It's a cold morning...especially for Los Angeles and what it's used to. You should be at home...cuddled up with someone or something...and listening to "Curse In The Weeds" by a Pac-Northwest group called Horse Feathers. It's quiet, it's folksy, it reminds me of Iron & Wine, but it's quite gorgeous. Horse Feathers are on the still viable label Kill Rock Stars.
L.A. has a hard time with trends. It kinda seems like it takes us about 6 months to a year to catch on to some things. Rachel Ray even started wearing these before the LA hip kids did. With that in mind, check out Charles Hamilton, before everyone else out here does in about 6-8 months. A definite up and comer to keep your eyes and ears on, enjoy his video and mp3 for "Brooklyn Girls", courtesy of The Punk Guy. P.S, Charles Hamilton seems to really like the color Pink.
I'm missing the huge rallies and inspirational speeches. We could really use a lift right now. He should just appear at a surprise location throughout the country every week, and just rally our nation until next month. Obama live, via sattelite, from your dumpy office cubicle. Hope...that keeps us on our toes. President-elect was named Time's Person of the year today, no surprise. Check out Nas' ode to election night below.
I'm convinced that Kanye West's new record was ghostwritten by Enrique Iglesias...or whatever moron wrote that stuff for Enrique Iglesias. 808's and Heartbreaks is Kanye's fourth release, and has made me proclaim like an old man, "Rappers ain't rapping?!" What's next? Will Charlie Sheen stop soliciting prostitutes?! Will Madonna stop sleeping with Latin ball players?! Kanye's new record is R&B heavy, and much maligned with his woman problems on seemingly every track, assuming it's due to his ex-fiancee Alexis Phifer. My humble suggestion is back to basics on his next record. Check out the fairly listenable "Streetlights" below.
Check out the much heralded Deerhunter below. They released an album with a bonus disc this year that sent the hipsterati into conniptions and hysteria. Karen O has described seeing Deerhunter play live as a 'religious experience'. If you're like me when it comes to religion, you are left asking yourself if that is a good thing? Also check out a Mars Volta mp3 I unearthed from their first EP, dubbed 'Tremulant'. It was their follow up to the last At The Drive In release, and precedes the prog rock, 12 minute songs they try to pass off as listenable these days.
I just now, saw the Bush shoe throwing incident video(below) for the first time. Least W. could do afterwards was say something like, "Sorry I fucked up your country...if it's any consolation, I fucked up my country, too (insert hillbilly guffaw here)." Check out three hip hop mash-ups below. "Shook Ones" by Mobb Deep is mashed up with Steve Zissou's aquatic soundtrack. Followed by "Dreams" by The Game, with some Jose Gonzalez as the backdrop. Then lastly, The Jungle Brothers and The Police, which sounds more like two cars parked next to each other, playing each artist's tracks respectively. "Shook Ones" by Mobb Deep
