 

MIA - 10 Dollar

Fat Joe - Safe 2 Say

I’m still recovering from the weekend, maybe you are too (yeah, I’m talking to you AM). Couldn’t think of a good theme for today, so I’m just gonna drop some brand new heat on ya.

MIA’s debut album is gonna drop next Tuesday, the 22nd. I mentioned her a few weeks ago, when I was defending my Steely Dan posting. There’s been some serious hype around this chick already, she’s got the makings of this year’s “I’m Like a Bird”-chick (I forget her name). Case in point: Rolling Stone is calling her out as last month’s Person to Watch, or whatever hype term they use. I think she’s from Sri Lanka originally. Back is my clubbin days I would’ve called this a “banger”. Hipster Americana is gonna eat her up with a spoon (and then spit her out by the end of the summer). But, when it comes down to it, she’s got a sexy voice and a body to go with it. It’s a catchy tune, get hip to it before she’s uncool.

The second track, Fat Joe’s “Safe 2 Say” is gonna come out on his new album due out in late-April. It’s produced by Just Blaze and it is blazing, indeed. This is NY hip hop in tip top form. Sonically, it’s probably closer to old Public Enemy than anything that’s come out recently. This track is a banger too. It’s been out for awhile on 12” and I’ve heard that it’s been tearin up the streets.

These are 2 more tracks that will be bustin up the scene in a month or two, DON’T SLEEP ON DEEZ (NUTS)!!!

No Songs Today

I'm still listening to Sam Prekop. You should be too. I'm still going ga-ga & goo-goo...

Moons Over My Sammy

Sam and Co.

Sam Prekop – Magic Step

Sam Prekop – Two Dedications

Sam Prekop – C + F

Michael Franks – Meet Me in the Deer Park

Have you ever sat down to do your business and felt like you were shitting into a bottomless abyss? You know you’re dropping some serious shit, but it’s missing the reassuring ‘plop’ to let you know it’s been properly received. As someone who grew up with an outhouse on the property, I can tell you that even a delayed plop is better than no plop at all. Now, in the case of the here and now, I know I’ve been dropping some good shit straight out the “koopshoot” so to speak, but the lack of plops is a bit unnerving. Yao Ming?

Download Proper. Be a Plopper.

Brand Spanking New Music Alert!!!

sam prekop

Sam Prekop - Something

Sam Prekop - Chicago People

Sam Prekop - Dot Eye

All that I really know about this guy is that he's from Chicago and he used to be in the "Sea and Cake" with Archer Prewitt. The other thing I know is that I've been eagerly waiting for this album to come out since last November when I heard "Something" and "C+F" on Scissorkick, another mp3 blog. The album just dropped today, and I had it in my grubby little hands by noon. Rest assured, it was worth the wait. This is one of those few days where you're glad you know me. Download first, thank me later.

I Know Whatcha Mean, Homey

one hitter quitter


--
Lee Michaels - Do You Know What I Mean?

My vinyl karma must be in good standing because I’ve been discovering some absolutely unbelievable finds lately. Last time it was a 3000 copy edition DJ Shadow “Dark Days” 45, this time I found the Lee Michaels single, “Do You Know What I Mean?” that I heard on Sirius a few weeks ago. I tried to order a greatest hits collection from my neighborhood indie record store, but they couldn’t locate any of his titles. (This was his only semit-hit, the guy disappeared to Hawaii in the mid 70’s and hasn’t been heard from since.) I couldn’t believe when I found it, I walked into Rockin Billy’s, went right to the Michaels section of the pop 45’s and obscured behind George Michaels' bevy of 7” crapola, were 2 mint condition Lee Michaels 45s, seemingly waiting for me for the past 34 years. As far as I can tell, they’re probably not worth much more than I paid for them, but dang-nabbit this song a cooker! Ubl.com describes this tune as a “first rate blast of white boy soul”, I couldn’t improve on that description. It sounds to me like this song was recorded with just organ, drums, and vocals initially, and Michaels overdubbed a bassline afterwards. During this period he was recording with just his drummer, “Frosty”. The other awesome pickup of the day was a 45 for the movie Hoosiers, it’s got the slightly cheesy main theme, but the bside is the theme from the title game. The special edition dvd for Hoosiers finally came out too, should be cool. I also picked up this song, “Sweet – Funk It Up” who sound like the house band for a David Bowie party or something. I’ll post that up later.

And, even though nobody voted in Friday’s poll, I still had a crunkalicious Friday night. The Mummies were a fun, gimmicky party band and they kept booties bouncin’ all night. 8 guys dressed up as Mummies on a tiny little stage, spectacular entertainment. I can safely say that the hottie ratio was probably much better than @ the Mono show, too. Yowza.

Don' t Gimme No Lip, Visible Man

visible man = david byrne


what IS up fatlip? Where's the full length album?

Visible Man - Fuzzy Freaky

Fatlip - What's Up Fatlip?

The anti-Bushies have spoken. What can I say, I’m a contrarian when it comes down to it and I love a good argument, especially a political one. But, I’m not in the mood to deal with the obviously “entrenched”, those who are already set against Bush seemingly no matter what happens. Oddly enough, most of my friends are entrenched against Bush, so I’m used to it. But, since that means I have no one to commiserate with, I won’t promise not to bring up politics again. I call things as I see them, and I don't have anything personal against Bush. He's wrong almost as much as he's right, but that's politics. I just thought it would be an interesting lead-in to the Lifesavas' “What If It’s True” song. But, nevertheless, a mood-lightening post is in order today.

Besides, its Friday, which usually means Party Day at the Hideaway. And, I’ll be taking a poll today. I’ve got 2 shows to choose from tonight and I need the blogosphere’s help. Should I see the fun, costume funk of “The Mummies” or the Japanese ambient, Godspeedish “Mono”? From what I’ve heard from Mono, it could be an interesting show and something different from the usual fare, but The Mummies are probably more fun. But, if nobody votes it will catapult me into a state of depression and I’ll stay home and read my new Christopher Hitchens book, with a wretched look on my face. Leave a Comment, Vote or Die, Ballot or Bullet!!

Alright, enough audience participation, on to the today’s songs. The first one, Fuzzy Freaky by Visible Man is actually David Byrne on a side project. This song is so good that it’s too the level of “freaky nasty”. I’ve never been what you’d call a David Byrne fan, but his Luaka Bop label has put out some fantastic stuff from all over the world. This song has a couple remixes that I’d love to get my hands on some day. Heck, I’d settle for just finding the Visible Man album. The second tune of the day is Fatlip’s “What’s Up Fatlip” which is semi-famous for the video which was produced by Spike Jonze. I think it’s only found on a Delicious Vinyl sampler compilation that I have. This is another must-have, it’s hilarious. He’s got some kind of voice modulator going, because his voice doesn’t sound that cracked out. Both these songs are essentials, and two of my all time favorites. Plus, they’re rare as hell.

Thumbs Up

-

President Thumb

Lifesavas - What If It's True

Lifesavas - Livin Time

Radiohead - The Gloaming (DJ Shadow's Bush Remix)

I’m in a positive geopolitical mood today, whatever that means, and for the first time in awhile, I’m seeing more positive things happening around the world than negative. People in the middle east are voting, dictators are calling for elections, puppet regimes are crumbling. Even liberal folks on the left are starting to give President Bush some credit for his role in all this. In case you’ve been under a rock, here’s what I’m talking about:

A question is haunting the blue states of America: Could George W. Bush be right? Is freedom indeed "on the march"? Did the war in Iraq uncork a white tornado that's whooshing democracy across the region and beyond?

In just the past two months, free elections were held in Palestine and Iraq; a rigged election was overturned and an honest one re-held in Ukraine; the Egyptian president pledged to hold competitive elections soon, too; and a popular uprising against Syria's occupation of Lebanon forced Beirut's puppet government to resign—all this, amid President Bush's proclamation that the main aim of American foreign policy is to advance the cause of global freedom.

For liberals to say that Bush even “might” be right is a HUGE difference from about a year ago. So, the question of the day is: What if it’s true? What if the seedlings of freedom are starting to poke out of the soil in the middle east?

I was watching the old western “High Noon” starring Gary Cooper a few weekends ago, and it struck me how similar the Sheriff’s situation in that movie mirrored that of President Bush. The parallels are uncanny. In this little town, a bad guy who used to terrorize and control the town is getting out of state prison and will be back in town on the noon train. For most of the movie the sheriff, who’s about to retire, is going around trying to round up a posse to protect the town when the baddie returns to start his revenge killing spree. One by one, everyone in town turns him down and declines to help him stop the baddie. Giving one valid, logical reason after another even the town’s church members won’t help him. Looking for advise, the sheriff goes and consults the wise, old, previous sheriff whose been retired for years. This is what he says: “People gotta talk themselves into law and order before they do anything about it. Maybe because down deep they don't care. They just don't care.” Now, I’m not saying that everybody who opposed the war just didn’t care. But, Gary Cooper’s character cared a lot about justice, freedom from tyranny, and doing what’s right and I think President Bush does too. And to think the movie was considered unpatriotic and un-American when it came out. Huh, kinda makes ya think...

The two Lifesavas (part of the Quannum crew) tracks are from their “Spirit in Stone” album, and they’re coming from a pretty unique perspective in the world of hip hop. Check the tracks and see. The production is the hotness, woo! Watch out! I’ve seen the Lifesavas three times in concert and they’re a good live act too, catch em if you can. The Radiohead track is a remix by DJ Shadow and the opening of the song is why I posted it. Shadow took this one speech from Bush and used a bunch of dialogue from it. It’s pretty funny…until the Radiohead part starts. Is there a more paranoid, unhappy band than Radiohead? I’ve seen their documentary film and I don’t think so. But, I figured the Radiohead perspective would balance out the first two tracks.

Live Long and Prosper

as usual, spock puts it best 

A Hideaway Exclusive: Happy For You

George Harrison - If Not For You

Bob Dylan - If Not For You

Today I bid farewell to another old friend who is packin it up and heading to Los Angeles. He’s probably the most musically-inclined friend of mine, and the two of us had a couple chances to create some music together. We were just having fun and messing around, but I’m pretty happy with what came out of our first collaboration, even though it’s got some rough edges. We were gonna add some vocal sample snippets and add some other elements to dress up the rest of it, but never got around to it. To go along with the song we made, I’ve also posted the song we sampled the guitar sounds from, “If Not For You” by George Harrison (from All Things Must Pass), which is a Bob Dylan cover. And, I’ve included a bootleg/demo version of Dylan’s original (From The Bootleg Series, disc 2). We just sped up Harrison’s slide guitar sample, added some drums, hand claps, and what-have-yous…yada yada yada…I give you “Happy For You”.

And so, as the lights dim, and this scene in my friend’s life comes to a close, I know that in a few moments the next scene will begin and the stage lights will be “all bright” again. Heads up, American Mastodon, he’s comin your way!

All the Way to Bombay

The Indian Elvis/Jacko 

Dan the Automator & DJ Shadow - My Guru

Kid Koala & Dynomite O - Third World Lover

Today, I couldn’t figure out how to follow up my deservedly gushing Wilco concert review, so I decided to do a 180. I’m just gonna post something weird. The lesson of the day would be that you’re never gonna know what I’m going to post from day to day, so you best not miss out on a single day! Let’s take a trip somewhere…

Welcome to India! Our flight is about to touch down in Bombay, the home of Indian movies, also known as Bollywood! I’ve got 2 albums worth of Bollywood soundtrack tunes that have been remixed, Bombay the Hard Way Vols 1 & 2. The first volume was done by uber-producers Dan the Automator (Gorillaz, Deltron, Galactic, Handsome Boy Modeling School, Lovage) and DJ Shadow (Quannum Crew, Zach de la Rocha solo project?). Both of these guys are always on to something fresh no matter what project they’re on and they get to work w/ the coolest people. Their song, “My Guru” from “Bombay the Hard Way Volume 1: Guns, Cars, and Sitars” was on the first ever mix cd I made, knoopstafunkinchillin vol 1, when I got my cd burner back in college. The Bombay the Hard Way Vol. 1 is a collector’s item and it's pretty cool, but you gotta ask yourself how often you’re gonna listen to an ironic Bollywood-spoof album. This one track might be enough. But, if you’re like me and you’re yearning for more sitars, sickass beats, and ironic dialogue check out the second track, “Third World Lover” by scratch savant, Kid Koala (Bullfrog, toured w/ Radiohead) & some guy named Dynomite O. This is off “Bombay the Hard Way Volume 2: Electric Vindaloo”, which was done by a bunch of different producers and it really didn’t turn out as well in my opinion. This track is the straight dope though.