• Christmas,  Indie

    Happy Merry Christmas Funtime

    For a light-hearted approach to Christmas music, we have to return to Grandaddy, with their Christmas classic, “Alan Parsons in a Winter Wonderland.” Here’s an excerpt:

    in the meadow we can build a snowman
    and pretend that he is Alan Parsons
    he’ll say have you listened to my new band
    we’ll say no but we really like that one song
    it goes ‘time keeps flowing like a river’

    This song was part of a 2000 Christmas compilation released only in the UK: It’s a Cool Cool Christmas. Man, I love these guys.

    Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, etc. to everybody!

  • Hip Hop

    X Rated

    Another I-guess-you-would-call-it old school gem from 1990 from the boys in X-Clan, found on their album “To the East…Blackwards”, this isn’t your run of the mill late 80’s, early 90’s gangsta or Hammer or Ice Ice baby-type fare. This is Afrocentric, 5 percenter, listen to the knowledge I’m droppin’-type stuff, with great samples backing the tracks. On Funkin’ Lesson, they use 2 Funkadelic classics: “Not Just (Knee Deep)”, and “One Nation Under a Groove”.
    Turn this one up, play it loud, play it proud…

    Buy this Album Here

    Teachin’ those actors and actresses,
    Who write a couple of lines on what black is, really?
    Then they label me a sin,
    Cause a brother just speaks from within,
    I guess I’m darker than the shadow of the darkest alley, that they always
    scared to go in,
    Boo!
    I wear boots and beads, bags and braids, stick and scrolls, rings and shades,
    Walk in the light of the moon, but I’ve never been a Batman,
    African call it Blackman,.

  • Rock

    I’ll be your sure thing…

    Here’s a 2-minute pop masterpiece by a band out of south Philadelphia who call themselves Marah. They caught my attention a few years ago when they released Kids in Philly, an album chock full of powerful lyrics and imagery, and bare bones rock n roll. They sort of went off the deep end with their next release (Float Away with the Friday Night Gods), but holy $#%@#, they are back this year with 20,000 Streets Under the Sky, one of my favorite albums of 2004 (Yeah, I’m 34 years old, and I will call them albums for the rest of my life!).

  • Indie

    It’s Grandaddy Time

    Want to put a little charge in your day? Listen to Grandaddy‘s version of “Best of All Possible Worlds.” It was written by Kris Kristofferson and released on his debut album back in 1970.

    If you haven’t heard of Grandaddy, I’ll be posting some more of their stuff soon. “Solar powered space pop” is how their All Music bio starts. This song is a pretty straight-ahead country rocker that’ll put a smile and sneer on your face. Enjoy. Oh and of course, see Grandaddy’s site here.

  • Hip Hop,  Old School

    Goin Way Way Back

    Reminiscing about back in the mid 80’s when I was a naive little white boy coming of age. I’d listen to the nightly “hot mix” on WLUM (Milwaukee), where I was introduced to some very cool music. Like this hot little number from Man Parrish w/ the Freeze Force Crew. Granted, I was a spoiled little white boy living comfortably in suburbia, but this is the music I grew up with… livin’ hard on the mean streets of Racine baby!

    Cool Johnski from the Freeze Force Crew
    I came here to say a def rhyme for you
    About the Boogie Down Bronx, it’s a one of a kind
    It’s the place to be; it’s a state of mind
    But the guys out here, they really are crookin’
    They snatch gold chains when the cops ain’t lookin’
    But what can I say? It’s the place to be
    It’s where I stay in reality
    So listen close and you all will hear
    About the devastatin’ body rocker of the year

    Man Parrish – Boogie Down Bronx – buy the single on the Official Site

  • Indie

    It’s Worth a Try

    Well, let’s have a go at it, shall we? As I immerse myself more and more into the endless world of internet blogs (music blogs in particular), I find myself itching to join the game. This is going to be trial and error, but I think it’s worth a shot. I am creating IckMusic out of my pure and unadulterated, compulsive and passionate love of music. I love traveling from blog to blog and discovering tunes, and reading other’s interpretations of songs, and, though I am by no means as eloquent as those I’ve seen, I figure it’s time for me to try. So, from my little corner of the world outside of Phoenix, Arizona, here you go…

    Let me cut to the chase and put something out there. I just saw Calexico open for Wilco a few weeks ago, and was very impressed. Trumpets, a stand-up bass player, pedal steel, guitars… I’ve heard them referred to as Spaghetti Southwestern. Very cool stuff. From Tucson, Arizona, I give you… Calexico.

    Calexico’s Web Site