Listen and Download: Reflection Eternal- “Just Begun”

Courtesy of ONSMASH:

We refrained from posting (and even listening) to the radio rip version of this song that was played this past Tuesday when Just Blaze & Jay Electronica went up to Shade45 to visit Tony Touch and we’re glad we did. Some things are just worth waiting for. Spotted at YOTB.

Talib Kweli & Hi-Tek’s Revolutions Per Minute drops in February.

first off, apologies for our lazier-than-usual blogging lately. grizzly is traveling/spending time with family, i’m leaving on a short/long overdue trip home tomorrow, and sun bear is reading pitchfork in a cave (that presumably has wi-fi) somewhere. expect sparse posting over the next few days, but fear not as we will be back in full swing with our end of year wrap up very VERY soon, along with new features and dope shit to come in the new year. as usual, we love you and want to see you with your pants off, and wish you and your families/friends/pets a safe and happy holidays.

download:

john legend – let it snow.

- panda c/o weworemasks

welcome to the new & improved livendirect blog. keep in mind that this is a work in progress.

Newest Creation by my Soho buddies Dee & Ricky, the Blunt Brick and Black Heart brooches. The blunt brooch resembles the cigarette brooch that dropped early this year. These pieces are both available through RSVP Gallery for $20 and $75.

This is the loveliest song I’ve heard in months…months. I was a hip hop head back in high school, but as a woman there’s nothing I enjoy more than a man telling me how much he cherishes me and why.

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I Blame Coco feat. Robyn – Caesar

I BLÅME COCO | MySpace Music Videos
Sting’s daughter CoCo Sumner.

LISTEN HERE

Chillwave, glo-fi, GorillaVsBearCore, whatever you want to call it, seems to cause a bit of a stir in the indie community. So people like it, other people would rather gouge their eyes out with a rusty spoon. And the (very) rare rational individual can actually separate the bad from the good. Toro y Moi errs towards the good end. While Causers of This has its moments where it falls flat, on a whole it’s a good album and a promising debut.

Causers of This sees Chaz Bundick (awesome name) shed the lo-fi leanings of his earlier demos. This gives him more room to work with. Instead of trying to confine his songs to work with tape hiss, he can explore different areas – “Imprint After” is a cross between a jazz track and some disco, “Lissoms” evokes some Discovery-era Daft Punk. Even with that, he doesn’t stray too far from chillwave’s basics Most songs still inhabit the intersection of relaxed and high that most chillwave inhabits. And Toro Y Moi does their chillwave well. “Blessa” is a pretty damn hot track, as is “Minors”. It can lead to a lot of the songs sounding the same, but when the same is pretty good, who can blame him?

Toro Y Moi takes a more turntablist DJ stance than most other chillwave artists. When done well, this adds a unique and dynamic quality to the songs. “Blessa” is made by the way the backing drops in and out, and how Bundick tweaks his own vocals. “Thanks Vision” has a weird stutter about it from the way the song keeps dropping out that’s pretty cool. But on other songs, this can become really annoying. Take the title track, who’s annoyingly repetitive samples leave a bad taste in your mouth. Or take “Fax Shadow,” which sounds like two songs competing against each other. It’s a mess. There’s no continuity to the song whatsoever. An English major could maybe argue that this structure, along with Bundick singing“I’m sorry I couldn’t name the color of your eyes,” could be a way of getting across a disconnect between Bundick and the subject of the song, reflected in the structure. But that can’t excuse that it sounds terrible.

The album is a strong debut for Toro Y Moi. It has it’s faults, but it also shows promise – Toro Y Moi is only going to get better. He’s slated to release another album towards the end of the year, and I’ll be looking forward to hear his growth as a songwriter on it.

-Dylan Hill

Corinne Bailey Rae “I’d Do It All Again”

Corinne Bailey Rae | MySpace Music Videos

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props to George at blacksoappalace

Celebrate Bit**ezzz !Young money drops lotsa songs these days, but I collected 4 of the best !

First we have Where’s Wayne. Pretty cheezy but there is something to it.  I dunno why but it gets on me like Hipster stuff …

Young Money – Where’s Wayne

Next up is Ms. Parker. Not cheezy at all, more a swagger joint. I love the way they rap-sing with Autotune on this one … Definitely worthy to check out !

Young Money – Ms. Parker

New shit has a really sick beat, but it’s damn fresh !Bring me more !The hook is, well, amazing. The beat builds up really dramatic and calms down in the verse again. Check !

Young Money – New Shit

The last one is She is gone. Beat is a banger again, straight in ya face !Nothing to add …

Young Money – She is gone

so caocao be back blowin yo earr with his new hitz, dis time we hear to talk about my MIXTAPE TRACKLIST, this is sum dope shit, trust me boiz.  also gonna pop n lock soon wit the lyrics to one of my new hits, Ain’t Got No Clothes (Can’t Afford That Shit).  freaky!!

anyway, before i hit u wit the trackliust, i should proabbly explain some of the stuff that led to this new mixtape being the way it is – basically, after Remy’d raped me, I sat in my bed crying for a few days pretty hardcore, because it remind caocao of when his girl left him, except this time it hurt me to my soul instead of my loinz.  but then one day chu wake up and chu relealise that life aint so bad witout dis person, and dat you is still breavin and still livin life large to its fullest wit chor niggers.  so you stand up and say “Hey, y’know what, fuck you Remy’d, I’mma hit dem niggaz back!”

dis is what happened to caocao, realose he gotta fight the fuck BACK!  so now i throw my first mixtape, which was like 50% written anyway, and now started on this new one, which s pretty hard in comparrsin (ford).  audio demos from the takes wit HUNKty gonna be released in Jan.

All Those Fags I Hated (I’mma Fuckin’ Kill Them)

1. If God Hated Caocao (Intro)
2. Anal Bleeding Connotations
3. One More Shot
4. Clokked Out
5. Bully for You (feat. Eminem)
6. He Raped Me Like We Was Brokeback
7. 19mm Parabellum Cock
8. I’mma Fuckin’ Kill Them (feat. Treyzon)
9. Hunkin’ n’ Krunkin’ (feat. Hunkty Krunkty)
10. Ain’t Got No Clothes (Can’t Afford That Shit)
11. And You Love Him
12. Faggetz
13. All on the Thirteenth (feat. Leona Lewis)
14. Remy’dick (Remy’diss)
15. Cunt Punching (Droppin’ B’s in There) (feat. Hunkty Krunkty)
16. Murder Boner (feat. Game, Ludacris, Hunkty Krunkty & Snoop Dogg)
17. Heaven Got a Caocao (Outro)
18. Cock, Tornadoes and Bullshits (Freestyle) bonus track
19. I Will Always Love You 2010 (w/ Whitney Houston & Hunkty Krunkty) bonus track
20. Hidin’ n’ Seekin’ (feat. Imogen Heap) bonus track
21. It’s 2:27 bonus track

there chu go, CAOCAO be BACK!  ain’t never gonna let me die, dey can try but dey can’t stop me.  HUNKTY be savin’ my ass at all corners, i know i can make it this time. any Q’s about the tracklist, or requests for lyrics early, shout out in ma commentz!

anyway lets get lyricals; Ain’t Got No Clothes (Can’t Afford That Shit) was inspired by the feelins dat came in  to caocao when he saw michael jackson die and then heard Will You be There? while he died, so i felt all emotional.  then remy’d fucked me over and now those feelins is back, s o i let them out in dis track.  gotta be faithful!

(verse 1)
What more can you want when its Caocao on high?
Everybody else knows I hit the notes, then go fly
Everybody got me down, they take more than they need
Can’t you give me dignity, let me sit and bleed
Emo pop rock jock strap cock lock is hard
I gotta defuse this shit in some kinda naked retard
So easy to dump a load then run a mile
Breakin’ rules right here, but I never defile
4am and I dunno what to do wit Caocao
I run a mile on electricity before I hit Cao Cao
Nobody find my love muscle, its dead
Nobody ask about Remy, his ass red
Take him to another place, jerk him off
Touch the bottom of his feet, his sweat soft
Magic city men run me into the ground
While I buy the Blu-ray of Naked Dog Pound
Realise my pants is gone, hit up a lad store
Ain’t got no money left, my feets is sore
(HIT ME!)

(chorus)
I can’t afford dat shit
Dunno which way is up or down, left or right
Can’t afford no compass
Dunno what goes on over the skin
Can’t afford no clothes
Dunno how to stop your heart beating
Can’t afford no gun
Dunno how to pronounce your name
Can’t shoot you dead
Because all I want is to remove what’s inside your head

(verse 2)
I was livin’ large, Remy’d up and ready to go
Till I took off my clothes and that boy said no
Sure I may be asking a lot of a straight man
But what I really want is pussy to hit the fan
Why can’t he see, I feel the same way as you
I just wanna bang ladies and have a threeway too
Its all part of the fame monster, Gaga sample
Because I know I’m caught in a bad romance
With a hot little Asian boy stuck in my pants
And a lovely senorita who really wants to dance
And media accusations of a Caocao-Remy bromance
But all I’ve been calling for has come to light
They know we beefin’, we gonna have to fight
Why can’t you just tell me the truth instead of lying
Jokes about unprofessional left me crying
Always know how to crack me up
Fuck me up, shoot me up then fill me up
My tears are falling at 5 centimetres per second, I’m dying

(chorus)

(bridge)
HE A BOY, HE A BOY
What I need is a man
HE A TOY, HE A TOY
What I need is a dance
WE DRESS UP, WE DRESS UP
Clothes disguise who we are
EYES WIDE SHUT, EYES WIDE SHUT
Thanks for stealing my heart

(verse 3)
What are you looking at, think I’m a fag?
I can take those accusations without being a man
Take me to court if you don’t like my style
I’ve got shit to make me bigger when I wanna smile
High as an air balloon, takin’ me to the top
All I’ve got is a dick that is red when hot
They call my lyrics senseless, I got nothin’ to say
They say I killed my cousin, I say that they gay
Back to court again next month, I know I’m a killer
But all I really want is to go to Manilla
Drop off my old girlfriend and go to the clubs
Find a hot pair of tits and lub’ myself up
Remy could have been there with me, he’s on a trip
That boy knows that he gon’ change his name to Remy’dick
If only I could afford plane fairs, this life is a drag
Too bad my dawgs balls don’t sag
(SLAP MAH FRO!)

(chorus x2)

CAOCAO GOIN’ HOME
FOLLOWIN’ THE LIGHT
I CAN SEE THE WAY, SEE MY FAMILY AGAIN
THEY CALLIN’ ME, WANNA REACH OUT TO ME
SO CLOSE… Yet I can’t quite make it…
Love you forever… hate you in Heaven…

I really want to love Teen Dream. Don’t get me wrong, I like the album. I like it a lot. I’m a big Beach House fan. I think that nobody does dream pop as well as they do. But I don’t love it. I don’t want to listen to it on repeat all day (this kind of happens when I love an album). But then again, I don’t love many albums. And I may learn to love it eventually. But I really want to get this review out in the public, and it was supposed to come out Monday, but I felt like I needed more time to consider the album. And I feel like I’ve got a good enough feel for the album to say some words about it. So here we go.

Teen Dream is an album that, first and foremost, rewards multiple listens. At first listen, a lot of the songs fail to differentiate themselves, but once you become familiar with the material, the songs become much better. So much of what Beach House do as a band relies on atmospherics to create a hazy, lush, almost-but-not-quite-dark mood, and Teen Dream is the best example of this in their catalog. See “Better Times”. By no means one of the best songs off the album. But one that expertly and effectively creates mood, the kind of mood that reminds you of lazy summer days. Or look at “Real Love.” The minimalist instrumentation brings Victoria Legrand’s singing into focus, and the longing in her voice leads to a stunning song. The instrumentation in general is stellar, especially Alex Scally’s guitar playing, providing enough support where they don’t have to rely on Victoria Legrand’s singing, but also not taking the focus away from Legrand. Take “Silver Soul,” where Scally’s lazy guitar line compliments Legrand’s singing, both slow, both seeming to stretch on to infinity, both magnificent. Or “Lover of Mine,” which relies on Legrand’s keyboard playing to provide a gloomy and chilling undertone that sends shivers down you back.

Not that Teen Dream is without its complaints. Legrand’s vocals on Teen Dream aren’t as solid as they were on Devotion, Beach House’s 2008 album. Some of this can be blamed on production – on Devotion, there was an more of an echo effect than on Teen Dream, and that echo effect added to the atmospherics of the songs in general. In Devotion, that echo was played to be haunting. On Teen Dream, without the echo, the songs don’t have quite as dark of a demeanor. Another issue is that, although there isn’t a bad song on the album, there also isn’t a song that blows you away. “10 Mile Stereo” comes close, but doesn’t quite get there. The when the chorus kicks in at about a minute and a half is purely radiant, and it builds slowly throughout the song, but it seems like Beach House don’t devote themselves to making this song all it could be.

The Internet seems to want to shape early 2010 to be Teen Dream vs Odd Blood, much like how 2009 essentially became Merriweather Post Pavilion vs Veckatimest. That comparison is unfair, not only because there’s a bunch of other really good albums coming out, but because these two albums are pretty much incomparable. Teen Dream is insular while Odd Blood is dynamic. Teen Dream is minimal while Odd Blood is definitely not. Teen Dream is an album that lingers in you, while Odd Blood exists in the here and now. Teen Dream is an excellent album, maybe one of the better ones I’ve heard in a long time. But to start throwing around your “>” before 2010 has even started is a bit ridiculous.

-Dylan Hill

Here’s my new track titled “Prove Them Wrong” prod. by Buzz(www.twitter.com/buzz84). “If you’ve ever been chasing a dream, had a goal and was focused but had negative setbacks and/or negative figures/people signaling that your mission was impossible, then you’ll feel this song wholeheartedly”. Here’s my version of that situation. A lot of updates/music to come as I work on my new project. Thank you for helping to spread the word.

DOWNLOAD HERE

Its weird that I got this from Onsmash, but here it is.

Finally a video for this song. Artistic and funny. CMONGOOD.com rated hot.

props to Maurice Garland

Oh shit. That’s really all there is to say. Oh. Shit. I’ll admit, I was skeptical of All Hour Cymbals, Yeasayer’s 2007 debut album. But this, this is in a completely different league. Odd Blood is such a masterfully crafted album that words just escape me, that all I can do is stand here, mouth agape, in awe of how good this album is.

I’ll start with the most obvious thing: for as much experimentalism as Yeasayer wants to put all over their songs, there is an overwhelming sense of melody to nearly every song. The backing harmonies of Madder Red, and the chorus to “I Remember” are the kinds of melodies you’ll be humming under your breath for days. Yeasayer also know, even with the amount of sound in all these songs, to keep the tracks from feeling cluttered and overwhelming. Madder Red, even with its tribal drum beats and ambient textures, focuses on Anand Wilder’s vocal melody, one that is striking in its remorse and longing. I don’t remember that kind of depth and humanity being a part of All Hour Cymbals. Strong vocal melodies and especially a dynamic vocal range are an instrumental part to I Remember – when Chris Keating sings “You’re stuck in my mind all the time,” the dreamy, sing-songy way he sings it seems as though there is nothing he’d rather have than this memory. Don’t get me wrong, Yeasayer still write incredibly strange, experimental tracks, especially on the album’s second half. Love Me Girl relies on a stop-start rhythm and heavy sample usage, Rome feels almost like a swing song on acid, and Mondegreen has this weird stomp-clamp beat and big band feel that give it an almost gospel-like feel and make it arguably the most fun song on the album. But the best moments are not the experimental ones of the second half, but the more traditional pop ones on the first half.

There are a few complaints to be had. I wish the album started started with a stronger song than The Children. The Children sounds creepy and disjointed, and sets these feelings very well, but is not representative of the album. Odd Blood is warm, it’s inviting, it’s holistic, it’s everything that The Children is not. Had the album taken a different path, The Children would have fit in very nicely. It maybe could have even fit in with the second half. But as it is, it sticks out as being strikingly discordant with the rest of the album.

Even though I wasn’t impressed with All Hour Cymbals, I was excited for this album to drop. Yeasayer did a good job building up hype for the album – “Tightrope” was the best song off of Dark Was The Night, and “Ambling Alp” was a very strong track, one of the best I’d heard in the closing months of 2009. Odd Blood more than fulfills the promise of these two tracks. It is experimental without being disorienting, beautiful without losing any energy or urgency. The bar for 2010 has been set high.

-Dylan Hill

DE SIGNER is a group of very different people linked together by the world of design. Stepping onto the set with a blend of French disco groove and vintage Hip-hop. Combined with visual brainwashing by Stussy designer A.Franco (L.A.) they bring the “new knack that’s coming from way way back.

This is their new single off their new LP “DESIGNERSRULETHEWORLD+”.

DOWNLOAD HERE