New Artist: Santogold

Meet Santogold. She's a Philly native, and her music is crazy. Think M.I.A.(they're actually good friends) and Missy Elliot, but slightly more twisted than both of them. Mark my words, in a few months all your little indie friends are gonna be talking about Santogold and buying up her album. She's gonna be huge.

Check it out...

Santogold "Find A Way"

New Artist: Duffy

Check out Duffy, a brand new artist out of Europe. Yes, once again, another soulful white girl from across the Atlantic. I don't know what the deal is, but the music is fantastic. Her sound is like that of Amy Winehouse, minus the bad language and hip hop influence.

And her voice...well...listen for yourself. Enjoy!

Duffy "Rockferry"

New Mariah!

Finally, the new single from Mariah Carey. The song is called "Touch My Body" and it's not bad. A nice, mid-tempo jam in the vein of "Shake It Off" from her last album, The Emancipation of Mimi. "Touch My Body, is definitely a hit, so get used to it. You're gonna hear it many, many more times haha...

Mariah Carey "Touch My Body"

El-P & Dizzee Rascal

It's been announced recently that underground hip hop vet El-P and British rapper Dizzee Rascal are going out on a North American tour this spring. I don't know about you, but this is some pretty exciting stuff. If you read my Favorites of 2007 list then you know I'm a huge El-P fan. And any serious music fan has heard of the genius that is Dizzee Rascal. See you there!

In the meantime, here's the tour dates, and the videos for El-P's "Flyentology" and Dizzee's "Sirens". And check out the new Dizzee Rascal album, "Maths + English" cause it's amazing, and better than 90% of the hip hop coming out of the US right now. Enjoy!

El-P and Dizzee Rascal (courtesy of Pitchforkmedia.com):
03-13 Austin, TX - The Scoot Inn (Definitive Jux SXSW showcase) *
05-08 Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
05-09 Philadelphia, PA - First Unitarian Church
05-10 New York, NY - Webster Hall
05-11 Boston, MA - Middle East
05-12 Ottawa, Ontario - New Capital Music Hall
05-14 Detroit, MI - Crofoot Ballroom
05-15 Chicago, IL - The Abbey
05-16 Minneapolis, MN - Triple Rock Club
05-19 Seattle, WA - Neumos
05-20 Portland, OR - Berbati's Pan
05-21 San Francisco, CA - 1015
05-22 Los Angeles, CA - El Rey

El-P "Flyentology"



Dizzee Rascal "Sirens"

Lil Wayne Indicted This Past Week

Earlier last week, Lil Wayne was indicted on drug and weapons charges and faces quite abit of time in prison. He pled not guilty to four charges: possession of a narcotic drug for sale, possession of dangerous drugs, misconduct involving weapons and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Well, anyone who loves Lil Wayne knows the guy's affinity for drugs ("I can't feel my face" anyone?). Hopefully he gets out of this one unscathed since he's easily the best emcee in the game right now, without question. In the meantime, check out my favorite song from the Drought 3, "I Can't Feel My Face"...

New Music: Erykah Badu

She's back! Feels like it's been forever since this woman's produced something new for us. She has an new album called "Amerykah" coming out, and the single is called "Honey". The video is great. Really entertaining stuff for a music geek. Good song too.

Check it out...

New Music: Gnarls Barkley

Here's the new single from Gnarls Barkley, "Run". It's fantastic. It's got the dark, retro vibe of "Crazy", but fast and upbeat at the same time. Definitely looking for their new album in April.

Check it out...

Poor Amy...

So pictures have emerged from the British press showing Amy Winehouse smoking crack and snorting ecstacy and cocaine at a party over the weekend. I'm not gonna post the pictures because well...it's just sad. This is one of a few artists that have truly inspired me in a profound way. Listening and connecting with music is a very spiritual thing for me, and to see an artist with whom I've had a genuine connection musically wasting away like this is so very sad. The following is a performance Amy Winehouse did at last year's SXSW festival. It is considered by many to be her star-making performance; it was one of the first times the American press had gotten a chance to see her perform live. This is easily her most powerful performance of Back to Black, before marrying her shithead husband, and probably before the heavy drugs. She blew them away.

Get Well Amy!

Partial Coachella Lineup Announced!

God, I hate the fucking West Coast. The current lineup for Coachella was announced today and, courtesy of Perezhilton.com, I have the list for ya. Looks like a pretty sweet show...

Raconteurs
The Verve
Jack Johnson
Kraftwerk
Portishead
Death Cab for Cutie
My Morning Jacket
Love and Rockets
Justice
M.I.A.
The Breeders
Rilo Kiley
Sasha & Digweed
Café Tacuba
Fatboy Slim
Spritualized
Tegan and Sara
Madness
The National
Animal Collective
Mum
Pendulum
Sharon Jones
Stars
Battles
Aesop Rock
Midnight Juggernauts
Does It Offend You, Yeah?
Spank Rock
Minus the Bear
Dan le Sac vs Scroobius Pip
Diplo
Adam Freeland
Santogold
Vampire Weekend
Dan Deacon
Hot Chip
Cold War Kids
Stephen Malkmus
Gogol Bordello
Chromeo
Metric
Danny Tenaglia
Booka Shade
Murs
Cool Kids
Sia
Les Savy Fav
Holy Fuck
Black Kids
Black Mountain
Man Man
I'm from Barcelona
Kid Sister
The Horrors
Austin TV
Shout Out Louds
Luckyiam
Autolux
Modeselektor
The Bees
Professor Murder
Cut Copy
Busy P
VHS or Beta

Once again, I hate the West Coast!

Hot Video: M.I.A.

What is the deal with M.I.A.? She takes crazy risks with her music, and yet pulls it all off effortlessly. Who else has the balls to make a video for a song where the chorus hinges on the sound of gunshots(knowing MTV won't play it), and where the entire video centers around working at a hot dog cart in Brooklyn? Brilliance.

2008 Grammy Awards: Predictions

So the Grammys are in less than a month, and astonishingly, they didn't do too bad of a job this time. Some categories are even, dare I say it, hard to predict(which is crazy, considering how predictable and annoying the Grammys are every year). So here's my two cents on some of the more contentious categories...

Rap Album of the Year:

Common "Finding Forever"
Jay-Z "Kingdom Come"
Nas "Hip Hop Is Dead"
T.I. "T.I vs. TIP"
Kanye West "Graduation"

~Who will win: Kanye
Now this one is just obvious. How can he not win?

~Who should win: Kanye
Love him or hate him, Kanye made one of the best albums of the year, let alone rap albums.

Best Rock Album:

Daughtry "Daughtry"
John Fogerty "Revival"
Foo Fighters "Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace"
Bruce Springsteen "Magic"
Wilco "Sky Blue Sky"

~Who will win: Bruce Springsteen
Unfortunately, the Grammys have a habit of giving big awards to veteran artists, simply because they're veterans. If you ask me, Magic ain't all that good. But to the Grammy committee, everything The Boss does is award-worthy...

~Who should win: Foo Fighters
This band is ridiculously consistent, and has won this category before. They may or may not do it again, but they certainly should.

Best Female Pop Vocal Performance:

Christina Aguilera "Candyman"
Feist "1,2,3,4"
Fergie "Big Girls Don't Cry"
Nelly Furtado "Say It Right"
Amy Winehouse "Rehab"

~Who will win: Amy Winehouse
I mean she did get 6 nominations.

~Who should win: Amy Winehouse
Sorry guys, but I fuckin hate that Feist song. And while Fergie is the best-selling female artist around right now, she has absolutely no depth whatsoever, so that's a no go. Ummm...I'm going with Winehouse on this one. The song, and the album, was everywhere this year. Oh yeah, and it's better than the other songs in the category too.

Pop Album of the Year:

Bon Jovi "Lost Highway"
Feist "The Reminder"
Maroon 5 "It Won't Be Soon Before Long"
Paul McCartney "Memory Almost Full"
Amy Winehouse "Back To Black"

~Who will win: Amy Winehouse
I promise you...Amy Winehouse is going to dominate the Grammys this year.

~Who should win: Amy Winehouse
Bon Jovi is an obvious no, of course. And you already know how I feel about Feist. McCartney's latest was a bit disappointing. And as for Maroon 5...eh...just not a very good album. The singles, the album tracks; all of it is just very bland and forced. Back to Black, on the other hand, is unique and solid all the way through. It's a shoe-in.

Best New Artist:

Feist
Ledisi
Paramore
Taylor Swift
Amy Winehouse

~Who will win: Amy Winehouse
C'mon...do you really think they're gonna pick Paramore over Amy Winehouse? This isn't TRL people.

~Who should win: Amy Winehouse
No one's debut album made as big of an impact this year as Winehouse's did. She's the obvious choice here.

Song of the Year

Plain White T's "Hey There Delilah"
Corinne Bailey Rae "Like A Star"
Rihanna f. Jay-Z "Umbrella"
Carrie Underwood "Before He Cheats"
Amy Winehouse "Rehab"

~Who will win: Carrie Underwood
The Grammy's have this weird affinity for country. If you come out with a really good country song, it tends to have a leg up over the rest for some reason. Whatever, the song is pretty good.

~Who should win: Winehouse or Rihanna
Now keep in mind that this is a songwriter's award. Since Umbrella wasn't written by Rihanna, I'm more inclined to give this award to Amy just out of respect since she actually wrote the song. At the same time though, Umbrella is a perfect record, and my favorite of the year. I guess I can't really decide.

Record of the Year:

Beyonce "Irreplaceable"
Foo Fighters "The Pretender"
Rihanna f. Jay-Z "Umbrella"
Justin Timberlake "What Goes Around...Comes Around"
Amy Winehouse "Rehab"

Who will win: Rihanna
Umbrella was the monster single of the year. It was everywhere, and an extremely well-written pop song. She'll easily take this one.

~Who should win: Rihanna
I have to give this one to her.

Album of the Year:

Foo Fighters "Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace
Vince Gill "These Days"
Herbie Hancock "River: The Joni Letters"
Kanye West "Graduation"
Amy Winehouse "Back To Black"

~Who will win: Amy Winehouse
This is a hard one. On one hand you have Kanye, who has deserved this award for either of his last two albums, but was snubbed. Graduation isn't as good as his earlier work, but it still deserves this award. However, aside from a great album, what Winehouse has going for her is being the type of artist the Grammys like. Think about Alicia Keys, Lauryn Hill, and Norah Jones. Three female artists who had beautiful singing voices, amazing songwriting ability, and an original sound. All three of them won big at the Grammys, with Jones and Hill both beating out stiff competition for Album of the Year. Amy more than fits into this group, and that could work to her advantage. So I have to go with Amy Winehouse here.

~Who should win: Kanye
I'll say this about Kanye; he's the most talented guy in music today. Period. He deserved it the last two times, and he basically deserves it this time. He worked hard, and I think he deserves to finally get that kind of recognition. Plus, he won't shut until he wins Album of the Year, so it would do us all a favor.

That's it guys. Tell me what you think...

New Artist: Adele

Hey guys. Meet Adele. You may have seen her at Perezhilton.com. This girl has a beautiful voice.

Now initially, when you hear this you'll think "Eh...sounds like Amy Winehouse", but hold your horses people. Her voice might have that Winehouse vibe, but the music is quite different. More of a stripped down, piano-driven sound. Really interesting stuff here. This is called "Chasing Pavements". Check it out...

Spotlight: Alice In Chains

This is one of my all-time favorite bands, Alice In Chains. Besides the kick ass name, AIC was one of the most original and successful bands to come out of the so-called "grunge" era. There sound was very dark and bottom-heavy, The lyrical content centered around autobiographical sketches of depression and drug abuse, and the vocal harmonies are haunting. AIC was blessed with one of the greatest lead singers of all time, Layne Staley, who would later succumb to a drug overdose in the early 2000's. Check it out....

Dallas' 10 Favorite Albums of 2007

So...it's the beginning of a new year, and for music geeks, like myself, this means it's time to argue with other music geeks about the best albums of the year. Feedback is more than welcome; tell me i'm a genius, or tell me i'm full of shit...I don't care. btw, regardless of rank, BUY THESE ALBUMS!

This was a really good year for music, and they are all absolutely amazing.Here goes...

10) Queens of the Stone Age "Era Vulgaris"QOTSA have consistently released great albums since the late 90's, and "Era Vulgaris" is no exception. The great thing about QOTSA is that they're extremely talented and make quality music, but they don't take themselves too seriously, which refreshing when every other "hard rock" band seems to think they're fucking Pink Floyd or U2 or some shit (My Chemical Romance, Linkin Park, etc.). Another difference between QOTSA and other bands these days is well...QOTSA are actually good. They're basically the only quality hard rock band left. No really...the only one left.

Download: "3's and 7's" "Make It Wit Chu"

9) El-P "I'll Sleep When You're Dead"For anyone looking for some quality underground hip hop, El-P is a great place to start. A staple of the underground scene for a while now, El-P outdid himself with "I'll Sleep When You're Dead", an epic record with some of the best production on any record this year. The album also has some pretty interesting guest artists, including Aesop Rock, Trent Reznor, The Mars Volta and Cat Power.

Download: "Flyentology" "The League of Extraordinary Nobodies"

8) Nine Inch Nails "Year Zero"Trent Reznor never puts out anything bad really, but he'd definitely been slipping with his last two releases. "Year Zero" is crazy though, with production reminicent of old school Public Enemy, and a really dark, and depressing apocolyptic concept attached to the album as well. Definitely underrated.

Download: "Me, I'm Not" "Violent Heart"

7) Mark Ronson "Version"The dj/producer behind songs from Amy Winehouse, Lily Allen, and Christina Aguilera released a covers album this year, enlisting different vocalists for every song. It's a pretty star-studded lineup, including Winehouse, Allen, Daniel Merriweather, and Robbie Williams. But the music is the real star here; Ronson is an incredible producer, with a sound reminicent of 60's soul songs, but very modern at the same time(think Gnarls Barkley and the Gorillaz).

Download: "Valerie" "Stop Me"

6) Jay-Z "American Gangster"By now, we've all seen American Gangster(legally or illegally), and it was defintely a great movie. But if you ask me, Jay-Z's new album, inspired by the film, is better. The production is entrenched in a 70's soul sound, and Jay's lyrics are some of his best since The Black Album. This is truly a great album, and stands up with his best work(so whaddya say we all just forget about that "Kingdom Come" shit, ok?).

Download: "No Hook" "Party Life"

5) Arcade Fire "Neon Bible"Easily one of the best albums to come out of the recent "indie revolution" or whatever, the Arcade Fire's "Neon Bible" is the perfect picture of post-9/11 life; paranoia, frustration, and disillusionment with government policies are the main topics here, and they do it better than anyone else has since 9/11. The music is beautiful, the sound of the record is huge, and the artwork is pretty fuckin sweet too. So go get it!

Download: "Black Mirror" "No Cars Go"

4) Kanye West "Graduation"No, I do not think Kanye West's "Graduation" is the best album of 2007. Sorry. But I do think it's the 4th best album of 2007. The album is brilliant; no annoying skits, better lyrics than last time, and great songs like "stronger" and "can't tell me nothing". Do I think it's better than "Late Registration"...not really. I prefer the epic, beautiful sound of Registration songs like "We Major" and "Roses". That's just not what Kanye was going for with this album, and that's fine. It's still brilliant, and Kanye is still currently the best producer in music, period.

Download: "Stonger" "I Wonder"

3) M.I.A. "Kala"If you like music that makes you dance, and have never heard the name M.I.A., you're seriously missing out. M.I.A. is without a doubt the coolest, most interesting album of the year. She basically does it all by herself; the beats, the overtly political subject mater, everything. It's refreshing to find an artist that puts out music that is concieved and written by them and them alone. And most importantly, it sounds really, really good.

Download: "Bamboo Banga" "Bird Flu" "Paper Planes"

2) Radiohead "In Rainbows"Ok, so Radiohead never releases bad music. Never. I cannot think of one Radiohead album or song that isn't atleast great. What makes "In Ranbows" so incredible is that it actually stands out amongst all of their other masterpieces. The sound is gentle and absolutely gorgeous and the lyrics are far more personal than those on their other records. I didn't expect it at all, but "In Rainbows" actually stacks up with their best work...and that's saying a hell of a lot.

Download: "Nude" "All I Need" "Reckoner"

1) Amy Winehouse "Back To Black"I love Radiohead, but anyone who knows me knows that I am obsessed with Amy Winehouse. She has it all; incredible songwriting ability, brutally-honest and deeply personal lyrical content, and one of the best voices to come along in pop music in a very long time. No female artist has made an album like this since Lauryn Hill; both beautiful and tuneful, but at the same time dark and full of sorrow. The high point: The title track, "Back to Black"; incredible production from Mark Ronson and a chorus that rips your heart out: "We only said goodbye with words. I died a hundred times. You go back to her, and I go back to Black." Winehouse is truly a special artist, and Back to Black is truly a special album; hopefully she'll be around to make another one.

Download: "Back to Black" "Love is a Losing Game" "Me and Mr. Jones"

That's it bitches. You can start complaining now...