pumpin' like chevron

People Under The Stairs (myspace)  The legendary Los Angeles based hip hop group People Under The Stairs put out a new album titled FUN D.M.C. and it is BUMPING with flavor. These dudes have been making beats and spitting verse since 1998, with 4 albums under their belts... my favorite of which is Stepfather.... they rock the underground hip hop scene with their jazzy funky beats. Their verse is witty and their production is excellent, every song gives off a sense of indulgence, makes you wanna take a dip in a pool. With such soulful samples complementing topics of bbq's, food joints, and chill kickbacks, how can you not indulge?  And if you enjoy their music, you will love their live shows. I just saw them in Long Beach at the ever so intimate but crowded Fingerprints record store. There, they showcased a few new songs off the album and went on to take requests from the crowd. A few loyal fans had driven all the way from afar and already knew every word to every song on the new album. The crowd got so involved and People Under The Stairs returned the favor by providing one of the better hip hop performances I have seen in my lifetime. Anyway all their albums are 10 bucks so I would buy one... they're also playing at Fat Beats on Melrose this saturday at 5pm. Its free! You wont be disapointed.

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Grrr...izzly Bear!

So this week has been a busy one.  I started my new job, had a midterm and needed to schedule a dentist appointment for my wisdom teeth to be removed, so its needless to say I haven't had much time to blog.  However I have had some time to check out some good new music.  My friend introduced to a song called "Knife" by the Brooklyn band "Grizzly Bear" and I have to say it is a song to behold.  Very ethereal and moody complete with haunting moans and crisp soft guitar in the background.  It sounds kinda like Radiohead "Kid A" but a little more poppy.  Heres the video for the song which has an extra dose of creepiness to it, which makes it even cooler. Enjoy.   p.s. Don't set your toaster oven to "dark" to make pop tarts.

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A Millie (Obama Style)...and Some Sweet Reggae

So, I know everyone is really excited to know that there is yet another remix of Lil Wayne's "A Millie" floating around, to complement the 10-millie-on other ones out there. Well, there is. It's Obama style, and it's made by A.P.T. Hopefully Bangladesh won't be too offended... Here it is, check it out: Okay, so I won't blame you if you didn't listen to anything past the first 10 seconds, but you've gotta admit that was pretty funny. Now this one here is a little bit older, but it's actually one you might listen to a lot more times (I have). Vote for whoever you want, but this tune sure is catchy! Coco Tea - Barack Obama: To be fair, I did check around to see if there were any McCain songs. If you're interested, check out Jordan Rich's "Raisin' McCain."

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Music Television

True Blood makes me love country. Not Shania Twain pop country, but true, bluesy blue grassy country, and the kind of music that traces its roots back to the old country twang.  It might just be that my obsession with the show has sunk to freakish levels of nerd-dom, but I walk away from every episode mimicking a southern accent and hankering to listen to some Jessie Coulter. For those not so into the show, the musical selection is really good, and has a lot to offer in the way of an introduction to country, a musical genre hitherto much misunderstood by myself (and, I suspect, many others). Here’re the top songs they’ve played so far:

“Lake Charles” Lucinda Williams

“Stumble and Pain” Joseph Arthur

“Bones” Little Big Town

“Two Wheels” Alligator Stew

“Honky Tonk Queen” Big Sandy &  His Fly-Rite Boys

“Snake in the Grass” Vallejo

“Far Far Away” Wilco

“Downtown” Alex Chilton

“Good Times” Charlie Robison

“Brand New Cadillac” Wayne Hancock

“Sparks Fly Out” Paul Burch

“Feel Alright” Steve Earle

“I Play Chicken With the Train” Cowboy Troy

Something for everyone.

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