• Electronic

    MIT ist aus Deutschland

    Did I get that right?

    MIT! No, not the Mass. Institute of Technology or our favorite Mormon former Mass. governor (*cough* *wheeze*), but a trio of electro-heads from Cologne, Germany (my ancestral homeland, by the way).

    I don’t listen to a whole lot from the realm of dance/trance/electronic/techno (besides Groove Salad when I’m reading), but I do enjoy it when I hear it.

    Something about these “Rauch” versions appealed to me when they hit my inbox. I like the vibe. Especially the Luke Abbott remix.

    Ich hoffe es gefällt euch (courtesy of Google Translate, I hope I ‘m not saying “I wear a crotchless leopard skin thong.” Not that there’s anything wrong with that.)

    MIT Rauch (mp3)

    Rauch (Luke Abbott Remix) [mp3]

    Rauch (Coma Remix) [mp3]

    MIT’s Official Site | MySpace

    → BUY MIT’s debut album, Coda.

  • Folk,  Rock n' Folk,  Soul

    Northern Exposure: The Duhks

    I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for The Duhks.

    Hailing from Winnipeg, Manitoba, The Duhks (pronounced like “ducks”) blend the unlikely bedfellows of traditional Celtic, Zydeco, Bluegrass, Soul and some Brazilian Samba into what they classify as “Roots, Worldbeat, Soul.” I sat down with their forthcoming release Fast Paced World (available August 19th) and was immediately drawn in by the scathing social commentary of the title track and the gypsy flavored instrumental detours of “Adam’s 3-Step” (complete with the crackling fire to lend to the atmosphere) and “Ship High in Transit”. The enchanting “Toujours Vouloir” (which translates to “To Always Want”) is completely engaging despite my not being able to understand the words as is the jazzy “Sleepin’ Is All I Wanna Do (Stars on a Sunny Day)”. For a taste of the mélange that is The Duhks check out “This Fall” below.

    The DuhksThis Fall (MP3)

    Pre-Order Fast Paced World: MerchLackey | Amazon

    Links: Official Site | on Last.fm | on MySpace

    The Duhks will be heading out and hitting the Folk Festivals as well as some solo dates that are listed after the jump.

  • Rock,  Video

    Hittin’ the Road: Jason Mraz

    Dial Down the Mraz.

    Singer-Songwriter Jason Mraz recently announced the second US leg of his tour behind the brilliant We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. I’ve made no secret of just how much I enjoy the lyrical gymnastics of Mr. A-Z and have already secured tickets for the Radio City Hall date in October. To whet your appetite, here’s the official “unofficial” video for the track “Make it Mine”

    [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAVZcxf1w00]

    Buy We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things: Amazon | iTunes

    Links: Official Site | on Last.fm | on MySpace

    Tour dates after the jump.

  • Jazz,  Latin

    Tjader’s Cuban Fantasy

    Here’s some mokin’ hot latin jazz from a virtuoso of the vibes, Cal Tjader. I wasn’t familiar with Tjader until I heard his live Cuban Fantasy album sometime last year, but the man was a vital component of the Bay Area jazz scene in the 50’s and 60’s, starting out in the Dave Brubeck Octet.

    Hooking up with George Shearing’s popular quintet in the early 50’s, coupled with the mambo craze of that time, turned Tjader on to the Latin jazz sound, which he would perform straight through to his death in 1982. Carlos Santana counts Tjader as one of his biggest influences.

    I’m no jazz aficionado, but this album, like I said, smokes. Here’s a hot one…

    Cal TjaderGuachi Guara (mp3)

    [audio:guachi.mp3]

    Buy Cuban Fantasy

    Cal Tjader’s AllMusic profile.

  • Folk,  Rock

    Bob Dylan’s New Bootlegs, “Dreamin’ of You” mpfree

    Dylan fans, mark October 7th on your music calendar. The latest installment of Dylan’s Bootleg series will be released on that Tuesday. This one (the 8th in the series) is full of unreleased and alternate tracks from some of his greatest albums over the last couple of decades: Time Out of Mind , “Love and Theft”, Modern Times, and Oh Mercy.

    A revamped Dylan web site also launches today, and they’re offering up a full mp3 of one of the unreleased songs: “Dreamin’ of You”. It was produced by the great Daniel Lanois for 1997’s Time Out of Mind (a personal favorite).

    Be sure to check out the Dylan Geo section, a super groovy interactive tool that lets you click around the globe to see where and when Dylan has played throughout the years. 

    Bob DylanDreamin’ of You (30 seconds of streamin’)

    → Go to BobDylan.com to download the full mp3.

    See the track listing for the 3-cd Tell Tale Signs after the jump…

  • Funk,  R&B

    The DIY site is a week old and it’s waiting for YOU

    At one week old, Ickmusic DIY is off to a great start. We have a Cristina post with some mp3’s, a Grace Jones video that will terrify your kids, links to brand new Pretenders tracks, and a look at Barack Obama’s iPod.

    I encourage anyone with a passion for music to sign up and contribute! I’ve already learned a lot already,  just a few posts in. So go on over and check it out.

    Go on and do it, do it, do it ’til you’re satisfied – whatever it is…

    B.T. Express Do It Til You’re Satisfied (mp3)

    [audio:doit-bt.mp3]

    Buy The Best of B.T. Express

  • Pop,  Prince,  Rock

    New Wendy & Lisa: Balloon

    Prince may have dropped Wendy & Lisa from the band back in the 80’s, but the ladies certainly never hung it up and called it a day. They’ve released a number of well received albums over the years, and contributed to film and television scores (e.g. Heroes).

    Late this week, Wendy & Lisa announced a new album, White Flags of Winter Chimneys. Along with the news comes the lead track available for download on their website and their MySpace. The song is called “Balloon”, an atmospheric, gently haunting tune. Check out the stream here, then go over to W&L’s place to download.

    Wendy & Lisa – “Balloon”

    Wendy & Lisa Links: Official Site | MySpace

  • Hip Hop,  Old School,  Video

    Public Enemy at Pitchfork’s Festival

    In the annals of classic hip-hop, last week’s Public Enemy show at the Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago has to go down in the books as Historic.

    Chuck D., Flava Flav and the boys performed their classic, It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back, in its entirety.

    Here’s “Rebel Without a Pause”…

    I saw P.E. perform “Rebel” 20 years ago at a concert in Milwaukee with LL Cool J and Whodini (and..?) – long before the hipsters grabbed hold of “It Takes a Nation…” Aren’t I awesome?

  • Friday Five

    Ickmusic’s Friday Five: July 25, 2008

    Come See the Softer Side of Shuffle.

    This week it’s time to “Question the Answers” on the Friday Five with the following playlist…

    Match ANY of the following conditions

    NAME contains Who
    NAME contains What
    NAME contains Where
    NAME contains When
    NAME contains Why
    NAME contains How

    As we continue “The Theme Days of Summer” I’m calling this in as I do some chores around the house.

    For those who have not joined in the Five, here’s how it works: … I hit the shuffle button on my iTunes and share my five with some words (and the occasional rant) for each track.

    Then it’s your turn! You can play along with the themed playlist or just share the first five of your shuffle, either way the fun is in playing musical voyeur for the day.

    Here are this week’s tracks:

    1. Prince – Whole Lotta Love (from My Band’s Tight!)

    From a 2002 aftershow in Copenhagen, the recordings title says it all. This is as rockin’ a version as I’ve ever heard Led Zeppelin perform. This is a classic aftershow and is well worth seeking out.

    2. Grant GreenSo What (MP3) (from Sunday Mornin’)

    From Prince covering Led Zeppelin to the criminally underrated Grant Green covering Miles Davis it would appear that the shuffle is doing a little theme of its own. While not the household name that his contemporaries Wes Montgomery and Charlie Parker became, Grant Green had a swing and groove that was all his own. Sunday Mornin’ is his ‘Gospel’ record, showcasing the brilliant tone and bop that he possessed. The record is out of print, so here’s the track for ya’ll to groove to.

    3. Def Leppard – No Matter What (from Rock of Ages: The Definitive Collection)

    If I were a betting man, I would not have guessed but the third track up on the shuffle would be another cover, this time its Sheffield’s favorite son’s Def Leppard covering the Badfinger classic “No Matter What”. This kicked off a record (the peculiarly titled Yeah!) that I did not care much for. Let’s move on.

    4. DJ Shadow – What Does Your Soul Look Like, Part 1: Blue Sky Revisit / Transmission 3 (from Endtroducing…)

    If you had asked me what my favorite record was in 1997 the record that would immediately spring to mind is Entroducing…. Culled from a record collection so deep it knows no bounds the record was later cited in Guinness World Records as being the first album created entirely from sampled sources. This is a brilliant record that came out at just the right time.

    5. The Afghan Whigs – What Jail is Like (from Gentlemen)

    Speaking of brilliant records, Gentlemen is a record that has stood the test of time. I can listen to this record twenty times in a month and it still inspires and sounds brand new.

    So what’s answering your questions?