Archive for March, 2009

Ryan B.’s 25 Most Influential Albums (in haiku)

Posted in The Learned Man's Take with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on Monday, March 30, 2009 by Ryan Buege

Ryan's Most Influential Albums

Finally, we are at the end of March, and the time has come for me to put the closing bell on the Mind Inversion tribute to the recently popular Facebook meme on your most influential albums. I’ll have you know that, like most lists I make, the albums for this list were brainstormed rather quickly, and I think that’s a good thing. If an album were actually as influential as I thought, their importance should be fairly easy for me to recall. Truthfully, I’ve never really become too embarrassed about any album that I own; sure, I may have made some questionable choices in my youngest years, but somehow I’ve always seemed to have a remarkably good bullshit detector when it comes to music. What follows is a journey through the albums that had the biggest impact on forming my tastes and such over the years. If you really love the music I post about, read on for a brief reverse-chronological (moreorless) recounting of my most influential albums. For better or worse, I’ve written them out as haikus for your enjoyment!

25. Nachtmystium, Assassins: Black Meddle, Part I

Sick, twisted, subtle
Black metal psychedelia
With soul of Pink Floyd

24. Deerhunter, Cryptograms

Melodies so sweet
And a massive wall of noise!
A new Sonic Youth?

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Bloc Party cancels Ultra Music Festival, Minneapolis, & St. Louis performances

Posted in News with tags , , , on Monday, March 30, 2009 by Nicholas Blexrud

Bloc PartyYes, the rumors are true. Bloc Party has cancelled their shows at the Ultra Music Festival in Miami, First Avenue show in Minneapolis, and The Pageant in St. Louis. According to the bands website, “We’ve been forced to cancel our Ultra Music Festival performance. Unfortunately, Kele has contracted viral pharyngitis and is unable to perform today at the Ultra Music Festival in beautiful Miami, FL. We send our heartfelt apologies to all our fans and the Ultra Music Festival organizers. We hope to return to Miami, FL, at our earliest opportunity [and] had to cancel our shows in Minneapolis, MN, and St. Louis, MO.

Exile & DJ Day duel with MPCs

Posted in Media, Video with tags , , , on Sunday, March 29, 2009 by Tim Althaus

I’ve posted a few videos with Exile on his trusty MPC, but this one is just bananas. This is the “Dope Man” routine that Exile & DJ Day do together live on stage. This is some insane beat work that these guys are doing and it just amazes how good they are with the MPC. This video is only one minute and forty seconds long, but to be honest that’s all you really need to comprehend how good these two are. Make sure you check out Exile’s album Radio which dropped back in January, it’s damn good.

Spotted @ Crate Kings

Apparently Mos Def is the biggest DOOM fan… ever

Posted in Media, Video with tags , , , on Sunday, March 29, 2009 by Tim Althaus

mos-def-image Mos Def apparently is the new biggest DOOM fan I’ve ever seen (next to my man Abe), in this video he effortlessly spits DOOM verses all over the place and then talks about them. He also laughs his ass off a lot when he is talking about the DOOM verses. It’s funny that he laughs a lot, because when I listen to DOOM I am always laughing my ass off (in a good way).

Mos Def takes his adoration for the artist one step further and says that he would put a million dollars on DOOM Vs. Lil’ Wayne. I think I would probably toss my money in on DOOM as well, the guy has some of the funniest rhymes I’ve ever heard in my life.

Make sure you watch out for Mos Def’s new album The Ecstatic due out this spring. Don’t forget that DOOM also has a new album out, Born Like This. Stay tuned to Mind Inversion because we will have a review of Born Like This very soon.

Spotted @ OKP

Rhymesayers rocks South by Southwest

Posted in Media, Video with tags , , , , , on Sunday, March 29, 2009 by Tim Althaus

Vodpod videos no longer available.
Rhymesayers has been all over the map the last two years, and putting on a showcase at South by Southwest seems like the perfect thing to do. I’ve been loving the material that all of these artists (besides Abstract Rude, he’s got a new one coming) have dropped in the last year. I love hearing Brother Ali talk about the live show that an artist can bring to the stage. To me he is pretty much the epitome of a sick ass live show. It sounds like Jake One & Freeway are going to be putting out some jaw dropping material this summer with The Stimulus Package. The chemistry that those two displayed on Jake One’s White Van Music was ridiculous, and I can’t imagine what an entire album is going to sound like. Make sure you check the video because Rhymesayers Entertainment is going to be doing some huge things this year.

Spotted at HipHop DX

Method Man forgets to pay his taxes because of blunt smoke

Posted in Music News with tags , , on Sunday, March 29, 2009 by Tim Althaus

method_man011508031457gif I laughed hysterically when I saw the headline for this article at HipHop DX. The headline read “Method Man Says Marijuana Made Him Forget Tax Payment”. Apparently the IRS showed up at Meth’s house and seized his 2008 Lincoln Navigator because he owed money in backed taxes. People had apparently thought Meth was short on cash, but this apparently is not the case. He was quoted as saying “Myself, I’m a pothead. It’s no secret. Everyone knows that, I go out on the road and forget everything else”. He also addressed the cash flow issue in the article as well for all of those thinking he was broke, “I’ve found checks from 2005 that haven’t been opened yet. We are talking about significant accounts of money!” The whole situation was summed up best by Method Man at the end of the article, “Because I got high, I forgot to pay. It was stupid. I’m an idiot for that”.

I think that this is funny as hell. Method Man is one of those guys that is always smoking everywhere you see him, and he definitely isn’t shy about it. I think it’s great that Method man just told everyone straight up. Any way you look at it, this guy is fucking awesome.

Make sure you go out and get Blackout 2 when it comes out, because the album is going to be crazy. The first time these two blacked out I loved the album, I know they won’t disappoint with this one either.

The Roots jam “The Next Movement”

Posted in Media, Video with tags , , on Sunday, March 29, 2009 by Tim Althaus

Vodpod videos no longer available.

This video is a testament as to why I want to see The Roots so damn bad. These guys pack so much energy live on stage, and from what I’ve heard these guys put on one of the best shows you will ever see. In this video Black Thought is spitting the track “The Next Movement” over a super jazzy uptempo beat that ?uestlove and the other members have concocted. The one thing that impresses me so much about these guys is that every single thing that they do seems completely natural. This video is something that is a must watch for any music fan in general. Make sure you peep The Roots alongside Jimmy Fallon every weeknight on NBC.

Sunday Metal Minute: Khanate, “Wings From Spine”

Posted in Sunday Metalhead Minute with tags , , , , , , , , , , on Sunday, March 29, 2009 by Ryan Buege

Some thought the songs on Khanate‘s Clean Hands Go Foul would never see the never see the light of day, but thankfully Aaron Turner and Hydrahead have given this epic band’s third album a proper posthumous unveiling on their label. The album, recorded in 2006, is a torturous collection of the most abstract, dissonant, and ugly avant-doom known to man; there isn’t another band in the world that could make music this somber and tragic. “Wings From Spine” is  the lead track from this depressing (in a good way!) finale  from Khanate, introducing the unpredictable dirge and bleak ambience of the album with little subtlety. Listen in…

MP3: Khanate, “Wings From Spine” (from Clean Hands Go Foul)

P.Y.T.s get on the floor

Posted in Audio, Downloads with tags , , , , , , on Saturday, March 28, 2009 by Erik Burg

So I stumbled upon this guy tonight. Kind of  REALLY makes me smile. I’ve got a soft spot in my hear for Michael Jackson, so anytime this guy gets a remix or something of the sort I usually check it out. This edit of the demo version of P.Y.T. is one of the finer and more well done mixes I’ve heard of the King of Pop. It feels a lot more laid back than the original, almost like some sort of Larry Levan edit. Either way it’s awesome, and I’m glad I found it. Hope you feel the same way, Enjoy!

pyt

Michael Jackson – “P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)” U-Tern Edit

Gorillaz documentary Bananaz finally set to be released

Posted in Music News, Video with tags , , , , , , , , on Saturday, March 28, 2009 by Erik Burg

bananazAfter over two years of rumors, filming, and set-backs, the documentary about Pop sensation and musically transcending Gorillaz is about to be released. Entitled Bananaz, the film is live action as opposed to the cartoon rendered imaginary band members that have dominated the band to this point. Watching the trailer and reading some other things about it, the two people who dominate the film are Damon Alborn and Jamie Hewlett. Which is awesome to hear, Alborn is the musical genius behind all of this (and Blur of course too) and Hewlett is the puppet master behind all of the cartoon ideas.

Bananaz is directed by Ceri Levy, the same person who directed the Blur documentary a few years back. The debut for the film will come April 20th on the flash video website Babelgum. It will then play there for four weeks and DVD copies of the film will be able to be bought soon after the release as well (the pre-order link is “coming soon” to the doc’s website). Theatrical release of the film is set for June of this summer 2009.

Not sure if you are excited for this film or not, but I’ve always been a huge Gorillaz fan, and I think what they have done for cross-genre bands and the Pop music industry as a whole is huge. Almost every project that Hewlett and Alborn have been a part of has been extremely successful, i.e. the Journey to the West album, their website design, Live DVD, and spin off cartoons.

I would definitely recommend checking out this video when it premieres April 20th, and if it comes to a theater near you go and support the band too. For some more information on the Doc and band: Bananaz Gorillaz Befriend Murdoc on Facebook Babelgum

Check out the trailer!!