Archive for February, 2009

Mind Inversion’s Sound Immersion 02/09 (Vol. 1)

Posted in Mind Inversion Exclusive, Sound Immersion with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on Tuesday, February 10, 2009 by Ryan Buege

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The time has finally come for us at Mind Inversion to come together to release our very first of what promises to be a very long line of monthly playlists to rock your body and soothe your weary eardrums. After some friendly prodding from our trusted pals over at PerfSpot (wink), each of our current contributors crept out from the shadows to put in their two cents about what they’re listening to this month. As any consistent reader of our site might hope, this sampler presents you with the kind of unbelievable variety that I don’t think you can find anywhere else. When listening, keep this in mind.

It is also important to remember that most of the people contributing to this list have been stranded in the subzero temperatures of Minnesota for more than a few weeks. Clearly, there is an heavy air of reflection throughout this simultaneously uplifting and introspective wintery mix. Meanwhile, a couple of our contributors are transplanted out West right now, displaced from their familiar Midwestern surroundings; Eddie for school, and Dan on an extended journey of self discovery. Dan’s camera captured the magnificent image you see as the album cover above during his ongoing trip through California and Oregon.

Without further ado, here is the tracklist for Mind Inversion’s February 2009 Sound Immersion playlist:

01. Solid Gold – “Get Over It” (contributed by Ryan)
02. P.O.S. – “Goodbye” (contributed by Tim)
03. The Broken West – “Perfect Games” (contributed by Nick B.)
04. Enslaved – “To the Coast” (contributed by Ryan)
05. DM Stith – “Just Once” (contributed by Erik)
06. The Decemberists – “The Legionnaire’s Lament” (contributed by Nick H.)
07. Soul Position – “Priceless” (contributed by Dan)
08. Kaz James – “Breathe (Nick Galea Remix)” (contributed by Nick B.)
09. Lamb of God – “In Your Words” (contributed by Ryan)
10. Lookbook – “Believe the Hype” (contributed by Ryan)
11. Fieldtriqp – “Inflight” (contributed by Eddie)
12. Craig Armstrong – “Weather Storm” (contributed by Nick H.)
13. Blacklisted – “Canonized” (contributed by Ryan)
14. Samon Kawamura – “Right Here (feat. Oh No)” (contributed by Tim)
15. Watussi – “Purple Moon” (contributed by Erik)
16. Grails – “Acid Rain” (contributed by Dan)
17. Cynic – “Adam’s Murmur” (contributed by Dan)
18. Nine Inch Nails – “The Four of Us are Dying” (contributed by Eddie)
19. Cymarshall Law & Mr. Joeker – “The Takeoff (Getting It)” (contributed by Tim)
20. Boards of Canada – “Dayvan Cowboy” (contributed by Nick B.)

You’re almost there! Click “Read More” for the exclusive download link of our first playlist, Sound Immersion 02/09 (Vol. 1)!

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R.I.P. J Dilla

Posted in Music News with tags , , , on Tuesday, February 10, 2009 by Tim Althaus

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Today marks the third anniversary of James Yancey’s untimely passing. As all of you know this man is a great inspiration to me in every aspect of my life. I truly wish that I would have gotten in tune with this man’s music earlier in my life because there isn’t a single artist or producer that can replicate the beauty that he created. A lot of people would call me a bandwagon jumper seeing as I only found out about Dilla shortly before he passed, but the impact that he has had on me I will never forget.

I gave a 10 minute speech on Jay in one of my classes last year and I ended the speech with a quote by Ahmir “?uestlove” Thompson from The Roots: “I am devastated at the world’s loss of a musical genius of Charlie Parker proportions. Too often we bestow the “greatest” title upon those who have the attention of the press, charts and radio. But if you were to secretly ask the most praised Hip-Hop producers, if given a top three, who they feared the most, Dilla’s name would chart on everyone’s list. I am fortunate to have known this man. He inspires me to perfect my craft in every way. Dilla was and always will be my hero.”

I really don’t think that I could some up any argument or statement about James Yancey any better than ?uestlove. If I can do what makes me happy for the rest of my life like Dilla did, then I will certainly be able to die happy. My guess is that God himself had an MPC 2000XL ready for Dilla when he got to heaven just so the lord could take lessons from the greatest. I find myself listening to Donuts and being physically grabbed by some of the tracks, almost as if Jay is trying to tell me something. I will be a Jay Dee fan for the rest of my life.  I can honestly say that J Dilla changed my life.

Like Chaundon once said “If it ain’t Jay Dee, FUCK YA DAMN BEATS!”

R.I.P. J Dilla – February 7th, 1974 – February 10th, 2006

RecycleMania spotlights University of Minnesota’s recycling obstacles

Posted in Culture with tags , , , , , , , on Tuesday, February 10, 2009 by Ryan Buege

RecycleManiaAfter more than 25 years in operation, the University of Minnesota’s Recycling program was proven to be slightly ineffective during a demonstration that kicked off the national RecycleMania competition. For the event, a fully loaded garbage unloaded its days collection in the middle of the University’s Coffman Memorial Union for sorting to draw attention the large recyclable waste stream that makes it into the trash everyday.

In total, 6 tons of waste were released onto the sidewalk, a mere 17% of the U’s total daily output. However, the most interesting statistic related to this awareness demonstration was not simply how much total waste the campus generates, but about how much of the stuff that is thrown away could actually be reused. According to program employee and U of M student John Weissert, after sorting all of the garbage from that days events, it was found that only 38% was actually garbage! In fact, nearly 38% of the waste stream also consisted of recyclables and another 24% was compostable organics. While the University has actively promoted their recycling program for many years, numbers like this can be a bit disconcerting to those who are involved in programs such as these. Especially in a time of economic stress, the money saved from diverting these valuable materials such as aluminum and paper to a recycler could be enormous, and yet the percentage of total waste recycled for the University continues to fall. To Weissert, these numbers were a clear indication that the custodial staff needs to be trained more adequately to improve access to recycling, and old programs need to be reviewed and updated to improve problem areas.

In either case, the Recycling Program sponsored trash dump at Coffman was  a pretty eye opening site to see; one thing I came away with: our trash is really a very personal thing, and it is our responsibility to guarantee that it will leave our hands in the most beneficial way possible. Recycling(/composting) begins with you!

(photo courtesy of Conor Shine)

New MF Doom & Dilla track!?

Posted in Media, Video with tags , , on Tuesday, February 10, 2009 by Tim Althaus

This is a track that J Rocc decided to pull out when he was Dee Jaying for a Dilla tribute. This is a new Doom track over Dilla’s “Phantom of the Synths” beat. Some of you might notice the “Phantom of the Synths” beat from Jay’s beat tape series. The Doom verse is really hard to make out, but the beat really isn’t. Lets all just hope that we get to hear more Doom x Dilla material because it sounds very promising.

Audio Mix: MIXHELL, Mishka presents Keep Watch Vol. 5

Posted in Downloads with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , on Tuesday, February 10, 2009 by Ryan Buege

Iggor Cavalera  and Laima Leyton have a very busy life even when he’s not out on the road with his brother Max in the Cavalera Conspiracy. Ever since he left Sepultura in 2006, he and his wife have been working as the brilliantly creative Brazillian electro-duo MIXHELL, touring the world and gaining much praise within underground beat circles for their MPC/turntable/drum-driven beat heavy ruckus. Oh yeah, and they’ve got FIVE young children (who just so happen to operate MIXHELL’s blog – cute!). It’s a very hard task to make a serious leap from the metal community to the djing world, but with some good friendships (such as their association’s with James Murphy or Justice) and some awesome music, anything can happen. …Even while raising a family.

Last week, our favorite overseas electronic connection posted a superb mix that MIXHELL completed for Mishka‘s Keep Watch! series, and it deserves a mention here. Just listen to the opening Metallica “For Whom The Bells Tolls” Intro! How are these guys NOT playing sold out shows in big American clubs? They need to get on a good tour sometime soon, because something tells me that if American electro/dance fans got wind of MIXHELL, they’d storm the scene.

DOWNLOAD: Mishka presents: Keep Watch Vol. 5 – MIXHELL

Besides having a remix on From Monument to Masses new EP, MIXHELL are preparing their release of their remix album entitled Boomda, which will be available on March 11th through New Judas. Check out their MySpace now for a brand new megamix from the release!

Video: Skeletonwitch takes over this weeks’ edition of Metal Injection’s The FiX

Posted in Video with tags , , , , , , on Tuesday, February 10, 2009 by Ryan Buege

One of the best band’s to emerge from the new wave of thrash renaissance that began a few years ago is Skeletonwitch. Their riffage is some of the grittiest and most addictive thrash that I’ve heard put to file, their trademark blackened, snarled vocal style is extremely refreshing, and not to forget that they just plain fucking rock! In this edition of the weekly videocast from our favorite online metal TV station, Metal Injection, Rob’s set is taken over by the jokesters from Skeletonwitch as they play their favorite music videos of all time, play some videos from their recent NYC show, and just perform a variety of other shenanigans. Watch the whole video from some great interviews, a super thashtastic live video of Skeletonwitch’s “Beneath the Permafrost”, and killer live videos from Pantera, Danzig, Immortal, Emperor, and more.

VIEW: Metal Injection, The FiX (episode 13; featuring Skeletonwitch)

Keep reading for direct links to 3 more stellar live videos that Metal Injection filmed and edited from their NY show! Continue reading

New Audio: Camera Obscura, “My Maudlin Career”

Posted in Downloads with tags , , , , , on Monday, February 9, 2009 by Erik Burg

“I just want a good tune and a melody, and if somebody says it’s good, I guess I get a lot from that” remarks Camera Obscura’s Tracyanne Campbell in an interview for Under the Radar magazine. The first track from their highly anticipated release on 4AD records, due out April 20th, was released on the band’s website earlier today, and I’m happy to report that  it’s exactly what Campbell aimed for. It’s a good tune, nothing mesmerizing or great, but a very good tune. The melody  is there, though often muffled by the airy guitar and echoing snare hits.

“I don’t think it will be much different, I don’t think we’re the kind of band that will all of a sudden start doing wacky things like dance tracks. We do what we do. We’re five or six people, and we play the instruments that we play, and sometimes we’ll bring folks in to play the things that we can’t” – Tracyanne Campbell

It’s definitely not a deviation from any Camera Obscura release in the past, which gives me high hopes for their upcoming album, entitled My Maudlin Career also. The emotion is still there too, the lyrics are great and the way the song is arranged, much like their other material, the happiness of the music itself is juxtaposed against somewhat pessimistic lyrics. I have to say though, the piano keys are very catchy, and a terrific addition to the track.

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mp3: Camera Obscura – “My Maudin Career” (link to their site, you have to fill in an e-mail address to get it)

Dig Deeper: Myspace Official Wiki

Video: Beirut play Letterman 2/6/09

Posted in Video with tags , , , , , , , on Monday, February 9, 2009 by Erik Burg

This past weekend had just been full of great videos. Whether it’s this one, TVOTR on SNL, or the grammys (which were surprisingly relevant this year!) you missed a lot if you weren’t paying attention this weekend. I haven’t gotten my hands a copy of the newest Beirut releases yet, but their performance on Letterman was an older track anyway, showing off one of their best: “A Sunday Smile” Enjoy!

Myspace   Official   Wiki

MP3: Beirut – “A Sunday Smile”

Video: TV on the Radio play SNL 2/7/09

Posted in Video with tags , , , , , , on Monday, February 9, 2009 by Erik Burg

Saturday Night Live, though lacking in the comedic department these days, have been wrangling in some impressive musical acts. Fleet Foxes recently played the historic show as well, so it’s nice to see SNL taking a more viewer friendly route when it comes to musical guests, instead of the semi-famous pop star deva route they usually go. Sorry, nobody tears up a picture of the pope in this cut, but TV On The Radio do play thier best tune off of the highly successful Dear Science, album. Enjoy!

Sunday (Industrial) Minute: Throbbing Gristle, “Discipline”

Posted in Sunday Metalhead Minute with tags , , , , , , on Sunday, February 8, 2009 by Ryan Buege

I’m not too sure this music really even qualifies as metal, which you may have noticed from the slight title change on this week’s post. Nonetheless, I feel confident saying that Throbbing Gristle‘s noisy industrial pioneering in the late 70s and early 80s has been more influential on modern metal (as well as music in general) than anything else that was being produced at that time. Not only were these British cats the precursors to all things industrial such as Ministry or Godflesh, they have also had enormous influence on other corners of the music world. For example, bands as varied as Sonic Youth and Aphex Twin (and the millions of other bands they helped to inspire) might not exist had  they not been influenced by what Throbbing Gristle created in some way. This week, the recently reunited band announced a small tour of their first U.S. tour dates since 1981 that includes their first stop in the Midwest ever and a performance at Coachella festival. To celebrate, I’m including their classic live performance of “Discipline” as this installments Sunday Metalhead Minute; it might be uncomfortable for a beginner, but watch to the end to enjoy the full effect of TG.

Keep reading for all of Throbbing Gristle’s planned tour dates (including a Chi town show)… Continue reading