I’m not totally sold on this song – Saigon’s lyrics seem a little cheesy to me – but you gotta believe that I’m loving this Just Blaze beat. Check it out and tell us what you think! “Gotta Believe It” will be on the new album from Saigon titled Warning Shots 2, which drops on September 29, 2009.
Saigon – Gotta Believe It (Produced by Just Blaze):
-Drew
Filed under Jam of the Day, Music
Recently it was reported that BlackRock Inc., an investment management firm and pioneer of mortgage backed securities in the United States, plans to set up a global trading network in order to cut costs for clients, and reduce the firm’s reliance on Wall Street brokers to buy and sell securities. So I guess that sounds pretty cool? I don’t know, I should ask my green friend.
But let me tell you what is really dope – BlakRoc!!! Basically, Damon Dash met up with The Black Keys because he dug their sound, and it all sort of snowballed from an initial possible collaboration with Jim Jones into a whole record. Damon Dash was so into this project that he’s formed a new record label with The Black Keys (his first re-entry into the business since launching Roc-A-Fella with Jay-Z) to produce the record, called BlakRoc. The project will feature The Black Keys laying down the blues rock underbelly and a whole slew of hip hop titans – including Ludacris, RZA, Raekwon, Mos Def, Jim Jones, the late Ol’ Dirty Bastard, Pharaohe Monk, Billy Danze of M.O.P., and Q-Tip – dropping verses. The whole thing has just got me all amped up and I can’t wait for the planned release on Black Friday (ha!) so I can spin this on repeat for a while. Check out the “trailer” for the record and you’ll understand what I’m getting at here:
And just because EV2BK loves you, check out the jam of the day right here for a preview of one of the tracks off the record, titled “Ain’t Nothing Like You (Hoochie Coo).” Mighty Mos! Jim Jones! The Black Keys! Get some!
BlakRoc – Ain’t Nothing Like You (Hoochie Coo):
-Drew
Filed under Jam of the Day, Music
About a month ago, in a move that some fear could lead to Mexico becoming a hot destination for so-called “drug tourism” (think: Harold and Kumar Go to Amsterdam), Mexico quietly decriminalized possession of small amounts of many types of drugs, including marijuana, cocaine, and heroin. The law sets out maximum “personal use” amounts for these and other drugs, partly as an attempt to help “differentiate drug addicts and casual users from the violent traffickers whose turf battles have contributed to the deaths of more than 11,000 people since President Felipe Calderon took office in late 2006.” Other Latin American countries, like Colombia and Argentina, have already passed similar laws, and I guess this seems radical enough to have caused antidrug groups in the U.S. to worry that this general sentiment of common sense might sweep into the U.S., leading to a drug-domino effect that will end with us all cracked out holding joints or something like that. Are these people not aware that similar measures already exist in the U.S., like in Mass. as of last year, for instance? Take a toke and find something else to worry about.
A different type of “Dominoes” toppled over today in the U.K., where electro-rock duo The Big Pink just dropped their debut album A Brief History of Love on 4AD Records (September 22 in the U.S.). Robbie Furze and Milo Cordell formed The Big Pink in 2007 (taking their name from the debut album by The Band), and have garnered praise from NME and the London Times alike. After hearing their current single, “Dominoes,” in all it’s catchy-as-hell glory, it’s easy to understand why.
The Big Pink – Dominoes:
-Drew
Filed under Jam of the Day, Music
Today marks the anniversary of the September 11, 2001 World Trade Center attacks here in the city, and for the third consecutive year, the commemoration was held at Zuccotti Park, right next to ground zero. The Times has a pretty great re-cap of the events here. And although the weather no doubt made standing outside for the ceremony a bit more difficult, it will certainly make seeing the commemorative twin columns of light that much easier to check out tonight:
WTC Twin Columns of Light - from Flickr user Sister72
Another light shining tonight, but in Brooklyn, is Hotel Lights. Hotel Lights is lead by Darren Jessee, who was the drummer for Ben Folds Five. Jessee is joined by Alan Weatherhead of Sparklehorse on Hotel Lights recordings, and they have made some really low-key tracks that they describe as “melancholy and beautiful songs about small, human scenes– spot lit moments enclosed and illuminated.” Sounds like the perfect soundtrack for today.
Come check out Darren Jessee tonight at Pete’s Candy Store, where he will play a solo set starting at 8 PM. He’s followed by indie rock band Falcon 9, as well as author Nic Brown, who will be reading selections from his new novel “Floodmakers.”
Hotel Lights – A.M. Slow Golden Hit:
-Drew
Filed under Jam of the Day, Music
Tonight marks the first night of Fashion Week in NYC. In a bid to make it all seem a little less incongruous to be flaunting terribly expensive, high-fashion clothing and attending exclusive VIP events in the midst of a recession, the first night this year is being billed as Fashion’s Night Out, an event conceived by American Vogue, NYC & Company, the City of New York, and the Council of Fashion Designers of America “to enliven again the consumer spirit that churns the economy and boosts the local industry of America’s fashion capital, New York City.” The main point of the evening, of course, is to get people excited to spend money on fashion (and then actually part with the cash), and about 700 retailers and designers across New York City are confirmed participants in the event. These stores will stay open until 11:00 PM, and have been encouraged to provide “creative customer experiences” for everyone walking around and enjoying the fashion. Maybe you’ll see Diddy! Or Anna Wintour! But probably not.
As part of all the festivities this evening, one of our favorite bands, Bear Hands, will be playing a free show tonight in Rockefeller Center, right where the tree usually goes. The show kicks off at 6:30 with a set from Savoir Adore, and Bear Hands goes on last, from 9:00 PM – 10:00 PM.
Joining the line-up, and hitting the stage at 7:45 PM, are Cincinnati-based “art-pop” foursome Pomegranates. Their music has been described online as hinting at early Modest Mouse or Death Cab for Cutie (the later seems more relevant), but they sort of sound more like American Football or early Piebald to these old-emo-loving ears. No matter how you slice it (it’s a fruit, get it?!), I’m definitely feeling this band. And from what I can hear online, they sounds great live. Check out their session at Daytrotter and you’ll hear what I mean. So come on out tonight and support some great bands (and fashion)!
If you aren’t able to make it to Rockefeller Center by 7:45, don’t fret! Pomegranates are also playing tonight at Bruar Falls, in Williamsburg, around 10:00 PM, and at Union Hall, in Park Slope, tomorrow night.
The jam today is a live video of the band playing “In the Kitchen,” from their debut LP, Everything Is Alive, released in May, 2008. Their most recent release was this spring’s Everybody, Come Outside!.
Pomegranates – In the Kitchen:
-Drew
Filed under Event, Jam of the Day, Music
Over the past month, in anticipation of today’s release of both, The Beatles: Rock Band, and the remastered editions of all 12 studio albums from the Fab Four, so many people have been writing about The Beatles and the return of Beatlemania, that there’s even an article about the articles. But if you haven’t had enough meta-news yet, check out Beatlesnews.com for even more coverage of the coverage!
The digitally remastered versions of all of the Beatles studio albums will each feature the artwork and track listings as they were originally released in the U.K., and some albums will come with expanded booklets with rare pictures and new liner notes. For a limited time, each of the albums will also be “embedded” with a brief documentary about its making. And while most people will purchase the remastered discs in stereo sound, the complete remastered box set is also available in an even more limited-edition mono version, for the true Beatles purists (apparently John and Paul never cared much for studio production, and the first few records were all recorded in mono; George Harrison was the real audiophile in the group).
While the concept of The Beatles: Rock Band sounds exciting, I don’t know if we could get quite as euphoric as the Times did when they explained that “By reinterpreting an essential symbol of one generation in the medium and technology of another, The Beatles: Rock Band provides a transformative entertainment experience. In that sense it may be the most important video game yet made.” To a Beatles fan yes, to a Sim City or Halo fan, probably not.
In celebration of renewing and reinventing the old, here’s a fun video and image collage of the Fab Four that begins in their younger days and carries straight through their career. It plays over one of our favorite, and in-arguably one of the best, Beatles songs ever, “Let It Be.”
The Beatles – Let It Be:
-ev2bk
Filed under Jam of the Day, Music
East Village to Brooklyn 