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.
So 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 
Ancient 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. 
Ashtmatic Kitty has been on a role lately. The record label, run by indie-glorified Sufjan Stevens, has been busy with releases in early ’09 and late ’08, and has managed to curate tons of attention with the release of two rising artists. The Welcome Wagon and DM Stith are those two acts, gaining attention at rapidly increasing rates. And for good reason, whether it’s the almost quirky nature of their music, the comfortability that each offer, or the familiarity that oozes from each track. 
It’s finally here folks, the finished version of “Crack a Bottle”. The other version that was floating around the web wasn’t nearly finished in production, and thus turned many of its listeners off. But this time around Eminem, Dr. Dre, and 50 cent absolutely kill it. As much as we may doubt mainstream rap on this site, or much as we might dismiss this right away, I’m happy to say that I infact do enjoy this cut. It’s beyond refreshing to have Eminem back on the scene, seeing as he is one of the few mainstream artists whos talent expands beyond the auto-tuner.
MIND INVERSION 