Can you feel it?

Drugged Dogs and their Aftermath

2004-12-15T09:06:00.000-08:00

Soulwax - E-Talking (Rex the Dog Remix) This remix has stricken a chord with me as being one of the more tame, yet most enjoyable remixes that has been released the long year. Soulwax, admittedly, being one of my all-time favorite bands dropped a new album this fall. The second single "E-Talking" about clubbing with the help of some drugs that shall remain nameless. The mysterious Rex churns out a videogame-bit-like remix that really keeps the music going instead of sounding too repitive and annoying. Raising notes and taking you where your ear wants to go and then blasting you near the end.

Zongamin - "Original Trouble" Susumu Mukai has been around with the moniker Zongamin and his debut self-titled album showed how funky and raw can be really addicting. Original Trouble is the demo, you can say, to one of the biggest singles from his debut album "Serious Trouble". You can immediately tell how lo-fi the recording at the start, but the passion and extra guitar musings near the end of this song should have remained in this instrumental piece for the mastered version. It just adds a sense of emergency and fun to the music that is already thumping. This song is from the Flesh Tapes album, which includes lots of b-sides and demos sent to Flesh Records which Susumu is connected with. Also, Zongamin recently remixed the label's head Midnight Mike - "Bring Me to My Senses" so keep on the look out!

Will possibly update later today, oh and about someone mentioning not knowing my email address? mvann@nmsu.edu or Matthew.Vann@gmail.com. Whichever one you prefer or you think is more professional.

Good day.

Combinations of Letters and Underscores

2004-11-19T11:49:00.000-08:00

XYZR_KX - "Luv" Not sure why, but I have always reveled in lovely odd experimental music. Maybe because this genre helps influence and change the current overused trends and whatnot, but then again becoming "mainstream" with experimental music can be a downfall for some artists. XYZR_KX makes a wonderful mesh of beautiful ballads, experimental tones and guitar riffs, with amusing powerful drum machines, thus creating one of the more amazing experimental rock albums in recent memory, if not, the most amazing. "Luv" is the most prominent example of what I just described, beginning with an almost IDM flavored song and somehow manages to merge into a gentle acoustic love ballad near the latter half of the song with a glitchy background to keep you on your toes. Please be on the lookout for Jon Monteverde with music just as odd as his other monikker: XYZR_KX. Click here to buy this album from Actually Records.

m83 - "Car Chase Terror!" m83 are the post rock band that people seem to be looking to now thanks to the somewhat seminal "Dead Cities...". Their newest effort "Before the Dawn Heals Us" shows much more power and creativity in this group that you thought already had. Samples used to invoke some feelings in the music such as in this song. With a terrified mother and her daughter talking about some horrific creature/human after them. Starts with crickets chirping and cars driving by and ends the same way after all the chaos in the song. Fantastique. Click here to visit m83's official website.

The bright light at the end of the tunnel...

2004-10-26T14:18:00.000-07:00

...is a train, is the title of Whitey's debut LP. Whitey is Nathan Wannacot from the UK. I know I have mentioned him before, but his music truly is engaging and powerful along with lyrics to reflect his ferocity. He has some singles that has been twisting heads, with his mixture of rock and dance, mainly starting with "Leave them all behind". His true breakthrough is his debut EP. His variety in his music reminds me of Suicide. Such as the techno horro of Suicide's "Frankie Teardrop"(Leave them all behind) to their calming "Dream Baby Dream" (Can't Take it). He is definitely making a dent in the current trend of the electronic music/dance music culture with his music and with the noisy drums and very bassy guitar riffs, the music drifts you into his world as you listen to his words. On "Track 6", it has all I have mentioned before along with some carefully placed xylophone (actually xylophones are featured on most of his tracks. Buy his first single with the superb artwork here. Magnifique.

Mylo - "Drop the Pressure" (Felix da Housecat Remix)

Mylo is the man of the hour in the electro world, with his superb album being played lots in the clubs and on the radio by all star djs. This new reissue of his first single "Drop the Pressure" includes some new remixes, one by The Glimmers (The Glimmer Twins) and the other is by Felix da Housecat. In this remix, Felix, almost borders on doing a mash-up with the main bassline to Vanilla Ice's "Ice Ice Baby" or better yet Queen's "Under Pressure" (after all this track is about pressure!). Amusing. Snag it from Amazon.

Brian Wilson - "Our Prayer/Gee" - This is the first track of the much anticipitated and forever-waited-for pop miracle from Brian Wilson. The hype of this album has been enormous and at points, rightfully so, but I am sure Brian Wilson didn't even want all of this attention to this album, or maybe he did? This track begins the album off with an elevation of sound, such as, giving the listener the idea that this will be somehwhat of a spiritual album until around the last minute, when the song all of a sudden changes from a religious sounding hymn of ooo's and ahh's (Our Prayer) to a catchy make-you-tap-your-feet-while-snapping-your-fingers song (Gee). This album is a miracle in its own right, in that it has survived so long and is finally getting a proper release. Buy it from Amazon

Kenny Dixon's Private Collection - Kenny Dixon Jr. aka the house artist from detroit with the most soul has released some of his choice cuts and it is no surprise that the jazz is soulul and snappy and can be pictured being played at a smokey jazz night club with the flickering pink and blue neon outside the place.

Rainbows are for colors

2004-08-19T13:28:00.000-07:00

Black Mother Super Rainbow. An atari with a straw hat on is what they sound like, and their music is nothing like you would expect, but I can only describe them as a more mysterious, but yet, also more catchy version of Boards of Canada. There are lyrics to almost every song on this release "Falling Through a Field". He wisps more than sings. I Think It Is Beautiful That You Are 256 Colors Too and Black Moth Super Rainbow drags you into the psychocitc folk electronic mess that is The Black Moth Super Rainbow.

Here is an old favorite from My Bloody Valentine"Slow" featured off their "Made you Realise" EP. It begins with a sampling loop to entice you in then about 5 seconds in a harsh low forboding electric guitar storms in. Sounds evil, but yet still just makes you gaze at your shoe.

Well apparently, there is none, but I must admit, heh that post was bad, but it's not as if there was no hope for me, after all tigersushi.com accepted my reviews. So yeah thanks for the non-constructive criticism :-\. Anyways, thanks for making me look twice or something so I could tweak it a little. Next time don't hide behind anonynimity.

Be gentle...

2004-08-17T09:12:00.000-07:00

Well this is my first mp3 blog and first post.

Captain Beefheart has always amazed me, although at times, amazed me enough to completely make me feel awkward while hearing some of his songs. But, some of his songs are genius. His ability to make just a raw guitar make music into a song completely on it's own and sounds not like a guitar solo song. Their are quite a few songs of his that have that same kind of description that I just spoke of, like "Dali's Car", but the one I have fallen in passion with when I first heard it, is on his "Lick my Decals off Baby" album and is called One Red Rose That I Mean. The stark weird chords and the offbeat way the guitar is assaulted is quite refreshing to hear.Click here to buy from Amazon.

Is it me, or am I the only one who likes the rock version of Soulwax's NY Excuse better? The album version is good mind you, I just think the rock aka the fast version of the song would have done better/fitted in more on Soulwax's new album "Any Minute Now". Also, their new b-side Hey Little Girl is a touching semi-slow little tune that is almost reminiscent of their older records, but with an electronic touch.

Whitey, yes whitey is quite the mysterious hit with superstar djs, heh, well not with the mainstream ones, but Whitey's music is a big hit with acts like Tiga and 2 Many Dj's and the like and people are thrilled if he offers to remix their music. His newest offering is a remix of the first Soulwax single from their new album: Any Minute Now (Vote Whitey Mix). You can tell he sampled some classic tunes that 2 Many Dj's include in their live sets sometimes. And as of course you all know, 2 Many Dj's are the Dewaele brothers that are in the Belgian band Soulwax. You can snag their single and new album
here.

Can you feel it?

Drugged Dogs and their Aftermath

Combinations of Letters and Underscores

The bright light at the end of the tunnel...

Let the sermon begin.

Rainbows are for colors

Be gentle...