The Jamming Iroquois

Jay Kay, don't even try to act like you were rockin this hat before me. I invented the mirrorball-spike-headdress back when you were standing in line for A-Ha tickets. Ask anybody, you style-bitin sonofa...

You owe me one, Buster. This took entirely too long.

Deeper Underground (live)
Sunny (live)
Hollywood Swingin (live) Highly recommended
Cosmic Girl (live)
Bad Girl (live) Recommended for bad girls only
Scam (live)
Music of the Mind (live)
Getting Down (live)
When You Gonna Learn (live)
God Made Me Funky
Mr. Moon (live)
Who The Funk Do You Think You Are (live)
Return of the Space Cowboy (live) Soberly Recommended
Stillness in Time (live)

Election Day Blues

Somebody stole my t-shirt idea

Sergio Mendes - Fool On the Hill

I thought I might vote today, but I didn't. If I had to vote for something, I'd vote for this song being totally cool. It's got that swinging, breezy vibe to it. And, it's a cover of a Beatles tune. I love Beatles covers.

Tighten Up

"See? Now, I could make it even tighter if I wanted, if I wanted to cave in your chest. It's one of the many ways to silently kill your enemy that I learned from my neighbor who was in 'Nam."

Jamiroquai - Tighten Up (Live)

My buddy Jasper, aka Doc McGradencrock, aka B-Rad, hooked up the live Jamiroquai track on a mix he made me this week. It lives up to the awesomeness of the original, by Archie and the Drells. I'm surprised I'd never heard it, but I haven't gone out of my way to collect all Jamiroquai's live covers. The sound quality is very good.

Peace out.

Pin the Tail on the Jackass

Which one of these two is the jackass?

Van Morrison - It's All Over Now, Baby Blue [mp3]

Beck - Jack-ass (Lowrider Remix) [mp3]

Beck - Jack-ass [mp3]

Back to Beck and his samples...this one is my favorite. Van Morrison & Them's version of Dylan's "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue" was playing at my buddy Seth's place one day, and my antenna perked up, making mental connections, and searching the databanks for the link. Didn't need a dish or cable, my ol' antenna processed the signal just fine and with very little fuzz, thank you very much. The echo-y keyboards and guitars, it's the backbone of Beck's "Jack-ass" from Odelay. Both songs are among my favorites. The Lowrider remix sounds more than a little dated. Sounds like the Stereo MC's or something. It's sorta rare though, I guess...if that means anything anymore in the age of limewire...

Cooderific

Ry Cooder - Tear Drops Will Fall

Guess Who's Back?

King Koopa is back in the game.

Mick Jagger w/ Ry Cooder - Memo To Turner [mp3]

Say, did anybody else notice Beck sampled Herbie Hancock's "Chameleon" for his new single "Cellphone's Dead"? Here's a high school band playing "Chameleon", from DJ Shadow's compilation "Schoolhouse Funk".

Curtain Call

Hey everyone, check out my unit!

And so, another era of the internet has come to a close, albeit with a whimper and nary a condolatory sniffle. King Koopa is hanging up his blogging shoes. That’s right world, you don’t have King Koopa to kick around the blogosphere anymore. From this point on, I will no longer be a “blogger”, except in the past tense. I never had any pride in being a blogger anyway; in fact, I was always somewhat ashamed to include myself among a group of people who feel compelled to share with the world any and all sorts of information that nobody else cares about but themselves. I tried to make my posts interesting, but I realize that Koopa’s Hideaway was always a pretty insular place that primarily served to keep my mind active during down times at my job. I’d be fooling myself if I thought Koopa’s Hideaway was anything more than a glorified diary with a soundtrack. The only Hideawayheads were friends of mine who were as bored as I was and felt obliged to click over to my blog from time to time. My Site Tracker told me I averaged about 20-30 visitors a day, but most of them were probably looking for transgender midget porn or something.

Unfortunately, the powers that be at my office have decided that I need to concern myself with only work matters during work hours. “They” don’t have any guidance for what I should do instead of using the internet (in fact, twiddling my thumbs was proposed by one of the higher-ups), but “they” told me that my use of the internet during work hours must come to a close. I’m a chronically under-stimulated person and I don’t look forward to what lies ahead during my time of boredom around here. The temptation to double click on my Internet Explorer icon and visit Koopa’s Hideaway again will be ever-present and excruciating, like a recovering crack addict living next to Bobby and Whitney.

My co-workers should expect to be interrupted much more frequently with conversations about off-season football moves, the weather, and other nonsense that people talk about when they don’t have anything to talk about. I’ll still be able to check my Yahoo email and surf around a little bit during lunch and after work, but the whole point of this blog was to kill time during work. I’m not going to blog from home, because I’ve got better things to do with my free time. I leave you with one of my favorite Bob Dylan songs, and one of the best “goodbye” songs ever written. Each party is sorta sad to see the other one leave, but both parties realize that things have come to an end. The only thing left is the inevitable journey to the next thing down the road. By saying goodbye, we’re already halfway there.

Bob Dylan – Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right (Demo) [from the soundtrack to “No Direction Home]

It ain't no use to sit and wonder why, babe
It don't matter, anyhow
An' it ain't no use to sit and wonder why, babe
If you don't know by now
When your rooster crows at the break of dawn
Look out your window and I'll be gone
You're the reason I'm trav'lin' on
Don't think twice, it's all right

It ain't no use in turnin' on your light, babe
That light I never knowed
An' it ain't no use in turnin' on your light, babe
I'm on the dark side of the road
Still I wish there was somethin' you would do or say
To try and make me change my mind and stay
We never did too much talkin' anyway
So don't think twice, it's all right

It ain't no use in callin' out my name, gal
Like you never did before
It ain't no use in callin' out my name, gal
I can't hear you any more
I'm a-thinkin' and a-wond'rin' all the way down the road
I once loved a woman, a child I'm told
I give her my heart but she wanted my soul
But don't think twice, it's all right

I'm walkin' down that long, lonesome road, babe
Where I'm bound, I can't tell
But goodbye's too good a word, gal
So I'll just say fare thee well
I ain't sayin' you treated me unkind
You could have done better but I don't mind
You just kinda wasted my precious time
But don't think twice, it's all right

Stay classy, planet earth. And, thanks for stopping by.

Encore: Kaada - Thank You For Giving Me Your Valuable Time. This track is my favorite way to end a mix cds. You'll enjoy it for that reason, as well. Kaada is a Scandinavian (Norwegian?) sample artist who sometimes sings over his songs, as he does on this one. This song sounds like a Motown song done by a benevolent alien who studied earth by listening to AM radio transmissions. The perfecto closer.

Koopa out.

Don't Move A Muscle

Don't make a move, punk. I could smoke you without coughing.

So, I leave for Hawaii next Wednesday. I can’t wait. This pasty Midwestern boy is ready to kick it on “island time” for a week. Yesterday, I talked to one of my buddies from LA who is going and he’s hooking up a resort hotel in Waikiki for like $60/night. We’ll be splitting our time between there and our friend’s place who lives in some village on Oahu and teaches biology or something. Pays to have friends who have friends in the service industry. You bet yer booty it does.

Here’s another mix I’ve made for the trip. This one is sort of a hangover-friendly morning mix. Island-stylee. I’m calling this one “Don’t Move a Muscle”, it’s one of the most chill mixes I’ve made in awhile. Nothing to get too excited about here, just lay around for a minute and get your wits about you. We’ll go from there…

Curtis Mayfield – Blue Monday People
Lou Rawls – Willow Weep For Me
Feist – Gatekeeper (XFM Version w/ Broken Social Scene)
Shuggie Otis – Island Letter
Charlie Byrd – It’s Impossible
Beck – Ramshackle
Nick Drake – Pink Moon
Herbie Mann – What’s Going On
BB King – Chains and Things
Curtis Mayfield – We People Who Are Darker Than Blue
George Benson – Nature Boy
Shuggie Otis – Aht Uh Mi Hed
Ernest Ranglin – Surfin
Ry Cooder – Poor Man’s Shangri-La
Daniel Lanois – Desert Rose
JJ Cale – Magnolia
Shuggie Otis – Freedom Flight

Happy Relatively-Close-Birthday To Me!

The traditional Birthday Tenderloin

So, I’m laying around last night with Elle and I bring up the subject of my birthday present, which isn’t exactly around the corner, but it’s coming up soon enough. She had mentioned the night before on the phone that she had been looking on the internet for my birthday stuff. I got her to begrudgingly give me a clue, which was “It has to do with the Civil War”. I’ve been to Gettysburg and I’ve read some stuff about history, so I was pretty excited already. Here was my thought progression: Uhh...slaves?...sex slave?...the Underground Railroad?...a Grand Funk Railroad record?...wait, no the war was technically over states rights, right?...and we live in a state capital...the state to the right of us on the map is Ohio...but, nothing really happens in Ohio...Lincoln?...I've been to the home he was born in...and irreverantly participated in an adoption rights protest in front of his monument while I was in a soccer tournament in DC as a kid...Hey, there's a park in Chicago called Lincoln Park...we stayed near there for the Feist show!...but I really hope it doesn't have anything to do with Linkin Park...although they do sound pretty good w/ Jay-Z...music music music...I think there's also a park called Grant Park in Chicago...and, didn't I recently confuse where we stayed as Grant Park instead of Lincoln Park?...only to have Elle correct me and tell me that Lollapalooza was at Grant Park?...Hey, wasn't Grant a Yankee general?...gotcha!: It’s Lollapalooza in GRANT Park, Chicago (Aug 4-6). That was it, and I knew it, and I told her that I knew what it was. Incredulous and doubtful of my Sherlockian qualities, she said there was “no way”. I asked if she wanted me to guess and, still irrationally skeptical of my powers of deduction, she said “yeah, sure”. I then proceeded to simultaneously blow her mind and ruin my the surprise of my birthday present in one fell swoop. But, considering that hotels must be booked and whatnot, I think it’s best to know now. If you haven’t seen the lineup for this year’s Lollapalooza, you’re in for a surprise because I dare say that it is the best lineup I’ve ever seen for a festival. Bar none. And, fewer hippies than any other festival ever…I hope.

Question: Could I be more excited? Answer: No.
Question: Is my girlfriend, like, super awesome? Answer: Yes.

Here’s a sampling of the bands that will rock my own personal Kasbah from Friday till Sunday, with nary a drum circle to break my mood. Want to join us? Belly up to the bar, partner.

Red Hot Chili Peppers, Kanye West, Manu Chao (mp3: Clandestino), Wilco (mp3: Student Loan Stereo, from one of the "Can't Stand It" cd singles), Death Cab For Cutie, The Raconteurs (see 2/24 post), The Flaming Lips (see 2/24 post), Ween, The Shins, Common, Matisyahu (his interview with The Onion), Ryan Adams (mp3: I See Monsters, live from XM Studios, Spring '05), Thievery Corporation, Broken Social Scene (mp3: Almost Crimes, the original , unreleased version), The New Pornographers, Iron & Wine, Eels, Panic! At the Disco, The Disco Biscuits , Andrew Bird, Gnarls Barkley (see 2/24 post), Stars (mp3: This Charming Man, a Smiths cover), Blackalicious, Lyrics Born, Calexico, Feist, Aqualung, The Go! Team (mp3: Huddle Formation, RJD2 remix)…on and on goes the list…

Happy McDrinky Day

Happy St. Patrick’s Day, Hideawayheads! Let’s cut the crap about what the true meaning of the holiday is. It’s a day for drinkin’. I can’t help the fact that a black and tan really does sound super delicious right now. Tonight, I’m gonna catch a buzz, enjoy the merriment of my fellow man in the over-crowded ambience of a faux-Irish drinking establishment and leave it at that. I don’t need to hear bagpipes; in fact, I’d prefer not to. In fact, since the street-level intent of this holiday is excessive drinking, I wanna hear party songs, not The Chieftans. And, wouldn’t ya know it, I’ve compiled a new party mix this week. I did it in preparation for my upcoming trip to Hawaii for a friend’s wedding, but a party is a party. Drink up the goodness and be safe.

1. Belle & Sebastian-I'm a Cuckoo (Avalanches Remix)
2. The Go! Team-Ladyflash
3. Kid Koala-Third World Lover
4. The Rolling Stones-Miss You (Dr. Dre Remix)
5. Diplo-Gold Digger (Remix)
6. Curumin-Guerriero
7. Jorge Ben-Taj Mahal
8. Brazilian Girls-Pussy
9. DJ Shadow Mix-I Can't Go For That
10. DJ Ayres-Get It Twisted
11. DJ Danger Mouse-Tom's Diner (Remix)
12. The Beastles-Pass the Word
13. The Beastles-Tripper Trouble
14. Beck-Girl (8 Bit Remix)
15. Mylo-Drop the Pressure
16. White Stripes vs Biggie-Hypnotize the Army
17. The Game feat. 50 Cent-Love It or Hate It
18. Gnarls Barkley-Crazy
19. J Live & Thes One - Give It Up

Rhymefest – From the Point of View of a Naptown Loc

Lose the gloves, dawg

Rhymefest - Brand New

Rhymefest - These Days

Kanye West (w/ Common & Mase) - Jesus Walks (Remix)

Last Thursday I went to the Vogue Theater and saw Rhymefest open up for Common. It was a really great show, which is rare for live hip-hop. It must be really hard to do the sound for hip hop shows because the mix always sounds muddy. Maybe it’s the people doing the rapping because both Common and Rhymefest brought it and for the most part it sounded pretty clear…and pretty awesome. I’d never seen Common before, and he was every bit as great as I hoped he’d be. One of the things that I loved about Rhymefest is how much the marketing surrounding him and his upcoming album, “Blue Collar”, reflects his reality. He’s being marketed as an everyday dude, a workin’ man. I asked my buddy Paloz to share some of his stories about seeing Rhymefest around Indy’s hip hop scene over the past couple years.:

[Koopa],

Yo man. Cool idea. Yeah, I got a couple stories...I'll try to keep them brief.

The first one is about when I used to watch Rhymefest get his ass handed to him at the old Melody Inn battles. He'd come in there with what looked like regular old hand-me-down lookin' clothes and just get demolished! Then I watched him SLOWLY get better and better... along with his style too! [Rhymefest would go on to out-freestyle some dude named Eminem at 1997 Scribble Jam]

The other is right after he started getting big. He was sitting on the hood of a car right outside the now gone Patio and was chillin' out waiting for his show to start. He looked kinda down and to himself... no one was talking to him. I was drunk! I decided now was the time to go and berate him for giving me his manager's phone number when I asked him for his personal number earlier in the year. I got in his face about how I wanted HIS number not his F'in' manager's! I told him that I'd have my girlfriend fix us a chron meal and that I just wanted to kick it with him for real... have some beers and be real; be my guest for real! I told him I didn't want his F'in' manager's number... all the while I'm stumblin' drunk. He sat there and took all the abuse without saying a word...looking me right in the face. When I was done he simply said, "Man... go get me a pen." He wrote his real number down and I never called him to hang out.
Now it's too late.

Rhymefest's album should be droppin this May. Here's his Myspace page with some more streams. Here are some cool interviews with the guy here, here, a Newsweek write-up, and a Rolling Stone write-up. Did I mention he wrote Kanye's Grammy-winning "Jesus Walks", yet got his verses left off the album version, as well as the remix? And, he's still tight with 'Ye, which is either very shrewd or very forgiving. Rhymefest is the genuine article and is an example of what you can do if you work hard at something.

Oh, and, don't believe the Kanye-Common-related hype, Rhymefest is Naptown, not Chi-town. Alright, so the marketing isn't ENTIRELY accurate.

I'm a Pirate For Your Love

ARRRRRR Mp3's are the freshest!! (This could be my favorite context-free "found" google pic of all time. Thank you, Al Gore, for inventing the internet and allowing me to experience the elation of discovering this. Feel free to submit any contenders that you think top this pic.)

Gnarls Barkley - Crazy

Guns N' Roses - There Was A Time

Flaming Lips - Free Radicals

Prince - Black Sweat

The Raconteurs - Steady As She Goes

All of these tracks have been bouncing around the upper echelons of the mp3-blog echochamber for awhile now. Three of these five albums should be super duper. The other two will only be "duper", sans super.

Gnarls Barkley=Cee-Lo w/ Dangerdoom. "Crazy" is gonna blow up this summer. The single should officially drop in April or something. This track is some hot shiz.

Guns N Roses=Awesome. Axl sounds like he never put down his Nerf-topped microphone and went into therapy. No Slash this time around, but his guitarist Buckethead is up to the challenge as he shows in the last half of this track. The opening to this song is sketchy, but it warms up by the end to the point you'll be air-guitaring and crying and smiling and smashing something. All at once. It's good.

Flaming Lips=My most anticipated release of the spring. I hope they release a special edition so I can actually justify buying the real album. I've already got the advance copy. It's been worth the wait since "Yoshimi". "Free Radicals" sounds like Prince channeling Beck.

Prince=Genius, returning. If only Michael Jackson could've returned to greatness like Prince...

Raconteurs=Genius, declining. Jack White is still one-of-a-kind, but it's getting harder with every release to be kind to him. It's still a good track by pop radio standards, but...we've all come to expect better, "Blue Orchid" notwithstanding.

Hey, Have You Heard About Islamophobia?! It's like Homophobia, Only Better!

Yep, there's a riot going on.

Randy Newman - Sail Away

Curtis Mayfield - We the People Who Are Darker Than Blue (sampled for Gift of Gab's "Ride of Your Life")

James & Bobby Purify - I'm Your Puppet

Feist (w/ Broken Social Scene) - Gatekeeper (XFM Version)

Have you heard?

If you want your government to manage your sea ports, and not some company from Dubai, you’re an Islamophobe. Get used to hearing this slanderous word used against anybody who opposes something that involves Arabs or Muslims.

By the way, I think Randy Newman's "Sail Away" is one of the finest examples of patriotic songwriting, one of the great American songs. Newman is our most under-appreciated national treasure. With "Sail Away" and "Louisiana", Newman could've stopped writing songs right there and still been legendary.

King Koopa Is Your Great American Hero

Joey Scarbury - Great American Hero (Believe It or Not) (from 7" vinyl)

Gil Scott-Heron - The Revolution Will Not Be Televised

At its core, the United States of America is a country built on liberal ideals. An artist in the US can put a crucifix in a bottle of piss, photograph it, title it “Piss Christ” and win a federally funded art competition. For a sequel, that same artist can submerge a statue of the Madonna and Child, similarly, in piss, cleverly title it “Madonna and Child II”, and have it’s merits celebrated by curators at the National Gallery of Art. Wow. Check out the links, it’s brilliant and inspired art, am I right? Well, at least we can agree that it’s art, regardless of how great it probably isn’t. (I’m sorry, but if this is your idea of great art, you’re trying too hard. There are fewer things less “edgy” than being consciously “edgy”.) It might not be great art, but that’s not the point, it does have a right to exist. Likewise, many American and European liberals are hostile towards religion, with their contempt simmering just below the surface, and they have every right to act that way and express it any way they wish. And, Christians have every right to react, protest, and voice our opinion about their anti-religious works of art. In turn, liberals have every right to call Christians close-minded, reactionary, and conservative. It’s a fun game that everyone can enjoy. As far as I know, nobody killed the artist whose career high point was submerging religious icons in “a luminous amber liquid that diffuses light and softens details”. It’s not worth it to physically harm someone over crappy art. If it was, Rusted Root and anyone else associated with producing the song “Send Me On My Way” would be rotting in their graves right now (same with anyone associated with the “Grease” soundtrack). Christians and music lovers may not have been happy about these works of art, but nothing was burned and nobody was killed (although I might come close if I ever hear a “Send Me On My Way”/“Summertime” medley.)

For some reason, this Muslim cartoon thing has really ruffled my feathers. I can’t stand the fact that my government isn’t actively and explicitly defending the Dane’s freedom of speech and the freedom to criticize religion. Why isn’t America’s cultural elite standing up for the Danish cartoons? Are we too consumed by Cheneygate? During the Piss Christ controversy, hundreds of artists held a public rally in support of the work and for the right to create and display it. Why isn’t the New York Times willing to print the very cartoons that have been at the center of this debate? The real issue isn’t even the cartoons themselves, it’s about Europeans promoting negative stereotypes about Muslims and criticizing them, as this article by a Muslim in Slate points out. Another truly brilliant article by Christopher Hitchens addresses this entire issue better than I ever could, and this article comparing Piss Christ controversy and the Danish cartoon controversy is much better than anything I could’ve written. America, get ready to start hearing the term “Islamophobia”, it’s the next way to shame people into respecting the violent and extreme actions of fundamentalist Muslims.

Don't sleep.

Bonus!: Excerpt from DJ Shadow's "Diminishing Returns" Mix - [Islamofascism,] I Can't Go For That (feat. Japanese vocals, high school marching bands, and John Peel)

PJ Pooterhoots - [Islamofascism,] I Can't Go For That

Hall & Oates - [Islamofascism,] I Can't Go For That

King Koopa's Valentine's Day Gift Guide

Hem - Valentine's Day (Springsteen cover, from Hem's "I'm Talking With My Mouth")

If you've got a Valentine this year, shower her with gifts. These romantic canine-themed heart-shaped vases should do the trick. If it doesn't, you're with the wrong girl. If she's too good for hand-painted dog vases, you don't need her. Ain't that right?

Yeah, so, I saw this great show...

Feist - The Water (live on KEXP 3/13/05) - unreleased

Feist - Honey (Tears) (live @ SXSW 3/17/05) - unreleased

It was Feist. It was almost sublime. She sold-out the Park West, in Chicago on 1/27/06, which is now one of my all-time favorite venues. I anticipate that these two tracks will be included on her next studio album, which I understand she is going to start recording really soon. I definitely remember "Honey" from the show, it's pretty mesmerizing, and if my memory serves me correctly, something it rarely does, she opened the show with this song. She looped her vocals to form her "backup singers", which was something I'd never seen or heard of anybody doing live in concert. "Honey" is just Feist, her looped vocals, and her guitar. I saw Joseph Arthur do something similar, but he was looping things he did with his acoustic guitar. "The Water" is a melancholic ballad-y tune. Yeah, I know, Happy Friday! But, there's something about her voice that is just entrancing. This song has acoustic guitar and piano, in addition to Feist's electric guitar. Maybe the best part of the show was enjoying Feist as a performer. She's kind of like a cuter, pixier version of Chrissie Hynde, from The Pretenders. It's obvious how much time Feist has spent touring during the past couple years. She kept the entire Chicago audience spellbound. It had some of the most quiet moments I've experienced at a big show like that. It takes an electric performer to keep a Chicago crowd of that size to remain silent and attentive during slower, quieter tunes. I think my girlfriend has a crush on her.

Psst, wanna know about my most recent "Typical Koopa" moment?: "Elle" and I were 45 minutes outside of town when she asked if I had the tickets. I did not. They were sitting in plain sight on my living room endtable, where I had put them so I would not forget them. Forgetfulness has to be one of my most regular humbling experiences. I can be such a pillowhead sometimes.

Hey, got any tips to help me to keep from forgetting important things like that? Leave them in the comments section. On my trip to Fiji, NZ, & AUS, one of my travelling buddies gave me "H.A.M.S.?" as in, "[Do I] Have All My Shit?", because I was driving him crazy with my absent mindedness. I need a new strategy, H.A.M.S. isn't cutting it.

Dear Muslimthai.com,

Above: Mr. Boy, offering a traditional Thai 'wai' to apologize during a press conference in Bangkok on Tuesday, Feb 7, 2006. He was responding to Muslims in Thailand who had complained about one of his songs that includes a verse from the Quran, claiming it insults the Islamic holy book.

Dear Muslimthai.com,

I can’t tell you how close I came to omitting the offending song in question, “Maya” from my seminal contemporary Thai rap cd, “Bangkok Boy”. The chick I was dating at the time really liked it and she used her devilish charms to convince me to include it on the album. She had a rocking body and she used it to affect the tracklist of "Bangkok Boy". If only I could go back and scald her with boiling liquids and tell her no, I’m not going to include “Maya” on the record. Maybe all of this could have been averted. You never know. I just wasn't thinking with the right "noodle". I never really liked that song anyway. Listening to it now, I hate it, too. Geez, what was I thinking letting her influence me like that? I’d incinerate my album, too if I was you. In fact, I'll help you. Just give me a 'when' and 'where' and I'll bring my own shovel. Shoot, I must have been smoking some seriously potent Thai-stick to have let that song get through onto the album. (I know smoking weed probably goes against Muslim law too but, hey, I’m just being honest here.) "Earth to Joey Boy!", you can’t lift raps from the Quran! I should’ve known better, plain and simple. All praises to Allah and Muslimthai.com for setting me back on the right path. The non-recorded-Quran-quoting path.

By the way, stay tuned for my new album, I’m going back into studio next week to start self-producing some new tracks. I’m feeling some anti-semitism coming on! Watch out world, here comes the new Joey Boy. Inflammatory anti-semitic style! Bam!

Sincerely,
Joey Boy

Dear Joey Boy,

The following is a letter from Muslimthai.com to Thai rapper, Joey Boy.

Dear Joey Boy,

I was listening to your totally awesome cd, “Bangkok Boy”, last week. Wow. I know you released it back in 1998, but it still sounds totally fresh and vital to me today. Ever since the Danish cartoon stuff started causing so much drama around here, it’s been nice to be able to pop “Bangkok Boy” in the stereo and just kinda let go for a second. I love your rapid-fire Thai raps about noodles and those Bangkok girls that you can’t seem to get enough of. It wasn’t until recently that I actually concentrated on the lyrics in your songs, and I must say that I was surprised. I don’t know if other people still listen to your music, but I sure do. “Bangkok Boy” was criminally underappreciated when it was originally released and I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure as many people have heard about this album as possible, for reasons that will soon be crystal clear. I wrote this letter just to tell you what “Bangkok Boy” means to me. With the exception of one song, I found the album as a whole to be an enlightening and entertaining listen. It makes me want to get up and burn something! Wahoo! You’re a pimped-out, street-wise prophet, Joey Boy, don’t let anybody tell you different. However, there was one song, “Maya”, that has caused me to wish this entire work of art had never been contemplated, recorded, or mass-produced. In fact, I wish you were dead, Joey Boy. You remember that verse from “Maya” that contains lyrics taken from the Quran? Highly un-Quranical, Joey Boy. You can't do that. There’s a group of us that agrees that no one should be able to listen to this music anymore. You should’ve known better. Why would you ruin one of the greatest Thai rap albums of all time like “Bangkok Boy” by including such an offensive song like “Maya”? You could’ve recorded a song about destroying the American infidels or the bloodthirsty Zionists, you know. That would've been a real hoot. I could’ve given an album like that as a gift during Ramadan. Instead, the entire staff of Muslimthai.com has demanded that this album be recalled and destroyed. It’s offensive to us and probably many others. Offensive things belong in the Sony BMG Music Entertainment incinerator, not in my home and/or car stereo. I pray that you understand.

Yours truly,
Muslimthai.com

Mylo, Oh My!

Mylo and the Rocketman

Mylo - Drop the Pressure

Mylo - In My Arms

Damnitall, I love days like this! I go to the record store at lunch on new release day pretty often and when the employees of the store are already singing along to the new stuff that came out that morning, I know I’m gonna walk out happy. I didn’t even buy the new release to which they were singing along (Belle & Sebastian’s “The Life Pursuit”). Didn’t have to. There was such an embarrassment of riches released today, I could hardly go wrong. You have your doubts, you say? As you’ll soon hear, I’m right. My friends, please join me in welcoming Mylo, just your favorite new DJ saviour! And now, for the return of the long-forgotten Hackneyed-Comparison-of-the-Day: Mylo’s album “Destroy Rock & Roll” sounds like Daft Punk, The Avalanches, and Royksopp got together to DJ a party. The Hideaway was in need of a new party album; thanks a heap for finally releasing your album stateside, Mylo.

Don't sleep. For goodness sake.

Pictograph Day

Belle and Sebastian - We Are the Sleepyheads (from the forthcoming "The Life Pursuit")

The "Dude, Bonus!": Belle and Sebastian - I'm a Cuckoo (The Avalanches remix)

This album comes out next Tuesday, February 7. Should I buy the new Aceyalone & RJD2 or the new Belle and Sebastian? Let your voice be heard. Vote.

2/6 Update: Man, there are a couple other albums coming out February 7 that I want to buy. Add Mylo's "Destroy Rock n Roll" and Hem's "No Word From Tom" to the list which already includes Belle & Sebastian's "The Life Pursuit" and Aceyalone & RJD2's "Magnificent City". Could be an expensive Tuesday. Maybe I'll give Hem to my mom for her birthday and kill two birds w/ one stone. Is that sketchy? Dodgy? Half-ass-y? Fine, your guilt-trip has worn me down, I won't buy it for either of us. Happy? Geez...