Featured Artist: Young Buck

Tuesday, September 7th, 2010

Anyone reading hip-hop music blogs within the last month has been subject to a barrage of reports and opinions regarding Memphis rapper and former G-Unit member Young Buck. The last few weeks have served as the culmination of a long escalating feud between Buck and G-Unit, but mostly 50 Cent. The dispute regards mostly who Buck is technically signed to as an artist and where he will be releasing any new material. It would seem Buck is no longer in G-Unit as a member, but is still being contractually held to their label.

Young Buck first made it on to G-Unit after a stint on Brian “Baby” Williams’ Cash Money Records, deciding to leave the label (along with Juvenile) for UTP records, where he would stay till 2003. His deal with UTP eventually led to a meeting with 50 Cent, who then signed Buck to G-Unit, under Interscope Records. Buck was granted prominent features on 50’s debut, the ultra-mega successful Get Rich or Die Tryin’, and G-Unit’s double platinum debut Beg For Mercy. In 2004 Buck released his own debut, Straight Outa Cashville, and its follow up Buck The World in 2007. Both were considered very successful and Young Buck became well known in mainstream hip-hop airplay.

However, things were about to make a turn for the worst. In April 2008, 50 Cent announced on Hot 97 that Young Buck was kicked out the group, but was still contractually signed to G-Unit. Since that time, Buck has been unable to release any commercial music, but has, however, released numerous “beef” and slander tracks that hate on 50 Cent and G-Unit as a group. G-Unit, of course, returned fire, with one notable instance where 50 released a phone call he recorded with Buck, supposedly depicting the excommunicated rapper weeping and apologizing. The battle became heated and lengthy, essentially boiling around the fact that Buck was still contractually obligated to G-Unit to release one more album under their label, entitled The Rehab. The album was set to be released numerous times, constantly being delayed for some reason or another.

In recent memory, the feud seems to have settled down with Young Buck forming his own label Cashville Records and signing with Real Talk Entertainment in 2010, but the matter of the last album still stood. The Rehab, despite production completion, had yet to be released and G-Unit was still owed a final album. Under this contract, Buck was not able to release any new commercial music until that debt was settled. To make matters worse, in a shocking twist, U.S. Federal Agents raided Buck’s home on August 2^nd, 2010 to seize any valuable assets from the rapper due to years of unpaid taxes, which accumulated to about $300,000. Buck was forced to file for Chapter 13 bankruptcy on the 5^th of August, with possible plans to sue 50 Cent and G-Unit, according to his attorney.

While this may be seen as a tragedy, one positive outcome of Buck’s IRS problems is not so obvious: filing for Chapter 13 apparently releases him from all debts to G-Unit provided he makes his monthly IRS payments, possibly freeing him from the contractual obligations to the label which has prevented him from releasing any new music; he’s either really lucky or has a great lawyer. Regardless, Buck has finally released The Rehab on Real Talk Entertainment on Sept 7^th before any of the tax business came about, finally giving an eager public what they have been waiting to hear for years. Young Buck called The Rehab a “street album,” and said that he plans on releasing another brand new full-length album after he releases this album, which he refers to as a mixtape with new production over old beats. The track “Hood Documentary” is a diss-rap directed at 50 Cent, and a fiery lead single that has caught the attention of hip-hop blogs all over the internet.

Today we are proud to announce that The Rehab is finally available for purchase after years of delay and struggle. With the huge amount of recent media attention swirling around Young Buck and his legal disputes, this record is not to be missed. All eyes are sure to remain on Buck in the next few weeks to see how his soap opera ends.

Artist: Young Buck
Title: The Rehab
Label: Real Talk Ent.
Genre: Hip-Hop : Rap
UPC: 858388002051
Territory: World
Release Date: 09.7.10

Featured Artist: Abner Trio

Tuesday, August 31st, 2010

Beginning in 2005, and releasing their first album Distant Thunder of the Sacred Force on Joyful Noise in 2006, Abner Trio has always been a band that thrives on the unique and organic interaction between band members. The intricately calculated yet gritty style of Clinton Hughey’s guitar work combines with Daniel Paquette’s stream of subconsciousness lyrics – which themselves seem to embrace a brave sense of humor (see: opening lines to “Scurvy Killers”) while channeling madmen and Old Testament prophets. Behind it all sits the patiently powerful drumming of Karl Hofstetter, punching in explosive accents when necessary, and seeming to thrive on the re-assemblage of simple beats into his own occasionally confounding patterns. And it works – they were Band of the Week on the Musical Family Tree.

With The Giant Crushes You, Abner Trio have created an album that triangulates exactness, rawness and beauty. Nearly 3 years in the making, Abner Trio’s second full length is hands-down the most accomplished documentation of their mathy, artsy, honest, and all-around original blend of indie-rock.

Boosted by a fearless, punch-you-in-the-face positivity that is both rare and refreshing, Abner Trio mash tumbling guitar lines, bewildering arrangements, and idiot-savant-spoken-word into songs that (amazingly) sound a lot like pop music. Beneath the weirdness, the music of Abner Trio contains an unwavering and highly developed pop-sensibility, brought to the forefront by their densely layered and meticulously arranged vocal melodies. Bothering very little with traditional song structures, Abner seems to allow the songs to move where they’re supposed to, lilting and bursting along like a feel-good Sebadoh gorged on Joan of Arc.

This giant of a record may indeed crush you, but that’s only because it’s giving you a bear hug and doesn’t know its own strength.

Abner Trio
“You’re Gorgeous, Believe It!” (mp3)
from “The Giant Crushes You”
(Joyful Noise Recordings)

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Featured Artist: Abner Trio

Featured Artist: Bear In Heaven

Tuesday, August 24th, 2010

By: Elijah Carroll
Artist: Bear In Heaven
Title: Beast Rest Forth Mouth
Label: Hometapes
Genre: Indie : Electronic
UPC: 847108081810
Territory: World
Release Date: 08.24.10

Brooklyn based rockers Bear In Heaven have had quite a run over the last 10 months since the original release of their highly praised LP Beast Rest Forth Mouth. From a Pitchfork Best New Music accolade, to a non-stop Europe and US tour schedule and a busy SXSW week including the IODA Opening Day Bash, these guys have vaulted onto the scene. Their newest effort, Beast Rest Forth Mouth, is sure to add to their momentum and secure their place in the indie community.

The Story of Bear In Heaven from Hometapes’ website: “Bear in Heaven started out as Jon Philpot, alone, in a studio, after hours, in Atlanta Georgia. Then he moved to New York and it was him, all alone, in his room, unemployed, trying to figure out how to make music in his bedroom and get a job. Then comes along James Elliott, a friend of friends from Table of the Elements. They became friends, drank many drinks and went to Europe with Presocratics. James started The Social Registry with Rich Zerbo, left TSR and made music under the name Ateleia. Around that same time, Sadek Bazarra moved to New York with his company GHAVA. Jon and Sadek hung out, talked about girls, art and music. Adam Wills was soon to follow. Jon and Adam worked together at the studio in Atlanta. The first day Adam was in NYC he knew more people than Jon did in a year. Soon all the friends came together and Jon finished some songs. Old friend Scott Herren released “Tunes Nextdoor to Songs” A short album. Some call it an EP. Excitement was in the air and they started playing the songs. Sort of. At that time, the group consisted of everyone minus Joe Stickney, plus guitarist David Daniell. Joe was an old friend of Adam. He played drums with Paul Duncan and liked Jon’s drum kit. Joe jumped in, David jumped out, they started writing songs and now I present to you Bear in Heaven.”

And because we know you love free samples, check out these promotracks, fresh out the oven for your listening pleasure:
Bear In Heaven
“Lovesick Teenagers” (mp3)
from “Beast Rest Forth Mouth”
(Hometapes)

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Featured Artist: Bear In Heaven
Bear In Heaven
“Ultimate Satisfaction” (mp3)
from “Beast Rest Forth Mouth”
(Hometapes)

Featured Artist: Bear In Heaven

Featured Artist: Matthew Dear

Tuesday, August 17th, 2010

Depending on whom you ask, Matthew Dear is a DJ, a dance-music producer, an experimental pop artist, a bandleader. He co-founded both Ghostly International and its dancefloor offshoot, Spectral Sound. He’s had remixes commissioned by The XX, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Spoon, Hot Chip, The Postal Service, and Chemical Brothers; he’s made mixes for the Fabric mix series and Get Physical’s Body Language. He maintains four aliases (Audion, False, Jabberjaw, and Matthew Dear), each with its own style and distinct visual identity. He straddles multiple musical worlds and belongs to none—and he’s just hitting his stride.

Matthew Dear’s 2003 full-length Ghostly debut, Leave Luck to Heaven, is a suite of sparse, wickedly funky house laced with Dear’s deep, distinctive vocals, and includes the much-loved single “Dog Days” (voted one of Pitchfork’s Top 100 Songs of the Decade). The record was met with rapturous acclaim from both the dance-music establishment and the critical press, including a four-star review in Rolling Stone. Dear’s 2007 follow-up, Asa Breed, is a considerable departure from Heaven’s dancefloor excursions, incorporating the polyrhythms of Afrobeat, the irreverent pop sensibilities of Brian Eno, and the austere beauty of Krautrock. More four-stars reviews followed (Q and Mojo magazines), and Dear subsequently began touring with a live three-piece band, Matthew Dear’s Big Hands, in which he acted as frontman, commanding the stage with a Bryan Ferry-like swagger and a gentleman’s grace.

Today, Matthew Dear finds himself in a unique position. His highly anticipated fourth album, 2010’s Black City, is the culmination of years of hard work and experimentation, a darkly playful sound-world that envelops the listener like the arms of a malevolent lover. After over a decade of exploring pop’s outer limits, Matthew Dear now inhabits a rarefied corner of the musical universe: no longer tethered to any one genre, respected by his peers, and blessed with a bottomless well of creative energy. Now is Matthew Dear’s moment, and it sounds like nothing else. Look for the album to drop August 17, and check out this sick teaser and promotrack while you wait!

Featured Artist: Matthew Dear

Matthew Dear
“I Can’t Feel” (mp3)
from “Black City”
(Ghostly International)

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Featured Artist: Matthew Dear

Featured Artist: Dan Mangan

Tuesday, August 10th, 2010

by: Chelsea Bassler
Once upon a time, Dan Mangan was a starving musician unable to afford a back-up band and traveling the world on his own penny. Flash forward to today, and he is a Polaris Music Prize Nominee (alongside the likes of Owen Pallett and Caribou) and an iTunes chart topper. He is a modern day success story, with his music having gained popularity by word-of-mouth and the blogosphere.

The Canadian singer-songwriter fostered an early love of music. By age 10, he could play “Abbey Road” on the piano and he bought his first record, Aerosmith’s Get A Grip – yet this wasn’t exactly his musical inspiration. With two full-length albums under his belt (Postcards and Daydreaming and Nice, Nice, Very Nice) Mangan finds it difficult to place his style into any specific category. While Postcards has a very DIY acoustic folk-rock sound, Nice, Nice, Very Nice contains a mix of styles yet it maintains Mangan’s signature folk sound. Mangan explains, “[Nice, Nice, Very Nice] became about branching worlds together. There are a lot of one-two bluegrass bass lines on the record, but at the same time I don’t feel like it’s a bluegrass record. There are a couple of songs that are really mellow and guitar-vocal-heavy, but I don’t feel it’s a sappy singer-songwriter record. There are a couple of punk-rock fills, but it’s not a rock ’n’ roll record. I really don’t know where it fits in.” Although his fans seem to know where to place the album: Nice, Nice, Very Nice remained at the #1 spot on the iTunes Canada Singer/Songwriter chart for six months. Perhaps it is his stylistic versatility that has made Mangan such a hit; everyone can find their groove within his music.

One undeniable aspect of Mangan’s music is that it is deeply personal and honest. His sincere lyrics come from his life experiences, such as spending time with his grandfather (“Basket”) and his longing to be one of the cool kids (“The Indie Queens Are Waiting”). His songs have a way of reaching out to listeners, and his grizzly warm voice seems to sing only to you. So even though he may have moved up from playing intimate coffee shops to sold-out venues, Mangan will never feel far away.

Artist: Dan Mangan
Title: Postcards and Daydreaming
Label: File Under: Music
Genre: Indie : Folk
UPC: 875531001587
Territory: U.S.
Release Date: 07.10.07

Check out this Promotrack, which was named Best Song and Best Vocals of 2009 by Canada’s public broadcaster (CBC):
Dan Mangan
“Robots” (mp3)
from “Nice, Nice, Very Nice”
(Arts & Crafts)

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Featured Artist: Dan Mangan

Featured Artist: Lee “Scratch” Perry

Tuesday, August 3rd, 2010

Artist: Lee “Scratch” Perry
Title: Revelation
Label: Megawave
Genre:Reggae : Dub
UPC: 603408003422
Territory: World
Release Date: 08.10.10
“Psalm” (mp3)
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Lee “Scratch” Perry (born Rainford Hugh Perry, on March 20, 1936, in Jamaica) is a Grammy award-winning reggae and dub artist, who has been highly influential in the development and acceptance of reggae and dub music in Jamaica and overseas. Arguably the first creatively driven, “artist-producer” in modern recorded music, Lee “Scratch” Perry occupies the highest level of music making – standing comfortably next to pioneers like George Martin, Phil Spector, and Brian Wilson.

Perry’s musical career began in the late 1950s as a record seller for Clement Coxsone Dodd’s sound system. As his relationship with Dodd developed, he went on to record nearly 30 songs for the label. Perry formed his own label, Upsetter, in 1968. His first single “People Funny Boy”, sold very well. It is notable for its innovative use of a sample (a crying baby) as well as a fast, chugging beat that would soon become identifiable as “reggae” (the new sound did not really have a name at this time). From 1968 until 1972 he worked with his studio band The Upsetters. During the 1970s, Perry released numerous recordings on a variety of record labels that he controlled, and many of his songs were popular in both Jamaica and the UK. He soon became known for his innovative production techniques as well as his eccentric character.

In the early 1970s, Perry was one of the producers whose mixing board experiments resulted in the creation of dub. In 1973 Perry built a studio in his back yard, The Black Ark, to have more control over his productions and continued to produce notable musicians such as Bob Marley & the Wailers. With his own studio at his disposal, Perry’s productions became more lavish, as the energetic producer was able to spend as much time as he wanted on the music he produced. Perry remained behind the mixing desk for many years, producing songs and albums that stand out as a high point in reggae history.

Perry’s modern music is a far cry from his reggae days in Jamaica; many now see him as more of a performance artist in several respects. In 2003, Perry won a Grammy for Best Reggae Album with the album Jamaican E.T.. In 2004, Rolling Stone Magazine ranked Perry 100 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. Currently there are two feature length movies made about his life and work: Volker Schaner’s “Vision Of Paradise” and “The Upsetter” by filmmakers Ethan Higbee and Adam Bhala Lough. More recently, Perry has collaborated with UK multi-instrumentalist Steve Marshall to release three albums: Grammy-nominated The End of an American Dream, Scratch Came , Scratch Saw, Scratch Conquered (featuring guitar by Keith Richards), and finally, Revelation which is to be released this August.

Artist: Lee “Scratch” Perry
Title: The End of an American Dream
Label: Megawave
Genre: Dub : Reggae
UPC: 603408002425
Territory: World
Release Date: 09.25.07

“Having a Party” (mp3)
from “Scratch Came, Scratch Saw, Scratch Conquered”
(Megawave)

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Featured Artist: Lee Scratch Perry

Featured Artist: Novos Baianos

Tuesday, July 27th, 2010

Artist: Novos Baianos
Title: Acabou Chorare
Label: Som Livre
Genre: Brazilian : MPB (Brazilian Popular Music)
UPC: 7891430050221
Territory: World ex. Brazil
Release Date: 07.26.10

The year was 1972 and, at that time, all the Novos Baianos’ members – Pepeu Gomes, Baby Consuelo, Moraes Moreira, Luiz Galvão, Paulinho Boca de Cantor, Dadi and Jorginho – lived at the same place: a house at a Rio de Janeiro suburb that looked much like a hippie commune. After releasing an acclaimed but not very commercially successful album, the band used to spend their days at this place happily, playing soccer under the sun and raising their children freely. You can add to that their “godfather” João Gilberto and his family. It was in this warm climate that was born the loveliest masterpiece of the group and one of the most beautiful moments of Brazilian music: “Acabou Chorare”.

The record – heralded as “the greatest Brazilian record of all time” in a Rolling Stone feature - shows a perfect synthesis between traditional and modern, rock and Brazilian rhythms like Samba and Frevo, all married in the poetry of Galvão and the fantastic arrangements by Pepeu, a musician with an impressive repertoire on acoustic and electric guitar and ukulele.

The album opens with the classic “Brasil Pandeiro”, a samba written by Assis Valente that became a radio hit in the 40’s with Carmen Miranda, and continues with the delighful “Preta, Pretinha” written and gently sung by Moraes Moreira, a song that casts an irresistible atmosphere of brotherhood: “Opens the door and the window / and come to see the sunrise….”. Baby Consuelo sings exuberantly, and shows mix of strength, softness and sensuality in songs like “Tinindo, Trincando” and “A Menina Dança”. The disc closes with a smaller version of “Black, Pretinha.

It’s unclear if the group knew what they were achieving and that’s the most interesting fact about the record: it’s effortless; it simply exists in its time and grace. Beautifully.

Featured Artist: Asleep at the Wheel and Leon Rausch

Tuesday, July 20th, 2010

It's a Good Day Asleep at the Wheel, Leon Rausch
“Truck Driver’s Blues (feat. Willie Nelson)” (mp3)
from “It’s a Good Day”
(Bismeaux Records)
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Asleep at the Wheel are a group of musicians who have single-handedly kept the timeless and spirited genre of swing-country alive for the past 40 years. Anyone with a proper knowledge of country music’s last few decades would enthusiastically praise this six-piece’s talent, and that’s before mentioning their nine (nine!!) Grammy Awards. Comprised of some of country’s finest musicians, The Wheel have built themselves a legacy of fantastic work and continue to impress, never ceasing to make new music and tour.

Fronted by Ray Bensen, the band is comprised of six other top notch singer-musicians who rotate on vocal duty and harmony. On their newest album, It’s a Good Day, they teamed up with legendary vocalist Leon Rausch, who was one of Bob Wills’ Texas Playboy vocalists. He joined Wills in the late 50′s and his stellar vocal stylings were on par with the greats that preceded him, such as Tommy Duncan, Joe Frank Ferguson and Rusty MacDonald. Rausch has known The Wheel for over 38 years: when they first met in the early 70′s, Leon would sit in with the group. More importantly, at jam sessions he helped teach The Wheel the right way to play this great music. Rausch’s most infamous contribution is his arrangement of their famous version of “Get Your Kicks (on Route 66),” the band’s most popular song. He suggested to Floyd Domino that they take the venerable standard and put a signature boogie-woogie beat to the song.

Leon is 82 years old now but still sports a great voice and sings regularly at western swing events all over Texas, Oklahoma and the world. The song selections for this recording range from Bob Wills classics to Count Basie tunes and jazz standards. The title track is a swingin’ version of Peggy Lee’s famous pop hit (with the Wheel’s signature country twist of course) and throughout the album, Leon shares duets with the band members, as well as the legendary Willie Nelson (with whom the Wheel did their previous record)!

This is some fantastic country music folks; you just can’t find tunes done this well anymore. Be sure to check out It’s a Good Day and hear what 40+ years of experience sounds like!

Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Next

Featured Artist: Young Buck

Featured Artist: Abner Trio

Featured Artist: Bear In Heaven

Featured Artist: Matthew Dear

Featured Artist: Dan Mangan

Featured Artist: Lee “Scratch” Perry

Featured Artist: Novos Baianos

Featured Artist: Asleep at the Wheel and Leon Rausch

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