Yo Gabba Gabba!

If you haven't checked out the show Yo Gabba Gabba! yet, borrow one of your friends' or relatives' kids so you have an excuse (if you need one) and check it out post-haste. You can catch it on Nick Jr. or the Noggin network. It's hosted by DJ Lance Rock (that's him in the orange suit and furry hat holding the boom box) and includes his pals Muno (the red cyclops), Foofa (the pink flower bubble), Brobee (described only as "the little green one"), Toodee (the blue cat-dragon) and Plex (the yellow robot), all pictured above.

While targeted toward the wee-little ones, this show is seriously beyond off the wall! At points you have to question what sort of illegal substances the creators were taking while thinking up some of this stuff. Even my four year old daughter can sense that there's something not quite right with the show...but that hardly detracts from enjoying it! Although only around since last year, in its two seasons it's featured an impressive array of guests including Leslie Hall, The Shins, The Aggrolites, Cornelius, Biz Markie, Shiny Toy Guns, Supernova, Mark Mothersbaugh, Rahzel, The Postmarks, Sugarland, Tony Hawk, Low, Laila Ali, Elijah Wood, Mýa, and The Salteens.

Just in time for Christmas, a soundtrack from the first two seasons has been released, and includes The Ting Tings, Biz Markie, The Salteens, The Roots, The Equabats, Mark Kozelek, all well as tracks featuring DJ Lance Rock and the Yo Gabba Gabba crew. All of the tracks are less than two and a half minutes, with most coming in at less than two, so the album flies by, and is good for listening to when you want to listen to some just plain fun music. Below are a couple tracks to prove to you that you don't have to be four to enjoy them. The first, Party In My Tummy, has to be the absolute best track on the album, and the video is a must watch, too. The second track features Biz Markie, who appears as a regular feature with Biz's Beat of the Day in which he teaches you how to beatbox. Listen, enjoy, and wish you were a wee-one again.

Yo Gabba Gabba! - Party In My Tummy : Yo Gabba Gabba!
(watch the video)

Biz Markie - Biz's Beat Of The Day : Yo Gabba Gabba!
(watch the video)

Visit the official Yo Gabba Gabba! website.

Christmas Wishlist - the Coosh

Over the last few weeks I've tried to help you fill up your Christmas wishlist to try and cut down on the tube-socks and candles that you get as presents. As avid music lovers, what can be more of a necessity (other than the music I guess), than a pair of headphones? That being said, I got sent a pair a little while ago to test out that are kind of trick from a company called Coosh. They're brand new this year, and put together a couple neat features. First off, they have silicone "earings" (that are detachable) that loop over your ear to make sure the buds stay in your ears and don't hop out on you. In fact, the buds are made of silicone, too, which feels a little nicer in your ear. They've also got an inline volume adjuster and a right angle input jack.

The company has put together a clever little marketing ploy by putting together the full length documentary, The Way of the Bboy, a "a 100% indie documentary and instruction video all-in-one, featuring the Massive Monkees Bboy crew as well as interviews of hip-hop’s forefathers (Michael Holman, Grandmaster Caz, LilLep and more) explaining how the Bboy movement came to be and how it is still one of the 4 pillars of Hip-Hop." The connection? Coosh claims their headphones are so secure that even Bboys can wear them while busting out their moves and not have to worry about losing the music. Check out a teaser on it below:



While not the best sounding head phones I've ever put into my ears, they do a surprisingly good job considering their price ($20 on their website - not sure what you can find them for in the stores). They also have a phone version available. If you want to order them, you can enter COOSH2008 into the discount code box at checkout and receive free shipping and handling (not sure for how long though).

Visit the Coosh Website.

Soul Men

The first news I heard about the recently released movie Soul Men was when a copy of the soundtrack showed up in my mailbox as a surprise package. I haven't seen it yet (I don't get to the theaters all that often), but from what I've read it seems like a re-make of the Blues Brothers storyline to a certain extent. Members of an old soul band decide to reunite, with the touble being that they don't really like each other anymore. While it's gotten some consistently luke-warm reviews, I'll probably end of renting it at the very least when it comes out on DVD. From the sounds of it though, the soundtrack surpasses the movie.

I'll say straight out that when I looked at the track listing of the soundtrack for the movie, I had some serious doubts about the movie's co-stars Bernie Mac and Samuel L. Jackson singing some seriously classic Soul cuts. Of the twelve songs on the album, three include the pair singing alongside John Legend (on the Spooner Oldham / Don Penn track I'm Your Puppet, first sung by Sam & Dave), Sharon Leal (an actress form the film on the album closer, the Isaac Hayes cut Do Your Thing), as well as just the pair (on Rufus Thomas' Boogie Ain't Nuttin' (But Gettin' Down)). Other artists contributing to the effort include Anthony Hamilton, Meshell Ndegeocello, and the late Isaac Hayes, as well as Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings and the Sugarman 3 representing for Daptone Records.

The album's on the semi-recently reborn Stax label, and as a result features some classic Stax cuts from the 60's and 70's covered by the above mentioned artists as well as two originals: Eddie Floyd's I've Never Found a Girl (To Love Me Like You Do) and a remix of Isaac Hayes' Never Can Say Goodbye that feels just as authentic as the original. You'd think they'd be playing with fire covering classics, but the album feels completely true to the period, even, I dare say, the songs by Mac and Jackson. You actually have to listen to be able to pick out the fact that the two actors are singing!

Here's the trailer for the movie:





And here are a couple cuts from the album for you to listen to and enjoy, as well as some older versions below. All together, this soundtrack does a nice job of collecting some new (but very authentic sounding) versions of less than common soul classics.

John Legend, Samuel L. Jackson, & Bernie Mac - I'm Your Puppet : Soul Men Soundtrack

Ryan Shaw - Memphis Train : Soul Men Soundtrack

Visit the movie's official website and the soundtrack's label Stax Records.

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Mel & Tim - I'm Your Puppet : Starting All Over Again

Rufus Thomas - The Memphis Train : The Complete Stax-Volt Singles 1959-1968

Meet Mascott

"In my day-to-day life I feel the need for restraint... with these songs, I say what I want to say, create the melodies and guitar parts that are natural for me, and I don't worry about the outcome."

-Kendall Jane Meade, on the creation of Art Project

Every so often I come across an artist that's been around for a while and yet somehow has avoided working their way into my ear. In today's particular case, her name is Kendall Jane Meade, and she's been around for somewhere around fifteen years, both as a member of 90's indie group Juicy and then later setting out on her own under the name Mascott.

You might just want to group Kendall with the countless other female singer/songwriters out there in the world, but you'd be missing something special. To be completely honest, I'm not exactly sure what sets her above her peers, but from the first listen I knew this was going to be an album that I'd return to and enjoy. As you might guess, the focus here is on Kendall's voice, a honeyed sweetness that doesn't get cutesy and sickly on you. Behind her, light instrumentation supports songs about love, its finding and its loss. Although it's been awhile since I've listened to their music, it reminds me of Eisley (who are in the process of putting together their new album supposedly!). And then to seal the deal, the album ends with a cover of June Carter Cash's Wildwood Flower, a heartbreaking song that I just love.

The album is way too short at only nine tracks and goes by incredibly quickly. I've already picked up her last album, Dreamer's Book, and am pretty sure I'll go deeper once I digest that one. I've included a track from it below along with one of my favorites from the new one, Press Play (and Then Repeat). In addition, enjoy this cute little video for Dream Another Dream, another track from the new album.



Dream Another Day - by Mascott from Red Panda Records on Vimeo.

Mascott - Press Play (and Then Repeat) : Art Project

and one from her last album

Mascott - L.O.V.E. : Dreamer's Book

Visit her label Red Panda Records and become her friend on MySpace.

Sunday Soul - The Manhattans

Although there are still quite a few big name soul artists whose music is still listened to and whose legacy has yet to fade, there are many, many more who are being left in dusty history books and whose music is being left behind. For some, who might have released a handful of 45 single, this isn’t so surprising. But for others like The Manhattans, there is simply no reason.

The group, in its original form as a quintet (over its history it’s gone through numerous line-up changes), first came together in 1964. The five members were friends from high school and after serving in various branches of the military they formed the band and signed to Carnival Records. Ever since then, The Manhattans have been making music, although with different members at various points. Forty-four years of musical history. Seems like ample enough reason for them not to be relegated to the bargain bins and forgotten.

In their career, The Manhattans have recorded with four different labels, and Sweet Talking Soul 1965-1990 is the first compilation to gather tracks from these various periods. Presented over the span of three discs, the collection’s thirty five tracks documents their musical evolution from the very beginning. Evolution is the key word here as it was the band’s ability to re-image itself and adapt to changes in musical movements that allowed the group to stay in the charts for three decades. In fact, they were one of the very few bands who were able to survive the fickle tastes of listening America. From early doo-wop / R&B, to the more symphonic smooth Philly soul of the 70’s, to the more modern R&B of the 80’s, the group was able to avoid growing stale while retaining their smooth and sweet trademark harmonies.

Disc one starts at the beginning and includes cuts from 1965 through 1973 which were put out on the Carnival, and later, Deluxe labels. Here is where you’ll find the mix of doo-wop and R&B of early developing soul music. Below is I Wanna Be (Your Everything), one of the group’s first singles and also the first track in the compilation.

Disc two closes out the 70’s and moves into their time at Columbia Records (as well as one last Deluxe straggler put out after the band’s migration). At this point, with the larger label’s support, they moved towards the smooth Philadelphia Sound with lush instrumental backdrops. You'll also pick up a Barry White vibe on some of these cuts. There’s a definite shift audibly visible between this material and the “older” feel of the material on disc one. On this disc you’ll find Kiss and Say Goodbye, a pop and R&B number one hit that the group released in 1976.

Disc three takes the group through the 80’s and ends with I Don’t Stop, from 1990. At the very end of the decade, the group left Columbia and moved to the smaller Valley Vue label, who picked up many homeless classic R&B artists at a time when the market didn’t care so much about legends (Chuck Brown & the Soul Searchers, Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, Johnny "Guitar" Watson, etc…). This final disc opens with Shining Star (absolutely no relation to the Earth, Wind, & Fire song by the same name), their second top ten hit in 1980. Soul aficionados might have trouble moving into these final fifteen tracks, as there is a clear smooth, modern 80’s R&B groove going on here which might be too top 40 radio to digest, but it’s essential when considering the band’s complete development.

There’s a lot of music here for the price, music that you’d have to buy a couple handfuls of albums to compile on your own. Also essential are liner notes outlining the band’s entire history from this long period. I’ve included cuts below from each of the discs to give you a flavor of the band’s evolution. Enjoy the appetizer and then order the whole thing (or add it to your Christmas list) for yourself.


The Manhattans - I Wanna Be (Your Everything) : Sweet Talking Soul 1965-1990 (disc 1)

The Manhattans - Kiss And Say Goodbye : Sweet Talking Soul 1965-1990 (disc 2)

The Manhattans - Let Your Love Come Down : Sweet Talking Soul 1965-1990 (disc 3)

Visit their website, the compilation's label Shout! Factory, and become their friend on MySpace.

The Devil's Music

rock n roll

yea they worship satan
at the after-party backstage
where they torture the animals
that they keep caged
i'm only saying this cuz i love you
i'm only saying this cuz i care
i'm only thinking of you
when i say you should be aware

of the devil's music
those are the devil's songs
it's the devil's music
and you're singing along

Hospital Bombers - The Devil's Music : Footnotes

Visit their website, their label Saved By Radio, and become their friend on MySpace.

Royally Sparked

Compilations can be a tricky animal to tame. If they're well done, they contain a wide range of tracks that span not only artists but also genres. There-in lies their strength and weakness. To be successful, a compilation turns you onto music that you normally wouldn't have picked up on. It takes you a step or two (or three) outside of your comfort zone. That's where you can run into their weakness. The odds of you finding a whole collection of tracks (a diverse collection I should say) that completely flip your lid is about as great as Britney Spears getting her life under control again. The magic trick that compilations play on you is that they turn you on to a few good artists, good enough that you don't mind listening to the rest that aren't your bag.

That being said, Royally Sparked does an admirable job of walking that line. It's sixteen tracks collect songs from eight different artists, only one of which I had heard before (Spiral Beach). I picked two of the artists who I enjoyed best below, but explore the compilation on your own when you can to make your own discoveries.


The first track below comes from The Two Koreas, a band from Toronto. Their track Return To Oslo (the first of two from them on the comp) gives off serious echos of Lou Reed and the Velvet Underground.

The Two Koreas - Return To Oslo : Royally Sparked (from their album Altruists)

Visit their label Unfamiliar Records and become their friend on MySpace.

The other track I'll share comes from Son Of Dave. the son in the name is Benjamin Darvill, formally of Crash Test Dummies. His track, Old Times Were Good Times, rolls with a electric rockabilly blues spirit that reminds me of the The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion.

Son Of Dave - Old Times Were Good Times : Royally Sparked (from his album 03)

Become his friend on MySpace.

Curumin

When it comes to dance music, Brazil seems to be the place to be searching for the next big thing. In the last year or so, it's pumped out some hot albums from CSS, Bonde Do Role, Telepathique, and DJ Dolores. And now, to end the year in style, Curumin is releasing his sophomore effort, Japanpopshow. Curumin is the stage name of Brazilian musician Luciano Nakata Albuquerque, an artist who's been involved with making music since the age of eight.

His style starts in his native Latin sounds of samba and bossa nova (as well as Portugese lyrics for the most part), but heavily incorporates a diverse collection of world influences such as jazz, hip-hop, dub, and afro-beat, leaving the listener wondering what's gonna hit them next. The album opens with the title track, a dark number with an almost spoken word thread running over an Encino Morricone guitar line and bird calls via The Orb. Yea, there's a lot going on there for sure, and that's only the first track. Then you move on to Compacto, a laid back number that will make you picture Curumin strolling along a boardwalk in California strumming a guitar along the way.

The third cut, Kyoto, features Curumin rapping (in Portugese) alongside Blackalicious and Lateed the Turthseeker (in English) over a throw-back hip-hop beat reminiscent of the Fabolous' track Can't Deny It. Then it's on to the trip-hop lo-fi Dancando No Escuro, the thick and heavy technoesque Salto No Vacuo Com Joelhada (resplendent with delicate music box accompanyment), and the more traditional Latin tinged Magrela Fever.

I could honestly go track by track like this, with each having a completely unique flavor. Instead I'll offer Sambito (Totaru Shock) below, a song that starts out as a lo-fi AM radio sounding Latin track that quickly picks up some juice with a retro remix feel. Also below is Cadê O Mocotó? (Essa Coisa), a heavier number from his debut album.

Curumin - Sambito (Totaru Shock) : Japanpopshow

and one from his first album:

Curumin - Cadê O Mocotó? (Essa Coisa) (Featuring Nereu Gargalo) : Achados E Perdidos

Visit his label Quannum Projects and become his friend on MySpace.

Dancer Vs. Politician

Whoever said French is the language of lovers and German a harsh guttural piece of auditory sandpaper obviously never heard Dancer Vs. Politician. Organized by Sanni Baumgaertner, who was originally from Germany but moved to Athens, GA in the late 90's and has popped back and forth since then, the group brings together a collection of Athens musicians backing Sanni up for a enchantingly whimsical ten tracks sung in both English and German.

Contrary to expectations, her voice smothly flows through lyrics, and put together with the instrumental backdrop is a mixture of Belle and Sebastian meets Au Revoir Simone. Besides presenting her voice front and center, Semmi also plays accordion, guitar, and musical saw, which contributes to that flighty summer day feeling. The two tracks below present her lyrics expressed in both languages. The first, Mach Dich Los (which I believe translates to "Take You Off," but probably means something completely different), is the album opener and is sung in German. The second, Justin Fairborn, is delivered in English (meaning you can sing along!) and features some lazy horn work and some catchy hand claps you can participate with as well.

Dancer Vs. Politician - Mach Dich Los : Dancer Vs. Politician

Dancer Vs. Politician - Justin Fairborn : Dancer Vs. Politician

Become their friend on MySpace.

Jay Brannan Live

On Saturday night (which was an incredibly rainy and inhospitable evening), I had the good fortune to check out Jay Brannan play at the Iron Horse Music Hall in Northampton, MA. In case you didn't catch it, I featured Jay in my Sunday Spotlight feature back here in August. His debut album, Goddamned, came out in July, and honestly is one of my favorite albums of 2008. Put it this way, it's the first album in a LONG time that I've memorized (almost) all the words to (or can at least fake it). That being said, if you haven't checked out his music yet, I'd highly recommend it.

Backing up for a second, the night was opened by Gregory Douglass, who quite quickly went through a half a dozen of his songs to start the evening. About two thirds of his songs were performed by him on piano (a real one never-the-less), with the last third having him switch instruments to a guitar. I was completely unfamiliar with his music before this listen, so I can't make all that informed a recommendation for his material. It was enjoyable and certainly worth a try. Visit his MySpace page to explore his music for yourself.

After a short intermission, Jay came on stage to perform. When I reviewed the album I mentioned how intimate it came across. Well, you can imagine how hearing that same material in person felt. He opened with the opening track from his album (and the one he talked about for my Sunday Spotlight feature), Can't Have It All, and it only got better from there. Over the course of the evening, he played some other cuts from the album (including A Death Waltz, Half-Boyfriend, and the title track from the album) on both guitar and piano.

Although thoroughly enjoyable, the evening had a few highlights. After singing Bowlegged & Starving, he briefly and amusingly played a few bars from Joan Osborne's One Of Us. Then, when he played Housewife (one of my favorite tracks on the album) he sung the first verse in French. Having just got back from a short European tour, he had brushed up on his foreign language skills. Check out a video of him singing the complete song in French here on YouTube. He also played an enjoyable cover of Ani DiFranco's Both Hands in the middle of his set, and a couple non album tracks: Body's A Temple (video here) and Soda Shop (video here).

The pair are playing a handful of other dates. Check below for the list.


Jay Brannan - Can't Have It All : Goddamned

Jay Brannan - Soda Shop : Shortbus Original Movie Soundtrack

Visit his website and become his friend on MySpace.

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Remaining Tour Dates

Nov 13 Orlando
Nov 15 Boulder
Nov 17 San Diego
Nov 18 San Francisco
Nov 20 Vancouver
Nov 22 Houston
Nov 23 Austin
Dec 12 New York (sold out)
Dec 14 New York

Hunter S. Thompson MEGA-gift

A few weeks ago I tipped you off to a box set that you might want to add to your Christmas wish-list (the Led Zeppelin Definitive Collection Mini LP Replica Box Set). Well I've got another one for those of you who are literary types: The Gonzo Tapes: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson. Probably most universally famous for his novel Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (after which the movie of the same title was based), Thompson was also known as the creator of "Gonzo journalism", in which the reporter takes an active part in the stories that he or she is investigating and then writes about them subjectively with more focus on creative expression than simply factual accounting.

This box set includes five discs, recorded between 1965 and 1975, that contain Thompson's observations, notes, and musings while out on assignment. He would carry a tape recorder with him and record on tape his thoughts so as not to lose his ideas. This set collects some of those very personal tapes from different periods in his career. Included are his notes from the year he rode with the Hell's Angels, the notes that eventually developed into Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, notes for several articles never published, and finally notes from Saigon, Vietnam just days before its fall in 1975. Put it all together with an accompanying book of information, and here's what it looks like:


Hunter S. Thompson - Guts Ball/ There's Signs Of Group Hysteria : The Gonzo Tapes: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson (Disc 4: Gonzo Gridlock 1973-1974)

Visit the official Hunter S. Thompson website and the set's label Shout! Factory.

Atari 2600 anyone?

Before going any further I'll say straight up that the last gaming system I owned was an Atari 2600. And no, not one of those joysticks that you plug into your TV that has fifty games in it, I mean the actual Atari 2600 where you plugged cartridges into it to play like the one pictured above. Now that that's out of the way, there supposedly is a new first shooter game that will revolutionize the genre named Mirror's Edge.

As is becoming more common now a days, the music in the game is actual music composed and performed by real musicians. In this case, it's Swedish musician Lisa Miskovsky. In conjunction with the release of the game on the 11th is a remix EP featuring the song featured in the game, Still Alive, and five remixed versions. My favorite, the Teddybears mix, features a retro Go-Go's beat with the obligatory remix futuristic elements. Check it out below.

Lisa Miskovsky - Still Alive (Teddybears Mix) : Still Alive (The Theme From Mirror's Edge) - The Remixes

Visit her website, become her friend on MySpace, and visit the game's official website.