Grindin

Well here it is folks, summer 2010. Actually was enjoying a relaxing few weeks at home, but I am back in DC now, so I figured I would come with my summer play list up to this point.

1) WEST COAST PUNK
-Been on a SERIOUS cali kick recently for some reason. 2 albums I have been continually spinning are Pennywise- Full Circle and Bad Religion- Against the Grain. These two albums are great summer time listening with plenty of sing alongs. They remind me of skateboarding, jumping off tall things into water, and everything else I love doing in summer. Also shout outs to Rancid- And Out Come the Wolves. One of my all time favorite albums, especially good in the summer.

2) HIP-HOP
- Gotta say I have been a little underwhelmed by the rap game so far this summer. Major releases from Drake and Eminem. Drake record is okay, definitely some big radio play hits, but only so much I can take of his fake robot singing voice. The Em record I respect, not gonna front like I am a big Em fan, but I'm sure for "those people" it's a classic. New mixtapes from Rick Ross and T.I. are also pretty good, but I am still waiting for a banger. Listen to Roc Marciano in the mean time.

3) INDIE SHIT
- I'd say I've been spinning some weird college radio nerd shit recently, but there are a few indie bands I like. My top three picks would have to be 1) The XX 2) Best Coast and 3) Beach House. All put out cool albums in the last couple months, though not the best summer listening. I have also been jamming Lemuria, which is a pretty cool girl fronted band that just signed with Bridge 9? WTF? Also been checking out the new Walter Schreifels record, An Open Letter to the Scene, which features some cool acoustic covers of hardcore songs, from bands such as Agnostic Front and Civ. Keep an eye out for a new LP from Wilkes-Barre's own Gypsy in the next few months. Will be wild!

4) HOSTAGE CALM
- Wasn't sure if I should put this band in indie or punk so I gave them their own category. I discovered Hostage Calm about 3 months ago, when I first heard a track from their upcoming S/T record on Run For Cover records. Literally doing some of the coolest shit right now musically, and I am really stoked to hear their LP when it comes out in July. Their first LP sounds like Dag Nasty, a DC band that seems to get no love any more, and their new record sounds just wild and unique. I love seeing a band step outside what's currently "cool" and just come up with something out of the blue. Big ups to the song "Ballots/Stones", which you can check out at myspace.com/hostagecalmct

4) PUNK/HARDCORE
- Summer is the best for punk and hardcore. Definitely some cool releases that have been coming out. Some of my friends in Dead End Path put out a very heavy 7", entitled Death Walks Beside Us, on Triple B records, heavily influenced by Death Threat, All Out War, and Alice in Chains. Also a new record on that label from Richmond's Fire & Ice that is awesome. Sounds even more like the Icemen, Burn, Dynamo, etc. all the best NYHC that your average norman coreman ignores these days.
Show wise, his year's annual This is Hardcore festival is coming STRONG with one of the best fest lineups in recent memory. Features classic NYHC such as the Mags and SHEER TERROR, who haven't played a show in a couple years at least. Fest is also rounding up with three back-to-back sets from no doubt the 3 MOST IMPORTANT hardcore bands ever to come out of Philly, Blacklisted, Kid Dynamite, and Ink & Dagger. Definitely will be a great weekend, looking forward to it majorly.
Other notable shows will the 4th of July BANGER in Richmond. Down to Nothing's set will sure to be wild, hope I can make it out. Also looking forward to seeing Underdog with Cold World at the Jersey Shore in a few weeks. Those two together is always a great combo, and this show has my pick for best show of the summer.

Anyway, hope everyone is having a good summer, and check in for more updates soon, as I am planning on having a radio show starting this week!

Thoughts on LOST

Well, it is with great displeasure that I am writing this article tonight, in the wake of the series finale of Lost, the show that has captivated the hearts and minds of America, including myself, for the past 7 years. I can't think of any show in my lifetime, or in the past, that has generated the amount of buzz and hype as Lost, as people across the world were hooked by its cliffhanger mysteries and complex plot lines. As someone who has watched Lost from basically Season 1, whereas most have gotten in the game late via hulu, dvd's, etc., the show has become such a regular part of my life that it's kind of weird to think I won't be watching it anymore.

So- some thoughts on the final episode. First off, I think it was cool how the final episode reunited everyone. I think it was great how the little "reconnection" scenes allowed us to remember the depth and storied past of many of the relationships, just as much of the last season has been about reminding us why we all loved Lost in the first place. Another thing I liked about this episode was that it really refocused the show on Jack. To me, Jack has always been THE main character, and it was kind of a bummer to me that they moved away from his story, but in the end, I believe they returned to the saga of the island as Jack's struggle. And in a sense, Jack's struggle embodies the struggles of many of us. By the final episode he is a broken man, having lost family, love, struggled with addiction, faith, and purpose, but in the end he follows his heart, and finds happiness, though, ultimately only through sacrificing his life. I was happy to see Jack finally end up with Kate. I just wish the ending was a little more clear cut (was the flash sideways reality, purgatory, etc?).

In the end, I think the reason Lost has been so successful is that it addresses those questions that we all must ask ourselves at some point. Why are we here? What is our purpose? Lost takes aim at these deep unanswerable and nagging questions. Ultimately, the central theme of Lost seems to be destiny. Every man is destined for greatness, though many, like Season 1-5/6 Jack, try to ignore their true calling until it's too late.

Overall, I have to say Lost is one of my favorite shows of all time. Both it's entertainment value as a mystery and drama, combined with its deeper philosophical messages, though at times heavy-handed, make it one of the most poignant shows of all time. In a world where many shows are content to stick to the family sitcom, Lost breaks out of the TV shell and dares to shake us up a little. It challenges us to look deeper, ask questions, and to find our own island in life.

Yes Y'all and You Don't Stop

Ah, yes. I'm coming straight at you from floor 1 of Lauinger Library, straight procrastinating finals style. We've reached that time of year again, the temperature is up and the #BEBZ are out, kid. Break out your purple label shit (logo secret) and let's get a look at what's popping off for SUMMER 2010: Part 1.

1) DIPSET DIPSET


Yup, just in time for summer, one of my favorite rap crews of all time, DipSet has finally reunited. Cam'Ron and Jim Jones squashed their 4-5 year beef. Reminds me of summer 2005, listening to Purple Haze and watching Fade To Black on the way to the Bahamas. 2000-2005 was the golden era of Roc-a-Fella, with the label just DOMINATING the rap game. They had Jay-Z, Kanye, Dip Set, Freeway, State Prop, etc etc. Literally ALL the best rap albums of the 00's came out on Roc-a-Fella, and this was a great time to be a rap fan. Hope this little reunion can spark some unity and bring HOV back to the crew after that nasty Def-Jam beef.

2) New Jams

For me it's too hard to pick just one album I'm stoked for this summer, so I will just name a few. On one side of shit we got the Tigers Jaw/Balance & Composure split LP, as well as the new Tigers Jaw LP. These are both two dope PA bands that have just gotten better with each release, so you know I'm psyched to see them team up. Also excited to see what Tigers Jaw has up their sleeve for this new LP, since literally they have impressed me more and more with each release. Also coming off Run for Cover Records is a newer band called Hostage Calm. Never really heard of them until I downloaded the RfC spring sampler and hear their new song, Jerry Rumspringer. DAMN it's a post-hardcore-poppy banger, and, after checking out their last LP, Lense, I will be sure to cop their new LP, also due out in the next few weeks.

In the rap game, there are a few things I am excited for. One is kind of a guilty pleasure, and that's the new Rick Ross LP, Teflon Don. His last album is literally the perfect summer-time pool party banger marathon, and I can only hope this new record matches up. With rhymes about ripping Miami on yachts, this album is sure to make the sound track for your summer party of choice, whether it be east coast style BBQ or west coast style gangster rap pool party shit. Also excited to hear new shit from Jay Electronica, as well as FREEWAY - again bringin the ROC and Philly back. Guilty Pleasure of the month: B.o.B.- Airplanes. Sure I kind of hate everything about this dude, but yall know I got a thing for Hayley Paramore and she sings the hook for this, which works really well for a rap song. I'm sure this song will be all over the place in the next 2-3 months.

and finally brrrrr....

3) Iced Coffee
Yea, weird, I know. BUT I have never really been a coffee fan before this round of finals. Drank it a few times in Italy just cause they have the illest coffee game, but something about hot drinks that I just can't get into. ICED coffee, however, is actually pretty good. Guess it's time to get my grown ass man game on. Can't drink a tea I'm 20+ gimme me a iced coffee and a LOLO button up!

Part 2 Coming Soon....

XXL Mag's 2010 Freshmen

Honestly, I haven't head much from these guys besides J. Cole and Wiz Khalifa. Some of these guys are absolute jokes though. OJ Da Juiceman, really?

Anyways, here it is from XXL:

The new breed of hustlers includes: Roc Nation’s first signee J. Cole, gangsta rap up-and-comer Nipsey Hu$$le, newly-minted Asylum lyricist Pill, 1017 Brick Squad member OJ Da Juiceman, indie-sensation Wiz Khalifa, G.O.O.D. Music’s own Big Sean, underground favorite Fashawn, Gary, Indiana rep Freddie Gibbs, West Coast phenom Jay Rock and the latest addition to the Atlantic roster, Donnis.

Also, next Monday, the 8th, XXL is posting its 2010 Frehsmen mixtape, which features a new track from each of these guys. And it's free.

Don't Call It a Comeback: What's Hot

Does anyone still read this? I doubt it, but in case...I am bored and figured I would write a new update. Anyway, obviously High Fidelity is not on the air this semester, but if you need something else to do you can tune in to my other show YAB (Thursdays 11AM-12).

So, haven't done this in a while, so I figured I will review some new ill shit.

#1) Un Prophète
This is a pretty dope movie, I've got to see. Seeing in how it is a French gangster flick, up for the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, I can't help but draw comparisons to last year's Gomorrah. The movie is essentially the story of an Albanian Muslim dude who is thrown in a French prison, where he definitely does not belong. He is quickly thrown into some tough situations with the Corsican (pseudo-Italian) mafia, but is always torn between them and the other Muslims in the prison. This is an awesome modern European crime flick, but it was also cool to me because it touched a lot on the whole Muslim-European divide, as well as the European prison system, which is WILDLY different than our own. Must watch for any gangster/mafia movie fan. 8/10

2) Jay Electronica
Seems like most new rap shit I hear getting hyped is some weird electro-abstract Cudi clone BS, so I was pleasantly surprised when I listened to Jay Electronica's Victory. This is a pretty talked about mixtape, as Jay is a former producer of a lot of big names. Anyway, what you get are some pretty cool beats mixed with Jay's smart flow. There are a lot of cool samples, and it strikes me as just an all around creative mix tape. Look out for his LP to drop this spring. 7.5/10

3) Landon Donovan
Landon Donovan, the guy who has pretty much carried US soccer on his back for the past 5-10 years, is finally get a break. Donovan signed with English side Everton in January, and since then has been doing big things for the club, with 1 goal and 2 assists in only 7 games. I am glad to see an American finally getting a chance in England, and actually playing up to his potential. Best case scenario: Donovan ends the season hot with Everton going into the world cup this summer. Don't tread on me! 10/10

Mike Mictlan & Lazerbeak - Prizefight

Holy shit. That is all.

BRRRR

This new Gucci record has got some of the illest tracks I have heard in a while. Just a shame that when Gucci is finally blowing up, he lands himself in jail (again). As if October's mixtape trio of The Cold War: BrrrrRussia, Great Brrritain, and Gucciamerica weren't enough, this LP is definitely a standout. Beats + Rhymes are on point, and I would like to point out some great collab choices by Gucci. Most rap albums I listen today are littered with meaningless collabs, obviously intended solely to inspire radio play. Gucci picks his crew wisely though, and I like the idea of having Baby and Wayne guesting on the same track. Also Usher making an appearance? not sure if I am into it but the track is pretty fiery. Shout out to Mike Epps! 8/10

Ghostdini

Speaking of Ghostface's new album, I don't know who thought this song was a good idea, but "Stapleton Sex" is THE most dirty song I have ever heard in my 20+ years of life. It would make Luke from 2 Live Crew blush. It's so inappropriate that I'm not even embedding it here, I'm just going to link it: dirtyness here.

For once Tipper Gore may have been correct in thinking Parental Advisory stickers were necessary.

Playlisted

Well, haven't updated in a minute, so I figured I would update about what I've been getting into.
1) TRAVEL: Barcelona
Gotta admit, I did not know much about Barcelona at all before I got there, aside from the few things I had seen or read in skateboarding videos and magazines about how wild the spots were there, and how cops just didn't care. Well, I've got to say, I was pretty surprised. To me it felt like Southern California x the Lower East Side x Miami Beach, so pretty wild shit. People don't eat dinner until well past midnight, and even though I had to walk across the entire city, it was a blast. Would (and will) visit again.



2) SPORTS: Arsenal
Obviously, the Phillies are a priority, though being 5000 miles away, and them losing to the NY Roidees (ARod has a portrait of himself as a centaur), I had to turn to my European team: Arsenal. Obviously I can follow them online and catch the occasional game on TV at home in the States, but actually going to a match at Emirates Stadium was unreal. Fans singing and standing the whole game, riots, hooligans, etc etc. Anyway, they are climbing the tables, Chelsea can suck one.

3) MOVIES: Paranormal Activity
Heard a lot of hype about this movie from friends at home, but didn't really know what it was about. I decided to hold a screening, and was not disappointed. OK, the whole hand-held mocumentary gimmick was a bit much, but I thought it was cool and better than 99% of horror movies I have seen in the past few years (I'm reserving that 1% for Saw VI, which I plan on watching this week). The ending was wild, and it was a great Halloween time flick.

4) MUSIC: Ghostdini: The Wizard of Poetry in Emerald City
Weird album title, but when has Ghostface ever not been? This eighth major studio release from Wu-Tang Veteran Ghostface Killah, in my opinion, is a breath of fresh air. Sure, I like Wu as much as the next guy, but I like the way Ghost switches his shit up on this record, mixing his trademark complex/abstract flow with a more R&B sound. Slept on this for the first few weeks it was out, but I am feeling it now.

Xaphoon Jones

I haven't posted much on this blog since coming to London, but seeing as I have a presentation due Wednesday and about 300 pages of reading before that, I think now is a good time to post.
I just picked up some crazy mash-ups from Xaphoon Jones from Chiddy Bang. Until about 5 minutes ago, I had no idea who he was, but then I checked my friend's twitter and it linked me to Hype Machine. At the same time, go and check out Chiddy Bang and download their tracks for free on their site.
Check out more on Xaphoon Jones here, best mash-up ever. Kanye+Lupe+Radiohead and Clipse+Led Zeppelin. And if you enjoyed that, pick up the entire mixtape at Pretty Much Amazing...

We knew Xaphoon Jones first as the producer and the sampling mastermind behind the quickly rising Chiddy Bang. Chiddy Bang owe most of the publicity they get to the tight, slick samples this guy has crafted for them. Like a musical pickpocket, Xaphoon Jones showed us that he has an ear for contemporary music and making it work in unconventional environments. With his debut eponymous mixtape, Xaphoon pushes passed the boundaries we thought he had and dips into soulful Motown favorites, East Coast Rap, and Reggae.

The Xaphoon Jones Mixtape Vol. 1 introduces us to a very young, very talented producer full of promise, if not power. Pretty Much Amazing is proud to present this mixtape for your consumption. Download it, put it on your iPod, burn it onto a CD, play it at a party, send it to your friends.

Tracklist
1. Intro: Fnish The Quartet
2. You Need (Clipse, Led Zeppelin)
3. Darwin Deez – Bad Day (Xaphoon Jones Remix)
4. Testify (Radiohead, Kanye West)
5. Chiddy Bang – Pro’s Freestyle 1.0 (Xaphoon Jones Remix)
6. The Answering Machine
7. Stuntin’ Like Atari (Theodore Grams, Lil Wayne)
8. Chiddy Bang – Fresh Like Us (Xaphoon Jones Remix feat. Theordore Grams)
9. Marvin Gaye – Heart It Through The Grapevine (Xaphoon Jones Remix)
10. Theodore Grams – Another Day
11. Swimming In The Sky (Passion Pit, B.I.G., Beyonce)
12. Theo’s Apple Juice Break
13. I Wanna Know Now (Bob Marley, MGMT)
14. Darwin Deez – Radar Detectr (Xaphoon Jones Remix)
15. Marva Whitney – Unwind Yourself: The Interlude
16. Money
17. Bmore SoulClash Mini-Mix
18. The Bay Vs. Diz (Strings Mix)
19. The End

Fall 09: New Music Review

Well the fall season is fully upon us as today is the first day of autumn. Over the past 3-4 weeks a huge number of albums have been coming out, here are a few I've chosen to review:

1) Jay-Z "The Blueprint 3"

Jay-Z has consistently dominated the rap game since his first record. Granted he's had a few clunkers (kingdom come anyone?) but for the most part he's a legend. The Blueprint 3 was much hyped as 2009's "Black Album", but I would have to say it's not on the same level. There are some classic fiery Jigga tracks (Empire State of Mind, DOA, Run this Town, etc etc) but there are also a few throwaway tracks (Venus vs Mars, etc.). Overall an improvement for Jigga, and a good way to end the blueprint trilogy. 7.5/10

2) Kid Cudi "Man on the Moon"

Admittedly, I am not a big fan of Kid Cudi, so you should know this going in. Anyway, I had heard mixed reviews about this album so I decided to give it a spin. Was a little surprised about how "out of the box" this record sounds. Definitely not your typical radio rap album, it's filled with electro-spacey beats and personal lyrics. OK, so Cudi can come creative, but to me this is just sounds second rate tracks that couldn't make it on 808's and Heartbreaks (which is dogshit to begin with). Guest spots by MGMT and and Ratatat will make this a sure hit with weirdo college electro-indie nerds. 5/10

3) Raekwon "Only Built 4 Cuban Linx II"

Oh wow, finally, this month, we have the long awaited sequel to Raekwon's 1995 masterpiece "Only Built 4 Cuban Linx". Fourteen years seems like a longtime to wait, but this record is solid all around. Classic minimal Wu beats with Raekwon's trademark complex flow make this a must listen for any self-respecting Wu-Tang fan. My favorite song might actually be the unreleased track that comes with the album, "The Badlands" featuring ill verse from the likes of Ghostface. Modern classic. 8/10

4) Paramore "Brand New Eyes"

Paramore has long been a guilty pleasure of mine, so you know I downloaded their new LP follow up to 2007's "Riot!". Sure enough, this record brings that same pop-punky sound coupled with Hayley Williams' clear-as-a-bell voice to make some real alterna-teen bangers. This record has a few more mid-tempo tracks than I would prefer, but these tracks are definitely well written. When the band does kick it up, it's well worth the wait. 7/10

5) Alice in Chains "Black Gives Way to Blue"

Nineties grunge masters AiC return after a long hiatus, mostly caused by the death of frontman Lane Staley. Luckily, they found a replacement who could fill the large shoes of Lane. BGWtB could easily have been recorded in 1996, as the band mixed heavy wah drenched guitar riffs with haunting vocal melodies. This record is sure to turn the heads of even the AiC purists who doubted the new vocalist. 7.5/10

6) Maximum Penalty "Life & Times"

NYHC OG's Max Pen are dropping their first release in a while with "Life & Times", and, I've got to say, it's pretty impressive. In a world where most old school hardcore bands can't seem to recapture the magic of the 80's and 90's, Maximum Penalty are doing a pretty good job. Not only do they discover their old "Easy Side Story" writing style, but expand upon it into a modern hardcore classic. 8.5/10

Matt's Picks- Best of Summer 2009

So my summer is pretty must over at this point (wah) but I thought I pick a few highlights of my four month vacation. All in all pretty productive few months, visited the South, worked in Europe, chilled on the West Coast, now back in Europe for a while. Here are the highlights:

Best Albums of Summer 2009 (in no order)



1) Trapped Under Ice- Secrets of the World
Baltimore natives and current pit-masters really set it off this summer with their LP follow up to 2008's Stay Cold. The new TUI is one of the hardest records I can remember coming out, and the LP proves that these guys can write new material but still keep it interesting. They toured with Terror, Madball, etc. on the 10 for 10 tour this summer, and I'm sure they will be touring for the rest of the fall too. If you are a fan of heavier music, this album is a must listen.



2) Title Fight- The Last Thing You Forget
This three song EP is a great follow up to 2007's Kingston, showcasing the maturing Title Fight's mastery of blending pop punk with 90's emo and melodic sounds. From slow pensive instrumentals (the B-Side) to innovative vocal melodies and trademark tempo changes, I'm sure this EP swill serve as a warm up for what is sure to be a great LP in 2010.

Best Summer Blockbuster:


Inglorious Basterds
When I heard about Tarantino's new flick, I wrote it off as another rehash of some obscure exploitation film, but once I started to see a few trailers, it definitely sparked my interest. World War II movies are some of my favorites, and the fact that he had assumed the guise of a spaghetti western director for this one definitely added an interesting spin. After the seeing the film, I can definitely say it's Tarantino's finest work to date. Sure, the midnight premier theater was filled with pseudo-film buff nerdsters know-it-alls (average Tarantino fans), but that didn't ruin it for me. Blending elements of spaghetti western and classic film noir, Tarantino managed to produce not only his most entertaining film, but also the most visually pleasing. For my money, my favorite scene, showcasing the director at his best, was the rendezvous at the pub. It was a classic Tarantino roundtable dialogue, but this time there was a surmounting tension, and the feeling that anything could happen at any time. Finally after a 20 minute set up scene of pure dialogue (in subtitles!) Tranatino hits the irony button and shows a less than 5 second shootout. Classic! The giant face in the smoke at the end too was also very ill.

Best Show of 2009:
Cold World-> Floorpunch @ This Is Hardcore Festival (August 15)

Although I saw many great sets this summer, my personal favorite would have to be the back to back Cold World set into the Floorpunch set at This is Hardcore in Philadelphia. Despite the insane heat, Cold World put on probably the best set I have seen them play (at least in the last 3-4 years). The sold out crowd was going nuts, constant dives and sing alongs, overall just a great atmosphere, people just going off for fun, which is tough to find at most shows these days. After Cold World played to an insane reaction, I was going to take it easy and watch Floorpunch from the back, having already seen the first 2 of their 3 reunion shows this summer. Of course though, they had to go and open with Jeff Perlin actually dueting Breakdown songs (All I Ask + Safe in a Crowd), and people just lost it. The rest of their set was awesome, also got a great reaction with plenty of pit action. Best back to back sets of the summer, hands down.

Honorable Mentions for Summer 2009 "Best Of":
1. Arnold Palmer Lite tall cans
2. Title Fight Secret Show
3. Breakfast Burritos @ Beach Liquor in Carpinteria, CA
4. Paul Blart: Mall Cop on Blu-Ray

EDIT: Just listened to the Blueprint 3. Fuck the haters, shit's fire.
Key tracks: Empire State of Mind, Run this Town, Off That, So Ambitious

Beastie Boys News

Today, famous Beastie Boys MC, Adam Yauch has revealed that he has been diagnosed with a small form of cancer in his Parotid gland.  Fortunately, however, the cancer is very treatable, and will only delay the Beasties' much anticipated upcoming album, Hot Sauce Committee Pt. 1, a few weeks.  Below is the official announcement from 2/4 Beasties.

In more positive news, however, the Beastie Boys have released an unexpected collaboration project with fellow NYC rap legend, Nas, called, "Too Many Rappers".   They debuted this project at Bonaroo, and this track is the first single from new Beastie Boys album, released later this fall after Adam Yauch's cancer treatment. It's a fuzzed out spacey drum loop, reminiscent of "Intergalactic", featuring classic Beastie verses plus a twist surprise verse from Nas.  Definitely interesting stuff here, can't wait to see what else the Beasties have up their sleeve for the new record.  Peep the track at the link below:

"Too Many Rappers"

Street Sweeper Social Club - 100 Little Curses

It's everyone's favorite radical rap-rock supergroup! Street Sweeper Social Club has made a video for their first single, "100 Little Curses." It features Breckin Meyer from Garfield, Road Trip, and Rat Race fame, as well as Drea de Matteo from The Sopranos, Sons of Anarchy, and soon Desperate Housewives.

And it includes Tom Morello going buckwild on a guitar, as well as Boots Riley's awesome fro and sideburns. I wonder who the other two guys in the band are.

Paramore New Shit

Oh snap, it looks like everyone's favorite female-led pop-punk band is back at it. They've just announced that their third studio LP will be titled Brand New Eyes and will come out September 29th. It will come out on Fueled by Ramen, the same label they've been signed to since the beginning. Rob Cavallo will be the producer on this album. And for anyone who actually regularly reads this blog, you may recognize that name as the man who produced every Green Day until the latest piece of trash. But at the same time, he's produced Paris Hilton's album, Avril Lavigne, David Cook, and so on. But Paramore's last single, "Decode" off the Twilight soundtrack was Paramore's first work with Cavallo. If the album sounds like that, all should be good.

Paramore has also stated that the first single off Brand New Eyes will be "Ignorance," which will be available on iTunes and Amazon and other digital retailers July 7th. That's also the same day you can begin pre-ordering the album on Paramore's site.

Track listing:

1. "Careful"
2. "Ignorance"
3. "Playing God"
4. "Brick by Boring Brick"
5. "Turn It Off"
6. "The Only Exception"
7. "Feeling Sorry"
8. "Looking Up"
9. "Where the Lines Overlap"
10. "Misguided Ghosts"
11. "All I Wanted"

Clipse Kinda Like a Big Deal Video

The return of the hardest rappers alive.

Clipse has released their latest video, for their single "Kinda Like a Big Deal." The track and video features Kanye West, which is unfortunate, but whatever. The video is a generic hip-hop video, honestly, nothing special, but because it's Clipse, it warrants a post.
The new album from Clipse, Till the Casket Drops, drops September 8th. Unlike their past two (three, really), this album isn't produced solely by The Neptunes. Instead, Clipse is following in the steps of Lil' Wayne by having the game's biggest and best producers on the album. Everyone from Swizz Beatz to Timbaland to Kanye to Rick Rubin have a hand in the production.

Read more at RollingStone.com.

HBO's The Pacific

It is my firm believe that the greatest thing ever put to film is the ten-part miniseries Band of Brothers. Produced by Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg, who also gave us Saving Private Ryan, Band of Brothers told the story of Easy Company of the 2nd Infantry of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment during World War II.
Now, we have the trailer to the not-really-a-sequel, The Pacific. While Band of Brothers focused on the Army's role in Europe, The Pacific deals with the Marines in the Pacific, duh. Also, most of the filming took place in Australia. It's said that the entire project created 4000 jobs in Australia and generated nearly AUD$180 million for the Australian economy. With a budget of $150 million, it's the most expensive series ever filmed in Australia. The Pacific is adapted from two memoirs: With the Old Breed by Eugene Sledge and Helmet for My Pillow by Robert Leckie. These memoirs include the battles at Guadalcanal, Cape Gloucester, Peleliu, Okinawa, and Iwa Jima, so it's very likely these will appear in the miniseries.

Look for it on HBO in the US March 2010.

Fuck the Bureau, I'd Rather Be Spending Euros

My List of what's "big" in Italy right now:

1) Partying:
The summer has arrived here in Rome, which means that all types of tools are roaming the streets in search of a party. Luckily, my neighborhood is home to Rome's finest night spots, so I get to see the cream of the crop. For instance, say you are raging at the river banks club, La Maison, with Fat Joe, when you feel the urge to take a dip. Well you're in luck because this club has not only one but two swimming pools for you to swim in, suspended safely above the revolting waters of the Tiber. No joke here, this pic is from my own cell phone.


2) Weird Hideous Velcro Designer Shoes
Don't really get the "look" behind this one. Somewhere between a nun's orthopedic and a weird spaceman slipper, I'll let the Euros rock this one, too bad their Air Max's cost $300.

3) Dime Piece Models

Italy has a rep for its young fillys, and this is NO JIVE

New Album Releases

In the past few weeks, a lot of new albums have come out from a wide range of artists.

dredg - The Pariah, The Parrot, The Delusion
First, one of my favorite local bands independently released their fourth album. Dredg comes from Los Gatos, CA and until recently was signed to Universal and Interscope. However, they were dropped from their label and decided to release their new album, The Pariah, The Parrot, The Delusion on their own Ohlone Label. Like their other albums, this album is inspired by high-brow art. While El Cielo is inspired by Dali's Dream Caused by the Flight of a Bee around a Pomegranate a Second Before Awakening, The Pariah, The Parrot, The Delusion is inspired by Salman Rushdie's essay "A Letter to the Six Billionth Citizen." Additionally, bassist Drew Roulette describes the album as "a rock and roll record, filled with experimental journeys and eccentric jousts." Yeah, that sounds like dredg. Anyways, it's a damn good album, so I recommend you all go check it out.

Street Sweeper Social Club - Street Sweeper Social Club
Surely, the biggest album to come out recently was Street Sweeper Social Club's debut, self-titled effort. And it is an absolute banger, as if there was any doubt. Tom Morello and Boots Riley, 'nuff said. It's nice to hear Morello's riffs against some angry leftist, revolutionary lyrics again. And might I say that Boots Riley is a much more angry and Marxist individual than Zach de la Rocha. Morello says of the album, "Revolutionary party jams. It's got huge steamroller riffs combined with depth, charge, funk, while Boots unloads clip after clip of incendiary rhymes rich with satire and venom." Boots Riley adds, "This is a time when the working class is being fleeced left and right. More families will be homeless and more people will be jobless. They'll need something to listen to on their iPod's while storming Wall Street."

Now if only someone can make a SSSC/One Day as a Lion mashup. It's half of Rage, the best half at that. They could call it One Day as a Street Sweeper. I came up with that myself, but you can use it.

Kasabian - West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum
The third album from the Leicester-based quintet is titled West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum. Guitarist Sergio Pizzorno has called the 52-minute album to "the soundtrack to an imaginary movie." Also, Rosario Dawson appears on track 7 "West Ryder/Silver Bullet." Apparently, West Riding Pauper Lunatic Asylum was a loony bin in England nears Leeds in the 19th century. And that's where the title comes from. I just wish they used the album cover from the "Vlad the Imaler" single:

Mos Def - The Ecstatic
This is the fourth solo album from Brooklyn-based rapper Mos Def. The title likely refers to the ecstasy that Obama induced in America. The first single off the album, "Life in Marvelous Times," is an Obama track. Anyways, Mos Def has been called the best lyricist alive. Esquire magazine has this to say about Mos Def and his second single, "Quiet Dog Bite Hard," "Because there is no better lyricist (or deliverer of lyrics) in music. Not hip-hop. Music." So, yeah. Well, the production is incredible, but what do you expect from J Dilla, Madlib, Oh No, and Chad Hugo. Somehow, with so many different producers, each track still sounds uniquely Mos Def. Given Mos Def is one of those crazy black guys with conspiracy theories about the government, his lyrics are incredible and his album is solid.

Other albums this week include Wale's new mixtape Back to the Feature, Incubus' greatest hits/b-sides compilation Monuments and Melodies.

Flyer Than the Rest of Them

Finally...delayed a couple months, Wale's new mixtape is finally coming out today. You can pick Back to the Feature up, probably around 7 PM Eastern at WaleMusic.com.

Ah, free music, it's better when it's legal.