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The D.O.T.-How We All Lie

Posted in Life Perspectives from T.S. Niebeling, Mind Inversion Exclusive, Music News, News, Video with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , on Friday, April 12, 2013 by dirtyterry

After Mike Skinner put The Streets to rest after 5 albums I didn’t think I would hear much from the bloke.  I waited for some time, and nothing…  I followed Skinner on his blog http://mikeskinner.so and watched for him to put out something new.  Nothing happened…  I mean, there were some new posts and interesting photos, and words, but no music.  And then-a few months back, I became aware that I was literally on Mike Skinner’s personal emailing list.  A message popped up from one of my favorite anti-mainstream mainstream artists.  I had received an email from the man as if he had risen from the grave.  I was bestowed upon some great and inspiring new sound.  Kaboom!

And here it is in video form incase you missed it.  (above)

This catchy tune takes a few listens to warm up to.  You know I am crazy, so I sat around all day banging this shit out on loud, macbook style.  My GF got a little mad, by the end I was singing along (out of tune of course) and getting scolded.  I felt I knew the song and the artist a little more, I felt there was promise in this new material.  May I say I am a bit excited for the full length album?  I felt the video was entertaining (I had heard about this filming technique in Boulder, CO).  After listening to this song, and viewing the innovative video, I realized that what The D.O.T. was doing was actually pretty good.  I felt the same emotion that I had gotten from a lot of The Streets’ albums after the first and second listen, “Cult classic, not bestseller”.  But sales don’t matter, the sound is important, and this song is very catchy and has an incredibly memorable melody.  I woke this morning singing the chorus.

Before this message from Mike Skinner, I had little knowledge of The D.O.T., I assumed Skinner produced the songs.  I had no idea who the singer was.  So let me fill you in:

The D.O.T. Official Website

They have some interesting videos, venue tickets, downloadable songs, and other merchandise.

The D.O.T. project’s site is visually appealing and artsy, while remaining easy to navigate.

In all honesty I love how abstract and collectively cool Skinner is overall; most (universally), if not all of The Streets’ material is exceptionally well made, as Chuck Klosterman wrote-he (Skinner) is ‘advanced’ as an artist.  The music he puts out is real and relatable, there is an essence of humanity within his lyrics and delivery.  Also, Rob Harvey, of The Music, sounds great on vocals, and harmonizes well with Skinner.  At times I feel that Skinner wants to put more vocals into the song; however, it sounds pleasant the way it is presented.

Happily I am intrigued and I want to hear more.  If you could hook it up with a free CD, Mr. Skinner, that would be excellent, pre-release if possible???  Thanks.

Watch out for The D.O.T.’s new album “Diary” due to drop May 6, 2013.

Because Geezers truly need excitement.

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Local Love With Talk-O-Destiny

Posted in Life Perspectives from T.S. Niebeling with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on Thursday, October 11, 2012 by dirtyterry

 

 

In a land where musical diversity is a relative secret, a crowd of MC’s (and regional artists) have stepped out front to show what they have to offer.  Let’s take a look through some questions and answers- and have some Local Love with Roommate’s Talk-O-Destiny, as they celebrate their album Free Rent release party.

Talk-O-Destiny has been a hip-hop artist in La Crosse, WI for 3 years now…

Artistry and a passion for music comes to mind when concerned with (Brian) Talk-O-Destiny; having worked in a record store (Deaf Ear Records, of La Crosse) for 3 plus years and being a local artist himself (working with various groups of different genres, from Another Exoneration to T.U.G.G.).  He has been known to appreciate some underground greats, such as Northern Lightz, Big Zach, Kanser, and Atmosphere, some of these qualities have been conveyed on to Roommate’s new album.

Grab a listen,

You can get a sample of what they are spitting on the Free Rent here:  Roommates Official (Free Rent)

***

So, in my accidental drunken stupor of last sunday afternoon, I stumbled to my phone and emailed Brian.  He hit me up with prompt punctuality and we discussed an idea for an article, question and answer style…  To get the low-down on the music scene in La Crosse, the upcoming Roommates’ album, and anything of relevance in relation to having a good time all the time.

This is what transpired…

TS:  Who is/are Roommates?

T.O.D.:  Roommates is Talk-O-Destiny, Guess Prefontaine, and coming soon to Roommates albums, P.C.P. (Pontius Co-Pilot).  (Full details of artists and album construction can be found on the Roommates Official link above.)

TS:  Firstly, La Crosse has a huge bar/music venue scene-What are the pros and cons of performing in such an environment, what are the best bars to do a show, and what is your favorite venue thus far?

T.O.D.:  JB’s, I really like… It’s a good time; the sound is good, the drinks are good.  It can be hard getting people to come to the Northside, but it works out.  The Warehouse is also a great venue, it is a really great place for the music community in La Crosse…  The listeners are more clear-minded at The Warehouse because of the lack of alcohol at the venue.  However, lack of alcohol can be a good thing for an artist and a listener, better perception of the music.

The Pros are that people are about your shit, as an artist you want to hear you did a great job, but criticism is welcomed.

The Cons are you don’t always get free drinks…  You aren’t always getting paid, and its like wet my whistle (you know)…  I get that the bars have to make money too…

 

TS:  What inspires you as an artist about living in La Crosse, WI?

T.O.D.:  Being around local bands gives way to creating good music.  Also, there is a local community feel; everyone is working together, people are surrounded by great artists of differing genres, and that is inspiring.  La Crosse’s music scene has a lot of talented individuals.  They don’t tour (as much, outside the area), but they have great musicianship.  A place like La Crosse, has a good music scene, people at the top are blowing minds.  There is a diverse music community, support for multiple genres, and appreciation for music here…  La Crosse has the secret.  I may not know what the secret is, but La Crosse has it.

 

TS:  Tell me about the Album (Free Rent).

T.O.D.:  It’s the first album in a series of albums from Roommates, the album took a period of about a year to accumulate most of the ideas and material, recording took about 1 month.  At the end of summer I wanted something out by October 1st, so it happened.  But it took about a year, year and a half to create.

 

TS:  On a perfect day where can we find Talk-O-Destiny performing, or just hanging out…  Eating a burrito on your couch?

T.O.D.:  One day, I would love to rock First Ave., as a goal, I would love to set foot on that stage…  But, definitely, eating a burrito on my couch…

 

End of Questions.

***

To say the least, talking with Brian was enlightening; I am proud to be from a region where music is extremely diverse and positive.  Brian’s idea for creating music consists of promoting and helping others, while not hating on what’s around.  Rather, gaining from the differences, gathering material while being progressive in what you create as an artist next.  While reducing pressure and instilling an idea of just having fun Brian has inspired me to indulge in more local music from Roommates, and the La Crosse area as a whole.

The Free Rent album from Roommates is enjoyable, independently manufactured, underground, precise, and inspiring.  My head was bobbing for the most part; solid beats, diverse sound, with interesting and personal songwriting abilities are exhibited. Something new.

Good job, I can’t wait to hear more.  I would love to see Roommates live.

Next show:

Saturday, October 13 at 9:30 PM

Location: Jb’s Speakeasy
717 Rose Street, La Crosse Wisconsin

All information on Roommates (the artists and show dates and times) is within the link above.

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Local Love: P.O.S.-Fuck Your Stuff

Posted in Life Perspectives from T.S. Niebeling, Local Love, News with tags , , , , , , , , on Saturday, September 22, 2012 by dirtyterry

Oh my god, everyone is talking about P.O.S. nowadays in Minneapolis.  I have to say something…

I thought he died, just kidding, I have been reading.  Got to know what’s up on the Minneapolis Scene.  Citypages did a spot on him a bit back, a girl I work with talks about him a bunch, knows Stefon Alexander personally, literally.  Truth.

So, all this talk made me a little anxious.  I mean why wait so long to put out more music?  Oh yeah, quality control, excellente…

Last night, while getting incredibly drunk with the boys in our new house in SOUTH MINNEAPOLIS, Hammer (AKA) pulled out his fancy schmancy computer keyboard hooked up to the plasma in the living room to Youtube and bumped  the above video from P.O.S.- Fuck Your Stuff.

Firstly, I had not heard a single song off of the new album,

We Don’t Even Live Here

yet, so I had no idea what to expect.  I had been hearing some stuff, Coworker was talking a lot about how she had been listening to the CD a lot and was told not to hum the songs, even for a second, to avoid leaking anything.  She said its amazing.

Secondly, I was impressed with the music and the video itself.  I was kind of surprised; like, P.O.S. with a more matured and hardcore sound, keeping it real while being progressive, and sticking to his basic punk roots just happened in front of me.  This song literally just happened and it was good.  (I had to do a run on sentence to describe that, I know seems esoteric, but music is that way.)  Rhyming on this song is pretty great; creative, controlled, P.O.S. is vocally amazing and intimidating.

I feel I can bump this on a decent system and it will bang.  In this song P.O.S. is telling people what they want to hear, what he wants to say, and still remaining underground with the quality sound of mainstream hip hop, with actual quality.  Production value sounds amazing on this song, the beat is unique, full, and boom-stuff.  I am excited to hear more.  I have been a P.O.S. fan for some time and have been looking forward to his fourth coming release.

This video is such a teaser-

P.O.S.’s new sound is just that new, incredibly vocally driven, with wit to it.  I enjoy this song and can almost rest easy with the idea that this album will be sick.  Whatever, I want to hear it.  Send me a copy early please.

The release date is:

October 23, 2012

What Fuck Your Stuff does for me is reestablish my Love for Local Music, what P.O.S. has done, has made me want to buy his new material, as so many artist have not done recently.  I have faith in Minneapolis, with a bunch of solid music coming out of here as of late.  2012 looks to be a good year for music in the Midwest, and especially a good year for Rhymesayers Entertainment.

Listen up!

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Alt-J, In Love Again

Posted in Life Perspectives from T.S. Niebeling, News, Opinion Editorial with tags , , , , , , , , on Sunday, August 26, 2012 by dirtyterry

In life we encounter smells and visuals that automatically take us back to a time; a campfire, a family member, a favorite food.  It is refreshing as a flashback, and an important reminder of what truly matters.  Like lighting a smoke, or taking a pull.  I feel music is the same.  As in love infatuation is the feeling of love, and love is the feeling of infatuation.  I found that love again in a song.  This song inspired me to write about music a bit, especially when I feel that life has taken hold and there is nothing to do but take it in.  When other music seems unimpressive, when music seems as trivial to write about as ideas, as everyone has an opinion.  As we all have our own ideas.  I hope this song inspires the love within us all.

***

We sat bedside and she played what she told me would change my mind.  I hadn’t heard of Alt-J and I was astonished.  I still don’t know much about Alt-J and I have heard his CD 4 or 5 times over.  I was blown away.  I guess that is what smoking pot and discussing topics on someone’s bed in their parent’s house affords.  More intellect than we could forget, I took this song with me.  I must have asked her who she was playing ten times before I finally remembered.

The genre of occupation which lead me to this situation was in the food industry of Minneapolis.  I sat splayed in a bed with an intelligent girl listening to what I feel is innovative and incredibly catchy; I relate the album to having a hint of Simon and Garfunkel with Andrew Bird and overdubbing styles of Queen.

She said:  We seldom appreciate the techniques now, she discusses.  Do you know how hard it was to do this in the past?  They almost wore through tapes creating masterpieces which we listen to.

She said this all with so much excitement.

I acknowledged and pay penance, I knew this but wanted to effectively show her it struck a cord.  Her taste in music was as good as nothing a few weeks back and now I know its importance, it is stuck in my head.  It is not as important to find and possess a thing, as it is to share and hold it for others to see, take in, and understand.  Or maybe just to investigate and discard.

The simple beauty of music is there is always a special song for a special moment; this is my last month.  Weddings, first-dates, a dance.  This song will be engrained into my psyche until something new changes that, or forever.  Whichever it is, I would like to take a moment for music appreciation and say this song is stuck in my head and changing me for the better.  I hope a song does that for you.

I feel a music flashback is just as strong as a flashback brought by a smell, or a visual.  Indy rock, as in Alt-J, is incredibly good at capturing me in a sense of melancholic nostalgia.

Do yourself a favor and find someone who means something to you, turn this song on really loud, and embrace each other.

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5 Good Reasons to Avoid a Bassnectar Show

Posted in Off Topic, Random with tags , , , on Friday, August 17, 2012 by Eric Gilardi

5. His fan base consists of a lot of middle school aged kids.

There seems to be an influx of young kids at Bassnectar shows. I have nothing against young kids as long as they can be responsible and not cause a scene; however, it is never a good time when I have to look at a girl who is far too young to be that far gone.

4. His music is ground shaking but not ground breaking.

The consistency of his sound consists of a lot of heavy bass. I guess if you like to listen to a repetitive heavy bass line then it is a show for you. That is why I say his music is ground shaking but not ground breaking. He isn’t creating electronic music that is trend setting or new to the industry. This heavy bass seems to work for him even though I do not understand how or why?

3.  Slow vibe dancing is just not as fun.

When attending a Bassnectar show get ready to vibe slow. His display of powerful bass is great if you are into dancing slow but if you are looking for a dance party, you will not find one at his show. I prefer a dance party over a crowd who is methodically moving to the beat.

2. Throws in the change of pace too late in his set.

When I saw him recently at Lollapalooza, he changed it up towards the end of his set with some hopped up punk rock. This was a lot of fun and got the crowd going – an easy thing to do after putting everyone to sleep for an hour. If he would have mixed some of this in to break up the monotonous first hour, or brought in a few upbeat dance songs to change the pace a bit,  his show would be more enjoyable.

1. His music is fit for the bedroom not a music venue.

This slow vibe dancing I was talking of earlier can make you look to this music as a way to make babies. There’s a name for this style of electronic music: baby making music. That is why when you look around at one of his shows you see a bunch of people “getting it on” in the crowd. That is cool if you like to see that display of public affection, but it’s not my number one priority when attending a show. To the people who like to do that, put a subwoofer under your bed and turn the bass up if you cannot give your women a proper orgasm.

*Take note for every reason I just listed could be the very reason you want to attend a Bassnectar show. If you are a really big fan of his music, then I would definitely suggest going. Keep in mind, the opinions of this article are from a person who was totally impartial before going to the show at Lollapalooza.

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Vote For M.i in the TDE Feature Contest!

Posted in Contests, Music News, News with tags , , , , , , on Wednesday, July 25, 2012 by Tim Althaus

Whether you realize it or not, this is a pretty big deal folks. M.i is a finalist in the Top Dawg Entertainment Feature Contest; emcees across the country have sent in tracks in the hopes of collaborating with an artist from the T.D.E. roster. According to what I’ve read, each artist was to submit a hook and verse using one of two instrumentals provided by the Top Dawg in-house production team. The winner will receive a collaboration with Kendrick Lamar, Jay Rock, Ab-Soul or Schoolboy Q.

I’m not surprised to say this, but M.i is one of five finalists left in the competition. Top Dawg Entertainment is one of the strongest forces in Hip-Hop right now; it seems as though everything they touch turns to gold. I know I’m going to do my part and push the button to vote. You could be helping a terrifically talented artist get the recognition that he deserves.

You can listen to the track below, and you can listen to the other artist’s tracks here as well as vote.

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Sean Anonymous; 331 Block Party and Anonymo E.P. Wavs

Posted in Culture, Local Love, Music Discovery, Video with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on Tuesday, July 24, 2012 by dirtyterry

You are probably reading this because it is made out of words.  I digress.

The real story:

I worked all weekend; however, I found out earlier on friday about the numerous block parties happening over the next couple of days.  Where there is a will there is a way, its hard to stop when there is so much going on around you.  Luckily, I was at block parties all weekend getting drunk, having promiscuous sex on bridges near downtown, and checking out supremely awesome hip-hop acts.

Um, if you haven’t attended a block party in Minneapolis you don’t know what it is like to have an exclusively progressive music scene in your area.  There are girls, music, booze, and tons of sights to take in and process.

I saw more fresh acts this weekend, with great potential, than I have in the recent years, and it was mostly free and very close to Downtown Minneapolis.  I think I might’ve paid $10 for a ticket, unlimited beer, and I even got VIP access on accident.  Whoops!  My bad, but it was really good.  These are social events to take advantage of and respect.

Summer time in Minneapolis is like this:  Work a little, drink a lot, check out the block parties and what’s kicking with local musicians, and ride bike.  Your favorite artists are everywhere, even in the crowd.  Go and make friends.  I would say it is a perfect city if you are interested in art, fun times, and music in any way at all.  Come see what we got.

I was at The 331 this last weekend drinking and listening to an act I had not heard before, a hip-hop artist by the name of Sean Anonymous.  So good, with such a sick-chill-awesome flow and the ability to rock the crowd.  I was impressed and really happy that I had taken advantage of the free block party show at The 331.  

There were classic cars, insane motorcycles, and art on display throughout the block, and around the back of the bar people gathered near a stage in preparation of the show.

Sean Anonymous has much empathy in his songwriting, and a realistic relatable idea behind it.  His energy on stage was powerful, he had some guest acts, and a personality that was fun to take in from concert venue viewpoint.  If you get a chance check him out at:  Sean Anonymous Facebook , Sean Anonymous Twitter Handle .

I met Sean in the crowd after his set (or rather in VIP, above at he Thrifty Hipster Headquarters) and gave him my credentials, talked with him over some beer for a few moments.  Asked for a CD, and joyously thanked him for hooking it up.  Said mad respect, and here I sit listening, and I like what I hear.

In the album, Anonymo, he really goes into detail on how, and what its like to be a struggling artist.  The hoops you have to go through.  The beats on the album are bumping, the production is well rounded and interesting.  Its fresh, heavy, and gangsteresque, with a tongue-in-cheek Minnesota nice feel, but in a passive aggressive way.  This 7 track album is packed with creativity, intellectual understanding, and a head-bobbing feel, ya feel me?  If you have a chance, give Sean Anonymous a listen, get his CD.  I love the representation of Minneapolis that he facilitates throughout Anonymo.  Honest and down to earth.  Honestly worth being heard.  No bullshit.

Highlights of the album:  Mostly all of the songs.  1. Fast Forward, 4.  Alright, and all the others beyond that are standout quality songs.

Lows:  There aren’t many lows.  Sean is representing Minneapolis, flowing like a fountain, and banging beats like I’m banging someone’s girlfriend or mother.  But really its good.  A real and personal artist with a great stage presence, worthy of an audience.  I look forward to the next show.

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Happy Birthday Keith “Guru” Elam (July 17, 1961 – April 19, 2010)

Posted in Culture, News with tags , , , , on Tuesday, July 17, 2012 by Tim Althaus


In the movie Sandlot, Babe Ruth made a quote that I will never forget: “Heroes get remembered, but legends never die”. Keith “Guru” Elam is exactly the type of human that personifies what the Colossus of Clout was talking about. For the better part of two decades, Guru wrote some of the most insightful and intelligent rhymes in Hip-Hop. From the humble beginnings, Gifted Unlimited Rhymes Universal was a potent emcee, and he only became stronger as the years passed.

There are a lot of emcees out there who always use the same monotonous flow, and after hearing  a vast portion of their catalog, listening to their music becomes a chore; the same cannot be said about Elam’s work. Dubbing himself “The King of Monotone”, Guru never changed his style or delivery once in his career, and it’s one of the biggest reasons that he remains an unforgettable emcee. If Bald Head Slick was on a track, everyone and their brother was looking for it.

One of my favorite albums of all-time without a doubt is Gang Starr, Moment of Truth; to me, it’s by far one of the most polished albums I’ve ever had the pleasure of hearing. I would never discredit anything that Gang Starr released because I’m a huge fan of every album in their catalog, but Moment of Truth towers over everything else in my opinion. From rhyming with Inspectah Deck on the fan favorite “Above The Clouds”, to spitting bar-for-bar along side Freddie Foxxx and Big Shug on “The Militia”, Guru makes sure that every one of his stanzas are heartfelt and memorable.

One of my favorite songs of all-time is the title track from Moment of Truth. Guru spits forty-eight bars of real-life lyrics; everything that he says makes perfect sense, and if you take a minute to deeply digest the lyrics, you can apply it to situations in your own life:

“Sometimes you gotta dig deep when problems come near/don’t fear, things get severe for everybody everywhere/why do bad things happen to good people?/seems that life is just a constant war between good and evil/the situation that I’m facin’ is mad amazin’/to think such problems can arise from minor confrontations”

Guru would have been fifty-one years old today, and rest assured, he would still be rhyming with the best of them. I can personally say that he rests comfortably among my top ten favorite emcees of all-time, and I know a lot of people would put him in the same category. There’s no denying that Guru’s presence is missed greatly in Hip-Hop culture, and it will continue to leave a void for many years to come.

A couple of years back DJ Premier stated that he had enough Gang Starr material to compile a posthumous LP, but it’s never made its way into seeing the light of day. Personally, I would love to see another Gang Starr album, but if there isn’t one, it wouldn’t bother me; between the Jazzmatazz series and his work with DJ Premier, Guru has already left behind a legacy that most emcees would die to have.

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The Streets, Computers And Blues

Posted in Album Review, Life Perspectives from T.S. Niebeling, Media with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , on Friday, June 29, 2012 by dirtyterry

Mike Skinner is one of my favorite artists hands down.  Why?  Basically, because Mike Skinner (The Streets) is unique, original, and you can follow his paper trail to where he is today.  He started at the bottom and worked his way to the top of the food chain.  Incredible.  We can actually see an artist evolve from a garage type setup, to a studio, to a super-studio facilitated album.

Evolution of The Streets is apparent and refreshing.

The Streets have done 5 albums, all of which are different, all of which are excellent, and all of which are incredibly interesting, conceptually, and aesthetically.  I prefer Original Pirate Material, A Grand Don’t Come For Free, and The Hardest Way To Make An Easy Living.

I now agree that Computer and Blues is up there with the best of their albums.

With only 3 days of non-stop listening, I prefer this album to the others.  This album is fresh, relevant and very personal. The Streets’ last album is a sound-system banger and an artistic send off for Skinner.  I feel he wants to end on a good note, and I appreciate the respect for fans and music.  So many bands milk it to the very last drop and fizzle out while pumping out shit.  I respect The Streets and Mike Skinner; however, I hope sometime soon he can pull a reunion tour so I can catch the music live.

Apparently, he wanted to do 5 albums, that’s what his contract was about, and that’s it.  He has stated in interviews that he was satisfied with this decision because he wanted to find more time to spend with his family.

Dan gave me this album, mentioning that at first he did not dig it as much as the other albums.  This seems to be the case with most of The Streets albums for me, there is definitely a first listen and blah.  After a bit of thinking the album is thrown back into the mix and listened to over and over again.  Always a cult classic and a heavy listen.  Since Original Pirate Material I have been a Streets fan.  Most all of their albums to date are inspiring, completely original and massively progressive.

One thing I take away from The Streets is they make music that sounds like The Streets, they are not ripping off, copy-catting to hit the charts up, or going trendy.  The Streets just transpire and it comes out sounding amazing.  I love The Streets and the music they make, and the inspiration they flood the speakers with.

***

For days I have been listening to this album on repeat and I was trying to get a perspective and give you something in detail, but after listening I feel this CD deserves a listen.  Lyrics are spot on, the songwriting is out of this world.  The beats are heavy when needed, also, soft and chill when necessary.  I found my roommates awesome sound set up and took full advantage of it.  This Streets album is worth a buy, and definitely a good listen.  Streets fans won’t regret Computer and Blues and it is on par with, if not better than all his previous albums but Original Pirate Material.  You deserve to listen to this album on a really good sounds system.  The positive message is solid and the beats are innovative.  Mike Skinner did create a sound system banger, and an artsy bon voyage.  Cheers!  This Streets album has me with a smile on my face.

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Beck and Jack White Collaborate on Third Man Record Blues Single

Posted in Art, Life Perspectives from T.S. Niebeling, Music News, News, Reviews, Song Download on Wednesday, June 20, 2012 by dirtyterry

Again, I am amazed at genre crossing artists like Beck, who chose to collaborate with one of my favorites:  Jack White.  I must say, had I not heard, “I Just Started Hating Some People Today” on 89.3 The Current, with DJ introduction, I would have hardly imagined it was created by Beck.  With its country style guitar and cynical, but realistic message.  I imagine beck as some cool kid making sick dance beats, or songs I can completely use my imagination on.  These are good things, but this new song was also good, in a different way.  I love blues.  I could completely relate to the lyrics.  And it was crisp sounding and very straightforward.  We have all felt like killing someone at some point in our lives, yet this song is more on the Vonnegutesque dark humor, enjoyable, sort of, side of that feeling.  I could almost hear a smile, but Beck’s gritty vocals did not come off with the Beck style I had come to appreciate.  It was a bit different, but not different in a bad way, just different, and solid.  Something I had not expected; unexpectedly sufficed by a random song on the radio.  Beck has come into the realm of blues and he has successfully produced a single.  I am looking forward to hearing more.  These two artists (Beck and Jack White) are made for progressive blues/country rock.

I was subtly surprised with the dark vocals and country twang, but I must admit I was satisfied with the sound and think it progressive.  I would enjoy hearing other new material.

Furthermore, what I thought was just as amazing as the song was the collaboration with Jack White.  I could tell immediately that Jack White was on the track; with guitar slides, moderately heavy and catchy riffs.  The slide guitar solos were a plenty but not excessive, I could listen to any of The White Stripes’ albums for days, specifically because of the guitar solos and garage rock aspect.

I had no idea that Jack White and Beck had collaborated in the past, but with a little research I became learned.  Earlier collaboration on Guero’s ‘Go It Alone’ between Beck and White were drastically apparent by the sound.  Happy to know that real musicians are still making real music.

Unique and relevant artists creating gems together has me in high hopes about the music to come.  Third Man Records seems innovative and growing.  Beck’s new musical sound and approach appeal to me especially with Jack White at the Helm, and because it sounds excellent on the radio.  Jack White is a guitar virtuoso to say the least, and is one of the most innovative artists of our time, the latter goes for Beck as well.  I am satisfied with the exposure of sound while driving around with the station dialed in.

Get yourself a listen.

Details on the release of the special edition single and anything Beck:  Official Beck Site

Buy the New Blues Series Single:  Third Man Records

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