While I have been listening to the electro-house-hyphy stuff lately and have enjoyed Swayzak and a revisiting of some Chromeo records, checking out some Justice along with DFA's various projects (DFA Remixes Ch. 2 can't come soon enough) I also givin two other mainstream hip hop albums a run through. I streamed both Jurassic 5's Feedback and Pharrell's In My Mind and I am glad I did. Cause I'd be pissed if I had bought them.

In My Mind is Pharrell's solo debt. One half of the Neptunes production team he gets help from Kanye along with others but it doesn't really help. The record is lame. Its a mixture of hip hop and R&B and the R&B component is atrocious. While the hip hop tracks aren't atrocious they are over produced and at their basic level they just aren't catchy. Isn't this the Pharrell that along with Hugo dropped some serious hits and was producing crazy stuff? I find it odd that a producer of Pharrell's talent didn't save a couple gems for his own record.

Feedback isn't much better than In My Mind. Its not poor for the same reason Pharrell's disk is, but Feedback is indeed poor. While I thought Power in Numbers was an advance on their Quality Control album this is a big step back. Outside of wanting to hear Charli2na's rhyme and his cool as hell voice this album has nothing to offer (sorry DMB fratboy fans). I am getting tired of the whining that nobody cares about hip hop and only J5 knows hip hop bla badee bla bla if you care some much make something fresh that says something. Feedback doesn't push any buttons and it doesn't go any place they haven't been. The record is just downright predictable and boring. Looks like Cut left just in time.

I had never heard of the band MSTRKRFT (made up of the duo of ALP + JFK) until I listened to their on point remix of Wolfmother's "Woman." I enjoyed that remix better than the actual song. While MSTRKRFT has been able to excel at making some great remixes and especially rock remixes that draw on JFK's Death from Above 1979 punk background there new album The Looks which features all original material is fun but not particularly memorable.

Give "She is Good for Business" and see what you think. I don't dislike the album all together I just think its a bit too safe. I felt like they really have pushed it with their remixes and while The Looks has good tracks with some good tempo overall it just doesn't stand out like their remixes tend to. Its not breaking any barriers but if you want to lest to some new electro-house-hyphy stuff and your into that sound give The Looks a listen.

Mp3: MSTRKRFT - "She is Good for Business"
Mp3: Buck 65 - "Kennedy Killed the Hat" (MSTRKRFT Remix)
Mp3: Death from Above 1979 - "Sexy Results" (MSTRKRFT Edition)

Buy it! The Looks from inSound here.

There are records that get insane praise over the mp3 blogosphere and hipster/yupster online spots like Pitchfork. Some of the more recently baffling to me have been Danielson's Ships, Tapes 'n Tapes Loon, Sufjan Stevens' Avanlanches etc. etc. and Girl Talk's Night Ripper. All of these albums are top sellers on Insound.com as well.

I find all of them equally marginal. At some level there must be some type of group mentality thing going on. Seriously, how else is a statement that "Tapes 'n Tapes are the new Pavement" not get somebody slapped across their dark rimmed glasses face.

Perhaps I just lack the sophistication that draws a person to such bands/artists. Across the board there are so many better alternatives then these groups. Here is what I think you should be listening to instead of this stuff.

1. Instead of Tapes n' Tapes listen to TV On the Radio.
2. Danielson. This record is like a crapier version of the Polyponic Spree (who's 2003 record was alright). Jesus this record makes my ears bleed.
3. Sufjan Stevens...this guy is back again? Damn it. I guess you just get this guy or you don't. I don't. I'll continue to listen to Jose Gonzalez or Seu Jorge and leave it to others to consume this guys' records and fartsy folk melodies.
4. Girl Talk...ok this record has been out since May 9th. It was released on eMusic. I listened to it then and found it easily forgettable. Then all of a sudden a couple months later its the talk of the town. Are you serious? This is like mashups on ADD. If you want to hear a mixup record go get something from A-Trak or the Hollertronix clan.

Sorry for all the negativity I need to cut back on the haterade. Or maybe I just need to be educated (thats what the commenting section is for!), but I am just struggling to see why so many people enjoy these records when there is so much stuff being dropped in 2006 that goes unacknowledged.

Mp3: DJ A-Trak - "Knucklehead"
Mp3: TV on the Radio - "Staring at the Sun" (Hollertronix Mix)

I am sure glad we have the Tour De France around. It really showcases what America is all about. First we send a jerk. Then when the jerk decides to retire we send an accused cheater (not that Lance wasn't on the juice). Surely Americans aren't both jerks and cheaters are they?

Ahh well. Win at all costs right? You fly that thing Mr. Landis. Who ever said there was anything wrong with a little extra manliness in your system. What are we going to do...punish people for a little extra testosterone?! Hell you can test any dude at a Nascar race or Ultimate Fighting match and see that most Americans are suffering from "unusual" levels of testosterone.

Update: In Landis' defense they haven't found out for certain whether he cheated and unlike in France its innocent until proven guilty here. That doesn't exclude the fact that cycling is more corrupt than an Abramoff/Delay House barbecue. Sorry to offend the cycling enthusiasts.

The Chicago City Council passed a groudbreaking measure yesterday requiring “big box” stores to pay a minimum wage of $10 an hour by 2010, along with at least $3 an hour worth of benefits. While thats 4 years off its a significant step towards a livable wage for America's blue collar workers.

Its nice to see somebody standing up for the people that work in big box retailers. The ordinance is to be imposed on any stores more than 90,000 square feet and part of companies grossing more than $1 billion annually. Well done Chicago. Well done.

If you don't visit Spine Magazine regularly you are really missing out. They post several great tracks and other related Hip Hop info on a daily basis. They also do a superb job of leaking tracks that no other blog/site leaks. Be sure to stop by.

Their latest offerings are a new track from Pharoahe Monch called "Push" which is on his new record called Desire which is coming out in September.

ANOTHER offering is one more DJ Shadow leaked track called "Backstage Girl" featuring Phonte of Little Brother. Its of course on the much talked about, much debated, new album The Outsider. This new track is definitely my favorite of the album leaks so far. Great mesh between Shadow's beats and Phonte's delivery.

Mp3 link: Pharoahe Monch - "Push"
Mp3 link: DJ Shadow feat. Phonte - "Backstage Girl"

Be sure to visit Spine Magazine several times a day. Its a must for hip hop heads.

One of my favorite discs of 2004 was Quantic's Mishaps Happening. While their record Push On released in 2005 was not that memorable their 2006 release has the makings of a great one.

Their downtempo nu-jazz/broken beat sound is so mellow and enjoyable after a long day at work. This album show cases the ever widening musical world of producer, record collector, musician of DJ Will Holland (aka Quantic). The sound is definately stepped up from the 2004 recording and I would classify this release as big beat for sure. Holland has moved past his mellow vibe from the first records. The new album An Annoucement to the Answer is released on Ubiquity records and is out now. Check it out:

Mp3: Quantic - "Bomb in a trumpet factory"
Mp3: Quantic - "Politick Society"

Buy it! from iTunes or eMusic.

While the name is odd as hell its memorable (probably why they chose it) the music is great. The Strange Fruit Project is Myone, Myth, and Symbolyc 1 from Waco, Texas (heard of them GvB?) whose album The Healing is coming out next week on Spilt Milk/Om:Hip Hop. The esteemed Ear Fuzz has a great write up by Independent J about the group along with 2 tracks. Check it out. Some solid hip hop.

Mp3 link: Strange Fruit Project - "Soul Clap"
Mp3 link: Strange Fruit Project feat. Thesis - "Special"

Buy: Strange Fruit Project's The Healing here.

First let me tell you I enjoy a good movie and like going to the movies, but its been more difficult than ever to get me to go this year....why? Because Hollywood blows at making movies. Outside of Inside Man and Dave Chappelle's Block Party the year has been a bust. Sure I have gone...watched Superman Returns, it was weak, avoided XMen 3 because I knew Rattner would screw it up (and he did) liked the first Pirates of the Caribbean (despite it being based a rodent-land themepark ride) but knew the 2nd and the 3rd and the 4th are just going to be barebones plot and all special effects so they can draw in the American public that cares about nothing than eye candy and not using their brains (CW not included).

While Ali was a missed opportunity I did like Collarteral, The Insider and Heat, and am looking forward to Mann bringing some type of watchable Summer Blockbuster to the circuit. While I can't stand Colin Farrell I'm in desperate need of a watchable Summer Blockbuster.

Mann usually brings a great visual style to his films and its will be interesting to see what he's going to do with the 80's TV series. It should also be mentioned that Scanner Darkly and The Departed are promising releases as well. Given the weak showing thus far Scorsese might be able to get his Oscar for his movie it certainly has an All-Star cast: Nicholson, Damon, Sheen, DiCaprio and Walhberg. Liked Internal Affairs the movie its based on so there is promise.

If you have some recommendations of some movies to catch post them in the comments. I'm intersted in checking out some Indie films just haven't been interested in what they have been showing in the location theater.

Update: So Miami Vice started strong but let me tell you its sinking quickly for its opening tomorrow. Last time I checked it was coming in at 56% at RT. Thats not very good. Thats not worth AG's 9 dollars to see. "Beautifully shot but underdeveloped" just doesn't get my hopes up.

I already discussed the Shining a couple weeks ago but here is a chance for you to sample some more of the music off the upcoming (out August 22nd) post humous record by one of hip hop's all time greats, James “Jay Dee aka J Dilla” Yancey. I don't like this disc as much as Donuts but that doesn't mean it isn't good.

Mp3: J-Dilla feat. Pharoahe Monch - "Love"
Stream: J-Dilla feat. Common & D'Angelo - "So Far To Go"
Stream: J-Dilla feat. Guilty Simpson & Madlib - "Baby"

Still One of the better records of the year. RIP J-Dilla.

This Middle East stuff is getting out of hand and downright frightening. I question Israel's rational and the strategy they are using as they bring Lebanon to its knees, regardless of the human suffering. The death toll is rapidly approaching 400 in Lebanon and approximately 900,000 people have been displaced.

While Rice might think this is just the "birth pangs of a New Middle East," I think this is getting close to some WW3 level shit. Iraq is a mess, Iran hates just about everyone outside of Syria and a rogue terrorist group who continues to fire missiles into a neighboring country, it is just being reported that Pakistan has launched a huge nuclear arms drive, South Korea remains a problem and Israel thinks that bombing a country back 20 years and targeting civilians and infrastructure, and blocking UN rescue efforts is a way to fight terrorism. The violence is isolating so rapidly that I don't see any end in site. This is all grouped with reports that Israel is preparing for a ground invasion of a country that didn't even attack it (sound familiar?).

Compounding this is that the US is no longer in any type of situation to negotiate with Hezbollah and the people that can the US has locked out (not to mention we are lead by a warmonger ourselves). In the past the US provided a channel for trying to bring about a ceasefire and end to the violence, yet we are now strapped with a war we cannot win (Iraq), a country which we provide billions of dollars of military aid each year (Israel), and a situation which we refusing to take an active role in. But we call the killing of 400 and the displacement of almost a million just "birth pangs."

Hopefully...soon...the violence will be too much for those involved to stomach. I just don't see that happening. Lebanon is on the verge of an immense humanitarian crisis and Hezbollah refuses to rein in its attacks. I can not remember a more scary situation then the one that is going on right now in the middle east. Perhaps the most troubling to me as an American was that the Bush Administration refused to engage in diplomacy sooner and refused to impose a cease-fire, something that was within his power to do or at least beg for.

Mp3: Swayzak - "Ease My Mind" (buy)

Link: There Are Worse Things Than the Status Quo by Fred Kaplan (Slate)

FMGT got me turned onto the new Nomo disc. Ubiquity has been lights out so far this year with the release of both Darondo's Let My People Go and Nino Moschella's The Fix. Nomo's sophmore release, New Tones is just as good. In the Breakstra style the Ann Arbor based group creates big beats powered by home-made Detroit electronics and huge horn sections. The result is a big band funk and riotous jazz sound.

URB probably said it best of the New Tones disc, "even in May, Detroit can't possibly be this hot, sweaty and loud... forever funky."

Mp3: Nomo - "Nu Tones"
Mp3: Nomo - "Fourth Ward"

Buy: Nomo's New Tones here. One of the best discs of the year.

Here is another track off the upcoming Roots album Game Theory. This track samples an AG favorite in Radiohead's "You and who's army?" off of Amnesiac. Check it out.

Mp3: The Roots - "Atonement"

Parents are coming to town so I'm out till Monday. Have a great weekend everyone.

Check out the new DJ Shadow cut from his new record The Outsider. This is definately a departure from those instramental crate digging records. While you're over there check out that A-Trak production as well.

Link: DJ Shadow feat. The Federation & Animaniaks - “Turf Dancin’”

Prepare yourself. This isn't like anything you have heard from Shadow. I am sure there is going to be alot of people that bite his head off for this one. But regardless of if you like it or not you got to respect his ability to produce a beat.

While Lupe Fiasco is snatching up all the hype (saw him on MTV...sigh) and all the credit as being THE up and coming Chicago emcee there is another talented dude lying in the background. Sure Lupe's sound is fresh and his track "Kick Push" is the hit of the summer don't over look this Rhymefest kid, he's no slouch.

Maybe some of you where able to check him out on his record, A Star is Born Vol. 1, released in 2005 (features a duo on "Build Me Up Buttercup" with the late O.D.B along with another track featuring a Strokes beat). If you didn't catch his first record don't miss Blue Collar as it has some solid hip hop tracks. One of my favorite hip hop tracks of the year has to be "Dynomite". While his team up on the track "Brand New" with Kanye is garnering the most attention and is the first single, Rhymefest's rhyming and DJ Just Blaze's work on the wheels of steel stand out on the "Dynomite" track.

Mp3: Rhymefest - "Dynomite (Going Postal)"
Mp3: Rhymefest - "All I do"

Buy it! Get Rhymefest's record Blue Collar here or here its only 9.99 for godsake.