Got a stack of kickass house tunes from Sonikross today – he’s send me a few bootlegs, some of which have been played by DJs such as Fatboy Slim! He’s doin it and doin it well. I’ve posted a few of my faves but you can check out heaps more of his stuff at his SoundCloud or get more info and become one of his friends at his MySpace.

Top work mate – keep it up!

Gnarles Barkley – Crazy (Sonikross mix)

Sugababes – Switch (Sonikross mix)

Sonikross and Denis McKervey – Take U To The 80’s

Photo show for Brian and Sandra done

Time to slow things down…

I’m going to try to mix things up as much as possible. Since last week focused on hip-hop, I thought some blues/folk was in order.

Ray LaMontagne is an artist I was introduced to less then a year ago. I was in a restaurant when I heard an amazing acoustic version of Gnarles Barkley’s Crazy. When I got home I immedietaly went to work trying to find out who the singer was. That was the beginning of my Ray LaMontagne obsession.

Less then a week later I had his entire discography, and every other song I could find that hes touched. Here are just a couple of his songs that I have on my ipod right now. The first is the song that started it all. Ray LaMontagne’s genius cover of Gnarles Barkley’s Crazy. The second is a song that I find myself coming back to and falling in love with again every time I hear it.

. . . to the false memory of what you and I once had . . .

Dir:  Chris Milk / Music: Gnarls Barkley / USA 2008

Chris Milk brings some serious heart crooning to life in his second video collaboration from Gnarles Barkely’s album The Odd Couple.

Throwing a Halloween party this year or just want to get pumped before walking to Franklin Street? This playlist will get you in a frenzied, frightful mood.

1. Rob Zombie: Dragula
2. Gnarls Barkley: The Boogie Monster
3. Iron Maiden: The Number of the Beast
4. Michael Jackson: Thriller
5. Iron Maiden: Fear of the Dark
6. The Misfits: Astro Zombies
7. Meat Loaf: Bat Out of Hell
8. Radiohead: Creep
9. Puddle of Mudd: Psycho
10. Korn: Freak on a Leash

-MaryAnn Barone

The Breakthrough Video Award has nominees from artists you wouldn’t expect from a MTV awards show which is good, damn good. Here are some of my favorite nominees for best Breakthrough Video.

Cold War Kids – I’ve Seen Enough

This totally makes up for the fact that “Single Ladies” got like 20 million nominations. Good MTV, you get a doggie treat.

Download The Reeling

Download Lessons Learned

La versión es un arte…

Gnarles Barkley – Gone daddy gone (2006)

Rating: 4 out of 5

The duo of rapper/crooner Cee-Lo Green and producer Dangermouse that make up Gnarls Barkley return for a second serving of exotic tunes with “Odd Couple”, a thirteen-track bliss-ride into a dimension all their own.

After a smooth, airy start with the enchanting “Charity Case”, and the hollow, empty sound of “Who’s Gonna Save My Soul” the album picks up speed with “Going On” and the current single “Run.”

Their ability to produce the sound of a full-feature band coming from two artist shines throughout, as Dangermouse’s retro-but-futuristic production joins with the easily identifiable stories of Cee-Lo. The high-pitched southerner is able to experiment and explore while Dangermouse plays the background providing the canvas.

Gnarls Barkley goes places unimagined to their respective genre’s, which makes them a very unique pair; the primitive self-actualization of “Open Book”, the teenage rebellion of “Whatever”, the love lessons of “Surprise” and the playful undertones of “Blind Mary” define the group as having no definition.

It’s an old-school sound that’s refreshing, something rarely found in music today. Although short with a majority of the songs clocking in slightly over three minutes, the group pushes the envelope and leaves you wanting more. Fitting into no categories, Gnarls Barkley is truly an Odd Couple that meshes perfectly to produce some great music.

Downloads: “Surprise” “Blind Mary” “Open Book”

direct download

self titled.

Help support the show by making a purchase from the new Visitronix Store at http://blog.visitronix.com/product or donating via paypal to visitronix@gmail.com. Thanks!

I’m playing catch up so no commentary for a while.

From MTV’s Buzzworthy Blog:

Madcon’s blazing runaway funk single “Beggin” is so good it’s about to make American rap stars of two Norwegian dudes. How often does that happen? Tshawe Baqwa and Yosef Wolde-Mariam have been churning out funk-soul hip-hop since 1992, owning European charts with sultry, half-rapped / half-sung party anthems like “Liar” and “Back On The Road.”

After establishing themselves as Norwegian celebrities with their own music-related TV show, Tshawe went on to win Norway’s Dancing With The Stars! And “Beggin” was already topping Norwegian charts almost two years ago. But it’s taken until now for anything to break big overseas on a mainstream level.

With a jazzy sound somewhere between The Roots and Gnarls Barkley, it’s no surprise Madcon’s getting some major American attention. In fact, I can’t believe it didn’t happen sooner.  Shame on us.

Watch “Beggin” below, and find out what we’ve been missing all these years!

Another Banga from Gnarles Barkley, can’t believe  that I’ve slept gotta love the imagery on this one here…fitting title “Who’s gonna save my soul?”

This is one of the best music videos in recent history. Figured i’d share it even though it was created before this blog was born. I love Gnarles Barkley.

So, what does Bassnectar mean? According to his website it means, “A freeform project that merges music, art, new media, social involvement, and community values; dedicated to a constantly-evolving ethos of collaborative creation, self-reinvention, and boundary-pushing experimentation.” My personal meaning is, “WOW, this guy FUCKIN’ ROCKS YOUR SOCKS OFF!”(Fist raised and pounding).

I have had the wonderful opportunity to see Bassnectar twice since I have been alive. The first time was at the Southern Comfort Music Festival held in Denver, CO, which featured headlining artists like Blonde Redhead and Gnarles Barkley; in addition to, the outrageous, whomping bass and eclectic visual display of new media broadcasted behind the low-hanging head of Bassnectar himself. The second time was more recently at the Ogden Theatre located on Denver’s renown Colfax Ave located on Capital Hill. I had just walked in when I heard the bass going through my sternum and knocking down the young raver behind me. A triad of lights, video, and sound, (specifically bass), overcame my senses as I jockeyed for a good position to watch the montage. Bassnectar was mixing everything from Slayer, Aphex Twin, MIA, and Lil Wayne, while producing ear-shattering cheers and roars from the crowd.

His diverse style of presenting and processing music, both audibly and visually, lulls eardrums into an ancient, transcendent melody of rhythm and rhyme. His music makes me look past hearing and seeing music at a live show, but rather the mixture of what Bassnectar stands for: A merger of music, art, new media, social involvement, and community values.

Keep reading for all the dates for the Other Side Tour…

May 2, 2009 – Elemental Experience Festival@ Mission Bay Park – San Diego, CA
May 4, 2009 – Hopmonk Tavern@ HopMonk Tavern – sebastopol, CA
May 5, 2009 – The Red Fox Tavern@ Red Fox Tavern – Eureka, CA
May 6, 2009 – Stillwater Theatre – Ashland, OR
May 7, 2009 – McDonald Theatre – Eugene, OR
May 8, 2009 – Crystal Ballroom – Portland, OR
May 9, 2009 – The Showbox at the Market@ Showbox – Seattle, WA
May 10, 2009 – Night Light Lounge@ The Nightlight – Bellingham, WA
May 16, 2009 – The Catalyst Club @ Catalyst – Santa Cruz, CA
May 22, 2009 – Formerly State Theatre – Lincoln, NE
May 23, 2009 – Bella Music Fest – Harmony Park@ Harmony Park – Geneva, MN
May 24, 2009 – Summer Camp@ Three Sisters Park – Chillicothe, IL
May 29, 2009 – Henry Fonda Theatre@ Henry Fonda Music Box Theater – Los Angeles, CA
June 6, 2009 – Starscape Festival 2009 @ Fort Armistead Park – Baltimore, MD
July 10, 2009 – All Good Festival @ Marvin’s Mountaintop – Masontown, WV
August 15, 2009 – Electronic Music Fest @ Camp Zoe – Salem, MO

It is without further ado that I give you a live video of the performance @ Ogden Theatre (02.27.09):

Out Now On Palawan/MX3/Universal

I don’t think he sounds like Bryn Christopher I’m Just saying this is how that Bryn Christopher s**t should’ve sounded and the question still remains after the much overhyped arrival of the “UK’s Cee-Lo Green sound alike” does the discerning listener have it in his or heart to lend their ear for the course of a whole album of this “new old school sounding stuff”.

I admittedly fell into a slumber when I first played Reset To Zero because the first lyric was “I’m smilin’” I thought oh for f**k sake here we go again with the Gnarles Barkley Bandwagon Business or GeeBeeBee’s if you like 

(hahaha!! I Just Made That s**t up 21:20 12.04.09 Kid Fury coins new phrase) …I digress … I should make it clear that I don’t have a major problem with Bryn Christopher other than the fact I want to like his material but it doesn’t really ever fully capture that Motown spirit he is attempting to emulate he tends to just fall short of having that little something that made that era so special and Midi Mafia helped him bring fire to the intro of his LP but after that it’s like close but no cigar if you get me, almost isn’t good enough, so if I go right back to my opening statement I’m just sayin’ I do these reviews with the headphones on, I Wud If I Cud set it off correctly and set off some old school rug cuttin’ up in my gaff so much that the 2nd track was a welcome breather.

I’m the type of guy that will often judge a CD by it’s cover and the cover art for this album will not be seen as one of the greater pieces of sleeve art but this is music that has you read and memorize the names of the tracks as you let it play. No skipping tracks going on here as Anthoney Wright magically stays on that tight rope between Bryn Christopher’s effort and Raphael Saadiq’s slightly too well done The Way I See It as well as occasional echoes of Cameo making this a far more listenable effort than that of our gauges. I can see why Reset To Zero was made a single now as those first two words “I’m Smilin” made that particular track sound so instantly relevant & current that it was probably hard not to pick that track out of what is a top draw album with only one commercial garbage moment and even the rest of that track is dynomite!!!

Listen To Anthoney Wright – Feet On The Ground 

www.myspace.com/anthoneywright  

Also I am beating the shutta shades to death.

One thing that at least three quarters of the animalblog.blogblog.blog authorship loves to do is beat jokes to death.

Now we’re beating a song to death!

WALTER MURPHY mashed up with Room 5 and Gnarls Barkley! Thanks DJ M.i.F! What a great way to keep your Fifth of Beethoven high rolling! And remember that summer from like three summers ago??

Crazy Luv – DJ M.i.F (mp3)

The first review of this blog centers around one of the most predominate artists on the original 85 track edu[music]ation soundtrack: The Kooks. With an impressive 29 songs on the playlist, I don’t think I held back any song, cover, mashup, or remix from my library onto the playlist. One of my favorite bands I came across in 2008, they get the honor of the first review.

The Kooks first rang in my ears on the great San Diego radio station FM94.9 with their recommended single “Naive.” This upbeat, indie-alternative-pop fusion quickly infects you, and you can’t help but listen intuitvely. The single propelled them tot he top of the charts in the UK, and additionally selling out their tour shows in LA and NY. Subsequently, in 2006 after the release of their album Inside In/Inside Out, they won numerous awards. Following their debut album, they released Konk in 2008 setting them into the number one position in the UK charts.

Besides their own sound, drawing from a number of influences and blending well into the indie-alternative scene with slight pop influences, The Kooks have dropped a number of original covers. Their outstanding covers include Gnarles Barkley’s “Crazy,” Coldyplay’s “Violet Hill,” MGMT’s “Kids,” and Peter Bjorn and John’s “Young Folks.” All of these songs are great on their own, and when covered by the Kooks take on a new life. Even Ace of Bases’ “All That She Wants” gets revived when The Kooks cover it. Undoubtedly you’ve heard many of their songs in recent television commercials. Particularly “Shine On” seems to dominate many of the ads.

So without further ado, I give you your first edu[music]ation lesson on: The Kooks.

The Kooks-Niave

The Kooks-Crazy (Gnarles Barkley Cover)

The Kooks-Young Folks (Peter Bjorn and John Cover)

Please note that the views expressed below are solely that of the author (John Stringer), which may or may not be held by other members of the band!

Children Drumming at Inner Harbour

How Can Music Save the World?

That’s a heavy question to start the New Year off with.  One way I think music is helping to save the world is through helping children HEAL.   Here are just a few noteworthy examples:

I received this great video about music helping to sooth and heal those in a children’s hospital in San Francisco. The video showed that the kids who were making the music and listening to the soul of the sounds felt a renewed spirit, smiled and got much needed rest.

INNER HARBOUR
Thanks to an invitation from local humanitarian, music supporter and State of man friend Don Astin, I recently had the pleasure of performing for children at Inner Harbour, an amazing psychiatric residential treatment facility in Douglasville, GA for troubled adolescents and children.  The facility works with Don to bring in artists to perform for the children and inspire them in addition to other programs that include music.

I enjoyed performing for and sharing my life story with the kids and they asked some insightful questions as well as courageously shared a little about themselves.  The kids were just as amazing as the staff I spoke with and I hope to return with the full band soon.

Here is an excerpt from their site to describe a little of what they do:

By coordinating unique therapeutic programs with classroom activities and wilderness experiences, we are able to help young people develop trust, build self-esteem and become receptive to the intensive psychiatric treatment they receive.

Our programs work. For many of our clients, Inner Harbour is their last resort, yet after discharge, most of our patients are either back in school or gainfully employed, as evidenced by our ongoing surveys.

PURPLE SONGS CAN FLY PROJECT
I also found out about the Purple Songs Can Fly Project, today. The project, in Austin, Texas, has opened a recording studio inside one of the country’s largest pediatric cancer care facilities. It gives patients a chance to record their own songs in a fully equipped recording studio at the hospital.

According to an MSN report, there have been over 116 songs already recorded since the program began in March. This is a truly remarkable program that gives these kids a fighting chance to not only be heard but remember what it was like to have the creativity and freedom of making music.

SONGS FOR KIDS FOUNDATION
Songs For Kids Foundation is an excellent non-profit in Atlanta, GA who’s goal is to enrich the lives of children in need through music.   Founded by Atlanta Humanitarian Josh Rifkind, the foundation hosts a hugely popular fund raiser at Smith’s Old Bar in Atlanta, GA called 500 Songs For Kids where 500 DIFFERENT ARTISTS hit the stage to perform 500 of the MOST PASSIONATE SONGS of all time.

Past performers have included Cee-Lo of Gnarles Barkley, Angie Aparo, Arrested Development, Pete Stroud, Janelle Monae, Edwin McCain, Drivin’ n’ Cryin’, Pete Yorn, Mute Math, Butch Walker and of course State of Man!

As the website explains:

We bring musicians year round to hospitals, special needs kids camps, and all places where kids are in need

Visit the site’s multimedia page to view some of the past performances!

–

The power behind using music as a healing device goes deep and we (State of Man) respect that.  With every song we make we are healing ourselves, with our lyrics, the music, the memories and the friends and family we make along the way.  Music can change the world and I bet it has changed your life.

How has music changed your life?

Browsing through my hypebot newsletter (note: please sign up if you aren’t already), I stumbled upon this article, which pissed me off for two reasons: I think I am a reliable authority on new music, which is directly connected to the second reason, that the magazines didn’t ask me when polling for their list.

Anyways, here are my lists:

everything
10 gnarles barkley – the odd couple
9 jamie lidell – jim
8 q-tip – the renaissance
7 tv on the radio – dear science *recent addition to the list
6 fleet foxes – fleet foxes
5 dj shadown & cut chemist – the hard sell
4 devotchka – a mad and faithful telling
3 black keys – attack & release
2 m83 – saturdays=youth
1 ray lamontagne – gossip in the grain

honorable mention: lykke li – youth novel and sigur ros – me› su› í eyrum vi› spilum endalaust

ropeadope digital top 10
10 otis grove – crank it up
9 jd73 – zeros and ones
8 blue method – kill the music, volume 2
7 silences sumire – return is selective
6 bodega – bounce
5 rabnett 5 – leopardism
4 tim collins – fade
3 japhy ryder – no consequence
2 paradigm – melodies for uncertain robots
1 carlon – johari window

Feel free to praise or refute my list and email me yours.