Of Mice & Spin: Addendum

I incorrectly tagged one of the mp3's on the Deadmau5 / Danger Mouse post I did recently. Here's the link to the song I missed:

Deadmau5 - A City In Florida



Buy the full album here.
Cop the full album here.

Danger Mouse : The Grey Album [ Jay-Z meets The Beatles ]

Jay-Z's The Black Album [buy it] [cop it]
meets
The Beatles' White Album [buy it on iTunes] [cop it anyway]

I first posted this album a few years ago. Part of coming back to the blogosphere will include re-updating dead mp3's. I was hosting this for awhile, and it was one my my more popular posts. The post was actually featured on Best Week Ever's blog here. I doubt this album needs any explanation after all these years, but in case you haven't heard of this mash-up gem, here's The Grey Album Wiki. While I normally don't post full albums, this one falls into a loophole: while exploiting two artists, it profits off of neither. Thus, there is no issue with giving it away for free.

Without further ado, here's mp3's to the whole album:

1. Public Service Announcement
2. What More Can I Say
3. Encore
4. December 4th
5. 99 Problems
6. Dirt Off Your Shoulder
7. Moment of Clarity
8. Change Clothes
9. Allure
10. Justify My Thug
11. Interlude
12. My 1st Song




Purchase What You Just Heard:

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah Official Live EP; w/ Architecture in Helsinki

Editor's Note /// As you can tell, I recently ended the hiatus on this blog. On this Thanksgiving, I decided to check which post had the most re-upload requests and update its mp3's. For those who commented, sorry for the lost years.

For newer viewers, here is an EP I picked up at a concert with the same line-up in Central Park, 2006. This EP was only being offered at the shows. All songs are live versions of songs the bands had previously recorded. Enjoy!


MP3's:

01 Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Some Loud Thunder (Live)
02 Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Gimme Some Salt (Live)
03 Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - The Skin of My Yellow Country Teeth (Live)
04 Architecture In Helsinki - Feather In A Baseball Cap (Live)
05 Architecture In Helsinki - It's 5! (Live)
06 Takka Takka - They Built You Up Too Fast (Live)

OR Torrent

///Editor's Note Over\\\

Inside the album it reads:

"01 Some Loud Thunder - CYHSY
02 Gimme Some Salt - CYHSY
03 The Skin of My Yellow Country Teeth - CYHSY

Live on April 15th, 2006 at the Bowery Ballroom, NYC
Recorded and mixed by Wild Bill Handlin

04 Feather In A Baseball Cap - AIH
Live on November 3rd, 2005 at Brudnell Social Club, Leeds UK
Engineered by Haima Marriot

05 It's 5! - AIH
Recorded May 3rd, 2006 in a motel in Brussels, Belgium
Thanks to JErUme Colin and all his helpers at Vox.
www.vox.skynetblogs.be

06 They Built You Up Too Fast - TT
Live on August 11th, 2006 at the Mercury Lounge, NYC

All Tracks Mastered by Joe Lambert at Truetone Mastering
art & design: Robbie Guertin & Cameron Bird

www.clapyourhandssayyeah.com
www.architectureinhelsinki.com
www.takkatakkamusic.com "

Weekly Mix: Famous Names

As you can tell, each of these songs has the name of a well-known person in its title. Here it is, in mp3 format:

[Editor's Note - Sorry for all the reposts. I finally got the id3 tags to work on this one.]



1. Simon & Garfunkel - A Simple Desultory Philippic (Or How I Was Robert McNamara'd Into Submission)

2. The Modern Lovers - Pablo Picasso

3. KiD CuDi - Ashin' Kusher

4. Gorillaz - Clint Eastwood

5. Outkast - Rosa Parks

6. MGMT - Brian Eno

7. David Bowie - Andy Warhol

8. Sufjan Stevens - Adlai Stevenson

9. Cat Power - Aretha, Sing One For Me

10. Modest Mouse - Bukowski

11. Adam Green - Jessica

12. Marina And The Diamonds - Mowgli's Road

13. The Postal Service - Clark Gable

14. Caribou - Hannibal

15. Lil Wayne - Bill Gates

16. Bo Diddley - Bo Diddley

17. Bob Dylan - Hurricane

18. Weezer - Buddy Holly

19. Arcade Fire - Lenin

20. Belle & Sebastian feat. Norah Jones - Little Lou, Ugly Jack, Prophet John

21. Antony and the Johnsons - Hitler In My Heart

22. The Velvet Underground - Lady Godiva's Operation

5 Songs with Famous Names

Most of the mp3's in this post were incorrectly marked, so I just left the ones with proper id3 tags.
See them in their full post here: http://theconcertroom.blogspot.com/2010/12/weekly-mix-famous-names.html


1. Simon & Garfunkel - A Simple Desultory Philippic (Or How I Was Robert McNamara'd Into Submission)

2. Lil Wayne - Bill Gates

3. Bo Diddley - Bo Diddley

4. Bob Dylan - Hurricane

5. Belle & Sebastian feat. Norah Jones - Little Lou, Ugly Jack, Prophet John

Of Mice And Spin

On Dec. 7th, Deadmau5 has a full-length coming out entitled "4x4=12". This occurrence warrants a post, something clever; of mice who spin...

A.

FIRSTLY, three tracks from the new Deadmau5 album. The first is a great selection, the fourth track on the album, a "Bad Selection" (mp3)


...then come over and relax at Track 3. Deadmau5 - A City In Florida (mp3)



Lastly four mau5y, we have a feature of his backbeat [w/ female rap add-on], the new "One Trick Pony" [mp3 of Track 10 ft. Sofi]




B.

FOR INPUT from Danger Mouse, we turn to his Early Years 12", featuring five mash-ups. Here they're:

Side A.
Tracks:
1. Nas vs. Portishead - It Ain't Hard To Tell (2001)
2. Audio Two vs. Air - Top Billin (2001)
3. Suzanne Vega vs. 50 Cent - Tom's Diner (2003)

Try out track 3!


Side B.
Tracks:
4. Outkast vs. Funkadelic - Whole World (2002)
5. Xzibit vs. Radiohead - Paparazzi (2002)

This is actually a test.

I am testing the id3v2.3 tags on:

She & Him - This Is Not A Test





Buy It

-giving Day: Clap Your Hands Say Yeah Official Live EP

Editor's Note /// As you can tell, I recently ended the hiatus on this blog. On this Thanksgiving, I decided to check which post had the most re-upload requests and update its mp3's. For those who commented, sorry for the lost years. For newer viewers, here is an EP I picked up at a concert with the same line-up in Central Park, 2006. This EP was only being offered at the shows. All songs are live versions of songs the bands had previously recorded. Enjoy!


MP3's:

01 Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Some Loud Thunder (Live)
02 Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Gimme Some Salt (Live)
03 Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - The Skin of My Yellow Country Teeth (Live)
04 Architecture In Helsinki - Feather In A Baseball Cap (Live)
05 Architecture In Helsinki - It's 5! (Live)
06 Takka Takka - They Built You Up Too Fast (Live)

OR Torrent

///Editor's Note Over\\\



Written September 29, 2006:

On Thursday, September 28th I attended a concert in Central Park. The bands that played were (chronologically) Takka Takka, Architecture in Helsinki, and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. I attended the show with Caleb Oakes and Julie Jackson.


We got there early enough to find a decent spot to sit/stand, and I went to the merch area near the beginning. There I found a Fall 2006 Tour EP with live songs by all three bands. Mp3s from the Fall 2006 Tour EP are at the top of this post.

Takka Takka opened:




















It was a pleasure to listen to some of their instrumentation.

Next was Architecture In Helsinki:






















The portion of the concert where Architecture In Helsinki played was rather bizarre. I was amazed by how strange it was. There was a lot of instrumentation and switching instruments and flashing lights. I expected there to be more people on stage, though. I was not sure if Clap Your Hands Say Yeah would be able to get as good of a response from the audience as AIH, but I was wrong.

Last was Clap Your Hands Say Yeah:



Clap Your Hands' set was quite fun. After AIH wore me out with the huge multitude of songs that they played, it was nice to feel like dancing again. Clap Your Hands got an encore at the end, and played two songs, one being a Dylan cover. They were my favorite act of the night, with a healthy balance between good musicianship and fun vocals/dancing.


Lastly, there is the Fall 2006 Tour EP put out by CYHSY, AIH, and Takka Takka. I gave it a good listen through and am glad I bought it, especially as they seemed to be in short supply at the merch area. The inside of the EP lists the names of the three artists, says "Fall Tour 2006", and lists many upcoming autumn shows. It then has the tracklisting and information and says:

"01 Some Loud Thunder - CYHSY
02 Gimme Some Salt - CYHSY
03 The Skin of My Yellow Country Teeth - CYHSY

Live on April 15th, 2006 at the Bowery Ballroom, NYC
Recorded and mixed by Wild Bill Handlin

04 Feather In A Baseball Cap - AIH
Live on November 3rd, 2005 at Brudnell Social Club, Leeds UK
Engineered by Haima Marriot

05 It's 5! - AIH
Recorded May 3rd, 2006 in a motel in Brussels, Belgium
Thanks to JErUme Colin and all his helpers at Vox.
www.vox.skynetblogs.be

06 They Built You Up Too Fast - TT
Live on August 11th, 2006 at the Mercury Lounge, NYC

All Tracks Mastered by Joe Lambert at Truetone Mastering
art & design: Robbie Guertin & Cameron Bird

www.clapyourhandssayyeah.com
www.architectureinhelsinki.com
www.takkatakkamusic.com "

Tuesday's New Releasings /// KANYE & NICKI

A. NICKI MINAJ - Pink Friday
B. KANYE WEST - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

A.

"Pink Friday" - Buy It
"Pink Friday" - Cop It

Three Tracks from the Album with links to each:

Track 2. Nicki Minaj feat. Eminem - Roman's Revenge

See review below. Lyrically, this is my favorite song on the album, while feverishly the most aggressive. I listened, awed by the vicious Roman character portrayed here. And Eminem, playing himself, proves his upswing is still around.
Track 3. Nicki Minaj - Did It On 'Em

A sick beat with great lyrics. One of the most pleasant and challenging instrumentally.
Track 11. Nicki Minaj - Dear Old Nicki

A great track for long-time Nicki fans, the tale of losing her old self in ambition and its success. At first listen, I thought this was an unrequited love song to a boy. Instead it's a first-person confession on record.

Nicki Minaj is known to excel at her wordplay and rhyming. This is her one-two punch, how she obtained the current title belt in female rap. She's warming her way into the top 5 co--ed rap contenders and her place in history is still up for grabs. With a lot of hype going into this debut album, she pulls it off, but does not necessarily exceed the already too-high expectations.
This album around, she proves she can tell a story and stick to the point (a former sore area for her). The chopped up vocals are innovative and catchy. Her three different personalities (Roman Zolanski [the wicked one], Nicki [the story-teller] and Onika [the seminal character]) keep the listener on their toes. Lyrically, there is no competition too great for her. We see this exemplified in "Roman's Revenge" when she goes toe-to-toe with Eminem, where the winner is the audience (no Renegade).
Overall, the instrumentation is tightly knit, never sloppy, but it rarely exceeds contemporary hip-hop's expectations. That said, the background to her vocals are so consistently pleasing throughout that it is far better than the standard. She brings about the best lyricism from all of the featured rap acts (Kanye, will.i.am, Drake, Eminem).
Concerning the female singers who contributed: I felt Rihanna's bit on "Fly" was average while Natasha Bedingfield's input in the last track was boring. Both songs were pulled off by Minaj though. Singing instead of rapping is a new turn for Nicki, but it never fails--just falls flat sometimes. Remember: the auto-tuning should never be tuned out . Keep listening for her shiny gem word-bombs in those overly-poppy millionaire rags. Overall it is a great debut, with average-to-slightly-above instrumentation and singing. Fortunately it will be ranking high on the year-end list because it contains a few of the greatest rap verses ever heard. And the bar's been raised in many ways....


B.

My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy - Buy It
My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy - Cop It

Three Tracks from the Album with links to each:

Track 6. Kanye West feat. Bon Iver, Jay-Z & Nicki Minaj - Monster

If you haven't heard this yet, just download it now. The song requires no explanation other than the featured tracks.
Track 10. Kanye West - Hell of a Life

One of the nastiest beats I've heard Kanye produce, with the frictitious sounds and a great snare roll guaranteed. Lyrically, it gets more nasty than the beat, so if you want to hear about nuns ejaculating and marrying/divorcing a porn star on the same day, this song is yours.
Track 11. Kanye West feat. John Legend & Chris Rock - Blame Game


This song's second verse, with its monstrous voice-transforming, is insidious in the listener's head. After Monster, this track is the one that burrowed most into my brain.

His 5th album blends pop and rap even better than his past attempts. These are some of the best verses we've seen from Kanye, with wound-opening vulnerability (a Chris Rock feature talking dirty to one of Kanye's exes in a misdial, in "Blame Game" [see above]) and grandeur vulgarity ("Make her knees shake, make a priest faint--make a nun cum, make her cremate", from "Hell of a Life" [above]). This album has no homecoming-family love songs. Every song is aptly titled for the album, fitting into his magnum opus: this beautiful dark twisted fantasy. The instrumentation is so futuristic it's hard to call this a recent release. It feels as universal as any all-time classic. I'm eager to watch this album age.


Great Tuesday. Now it's time to go home.