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Sunday, September 19, 2010

Ad Nauseum #3

This week was EASY. I mean, REALLY easy... Here we go.

1. Kanye West - Runaway
Plain and simple, Kanye West is back. I don't think anyone can deny the fact that he is incredibly talented. However, you could make a strong case that some people let fame and money get to their head, turning them into ginormous dickheads. Who would have thought a year after storming the stage, he would debut "Runaway" and be on such a hot streak. The G.O.O.D. Friday series has been killing it and I would be shocked if his album is not the biggest seller of the year. I'll give you the video, you can find the studio version right here. I give credit where credit is due and Flex dropped this exclusively.


2. Third Man Records "Triple Decker Record".
God bless Jack White. The man is trying his best to give fans and vinyl enthusiasts some real treats. This week he invented a new record, or at least an interesting format. The "Triple Decker is a 12" record that has a 7" inside it, literally inside it. You have to crack open the 12" to get to the 7". Only 300 were produced and they are going as high as $500 right now on ebay. Confused? Intrigued? Watch the video below. Also, if you get me one of these for Christmas, I'll love you forever...


3. Gayngs - "One More Try" (ft. Har Mar Superstar)
How do I explain this? Ryan Olson decides to make a band. He calls a bunch of friends, 22 to be exact. They make an album (Relayted, out now on Jagjaguwar) that sounds cheesy and have a prom-themed show in Minneapolis that Prince attends. The indie world is confused and taken back to a world of training bras and roller skates. As if that wasn't enough, they decide to cover George Michael. Want to see this live? They play the Metro at the end of the month. Expect some serious make-out sessions.
One More Try (ft. Har Mar Superstar) by theearlynerd

Monday, September 13, 2010

Chromeo - Business Casual

For those of you wondering if Chromeo would change their sound with their growing popularity, there is a cowbell literally one second into the album. As comforting as that may seem, it is also the one downfall of their latest release "Business Casual", due out tomorrow. Dave 1 & P-Thugg have easily established themselves as a synthesizer heavy ode to 80's R&B and Funk. Don't get me wrong, they're great at it, I just wish they reached a little farther out of their comfort zone.

In fact, the first 5 songs could easily be on any of their other albums. One song, "Night by Night" was released last year and somehow made it on the album. That's not to say that the beginning of the album is bad. But, the second half is so much better. "When The Night Falls" brings in a female element and a restrained guitar solo at the end that I wish went longer. The second half also has a bit more texture, bringing in strings and a few different tempos. They also continue their fine tradition of making a relationship song that sounds like a long lost theme song. "The Right Type" is "Silver Spoons" meets "Too Close for Comfort" in a good way.

Need something to do for Halloween? They are playing a show at the Congress with A-Trak & Kid Sister. I swear you will not regret it.
Don't Turn The Lights On (HappyBoxx Remix) by theearlynerd

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Ad Nauseum #2

It looks as though this is going to be a pretty good way to recap the week and I actually got a comment with the first installment! Come back tomorrow for a smoking Chromeo remix...

1. Kings of Leon - Radioactive
The Kings of Leon might be the newest band to hate (see Stereogum's comments), but they sure know how to make an anthem. Radioactive is the first single from Come Around Sundown, an album written and recorded mostly while touring for the massively successful, Only By The Night. You can pre-order the album now, it is scheduled for release October 19th.


2. Band of Horses play a wedding, seriously.
It seems too good to be true, but here's the story. A wonderful couple (Njal & Elin) attended a show earlier this year. At that show Njal proposed to Elin and as luck would have it, the good guys of Band of Horses were back in town on their wedding day for yet another show. They somehow contact the band, ask them to play and they say "yes". I'll make sure to try that the next time Pearl Jam is in town.


3. Gucci Mane - Gucci Time
At the beginning of the week, this would have easily been #1, but after the intial shock, it sort of lost momentum. This really isn't anything new, more like the final piece of evidence in an air tight case. Hip-Hop has gone electro. Kanye sampled Daft Punk, made a ton of money and everyone followed. At least they snagged a Justice track that will hopefully motivate those guys to put out something new. I really wouldn't mind, but let's get a bit more than a 5 second loop. Have you heard the new Ludacris single? Don't even get me started...

Saturday, September 4, 2010

Ad Nauseum #1

First and foremost, if you are reading this: Thank You. When I initially decided to put this blog together, I had high hopes and so many ideas. Some of them have worked wonderfully, while others have failed to get off the ground. Honestly guys, I didn't think it would be that much work. The idea that if I liked something I could write about it sounded so simple. Yet, if you've followed this blog, the content and my contributions have been spotty, at best.

So how do I fix that? How do I keep you guys coming back? I've got some ideas and a few surprises, so please come back! The first thing I can do is maintain this regularly, so I'm starting a weekly post titled, Ad Nauseum. If you look carefully at Twitter (@theearlynerd) or Facebook, even most music sites you'll see a few stories that won't go away. 3 or 4 items that by the end of the week have dropped on every blog, or should have. Check in at the end of the week and see everything you might have missed, and something it seemed I just couldn't avoid...

#1 - Kanye West - Monster
The talented and apparently generous Kanye West announced via his Twitter account (@kanyewest) that he was introducing "Good Fridays". Every Friday he will release a new song from him or one of his labelmates for free. He also mentioned that he and Jay-Z will release a 5-song EP called "Watch The Throne". Monster got a bunch of hype this week for a few reasons. It got my attention because it features Justin Vernon of Bon Iver, but that is a bit misleading. His vocals are sort of distorted creating a tone much like his other band, Volcano Choir. It seems everyone else went batshit for the Nicki Minaj verse that overshadows everything else. There are so many people on this track, that poor Charlie Wilson didn't even get his name on the cover although he clearly brings up the rear. Let's see if this week's new song "Devil in a New Dress", literally released hours ago will end up here next week.

2. Radiohead - Live in Praha DVD
Contrary to popular belief Radiohead did not invent music, or the internet, or the "album for free" concept. It seems they just get the credit and somehow still make money, they are wise. This week a fan produced DVD of their 2009 show in Praha flooded the internet and again people thought it was brilliant. Truth be told, the idea has been done before by 2 great acts. The Beastie Boys handed out cameras to fans and released "Awesome, I Shot That" years ago and last year a group of Nine Inch Nails fans called thisoneisonus created full shows from videos given to fans for free on the band's site. All three are great and only work because of the great show the band puts on and the adoration from some of the most dedicated fans in the business.


3. Cee-Lo - "Fuck You" Video
Words cannot explain how good this song is, so watch the video. Cee-Lo Green, a founding member of Goodie Mob and the other half of Gnarls Barkley is dropping a solo album, The Lady Killer and this is the first single. How do ensure your song won't be played on the radio between Taylor Swift and Justin Bieber, say "Fuck You" 50 times over the span of 4 minutes.


4. Apple - Ping
You have an iPod, an iPhone, maybe even an iPad so what else is missing? A social network, duh. Apple released the latest version of iTunes and bundled with it is the new feature, Ping. As they put it "a social network for music". Create a profile (yes, another damn profile), choose a few album covers to show your music preferences and meet the same damn people you already know. What makes this different is the fact that it does a great job marketing bands. Go to the artist's profile and see tour dates with the option to buy any song. It sure sounds like the end of myspace, considering the huge amount of people already using iTunes and comfortable with making purchases online. Sadly, the artists can only make a page by invitation only leaving a lot bands on the outside looking in. If this gets fixed, the floodgates will open and we may have found a cure for this sagging industry.