Girl Talk’s new album dropped today. But don’t go looking for it at your local record store; it is only available on the interwebs (until September 23rd, that is). Following the footsteps of Radiohead, Nine Inch Nails and a few others, Girl Talk is making the album available for a price of your choosing. There is, however, an incentive (other than the salvation of your mortal soul) to paying for the album. A $5 contribution nets you the sweet, sweet nectar of the album in lossless FLAC format and the whole album in one, unbroken file (Those familiar with Girl Talk know this to be a desirable item). A $10 contribution gets you all the above and the physical CD package when it hits brick and mortar stores on the 23rd day of September.

For those not paying, you still have access to 320kbps MP3 audio, albeit after some careful questioning regarding the ostensible music theft in progress.

For the unfamiliar, Girl Talk is a mash-up artist who takes samples from literally dozens of songs and remixes them into one song. A Girl Talk album will easily have hundreds of samples on it, laying track over track for some very unexpected successes. Imagine Notorious B.I.G.’s first verse from Juicy over the music to Elton John’s Tiny Dancer. Or Three 6 Mafia’s Stay Fly over Fleetwood Mac’s Little Lies. It’s kind of like the Matrix, you have to experience it.

Go get the album. You can always pick it up, listen to it and go back and pay what you think is appropriate. Can’t really beat that.

Also, previous albums are on Amazon. Night Ripper is the place to start. It’s hot.

Filed under: Music — Roy @ 9:25 pm

Some of you may know the name Herbie Hancock, some may not. Some might know him for his 80’s fusion funk hit Rockit, while others might know him for his song Maiden Voyage. Regardless as to your prior knowledge of Herbie Hancock, know this: He is a jazz legend.

You may be wondering why I’m reviewing an album that is over a decade old. Well I just rediscovered this album in my collection, and I was reminded of just how good it is. More importantly, listening to this album again made me think just how great this album is for budding jazz fans.

Continue reading Herbie Hancock - New Standard… for those new to jazz

Filed under: Media | Entertainment, Music — Santi @ 8:21 am

Full album, it’s available from their website here:
http://dl.nin.com/theslip/signup

The process was notably smoother than the Radiohead’s In Rainbows download process, and NIN is making the download available in tons of formats:
high-quality MP3s (87 mb)
FLAC lossless (259 mb)
M4A apple lossless (263 mb)
high definition WAVE 24/96 (1.2 gb) — That’s right, HD uncompressed!!! freakkin’ awesome of them to do that!!!!

I haven’t listened to the whole thing yet, but from what I’ve heard so far I like it. Maybe one of the other Velvetroneers will post up a nice review!

Filed under: Gadgets | Technology, Media | Entertainment, Music — Santi @ 3:24 pm

With all the recent album reviews going on here, I figure I’d let you in on my latest purchase, the latest album from bass player Victor Wooten. If you’re interested in some uniquely happy music that mixes elements of jazz, funk, fusion, gospel, and African music while showcasing one of the best bass players of all time, read on!

Continue reading Palmystery: Absurdly happy music from Bassist Victor Wooten

Filed under: Media | Entertainment, Music — Santi @ 8:16 pm

Max is dead-on about the Justice CD; I’ve been bumping it since last July and it still makes it into my morning commute on a regular basis. My favorites are Genesis, Phantom Pt. I & Pt. II. You might recognize Genesis from one of those Cadillac commercials (hopefully that doesn’t ruin the song for you).

If you’re into to Justice, you’d probably enjoy Ratatat as well: They’ve got two LP’s, both of them awesome, and two remix mixtapes, the most recent of which is available on their website for approximately $0. Plus tax. I really want to give you the highlights, but it’s all hot. If you really want a starting point, Wildcat is as good as any other but you should really be listening to the whole thing. Take my word for it.

Filed under: Music — Roy @ 1:22 am

A friend introduced me to Justice, and after checking out the video above and the one for D.A.N.C.E. I ran out and bought a copy of the album Cross, which I’ve been listening to nonstop ever since. It’s not my usual fare, but it’s fantastic! I feel like they’ve managed to strike the perfect balance between regular, thumping beats and more interesting (but less dance-able) aural adventures. As far as dancing goes, this music makes even a wallflower like me get into it - I’d have no qualms about throwing this entire disc on at a party. Songs like DVNO and D.A.N.C.E. are sure hits, broken up by more experimental tracks like my personal favorite, Stress. (Sorry, no awesome video for that one, just the album cover) I’m not sure what else to say about the disc, except go listen to it! You’ll love it!

Buy Cross from Amazon on CD or as MP3’s using this link and help us cover our hosting costs. It costs you nothing and we’ll love you forever. Promise!

Filed under: Media | Entertainment, Music — Max @ 7:24 am

I caught the second LA showing of the Kanye West Glow in the Dark tour tonight and was very impressed. I knew I would enjoy it because the lineup was solid and the venue nice and new. I was afraid that all the hype would ruin it, though. There’s been a lot of good reviews and I’ve been waiting to see this show since Prince was on Apollonia, since OJ had isotoners. Despite all the hype and having to wade through 17 year old hipsters to get to my seat, the show lives up to all the lofty reviews.

Continue reading Kanye West glows in the dark

Filed under: Music — Roy @ 1:10 am

I don’t think anyone familiar with their larger body of work is surprised, but the new Black Keys album is fantastic. I’ll keep this short because instead of listening to me you should be opening iTunes and buying it now. Or you could go to Amazon if you prefer those impossible-to-open jewel cases. And if it’s currently downloading, stick around, read something Max wrote, he’s usually pretty entertaining.

 
 
 
 
 
Highlights: Strange Times, Lies, Remember When (Side B), So He Won’t Break

Filed under: Music — Roy @ 9:50 pm

Jurassic 5 is one of my favorite hip hop groups and their recent break up saddens me greatly but there is light at the end of the tunnel. Two-fifths of the Los Angeles based group is working on a new project with a refreshing spin. The Dino 5 is a kid friendly hip hop group with reptilian alter egos like Tracy Triceratops, DJ Stegosaurus and MC T-Rex. The group consists of Chali 2na and Prince Paul from J5, Ladybug Mecca of Digable Planets, Wordsworth of eMC and Scratch of the Roots. The Roots are tied for being my favorite artist (great live show, make it a point to see it before you die) and all the other members belong to groups that will be remembered in hip hop.

Continue reading Rapping Dinosaurs = Awesome

Filed under: Music — Roy @ 12:45 am

This is hardly new news, I’ve been subscribed since last summer, but Seattle’s KEXP’s Song of the Day podcast is a godsend to anyone that cares about more than what gets played on TRL. Here’s the skinny: everyday you get a new song from an up and coming artist or new album (often before the single hits the mainstream). Like anything else, it’s not 100%; no one is going to like every song, everyday. But, for me, there’s at least one new song every week that I find myself bumping endlessly on the daily commute. If you’re that guy in your crew who likes to know about all the new cool stuff (especially music) KEXP’s podcast is a great way to stay ahead of the curve.

This week’s pick: Ghostland Observatory - Heavy Heart. If you know and love Ghostland Observatory, it’s another piece of excellence. If you don’t, do yourself a favor and subscribe. Now. No, really, there’s no more text here, go subscribe now.

Filed under: Media | Entertainment, Music — Roy @ 2:27 am