Incredibly Dope New Kool Keith "Spectrum"

Rap elder-statesman Kool Keith shows all these young kids how you fucking make a track. "Spectrum" is a space-age knockout from a golden-age god. Check it out, via Grantland.

Frankie Rose "Know Me" Video

If you are like me then Frankie Rose's album Interstellar is at the top of your "Best of 2012" list. The ethereal feel of her work  is coupled beautifully with her knack for penning infectious melodies and her angel-on-acid voice.

Exhibit A: the video for her track "Know Me".


Frankie Rose - "Know Me" from Urban Outfitters on Vimeo.

New Conor Oberst

One of the best songwriters of all time shows he's still got it-- Check Conor Oberst playing two new songs:

Rap Olympics

Hustle Simmons from JAMN 94.5 and other local heads have come together to create the Rap Olympics, a competition to find the best emcees in Boston. The first leg took place on Saturday at Laced, challenging the contestants in a three round format--a written sixteen, a battle and a freestyle. The talent was wide ranging, but the highs were high enough to suck me back in for next weekend. I suggest you follow suit. Check out the details here. 

A$AP Mob and Flatbush Zombies "Bath Salt"

A$AP Mob and Flatbush Zombies have collaborated on a new track called "Bath Salt". These two crews are part of a strong resurgence in the New York scene and I'm glad to see them working together.

Pinback Announce New Record

Pinback's first release since 2007 will be out on October 16, according to Pitchfork. It is titled Information Retrieved and will be distributed through Temporary Residence.

More Rob Crow is a good thing; He Thinks He's People was criminally slept-on last year.

Cam

Keep an eye on this Cam kid.  Hailing from Massachusetts, he and his boys from the One Life clique have some serious talent. I got a chance to listen to his upcoming mixtape (scheduled for release by the end of the year) and there are some bangers on there, including this track with Joe Budden called "My Sentiments". I promise you this isn't even the highlight of the release--that honor goes to the track with the Black Keys sample--but it serves as a warning of things to come; It is a declaration of arrival and a clarion call for all of us to stop sleeping. Stay Drunk.

July Playlist

I threw together a playlist on Youtube of the tracks I've been giving lots of love this month. Enjoy.

New Mountain Goats

The Mountain Goats  new record Transcendental Youth will be available October 2 via Merge Records. They have blessed the world with their first track "Cry for Judas" which you can hear free from soundcloud, or you can cop it over at itunes.

It is worth taking a look at their website , as they offer information about enticing deals on 7"s and other such things. Also, you get to read letters from JD and, honestly, who doesn't like that?

Peep the track:

Boy George, Das Racist Give us Lana Del Rey Covers

Ever wondered what Boy George would sound like covering Lana Del Rey? What about Das Racist doing a remix to "National Anthem"? Well, wait no longer:

Scotty "The Jiffy Cornbread Experience"

Scotty is an emcee hailing from ATL and his new mixtape has him linking up with Lupe Fiasco companion Soundtrakk. It's that laid-back, southern-fried hip-hop that is perfect for riding around on sweaty summer afternoons.

You can stream and/or download it over at Stereogum.

Purity Ring

Purity Ring's LP Shrines dropped today and it is epic. Go buy that shit.

Here is a track from the record if you still need convincing:

A$AP Rocky to Tour with Danny Brown, Schoolboy Q, A$AP Mob

A$AP Rocky will not let a little thing like being arrested arrest his development as an artist. (I...I apologize for that attempt.)

Pitchfork dropped the news that our boy Pretty Flacko will be hitting up a laundry list of venues with fellow blog darlings Danny Brown and Schoolboy Q starting in September. Expect lots of songs about sex and drugs and a hell of a raucous evening--A$AP's show in January is still the best I've seen this year. I highly recommend buying tickets.

Also, LONGLIVEA$AP will be out September 11. I will have no money by the end of September, I swear it; I cannot remember when a month has been this stacked with CD's I will buy/concerts I will attend. 

P.S.-- don't throw shit at the stage or the mob will come at you, bro.

Young Guv + The Scuzz

Ben Cook, a.k.a. Young Guv, is best known for his guitar work with the band Fucked Up. On his new EP A Love Too Strong, Cook diverts from the hardcore aesthetic to create a sterling hybrid of 70's pop rock and early 90's alt with some fellow Canadian musicians dubbed "The Scuzz". I am pleasantly surprised. Check it out over at Spin

New REKS

REKS has a new joint out. Gotta show love for the Boston cats--especially when they drop shit like this:

Beer in the Hand/Beer in the Face: Concert Edition

A beer in the face for the ultimate punishment

A beer in the hand for a job well done

   


Time for another concert review in the style of an age-old classic: Beer in the Hand or Beer in the Face!

The shows: Young Adults and Milk Music at WWTAWWTAU; Electric Youth, Anoraak, and College at Brighton Music Hall.
 

Beer in the Hand to: The door guy at WWTAWWTAU. Every once in a while you run into someone who's overwhelming kindness and pleasant demeanor restores your faith in humanity. The man operating the door on Saturday night was one such person. A genuinely lovely human being. A beer in the hand to you, good sir.

Beer in the Hand to: Young Adults. Ya did good kids...ya did good.

Beer in the Hand to: Milk Music's banter. Banter is an art much like pick-up lines or used car sales --you need to be welcoming without seeming like you're begging; you need to exude an air of sanctimony without being a dick.  Milk Music's lead singer walked this tightrope expertly. My personal favorite quote of the night, "This song is dedicated to the Big Guy Upstairs--we're rolling with him now." This barely edged out "Where is the pot?"

Beer in the Face to: The crowd at Brighton Music Hall on Sunday. Talking during the set?  Leaving fifteen minutes into a headliners set? Seriously?! That's some n00b shit.

Beer in the Hand to: The crowd at WWTA. They were in to the music and respectful. (See, n00bs, it's not so hard!)

G.O.O.D. Music Announces Release Date

According to Pitchfork, the G.O.O.D. Music album Cruel Summer will, in fact, be released in the summer. Maybe August was too cruel for Kanye's delicate sensibilities or maybe Big Sean thinks saying "swerve" just needs an extra month to catch on, but the album (originally scheduled for August 7) will drop on September 4. September, your cup runneth over with anticipated releases.

Das Racist

Friday night I sat slouched on my dilapidated couch in my third floor walk up, drowning my liver in beer and my lungs in cigarettes. Blasting out from the speakers was Das Racist. I'll be god damned if it wasn't a match made in heaven.

Here is their latest release, "The Actual", featuring Talib Kweli:

Weekend Concerts

This weekend was prettttaay, prettayy solid.  Saturday I caught Young Adults and Milk Music over at WWTA. Last night, I was at Brighton Music Hall watching the Drive Tour.  I intend on writing a full review of both of these shows, but for now enjoy this:

Wild Nothing and DIIV Announce Tour

Oh, hell yeah. Two of my favorite acts, Wild Nothing and DIIV, are touring together this fall. Peep the dates over at Pitchfork.

A$AP Rocky Arrested

Pretty Flacko got booked for allegedly punching some photographers. Siiiiiiiiiiiiigh. I hate the paparazzi.

If someone followed me around all day and night, taking pictures I don't want them to take as they attempt to catch me in my worst possible moments, I would end up throwing punches at some point, too. 

FREE ROCKY!

New Evian Christ Mix

Evian Christ won me over with the Kings and Them mixtape. He continues to show why Tri-Angle signed him with this new mix over at Dummy, where he channels Tim Hecker and explores his ambient side.

Le1f "Wut" Video

Le1f dropped the video for "Wut" today and if Kanye went nuts about that Beyonce video, he might literally murder a blonde girl over this one.

WFNX Sets Date for Death

As reported by my man Music Box Pete, WFNX is bowing out tomorrow night, July 20 at 7 P.M.

After transplanting to New England from Kentucky at the tender age of 16, WFNX was my first gateway to the vibrant indie/alt. music scene of the 00's. To say that the station was responsible for my taste in music would be an understatement; 101.7 was the single most important music outlet of my life. There are not enough beers in the world that I could buy this station to re-pay my debts to it.  I am sad to see it go, especially as it will be turned over to Clear Channel.

I would like to take this time to say, emphatically, FUCK CLEAR CHANNEL. And if your dad works for Clear Channel, FUCK YOUR DAD, TOO.

WFNX, you will be missed. R.I.P., you glorious sonuvabitch.

Hot Chip "Look at where we are" (Major Lazer vs Junior Blender Mix)

MAJUH LAZUH!

Blood Diamonds "Ritual"

Blood Diamonds released a new song today that will be on his EP dropping July 24. I love me some Blood Diamonds. Check out the new, hyper-infectious jam.

Beer in the Hand/ Beer in the Face: Concert Edition

A beer in the hand for a job well done

A beer in the face for the ultimate punishment

"Beer in the Hand or Beer in the Face?" is the greatest game ever created. The premise is simple: you meet a person and have the opportunity to give them a beer in their hand (as a reward) or a beer in the face (as a punishment).

For example: Lance Armstrong is a classic Beer in the Hand guy--he beat cancer and won the Tour De France something like 65 times. Oh, and he dated Sheryl Crow.  
Alex Trebek is a classic Beer in the Face candidate. He is a smug, smarmy, know-it-all dick. Trebek better hope he never sees me at a bar. Clue: Beer to the face. Answer: What is a ruined night.

Using this game as my paradigm, I will now summarize the concert I attended last night at the Royale--Diiv, Those Darlins, and Best Coast.

Beer in the face to: Me. I lost my tickets on the T like a fuckin' noob and had to run to a Fedex/Kinko's to print another copy. This forced me to miss the first few songs of Diiv because I lost precious position in the ridiculously long line. Speaking of which...

Beer in the face to: Royale management. How in God's name does a line build up like that? I was half way down the block. The gates of Heaven don't have a line that long. Open the doors a half hour earlier.

Beer in the hand to: Diiv. They fucking rocked. The crowd didn't seem to know/care about the band but I'll be damned if the show didn't make me love them even more. Very impressive.

Beer in the face to: The crowd. I have a theory that certain shows attract people who don't typically go to concerts/ aren't "serious" music people, and the outcome is a tepid environment. This was the case last night. It was obvious the crowd was there to see Best Coast and only Best Coast. Diiv and Those Darlins both put on excellent shows, but I would bet you dollars to donuts that 95% of the crowd would have fast forwarded through the sets if given the option.

While the crowd was polite enough, it didn't really seem that people were actually enjoying themselves--almost as if they were self-conscious about showing admiration/ any signs of life. Maybe this is just the type of person that is attracted to the music--the type of person that shows up an hour before the show begins to get as close to the stage as possible only to stare blankly as the music is performed and stoically sip their beer after each song. This happened when I saw Mumford and Sons as well and....I hate it. I'm not a fan. I understand that everyone enjoys music in different ways, but it is an objective fact that the experience is better for everyone if the crowd shows some excitement.

Beer in the hand to: The kick-ass stage presence of Those Darlins. They seemed to really enjoy themselves and it translated into a great set.
Ripping guitar solos while playing back-to-back? Yeah, they did that.
Awesome banter with the crowd? Yeah, they did that.
Genuine smiles? Yeah, they had those.
BUT DID THEY INCLUDE  A SAXOPHONE?!? Yes. Yes, they also did that.


Beer in the face to: The Royale as a venue. While the decor is stunning, the Royale is secretly a shitty place to see music. The stage is elevated but the benefits of this are negated by a dance floor section that is also elevated.  This means that if you aren't one of the one hundred people on said dance floor, you are going to get an obstructed view. They have a balcony but the design is such that if you aren't sitting at one of the ten tables (and who wants to do that at a rock show?) then you can't really find space on the railing with a good view. Humbug.

Beer in the hand to: Best Coast. I was a little surprised at how good they sounded live. I don't know why I was surprised, but I'm happy with how it turned out. Bethany has a nice set of pipes and the sound guy (beer in the hand) had the levels sounding right. YA HEAR THAT, HOUSE OF BLUES? THERE ARE SOUND GUYS  IN BOSTON WHO CAN DO THEIR FUCKING JOB! THEY EXIST! HIRE ONE OF THEM!

Stay drunk.

Toro y Moi and Tyler, the Creator Collaboration

Peep the collaboration between Toro y  Moi and Tyler, the Creator over at the OFWGKTA tumblr.

Suckers "Turn on The Sunshine" Video

Fantastic new video from Suckers, featuring the always-entertaining Dapwell of Das Racist.

(Via Stereogum)

New Stars Single

Check the new single ,"Hold on When You Get Love and Let Go When You Give It", from some of my favorite people from America's hat. Stars do dream-pop the way it should be done. The second single to their album The North, due out September 4, is everything you'd hope it would be. Enjoy.

Bear Bones

A little Scottish folk never hurt anyone. The band is Bear Bones, the song is Oil & Lacquer.

(via How's My Living)

Danny Brown and Araabmuzik

It's gonna be a good day.
Danny Brown and Araabmuzik "Molly Ringwald".

P.S.--How pissed is Lush One right now?

S.S. Coachella Cruise

I want to go to there.

Ryan Hemsworth

Ryan Hemsworth knows his way around a beat. This Canadian producer-extraordinaire is killing it on that hip-hop-inspired, down-tempo electronic shit. Check out a few playlists of his via soundcloud or download an album over at his bandcamp. You won't be disappointed.

Originals

Remixes

Drowned in Sound Recommended Albums

The good folks over at Drowned in Sound have put up their half-year list of recommended albums. It's damn good. All of it.

That Keaton Henson character is particularly exceptional.

Song of the Year Candidate

This shit right here is why I love music.
Check out How To Dress Well's newest release "Cold Nites".
This is a Song of the the Year candidate for me.
I'm anxiously awaiting the September 18th release of the 'Total Loss' album.

New Nas/ New MA_DOOM

You can grab a sneak peek of the new Nas effort "Life is Good" over at Grooveshark. Here's hoping that it doesn't disappoint. From what I can gather from the first few tracks and the single, it sounds like Nas.

Also, you can hear Masta Ace and MF DOOM's collaboration record on Spotify. If you don't have Spotify, you can hear Masta Ace masterfully reminisce/ rap about how things were better in the past here.

Get drunk, my friends.

Young Adults

Is noise rock your shit? I thought so.

Young Adults hail from Boston, MA and make great meat-and-potatoes, noisy, raucous rock music. I'm a little late to the party with this group, but at least I'm fashionably late. Check out their music and see them live this Saturday at WWTA with Peacebreakers and Milk Music.

Milk Music

Word on the street is that Milk Music killed it at Pitchfork Music Festival. Check 'em out if you haven't already or if you need something to give you a swift kick in the ass this fine morning.

Be sure to check the tour dates for upcoming shows. Looks like they're in Boston this weekend...lucky me.

Angel Haze

The music world often tries to get to me care about a myriad of things I don't like (In Rainbows, Fiona Apple's life, 2 Chainz, self-indulgent writing styles--jk i love those) and often my opinion never changes. There are instances, however, where I turn out to be completely wrong about something after hearing it the first time. In fact, it happens a lot. I hated Das Racist on first listen. I didn't like The College Dropout. I thought Gemini was forgettable....the list goes on. With this in mind, I've made an honest effort not to be too harsh on new material after a single listen (crazy concept, I know).

Today, the beneficiary of my self-awareness is Angel Haze. Despite a regrettable name and a style that may or may not have been stolen from a YMCMB member, Angel Haze has an undeniable magnetism about her. The fact that she is on True Panther made me give her another listen and this shit right here has her inching ever-closer towards a Drunken Uncle co-sign (the ultimate reward for any artist).

Teen Daze

Teen Daze is from Canada. He makes good music. Take my word for it or see for yourself over at his bandcamp. The single is "Brooklyn Sunburn".
 
Be sure to check out a great session with Millionyoung over at Yours Truly where they do a nice cover of Pink Floyd.

Enjoy. 

Drank

So I found what I'm gonna be blacking out to this weekend...Kendrick Lamar goes in on "Drank".

Get drunk, my friends.

R.I.P. Girls

Lest we forget, today marks the two week anniversary of Girls breaking up--or more accurately, Christopher Owens leaving the band.

Girls put out my favorite album of last year and it is a shame that this happened. A part of me died inside. The world was thrown off-balance and was only restored when I saw Tony Danza in line at the grocery store.

On the bright side, we are two weeks closer to a Chris Owens' solo effort, which we all know will be way too twee and precious, but will get rave reviews from blogs and  teenage girls alike.

"Christopher Owens' first solo release is the perfect cry-in-your-cocaine pop album. A mix of sparkling guitars and 50's swing percussion, it wipes away any fears of this indie-hunk's inability to continue on his own."- Variation of every blog's future review

"This is bullshit." - Variation of my future review

"I LOVE YOU, CHRISTOPHER!" - Verbatim review from every teen in a sundress

New XX Single

The XX have dropped their new single and WOO it is does not disappoint. Follow the jump to Pitchfork and check it out

Their album drops September 11, which is also when Yeasayer will be stopping by Boston's House of Blues. Needless to say, I can't wait.

Mid-Year Round-Up

If I expect you to listen to anything I say regarding music, it is only fair that I give you some background about my tastes. A mid-year (ish) round-up of my favorite releases:

Beach House- Bloom
Best Coast- The Only Place
Charli XCX-Heartbreaks and Earthquakes
Cloud Nothings- Attack on Memory
Death Grips- The Money Store
Diiv- Oshin
Grimes- Visions
Japandroids- Celebration Rock
JJ- High Summer
Lana Del Rey- Born To Die
Lower Dens- Nootropics
Merchandise- Children of Desire
Moonface w/ Siinai-Heartbreaking Bravery
Polica-Give you the Ghost
Spiritualized- Sweet Heart Sweet Light
Tanlines-Mixed Emotions