For your Friday listening pleasure. If you haven’t checked out the collaboration between Prince Paul (De La Soul) and Bernie Worrell (Parliament-Funkadelic, Talking Heads) as Baby Elephant
Bonus* Baby Elephant ft. David Byrne “How Does the Brain Wave“.
This week all hip hop eyes should probably land on the new Shabazz Palaces, Kev Brown, and Planet Asia. For those that don’t know Shabazz Palaces is in part comprised of Ishmael aka Butterfly from Digable Planets (now based in Seattle). Kev Brown has been doing his blue collar work ethic thing for awhile. And Planet Asia, while I still think his first ep is by far the best, is still dropping gems when teamed up with the right producer.
In the non hip hop world I think Land Observation’s The Grand Tour takes the cake. This is a travel record, guitar orchestrated beautiful instrumentals for zoning out or zoning in. Then there’s the zany-ness of Wastoid, psych-rock of Wildest Dream, and some crooning from Nicola Conte.
Push buttons. Out.
Hip Hop first: Common. Yep, another one. All I’ve been hearing about Nobody’s Smiling is that it’s got harder lyrics and harder beats and is a response to the violence happening in his hometown Chicago (though many argue the intense violence has been going on and only now is it getting more media attention [because we love violence and there's not enough going on in the world apparently]). I’m afraid it’s his approach to feeling like a respected elder whose voice may or may not hold any weight with the ones caught up in the violence. I just hope it’s not an album sounding like his father’s rants. I’m more hopeful for the Cormega and Large Pro release, Mega Philosopy. Illa Ghee is another one I’m on the fence about, He’s got a gorilla voice (like a gruff Heavy D) with a point blank take on the duality of “urban life”. I feel it’s going to be pretty hit and miss though, he sounds best when he breaks out of the box but still confines himself to trying for the mundane “raise ‘em high and party” choruses.
And the non Hip Hop: Dan the mofo Automator hitting us off with another themed album, this time teaming up with actress Mary Elizabeth Winstead (who he met on the set of Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World). Other intriguing releases high on the list are Kidkanevil’s My Little Ghost, Slow Waves by Submerse, and DVA Damas’ Nightshade.
Anyway, get on with it. Boom.
Wanna Take You Higher – summer playlist on Songza from Miles Fisher via Party Magazine
Goldie Lookin Chain – At the Drive-Thru
Who Is Your Daddy
CrazyHood.com drops another Diggin in the Files post, this time featuring the infamous on again/off again EPMD. As always Bill Adler provides history and insight like none other into one of the stalwarts of Hip Hop’s backbone.
I’m just going to quietly step back in here like I’ve never been gone. Good.
From Hip Hop (Madlib, Main Flow, Reks) to blip hop (Jon Phonics) to electro-crooning and soothing (Woman’s Hour [a bit Lykke Li-ish], The Acid’s Liminal, Anna Calvi [with David Byrne!]).
Enjoy. And welcome back, me.
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