Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Pre-Lollapalooza 2008: Part III


Day 3 Tentative Schedule:
Day 3 has all the ingredients to make for the best day of Lollapalooza: Girl Talk, Kanye West, and an Ann St. Reunion. I may not make it to Office's 11:30 slot, but I hope so. A little later, I'll take a requisite visit to see Chi-town's own Kid Sister, and succumb to the "Pro Nails" chorus in the process( you all will be saying it by the end of the day, ask Laura.) At first glance, it looks like Day 3 should be easy....until 3:15 hits. Luckily, many of the artists I want to see are at both Citi Stage and Myspace Stage (right next to each other). Chromeo's bouncy electrofunk kicks off at Citi, just before Black Kids at 3:30 at Myspace. Iron & Wine and G. Love & the Special Sauce have dueling sets across the park from each other (my interest in both should make that decision easy, with a coin flip). 5:15 brings the Irish-Punk of Flogging Molly just before the toughest conflict of the weekend: Gnarls Barkley, 15 minutes before Girl Talk. Do I catch a glimpse of Cee Lo & Danger Mouse's crazy costumes or get in line for the biggest party I'll ever attend. Probably a game-time decision. I'm looking forward to Mark Ronson's (special guest filled?) set to ease the tension at 7:15. Finally, what better way to close out the weekend with Chicago's son, Kanye West. I don't care what happened at Bonnaroo, I'm expecting the best show I've ever seen (no pressure).

My Schedule

Day 3
Day 3
1. Office - Oh My
2. The Blakes - Magic
3. Kid Sister - Pro Nails ft Kanye West
4. What Made Milwaukee Famous - Sultan
5. The Whigs - Right Hand On My Heart
6. Chromeo - Bonafied Lovin'
7. Black Kids - Listen To You Body Tonight
8. Black Kids - I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend To Dance
9. Iron & Wine - Boy With A Coin
10. Saul Williams - List of Demands (Reparations)
11. Flogging Molly - Requiem For A Dying Song
12. Flogging Molly - Float
13. Gnarls Barkley - Going On
14. Gnarls Barkley - Smiley Faces
15. Flosstradamus - Yeah Yeah (Matt & Kim Remix)
16. Girl Talk - Pure Magic
17. Girl Talk - Set It Off
18. Mark Ronson - Amy ft Kenna
19. The National - Apartment Story
20. Child Rebel Soldiers (Lupe, Kanye, Pharell) - US Placers
21. Kanye West - Touch the Sky ft Lupe Fiasco
22. Kanye West - Homecoming ft Chris Martin

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Pre-Lollapalooza 2008: Part II


Day 2 Tentative Schedule:
Hopefully, I'll have my bearings figured out and know the layout of the Lollapalooza grounds by Saturday morning. Day 2 doesn't pose as many conflicts as Day 1 and Day 3, but it will be nice to know if its actually possible to bounce from stage to stage. I hope to start the day by taking in sets by bands that I only know a few tracks by, like De Novo Dahl, Margot and the Nuclear So & Sos, and Does It Offend You, Yeah?. The Ting Tings will probably have a decent crowd before Mason Jennings captures my attention with his twangy, folk offerings. 3:30 at the Myspace Stage, MGMT is one of the most anticipated acts of the weekend (for me), and I'll be interested to see how their electro-funk music translates live. I'll check out Jamie Lidell's retro crooning, before going to the AT&T stage to see Chi-Town's finest, Lupe Fiasco. I'm probably 3 years overdue, from when I first wanted to see Lupe, but his strong catalog will have made it worth the wait. Day 2's headliners are much more interesting for me. I'll check out Wilco for Jeff Tweedy & company's legendary stage presence, but this will probably be my only opportunity to see Rage live and in-person. All of this will only further my anticipation for Day 3.

My Schedule

Lolla 2008: Day 2
1. De Novo Dahl - Shout
2. The Postelles - 123 Stop
3. Margot and the Nuclear So & Sos - Skeleton Key
4. Does It Offend You? Yeah - Epic Last Song
5. The Ting Tings - Shut Up and Let Me Go
6. Dr. Dog - Worst Trip
7. Foals - Balloons
8. Mason Jennings - Drinking As Religion
9. Mason Jennings - Memphis, TN
10. MGMT - Time to Pretend
11. MGMT - Electric Feel
12. Jamie Lidell - Wait For Me
13. Lupe Fiasco - Daydream
14. Lupe Fiasco - Superstar (acoustic) ft Matthew Santos
15. Serena Ryder - Brand New Love
16. Okkervil River - A Hand to Take Hold of the Scene
17. Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings - 100 Days, 100 Nights
18. Wilco - Walken
19. Wilco - What Light
20. Rage Against the Machine - Killing In the Name
21. Rage Against the Machine - Bulls on Parade

Monday, July 28, 2008

Pre-Lollapalooza: Part I


In celebration of the event I've been waiting 2 years to attend, Lollapalooza, I've decided to be really original, and make a mixtape for each day. Though I can't claim to know all of the artist descending on Grant Park next weekend, I think have done enough research to keep up.

Day 1 Tentative Schedule:
After arriving by way of Amtrack the night before, I plan to begin Lolla with Rogue Wave's set on the Myspace Stage. If their performance in Ann Arbor last fall is any indication, they should feel right at home with tracks like "Lake Michigan" and "Chicago X 12". Day 1 gets complicated at 2:15 when I have to decide between the cheer-leading anthems of the Go! Team and tribal sounds of Yeasayer. From there, I'll head for the PS3 stage, to see if the hype Duffy has received from across the pond is worthy. After that I'm inclined to see the Black Keys, before hopscotching from stage to stage to catch Million $ Mano spinning and Mates of State crooning at the same time. 6:15-8:00 is a free-for-all with The Raconteurs, Bloc Party, The Cool Kids & CSS battling. Though I still haven't been persuaded to the ways of Radiohead, I would probably check out a few songs before enjoying the Chi-Town nightlife.

My Schedule

Day 1
1. Rogue Wave - Endless Shovel
2. Rogue Wave - Lake Michigan
3. Butch Walker - Race Cars & Goth Rock
4. The Go! Team - Doing It Right
5. The Go! Team - Grips Like A Vice
6. Yeasayer - Wait for the Summer
7. Yeasayer - Sunrise
8. Duffy - Mercy
9. The Black Keys - Strange Times
10. The Black Keys - Your Touch
11. Million $ Mano - Lady
12. Mates of State - Punchlines
13. Mates of State - The Re-Arranger
14. Bloc Party - Banquet
15. Bloc Party - Hunting For Witches
16. The Raconteurs - Broken Boy Soldier
17. The Raconteurs - Old Enough
18. CSS - Music Is My Hot Sex
19. CSS - Rat is Dead (Rage)
20. The Cool Kids - I (Mikey) Rock
21. Radiohead - Karma Police

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Narkworthy 7/22: The Nark Knight

It didn't take long for this edition to shape up with Nas' Untitled dropping and T.I.'s Paper Trail leaking like a college house keg tap. There are still a few Midwest artists represented (Buff 1, Kanye, Black Milk, and Kid Sister), but not as biased as Nark Inc. Similar to TQ's appearance last round, the comeback trend continues with Murphy Lee's best bet at a catchy summer jam and Game's foray into rap/rock (its much better than it sounds). Look out for Dr. Dre's latest protege' Bishop Lamont, Young Chris' solo efforts (formerly of Young Gunz), and Kid Cudi's otherworldly musical offering.

Discuss. Hate. Let me know what you think.

The Nark Knight
1. Jay-Z - A Billi
2. John Legend - Green Light ft Andre 3000
3. Styles P - Ghost ft Pharrell
4. Bishop Lamont - Grow Up
5. Young Chris - Party
6. KiD CuDi - Embrace the Martian
7. Nas - Hero ft Keri Hilson
8. T.I. - Whatever You Like
9. Buff1 - Classic Rap
10. Little Brother - Life of the Party ft Skillz
11. The Game - Dope Boys ft Travis Barker
12. Murphy Lee ft T-Pain - My Shoes
13. Wale - Whole Time ft Young Chris
14. Young Jeezy - Put On ft Kanye West
15. T.I. - Swing Your Rag ft Swizz Beatz
16. Buff1 - Never Fall ft Black Milk
17. Nas - Make the World Go Round ft Chris Brown & Game
18. Lil' Wayne - Got Money ft T-Pain
19. Kid Sister - Pro Nails ft Kanye West
20. KiD CuDi - Down and Out
21. Big Boi - Somethings Got To Give ft Mary J. Blige

Monday, July 14, 2008

Josh Fix: "Whiskey" and Queen


I had this Josh Fix post all ready to be published and then NPR's All Songs Considered beat me to it (I'm way behind on Google Reader). They sum up this multi-talented musician as a Freddie Mercury/Elton John "hybrid". I didn't get the Elton comparison at first, but now I can see that. Much like those two legends, Fix plays guitar, percussion, keyboard and synthesizer, to name a few. His debut album, Free At Last, has a very accessible, layered power pop sound. My favorite, "Whiskey & Speed", was named Best Unsigned Demo by a San Francisco branch of the Grammy's. The song's mocking approach to addiction some how comes off as light-hearted.

Josh Fix will probably be named as a Mika knock-off, but I just never got into him. Fix is much more talented and less annoying than Mika, and is closer aligned to the Queen frontman than Mika is. I even appreciate his ELO influence ("Strange Magic" is sweet).

Josh Fix - Whiskey & Speed

Thursday, July 3, 2008

The Rapture ft Timbaland: "No", You Read My Mind

Timbaland has certainly been one of the most in-demand producers for any genre over the past two years. He collaborated with many artists that I never imagined (Madonna, Duran Duran) and some that I wished he didn't (Danity Kane, M.Pokora). Either way, I am usually satisfied.

So imagine my surprise when I found that Timbo collaborated with The Rapture for the Grand Theft Auto 4 Soundtrack. I admittedly beat The Rapture's Pieces of the People We Love album to death, with infectious tracks like "Get Myself Into It" and "Whoo! Alright. Yeah..Uh-Huh" last summer. Timbaland's innovative, beat box-filled, dance ready production is a perfect match for The Rapture's catchy, dance-punk tunes. Justin Timberlake even gushed that he wanted Future Sex/Love Sound to feel like the band's hit, "House of Jealous Lovers".

Timbo's beat-boxing ("1-2-3/Here we GO") gets things rolling and is quickly joined by an assortment of sounds. Everything from Timbaland's trusty synthesizer to traditional guitar and drums to an assortment of cow bells (clearly The Rapture's favorite backup instrument). I can't say the song makes much sense, with Luke Jenner apparently moaning about some bloke's new abstinence for "trashing people". It doesn't matter much when you are hypnotically listening to the infectious track on loop.

The Rapture - No Sex For Ben ft Timbaland

Also featured in Timbland's Verizon V-Cast Commercial.