Peculiar Places: E. Strange’s Most-Loved Virtual Haunts.
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As an audiophile and blogster I have come to appreciate the spots and shops on the interweb that have gained my loyalty by making my jaw drop and my record collection green with envy.
1. Wax Poetics
Okay, W.P. is also a dope magazine but the site is also a great place to roam. This place hipped me to Betty Davis, Pharoah Sanders and so many other obscure, forgotten or barely known musicians. The best thing about this places is that they span such a breadth of eras and genres that you can’t bored, you can only get exhaust by all the giddyness. The photo art is amazing and robust, the articles are written with patience and great attentiveness. Expand the depths of your music knowledge and start here to connect some of the dots.
2. Dusty Groove America
Vinyl vultures, try contain yourselves – it’s only a record wonderland. You can find your heart’s desire or gain a brand new lust sorting through the different types of music. They even have a bargain bin for those of us on a budget, you know? You can get Blue Magic, Stax Greatest Hits and Harleigh Cole for less than six dollars.
3. Mixtape Riot
Formerly Via Captain’s Crate, the crew decided to move all the jams over to Mixtape Riot. They have the hippest tracks, the coolest gems and the most happening videos. Go there – often.
Free track from Wale’s new Album!
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Over the last few years Wale has released three mixtapes and today his full album Attention Deficit is dropping today. I think Wale’s all right; I dug his song with Lady Gaga and I think he is pretty creative. Kinda flashy. I guess time will tell how long he’ll be around.
This song features Somalian MC K’naan and was produced by TV On the Radio’s Dave Sitek. Enjoy this new track!
“Tv In the Radio” – Wale featuring K’naan
Get It While It’s Hot.
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Check your pocketbooks – some cool albums are being released in the next couple weeks that you might want to try listening to.
MYSPACE | POLYVINYL RECORD CO.
“Suzanne“ - Asobi Seksu from Rewolf
Asobi Seksu means “playful sex” in colloquial Japanese and it’s also the name of a boy-girl duet on indie label Polyvinyl Record Co. Polyvinyl’s been around for awhile and can boast about once being home to artists like Braid, Rainer Maria, Owen, Cap’n Jazz and currently hosting bands Aloha, Architecture in Helsinki, Joan of Arc, of Montreal and 31 Knots.
The duo is made up of James Hanna on guitar and vocals and Yuki Chikudate on keyboards and vocals. They make songs with soft textures and delicate vocals. “Suzanne” is a track from their forthcoming album Rewolf coming out on November 10th. It is a dreamy lullabye of a track with wavering flutes, tinkering chimes and almost whispery vocals.
Listen to clips from the album at Juno Records
Killer Funk Disco Allstars are a mystery to me. There are no bios, no discographies, no pictures of the band, no videos. All that’s here is this funky, rocking 12″ being released on November 16th with four tracks. “Going Back to My Boots [Because I Can't Find My Shoes]” is a Diana Ross meets Kool and the Gang jam with ahh-ing background vocals. “Indecision [I Used To Be Decisive, But Now I'm Not So Sure]” sounds like an early Aretha Franklin groove. The other two tracks are equally as jamming. The collection is definitely worth checking out.
Buddy Miles was not only just a great drummer, he was Jimi Hendrix’s drummer – that makes him at least two times as awesome in my book. He also played with other classic acts like the Delfonics, Wilson Pickett, Ruby & the Romantics and the Ink Spots. He released some of his own records starting with 1968’s Expressway to Your Skull, A Message to the People and All the Faces of Buddy Miles which is being re-released on November 10th by Wounded Bird Records.
Also dropping on November 10th, 2009:
Wale, The Cribs, Mastedon, Echo & the Bunnymen and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club.
Short Shots!
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- Charlotte Gainsbourg has released another single from the album IRM which was produced and mixed by Beck – he also wrote all of the music and co-wrote the lyrics. “Heaven Can Wait” is Gainsbourg/Beck duet with clunky piano, simple percussion and nude vocals. It sounds like a song for a train scene in a movie. Click here to listen to “IRM” the first single – it’s a moody, angular song that was inspired by Charlotte’s medical experience with MRI scans after she found out she had a brain hemorrhage. The lyrics are interesting.
“Heaven Can Wait” – Charlotte Gainsbourg & Beck
[link]
- The end-of-the-year lists are on their way. On Friday Pitchfork Media dropped their list of 2009’s best Grime/Dubstep/Wonky albums as well as a nice article. The list include names like Skream [refer to past E.Strange post "We All Skream for Dubstep" for a quick reference], Zomby, Desto, Joy Orbison and Darkstar. Read the entire list and article here.
- Awesome! The Pixies are giving away a free download of their October 16th gig over pixiesmusic.com. The Live EP features four tracks from their infamous album Doolittle including “Dancing the Manta Ray”, “Monkey Gone to Heaven”, “Crackity Jones” and “Gouge Away.” If you missed their performance on the Conan O’Brien show, you can check it out below. Kim Deal sounds really cute.
“Here Comes Your Man” [live] – The Pixies
[link]
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Lastly: check out Grizzly Bear’s weird clay video. Dig it!
“Ready, Able” – Grizzly Bear
[link]
Have You Heard of Jaqee?
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If you haven’t, I guarantee you will be hearing and seeing a lot more of her pretty soon. Jaqee is a Ugandan-born singer and songwriter who later immigrated to the city of Gothenburg in Sweden. Her debut album Blaqalixious was released under nearly everyone’s in the States radars in 2005, but gained attention from her Swedish contemporaries. She released three more albums over the next few years. With her first two albums she recieved Swedish Grammy nominations and several Swede television appearances which helped make her a bit of a European star.
JAQEE.COM | JAQEE MYSPACE | ROOTDOWN RECORDS
“Kokoo Girl” – Jaqee
She paired up with Germany’s “Best Reggae Producer” [says Riddim Magazine] TEKA to create her fourth release Kokoo Girl. Recorded in Germany, it dropped on Rootdown Records in June of this year and has started to make waves with new listeners. The first single is also named “Kokoo Girl” and is an upbeat, dancehall pop track complete with horns, moseying riddims, harmonizing background vocals and swooning front vocals. Her voice is slick and comes out with ease. Plus, she seems laidback, genuine and quirky which I think is really cool.
Check out this video of her talking about her album and make sure you keep your eyes up and ears open for more tracks.
[link]
Yr Hip Halloween Haunts -
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Going out for Halloween? Check out some of these live performances if you can…
SAN FRANCISCO:
NEW YORK:
CHICAGO:
Myspace Mondays: Suzi Analogue.
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I hear from a lot of different artists on Myspace. Sometimes [just sometimes] their music is great, but most of the time it’s quite terrible. I’ve been mulling it over in my head and I’ve decided that I’d like to spotlight some of the singers, songwriters, producers and musicians that I enjoy.
So, I’d like to introduce Suzi Analogue, my latest Myspace discovery. The self-proclaimed Brown Girl Wonder describes herself as a singer [she's a soprano], songwriter and soul slanger.
Go listen to some of her tunes.
Etta Brains: The Tao of Wu
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I caught an interview with RZA of Wu Tang fame on the Tavis Smiley show early this afternoon. He talks about his new memoir, The Tao of Wu, Wu Tang, religion and his life. You can watch some video of it here on the PBS site.
I can’t wait to read it. Has anyone read it yet?
Friday Favorites!
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Best tracks:
Karen O and The Kids
“Capsize” [Imeem]
This track is from the “Where the Wild Things Are” soundtrack and is probably my favorite song on the album. I love how angular Karen O’s vocals sound over all the lush layers of fuzzy chimes, acoustic guitars, handclaps, tambourines and bass drums. Let it sink in.
The Cinematic Orchestra
Music for a stuttering dream sequence.
Nosaj Thing
“Quest“
A song for the other side of the mirror with some groove to it. A lullabye with snap that could’ve been on the Edward Scissorhands soundtrack if it had been produced by Flying Lotus. Much too short.
Better Than the Rest?
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I stumbled upon this group on accident and proceeded with caution. I love Afro-beat, Afro-rock, etc but I’ve mentioned before my feelings towards the minimal range and uniformity of sound in some of the compilations and newer albums I’ve heard. However, these three men have combined modern electronic sounds and some thumping beats to create a fresh world music interpretation that even the most narrow listener can give a chance.
Julia – The Very Best
The Very Best is Malawi-born vocalist Esau Mwamwaya paired with the French and Swedish duo Radioclit. This is my favorite track from their album, The Warm Heart of Africa. Fairly minimal but still awesome, it opens with a sick synth loop that snakes it ways throughout the chorus, adds in a compressed snare and then layers in the vocals. It’s a great song to start with to ease yourself into the rest of the album.
Also, check out the Javelin Re-Do of “Julia” on the Etta Strange Imeem playlist.
