The Art of Ba Ba Ba Da's.

Wow. It was pretty easy to get on this thing.

When Gered sent me the Girls track "Lust For Life" I first thought, "What a nerve these dudes have naming a song after the classic Iggy Pop track". I mean, is it really okay for bands to cop the names of previous classic songs? I think I might write a song and call it "While My Guitar Gently Weeps". What?!? Que es un problema??

I like listening to Gered's songs a couple times by themselves and then the whole mix, to see what thoughts naturally pop up in my head. With the Girls track, I started singing "Ba Ba Ba Da" in between the verses and immediately thought of the Pavement B-side "No Tan Lines". It was either going to be a Pavement track or a Stereolab song, and Pavement one out. Stereolab will most likely find its way onto this mix though.

This mix is a slow burner so far. Usually I will start a mix off with a banger to get your head bobbing. If this mix is a gradual climb to faster BMP's, then look forward to my last song being from the Dillinger Escape Plan.

I'm not big on sharing...

So my co-contributors have been slacking on me. Bravely I will post on, and this time It will be only to tell you we have two mixes past their halfway point. You can track their progress on the right hand side of the page. So since no one else is posting, I feel obligated to give you'ns a treat. And I've been keeping this little nugget for my self for a while. Arrrrghh. Here's a little something from Pomplamoose (French for grapefruit) This is a band consisting of Jack Conte and Nataly Dawn. They have a new art form, called videosongs... There are only two rules to follow:

1. What you see is what you hear. (no lip syncing for instruments or voice)

2.If you hear it, at some point you see it. (no hidden sounds)

Check out their cover of Edith Piaf. Piaf? you say? If you haven't heard her, shame shame shame on you, but there's still time to turn your entire life around....

Hip-Hop Indie Collabos

It's a little over sixteen years since Judgement Night exploded on the scene. It was a mediocre movie, but its soundtrack was decades ahead of its time. Every track was a hard rock or indie band paired with a hip hop /rap act. My favorite was DeLaSoul and Teenage Fanclub. I was reading new stuff on Jetcomx, and here's a track from the new Black Keys album, featuring Raekwon the Chef. The Black Keys' last release, Attack and Release, was produced by Danger Mouse and showed a different side of their blues/funk approach. This track sounds tight, Raekwon kills his verses, and this is better than anything on the Judgement Night OST.

Listen here

New Music Tuesdays

Not paying much attention to new releases, but here is one of the few bona-fide KINGS of Hip Hop, Wyclef Jean. And Cyndi Lauper, one of my personal favorites, and a Brooklyn Girl thru and thru.

Check it

Slumdog Millionaire (feat. Cyn...

Fighting Words

As a newly minted lawyer, I suppose I should try to craft a logical argument as to why I inserted the Tony Bennett/Bill Evans version of Young and Foolish (which would be filed under easy listening in most record stores) into a mix that was primarily focused on authentic R & B and neo soul tunes, but where's the fun in that?!

Instead, I'll make more of an emotional argument for the inclusion of this song.

After receiving Let Me Know by Mayer Hawthorne, I combed my iTunes library for a week trying to find the prefect song to fit into this mix. I found myself "trying out" tracks and then dismissing them as too slow, too rock, too pop, etc. Then one afternoon, after listening to the first 8 songs we already have for the mix, I just asked myself the simple question, "What do I want to hear right now?" And Young and Foolish was the answer.

After a series of songs about jealousy, unfaithful lovers, and romantic obsessions, I wanted something focused on the pure feeling you experience when you fall in love, and no other song in the American song book captures that emotion better than Young and Foolish. Needless to say, like most of the music I vibe with, there is a sadness to this song, but it's the sentimental sadness of someone older fondly remembering the beauty of young and carefree love. I thought of this song as a kind of reflective intermission. I can't say what exactly I would follow this song with, but that's Gered's problem now!

And musically? Come on!

Bill Evans could take three notes and turn it into the most interesting piece of music you've ever heard. The guy basically invented the lyrical style of playing piano. He just barely stays on tempo, and just when you think he's leaving the melody of the song, he brings you right back with something beautiful. On this track, he doesn't crowd or overpower Bennett's voice (as if that's possible), but makes the most of his opportunities to shine.

The heart of the song, of course, is Bennett's voice which draws you in with its power and depth, but adds just a hint of shakiness on the high notes that captures the emotions of the tune.

In closing...so there!

Passed the Bar

So, White Motivation passed his Bar Examination and is now a lawyer in NY and NJ. Playlist No. 2 has been at a standstill for quite a while, and here is why. The Playlist goes as follows...

1."Downtown Train" Tom Waits

2."Spoonful" Howlin' Wolf

3."Sad Mood" Sam Cooke

4."Ain't Nothing You Can Do" James Hunter feat. Van Morrison

5."To Love The Language" Harry Connick, Jr.

6."100 Yard Dash" Raphael Saadiq

7."Jealousy" Dave Stewart

8."Let Me Know" Mayer Hawthorne

9."Young and Foolish" Bill Evans & Tony Bennett

I love Tony Bennett and all, Bill Evans even more so, but damn Matt!!! The Connick works, the Dave Stewart even works, although they are both SOFT, but I just feel like track number 9 comes from somewhere beyond this mix. Although we don't do themes, it felt like we had a bit of a "bad ass" thing happening here. Use some of your slippery English and lawyering to convince me and our loyal fan base why this track works.... Any readers think I'm off base???

Guilty Pleasure

Oh, Man.... Sorry

Wher ya at?

Yeah, It's been a minute. I know I promised you a new contributor, too. Be patient.

Check it.

Just to let you know we get down on some hip-hop, too.

Thanks to Hip-Hop Linguistics.... dig 'em here.

New mixes and hot opinions or at least hot air comin' soon.