Man, these guys have put out 2 tracks that have just astonished me beyond belief. The wordplay that every one of these guys has is impeccable, and the production that we’ve heard has been top quality as well. DJ Khalil lays down a nice rock guitar infused beat that has Royce Da 5’9″, Crooked I, Joell Ortiz & Crooked I all spitting lava just like Kilauea. This album sounds like it is quickly shaping up to be a classic…
Download: Slaughterhouse, “The One” (Prod. By DJ Khalil)
Spotted @ 2DopeBoyz
Black Milk is one of my favorite performers there is, the guy is pretty much flawless when it comes to music. Apparently when Black was touring overseas (with Elzhi (the best emcee on the planet right now)), he decided to put together some footage and start a new video series. In this first episode you get an inside look in the studio with Black Milk, Alchemist, Guilty Simpson and Hex Murda. You will also get some great live footage of Black Milk performing, and some hilarious yet insightful behind the scenes footage. It’s great to see all of the people over seas showing Black Milk love, and they also love to drop the n-bomb. Make sure you stay tuned for the rest of the installments, because you know I will have them up at Mind Inversion.
The site/label that’s brought you great tracks from Matt & Kim to The Cool Kids is back once again to release the first Holy Ghost! track in two years. Green Label Sound, the indie-hipster side of Mountain Dew (I thought they only liked gamers) is ready and willing to give away the spooky disco single “I Will Come Back”. Brooklyn duo Nick Millhiser and Alex Frankel have been hard on the remix trail since their inception, but it’s their solo work that impresses me more often than their edits. And “I Will Come Back” is no exception, following in the disco footsteps, or dance pattern if you will, of “Hold On”, it features vocals that are reverbed and echoed to create a track that feels hollow, yet a drum kick that’s funky and fresh rounds the song into an extremely fun and danceable treat. And what else can you expect from DFA DJs, I mean come on. So turn it on and turn it up, for a free download it doesn’t get much better than this. Enjoy!
I am actually on vacation in lovely and sunny Florida right now. You may have noticed that I didn’t put up a review for Wildstyle Wednesday yesterday. I most likely won’t be doing any additional posting until Tuesday when I come home. I would like to leave you with some news that has come up the last few days for you to enjoy. Follow me after the jump to grab them. Continue reading
Here is the first leak off of Royce’s new EP The Revival which drops on July 7th. The track is produced by Emile (which may I mind you is fire), and of course you can expect Royce to be going off like a Tommy Gun. Thanks to 2DopeBoyz for the world premier leak. Make sure you watch out for the EPs from all of the cats from Slaughterhouse, they are coming very soon.
Download: Royce Da 5’9″, “Gun Harmonizing” (Prod. By Emile)
On Saturday, Minneapolis’s hardest rocking, hardest partying, and (perhaps) hardest working band Cocaine continued their streak of high energy local live performances (while they spend their off-time working on the band’s new album) with a tight show that quickly won over a crowd who never ceased to cheer them on throughout the night. Photos from the band’s set continue after the jump… Continue reading
Two of the better albums of the year, and two of the more surprisingly great releases of the year belong to Wavves and Crocodiles. Wavvves and Summer of Hate respectively came out of nowhere in 2009, and especially during these summer months, as their fuzzed out blaring grunge pop has captivated more than a few listeners. We’ll start with “Summer of Hate”, the title track off the Crocodiles album. It’s a slower and more methodic track than some of their other songs, but it’s bold and beautiful. The art direction for the video fits the genre as well, looking like something that may well have been produced in some dudes garage in Seattle in 1988.
And for the king of reverb, aka Wavves, aka Nathan Williams, “No Hope Kids” gets a fitting documentary-styled video. Composed of different clips from their first european tour, “No Hope Kids” not only describes the kind of life Wavves portrays, but it reflects the kind of lazy attitude that summer creates. The clips bring back awesome memories of their live set at The Entry, and after their meltdown overseas I wish Wavves the best of luck.
Here is the latest leak off of Alchemist’s upcoming album, Chemical Warfare. On this track he brings along Gangrene collaborator Oh No, Roc C & West Coast King Crooked I. This is a damn good track, and by the leak that we heard before (“Smile“) you can tell that ALC is bringing the heat when it comes to the beats on this album. I have noticed on every track as of late to that his words are getting pretty nasty as well. Follow me after the jump for the download and make sure you go to your local record store and grab Chemical Warfare on July 7th. Continue reading
Shellac, the famed noise rock outlet comprised by Steve Albini, Bob Weston, and Todd Trainer, made it to the Varsity Theater for a rare concert appearance at the Varsity Theater in Minneapolis last week on the day of Michael Jackson’s passing. Despite some ill-advised humor mocking the death of MJ that got under the skin of more than a few concertgoers, the music at the center of the band’s free-flowing set of prog and noise rock was well-received by nearly everyone in attendance. Intricate, snarky, abrasive, and thick, the band has a sound that keeps you on your toes at attention, waiting to see where the rollercoast will veer to next.
For my part, I was there to see the legendary Albini (producer of most of my favorite albums from bands ranging from Neurosis, High On Fire, Mogwai, Nirvana, and many, many more) execute his music genius right in front of me. I was situated right in front of his amp on stage right, and I don’t think I could have picked a better spot. With the warm tones and complicated melodies from Steve’s guitar dominating my hearing, I watched from the perfect angle as Trainer banged away at his drums like Animal. The show left me completely impressed (I was skeptical about seeing how these studio-based legends would translate in the live seting), and I’m sure everyone would have been on board for their sarcastic humor on most other days of the year.
Bear Claw opened the show. Videos and photos from my steady shot Sony DSCW80 follow below!
VIDEO: Shellac, Live at the Varsity Theater, 6/25/09
(Shellac)
More photos of Shellac and friends are available for you after the jump. Solider on… Continue reading
MIND INVERSION 
