pop

A brief visual foray into some likely familiar pop culture.

Part 1


A Chore - Amateur Best REMIX by Tom Vek









Part 2

In May the Beastie Boys came out with a new album, Hot Sauce Committee Part 2. I just got it and I have to say that its a solid Beatie Boys album, maybe even verging on classic. It's rough, raw sounding and manages to incorporate all of the things that made the Beastie Boys first four albums awesome. That said, there is nothing really new here, but that's just fine, as the Beastie Boys have a sweet original style and in the world of garbage pop and rap music, having the Beastie boys stay Beastie is actually pretty fucking great. So we get tracks like Long Burn the Fire styled after Pass the Mic and Jimmy James and Say It high-fiving Sabatoge.

So here is the interesting but mildly disappointing full length video promo starring basically everybody.

Click here if you don't have time for the 30 minute video.

And here is the pretty awesome Spike Jonze directed video for the reggae-tinged lead single Don't Play No Game I Can't Win, featuring Santigold.

(The sound sucks because of some fuck up, but if you live in North America, the B Boys put up a fixed version on their site)

love: side b

This will be the first installment of a pilot mini-series acknowledging the two sides of love. It was semi-initiated back in February as an outlet for my anti-valentines day sentiments. Respectful of the 'magic' of the day I attempted to channel those frustrations into a tasteful critique of the whole institution of love to see if I could get anywhere. Electing the evolutionary stance I found plenty of ammunition, but after chatting with a good friend there was still a gap to be found between an explanation of it's prehistoric existence and the subjective pleasure it brings: grinding the former down its bare bones seems to do nothing to belittle the latter (and this is not even to mention the interpretive problems inherent in an evolutionary critique of this nature). As a result of the explanatory gap, my inability to justify spending days/weeks working on the gap, deep interpretive issues, my desire to not come off as a bitter scrooge, and my respect for the near-global day of subjective 'magic', I decided not to air the piece. So a corresponding playlist of anti-love songs sat dormant until I heard some pro-love songs and thought to run a pilot contrasting the two sides. So here we are, starting with side b, the dark side, my original beef, minus the stuffy controversial editorial. Happy Mothers Day!

Just A Bitter Love- The Dead Rose Music Company by TheDeadRoseMusicCompany

Gladys Knight & The Pips - Taste Of Bitter Love (scratchandsniff re-rub) by scratchandsniff
Here's a low quality live original



Michael McDonald - I Keep Forgettin' (AC Re-Edit) by Andrew Clarke Mediafire Download

Keep Forgetting (Alzheimers Stripped Dub) by TheDeadRoseMusicCompany





Aloe Blacc - Loving you is killing me (Mano le tough remix) by manoletough









Check out the nice International Feel edit


The Classic


The original

fresh cuts

As promised, some fresh edits. Vinyl-only. Please enjoy.


Onur Engin - Square Edits Vol. 3 [buy]




Nocturnal Edits - Love Explosion / Southern Nights [buy]




DC La Rue - Reworks Vol. 3 [buy]

Do You Want The Real Thing (Richard Sen & Cazbee Edit) by DC Reworks

I Don't Want To Lose You (Jacques Renault Edit) by DC Reworks




Post-Script: Summer in the City extras

The Original


Nightmares on Wax version


B.B. King version


Joe Cocker version

The famous Pharcyde track

Peter Visti Edit

edits vol. ?

Got a bunch of edits for you today - one is new (Lonely Heart), the rest are long overdue. A bag of fresh cuts will be along shortly.


FAM007 A1 How We Walk on the Moon by Young Edits // Youth


[1983] Yes - owner of lonely heart (Disco Syndicate's no owner edit) by Disco Syndicate


Christopher Cross- Ride Like The Wind (SMQEdit) by SleazyMcQueen


Barbara Keith - All Along the Watchtower (Rayko edit)



Mary Jane Girls - All Night Long - the 'Not At My Age' re-edit by Ed Zone


...And here's a nice Kay BC-approved Captain Beefheart edit for good measure - Observatory Crest (Fear of Theydon's Indian Summer Dub) . Godspeed you Kay BC!!

unfocus

As this blog is somewhat of a superfluous appendage to my life it is in prime position to be neglected. I apologize that it is not living up to its own promise of seeming to have more than mere appendage status in the life of the author. I suppose this asymmetry may be explained by the tension between the blogs original intent - being a casual experimental record book - and its potential future. Nevertheless, rest assured that regardless of its direction or history, it still exists and is in motion.

With apologies and excuses now out of the way, some words about expectations are in order. As I consider ideas for version 2.0 I keep returning to roughly the same format, modified only by the addition of more reality - meaning more personal anecdotes, politics and philosophy. This will take us into topics and ideas that exist outside the music world, as the outside world looks like it needs some serious attention right now. However, there is alot of music that speaks to that concern and I will try to collect the best of it here, perhaps as a new series. The blog will still remain a music blog at base though because the hard parts of reality can only be cogently handled when music is nearby, organized and ready.

So it could happen that other authors will contribute at times or that a podcast and/or interview series may emerge. I hope so and will try to make it so. But for now finishing my undergrad has got me pretty tied up so things are sluggish on the blog front. Yet I will still make time to post - kinda haphazardly - a bunch of stuff that I have been meaning to for months as well as a few new things (album review from you know who) and maybe even a few tardy end-of-year lists.

Lastly, I will be routinely encouraging feedback and comments from you, for shyness behind a veil of anonymity simply will not fly in 2.0.

Ok. That's all for now.

Hugs,
Ryan


Odetta - Hit or Miss

This track famously appeared in DJ Shadow and Cut Chemists' Brainfreeze live mix in 1999 (thanks Andrew ;) Download the track or mix









RIP Odetta (1930 - 2008)

(taken from the Bob Dylan documentary 'No Direction Home')

change

If not now, when?



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