Free Music Friday: The Drunk and Markered, Geographically West, Shel Silversteinish, Youth Amnesia, Trying Not to Get Lost Edition

Guy walks into a bar. Free Music Friday.

OK, that makes no sense, fair enough, but the fact remains: it's Free Music Friday, so shut your bitching hole.

Guess who got their grubby, little paws on a copy of the new PJ Harvey CD, Let England Shake? As someone who has been following Ms. Polly Jean for some years, with all her albums and a concert or two under my belt, i can unabashedly say i dig it. It's not the powerhouse freak PJ of her earlier days, but it still maintains the odd vibe that marks some of her best work. Call it heavy folk, perhaps? The opening eponymous track and "The Words That Maketh Murder" are the standouts here for me, with Harvey's slightly fuzzed vocals and guitars creating a subdued yet powerful sound. She's doing a handful of U.S. dates to promote the new one, but no 9:30 Club date as of this writing. Did i mention that the most packed show i've ever seen at the 9:30 was PJ? i believe i just did.

mp3: Written on the Forehead (PJ Harvey from Let England Shake)

It's no secret that i'm a beat freak, and i find myself in the midst of a Jaylib bender right now. How fortunate for me, and by extension, you, that Stones Throw just dropped a 14-track digital release of bonus beats from Madlib Medicine Show #11.

mp3: L.A. California (U.S.) (Madlib from Beat Konducta Around the World)

You know how broken up i am about the White Stripes calling it quits (yawn). Whoever shall pick up the banner for scuzz bucket blues? Oh, i dunno, maybe about a dozen better bands? One of my favorite garage punk blues bands these days (and for some time now) has been Left Lane Cruiser. The timing for their third LP, Junkyard Speed Ball, couldn't have been more fortuitous, i suppose. This time around, the duo of Freddy J. Evans IV (axe/vox) and Brenn "Sausage Paw" Beck (skins/vox) are joined by none other than Alive Naturalsound label mate Rev. James Leg of the Black Diamond Heavies on keys for five tracks. i, for one, cannot wait for the March 1 drop date.

mp3: Giving Tree (Left Land Cruiser from Junkyard Speed Ball)

Speaking of fuzzy duos, the Raveonettes are getting ready to drop another one, too. Raven in the Grave will hit shelves on April 5 in North America, April 4 everywhere else. Fate does go our local way this time, though, with a scheduled appearance at the Black Cat on 4-17. Which is nice.

mp3: Forget That You're Young (The Raveonettes from Raven in the Grave)

Lykke Li teaming up with Tyler the Creator? Say what now? OFWGKTA's top dog gives LL's "I Follow Rivers" the remix treatment, adding his trademark low end synths and overall dark vibe, as well as spitting some verses towards the end. On first listen, i didn't think i wanted his chocolate in her peanut butter, but i have to say, i'm really starting to dig the taste of this one.

mp3: I Follow You (Tyler the Creator Mix) (Lykke Li from the OFWGKTA Website)

TV on the Radio on Other People's Tracks

Jonesing for a bit more TVotR these days? Still fiending since Dear Science,? Well, fortunately for you, i've stumbled across a couple of tracks from the boys in the band to get your fix whilst we all wait anxiously for their next proper release.

You've heard me wax rhapsodic about Beans before, and with a guest list that includes Tobacco and Nobody, his End It All promises to be one of the better jams of the year. And for the purposes of this discussion, guest vocals by Tunde Adebimpe make this track a beast.

mp3: Mellow You Out (ft. Tunde Adebimpe) (Beans from End It All)

You know i would have posted anything by my favorite Swede, but the fact that Dave Sitek decided to do the remix meant i had a theme for today's post. Which is almost as nice as the track itself.

mp3: I Follow Rivers (Dave Sitek Remix) (Lykke Li from Sound Cloud)

It's Remixin' Time, Y'all!

Seriously, could someone please call the Universe on my behalf and tell it to slow the fuck down for a while? Isn't work supposed to ease up around the holidays? If somebody could tell that to the folks i work with, i'm thinking life would be a whole lot easier for Yours Truly.

Fortunately, today's theme presented itself by virtue of a couple of remixes that made their way to ye olde inbox. The fact that the songs are by two of my favorite artists and were remixed by some pretty stellar talent certainly didn't hurt the situation, either.

First up, Beck labored with the latest from the lust of my life, Lykke Li, which is alliterative as this is going to get, i'm afraid. The bass is pushed to the fore, creating an almost marching band staccato that me likey.

mp3: Get Some (Beck Remix) (Lykke Li from her website)

Broken Social Scene has been sharing a boatload of remixes since the release of Forgiveness Rock Record, but i think this latest reworking of "Texaco Bitches" by rising talent Star Slinger might just well be my favorite. i wouldn't go so far as to say it's been reworked into a straight dance tune, but it's certainly got beat elements that give me a tingle in the appropriately inappropriate places.

mp3: Texaco Bitches (Star Slinger Remix) (Broken Social Scene from their website)

Live Review: Bonobo at 9:30 Club, 11-10-10

Let me preface the following bitchfest by acknowledging that i realize this is nobody's fault but mine, but, hey, it's my blog (and Meg's, too, natch), so what are you going to do? Nothing. And like it.

This was supposed to be a HUGE beat freak week in DC, and wouldn't you know it, damn near all my plans fell through to make the most of it. To kick things off, The Gaslamp Killer was supposed to be at DC9 with Daedalus this past weekend, but what with their recent legal issues, that show didn't happen. Yes, it was rescheduled for a club in Baltimore, but after the late night affair that was the LET extravaganza, i just didn't have it in me to make the trek. Sure, shame on me, but it was what it was.

i allowed myself to pass that one by, reassured by my tickets to see TokiMONSTA and Bonobo last night at the 9:30. Now, i ALWAYS check around 10 am on the day of a given concert at the 9:30 to see when the sets actually are slated to start. With the exception of two shows of the dozens and dozens i've seen there, the 9:30 is EXCELLENT at actually sticking to published start times. Anyway, the day got away from me, and when i checked at 6 pm, that 9 pm show i so was looking forward to seeing turned out to be starting at 6:30. Long story short, i missed all of Toki and what i was assured was "only about 10 minutes" of Bonobo. i'm not going to lie, i was pretty pissed at myself, but i can say that the approximate hour of Bonobo's set that i did see was incredible.

Surrounded by a full band comprised of a multi-reed instrumentalists (dude who played a lot of horns), drummer, couple of guitarists and a gadget tweeker (i believe introduced as electronic percussion), the man himself slapped de bass with a passion for the entire gig. And, of course, Andreya Triana made a few appearances, singing her hits from the recent Black Sands. It's hard to describe the music, but, of course, i'll try. Imagine a post-sex glow vibe amalgam of funk, jazz, Eastern and beat, right when you're almost through the refactory period. Yeah, that works.

i've got to say, this was quite possibly the largest crowd i've ever seen at a 9:30 Club early show, and the crowd only swelled as the gig continued. Sure, a lot of them were club hopping ass hats, but at least their taste in music was admirable. Clearly, the entire room gladly would have stayed and grooved all night long had the club permitted it.

Next time Bonobo comes to town, i will check the website set time early and often, i tell you what, as i do not want to miss a second of his set next time.

mp3: Eyesdown (ft. Andreya Triana) (Bonobo from Black Sands)

mp3: Kiara (Bonobo from Black Sands)

mp3: Little Bit (TokiMONSTA Remix) (Lykke Li from TokiMONSTA bootleg remix)

mp3: Alpenglow (TokiMONSTA, Lunice & Swede:art from Various Assets - Not For Sale - London 2010)

Singles Club: Get Some from Lykke Li

Somewhat to the chagrin of the Missus, i have a bit of a thing for Lykke Li. (OK, to be honest, in all likelihood, my wife is far more disturbed by the fact that i've turned our guest room into a Star Wars shrine, but work with me here.)

As fortune would have it, Ms. Li has dropped a "tiny shiny" new single and accompanying B-side, and i'm here to tell you, it's something else.

Teaming up once again with Björn Yttling of Peter Bjorn and John, the title track is percussion heavy, much more in-line with the live performances she's given over the past couple of years than Youth Novels might have led one to believe. If this is what the new CD, due early next year, is going to sound like, i am one happy camper, i tell you what. B-side, Paris Blue, would be the pre-requisite ballad.

With lines like, "Don't pull your pants until I go down," and, "I'm your prostitute. You gon get some," i do believe we have another winner.

mp3: Get Some (Lykke Li from Get Some 7")

mp3: Paris Blue (Lykke Li from Get Some 7")

Free Music Friday: The Elephantine, Gone, Upbeat, Scorching, Significant Other, Euro, Bright, Denim, Jem Version

It would appear that damn near every other blog out there (and a lot of bands, magazines, radio stations, sex clubs, etc.) is putting out some sort of 4th of July Mix, so i guess i better getting hopping on working one up for LET. In the interim, i guess you'll just have to make due with a bunch of free mp3s sans a theme.

Pauvre, pauvre pussycat.

First up, a track from the Bleep X Sonar 2010 sampler. They posted a bunch of tracks from bands playing some Euro fest i've never heard of, but am jealous that i'm not attending all the same. Broadcast is included in that mix, and i've dug them for a while. To use the vernacular, i'd categorize this as some laid back chillwave, but that's just because i want LET to start showing up when people Google "chillwave." A blog cannot live on being a top Google result for "Jilling Off" alone, folks.

mp3: Elegant Elephant (Broadcast from Bleep X Sonar 2010 Mix)

You know i'm a sucker for beat producers, electronic music seducers and DJ droopers (fuck you, i needed a rhyme), and the cat from NickNack obviously realized the same when they sent us their latest. This cat has skills, establishing a funky, spooky vibe while intermittently cutting it up. i say go for it.

mp3: Strangest Secret (NickNack from Dearly Departed)

For those bummed out by the Eels' last CD, it sounds like the last in his self-described trilogy, Tomorrow Morning (along with End Times and Hombre Lobo), appears to be a step in the uplifting direction. First single "Looking Up" has a church gospel feel, and the title kind of sums up the sentiment. For a guy's who previously wrote one of the most cheerful song ever about hating people (I'm looking at you, "I Like Birds"), this one definitely should give pause to those who have complained that Mr. E has been a bit too morose of late. A man with a beard of that magnitude, however, never should be doubted.

mp3: Looking Up (Eels from Tomorrow Morning)

The folks at Aquarium Drunkard just dropped their second annual LA artist mix. The conceit is for local LA artists to cover a famous album of the past. Last year, it was Paul McCartney's RAM, this year it's Television’s sophomore LP, Adventure. Truth be told, i can do without most of the tracks here, but the Imaad Wasif/Lykke Li take on "The Fire" is an absolute beast, some of Wasif's best axe work on wax, as far as i'm concerned. Li really is just a back-up voice on this one, but who doesn't love Lykke Li? Nobody. Not even your grandfather. And if you say otherwise, well, we're going to have words, buddy.

mp3: The Fire (Imaad Wasif with Lykke Li from L’Aventure :: A Los Angeles Music Sampler – 2010)

In an apparent effort to take the title of reigning queen of the revitalized beach girl rock sound, Best Coast has dropped another single from their soon-to-drop Crazy for You. And you know what? That crown is hers, as far as i'm concerned. While not quite as devilishly addictive as "When I'm With You," it's a damn fine follow-up, nonetheless.

mp3: Boyfriend (Best Coast from Crazy for You)

Swedish popsters Sambassadeur just dropped the latest single from their third LP, European. Another dreamy, blissful track from our neighbors to the Northeast-ish. Damnation, i lurvs me some Scandinavians. Here's another reason why.

mp3: I Can Try (Sambassadeur from European)

It's funny, i've never been much of a Black Moth Super Rainbow fan, but the latest solo efforts from Tobacco and now Dreamend are two of my fave CDs this year. Whereas Tobacco's latest is kind of in-your-face, Dreamend's debut clearly is the more laid back of the two. If you're a fan of Megafaun, you're going to dig this.

mp3: Magnesium Light (Dreamend from So I Ate Myself, Bite by Bite)

Taking notes from sometime bandmate Jack White, Alison Mosshart is back at it with Jamie "Hotel" Hince and the Kills. They just did a Levi's Pioneer Session (No shit, Chet. No shit) and dropped this stellar cover of the Velvet Underground's "Pale Blue Eyes." It's a good 'un, that's fo' sho'.

mp3: Pale Blue Eyes (The Kills from Levi's Pioneer Sessions)

And to close things out, the second single from Fol Chen's Part II: The New December. i can't quite put my finger on why, but i'm digging these cats more and more with each new track i hear. This one does nothing to change that sentiment.

mp3: The Holograms (Fol Chen from Part II: The New December)

Now go get your holiday weekend started, assuming you're living Stateside. And be careful with those fireworks. No reason for anyone to go shooting their eye out or anything drastic like that.

The Greatest Jilling Off Mix You Will Ever Hear (Besides The One That Has Prince Tracks In It)

Ed. Note: i will be the first to admit this mix is sorely lacking for one main reason--to quote the Bard, it ain't got no Prince. However, as His Royal Badness is well known for litigating the bejesus out of blogs that post his stuff, we sadly will not be posting any of his music here. Yes, this should have "Darlin' Nikki," "Jack U Off," and "Sugar Walls," amongst others, but it doesn't. So we'll just have to get over it. Le sigh.

When i was i think a sophomore in college, i took a class entitled "Psychology of Human Sexuality." Got a C+ in the class, which haunts me to this day. Nobody wants to get a C+ in sex class. Teacher loved me, too, i just couldn't ace his tests.



Anywho, the first day of class, he had the entire class come up with slang terms for male and female genitalia and male and female masturbation. i remember very little of that class, other than a girl in the front of the class offering up "Jilling Off" as her part of the female masturbation portion. To this day, that phrase cracks me up.

And that's enough for me to put together The Greatest Jilling Off Mix You Will Ever Hear (Besides The One That Has Prince Tracks In It).

There's really only one Queen of the Female Masturbation Songs Song, and that would be Cyndi Lauper's "She Bop." Fortunately for you, we have three versions today--the original, a remake and a cover.

mp3: She Bop (Cyndi Lauper from Twelve Deadly Cyns... And Then Some)

mp3: She Bop (Cyndi Lauper from The Body Acoustic)

mp3: She Bop (Eden Automatic from Glimmer)

But the next one is a pretty close second.

mp3: (When I Think About You) I Touch Myself (The Divinyls from Divinyls)

If you want the truth, go see Richard.

mp3: Masturbating (Richard Pryor from Evolution - Revolution The Early Years (1966-1974))

Another "iffy" for the list, in that it talks more about not getting any, but lawd almighty, it's a funny one.

mp3: Everybody's Fucking But Me (Asylum Street Spankers from Dirty Ditties)

Who doesn't love Bernadette Peters? Nobody. Not even your grandfather.

mp3: Making Love Alone (Bernadette Peters from Sondheim, Etc. )

Tori Amos is one weird chick, which i suppose is why we dig her.

mp3: Icicle (Tori Amos from Under the Pink)

Perry Farrell throws us a curve ball in this, our only track about masturbating someone else. And seriously, can you think of a better way to spend the evening? Doubtful.

mp3: Orgasm (Porno for Pyros from Porno for Pyros)

The original by the Vapors arguably is about a guy rubbing one out, but since Ms. Phair is singing this cover, let's assume it's about slippery fingers this time.

mp3: Turning Japanese (Liz Phair from Juvenilia)

Two from ladies whose names begin with "P." And what does that tell us? Absolutely nothing.

mp3: Diddle my Skittle (Peaches from Teaches of Peaches)

mp3: Fingers (Pink from I'm Not Dead)

And our hip hop entry for the day...

mp3: Toyz Interlude/Toyz (Missy Elliott from This Is Not a Test)

i always thought this was more of a slow jam R&B reefer track, but with lines like, "I'll always think of you/Inside of my private thoughts/I can imagine you/Touching my private parts/With just the thought of you/I can't help but touch my self/That's why I want you so bad," i clearly was wrong.

mp3: You're Making Me High (Toni Braxton from Secrets)

We had to have one more ode to the art of dildonics. Thanks, Terence Trent D'arby, for being there to help us out in our time of need.

mp3: Vibrator (Terence Trent D'arby from Vibrator)

My most recent musical crush, it's good to hear LL singing about the self-interrogation.

mp3: Little Bit (Lykke Li from Youth Novels)

And what better way to end things than with a video game command.

mp3: Finish Her! (Mortal Kombat dialogue)

Singles Club: Sia's You've Changed and Lykke Li's Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?

I was in the car with The Missus yesterday when I mentioned to her that two of my favorite pixies (no, not those Pixies) had just unleashed some free mp3 love on the world. As a great many conversations with The Missus go, she asked me what the hell I was talking about. I then informed her that Sia had dropped "You've Changed" from her upcoming CD, We Are Born, via Twitter, and that Lykke Li, apparently apropos of nothing, gave away her take on the Shirelles classic, "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?"

As is also the case with many conversations with The Missus, this led to a complete non sequitur regarding "actual" pixies. "I can see you calling Sia a pixie, but not Lykke. Pixies can't have long hair." While I still have no idea where that notion came from, I did agree that LL was not necessarily the first person that would come to mind when one thought of pixies.

"However," I retorted, "if we use the X-Man Pixie as our baseline, it's absolutely the right word. Sia would be your early Pixie before she lost part of her soul to the demon Belasco and effectively became Dark Pixie during X-Infernus. I think it's more than fair to think of Lykke Li as a very credible Dark Pixie." And then I was met with the blank stare that a lot of women give me when I start trying to reduce everything to comic books. Such is the story of my life, I suppose.

Regardless, these are two great tracks. You might possibly recognize Sia's track, as she did an earlier version with Lauren Flax. This new version is a lot less dance floor-y and better showcases her vocals as opposed to Ms. Flax's production skills. LL similarly comports herself quite nicely on this Motown gem.

Pixies, indeed, says I.

mp3: You've Changed (Sia from the forthcoming We Are Born)

mp3: Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow? (Lykke Li from her website)

The Top Albums of 2008 According to Chris: #3 - Lykke Li

At some point during the past year, those pesky Scandinavians decided they were going to make an end run towards usurping the throne of indie coolness from those beloved Canadians. And you know what? It looks like they damn well may have succeeded. For me, the defining moment was when Lykke Li came into my life.

At first glance, I wasn't too impressed. And then I saw the video for "Little Bit" and have been hooked like a junkie fish ever since. What's up with those background dancers? What drugs are they all on? Perhaps more importantly still, where can I gets me some of that?

Li's Youth Novels has everything you could want in your indie pop goodness. It's confectionery sweetness, but there's definitely some hard candy awesomeness just beneath the surface. Tracks like "Dance Dance Dance" and "I'm Good, I'm Gone" proved that 2008 was not going to allow the crap coming from mainstream radio overpower actually "good" pop music. You've got an impishly stunning girl who dresses like an updated Debbie Gibson talking about leaving her legs apart for me? Yes, please, I'll take 47 of those.

Once I saw her live at the Black Cat, well, shit, I damn near gave up the family business to shave my head and start following her around the world. Fortunately, I quickly realized I make a very comfortable living and am bald, so that took care of that, but still. I already have my tickets to see her at DC's Historic Synagogue this coming January. I strongly suggest you do the same. If she continues to cover Tribe Called Quest's "Can I Kick It?", you'll be sure to get your ticket's worth there alone.

Here are a few live tracks from a radio performance on WXPN in May. You can thank me for that later.



mp3: Dance Dance Dance (link expired)

mp3: I'm Good, I'm Gone (link expired)

mp3: Little Bit (link expired)

Live Review: Lykke Li @ Black Cat, October 19

My love for Lykke Li, the Swedish chanteuse, really had grown into a bit of an inside joke between some fellow writer friends and me lately. Sure, her video for "Little Bit" is downright addictive, and I have no doubt that if I could do whatever drugs she apparently is taking, my life would be that much better. Her debut album, Youth Novels, has some of the best pop I've heard this year, but, really, is she worth all the blogosphere love she's been receiving? I am here to tell you that yes, she is. Her performance at the Black Cat was one of the best shows period I've seen there this year (granted, I've only seen about a half dozen there this year, but still).

I went with my kid brother and told him beforehand I had no idea what to expect. Sure, we bloggers really seem to dig her, but I was unaware of her blowing up on the radio or anything like that. Armed with that virtually worthless knowledge, I was pretty blown away when I got to the Cat around 9 pm, and the line was snaking to damn near the end of the block. Good Lord and Butter, thought I, this girl is doing a pretty good job getting the word out about herself these days.

I caught the last couple of songs by the opener, Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson, who strangely enough was traveling under the moniker The Family Robinson. Now, Miles' debut single, "Buriedfed," is one of the best damn singles I've heard this year, bar none. Sadly, his live performance leaves a bit more to be desired. While the band had a pretty good groove going, MBAR gave perhaps the most garbled vocal performance I've ever heard. Thinking it was perhaps a mic problem, I was even more surprised when the headliner took the stage and was as clear as a bell. Keep in mind, Ms. Li is from Sweden. Still, his eponymous CD is too good to just throw him by the wayside, so I'm going to assume I just saw him on an off night.

Ms. Li took the stage just around 10:15 and put on a relatively short show, clocking in at just under an hour. That being said, what an hour it was. She took to the stage with the instrumental portion of "Melodies & Desires" playing before launching into "Dance Dance Dance." Halfway through the latter song, she broke into a full fledged drum freak out that made me question whether or not my marriage was worth it or if I should just start a Lykke Li cult then and there. Having only one album to her name ("I am a debut artist," she informed the crowd at one point), she pretty much played all of Youth Novels with a couple of cover tunes. For those of you in the know, Lykke rocked out the old skool Fly Girl look, complete with the phat dookie gold chains. Amongst those gold chains was one gold plated (OK, probably painted) toy trumpet that made it out to the delight of the crowd.

So what made the show so downright fiery? While LL probably needs to work on a few portions of her act (every song does not have to end with a slowed down chanting of the chorus), she's got personality to spare. She's a spitfire under the stage lights, master of that clunky white girl dancing that made junior high proms such a wonderful thing. And let's be honest, an accent like hers is bound to delight even the most tone deaf of admirers.

The highlight of the evening quite probably was the final song of the encore, an impassioned version of A Tribe Called Quest's "Can I Kick It?" Hell, that one alone probably was worth the price of admission. It was during this song that she implored the audience to vote for Obama, which really seemed to piss off some guy next me. Yes, he had a point that as a Swede, she didn't have anything to do with our electoral process, but whatever.

I took a bunch of pictures, but not a damn one came out well. I probably should have tested the camera before using it for the first time, but what can you do? To the guy in front of me who probably wondered why I took that completely unnecessary picture of your ass, yeah, sorry about that dude. I promise you, I was trying to turn it off, not snap a shot of your dumpster. If you had been the guy in the "Little Bit" video, maybe, but you weren't, so there you go.

mp3: Can I Kick It? (live)