new music wednesday = dear god can i get some sleep, please?

_posted in new music wednesdays | 09 January 2008

another separate the asshole from the artist... "a shins rocker beats up only person he can, his skinny girlfriend."

angie stone: the art of love and war
animal collective: strawberry jam
freddie king: woman across the river
sharon jones: 100 days, 100 nights
johnny greenwood: there will be blood
talib kweli: focus
the shins: wincing the night away
vampire weekend: vampire weekend
young knives: voices of animals and men

"la voz aspera de la ternura"

_posted in new music wednesdays | 19 December 2007

chavela vargas: 30 grandes canciones
chavela vargas: cupaima
tego calderon: el abayarde
james blunt: all the lost souls
natasha bedingfield: n.b.
the maccabees: colour it in

_soundcheck: ahmad jamal: ahmad's blues

new music wednesday = there is no conflict

_posted in new music wednesdays | 12 December 2007

here's a story. my friend buffi threw me a going away party right before i moved to l.a. and all the usual suspects were there including people i'd not seen in years. one group consisted of my computer science crew, all black chicks, who i spent many a night with in the computer lab programing. buffi has an old school jukebox and thousands of records. a few of said records were of ike and tina, as well as a few of ike turner's solo efforts. my friends were enraged and shocked that anyone would have ike turner records.

buffi overheard them venting their indignation and felt attacked and uncomfortable. i had to explain the whole black woman history with ike turner. the situation definitely confirmed my belief that you truly have to separate artist from asshole. to her ike turner was a great musician who knew how to rock ass on the guitar (which he was). to my friends ike was a wife beating bastard (which he was). for them there was no room for anything else.

let's be honest, ike turner was a down right bastard. flaws aside he was a damned good musician. i was always conflicted about separating the artist from the flawed individual. i love miles davis but again, another abusive asshole. there are so many artists who are questionable individuals. shit, there are so many books i'd never read, or music i'd never listen to, or films i'd never watch if i went on the merit of the person alone and not the work.

that's my spiel for this new music wednesday.... so on to the new music... enjoy.

annie lenox: songs of mass destruction
band of horses: cease to begin
manu chao: la radiolina
robert plant and alison krauss: raising sand
sigur ros: hvarf-heim
spoon: ga ga ga ga ga
the national: boxer
wynton marsalis: from the plantation to the penitentiary
youssou n'our: rokku mi rokka

_soundcheck: ike & tina turner: don't play me cheap/it's gonna work out fine

indeed it is wednesday

_posted in new music wednesdays | 05 December 2007

title: CARNIVAL in yellow    photographer: daye rogers

bad religion: new maps of heaven
beirut: the flying club cap
damon albarn: mail music
kaki king: until we felt red
serj tankian: elect the dead
the mitchell brothers: dressed for the occasion
tupac shakur: the best of 2pac, parts I and II
wyclef jean: the carnival II: memoirs of an immigrant

_soundcheck: wyclef jean: the carnival II: memoirs of an immigrant

new music wednesday = language of the spirit

_posted in new music wednesdays | 28 November 2007

title: Venus and Mucusoara, Stefanesti     photographer: joakim eskildsen

there's a nice little mix here... there is a cute french girl who's a bit homicidal, a few irish singers who make me miss soft kisses... a french group that i love to dance to in my living room... and johnny cash... johnny cash you say? god please don't let him turn into tupac, a new album each year since he's dead and gone... and gypsy punks that take me back to previous life #23, romani.

ben harper: lifeline
damien rice: 9
gogol bordello: taranta!
hafdis huld: paper cut
johnny cash: the great lost performance
soko: not sokute
various artists: the cake sale
yelle: pop up

_soundcheck: curtis fuller: imagination

new music wednesday brought to you by the letters B, E and N

_posted in new music wednesdays | 21 November 2007

i've been wanting the trojan box set for some time and thanks to benji dreams can come true.

justice: +
metro area: metro area
roots radics/scientist/king tubby: in a dub explosion
scientist: introducing scientist
scientist: scientist rids the world of the evil curse of the vampires
trojan: chill out box set (1 - 3)
trojan: ska box set, volume 1

_soundcheck: cali stars: african mix

new music wednesday, you sultry minx! i can't stop fallin' in love with you!

_posted in new music wednesdays | 14 November 2007

oh, and she returns to me. how i've missed you, oh wanton woman...

My love, do you recall the object which we saw,
That fair, sweet, summer morn!
At a turn in the path a foul carcass
On a gravel strewn bed,

Its legs raised in the air, like a lustful woman,
Burning and dripping with poisons,
Displayed in a shameless, nonchalant way
Its belly, swollen with gases.
charles baudelaire: une charogne

joni mitchell: shine
jose gonzalez: in our nature
mum: go go smear the poison ivy
panda bear: person pitch
sara bareilles: little voice
sunset rubdown: random spirit lover
the books: lost and safe

_soundcheck: wilco: sky blue sky

new music wednesday = this thursday

_posted in music | new music wednesdays | 01 November 2007

just one new joint for this week... oh snap! does that mean new music wednesdays are back... hell to the yes! word to yo mama... ok.. im done...

i present the inevitable rise and liberation of niggy tardust! collaboration at its best...

back in the day, during my spoken word days, my coffee house cool days i interviewed
saul while he was at morehouse and i was at gsu... fell in love with that cat, the moment he opened his mouth...

a cover of sunday, bloody, sunday... can i love any man more than i love saul right now?

he's lived up to the image and then some over the years... and niggys tardust takes it to another level... saul and trent reznor? shut the fuck up... perfection!

enjoy...

saul williams: the inevitable rise and liberation of niggy tardust!

_soundcheck: saul williams: the inevitable rise and liberation of niggy tardust!

$newMusicWednesday = false;

_posted in music | new music wednesdays | 17 July 2007

no new music wednesday this week... i have a terrible stomach ache and stress is kicking my ass...

but next week will be all about america latina. so get your dancing shoes on and be prepared to throw down...

new music wednesday

_posted in music | new music wednesdays | 11 July 2007

i'm not to sure how i feel about this week's music. andrew bird is interesting. i wonder, though, if he does himself a disservice by being too daring in his approach. each on of his albums is unique, yes, but you don't know what to expect. oh! the grandeur! definitely has a django reinhart feel, while his other albums are atmospheric or instrumental, violin heavy. im not about knocking creativity but i'm not sure if i could jump from album to album with him.

andrew bird: andrew bird and the mysterious production of eggs
andrew bird: armchair apocrypha
andrew bird: oh, the grandeur!
andrew bird: the swimming hour
andrew bird: weather systems
blanche: if we can't trust the doctors
erin mckeown: we ill become like birds
great lake swimmers: bodies and minds
the photo atlas: no, not me, never

_soundcheck: tinariwen: aman iman

thursday = new music wednesday this week...

_posted in music | new music wednesdays | 05 July 2007

yes sometimes its nice to keep it short and sweet...

africando, ketukuba
animal collective: here comes the indian
brandi carlile: the story
dan deacon: spiderman of the rings
pharoahe monch: desire

_soundcheck: pharoahe monch: desire

meeting the devil at the crossroads in the delta at midnight...

_posted in music | new music wednesdays | 27 June 2007

robert johnson is definitely on of the greatest bluesmen ever, not just in his time. the legend says he met the devil down at the crossroads on a midnight down in the mississippi delta to sell his soul for his skill on the guitar. its stuff of legend.

i opted for the old old school bluesmen, although i am a fan of muddy waters, bo diddley, elmore james and the rest of the electric guitar blues set, but theres something about a man and his acoustic guitar with that scratchy old school recording that make for some damn good blues listening. and its always nice to hear the original versions from the men who created them or in some cases work songs brought in from the fields and the chain gangs or from the front porches or old folk songs carried down through generations. i swear it makes me miss the south, particularly my great grandparents home in vidalia, georgia. yea, i said it vidalia, home of the sweet onions. my great grandmother was the queen of good old fashion southern cooking... how i miss those days of biscuits, rickety doors, turn of the century bed frames, bedpans (yea i said, the bathroom was through the greatgrandparents bedroom- so it was bedpans or holding it till the morning and the side room was detached from the house- so it was bedpans or holding it till the morning, get my point), gardens, ants in the back house, black and white photos of family long gone hanging on the walls, tales of mothers, fathers, aunties, uncles, cousins, etc who were slaves, and the smell of old age and wisdom.

these are some of my favorite old school bluesmen. there were so many to choose from, but i think i did good. i may create a monday morning blues category just cause monday is nothing but the blues... it has been proclaimed, monday morning blues playlist will begin the first monday in july.

blind willie johnson: dark was the night
john lee hooker: it serves you right to suffer
john lee hooker: plays and sings the blues
leadbelly: king of the 12-string guitar
robert johnson: complete recordings
skip james: devil got my woman
skip james: complete early recordings
son house: alan lomax library of congress

bush taxi mali: field recordings from mali
mokobe: mon afrique
gill landry: the ballad of lawless soirez
head like a kite: random portraits of the home movie
polyphonic spree: fragile army
the white strips: icky thump

thanks to antero for putting me on to the bush taxi mali... i want to have its babies. and topher im digging the polyphonic spree.

_soundcheck: usher: confessions

new music wednesday

_posted in music | new music wednesdays | 20 June 2007

i use to watch the tv show, xica da silva, even though i didnt understand one word of it... i found it really interesting, as i find most of the telenovellas. i was delighted to find the song xica da silva, on the brazil '70s compilation disc, sung by none other than miriam makeba, mama africa. she's been one of my favorites since my introduction to south africa... she may have been the first african artist that i was aware of... thanks to antero for putting me on to hallelujah chicken run, cause shit if that's not the best name for a band... theres a nice little mix again this week... i think next week will be all about the blues... cause i've been really tired and blue for some reason... it could be the heat or the downtime... but whatever it is ive yawned about 30 times in the last hour... and all i want to sleep for the whole summer...

berg sans nipple: form of
berg sans nipple: life if (in four parts)
francisco aquabella: hitting hard
hallelujah chicken run band: take one
imitation electric piano: blow it up burn it down kick it 'til it bleeds
imitation electric piano: trinity neon
john legend: once again
miriam makeba: pata pata live in paris
the shins: wincing the night away
various artists: african playground
various artists: brazil 70s 10 samba funk bossa nova tracks
madlib: the other side los angeles

_soundcheck: john legend: once again

no new music wednesday this week

_posted in new music wednesdays | 13 June 2007

sorry... its finals week and im swamped... next week will be most awesome... oh yes, yes it will...

hugs and kisses, monkeys...

new music wednesday

_posted in new music wednesdays | 06 June 2007

i think there's a nice mix of things going on this week... i was happy to see that midnite has a few new albums, actually i was more than happy... let's just say i take my time getting to work in the morning so i can enjoy the music...

i have no idea what the hell is going on in west africa, but damned if mali, the congo, senegal, niger, nigeria, benin, libya, burkina faso and sierra leone are just blowing me away musically. this music is so feeding my soul right now...

afel bocoum et alkibar: niger
ali farka toure & toumani diabate: in the heart of the moon
andy palacio & the garifuna collective: watina
antibalas: who is this america
carina round: disconnection
giant drag: hearts and unicorns
lonely dear: sologne
midnite & groundbreaking collaboration: aneed
midnite & i grade collaboration: rule the time
midnite: scheme a things
midnite: suns of atom
the sea and cake: everybody
toumani diabate & ballake sissoko: new ancient strings
voxtrot
wilco: sky blue sky

_soundcheck: afel bocoum et alkibar: niger

new music wednesday

_posted in new music wednesdays | 30 May 2007

on top of great music kammerflimmer kollektief offers up some really great photographs... creepy and lovely at the same time... one of bob's sons makes his solo debut... proving that a family can be overflowing with talent... i am in love with any band that can take a song from one of the my favorite musicals and make it their on... and a whole bunch of other stuff to enjoy... music music everywhere...

anthony hamilton: southern comfort
black moth super rainbow: dandelion gum
black moth super rainbow: start a people
black moth super rainbow + the octopus project: the house of apples and eyeballs
dntel: dumb luck
elliot smith: new moon
justine electra: soft rock
kammerflimmer kollektief: absencen
kammerflimmer kollektief: cicadidae
kate nash
mr. hudson & the library: a tale of two cities
ozomatli: don't mess with the dragon
stephen marley: mind control
white flight

new music wednesday = thus africa

_posted in new music wednesdays | 23 May 2007

dave chappelle said his dad gave him some sound advice at the beginning of his career; "he said, 'name your price in the beginning. if it ever gets more expensive than the price you name, get out of there.' thus, africa."

occasionally i invoke the "thus, africa" to help keep me focused and grounded in living the realty before i can even think about living the dream.

so today's new music wednesday is all about music from africa. kirkwood mentioned he'd been listening to some african music, and i instantly perked up. so i told him this week would be africa wednesday...

there's a lovely woman from mali, one of my favorite genres; soukous, which derived from the congolese rumba... there are tuaregs who make the most beautiful, painful music ive ever heard and the son of one of the greatest african guitarists, vieux farka toure.

enjoy!

rokia traore: bowmboi
rokia traore: wanita
sam mangwana: georgette eckins
tinariwen: aman iman
tinariwen: radio tisdas sessions
t.p. orchestre poly rythmo: the kings of benin urban groove 1972-80
various artists: super guitar soukous
various artists: rough guide to congolese soukous
vieux farka toure: vieux_farka_toure

_soundcheck: tinariwen: aman iman

wednesday = new music

_posted in new music wednesdays | 16 May 2007

two new music wednesday in a row... holy shit...

panama latin, funk and calypso on the isthmus 1965-75
ghana soundz volume 1
ghana soundz volume 2
afro baby - the evolution of the afro sound in nigeria, 1970-1979
stafraenn hakon: gummi
stafraenn hakon & larus sigurdsson: calder
quantic: apricot morning
quantic: quantic presents the worlds rarest funk 45's
the quantic soul orchestra: pushin on
susumu yokota: grinning cat
susumu yokota: laputa
caetano veloso & gilberto gil: tropicalia

update: for those in the know... make sure to grab the quanticmix... hot shit...

_soundcheck: stafraenn hakon: gummi

music wednesday

_posted in new music wednesdays | 09 May 2007

new music wednesday...

a few people actually quizzed me on where new music wednesday went... yea, i know... i'm just as surprised as you... so it's back... yet again...

let's see... a lovely dread is yelling about fire... and we all want the power to impress... im in love with an irishman and want to have an afro celtic tribe with him while he's singing about the swell season... there's a paul in africa... and a whole bunch other nice gems this week... enjoy party people...

the frames: the cost
the frames: dance the devil
glen hansard and marketa irglova: the swell season
hot chip: the warning
kana: kana
kana: entre freres
david karsten daniels: sharp teeth
groundation: upon the bridge
erlend oye: unrest
bloc party: a weekend in the city
bell x1: flock
the chieftains: further down the old plank road
elbow: asleep in the back
elbow: leaders of the free world
michael franti and spearhead: yell fire!
nick drake: family tree

on another note... check out ONCE. im feeling the trailer... as you can tell im digging the music... but the idea of the film and the story is definitely pulling me in... for those of you in la. its showing at the harmony gold screening room. i wouldn't be able to make it, ive got class... but im definitely there when it opens for the masses...

_soundcheck: the frames: the cost

new music wednesdays

_posted in dayedayerocks | new music wednesdays | 18 October 2006

i finished shooting for my assignment for doc class and now i have to pick music for my sketch. and music i take quite seriously. growing up, there wasnt a day that music wasnt moving throughout the house. and my love of music i indeed inherited from my grandmother, so it was only natural i start playing an instrument.

when i was in the 3rd grade i joined the school band. and i use the word band loosely. it was 5 girls all playing the clarinet, save for me. i wanted to learn the flute. after a few weeks of being the only flute player, the only one who hadn't gotten the same instruction time as the 4 clarinets and the fact that playing the flute gave me a headache, i moved on the clarinet. by the end of my third week on the clarinet i knew all the scales and i as first chair. that's not really saying much when a band consists of 5 girls. but, by the time i reached junior high i was first chair clarinet, made all-state and all-city bands and loved music.

mr. chadwick was my junior high band instructor. while there he put me on to the bassoon during concert season. my grandmother was proud, but not to happy about those damned $10 reeds. cause if there was ever a child who went through reeds like i was breathing, that would be me. i remember the first time i played the bassoon, there was this deep resonating sound that vibrated in my chest, that made me instantly smile and think, ill play music for the rest of my life. that was my plan; to be a musician, to be in an orchestra. by the time i made it to high school, i once again had my original band instructor from elementary. he put me on to the saxophone and that soon moved on to the tenor and baritone saxophones. and for the next four years i played the sax during concert season and marching band. yes, i was in marching band... and i kicked some marching band ass...

i use to spend hours listening to songs i wanted to learn and being completely impressed that i could play by ear. i soon developed my own style while listening to jazz nonstop. i knew my scales like is was nobody's business and the only other extracurricular i loved more than music was tennis. and now, i play nothing. i still own my clarinet, ive never owned my own saxophone, bassoon, flute or trumpet. but i've rocked out on them. i own a guitar, but all i know are a few scales. the plan was to learn classical guitar... it still is... but the main reason for the guitar was to be a precursor to the cello. the cello, serves the same purpose as the bassoon. and it was bach's cello suites that sold me on how beautiful a voice the cello has... i once ventured into the cello suites via the bassoon after realizing they share the same voice. it was like being in love.

so now i listen to other people's amazing talent and miss those days of being the one behind the instrument. i still think at some point ill buy a student cello and give it a try. i can't think of anything else that would make a lazy sunday afternoon sweet.

so on to new music wednesdays...

ive been listening to a LOT of alan lomax. he's been a hero of mine for many many years and its nice to finally get a lot of complete cd's of his recordings. his southern exploration hits home for me... listening to old "colored men" on the prison chain gang is something to behold. another favorite of mine i came across about three years ago, the ethiopiques series. this is important because for many people, the first thing they think about when someone mentions ethiopia is starving children. but outside of the textured history, the fucking amazing food, there is a musical history that is just astounding.

alan lomax collection: the blues songbook (vols1 & 2)
alan lomax collection: prison songs (vols1 & 2)
alan lomax collection: hobart smith - blue ridge legacy
alan lomax collection: black appalachia string bands, songsters and hoedowns
alan lomax collection: black texicans balladeers and songsters of the texas frontier
ali farka toure: savane
blind boy fuller: east coast piedmont style
ethiopiques, vol. 14: negus of ethiopian sax
ethiopiques, vol. 21: ethiopian song
k'naan: the dusty foot philosopher
michael hurley: long journey
peter bjorn & john: writer's block
various artistsrio baile funk favela booty beats
sonny terry & brownie mcgee: 1958 london sessions
wilson simonal: alegria, alegria!!!

new music wednesdays

_posted in new music wednesdays | 21 June 2006

gina k. put me on to wolf parade and oh how i heart them... the knife has a new joint out, silent shout... and ever since i saw the video for pass this on i have loved them deeply and madly... this week (and it's only wednesday people) has been one fuck up after the next at work (which unfortunately seems to be the standard not the exception)... so in times of stress we turn our head to music or movies... and thank goodness for that lovely thing called music...

by the way, just in case i haven't told you, "you are the sharpest knife, you are the finest blade, you are the shining sun, everybody's in your shade."

b. fleischmann: the humbucking coil
broken social scene: broken social scene
dimlite: runbox weathers
the knife: silent shout
lily allen: alright still
loka: fire shepherds
vashti bunyan: lookaftering
wolf parade: apologies to queen mary

_soundcheck: fela, black president

new music wednesdays

_posted in new music wednesdays | 14 June 2006

any album that starts of with a song entitled fuck the pain away, with the first line starting with,

sucking on my tities like you wanted me
calling me, all the time like Blondie...

is a sure fired staple in my mixed bag of music... my buddy drew has the talent for passing on some of the most hate it or love it music... there is no room for the in between... word is ms. peaches was a teacher of the young... knowing teachers myself, i absolutely believe this completely insane, wonderfully awesome chick was a teacher and the youth in canadaland were made better for it...

i was happy to find out that cassandra wilson is back with some great music... can you say crush, cause yea im still crushing on her after all these years... make me a poet, baby...

alexi murdoch: time without consequence
peaches: the teaches of peaches
various artists: gravikords whirlies & pyrophones
josh rouse: subtitulo
josh rouse: nashville
psapp: the only thing i ever wanted
cassandra wilson: thunderbird

_soundcheck: fela, black president

new music wednesdays

_posted in dayedayerocks | new music wednesdays | 05 April 2006

alright lovely people... ive been listening to mostly african music all week and just feeling the love... a few other pieces thrown in for good measure... since i heart the kinks madly, i thought it just fitting to have ray davies' new SOLO project... and yes i do heart it as well, my fav "is there life after breakfast?"

cesaria evora: rogamar
cheikh lo: lamp fall
marvin gaye: here, my dear
ray davies: other people's lives
the flaming lips: at war with the mystics
yeah yeah yeah's: show your bones

_in other news
this morning while rushing yet again to get to work at some decent time i realized that my life will and has always been long to do lists, too many projects and a full plate. so i've given up complaining about it all... fuck it...

i have a midterm on saturday in film history and a midterm in archaeology the wednesday after next (that might as well be tomorrow)... so guess who has no time for bullshit... or drinking (damnit!)... or anything equally awesome and amazing... but who's fucking loving every minute of it... cause i am... and to end a hectic day with a great bit of news i made an A in my advanced editing class... AND im going to start working from home on wednesdays and thursdays... happy happy joy joy!!

so there... daye daye so rocks... hard core bitches...

hugs and kisses...

_soundcheck: the kinks, arthur (or the decline and fall of the british empire)

new music wednesdays (is back!)

_posted in africa | new music wednesdays | the world | 29 March 2006

imagine my complete utter delight when i found out that salif keita had released a new album (in november of 2005!) im shocked i wasnt on top of this, but last week i got the album and i wanted to wait until i had some serious downtime. so last night i listed to it three times! and ive already listened to it twice this morning. i heart salif keita!!!! and i thought that moffou was my favorite of his albums... but this definitely gives me that... that feeling... i cant even describe it... its visceral...

of all the things pulling me to africa, the music has been the strongest force. can you imagine seeing salif keita live in africa! youssou n'dour! amadou & mariam! pape & cheikh! ladysmith black mambazo! baaba maal!cheikh lo! femi kuti! angelique kidjo! and so so so many more... and ive been thinking since music and film have been these amazing forces in my life, and the things pulling me to the continent, that id try for this years WOMAD in rivermead, but the fam is going to be in l.a until july 24! so thats cutting it close... but damn, youssou AND salif are going be there!! so im gonna keep my eye out for next years festivals and see what i can get going... and if anyone knows of some choice film and/or music festivals i should be hitting up let me know... in africa? definitely let me know...

_"thus africa"
salif keita: m'bemba
amadou & masriam: dimanche à bamako
mulatu astatke - ethiopiques, vol. 4

_tried and true
ben harper: both sides of the gun
matisyahu: youth
spearhead: chocolate supa highway
elmore james: dust my broom
elmore james: the sky is crying - the history of the elmore james

_on another note, the "makin move and shakin fools" came from the sp... he bitched and moaned about me stealing his thunder and how his "intellectual property is being infringed upon." hehehe...

_update
daye(who rocks) : you happy now cry baby
daye: you got your props
sp(who sucks) : lol
sp: bitched and moaned?
sp: lol
sp: i recall just a sentence.... something like, bitch you're a thief
sp: lol
sp: yeah
daye: heheh
sp: you need to take your ass to africa
sp: use that bank you got and go
daye: i know
daye: right

_soundcheck: salif keita, m'bemba

new music wednesdays

_posted in new music wednesdays | 30 November 2005

here's another round of new music... loving everything listed... check it out if you get a chance...

im so preparing myself for cesaria evora at ucla in march... a friend of mine put me on to her some years ago and ive been hooked ever since... she's called the barefoot diva, and believe me its for a reason... portuguese is one of the most beautiful languages, and she makes it even more lovely...

_portuguese language albums
cesaria evora: cabo verde , cafe atlantico , sao vicente
seu jorge: cru and the life aquatic studio sessions
lura: di korpu ku alma

_other good shite
clap your hands say yeah : clap your hands say yeah
danger doom: the mouse and the mask
crooked fingers: dignity & shame

_soundcheck: seu jorge, cru

new music wednesdays

_posted in new music wednesdays | 16 November 2005

i've been listening to some really cool music lately and thought id share the goodness...

brazillian girls: brazillian girls
discover america: psychology
griffin house: lost & found
nouvelle vague: nouvelle vague and bossa nova punk covers
the incredible moses leroy: become the soft.lighties
laura viers: carbon glacier and year of meteors