How'd Ya Like THEM Apples?

Yet another gem from Coldplay. They've treated us to some of the most visually stunning and thought provoking music videos in the alternative genre (Trouble, The Scientist, Talk.) And some that would be classified, as Graham Greene would say, "entertainments." (The Hardest Part) This time it features elements of both. For your viewing pleasure, an alternate take of Violet Hill featuring the world's leaders and some of their friends. The synch is awesome. The shot of Castro landing on his face...priceless.



Also, click here for the VH1-approved version.

Enjoy yourselves.

How'd Ya Like THEM Apples?

dan le sac vs. Scroobius Pip Angels

Usually I wait, sometimes too long, to review an album so that I can be in depth, detailed, and give you a good grasp of what is really going on, or at least my interpretation of what is going on, with a particular album.

Sometimes what I usually do just doesn't fit.

Enter dan le sac vs. Scroobius Pip. These Limeys (what's the plural for Limey?) are sensations in the Mother Land, but little known this side of the ole pond. You've seen me gush about these guys before, and now that the album is out, I'm here to gush some more.

Included on this are their two bigger singles, "Thou Shalt Always Kill" and "The Beat That My Heart Skipped" as well as some other really amazing songs. "A Letter From God To Man" is just that, and Scroobius deftly maneuvers the divisive issue with an aptitude that is both surprising and refreshing. "Angels," the title track, is a narrative from several view points that wraps around itself and is such a great, heavy story. "Fixed" calls out pretty much all of hip hop for not using their heads and their hearts to make good music, as opposed to pop music. Called out by name is Dizzee Rascal. I think they aren't friends any more. There's also "Development" where Scroobius raps the periodic table for a bit, and "Tommy C" about Tommy Cooper, a magician that died on stage to thunderous applause.

While Scroobius Pip is a talented word-smith, dan le sac is a master at production. His work is very rock based but totally danceable. I must say that I do loves it.

You will probably loves it, too.

Check 'em out on MySpace, Facebook.

dan le sac vs. Scroobius Pip Angels

Nine Inch Nails The Slip

Nine Inch Nails recently released a new album, taking Radiohead's idea of "pay what you want" to a new level of customer appreciation. You can download The Slip absolutely free at theslip.nin.com. One of the cool "geek" elements of this album is found when you load it into iTunes. Each track has it's own individual artwork. They seem loosely based on Year Zero artwork and are compelling in that it adds that extra twist that NIN is coming to be known for.

This album has a lot of diversity on it. It's obvious that Trent Reznor is still in the same mindset that produced With Teeth and it's less accessible followup Year Zero. There are several songs on this album that would have fit nicely on Teeth. There are also some obvious lingerings from The Fragile here, with some of the songs ambling about with no real destination, but still very listenable, a definite improvement over the droning songs of Fragile.

The album kicks off with an intro titled "999,999" that leads into "1,000,000" which I think is pretty brilliant, actually. "1,000,000" is very much a similar song to "Only" from Teeth. When I wrote notes for this review I put that it's just missing the hi-hat. That's definitely true. Damn good song, one of my faves on this album.

The feeling quickly transitions as "Letting You" comes on. It's a politically charged rager that hearkens to "Starfuckers, Inc" from Fragile. Looking at the lyrics, you quickly see that this song is about the complacency and apathy of the human public toward our government representatives doing all this damage to the world. I think it is specifically about Americans, but could easily be applied to the globe.

"Discipline," the albums first single, brings the missing hi-hat from "1,000,000" and the drone of "The Day the World Went Away" from Fragile, but with the syncopation this song moves rather than slowly lagging until boredom and sleep set in. As a first single it was a smart choice because it encompasses several elements of recent NIN singles into one cohesive song. However, I'd be surprised if this was the biggest single on the album.

The album continues with "Echoplex" and "Head Down," both of which are time machines to the Teeth era of NIN with "Head Down" showing some influences from the gritty Year Zero. It's groovy. It moves. But like a lot of songs on Year Zero there is a lot of superfluous noise for texture. Then comes a signature song that Reznor has been adding to each of his albums since Further Down the Spiral's "Hurt" took off. "Lights In the Sky" definitely fills the role, and with zeal. From the piano to the soft whispered vocals, if this song were more profound and compelling, it would be called "Hurt II".

Then comes the interesting tangent that I didn't expect, but wasn't really surprised to find. "Corona Radiata" gets it's name from the area in the lower part of the upper brain that controls nearly all the neural communication to and from the cerebral cortex. I wonder if Reznor got inside someone's brain and found this song playing. It is a mash of drowning piano sound for more than four minutes before any guitar shows up. Then, inexplicably, there are some cat noises at the end. It's completely instrumental, and the only track I skip while listening to the album. "Corona" is quickly followed by "The Four Of Us Are Dying" which is in the same vein, but much more listenable. "Four Of Us" is immediately reminiscent of the more sweeping soundscapes of Fragile, but with a point and a purpose. There is even a Broken feel to the song, while no lyrics appear. The two songs together account for more than ten minutes of instrumental music and a bridge to the final track.

In the closing minutes of The Slip the listener gets thrown back to a darker day when Nine Inch Nails was just a project, not yet an iconic band. The tempo changes are reminiscent of Pretty Hate Machine with the purity of anger found on the first three NIN albums. With whispered vocals and a crescendo building to a scream Reznor makes it perfectly clear that he knows "What this is all about" and claims that he knows "Exactly what I am".

I know, too. Trent Reznor and company are amazing musicians with yet another brilliant album under their collective belts.

Nine Inch Nails The Slip

Top 5 Favorite Albums Right Now

I've been wanting to write this blog for some time now, and I'm forcing myself to get it written down and share these awesome albums with you.

Each of the albums in my current Fave 5 have been mentioned here on Midgets! so there aren't any real surprises, I just wanted to reiterate my love of these albums for you, dear reader.

Clinic Do It! - I wrote a full review of this album previously on Midgets! and since then have been listening to this album a LOT. I've tried to come up with a better description of the sound, and I'm not sure there is a good way to properly describe the sound of this band. On our way to Lake Powell recently, the Redhead and I were trying to come up with a good way to tell people what they sound like, and we agreed that we couldn't really label it. Sure, it's indie rock, but it isn't your standard stuff. They have driving riffs that are more of a trait of hard rock, they use strange instrumentation that is a trait of more experimental bands. It's like the crossroads of indie-folk-psychedelic-metal-rockabilly-and others. They even dedicate the album to the 600th Anniversary of the Bristol Charter (some Googling revealed that it's not the 600th Anniversary, and that is is closer to the 900th, but who's counting?). If you don't like this album, I literally feel sorry for you. This album is available now on iTunes, Amazon.com and finer record stores. Visit them at clinicvoot.org and myspace.com/clinicvoot.
Standout tracks: Memories, Tomorrow, Winged Wheel

Duffy Rockferry - This was first mentioned on Midgets! in a best of 2008 1st quarter recap. As was mentioned there, she's been featured in SPIN, Rolling Stone, and more recently Paste promoted the Welsh songstress, too. She performed on the Tonight Show as her first American television appearance, and is starting to get some attention from radio. If you have a place for a a strong, soulful voice in your heart, this will fit nicely. Her voice is absolutely stunning and the production by former Suede guitarist Bernard Butler as well as Jimmy Hogarth and Steve Booker, compliments both her voice and the general mood of the vocals so well as to make this one of the few truly complete albums of the digital age. This album isn't available in the states until May 13th, but you can download a couple singles on iTunes, or pre-order the album there or at Amazon.com. Visit her at iamduffy.com and myspace.com/duffymyspace.
Standout tracks: Mercy, Warwick Avenue, Sleeping Stone

P.O.S. Audition - Another prominently featured album on Midgets! I have been rocking to this rapper-cum-punker a lot lately. His consciousness surpasses a lot of current music by light years. His flow doesn't every get stale, mostly because he changes it nearly every song. And his production, by Doomtree, is spotless. Appearances from Atmosphere's Slug, Bouncing Souls' Gret Attonito, the Hold Steady's Craig Finn among others don't hurt the album, only adding to the overall aesthetic of the hip hop-meets-punk ethos. On some tracks he is bitterly angry, while on others he shows a softer, more loving style. He name drops and references several punk bands, but doesn't ignore the obvious genre he belongs to. If you like punk, you will like this. If you like hip hop, you will like this. If you don't like either, give it a try anyway. You never know, right? Audition is available on iTunes, Amazon.com and at any self respecting record store. Visit him at myspace.com/posisruiningmylife.
Standout tracks: Half-Cooked Concepts, Bush-League Psych Out Stuff, Living Slightly Larger

Black Tide Light From Above - Metal. That's all I really should have to say about this album, but I'll say more. Like, they're all teenagers, the lead singer is 15, and they shred better than anything this side of ...And Justice For All. There hasn't been a band as melodic and heavy as this since Metallica went all Black Album on us and started sucking. Like other albums on this list, Midgets! first met Black Tide in the 1st quarter review. In that I said that Black Tide are "like Metallica with Sebastian Bach fronting." I stand by that now. There is such an insane level of talent in this band, members of which are 15, 16, 18 and 19. They've been together for more than 4 years and could easily out-shred anything that you think is metal today. This album is melodic, orchestral, and fucking metal. I can't quit listening to it. Pick it up on iTunes, Amazon.com or any record store worth spitting on in a fire. Visit them at blacktidemusic.com and myspace.com/blacktide.
Standout tracks: Warriors of Time, Show Me the Way, Let Me

We Are Scientists Brain Thrust Mastery - I gave a bit of an opinion on this album when Midgets! posted their video for "Chick Lit". I'm listening to this album a lot lately, and it's weirdly enjoyable. This seems to be much more of a breakup album than their previous work on Love and Squalor, but the catchiness of the songs is undeniable. These Brooklyn cats sound like they're from Essex or something (for those of you not paying attention, that's where Bloc Party is from), but bring with them a very American feeling. The album is available May 13th on iTunes, Amazon.com and any record store worth shopping in.
Standout tracks: After Hours, Chick Lit, Lethal Enforcer


Honorable mention:
Nine Inch Nails The Slip - This album was released with out any pre-promotion, not to mention it was absolutely free. Midgets! reported the link to download the album which was quickly followed by a premature review. This album is quickly moving up my personal chart and will soon supplant one of the top 5 listed above. It's a damn good album, and when I have a minute, I'll write a full review.

Top 5 Favorite Albums Right Now

Gnarls Barkley "Going On" (video)

Gnarls Barkley, those purveyors of originality, have released a video for their forthcoming single "Going On". The second single from their new album The Odd Couple is much more like their cross-over hit "Crazy" than anything else on the album. In my opinion, this is the song with the greatest potential to be a big pop hit. When this album first came out, "Going On" was the only song to make the top 100 songs on iTunes.

It's also my favorite track on an otherwise underperforming album.

Check out the video, tell us what you think.

Gnarls Barkley "Going On" (video)

Overdue: My favorite album of the year so far....

There was a lot of hype about Bon Iver by some of my favorite music critics. I ignored their strong taking to him. Alas, I was taken by the video for The Wolves (Act I and II) on Stereogum. The song intrigued me to check out the full album, For Emma Forever Ago. I love when a man playing his guitar somehow sounds like something that hasn't been done for centuries. Of course his quiet raspy vocals did place him in a category with others, but something about the yearning in each song seemed so real. Moral of that story, listen to my mentors sooner.

I immediately fell in love with several songs on the album. 'Skinny Love' became a constant play and even part of a running mix. Not too many mellow songs make it onto my running playlists, but this song just zones me out and all I can hear is Justin Vernon's voice and my feet on the pavement. 'Creature Fear' has the best line on the album "I was teased by your blouse/Spit out by your mouth" almost making a joke of the rejection. I love the climactic drums on this one that transition into the instrumental 'Team'. The melancholy 'For Emma' gives you a sense of closure. "Go find another lover to bring a /To string along" backed with horns that almost taunt the listener. This song marks the undertone of the album for me, although he's clearly discontent he's made peace with certain things.The closing song 'Re:Stacks' plucks at my heart strings crooning "Your love will be safe with me."

Stereogum posted a blog Mammas, Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Indie Rockers, and this passage from Justin's mom is what prompted me to finally let people know what album has made me at ease lately. Why do mom's always know?

Justine Vernon, mother of Justin Vernon
My favorite song is "Re:Stacks," the last one on the record. I think it is a very beautiful song and I love the emotion in it. I especially like the part, "there's a black crow sitting across from me, his wiry legs are crossed, he's dangling my keys, he even fakes a toss; whatever could it be that has brought me to this loss." Even though there is sadness here, I think this song is more about hope, "it's the sound of the unlocking and lift away, your love will be safe with me." To me, it is not about getting over things and moving forward, it is about going through the sadness, taking some of it with you and being made whole because of it. I cry every time I listen to it.

Here's a slowed down version of 'Flume' live:



And a SXSW performance of 'Skinny Love':

Overdue: My favorite album of the year so far....

Death Cab For Cutie Narrow Stairs (stream)

I was literally JUST handed the new Death Cab album Narrow Stairs. I put the songs up on iMeem so you could check 'em out.

I haven't even listened to this album yet, so I can't judge it at all. I do really like the first single "I Will Possess Your Heart," so there's that.

Players for each song are below.

Narrow Stairs is available now at iTunes, Amazon.com and your finer record stores.

Death Cab For Cutie Narrow Stairs (stream)

"want a pick covered in saliva? who doesn't. "

A quote from Alison "VV" Mosshart of The Kills from their blog. She's mocking herself for offering Conan her slimy pick after he told her his "two and a half year old always steals his." Alison is one half of The Kills, her partner is British guitarist Jamie "Hotel" Hince. They rocked the stage on Conan last night with "Sour Cherry" one of my faves from the new album Midnight Boom, which came out March 10, 2008.

When I first heard this album, already my head was bobbin. Now my shoulders and my legs have joined in. It's a great album to dance, run, clean or whatever-activity-you-please to.

Some songs from the album that gave my foot a mean tappin' :

"Cheap and Cheerful" with a nice smokers hack to start off the song. "I want you to be crazy because you're boring baby when you're straight."

"Getting Down"- "Oh oh oh oh ah oh oh ah..." You'll be singing it and you won't even realize.

"M.E.X.I.C.O."- "C U"

"Sour Cherry"- I wanted to see them live, BAD, and was severely disappointed they won't be stopping in SLC. Seeing this performance did not help my disappointment.



I kind of want a saliva covered pick. Gross.

See if there coming to your town here.

"want a pick covered in saliva? who doesn't. "

Too Early to Tell: Nine Inch Nails The Slip

It was reported earlier on Midgets! that Nine Inch Nails released a new, free, digital album today. I, of course, took the liberty of joining the foray and downloading the album.

In high school I was a passive fan of NIN and really was taken by The Downward Spiral when it was released in 1994. But then came a dark period for NIN and I wasn't really into the expansive, dense music of the followups to Spiral (1999's The Fragile and it's companion remix album, 2000's Things Falling Apart).

It took Trent and crew 5 years after Falling Apart to release a new album. When With Teeth was released I immediately renewed my fan status and fell in love with the album. NIN played Coachella that year, and to see NIN live, returning to the public eye after an extensive hiatus, was absolutely life changing. I had the pleasure of seeing NIN twice more while they toured for Teeth and thoroughly enjoyed each for it's unique attributes. Trent is a true performer, and loves to entertain.

Then, last year, NIN released an angry, subversive album in a series of encoded websites that played along the storyline built behind the album, Year Zero. It was a dense, yet somewhat accessible collection of songs based 15 years in the future, when the America had turned for the worse. Zero was a dystopian look at the future, if we continue on our current path. It was his 1984, and for the purpose of getting him off his record label, and entertaining his fans with an interesting story, it worked. But it basically was a commercial failure.

Earlier this year, NIN released Ghosts I-IV to much acclaim. The four discs of instrumental music played out like a soundtrack to some sci-fi movie (perhaps a Year Zero movie is in the works?), but wasn't anything that radio would play. Now comes The Slip, a return to accessible industrial rock that reminds me a lot of With Teeth.

I've only listened to it once, and I'm going to have this baby on repeat for the afternoon. The cover art is shown above, but each track has it's own artwork, too. If you download the album and import it to iTunes, make sure to open the artwork viewer and check out the series of shots, which appear to be based loosely on Year Zero images.

The music, as I mentioned, is reminiscent of With Teeth in that it is at once industrial and accessible. That was what I really like about Teeth: It was something you could head bang to, but it was also something that your girlfriend would like. And on first listen, is something I see in The Slip as well.

If you'd like to check it out for yourself. Head on over to nin.com and get yourself a copy. It is absolutely free. I'm pretty sure if you like NIN at all, you're going to dig this one.

Too Early to Tell: Nine Inch Nails The Slip

the slip

in a surprise(?) move, Trent has posted the new, full length NIN, the slip, online as a DRM-free download. Hard copy available in July. good ole Trent says on the official NIN site, "Thank you for your continued and loyal suport over the years, this ones on me" WOOOOOOOO!

http://www.nin.com/


I love trent. i always have, and fuck me, i always will.

the slip

Sean Demery Is Not A Jerk (repost)

Sean Demery knows what he's talking about, and few in my field (radio) would disagree. Because several of the people who post on this blog also work in the radio industry, I thought it appropos to repost a blog from seandemery.com on the state of Alternative radio. What follows are Demery's words, not mine. A link to the original post is below.

I believe... That an Alternative radio station practicing the status quo is at odds with itself, thus making the station impotent with the Alternative listener.
I believe... That most all formats have the same production values that Alt Rock stations offer. How Alternative is that?
I believe... That the word Alternative has meant nothing for years since the format through progression is the mass.
I believe... That our jobs at Alt stations is to distill music for consumption in the same way as movie critics give suggestions on what to see... and you believe it.
I believe... That real people will listen to something compelling on the radio (instead of their iPods) if you give it to them on a regular basis.

Sean goes on to say many more things in almost a stream of conciousness on what Alternative radio is and what it should be. I wish this would spread like a virus through the Alternative radio world, because many many people need to change their mindset on what Alternative has become in order to fix it.

If you'd like to read the original post, you can find it at seandemery.com. If you want to know more about who Sean Demery is and why he's in a position to be saying these things, click here.

Sean Demery Is Not A Jerk (repost)

NOFX: They Still (Don't) Suck Live

NOFX played last night at In The Venue.

Let's do a recap, shall we?

I thought you might be interested. Here we go, kids!

I showed up and No Use For A Name were already playing. Shows end really early here, so they start really early. Something I still haven't gotten used to. And quite frankly, is bothersome. But that's a blog for another day.

I saw about three songs from NUFAN before they wrapped up, which was disappointing because they do a really awesome live show. I saw them twice in Phoenix over the last year, once at Marquee Theatre with about 2,000 people and once at Clubhouse with about 500. Both shows were intense and judging by the crowd reaction to the few songs that I saw the show at In the Venue was no different.

Then came the long wait for NOFX. The time seemed to go by surprisingly fast. The music played over the PA was a good mix of old and new school punk. But then it took a drastic left turn to "Jamrock" by Stephen Marley. As the opening notes of the song played, NOFX walked on stage. An interesting tongue-in-cheek choice for an intro song from a group that is now one of the oldest (and best) punk bands around.

When Fat Mike got to the microphone, he announced that NOFX hadn't played "a club in Salt Lake City in like 5 years." And went on about the setup of the venue, with the bar patrons behind cage-like fencing saying, "this is nice, you have the Mormons out here (in the big room) and the Jews in there (behind the fence)." They introduced the first song as one that was "literally for you guys, we mean it." First song: Straight Edge.

The band then quickly ran through "Murder the Government" (featuring alternate lyrics), "Dinosaurs Must Die," "Franco Un-American," and "Perfect Government" before pausing. A group of people started chanting "NOFX! NOFX! NOFX!" and Fat Mike responded saying, "We're right here, you don't have to yell our name." And continued with a chant of his own "Audience! Audience! Audience!" A pretty hilarious moment.

Fat Mike introduced the next song as a new one, but it wasn't all that new. They played "Seeing Double At the Triple Rock" from their last official full-length Wolves in Wolves' Clothing, which was released over two years ago. As they were talking about the next song, they mentioned how it was for the real fans, and if you didn't know the song it was really going to suck because it's so long. I knew immediately that we were about to get eighteen minutes of sheer punk bliss: "The Decline".

When this song/EP was first released, I would have been happy if the band had played just that and then left. I still kind of feel that way today. The last time I saw NOFX they started with "The Decline". I thought after the first section that they would stop, but they kept going and going and going until they'd played the entire thing. I was in such elation that they really could have stopped right there and I would have been content. In Salt Lake, though, it was obvious they were going to play the whole song from the get go, and the crowd erupted joyously.

The band (and by that, I mean Fat Mike) kept bantering with the audience, as NOFX are known to do, and flowing through their set. The Fat One kept taking drinks from his solo cup, conveniently placed in a cup holder on his mic stand. They played fan favorites "Bob," "Eat the Meek," "Linoleum," and others. They also played a song about Salt Lake City that, according to Fat Mike, had taken five minutes to write and was reading the lyrics (he wasn't). It was essentially about how weak SLC is because of the Mormons, but California has too many Jews. Classic NOFX.

They ended the set with "Kill All the White Man" before exiting the stage. They didn't come back; In the Venue shuts down at 11pm and in lieu of playing an encore they just kept playing rather than wasting time by leaving the stage. As the crowd began to leave, a lot of stuff was thrown from the stage into the crowd, people diving everywhere to get a piece of NOFX. I always hang around awhile after a show like this, because you never really know what's going to happen, especially with NOFX. Once, at the Marquee Theatre in Tempe, Fat Mike said "We're doing a European encore tonight. Good night, everybody." The house lights came up and most everyone left. But the gear was never touched and so a small group of people hovered around. Security didn't kick anyone out, and 45 minutes later they came back and played five more songs. So I don't leave a NOFX show until the gear is getting packed up.

Good thing I stuck around. No, they didn't come back to play, but one of the security guards was grabbing set lists and handing them out. After saying there weren't any left, the dude next to me and myself spotted one by Smelly's drum kit. The security guard went to grab it and the dude next to me offered to Ro Sham Bo for it. Well...



One thing to let you all know. Don't Ro Sham Bo me for anything. I will beat you.

After that I took off and caught the train home.

A great night of punk was had by all. There were a lot of people on the train that had gone to the show so we were all talking about how great it was. A great ride home from the punk rock show.

If you don't know about NOFX, you should kick yourself. Then you should check out their official website and their MySpace Page.

NOFX: They Still (Don't) Suck Live

Dude.

I've only had a passing interest in Bjork these past years. "Hyperballad," "Human Behavior," "Dancer Upstairs," etc, it's mostly good. I liked her better fronting the Sugar Cubes. One thing you can count on from her is that the acompanying video is as trippy as the song itself. Wanderlust does not disappoint. Created by Encyclopedia Pictura, it mixes live shots with stop motion with CGI to create a totally surreal experience. Remember when music videos were like Sabbath's "Paranoid?" A shot of the band and some quick zooms from the camera, and that cheap-ass blue screen effect?
Well, all I can say is you've come a long way baby. Check it out, thanks to Pitchfork Media's new site featuring music videos and concerts, www.pitchfork.tv.



If you likey, mouse on over to Pitchfork.tv and check out Encyclopedia Pictura's creation for Grizzly Bear's "Knife."

Enjoy yourselves.

Dude.

Now I'm Looking For A Word That Don't Exist: P.O.S. Audition

"First of all, Fuck Bush/That's all, that's the end of it"

With an opening line like that, how could this album possibly be bad?

I may be a little late to the party on this one (Audition was released January 31, 2006), but better late than never, right? I was introduced to P.O.S. by a listener of The End (props to Russell). He's a big fan of punk rock (as am I) and we got to talking about music and he dropped the science with this one. I'd seen the name in some places (P.O.S. toured with Gym Class Heroes) but I'd never bothered to actually give it a listen until Russell told me it was really good. If you like NOFX and tell me to check out a rapper, I'm pretty much going to do it.

The first time I listened to it I was walking from the Trax station to a club where the Redhead was working a show and I fell in love with it instantly. It's definitely in my top 5 rotation right now (another blog idea!), with no signs of slipping. I don't listen to a whole lot of rap, but when I find a good album (rap albums usually are sorely lacking, underground or otherwise) it sticks with me for awhile (see: Kanye West's Graduation or Anglo-Saxon's Unplug). One reason this album really took a hold of me was the prominent featuring of Slug (from Atmosphere) on two tracks, and also because this album has some soulful, funky, heavy rock beats that just won't quit.

"Now I'm looking for a word that don't exist/To help this rapper's selfish pride that I hide inside these fists."

On "Bush League Psych-Out Stuff" (featuring Slug) the beat is so smooth and funky that you just can't help but get sucked into the song. Then to listen to the lyrics (which include a sweet AFI reference), the story is so compelling that I find myself repeating the song several times over before moving to the next track on the album.

"We don't throw our hands up like we don't care anymore/We throw our hands up like we don't care anymore"

P.O.S. is no one trick pony, though, and he doesn't need Slug to have a great track. He does have several other guests on this album (including Greg Attonito of Bouncing Souls and Craig Finn of the Hold Steady), but some of the best tracks are just him rapping over the beats of production team Doomtree (originally formed by P.O.S. and Kai, growing into a Minneapolis collective).

"Make your mind, or make it up/Make cents, take dollars, or just make enough/To get by with a little help from your friends/Bump heads, but make ends meet to stack ends"

With several references to Charles Bronson, a flair for punk-rock sensibility and ethos, as well as a cadence not dis-similar to Eminem, this album simply does not stop. There are no tracks here that are throw aways. Each has it's positives that demand and control your attention. With his chameleon-like style, P.O.S. is able to change up his delivery, not just song-to-song, but verse-to-verse. Add to his control of words the control of music he is pleasurably rapping over, and this album has everything a backpack-rap fan could ever hope for. But this album encompasses so much more than just what the backpack set wants; P.O.S. is a complete rapper: he's entertaining, eloquent, and masterful.

You can hear several songs from this album on his MySpace page, or do a search on iMeem. Or just save yourself the time and download the album on iTunes or Amazon.com. If you don't like it, I'll give you your money back.*




*Any offers of money are strictly lies and will never happen no matter how much you want it to.

Now I'm Looking For A Word That Don't Exist: P.O.S. Audition

We Are Scientists "Chick Lit" (video)

We Are Scientists stormed into my life in 2004 with their sophomore album With Love and Squalor. Since then they've released a UK only b-sides album, lost a member (they are now a 2-piece) and made a new album, Brain Thrust Mastery.

When I first started listening to Mastery I was slightly disappointed. Not because it wasn't good, but more because it didn't have the frenetic energy of Squalor. I've listened to the album several times since that first foray and like it more with each listen. There are still the captivating lyrics of Keith Murray, and the syncopated dance-able drums (formerly by Michael Tapper, now by a supporting cast).

The second video from Mastery was posted to their MySpace page today. "Chick Lit" is described by the band as "the story of a young girl named Agatha" even though no Agatha character ever makes so much as a cameo. It's also later described as a video where they "play pirates who contemplate a change in career". Also not the case.

Here's the video:

We Are Scientists "Chick Lit"


It's a pretty funny video. I mean, Shih Tzu ranchers? How awesome is that!

This song, and the whole album, will be available May 13th on iTunes and Amazon.com and your finer record stores.

You can visit We Are Scientists online in the Sci-Cave at wearescientists.com.

You can view the first video from Mastery on YouTube.

We Are Scientists "Chick Lit" (video)