Music Monday: Chali 2na

You’ve probably heard Chali 2na before, but you may have not known it.  The deep voiced MC of the now defunct rap group Jurassic 5 is still spitting rhymes, and he’s as sharp as ever on his brand new album, Fish Market Part 2, out tomorrow on Decon.  Just to give you a little preview, here’s a cut from the record featuring fellow MC, J-Live:

Chali 2na feat. J-Live – “Across the Map”

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This entry was written by Jonathan Fritz, posted on June 7, 2010 at 1:28 pm, filed under New Music and tagged Chali 2na, Decon, Fish Market Part 2. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.

Ted Leo and the Pharmacists – The Brutalist Bricks

As it’s always been for indie rock of the last decade, Ted Leo’s music gave listeners precisely what they expected.  One of the genre’s more traditionalist types, Leo was never one to experiment, considering his steady, cultish success with Tyranny of Distance as well as the following two major releases.  His 2010 release, The Brutalist Bricks, follows Living with the Living, a general disappointment for those expecting his consistency.  Hermes didn’t always carry good news, of course, and today’s no exception. (more…)

This entry was written by Ryan Dalton, posted on March 29, 2010 at 5:48 pm, filed under New Music and tagged Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, The Brutalist Bricks. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.

Spoon – Transference

The first minute of Transference sounds like a false start. Not since 1995’s Telephono has Spoon sounded so anxious. A skeletal organ leaks onto a drum twitch in “Before Destruction,” and then it all withers away, brushed aside on the eve of some contorted chorus. Britt Daniel is then left mumbling and crunching casually on a lo-fi acoustic, and he sounds like he’s not quite sure what to do next. These uncharacteristically unkempt moments riddle the whole of Transference.  (more…)

This entry was written by Kent Szlauderbach, posted on March 24, 2010 at 8:42 am, filed under New Music and tagged Britt Daniel, Spoon, Transference. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.

Josiah Wolf – Jet Lag

Josiah Wolf, younger brother of Yoni Wolf and lead drummer in WHY?, proves in his premier solo effort, Jet Lag, that his musical versatility far exceeds bounds previously assumed.  Josiah plays every instrument on the effort, a feat especially remarkable when one considers that every track fits rather well the overall mood of the album.  This mood is rather sublime, but not entirely somber — a bit like the one month anniversary of a serious break-up.

Josiah Wolf – “The Trailer and the Truck”

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(more…)

This entry was written by Dayo Adesokan, posted on March 22, 2010 at 5:21 pm, filed under New Music and tagged Anticon, jet lag, josiah wolf, WHY?. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.

Blockhead – The Music Scene

Unless you’ve kept up with his Def Jux blog, you probably haven’t given much mind to Blockhead since he worked on Aesop Rock’s None Shall Pass back in 2007. At that point in time, Aesop Rock himself was Pitchfork approved and enjoying moderate success, becoming a self parody of the indie hip-hop scene he helped create. Outside of his production on None Shall Pass, Blockhead released Uncle Tony’s Coloring Book the same year, an enjoyable but short-in-memory album, and has seemingly kept to the NYC area since then. (more…)

This entry was written by Bryan Sutter, posted on March 19, 2010 at 12:00 pm, filed under New Music and tagged Blockhead, Ninja Tune, The Music Scene. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.

Freeway & Jake One – The Stimulus Package

This entry was written by Andrew Frederick, posted on March 16, 2010 at 10:24 am, filed under New Music and tagged Freeway, Jake One, Rhymesayers, The Stimulus Package. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.

Jack Splash – “It’s Not the Same”

Jack Splash is a renaissance man,  fronting award winning projects (PlantLife and The Heart Attack) and producing countless others (from Alicia Keys to Missy Elliot).  Most impressively, though, is the range of mastery he demonstrates over these many different styles.  In the lead-up to his summer debut solo release, Technology and Love Might Save Us All, he has been releasing mixtapes flexing his ability to produce and perform.  The track “It’s Not the Same” from King of the Beats Volume 1 shows Splash kickin’ it old school with early 90s electro/g-funk SoCal beats and providing the hip-hop storytelling of the OG lifestyle to back it up.

Jack Splash – “It’s Not the Same”

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This entry was written by Jonathan Fritz, posted on March 12, 2010 at 3:16 pm, filed under New Music and tagged It's Not the Same, Jack Splash, King of the Beats Volume 1. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.

Pierced Arrows – Descending Shadows

Pierced Arrows are old people.  Well, relatively anyway.  They’re an Oregon based husband and wife duo, and they’re well in to their fifties, playing music longer than most of us have been alive.  Fred and Toody Cole, joined in this state by Kelly Halliburton on drums, are a garage rock staple.  In a previous incarnation, the Coles were Dead Moon.  Dead Moon released a massive 16 alums before disbanding, and now with Halliburton, they released their sophomore effort for their new group, Pierced Arrows, on Vice records. (more…)

This entry was written by Hannah Steele, posted on March 8, 2010 at 12:34 pm, filed under New Music and tagged Descending Shadows, Pierced Arrows, Vice Records. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.

Everybody Was In the French Resistance…Now! – Fixing the Charts

Fixing the Charts by Everybody Was In The French Resistance…Now! is an Eddie Argos Art Brut concept band.  Helping Eddie is Dyan Valdes of the Blood Arm, who does her part in both playing the synthesizer and softly rounding out the pliant vocal soundscape. Together, their creation is a tootling rush of trumpets and hand claps backed up by lambent guitar lines that fizz through historical and witty lyrics. (more…)

This entry was written by Jesse Gernigin, posted on March 2, 2010 at 12:11 am, filed under New Music and tagged Art Brut, Dyan Valdes, Eddie Argos, Everybody Was In the French Resistance...Now, Fixing the Charts. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.

B. Dolan – “Leaving New York”

Gritty doesn’t begin to describe B. Dolan’s to-the-point narrative about post-9/11 desperation in the Big Apple.  Back that up with a rapid fire, low-end beat, and you’ve got a solid response to Jay-Z’s glitzy panorama of New York.  B. Dolan’s LP Fallen House, Sunken City drops early next week – be sure to give it a listen!

B. Dolan – “Leaving New York”

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This entry was written by Jonathan Fritz, posted on February 26, 2010 at 4:05 pm, filed under New Music and tagged B. Dolan, Fallen House, Leaving New York, Sunken City. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.