Britpop is the most eclectic of genres

Got to check out the "acclaimed" Mousetrap Britpop dance night at the Black Cat last night. I was pretty pumped for some dancing; Britpop isn't really my thing but after a few pints it doesn't really matter. It was a bit slow getting started as the hipsters had to down enough PBR to get limber. The DJ wasn't helping things much with clubthumping hits by the Smiths and the like.

Finally the floor started filling up and DJ played the trump card with the quintessential Britpop standard Girls and Boys. And then he followed that with...I have no idea. But it sucked. My friend Joe, who is British, turned to me and asked, "Who is this?"

The next few songs brought us classics from pop artists Elvis Costello and Iggy Pop. Well...Iggy Pop has pop in his name. So I guess that works. Then DJ started schooling us on what exactly how far reaching Britpop has become with songs by Daft Punk (part of the EU so that qualifies) Cut Copy (British penal colony and Liam Gallagher has been to jail) and Vampire Weekend (no fucking idea).

So yeah, now I know that Britpop is as far reaching as the British Empire. Which really gives the DJ no excuse for not keeping the beats going. I had a decent time, but it was a bit underwhelming. Verdict, stay home and listen to Blur's greatest hits instead.

New Mixtape: At the Top of Butcher's Hill

I made this mixtape for a friend, but now the exclusivity agreement has lapsed, so I get to share it with all of you. It's a mix of new and old favorites, with everything in between. Got my 2 favorite tracks of 2009 so far by Cursive and Manchester Orchestra, it's got The Beatles, it's got Flight of the Conchords, it's got Journey. Your mind will a'splode.

The photo is actually of Butcher's Hill with downtown in the background. You can see Patterson Park on the left. Hope you like.

Download here.

Track List

1. Shuffle Your Feet – Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
2. From the Hips – Cursive
3. Ohio – Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
4. Head Rolls Off – Frightened Rabbit
5. The Way We Get By – Spoon
6. If You’re Into It – Flight of the Conchords
7. Gimme Some Loving – The Spencer Davis Group
8. Restless – Langhorne Slim
9. Make Believe Mambo – David Byrne
10. Kick, Push – Lupe Fiasco
11. Sour Times – Portishead
12. I Got ID – Pearl Jam & Neil Young
13. I’ve Got Friends – Manchester Orchestra
14. Got To Get You Into My Life – The Beatles
15. Qué Onda Guero – Beck
16. Brother Lee – Citizen Cope
17. Roscoe – Midlake
18. Your Protector – Fleet Foxes
19. For Emma – Bon Iver
20. Urgent – Foreigner
21. Separate Ways (Worlds Apart) – Journey

TV on the Radio mixtape

Sorry for extreme lack of posts, I've been busy being kept down by the man. And Twitter.

Started looking forward to Bonnaroo, pscyhed to see TV on the Radio. So psyched in fact that I'm also seeing them at 9:30 Club three days before Bonnaroo. In order to get you as pumped as I, here's a little 'bestof' mixtape. Download here and rock it out.

Track list (Album in parenthesis)

1. Staring at the Sun (Desperate Youth, Bloodthirsty Babes)
2. Dancing Choose (Dear Science,)
3. Wolf Like Me (Return to Cookie Mountain)
4. Shout Me Out (Dear Science,)
5. Province (Return to Cookie Mountain)
6. Lover's Day (Dear Science,)
7. The Wrong Way (Desperate Youth, Bloodthirsty Babes)
8. I Was a Lover (Return to Cookie Mountain)
9. Red Dress (Dear Science,)
10. DLZ (Dear Science,)
11. Family Tree (Dear Science,)
12. Ambulance (Desperate Youth, Bloodthirsty Babes)
13. Heroes (War Child Presents Heroes)

Dancetape 2!

Been hearing a lot of good mixtapes lately, so decided to make another one with mostly new stuff I been diggin. Download here

Dancetape 2 tracklist

1. TRVS DJAM - Fix Your Face 11
2. DLake - Green Light Remix (feat. Andre 3000)
3. Ced Hughes - W.O.W. Shampoo
4. Ced Hughes - Juke Joint
5. N.A.S.A. - Money (feat David Byrne & Chuck D)
6. Friendly Fires - Lovesick
7. The Heavy - That Kind of Man
8. TRVS DJAM - Fix Your Face 9
9. Drake - Ignant Shit (feat. Lil' Wayne)
10. Drake - November 18th
11. The Lonely Island - I'm on a Boat (feat. T-Pain)
12. Claire Hux - Sugar Water Purple (feat. Dave Chappelle)
13. Wale - DC Gorillaz
14. The BPA - Toe Jam (feat. David Byrne & Dizzy Rascal)
15. Kaiser Chiefs - Never Miss a Beat
16. Claire Hux - Bust U n DA i
17. TV on the Radio - Dancing Choose
18. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Heads Will Roll
19. Kanye West - Say You Will
20. Kanye West - See You in my Nightmares (feat. Lil Wayne)

Near the end is less dancy, but I've been listenin to the new Kanye nonstop so had to find a spot for it. Let's see, we got Weezy and Kanye on 3 tracks each, and somehow David Byrne is on 2 tracks. Maybe he'll be the 2009 version of Wayne.

MBB Tumblr

I've set up a Tumblr account to dump tracks that I'm diggin lately. Go to http://murderbybaltimore.tumblr.com/ and click on the play button next to the song. It should open a media player with a playlist. Some of the tracks don't work, means someone may have taken it off their blog since I'm lazy and just agg other people's content.

Word.

Oh, and check out Drake: So Far Gone. The new double threat's mixtape can be downloaded for free here.

Twenty albums of my life.

Posted this on facebook thanks to one of those annoying chainmails that is going around. I ignore most of them but find myself helpless against the musical ones. Thought I'd share.

Not a top twenty, just twenty albums that played a huge part in my life. Listed in my life's chronological order.

1. Vanilla Ice - To the Extreme
I'm pretty sure this was my first album I ever bought. Also the best album I ever bought.

2. Snoop Dogg - Doggystyle
The first real rap album I got. Dubbed it on cassette from a friend. I'm pretty sure the cussing, fucking, and imbibing therein made me who I am today.

3. Offspring - Smash
The first rock album I bought. Opened me up to more than just pop and rap.

4. Bush - Sixteen Stone
I loved the shit out of this in high school and even considered Bush my favorite band. There. I said it.

5. The Notorious B.I.G. - Life After Death
This made Biggie my favorite rapper. I still know all the words to Notorious Thugs.

6. Impossibles - Impossibles
Ska/punk band from my high school that we worshipped. Sweet skankin times.

7. Rancid - ...And Out Come the Wolves
Really got me into punk. Tie for my favorite punk album ever.

8. NOFX - Punk in Drublic
Other favorite punk album, and favorite punk band.

9. Outkast - Aquemini
Introduced me to the genius of Andre and Big Boi. The best from a slew of genius albums.

10. Deftones - White Pony
Definition of a grower. Went from unlistenable to never leaving my cd player. Covered some dark times.

11. Bjork - Post
I spent a whole semester in college listening to nothing but Bjork. While living in a frat house. My roommates loved me.

12. The White Stripes - White Blood Cells
One of the albums that helped transition me into the indie snob I am today.

13.Radiohead - Kid A
This album still scares the hell out of me. Considered it my favorite for a few years. Haven't listened to it for awhile though.

14. Postal Service - Give Up
Ahhhhh...no comment.

15. My Morning Jacket - At Dawn
This album destroyed me, and still does to this day.

16. The Unicorns - Who Will Cut Our Hair When We're Gone
Long live the Tuff Ghost. This album pretty much defines my stint in NYC.

17. Kanye West - The College Droupout
Pure genius. Proof Kanye used to be fun and funny!

18. Songs: Ohia - The Electric Magnolia Co.
I'll always associate this album with watching the sunrise over the Hudson river.

19. Modest Mouse - Lonesome Crowded West
Teeth Like God's Shoeshine will fight you in a dark alley. Called Modest Mouse my favorite band for a few years mostly due to this album.

20. Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago
This owned my 2008.

Penn State....Basketball?

I never blog about basketball, just can't get into the NBA and Penn State has generally drained my love for the college game over the years. But looks like we may have a team here the next couple years. Who knew Ed DeChellis was a program builder?

Thanks to the "hated-until-it-was-picked-up-in-my-region"Big Ten Network, I have been able to watch every single Penn State game this year instead of just the annual drubbing by Michigan State or Illinois on ESPN2.

Last night I got to see the Lions outlast Illinois in the lowest scoring game in the NCAA since 2005. (EDIT - this is wrong, fuck me for trusting the AP) How low scoring? 38-33! If Daryll Clark led our offense to 38 points, it would've been an off game. The game may have been ugly, but it was damn entertaining. And it gave us yet another quality road win to polish up our tourney resume. For those counting at home, that's wins against Mich. St., Illinois, Purdue, and Minnesota. As long as we don't choke down the stretch, looks like we'll be dancing come March. First time since the glorious 2001 season.

The future looks bright. The University finally decided to give a damn, investing in new facilities to help attract top recruits. We're starting to attract out-of-staters like Chris Babb, who should be a breakout star next season. Cornley and Pringle are graduating, but Battle is only a sophmore, and Jones is slowly turning into a solid inside presence. And then there's Tim Frazier, one of our star recruits for next season. Just 6'2", but check out the hops on this kid.

(skip to :20)

Song of the Day: Ced Hughes - Hey You

My man DLake also turned me on to the latest kid on the street with a set of fresh rhymes: Introducing Ced Hughes. I've been bumpin his mixtape What Up Tho!? nonstop this week and almost every track is a gem. The tape is mixed by Plain Pat, the latest spin genius who also brought us the solid mixtape from Kid Cudi.

I might even like this tape more than the last from Wale, which is really a statement. So many bombtracks...WOW Shampoo, Juke Joint, Hey You, What up Tho, Ode to Doom, Polite Rap Song, and on and

Do yourself a favor and head over to Ced Hughes page and listen to Hey You and Polite Rap Song

Download his mixtape here

Song of the Day: Claire Hux - Sugar Water Purple

Met DLake from Claire Hux last night up at The Depot in Charles Village. Dude was spinnin straight from his iPhone. I need to find me that app forthwidth. Anyway, check out Claire Hux, one of the best band names I've heard in awhile. Listen here. I'm currently crunkin to Sugar Water Purple in my cube. If I ever heard that in the club, people would die. Also, in case you didn't know, Claire Huxtable is so vicious, she will bust you in the eye.

And here's their quite ridiculous and hilarious promo video.

Song of the Day: Radiohead - 15 Step (Live at the Grammys - featuring the USC Marching Band)

I actually made it a point to watch the traditionally boring Grammys because of the exciting performances this year. Radiohead, M.I.A., Lil Wayne...and the Jonas Brothers! They were still pretty boring in between the highlights, so I live-tweeted to pass the time. Also followed along with Diplo who was predictably hilarious.

The absolute highlight of the night was Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood ripping shit up. You already knew the drums of 15 Step were righteous, know amplify that with the marching band and you've got epicness.



And, I'm still having nightmares about the chick from Sugarland looking like a hot version of the chick from Reno 911. Lucid nightmares, man. Get out ma brain!

Song of the Day: Paper Route - You Kill Me

Saw Passion Pit last night at the Ottobar. Have I mentioned how much I love that place? Sound is great, never crowded, and PBR on tap for 3 bucks. Genius. Anyway, was pretty much underwhelmed by Passion Pit. They have one awesome song, and after that...not much. The singer's falsetto really started to bug me after awhile. Don't get me wrong, I love me some annoying voices, but he pretty much just couldn't sing and used a falsetto to hide it.

The real treat was opener Paper Route. I hadn't heard them before, but they basically rocked an ambient sound over some nice guitars. Indie emo. Nothing groundbreaking, but damn entertaining. Check out You Kill Me off their Myspace page. Sorry, couldn't find a decent video.

Although I'm digging Paper Route right now, they're only my SECOND favorite new group that has Paper Route in their name. Straight out of Alabama, I give you Woodgrain, by Paper Route Gangstaz.

Bonnaroo lineup announced

Bonnaroo lineup was announced last night...and looks like its finally time for me to take a trip out there. Not thrilled by the headliners, but Bruce was better than I thought during the Super Bowl. Two Phish shows though...christ. I'm most looking forward to:

TV on the Radio
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Girl Talk
NIN
Bruce
Beastie Boys
Wilco
Snoop Dogg
Al Green (hmm...will the lawn turn into an orgy?)
Santogold
Rodrigo y Gabriela
David Byrne
Animal Collective
Crystal Castles
Okkervil River
MGMT
Grizzly Bear
Bon Iver
Band of Horses
Andrew Bird
Erykah Badu
The Decemberists
Robert Earl Keen
Elvis Costello
Merle Haggard
Neko Case
Citizen Cope
Ting Tings
Robyn
St. Vincent
Yeasayer
Chairlift
The Knux

Looks like there won't be any time to sleep.

Neil Gaiman, kids stories, and people-eating vaginas

My boy John just interviewed Neil Gaiman. Practically the Holy Grail for a fanboy. The interview doesn't disappoint. Check out the first question.

------------

JC: Both The Graveyard Book and Coraline are both very dark but nowhere near as sinister as your early fiction was.

NG: You mean they lack things like people being eaten by vaginas?

Song of the Day: Bon Iver - For Emma (A capella)

You're probably tired of hearing it, but I can't stop talking about this album. This version of For Emma is especially spine-tingling with its delicious a capella harmonies in an old French church. Skip to 1:25 and proceed to melt. It's followed by a more traditional version of the song while walking the streets of Paris. If you don't know La Blogotheque yet, learn.

We're #1! (update!)

Finally, all these hard minutes of blogging have finally come to fruition...we're the number 1 page result on google for "cocks tv"

UPDATE: We're now #1! I'd like to thank my mom and jesus christ for making this possible.

UPDATE #2: Apparently this is the Finnish Google Blog search. Which makes it even more awesome.