Dizzee
Hello friends, Gonzo here. You may remember me from other blogs such as Gonzo’s Music-O-Rama. Pete has generously invited me to chime in on Ick Music when the mood strikes, and today we have the first of such posts.
Over the holidays this past year, I got to visit with a friend of mine from high school that I hadn’t seen in years. We were in a few bands together, and we are equally geeky about music, but he never ceases to enlighten me to things that miss my radar. I asked him what he’d been listening to, and he said “Grime.” I didn’t know what the hell he was talking about. I asked him to send me a lists of artists to check out, which he never did (he’s quite an elusive fellow). At any rate, it’s something I’ve tried to explore a bit on my own.
I’d heard the name Dizzee Rascal thrown around a bit – its not a name one easily forgets. I recently heard his first two albums, and was curious when I heard that the third, Maths and English would drop in early June. Getting my grubby little paws on it, the album has been in heavy rotation. The rhythmic structure of the songs is interesting and also refreshing in light of the corporate rap music that has dominated the charts for so long. The album is definitely in the running for my top picks of 2007 thus far. I highly recommend checking it out.
Here’s one of my favorite tracks from the album, “Bubbles.”
Have a good week all, I’ll be back soon.
Dizzee on MySpace
Dizzee’s Official SiteCheck out Maths + English on
.What the Kids Are Listening to: Plain White T’s
Okay, so I’m 36 years old, not ancient by any means, but what I am realizing is how increasingly disconnected I am with the current popular music scene. So I’m inspired to start a new Sunday series called “What the Kids are Listening To”, a chance for us, the disconnected ones, to take a look and listen to what’s on the kiddies’ iPods. I’ll pick one out of the top 5 and we’ll all watch the video and comment. Be as nice or un-nice as you please (example, Jen from my recent Rihanna video post felt this way: “This song makes me want to dig out my eardrums with a fork.”)
Here’s this week’s chart:
I announced my affection for Rihanna and her sexy umbrella a couple of weeks ago, so tonight I pick the only non-R&B / hip-hop tune of the bunch, which is “Hey There Delilah”, a song by the Plain White T’s. It’s sentimental, catchy, acoustic pop. And you know what? Not bad! My first thought upon hearing it was that it wouldn’t sound out of place on an Old 97’s record. It has that mellow Rhett Miller vibe for sho’. Sure, it’s as sappy as a maple tree, but I’ll take it any day over “Party Like a Rock Star” or “Buy You a Drank”.
Check out the Plain White T’s album, Every Second Counts.
Ickmusic Live: Parliament Funkadelic, 1978
A trip back to 1978, when I was all of 8 years old, buried in the snow of a northern Minnesota winter. Across the pond, George Clinton and his traveling troupe of funkateers were most likely highly enjoying themselves in Amsterdam, taking in the sights, and – no doubt – taking in all the town had to offer.
Parliament Funkadelic
December 8, 1978
Jaap Eden Halle, Amsterdam, Holland
aka Afrolicious & the Electric Pussy1. Intro
2. Cholly (Funk Gettin’ Ready To Roll)
3. Give Up The Funk (Tear The Roof Off The Sucka)
4. Night Of The Thumpasaurus Peoples
5. James Wesley Jackson Monologue
6. Standing On The Verge Of Gettin’ It On
7. Mothership Connection
8. Flashlight
9. One Nation Under A GrooveLos Lobos – Be Still
A majestic Los Lobos tune. One of those songs where I picture the singer (David Hidalgo in this case) standing atop a high hill, tall green meadow grasses all around, looking over the Pacific Ocean sunset. Love the way the intro transitions into the great lyrics. Inspiring…
Los Lobos – “Be Still” from this amazing box set: El Cancionero: Mas y Mas
Be Still
(David Hidalgo/Louie Pérez)Let the calm, calm blue waters through
Wash your soul, passing right through you
Like the smallest rose out of the hardest ground
Like a tiny hand reaching up for the sun.
Let us pray that our hearts are one
The toughest love is the strongest one
Like a crippled man fights his bitter pain
On two tired legs that hope to walk once again
Stay gold and be still.As we grow, a river flows
Through our hearts
Finding peace wherev’r it may goLet the pure, pure blue waters through
Don’t let the wind take ’em away from you,
like the littlest star shines in the darkest night
Like a mother’s egg brings in a new life
Stay gold and be still
Pray that we all can stay gold and be still.Prince’s Future Baby Mama
Heard recently on an Atlanta radio station, and streaming on Prince’s site, it’s a hot new smooove jam from his forthcoming ‘Planet Earth’ CD, out on July 24th…Could you be P’s “Future Baby Mama”?
Larry King’s Awkard Paul & Ringo Interview
To watch Larry King make an arse out of himself interviewing Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, go over to Krup’s I’m Just Sayin’ for full video coverage. Priceless…
Example: After asking Paul the question: “Where were you when John passed?”, Larry looks over to Ringo and asks: “George, where were you?”
My Tales of the Old School
Check out Jefitoblog for his Safe for Crackers series, the latest installment submitted by yours truly. Hey, who you callin’ a cracker?
Jefitoblog’s Safe for Crackers: Ickmusic Edition
Compare & Contrast: Goldie and Phish take on Uncle Pen
Bluegrass pioneer Bill Monroe’s “Uncle Pen” has been covered by a multitude of artists, from the Flying Burrito Brothers to Buck Owens. But had you any idea, dear reader, that fair-haired 70’s hottie Goldie Hawn sang it on her 1972 debut album? Goldie covered Dylan, Van Morrison, and Joni Mitchell on the album, among others. And she sweetly sung this Monroe classic.
Also taking on “Uncle Pen” quite frequently throughout their history was Phish. I haven’t really touched on my fondness for Phish over the brief 2.5 year history of Ickmusic, but they’ll always rank up there as a favorite. During my four years at Colorado College (88-92), they dropped in 3 times: an Earth Day ’90 afternoon show with Pike’s Peak in the background, and two killer Halloween shows in ’90 and ’91 (I was dressed as Josey Wales one year, and I completely forget the other – imagine that).
So I had a unique introduction to the boys from Phish. Over the 90’s I got to see them a bunch of times here in Arizona, Vegas, Alpine Valley, Wisc., and at Shepherds Bush Empire in London. So allow me to get a little – *sniff sniff* – nostalgic as I listen to Mike Gordon sing “Uncle Pen” as Trey plays the fiddle part with his guitar at breakneck speed.
Talib Kweli’s Hot Thing
Talib Kweli has a new album coming soon on Warner Bros. records called Eardrum. In the late 90’s Talib and Mos Def paired up as Black Star. Since then, he’s released a number of solo albums and mixtapes.
Here’s a sneak peek at a new one from Eardrum, produced by the ubiquitous Will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas. I have to admit that what drew me to the tune initially was to see if Prince’s “Hot Thing” played any sort of part in it (Will.i.am being a big Prince fan). No Prince samples, but still a nice laid back fuh-low.
Talib Kweli – Hot Thing
Talib’s Official Site
Oh No! Oh My! – Drink up the Party Punch
More new music coming your way. This song by Austin band Oh No! Oh My! qualifies as a perfectly fine summer song. Their tunes, according to their MySpace write up, are “chocked full of sunshine, wit and feel good energy, which translates into lively, interactive performances that will get your head bobbing and hands clapping.”
Oh No! Oh My! –
The Party Punch(mp3) – from the upcoming EP, Between the Devil and the Sea; check out their previous release on.
Check out their Official Site and their MySpace.
