‘Bruce Springsteen Day’ in CT
According to NME, Connecticut names today ‘Bruce Springsteen Day’.
And I could not be more proud to be a resident of the nutmeg state today! Have you purchased your copy of Magic yet?
Magic Tuesday is Here
New Manu Chao – La Radiolina
I first came across Manu Chao a few years ago thanks to still amazing Radio Paradise. The song was “Bongo Bong”, and was like nothing I’d ever heard – a mix of latin, world beats, jazz, punk. Well he’s back with that same hard to define blend with his latest release, La Radiolina (his first stateside release since 2001’s Proxima Estación: Esperanza
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The album is full of energy (many of the 21 songs clock in at under two minutes). They’re mini explosions of world rhythms…bringing together some great sounds: horns, wonderful harmonies, loads of cool percussion, police sirens, flamenco-style guitars. It’s really one of those albums that takes you on a journey. Recommended highly!
Manu Chao – El Hoyo (mp3)
Buy La Radiolina
(Amazon note: the Amazon Mp3 Store looks pretty cool. It’s integrated into all of the CD pages, so you now have a choice of adding the CD to your cart, or buying the DRM-free MP3 album)
New Aceyalone: Lightning Strikes
Aceyalone is no secret to the underground / “intelligent” hip-hop scene, but I never took the time to really jump into his stuff. My mistake. One of the reasons I’ve shied away from hip-hop over the last decade is due to the mainstream “money and bitches” formula that has overwhelmed the airwaves and media. Eminem may be a genius. 50 Cent and Kanye continue to fight it out. But something about all of it has by and large turned me off. I should have kept my ear to the pulse of the underground, because I’ve clearly been missing out on some quality hip-hop.
So though I’m late to the party, hearing Aceyalone’s stuff for the first time is pretty damn refreshing. It started with an email I got promoting his latest release, Lightning Strikes, released tomorrow (Oct. 2nd). On this record, he combines hip-hop with dancehall, and the two songs I’ve heard ssssmoke. It’s produced by L.A.-based Bionik, known for his affinity at fusing dub, dancehall and roots reggae with other genres. I’ll definitely be picking it up this week.
Aceyalone is a founding member of the Freestyle Fellowship, an underground L.A. hip-hop collective in the mid-90’s. He was also part of Haiku d’Etat (with Mikah 9 and Abstract Rude) and the A-Team (with Abstract Rude). I’ve got some catching up to do.
Listen to these two tracks off Lightning Strikes.
Aceyalone –
Eazy– feat. Chali 2Na of Jurassic 5 (mp3)Aceyalone –
Shango(mp3)Buy Lightning Strikes
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Aceyalone’s MySpace.
Eazy video on YouTube.
Stop Whispering, Start Shouting
So Radiohead announced that they are putting another nail in the music industry’s coffin over the weekend by releasing their new album digitally (DRM free, no less) in 9 days for however much you are willing to pay. So the question is, how much are you willing to pay?
Personally, I will pay $10 USD. Why $10 you ask? Here’s the breakdown of my logic (and be careful, this might get complex), there are 10 tracks on the new record, so I’ll gladly give the band a dollar per track for the right to listen to it on my iPod. Could I legally download it for free? It certainly appears so, but I want to support an act that I’ve enjoyed over the years. So what would you pay for a download of new music from your favorite artist?
Pre-Order In Rainbows Here
Link: Official Site
