…miles, that is! Yes, the move has begun. Yesterday I traded Peoria for Champaign IL, and in 8-9 hours I’ll be arriving at AudioShocker Central (aka, Shadyside in Pittsburgh). I will then proceed to drink as much YuengLing as humanly possible before our amazing Podcast Crossover Event at Phantom of The Attic. Hopefully I’ll also get into the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business tomorrow. Come Monday I’ll head home to New Haven and finish off that Milli. In case you were wondering – moving blows.
Looking for music news? Well, all I have is Amerie’s new video for Why R U? All I can really say is, “I’d Smash!” I mean, she is objectively one of the hottest RnB singers out. (Those legs!) And oh yeah, I dig her music too.
And that is all I got people. I hope you enjoy this week’s Nick/Ross cast. Apparently, the AudioShocker crew generates so much content that a single podcast simple can’t contain it! Peace
I don’t know how many times I have mentioned her before, but is any female vocalist more slept on than Regina Spektor? I mean, people know who she is, they like her music and all, but Regina has yet to attain that Tori Amos or even Fiona Apple type of fame. And it isn’t like the hipsters aren’t doing their part. So, I suppose this weighty burden falls upon my shoulders.
Regina’s new album Far drops on the 23rd, and Laughing With is the lead single. I know nothing about it, so I won’t color my expectations with online press/junket crap. Instead, I will say I am super effing psyched. I loved her last disc, Begin to Hope, and I ended up getting all her previous stuff and seeing her live in Chicago back in 2007. I was a bit fanatical then. But hey, what’s wrong with being a Regina Stan?
Laughing With seems to be a departure from the typical Regina. There is little if any dynamic range to the vocals and the piano track is way too smooth. You would never guess that this cute redhead was capable of ballbusting tracks like Flyin, Hotel Song, or Poor Little Rich Boy. Which actually brings up a sidepoint that some of her best tracks have very little piano in them at all. (Sacrilege, I know). And where is the catchy hook? Everyone knows a good lead single has to have a catchy hook!
I’m not saying I hate it, but I am saying it isn’t what I was hoping for. I wanted Regina to come flying out of the gate like she did last time. Compare Laughing With to Regina’s last lead single Fidelity. Fidelity is infinitely better, both acoustically and visually. It is an engaging song with highs and lows and a cute video to match. Laughing With is a downer with a boring video. Fidelity built up to a fun ending, while Laughing With ends just as lackadaisically as it began.
So Regina, I take back my comment from earlier this year back, you were never on my “shitlist”, just my “come on release something already!” list. That said – I am praying for a killer second single. Laughing With is a weak effort and I know you are capable of something 10x better.
Ed Note: Moving sucks. I’m in the process of moving out and it is just a total mess. Selling furniture, putting stuff in storage, cleaning the place, paring down to the essentials – blah blah blah. The only joy I get is from tossing stuff in the dumpster. Obviously this is no excuse for irregular posting, but try to be sympathetic, ok?
Real talk, this economic situation blows. How do we get out of this rut? Where is that change we can believe in? It’s in the booth spittin’ hot fire! The Commander in Chief gives you the economic lowdown in a format that all you MTV kids can vibe with. Bonus: peep Blago and Palin getting down! How did SNL miss this idea? (furthermore, how late am I to this party?) And while I get that Swine Flu is current and all – when did Sham-Wow become the second most name dropped reference in hip hop?
Were any of you even ready to handle MObama coming in at 3:03? I nearly lost it people. We’re talking a near miss.
Oh BTW, I’m officially on educational leave as of 4pm today and headed to the sunny beaches of Folly Beach, SC. I’ll see all your broke asses in a week! ESTOY DE VACACIONES!
I apologize for the totally lame absence of a column last week. I was in New Haven and had a lot going on. In fact, I am still getting caught up. So, rather than tackling a single topic, I’m shotgunning the past week for you. Try to keep up. (And, yes I’m throwing spoilers in)
Chuck Season Finale
From the moment Chuck threw the first kick, Kirsten called it, ‘Guys, I know Kung-Fu’. Cue her cheering and me groaning. It was a great ep – but if NBC axes the show, I won’t cry too much. This is as natural an endpoint as any. We all knew Chuck would re-up with the Intersect, but who knew his dad was one too? Bringing Chuck’s dad back as a recurring character and killing off Bryce is way too shark jumpy for me. Compound that with Devon knowing about Chuck’s secret identity and things get sticky. Plus now Chuck is some sort of super autodidact? Too Matrixy. My opinion: lock all this shit down in S3E1 or just end the show now and leave people salivating.
Did you miss the ep? watch it here courtesy of Hulu:
The Cool Kids – Gone Fishing Mixtape
(Ed. Note: Neal selected The Cool Kids’ Bake Sale as 2008 You Don’t Suck Awards Music Winner)
The mixtape dropped on Monday. This is just the quiet before the storm (When Fish Ride Bicycles). You have to love how artists are using the lead up to their studio albums to drop free mixtapes full of even more great tracks. Peep Champions for a great piano beat and the updated Pennies remix for guest verses by Luda and Bun B. The tape is a little overstuffed considering the typical Cool Kids release is between six and eleven tracks. Of course, single artist ‘mixtapes’ regularly weigh in over 30 tracks, so whatever. Also take a listen to Hammer Bros. and Broadcasting Live.
House – S5E23 – Under My Skin
Great episode. The patient’s skin sloughs off, House detoxes, and though I’ll miss halluci-Amber… DO IT TO IT HOUSE! HIT THAT! Um, anyway, moving on….
Eminem – 3 A.M Music Video
Cold Garbage. I can’t even watch the whole thing. The flow is terrible and the visuals are as trite as it gets. I’m not feeling any of the cuts I have heard from Relapse so far. I hope he’s saving the best for later.
Swine Flu
What’s the quickest way to get the pig flu? Twitter! Get it? It’s a joke. (though not a very timely one) Anyway, this is about as much H1N1 as any blog post should have, so I’m done with that, and this blog post. BOOYAH!
I got an email the other day from one of my friends about our annual Memorial Day vacation in Folly Beach, SC. While most of the message dealt with logistics, it highlighted a very important point: it is time to start scoping out summer jams. Summer jams are responsible for some of the best times in my life. Last year we rocked out to Bleeding Love by Leona Lewisand that (totally nonsensical, but catchy) Damagedtrack by (the now defunct) Danity Kane. A good summer jam will be released around the time that people start shedding their winter jackets and long sleeves are still in rotation. It gives them a little gestation time before they really blow up. That sounds a lot like this week to me.
This is where I should probably tell you about my predictions for summer jams. The thing is, I haven’t heard a Hey Ma, Hot In Herre, or Izzo (HOVA)yet this year. Am I destined to spend my precious 4 days on the beach listening to Lady Gaga, Flo Rida, and (gasp) Jeezy!? If so, kill me now and spare me the horror. But, perhaps my musical sphere is just too small – I do live in a musical vacuum afterall.
So help me out here AudioShocker readers: What are your 2009 Summer Jam picks?
Need some more inspiration? This track, Would You Like To Ride, by Mr. West, Malik Yousef, and Common was my joint around… 2003 or 2004. The track is syrupy smooth and works whether you are cruising at 25, blazing at 80, or just standing still. Kanye stuck to the basics and relied on a few simple samples combined with a steady knocking beat. West’s verse gives us a preview of the great wordplay we’ve come to associate him with, and Common just destroys Erykah Badu. If you weren’t already up on this one — act like you know!
Sadly, the video is trash – but real summer jams should be on the stereo – not your television!
I harsh a lot on music videos for their shameless name/label dropping b.s. and general stuntin. I get all heated over poorly cast video chicks, bad dance routines, even worse treatments, and white backgrounds. In the end though, I thoroughly enjoy the multimillion dollar music video. It is more than just a guilty pleasure of mine, I genuinely enjoy watching their suckitude. (unlike HFCS, which I actively avoid)
But have you ever wondered what you could do with a pack of extra-large pingpong balls, some color filters, a couple friends, and a half hour of tape? Apparently Consequence and Rik Cordero did, and the result is this totally awesome (and short) music video for Buggin’ Out 2009. I am digging the simplicity and crazy eye antics. Sometimes less is more people. (aspiring video directors take note!). And how do I feel about throwing back to an old Tribe song? I’ll co-sign that too.
Want to see more lo-fi video classics? Check out Mjeezy in Emancipation (you’ll have to use your auditory imagination since YouTube went all gestapo) or my onscreen debut in ETwo.
(Nick is totally gonna kill me for calling his stuff lo-fi!)
Note: Paul Tobin has never endorsed, nor does he intend to endorse, nor has he… to the best of our knowledge… ever even used a golden chamber pot.
With that said, comic book creator Paul Tobin talks about his scriptwriting method, working with artists including Matteo Lolli and Jacopo Camagni and (his wife) Colleen Coover and Patrick Scherberger, editors including Nate Cosby, Doctor Doom and the Masters of Evil #3, writing Spider-Man vs. writing Hulk, and Marvel Adventures Avengers and Marvel Adventures Super Heroes comics. This is part 1 of 3 of our Paul Tobin interview series!
When Paul is done, the golden chamber pot arrives. Neal has outgrown Del tha Funkee Homosapien, the 80s synth funk group D Train is the one for Nick, Justique is feeling the electronica of Glitch Mob and their side projects including Nasty Ways (makers of the Lil Wayne Lollipop remix), Nick was let down by MPLSoUND and Lotusflow3r by Prince, and Neal has weird feelings about SuChin Pak.
I am obviously a few weeks late on MIMS’ new track Move. I’ve been holding out on this one, and for good reason: I wasn’t sure how I felt about it. Well, after a few weeks of reflection, I think I am ready to give it a full AudioShocker rundown.
The Track: Let me be clear here. I fucking love the backbeat. Producers have been killing it on percussion recently. I could do without the baby voice as it reminds me a lot of Beyonce’s Diva, but it isn’t nearly as annoying here. At the end of the track, it drops out and then there is that “bop bop bop beat it up like a drummer” thing. Classic! It is a real nice touch.
Let’s talk punchlines and lyrics. Ever since This Is Why I’m Hot, MIMS street cred has been under scrutiny. I mean, he is about as hard as Will.I.Am or Flo Rida. So when MIMS brings lines like:
When I roll up on you niggas like a ska-ter
Move if you wanna when you see that red la-ser
No matter how you move bet that infrared will chase ya
Then I keep it movin, homey see you la-ter
I have to close my eyes and pretend that he is someone else – someone who I perceive as being a more thuggish ruggish dude. Afterall, MIMS has more in common with hipster-hop than he does Suge Knight. But here is the real test: do I keep listening to it? Yes. It is a fun track. I’d pump this in my car now that the weather is breaking.
Lastly, I would be remiss if I did not address the whole “MIMS is jockin’ Gillie Da Kid’s flo” thing. I see where everyone is coming from, and MIMS does look pretty guilty. However, unlike Gillie, he amps it up and keeps the flo dynamic. I do not care for Gillie’s seeming monotone. And another thing. It’s not like Gillie invented the fast/slow flow. Busta Rhymes and plenty of other artists have employed it in the past.
The Video: Talk about simple. There is very little art to this video. I feel like it is a cross between something The Cool Kids would do and the moving dolly part of Will Smith’s Summertime. Basically, we have MIMS sidescrolling through some street scenes with some random dancers on a short loop. It is an interesting take on the standard performance video, but it doesn’t do anything for me.
The 3 second loop thing is kind of pointless. Maybe if there were some scratching on the track it would have made sense? And the twisting thing? Also stupid. For a lead single/video I expected something more kinetic – especially considering the title.
The Bottom Line: It’s hot – feel free to turn up the volume (in your car).
I don’t exactly follow the fast paced hiphop sector of the blogosphere, but I do consider myself an informed hiphop head. I also listen to a lot of Top 40 in my car. So, after being bombarded with The Dream’s Rockin’ That Thang for the last month, I was open to the idea of a remix. Really, anything had to be better than the original.
The Track: While I always dug the beat, the Dream’s crappy falsetto is just earthshatteringly annoying. I am so glad he reached out and brought in some of the game’s best lyricists. Juelz, Luda, and Fab are masters of the punchline — and getting all three of them on the same track is major. They really redeemed this otherwise wasted beat.
Fab spends half his verse referring to JayZ and Crime Mob before he pulls out something funny:
Let me drop a jewel on ya, put a rock in ear
Can I call you nana? cause you got that rockin’ chair
Luda’s verse is heavy on ‘lovey dovy’ crap instead of double entendre punchlines, but he makes an attempt:
The thought is sensational, it’s perfect bliss
I’m ready to take the milky way to your hershey’s kiss
You know my tongue’s got batteries in it
The bedroom, we lose calories in it & start families in it
Ricky Ross’ verse is short and terrible. It is all forced gov/president references, and they all fall flat.
But Juelz Santana cold shuts it down:
Call me Mr. Shoe- shine, baby I’m a polish ya
And I leave ya spit clean, I don’t use no polisher
So get another shot of ciroc in ya
Cause I’m gon’ be rockin’ ya
Treat you like my first lady
I’ll put my Barack in ya
The Video: What we have here is a hot tranny mess of style jockin’. This video is a less creative version of Kanye’s Golddigger — which of course involves the whole “couple guys and some models” treatment. The difference is it’s the guys who are on the magazine covers, and not pinup girls. And whose idea was it to outfit Fab AND Juelz in LouisV gear? That is way too much product placement! Oh, and is it just me or does The Dream looks exactly like Chris Breezy from the Freeze video?
And you know what? ‘Rockin that thang’ amounts to 2-stepping for pretty girls. Even Crime Mob threw in some poppin’ and dippin’. This is about as involved as the dancing in a Shwayze video. Is it just me, or is club-style hiphop dancing getting really lazy? I mean Lean With It Rock With It, The Stanky Leg, The Arab Money Dance… I think I might be onto something.
Finally, a general query for all of you out there in the blogosphere: is there a website/repository that lists video girls and what videos they have been in? I’m thinking of something like iMDB for music videos. It would give me another dimension for these posts.
The Bottom Line: I suppose that sometimes, guest spots can polish up a turd.
So after several weeks of bellyaching about DipSet, Nick emails me the other day to put me up on Camron’s new joint I Hate My Job. I’m not even going to wait for the bottomline today: I dig it. Killa Cam re-achieves relevance with his best single since Down And Out (which was actually a guest spot). It’s about the recession, money troubles, and how much it sucks to work a dead end job. Surely we can all relate at some level.
The beat is dead simple: knock and keyboards. It could be a little heavier (this is DipSet…) but it fits the track pretty well. I wonder if we’re going to see a lot of YouTube freestyles over this one.
The video is fairly literal, and low budget – but isn’t that exactly what a economically conscious video should be? Killa doesn’t try to impress us with his acting skills either, he keeps it real. I totally buy that he doesn’t really know how to conduct himself in a job interview. I also buy the idea that no one would give him any respect in a job interview, regardless of how polite he was.
And getting a job with a few priors? Cam knows it isn’t easy.
I went in for an interview, for delivery
“Locked up, felonies?” now the dude’s quizzing me
You working on my future, why you need to know my history?
All he did was Google me, no big mystery
Like I said, it isn’t complex, but it is a good track. What IS a little more complex is the public’s infatuation with Jim Jones.
In the last couple years, Jones’ career has really taken off – but WHY? For some reason, guys like Yayo, Flav, Farnsworth Bentley, and now Jones – all former hypemen – get tons of airplay. And while I could sit here and philosophize about how I think he is aiming himself squarely at the frat demographic, instead I’ll leave you with Jones’ new video for Na Na Nana Na Na, which in addition to being the polar opposite of Cam’s, just dropped as I was writing this post. (Jeebus, a Élan Luz Rivera cameo? She is just all up in my mindspace this week!) Enjoy.
Nick is here. Justique is here. Maybe even Pete is here. But Neal is gone in AudioShocker Podcast #87 on Tuesday, July 7, 2009! Then it's the end of an era as Ross Campbell and Nick wrap up their first podcast story arc in A Podcast with Ross and Nick #5 on Wednesday, July 8, 2009!
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