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NEW AUDIO: Cage – “Nothing Left To Say” (Produced by El-P)

Posted in Audio, Downloads, Music News with tags , , , , , , , , on Wednesday, February 11, 2009 by Erik Burg

 

Cage on the left

Cage on the left

So this pretty much made my night, I happened to stop by Pitchfork one more time before I went to bed to see if I missed anything interesting today, and look what I found! A new Cage track, but not just any Cage track, this one is produced by El-P (my favorite hip-hop artist). “Nothing Left to Say” is slow to take flight, the first minute or so is essentially a Cage monologue, ranting about the usual life problems and lessons that he seems to touch on. But then lift off, after that first part the track grabs the listener immediately, blasting off into outer space. The production of El-P stand out on this cut for sure, thanks to the various different parts that contribute to the killer beat. Various loops all come together and bang throughout the entire track, coupled with NYC driven lyrics that are dark and dreary, as though Cage would have it any other way, ha. But yeah this is an absolutely sick track, give it a listen for sure.Hip-hop is alive and well y’all, Enjoy!!!

 

 MP3: Cage – “Nothing Left to Say” (Prod. by El-P)

Watch out for Cage’s new album Depart From Me due out June 29th.

Mixtape: RP3 Present J Dilla – “Midnight Snack”

Posted in Audio, Downloads, Music Reviews with tags , , , , , , , , , , on Wednesday, February 11, 2009 by Erik Burg

So there seems to be an endless amount of J Dilla material out there, and by “seems to be” I mean, there is. Whether it’s original material leaking out, Dilla mash-ups, Dilla collaborations, or what I’m about to discuss at length, Dilla Mixes. 

Mmmmmmm....

Mmmmmmm....

 

The newest Mix to hit the Dilla enthusiast circuit, Midnight Snack, is a unique blend of jazz influence and smooth hip-hop from Dilla’s long and storied catalogue. Running just over an hour, this mix is the perfect treat for that “midnight snack” that we all crave. It’s mellow and calm, yet it doesn’t bore the listener at all. The entire mix flows so well, mixing in various vocal sample, my favorite being from the lady who adorns your glorious voicemail. 

I might be over-matched trying to review this tape, seeing as I’m not the biggest Dilla fan in the world, or even on Mind Inversion. But I think it’s nice to have news about the guy coming from someone who doesn’t absolutely worship him. So yeah, with a level head and an honest conscious I can say without a doubt that any lover of music will enjoy this mix. You don’t have to appreciate Dilla, you don’t have to have a ph. d. in hip-hop, just sit back, turn the lights low, work on some homework maybe, and enjoy this awesome awesome stellar mix of beautiful music from a legend.

8.8 yummy tasty delicious scrumptious donuts out of 10

mp3: RP3 PRESENT J DILLA – “MIDNIGHT SNACK”

OFFICIAL SITE

WAVVES live at the Market Hotel NYC 2/6/09

Posted in Audio, Downloads, Music News with tags , , , , , , , , , on Wednesday, February 11, 2009 by Erik Burg

wavves-nyctaperSo there is this band called Wavves floating around out there. If you’ve been following music at all lately it’s likely that you’ve ran across his name. But his music you ask, what’s it all about? Ummm…. I don’t have an answer, not at all, I can’t make up my mind on Wavves. Whether I like it, hate it, don’t care about it, etc. I’m leaning towards hating it though, which, though upon first sight may seem like a bad thing, is probably a sign that I’m going to grow and come to love it. Seemingly every band I listen to today I’ve hated at one point or another (animal collective, jens lekman, broken social scene) so maybe this backlash is a good thing. Who knows, but what I DO know is that NYC taper captured another great concert, it’s Wavves obviously, playing some new tracks along with older cuts from his self-titled debut. Set list and more info about Wavves below, Enjoy!

Setlist:
[total time 20:28]
01 Weed Demon
02 California Goth
03 Rainbow Everywhere
04 So Bored
05 [tuning]
06 Sun Opens My Eyes
07 [equipment problem]
08 Wavves

Wavves live at the Market Hotel 2/6/09

(the site has been getting crazy traffic for this, so bear with the error if you get one and hopefully it’ll be all good soon.)

Dig Deeper: Myspace   Official 

MP3: WAVVES – “Weed Demon”

Mind Inversion Exclusive Q & A with Ancient Crux

Posted in Interviews, Mind Inversion Exclusive with tags , , , , , , , on Tuesday, February 10, 2009 by Erik Burg

Fresh off crafting one of the best new releases of 2009 with the Interracial Coupling EP, Travis von Sydow of Ancient Crux was kind enough to answer a few burning questions that we here at Mind Inversion had for him. Enjoy!

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Mind Inversion: First off, are you a Roy Orbison fan? What do you think about all of the feedback linking what you’ve done to him?
Ancient Crux: Oh Yeah, I’m definitely a fan. I wouldn’t really compare my music to his personally, but it is flattering to hear that about my songs. Someone wrote that I sound more like something Roy Orbison shit out, and I think that is a bit more accurate.

MI: How serious is Ancient Crux? You’re a young guy and are involved in Rapid Youth as well. Is this, or any musical project, your ultimate goal?
AC: I don’t know that I have an ultimate goal, I love being in both bands, and I just want to be able to play music with my friends forever. I’m willing to take either band as far as they’ll go, but I’m not tying to be Axl Rose or anything.

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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!

Album Review: Ancient Crux, Interracial Coupling

Posted in Music Reviews with tags , , , , , , , on Sunday, February 8, 2009 by Erik Burg

interracial-couplingAncient Crux is the new project of 19 year old California resident Travis Von Sydow (he’s also a member of Rapid Youth). His debut EP entitled Interracial Coupling, out now on Family Time records, is one of the most excited and refreshing pieces of new music I’ve heard in quite some time. From the second the record starts, the twang of the guitar and the stomp of the bass throw the listener into a musical time warp. While I’ve never listened to Roy Orbison myself, every other review or snippet I’ve read about Ancient Crux has compared this EP to him. And it’s kind of what I always imagined Orbison sounding like too. That’s not the point though, what’s important is that Ancient Crux seemingly transcends time, as though Sydow recorded this in 1954 and it was found last week. It’s that twang and stomp, and yet at the same time I don’t know what it is at all. Ancient Crux is just so mysterious, there, maybe that’s what my love affair is all about. The fact that it isn’t front page news on Paste or P4k. It simply feels nice to listen to an album that’s as intimate and warm as Interracial Coupling can be. 

No song on the album runs over three minutes, my personal favorite “In Teen Dreams” runs a mere 2:35, making the album a quick play that can be over just when you’re starting to really love it. Here is where I get tripped up every listen. I turn Interracial Coupling on, listen through it, play it again, and again. You get it? I guess what I’m trying to get at is the greedy listener inside of me trying to come out and scream “take a risk, do something experimental!” The album is amazing though and I’m not knocking it in any sense, but I would have loved to heard what Sydow would have done on a five minute version of any of the tracks. 

“Sha la la la, oo0, oo0. In dreams upon an endless beach, we’d dance where the sun bows and sleeps.”

That fucking twang and stomp. That simplicity, nostalgia, emptiness, or whatever feeling Interracial Couplings provokes in you. It’s apparently an album that wreaks of “something Roy Orbison shit out” (quote from their myspace). One thing is for sure, it’s a lovely album and a rare treat to the music community. At this point it’s limited to 150 copies and it’s going fast, so GET IT HERE NOW! sold out a few days back. Ancient Crux’s next release it due out this spring on Hi Shadow records… on tape release only (fuck). 

9.5 who the fuck releases something on tape only?! out of 10

mp3: Ancient Crux – “In Teen Dreams”

Dig Deeper:  Myspace   Family Time records

Mind Inversion Exclusive Q & A with Tapes ‘n Tapes

Posted in Interviews, Mind Inversion Exclusive with tags , , , , , , , , on Saturday, February 7, 2009 by Erik Burg

Between touring and recording, Tapes ‘n Tapes have been going seemingly non-stop for quite some time. Recent activity has included releasing their sophomore album Walk It Off to huge commercial success in 2008 and playing a string of international and homeland dates soon after, as well. The hard work is paying off though, with the band playing to sold out crowds across the nation on their current tour. Before they stepped onto the stage at First Avenue in Minneapolis Friday night they guys took some time out of their schedule to answer a few questions for Mind Inversion.

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Mind InversionSo the tour is in full swing and you guys are currently on the west coast before heading back to the midwest, how has everything been going? Crowds been good? Venues interesting? Weather?!

Tapes ‘N Tapes: Everything’s been going great!  Compared to previous tours, there has been way less physical and mental abuse. But seriously, we’ve been having a great time. The crowds have wonderful, and we’ve been in exploring some new cities on this tour.  It’s always nice to play in new places, and we’ve got a bunch more coming up. The weather has been a welcome break from the subzero temps in Minnesota.  It was sunny and 58 in Boulder on the 3rd day of tour. It kind of blew my mind after it had been 17 below the morning we left for tour.

MIHeading back to the midwest, and specifically to Minneapolis, is there a different approach you guys have going into these hometown shows? Any different expectations?

TNT: I don’t have any different approach to playing in Minneapolis. I am excited to finally be playing in town during the middle of a tour. It seems like we always play either at the beginning of tour or while we’re not touring.  Either way, we always have a lot of fun playing at home in front of our friends, family, and the hometown crowd.  I don’t think I have different expectations for a Minneapolis show than any other show. I think every night we expect to have a great time playing together. It’s sounds cheesy, I know, but it’s the truth.

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Concert Review: Tapes ‘n Tapes, Solid Gold, and Wild Light @ First Avenue

Posted in Concert Reviews with tags , , , , , , , , , , on Saturday, February 7, 2009 by Erik Burg

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Tapes ‘n Tapes played to a sold out hometown crowd Friday night at First Avenue, delighting the fans with songs old, new, and newer. The opening act for the night, Solid Gold stole the show once again, re-affirming my notion that these guys are the next huge group to come out of the Minneapolis area. There was as much energy from the crowd for Solid Gold as there was for anybody else Friday. Wild Light left plenty do be desired; however, doing their best Bruce Springsteen impressions. You kind of had to be there to know what I mean. But I digress, the entire night was a terrific experience from the DJs to the last encore. Tapes ‘n Tapes played one new track which was a big slower than many of the jams they played throughout the rest of the set, but in album I’m sure it’s going to sound great. The crowd was into it, the bands were into it, not much for to add. Sorry if you missed out, but I’ve got a slew of pictures to take you there anyway, or to just re live the memories. Enjoy! MORE HERE

Tapes ‘N Tapes
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Solid Gold
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