EXCLUSIVE NEW DOWNLOAD: Tanya Morgan - So Damn Down (Keelay and Zaire Version)
Tanya Morgan is like kryptonite for the indier-than-thou set. Go to the closest dive, sidle up to the biggest music nerd there, and slyly mention these Brooklynati Vibe darlings. 10 bucks the dude will stammer his best softshoe, nodding in fake recognition with oh yeah, that Tanya Morgan, she’s the new Santogold, right? That’s when you dock up the remix of “So Damn Down”. Replete with strutty 70’s guitar and sidewalk lyricism, it’s the kind of rework that potentially outshines the original. Von Pea, Donwill and Ilyas have never fully rationalized why they chose a name that conjures more Nora Jones than Cool C, but it doesn’t really matter. You’ve already been crowned hip-hop-king-by-association and dude's gifted you the last Bass Ale in the joint.
Sounds like: Lupe Fiasco, Pharcyde, Mos Def, Talib Kweli
DOWNLOAD: The Carps - It's Raining In The Projects, But It's Sunny In Africa
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Though we hadn't heard from the raucous Toronto-based guitar and drum duo The Carps in a while, it's only because they have been churning out new tracks after signing with a new management company. Judging from their new single, "It's Raining In The Projects, But It's Sunny In Africa," they're ready to be heard. As the title not-so-subtly hints, the jam has politically-potent lyrics that are becoming characteristic of The Carps. Meanwhile, the beat cuts into your consciousness with blustering guitar builds, a froth of electronic whistles, and dense, penetrating drum sequences.
Sounds Like: Bloc Party, Shy Child, Death From Above 1979, DIOYY
The Carps - It's Raining In The Projects, But It's Sunny In Africa
Previously:
DOWNLOAD: Kid Sister - Family Reunion (feat. David Banner)
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(Photo: Andreas Larsson)
We know its like almost October at this point but damn if "Family Reunion”—the instantly enjoyable lead single from Kid Sister's debut album Dream Date—isn’t the Indian Summer Jam we’ve been waiting for. Over a sticky breakbeat and looping organ from globetrotting producer Diplo, Kid Sis spits - and sings! - about Chicago, cousins and everything else she holds dear, while David Banner pops in remind us "most of Chitown from Mississippi anyway!" and cha-cha through an uptempo guest verse. This thing sounds great on loop right now, we’re feeling like grilling out and getting some friends together but it's actually overcast and cold out. Who cares! BBQ in gloves! Head below for this first taste of the Kid Sis’ debut full-length, dropping soon on Downtown/Fool's Gold.
Sounds like: David Banner, Teyanna Taylor, Estelle
Download: Kid Sister - Family Reunion (feat. David Banner)
Previously:
Download: Kid Sister - Control (JFK Remix)
Stream: Kid Sister - Pro Nails (feat. Kanye West)
Download: Kid Sister - Pro Nails (Bag Raiders Remix)
EXCLUSIVE NEW DOWNLOAD - Wallpaper - Evrytme We Do It
True, wallpaper is typically meant to blend in. But if you've been out on the town of recent to Lit or Hiro, you've probably been pummeled with the beats of Bay area musician/dj/music addict Eric Frederic and know he rarely blends in. Eric's also not a fan of vowels either, a facet to which us RCRD LBL folk tend to take a biased liking. So we're bringing out Wallpaper to central stage- with the exclusive track "Evrym We Do It" that's pure party electro-pop- nestled somewhere between scuzzy disco and trans-galactic electronica. It will rotate around in your head for hours just after one listen. Brilliant. Oh- and we also threw in the track "Txt Me Yr Love," which is digitalized R & B blues about a girl, a phone, ringtones and texts.
SOUNDS LIKE: Cut Copy, Digitalism, Sly Stone
Exclusive New Download: Wallpaper- Evrytm_We_Do_It
VIDEO: Chromeo - Momma's Boy
What do you get when you cross A-HA with Hall & Oates? Why, we're so glad someone asked! The new Chromeo video, "Momma's Boy" has some serious "Take on Me" overtones with the whole sketch-like animation theme. The song is pretty cute, even though it borders slightly on the creepy side: watch the video and you'll get what we mean. Love you Mom!
FEATURED: New Gnarls Barkley video for "Who's Gonna Save My Soul" at the Downtown RCRD LBL blog
We saw Gnarls Barkley last month and it was totally amazing, and even though we'd seen them blow the roof off of venues before, there was something special about this last time. It could just be that their second album The Odd Couple, is chock full of the same neo soul jams that made their debut so enjoyable--double your pleasure, so to speak. In any case, the Downtown RCRD LBL blog has an MTV.com-powered stream of their new video, "Who's Gonna Sane My Soul" and it's a doozy. Enjoy!
VIDEO THRWBCK: Colonel Abrams - Trapped (1985)
Our new favorite blog ever, The Highness, posted this insane remix of "Trapped" by '80s "urban contemporary" pop star Colonel Abrams. We hadn't heard this song in a good while, so we thought we'd dig up the original video. The song was produced by Richard James Burgess, who also produced the first two Spandau Ballet albums (figures, right?). In short: we want that jacket.
VIDEO: The Rock-afire Explosion - Love In This Club (Usher cover)
If you grew up in the '80s and early '90s, you'll be perfectly acquainted with the horror that is about to unfold before your eyes: the Rock-afire Explosion was an anamatronic band that would crank out kid's songs at Showbiz Pizza, a kind of Chuck E Cheese's knock-off playroom/restaurant. Before seeing the above video we had completely forgotten about this phantasmagoric nightmare, but the magic of YouTube has brought it all rushing back: the piano playing ape, the sun and moon locked in a never-ending battle for the skies, THE CHEERLEADER MOUSE. So scary.
Anyway, some dude actually purchased one of these monstrosities, and has been programming the machines to belt out current pop tunes, including Usher's new single "Love in This Club", which kind of already has an amusement park, Leprechaun in the Hood aspect to it with the creepy, mindless synth line. Basically, this is viral video gold, and probably what the CIA had in mind when they invented the Internet during the Cold War (not really).
FEATURED: Chromeo fashion tips at the Fool's Gold RCRD LBL blog
Chromeo just filmed a segment for MySpace’s fashion show The Fit, where Dave 1 and P-Thug go through their favorite fashion tips for all your fans. On the menu: Odin NYC, Comme des Garçons wallets, and Air Jordans. Check out the Fool’s Gold RCRD LBL blog for the video, it’s pretty hilarious.
Chromeo at the Fool's Gold RCRD LBL blog
SONG OF THE SUMMER 2008: Ray J. feat. Yung Berg - "Sexy Can I"
2006 had "Crazy", 2007 had "Umbrella". What will be 2008's Song of the Summer (SOTS)? Help us decide by leaving comments with your nominations!
We'll be frank: we were slow on the uptake on "Sexy Can I", mainly because we were so saturated with the Ray J./Whitney tabloid news (what can we say, we read Crunk & Disorderly a lot) and we've never really trusted anything that Ray's big sister, Brandy, has even remotely anything to do with, except of course "The Boy Is Mine". Anyway, when we finally were goaded into listening to "Sexy Can I" by one of our DJ friends, who recently got a gig at a Sweet 16 and got nothing but requests for this song, it all kind of made sense. It's catchy as hell--the sing-song, nursery rhyme aspect of the chorus is too much for our frontal lobes to handle. We've been whistling it all week. And as the saying goes: if you can whistle it, it's a hit (we just made that up). Let's review the pros and cons:
Pros:
- Catchy as all hell
- Ray J. already has a certain level of notoriety (Whitney, Brandy, etc)
Cons:
- "Sexy Can I" was released way back in January and already has over 5 million views on YouTube. While the song has lasted with radio airplay this long, most R&B aficionados are probably already over it.
- What's a Yung Berg?
SOTS probability: 55% .
So there you have it, another song compared and duly evaluated. Check this space for more in the coming weeks, and as always leave your suggestions in the comments field.
Previously: SOTS 2008: Estelle feat. Kanye West - American Boy
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