In the past year, you’ve most certainly heard the radio hit “Paper Planes” by M.I.A. made popular by the stoner comedy Pineapple Express. It’s hard to miss a hip-hop song where the chorus is comprised solely of gunshots and the sound of a cash register, but somehow the message is still delivered. What many people don’t know is that M.I.A. released two albums circa Pineapple Express. Her first from 2005, Arular, is personally one of my favorite hip-hop albums of all time. The uniqueness of the beats are only matched by the uniqueness in her vocal styling, and both go together better than chocolate milk and Count Chocula (if that’s even possible to improve upon.)
Her politically-themed tracks are meant to spark revolution and drill powerful messages to the listener through a medium most people can relate to. But the political themes aren’t just for show. M.I.A. grew up in Sri Lanka amidst Civil War and political turmoil. Her father was an activist and was forced to hide from the government, severely restricting the amount of time he could spend with his family. She later moved to London where she could live a normal life and pursue a passion for the arts. Arular is actually the name adopted by her father as a political activist and now the middle name of her first born son. The more you know.
Check out the video for “Bucky Done Gun”:
Some other notable tracks include “Sunshowers“, “Galang” and “10 Dollar”. Check out the entire album for something different in the world of hip-hop.
lala
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Sometimes you come across an artist that has “it.” Whatever “it” is, you know they have it. The song-writing is unique, the lyrics are powerful and the songs are simple. Somewhat comparable to the reverence you would find with Ray LaMontagne or Bon Iver, Mason Jennings provides you with an experience that is relate-able yet completely distinctive in its own right. His style is predominately focused on a classic folk sound mixing in qualities similar to that of Neil Young and Bob Dylan, but other times incorporates a faster-paced rock sound (while still keeping the signature folk qualities.)
His latest release, Blood of Man, keeps true to this signature style with a good mix of tracks that span the spectrum of his many style qualities. Songs like “City of Ghosts” and the title track “Blood of Man” use simplicity and commanding lyrics to create a sound that demands attention. Songs like “Ain’t No Friend of Mine” and “Lonely Road” exhibit a different quality altogether incorporating both rock and folk sounds. It’s sort of like if Bob Dylan listened the White Stripes just before going on stage. Pretty awesome, right?
Mason Jennings was recently signed to Jack Johnson’s record label, Brushfire Records, after the two toured together in the earlier part of the decade, which isn’t hard to believe considering both are skilled song-writers with somewhat similar qualities in style. Also, coincidentally, the two were both born in Hawaii (while Jennings moved to Philadelphia as a child.) So they are both Hawaii-ers. Or Hawaii-ese. Or Hawaii people. Whichever.
Check out the mini-documentary on his new album:
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Like Mason Jennings? Check out Bon Iver!
Thanks Erin!
Sometimes life isn’t fair. Like when a vending machine eats your money or when the Comcast guy doesn’t show up on time. Or even when the UK gets an album released months before the US gets a chance to get their hands on it. Because that’s what happened with Athlete. The album part I mean. Not the vending machine or Comcast stuff. That wouldn’t make sense.
Athlete is an indie rock band from London so you know their good right off the bat. I mean, The Beatles came from the UK so, you know, it’s kind of the same thing. Their new release Black Swan is a melodic rock album that creates a mellower sound focused on each individual aspect of the music. With some songs incorporating hints of electronic and some songs keeping it simple with just vocals and guitar, the album’s unique variety will keep you coming back for more.
Black Swan, to me, is one of those albums you listen to the first couple of times not fully appreciating the full extent of the music. A few more times around and you start to catch things that are completely appealing. This is definitely not an epic soundscape of massive proportions, but if you’re looking for something to chill with and a decent album to appreciate, check out Black Swan.
Here’s the video for the single “Superhuman Touch”:
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Remixes. Some of us can’t get enough of them and some of us love to hate them, but one thing is true: if it’s done right a mash-up of music becomes something completely different and ear-catchingly awesome. You may have read our piece on Girl Talk a while back and, if you’re like us, fell in love with the complete disregard for song integrity (or even copyright laws.) Well, somewhere between that and a more subtle remix closer to that of the hit 90’s jam “One Sweet Day” comes the beginnings of the electrifyingly electronic Dan Black.
Completely disregarding what purists would call “butchering the song”, his remix of Notorious B.I.G.’s “Hypnotize” and Rihanna’s “Umbrella” caused the web to stir in 2008. The signature beat mixed with the mild melody of one of gangster rap’s most famous set of lyrics created a song that was closer to a popular dance hit than a hard-core rapper’s delight. Now I know a lot of you are saying, “How dare he. One of those songs is a legendary jam by a music icon that shouldn’t have been changed.” All I can say is that I’m sure Rihanna doesn’t mind.
Check out the original video for yourself:
Now, for all of you out there that think, “Hey this is catchy, but I would like it better if it were more original.” That’s exactly what Dan Black was thinking when he went on to create the single “Symphonies” (recently featured on our Weekly Jukebox) for his brand new 2010 release UN. It wasn’t until I heard the songs back to back that I realized that he had taken what was surely an experimental mix-up and turned it into a song that was all his own (still retaining a little of the Rihanna flavor, but who could blame him?)
After listening to the full album, I found other tracks equally as catchy as the first single including “U + Me =”, “Alone” and “Yours.” He even remixes his single (which if you’ll remember is already a remix of a remix) with Kid Cudi. Pop in this album if you’re looking for a party…or if you want the party to look for you.
lala
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If you like Dan Black, check out V.V. Brown!
Gil Scott-Heron – “New York Is Killing Me”
A little electronic mixed with hefty hand clapping makes the simplicity of this song completely unique. Add in an old blues man voice and it’s something you’ve never heard before. Plus, the guy has two last names so that counts for something.
Buy the song:
Helping Haiti – “Everybody Hurts”
A classic song already, “Everybody Hurts” has been re-made to help the victims of the Haiti earthquake. A great song plus a great cause is a winner in our book.
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Brandi Carlile – “Dreams”
We loves us some Brandi Carlile. This song has some rockin’ acoustic with her signature pipes. It’s very melodic and has some pretty great harmonies. You’ll know by the end that Brandi Carlile has dreams. Oh yes, she’s got dreams.
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