Salem - Yes I Smoke Crack EP

This one is for tricky Nick Dixon (if you don't already have it). For some reason we are usually listening to the same music at the same time. This EP was only pressed for 500 copies and is extremely hard to find... unless of course you have a computer. Take THAT exclusivity! It sounds like if My Bloody Valentine, Cocteau Twins and The Knife, all had a three way and the end result was a Goth, crack addicted baby. I know "haunting" is an overused term to describe music.. but I feel justified using it here... trust me. Even more haunting are Salem's mysterious beginnings, with two separate myspaces, three different places of origin, and apparently no bio or record label. Who the hell knows what this band is up to? (Probably trying to build intrigue as to attract attention to themselves in some J.J. Abrams style marketing ploy). Well... it's working Salem... it's working.




Yes I Smoke Crack EP

Dynamic Duos

I feel bad about not posting a lot lately, so I decided to do a bigger one today. These are some of my recent favorites bands to melt my face with just 2 members. It wasn't too long ago that I though how impossible it was to make good, full sounding, creative music with any less than 3 members. Like sex.. I thought more was better... but really sometimes a little one on one can be just as kinky and freaky as long as you use your imagination. The proof is in the pudding, as they say... and this is some delicious pudding. I'm now talking about music by the way. Check em.



The Dodos- Visiter

Yes, that album title is spelled wrong... you are not hallucinating... although you might want to consider it when listening to this album. (Don't do drugs M'kay?) I listened to this about 5 times through before I even found out it was just a drum/guitar duo. THAT'S how good this is. It kind of sounds like a more melodic and tame Animal Collective (courtesy of the drummers African style). This album just proves the point that sometimes less is more. Now if only they would make more of less. Does that make sense? They should make more albums... that's what I'm getting at. *sigh*

Matt and Kim - Grand



Hurray, a leak! I know I'm usually not on top of most album leaks (mostly because I don't have enough time to judge weather they are good enough to post, or because they are usually just plain bad) but this one caught my attention immediately. WOW, is it good. Think electronic synth pop with punk elements. I thought that this deserved a higher rating than Pitchfork gave it, but then again I'm not quite as pretentious. (Why won't you answer any of my job applications!?)



No Age - Nouns



Alright... this one took some time, but it definitely grew on me. It is surprisingly simply yet it sounds so big. I gotta give props to anyone who can play drums and sing at the same time, because as a drummer I can testify as to how incredibly hard that is. This album definitely satisfies my edgy noise punk side. That's the side of me I don't shower and cover with DIY stickers.



Madvillain - Madvillainy



Okay... so every hip hop album usually consists of two people (producer and MC)... but really this one blows most of those douches outta the water. Madvillain is Madlib and MF Doom. Such a tight record man. So jazzy and laid back. This shit flows so well... probably one of my favorite hip hop albums. Madlib is a such a sick producer... but he doesn't always collaborate well. For some reason it just clicked perfectly here. If you don't own this one, get off your ass and download now.

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Thus ends my post of some of my favorite dynamic duos of recent past. These records are just proof that being a duo doesn't have to be a gimmick (I'm talking to you White Stripes) and having endless amounts of members isn't a neccesity (I'm talking to you Broken Social Scene). Plus band practice must be so much easier to schedule. Oh and drummers get half the profits....saaaweet. Peace.

Electrobanit

Here is a little clip of Johnny K and Bakez live as "Electrobandit" at the Copperworks.

G Bakez: The Bakery Volume 1

This post is a special one. My buddy Garrit Baker, (aka Bakez, G Bakez, G Money or just plain G) just finished this little jam the other day.. and now I'm giving you an exclusive peek into these hot joints right here. This is his first solo venture into electronic music (with the help of producer and other half of Electrobandit, Johnny K) and I gotta say it is quite the ride... 10 short little tracks that combine to create a cohesive, fun, smart, intricate puzzle. The tracks can exist on their own and sound great as their own pieces... but The Bakery is most effective as a whole (and it is definitely short enough to listen to as a whole). It's a concept album not in the sense that there is an underlying theme, but rather an underlying sonic link between every track that begs the listener to sit through the entire album. It's called The Bakery because this shit is hot and fresh... right out of the oven, bitches. Oh and his last name is Baker... guess that makes sense. CHIGGITY CHECK IT!




The Bakery Voume 1

If you want a little sample before you download or to keep up with more jams from G, check out his myspace. Johnny K (the producer) myspace. OR you can check out their dual project called "Electrobandit" at this myspace. ORRRRRRR you can check out "My Friends and I..." which was myself, G, Johnny and our friend Dave playing grunge/punk/rock at this myspace

Crystal Stilts

These guys make some pretty damn cool music. It's highly derivative of Joy Division and The Jesus and Mary Chain... but hey, if you are going to derive your sound from anyone you could definitely pick worse bands. I guess a good description would be minimalist garage drone punk... but I could be wrong. Another fun one from 08 that I kind of overlooked a bit at first. I do that a lot.... what can I say? I got moves to make, chocolate to eat... I can't be bothered by music ALL the time.




Crytal Stilts

Subtle x 2

One time I did a subtle post for their new album, then someone asked me to post more Subtle and I totally zoned that out. That was like 6 months ago I think. Well buddy, if you are still reading and haven't ACTUALLY died from anticipation, this one is for you! Lol... that's how I roll... late and great. These two ditties were recorded in succession. For Hero: For Fool is the full length album and Yell & Ice is the companion EP full of remixes and some new material. Doseone is probably the dopest rapper out there man. It doesn't get better than his flow... it can be fast, slow, melodic or cacophonous... but either way Subtle kills it. More rappers need to take notice...THIS is how you break new ground in hip hop.





For Hero For Fool





Yell & Ice

A.C. Newman: Get Guilty

Ahhhh I know I'm really late on this one, but I uploaded a while ago and I don't want it to go to waste. This is A.C. Newman from The New Pornographers. He also records solo records... which are pretty good. Get Guilty is definitely better than the last NP album, but I don't think it's as good as his first solo record. Regardless, if you haven't heard it yet (which I know most of you have), it's definitely worth a listen.





Get Guilty

The 2008 Darwin Awards

This is a non-music related post... just because I thought that this was hilarious. These are all true storys, and man are the funny.

Here is the glorious winner:
1. When his 38-caliber revolver failed to fire at his intended victim during a hold-up in Long Beach , California , would-be robber James Elliot did something that can only inspire wonder. He peered down the barrel and tried the trigger again. This time it worked.

And now, the honorable mentions:
2. The chef at a hotel in Switzerland lost a finger in a meat-cutting machine and, after a little shopping around, submitted a claim to his insurance company. The company expecting negligence sent out one of its men to have a look for himself. He tried the machine and he also lost a finger. The chef's claim was approved.

3. A man who shoveled snow for an hour to clear a space for his car during a blizzard in Chicago returned with his vehicle to find a woman had taken the space. Understandably, he shot her.

4. After stopping for drinks at an illegal bar, a Zimbabwean bus driver found that the 20 mental patients he was supposed to be transporting from Harare to Bulawayo had escaped. Not wanting to admit his incompetence, the driver went to a nearby bus stop and offered everyone waiting there a free ride. He then delivered the passengers to the mental hospital, telling the staff that the patients were very excitable and prone to bizarre fantasies. The deception wasn't discovered for 3 days.

5. An American teenager was in the hospital recovering from serious head wounds received from an oncoming train.When asked how he received the injuries, the lad told police that he was simply trying to see how close he could get his head to a moving train before he was hit.

6. A man walke d into a Louisiana Circle-K, put a $20 bill on the counter, and asked for change. When the clerk opened the cash drawer, the man pulled a gun and asked for all the cash in the register, which the clerk promptly provided. The man took the cash from the clerk and fled, leaving the $20 bill on the counter. The total amount of cash he got from the drawer... $15.[If someone points a gun at you and gives you money, is a crime committed?]

7. Seems an Arkansas guy wanted some beer pretty badly. He decided that he'd just throw a cinder block through a liquor store window, grab some booze, and run. So he lifted the cinder block and heaved it over his head at the window. The cinder block bounced back and hit the would-be thief on the head, knocking him unconscious. The liquor store window was made of Plexiglas. The whole event was caught on videotape.

8. As a female shopper exited a New York convenience store, a man grabbed her purse and ran. The clerk called 911 immediately, and the woman was able to give them a detailed description of the snatcher. Within minutes, the police apprehended the snatcher. They put him in the car and drove back to the store. The thief was then taken out of the car and told to stand there for a positive ID. To which he replied, "Yes, officer, that's her. That's the lady I stole the purse from."

9. The Ann Arbor News crime column reported that a man walked into a Burger King in Ypsilanti , Michigan , at 5 A.M., flashed a gun, and demanded cash. The clerk turned him down because he said he couldn't open the cash register without a food order. When the man ordered onion rings, the clerk said they weren't available for breakfast. The man, frustrated, walked away.[*A 5-STAR STUPIDITY AWARD WINNER]

10. When a man attempted to siphon gasoline from a motor home parked on a Seattle street, he got much more than he bargained for. Police arrived at the scene to find a very sick man curled up next to a motor home near spilled sewage. A police spokesman said that the man admitted to trying to steal gasoline and plugged his siphon hose into the motor home's sewage tank by mistake. The owner of the vehicle declined to press charges saying that it was the best laugh he'd ever had.

Holy shit. There are people like this out there.

Wire: Pink Flag

Heyyyyyy... look at what I found burried in my car. Probably one of the coolest debut albums for a band... ever.. maybe. This album has been called a punk rock suite, which I think is a pretty good description. All I know is this is exactly what I want punk rock to sound like... little creative brief explosions of power punk goodness. Mmmmmmm... I really don't know what else to say mostly cause my stomach feels like shit right now... and I can't sleep. ROCK ON!




Pink Flag