Music

Rap's last hero (sorry, Wu-Tang and Lil' Wayne), aside from Busdriver, is MF Doom. He wears a mask and spits Ph.D. rhymes in a slow, Erick Sermon-like flow. No stranger to eccentric partners as his record with Dangermouse for Adult Swim showed, he was remixed by British producer Four Tet. The rest, as moms says, is historical materialism. Listen:

Mexican vulgar rock band Molotov made noise (and headlines) back in 1997 with their sardonic release, Donde Jugaran las Niñas?. Since then, they've pissed the entire South American region, made millions of loyal fans and split up to make 4 solo EP's for their next record. What a great idea, right? Tito Fuentes (the one on the far right), is lead singer/guitarist of Molotov and has a great voice for their faux-raps and semi-singing. He also doesn't seem to give a fuck. He even mocks his own record label on this song, the single "Yofo" from his EP, Sin Titolo. Yes!

Austin's My Education has what it takes to fill your post-rock needs. For several years, the sextet has been cranking out quiet and mysterious songs that echo Mogwai, Slint and others. On their most recent release, the split 12" with New Jersey doomcore rappers Dalek, they tackle the 1978 composition by Arvo Part called "Spiegel im Spiegel". The track above is the Dalek remix. Buy the 12" here.

Sri Lankan/British singer MIA doesn't like you. If you're weak ass beats, that is. Her terrific follow-up album, Kala is filled with fire that it bursts into juicy, well-traveled flames in your hands. Her recent shows at the Siren Festival in Coney Island and our neighborhood joint, Studio B, shows she's hungry. "Paper Planes" is a simple, bloody pop song that uses a silly-putty feedback to pull heartstrings. MIA is tired, heartfelt and yet still angry--it's a lethal potion. She sings about urban life while kids sing the hook over gunshots and cash registers. "I have more records than the KGB" she sings. Summer murder, indeed. Forget Rihanna, this is the sound of summer.

What do Memphis, Brooklyn and Germany have in common? They all hate America. No, wait. That's just Germany. The golden answer is, that is where dynamic duo, Cloudland Canyon recorded their last album. Their new EP, Silver Tongued Sisyphus features two 11 minute tracks filled with slow, 70's field recordings and eerie synths. Like a Google Map of Houston, their sprawled, crumpled textures are for waiting. With so much travel between cities and countres, you can hear Cloudland Canyon's patience of flying in an airplane in "Dambala"--a longing that is as pleasurable as bratwurst. Or, Terry Riley.

Santogold is the terrific New York singer who was born with microphones glued to her hand. Folks need to pencil her down because with friends like geeks, Spankrock and others, she's certain to be filling white kids' iPods for a while. No? Shit, I shouldn't have said that. Dad, seriously. Put that down. Her label is called Lizard King if that gives you any idea of how post-pop she is. Listen and read more about her here.

Vancouver is no place to raise a family or a laser punk band. But, times have changed. Ch. 3x4 are a blazing trio that use guitars like swords to kill little tiny bands that don't know what the fuck is up. Synthesizers also poke their head in like Suicide. Like Deleuze or Canada itself, the band is dense with the three chords. Their new album is titled Christianity and will feature mind-numbing muzack for certain. Don't say we didn't warn you. These kids have been featured in our friends' blog (and one of the few reasons to go on the INTERNET) 20jazzfunkgreats.

Listen to their music here.

Iraq is on all our minds and naturally, it's because of music. A wonderful meshwork of jagged rhythms and post-colonial-then-colonial-again pop, this song is just great. Pop music from war-torn lands always sounds raw and this recording is no different. The terrific turntablist, DJ /Rupture, delivers this to us for our aural pleasure. Visit his site at www.negrophonic.com for more Middle-Eastern studies. He's a nice guy, too.




You can listen to it here.

Here is one quarter of Animal Collective who follows up a sleepy-eyed record with a frenetic song. Like something out of a B-Sides album that hasn't been recorded yet, Panda Bear's shy voice resonates well behind lustful percussion. I hope you all enjoy it and go buy the record when it comes out.

MP3: Panda Bear- Carrots

Pretty haircuts, soft melodies and whamo!