JayeL Audio

She’s a slave the the city/she’s a slave to the night image via mchan18078
A) The Girls Can Hear Us are making a lot of noise this spring. Check the remix below of electro pop outfit Silver Medallion‘s “Slave”. I really have been a sucker for these bubbling and building dance tracks, but for good reason. I even hear TGCHU might even be joining the Medallion guys on an upcoming tour…
Slave (The Girls Can Hear Us Remix) by The Girls Can Hear Us!
B) Jen passed on one hell of a cover of MGMT’s “Kids”. Not only does it scrap the computer generated vocals, but adds about 7 ukuleles to give the indie classic an Americana feel. The Ooks of Hazard know whats up.
C) NPR is your friend, remember? Drew relayed to me an entire archive of in studio performances at NPR Tiny Desk Concert You Tube page. It has everyone from Jakob Dylan (good homework for The Hangout) to Rodrigo y Gabriela, but K’Naan is my favorite so far.
D) Speaking of NPR Music, they are streaming Josh Ritter‘s latest album, So The World Runs Away (Pre-order here). The album full of classic storytelling and folk rock got me thru a day of monotonous data entry and will probably be on my favorite albums of 2010 list. Josh Ritter – So The World Runs Away album (via NPR Music)

E) Remember when I mentioned Kele of Bloc Party was striking out on his own? His first single, “Tenderoni” just got released (spotted by Stereogum). The XXXChange produced cut has thumping bass amid an eruption of vocal distortion and house fun. I see many remixes in this track’s future. Kele’s The Boxer drops 6/21.
Kele – Tenderoni (via Soundcloud)
F) Lastly, “The O.N.E.” was one of the clear fan favorites at the Atlanta stop of Yeasayer‘s current tour. Mad Decent is running a remix contest for beatmakers to put their production skills to the test. Cal Institute of Arts student/producer Andrew Clark has been hitting up my inbox as of late, and I think he has a worthy entry you might enjoy. The beat is pulsing and would do well under flashing club lights. Yeasayer – O.N.E. – Andrew Clarks Remixbybarton_clark

Who’s got plans for the weekend? I should probably save some money, but I’m leaning towards a free An Horse in-store show (3pm at Criminal) and the Local Natives concert ($12 at Masquerade).

I feel like this is how hip-hop always is these days. A month or two drought and then when Summer hits, there is a mad rush thru Q4 of good releases. I’m not counting on Detox, but B.o.B. aka Bobby Ray (“Airplanes”, “Not Lost”), Big Boi (“Shutterbug”) and Kid Cudi (“Do My Thing”) are all making promises of albums. I’d like to think all those albums will be released, but its hip-hop, so nothing is guaranteed. At least we have some singles to swoon over until then. Elsewhere, Cobe Obeah (“Director’s Cut”), Big Sean (“Way Out”), and STS aka Sugar Tongue Slim offer up mixtape fare thats better than most rappers’ album tracks. In particular, Cobe Obeah sounds most ready to be your favorite blogger’s favorite rapper (look out for the Song of the Starz Mixtape!). I’m pretty sure Jackie Chain has the worst name in rap, but “Diamonds & Cadillacs” has a hook that can’t be ignored. Lastly, the returns of Kidz In The Hall (“Fresh Academy”, “Takin’ Over The World”) and Clifford T.I. Harris (“I’m Back”) look promising. Its almost May, and I can’t imagine what the rest of the summer will bring for hip-hop.

Nark Tub Time Machine – Download the Mixtape here (.rar)
1. STS aka Sugar Tongue Slim – In For The Kill
2. Big Sean – Way Out ft Mr. Hudson (demo)
3. Free Sol – Before You Slip ft Outasight, Kyle Lucas & 8Ball
4. B.o.B. – Airplanes Pt. II ft Eminem and Haley Williams of Paramore
5. Kidz In The Hall – Take Over The World ft Just Blaze & Colin Munroe
6. Kid Cudi – I Do My Thing ft Snoop Dogg
7. Donnis – OD
8. Bishop Lamont – Gone ft John Mayer
9. J. Cole – We On
10. The Let Go – Nightfall ft P.O.S.
11. Big Boi – Shutterbug
12. Cobe Obeah – Director’s Cut
13. B.o.B. – Not Lost ft T.I.
14. Truck North & The 3rd – Out There (prod. DJ Premier)
15. Kidz In The Hall – Fresh Academy ft Chip Tha Ripper & Donnis
16. Jackie Chain – Diamonds & Cadillacs
17. Drake – Over
18. Kyle Lucas – So High ft Slimm Calhoun
19. T.I. – I’m Back

Bonus Tracks:
Aleon Craft – A Dot
Stat Quo – More Explosive

It kinda seems like La Roux is having a resurgence right now. My buddy just sent me a remix to “Bulletproof” (via Feral Party Kids). Then, I recently heard “Bulletproof” on a trashy reality show (don’t ask). Finally, I stumbled upon Sugar Tongue Slim‘s “In For The Kill”, which surprisingly samples Ms. Eleanor Jackson aka La Roux.

Speaking of STS, Sugar Tongue Slim’s latest mixtape, Demand More 2 recently dropped and has been gaining worthy buzz (“Parachute”, “Dec. 5th” and “The People” are sure-fire standouts). His voice may get him comparisons to Stat Quo, but his versatile flow is more suited for T.I. fans. The interesting moniker happens to be fitting too. His wordplay drizzles over the beat like syrup. Slim even has a Black Thought co-sign (see “Ill Street Blues”).

Listen to Slim slide over the ominously dark reworking.
Sugar Tongue Slim – In For The Kills (samples La Roux)

I also hear he has an upcoming collabo with Kyle Lucas. Be on the lookout.

I’m fairly certain more people are going to want Lettercamp after this video release. Liz was nice enough to pass on the band’s latest video, “You Won’t Want Me”. The dark mixed with experimental lights comes off as a trippy delight, as group members float in and out. Very fitting for the stuttering, eerie beat. Its almost seems like an allusion to Lettercamp and their move to soon rise out of the shadows. Liz is pretty hypnotizing too.

Watch “You Won’t Want Me” on You Tube here.

Find more Lettercamp:
Myspace
Facebook
Hype Machine

A) You might have seen me mention on Twitter, my anticipation for Janelle Monae’s set at Criminal Records on Record Store Day. It was a brief set, but worth the wait. See her rendition of “Tightrope” below. Pre-order Janelle Monae’s The ArchAndroid here (like I did).
B) A few summers ago, you probably heard me touting the guitar wizardry of Jose Gonzalez (check “Heartbeats” for a reminder). These days, Gonzalez is resurrecting an old group, Junip for a new EP and album. Head over to the band’s website for a free mp3 (with sign up for their newsletter). Not a huge departure from his solo work, but worthy of anticipation for sure.
Find more Junip music at their myspace.
C) By now I would hope you took my advice and watched “(500) Days of Summer” and took my suggestion in checking out Alan Wilkis’ remix of Temper Trap’s “Sweet Disposition”. Good then. Now you need to hear the latest iteration of the track courtesy of Andre Allen Anjos. RAC slows down the indie favorite to give it a more epic, sweeping feel that manages to be dance-able. Be on the look out for more from RAC in the coming weeks. Big things, I promise.
D) From the land of Purple Stuff (aka Houston, TX) comes producer Dave Wrangler. Dave crafted one of my favorite mash-ups of last year with his Peter Bjorn John-infused take on Biggie’s “Party and Bullshit”. Now comes his fantastic and funky go at “Roc Boys”. Take one part braggadocious lyrics from Shawn Carter, add two parts retro-soul/glo-fi via Javelin’s “Intervales Theme” (they keep popping up here don’t they) and you have a solid mash-up. Someone send me that Javelin album stat. Dave Wrangler – Roc Boys (Jay-Z x Javelin) by davewrangler
E) I realize that saying I like Ciara’s latest single, “Ride”, is kinda like someone telling you they read Playboy for the articles….but its a great song. Luda remains the King of guest verses.

Anytime you work with family, it can be a stressful venture. Thats just part of what makes Arranged Marriage so intriguing. Brad Allen (the elder) has been a musician since his teenage days in the ’60s, while Scott Allen (the younger) found fame as part of Detroit-based electro-crew Thunderbirds Are Now. Brad and Scott were able to come together as a duo for the project by building a home-studio and learning Pro-Tools.

Their efforts led to Arranged Marriage’s debut album, Dearly Beloved available today. Filled with well-composed tracks that are essentially a lesson in Americana, classic rock and folk. Its hard to find anything not to like. Current favorite is “Sit Alone”. The bouncy piano play is the perfect match for Scott’s shaky, engaging vocal work.

Arranged Marriage – Sit Alone

Arranged Marriage is having an official album release party on Satruday, April 24th at the Majestic Cafe. As previously mentioned, The Cold Wave will be opening and its a free show.

Pick up Arranged Marriage – Dearly Beloved here.

Now that the daily schedule has been released, the 3-day passes have been purchased and the beach house has been rented, its time for a mixtape. By no means is this a summary of all the great music you’re bound to hear if attending The Hangout Music Festival in Gulf Shores, AL during May 14-16th. Nor am I an expert on the 30+ artists performing, but it should be a brief preview of the great weekend to come. Get excited.

The Hangout Music Fest Mixtape ’10
Day 1 Download Link
1. Zac Brown Band – Different Kind of Fine
2. Zac Brown Band – Mary
3. Zac Brown Band – Where The Boat Leaves From
4. Zac Brown Band – Toes
5. Zac Brown Band – Chicken Fried
6. The Black Crowes – Soul Singin’
7. The Black Crowes – Jealous Again
8. The Black Crowes – Hard To Handle
9. The Black Crowes – She Talks to Angels
10. Robert Randolph & the Family Band – I Need More Love
11. Robert Randolph & the Family Band – Peekaboo
12. Girl Talk – Non-Stop Party Now
13. Girl Talk – Pure Magic
14. Girl Talk – Smash Your Head
15. Girl Talk – Still Here
16. Girl Talk – I’m Ill (live)
17. Brett Dennen – Darlin’ Do Not Fear
18. Brett Dennen – Make You Crazy
19. North Mississippi All Stars – Mississippi Boll Weevil
20. Hightide Blues – Dreamin’ Alone

Day 2 Download Link
1. John Legend – Number One ft Kanye West
2. John Legend – Green Light ft Andre 3000
3. John Legend – Let’s Get Lifted
4. John Legend – Used To Love You
5. The Flaming Lips – The Yeah Yeah Song
6. Gov’t Mule – Frozen Fear
7. Gov’t Mule – Steppin’ Lightly
8. Gov’t Mule – Down On The Brazos
9. Jakob Dylan and the Three Legs – Everybody’s Hurting
10. Rodrigo y Gabriela – Diablo Rojo
11. Rodrigo y Gabriela – Tamacun
12. Rodrigo y Gabriela – Buster Voodoo
13. Grace Potter & the Nocturnals – Stop The Bus
14. Ozomatli – Saturday Night
15. Ozomatli – Its Only Paper
16. The Whigs – Hot Bed
17. The Whigs – I Don’t Even Care About The One I Love
18. The Whigs – Kill Me Carolyne
19. Toubab Krewe – Wake Up And Go
20. AA Bondy – Vice Rag
21. The Rustlanders – Holdin’ Out

Day 3 Download Link
1. Trey Anastasio & Tab – Alive Again
2. Ben Harper and the Relentless7 – Keep It Together (So I Can Fall Apart)
3. Ben Harper and the Relentless7 – Shimmer & Shine
4. Ben Harper and the Relentelss7 – Number With No Name
5. Ray Lamontagne – Three More Days
6. Ray Lamontagne – You Are The Best Thing
7. Michael Franti & Spearhead – Say Hey (I Love You)
8. Michael Franti & Spearhead – One Step Closer To You
9. Keller Williams – Doobie In My Pocket (live)
10. Matisyahu – Smash Lies
11. Matisyahu – One Day ft Akon
12. Matisyahu – King Without A Crown
13. Guster – Amsterdam
14. Guster – Bury Me
15. Guster – The Captain
16. OK Go – This Too Shall Pass
17. Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears – B****, I Love You
18. Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears – Sugarfoot
19. ALO – I Love Music
20. Matt Hires – Honey, Let Me Sing You A Song
Are you attending The Hangout? Who are you most excited to see?

I’ve been a huge fan of Remix Artist Collective aka RAC for quite sometime. Imagine my surprise when Andre Allen Anjos of RAC contacted me about his latest work.

Anjos, Andrew Murray and Crookram make up this band of remixers who have supplied me (and probably you) with more party and workout music than you think. They’ve crafted reworkings of tracks by everyone from John Legend to Mates of State, that are more often than not, better than the originals (and usually more dancefloor ready). On this site alone, I’ve posted at least 7 of their top notch remixes (“Use Somebody” is still my favorite), not to mention the number of times they topped the Hype Machine charts.

Andre was good enough to pass on a remix for Austin, TX’s Speak. Speak is an indie pop-leaning four piece that just released their debut EP, Hear Here in Februrary. Synth heavy and catchy in their own right, the band was able to get RAC to bless the song “Carrie” with Andre’s touch. The RAC mix comes off even more dance-ready by toning down the synthesizers in favor of twinkling keys and guitar reminiscent of Daft Punk’s “Harder, Faster, Stronger”.
Remix
Speak – Carrie (RAC mix)
Original

Preview and download (for free) RAC’s last mixtape, Vol. 1.5 here:

RAC links:
RAC Website
RAC Facebook
RAC Twitter

Picture via POD
A) NPR has certainly stepped up its music section over the past 2 years. Further evidence comes via All Songs Considered’s Spring Music Preview. The NPR crew discusses artists I’ve mentioned here (The Black Keys, The National, The New Pornographers), but also others like Josh Ritter, The Mynabirds and The Fresh and Onlys that I’m now excited for.

B) Its been 3 years since LCD Soundsystem‘s supberb album, Sound of Silver. Their next effort is currently streaming on the band’s site and well, its pretty great. Pre-order This Is Happening or pick it up in the US on May 18th.

C) Nah Right has a pretty great J. Cole leftover from DJ Khaled’s last “album”. It pretty much puts to shame anything that came off that release (“Fed Up” was ok). J. Cole “We On”.

D) Many bands ask fans to donate to the making of their albums or “pay what you want” to purchase them, but what about creating a festival this way? Via Kickstarter, a couple of guys are trying to create their own festival by way of donations. Mountain Man Fest coming to Saratoga Springs, NY (if $65k is raised) featuring Islands, HEALTH, Phantogram and more. Why didn’t I think of this? Sounds kinda like Waynestock to me. I like it!

E) Another Thursday, more Eminem news. Apparently, Relapse 2 is no mas. Now titled Recovery (supposedly out June 22nd), production will include aforementioned Just Blaze, Boi-1da (“Forever”, “Best I Ever Had”), DJ Khalil (“Kinda Like A Big Deal”) and a first single with Jim Jonsin (“Lollipop”, “Whatever You Like”, “Armada Latina”). I’m pretty amped for Eminem on different beats (no offense Dr. Dre).

F) Saturday is Record Store Day across the U.S. Be sure to head to your favorite record shop and support the local music merchant. Atlanta’s Criminal Records will have bands all day including Those Darlins (2pm) and Janelle Monae (9pm)…for FREE!

G) A couple of mash-ups for the weekend:
Daft Punk vs OutKast – Punkroses (via Earmilk) Mos Dub – 03 – Ms. Vampire Booty by maxtannone

No surprise here, The Hood Internet has done it again. This time they take electro duo Javelin‘s slowed down, R&B thang “Dep” and layer the Young Money hit, “Bedrock” on top. The vibe is perfect for your next backyard bbq. Just make sure to get earmuffs for the young’n's when Nicki Minaj gets on the mic.
That picture is awesome btw.
The Hood Internet – DepRock (Young Money x Javelin) by hoodinternet
I’ve mentioned these guys almost as much as Girl Talk here. So, what’s your favorite Hood Internet mash-up? List it in the comments.
I’m leaning towards “Doe Boys & Fresh Girls In America” (mp3) or “Wetter and Jeffer” (mp3).