I didn’t know people classified this band as psychedelic. I thought they were just like – modern day electronic music. Which is how I’m still classifying them for this blog. Although the vibe of their music and stage presence is indeed very 60’s. It’s always a breath of fresh air to hear a new track from them on KCRW.com, which is where I was first exposed to Caribou. Now it’s a mission of mine to see them live when they pop up in Los Angeles again. The only thing I can really do without is the fucking silver handkerchiefs hanging out of their short sleeves. I wonder what exactly Caribou thinks it adds to their performance. Quite frankly it’s a little distracting. But their wave of graciously organic sounds make up for it…mostly. I also dig the energy in their music, which  really ramps up characteristically toward the end of their songs. When I listen to this band I feel like I’m listening to a soundtrack they’ve prepared specifically for big marathons. Is it captured in the videos I’ve included? Tell me what you think of the music and Caribou’s live performances in the two videos below.

Popularity: 9% [?]

Again, I’m back with more examples of why hip hop remains to be, and should always be regarded as relevant. It’s nonstop like the relentlessly aggressive, bully-style rhymes Guilty Simpson drops. His confession to murdering weak emcees lies simply in his name. Guilty captures the true essence of emcee mastery – Microphone Carnage. Street Swagger is the foundation of his flow and dominant stage presence. Guilty’s style expounds beyond battle rhymes but one can’t help but to feel sympathy for even the ambiguous competition his lyrics reference. Check out three of his live performances below. A broader bio for the Stones Throw artist can be found at http://www.stonesthrow.com/guiltysimpson

Popularity: 52% [?]

What is going on here???

Bad clothes
Bad hair
Bad Dancing
INCREDIBLY GREAT MUSIC!!!!

The girl from Sleigh Bells is definitely playing the bench for an iconic roll as the proverbial “American Apparel” chick. I still like her in the pretty pink spandex though (http://bit.ly/b60vYE ) … so whatever. Anyways I like these live performances because they show two artists who let themselves free in their stage performances. The more energy they give, the more the crowd gets into their music. There’s so much electo-synth (and noise-pop) being pushed at our eardrums these days, but I really like Sleigh Bells because their music pumps you up. It’s like they’re creating modern day House of Pain anthems like “Jump Around”. We’ll not exactly, but it’s close. Red Bull in the form of electric guitars and sleigh bells is Brooklyn New York’s latest gift to the world. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleigh_Bells

I dug and dug and found some good live video performances from Sleigh Bells. Check it out below.

Popularity: 62% [?]

HANDS DOWN !!! The best part about a Georgia Anne Muldrow and Dudley Perkins, A.K.A. Declaime show is the fact they carry their little kid with them on stage for live performances. Either asleep or jammin’ with his mom on her hips, they normally have the little man in tow. It’s as if no show is complete without him on stage, just like no Common album is complete without a ‘Pop’s Rap’ track. I also dig how they support one another on stage, and as we witness that energy and closeness you can tell it carries beyond the music. They are an extremely dope and dynamic group because they perform as a family. In their live performances you experience that they are more in-sync, have more chemistry, and their dynamic is more natural than most groups. Over and over again love wins —  and it leads you to embrace their music.

Aside from the family element the truth-speak in their music is intriguing. I always feel like Muldrow and Declaime have gone out of their way to express to us the flat-out truth about how life is being experienced.  There is conviction in their poetry. And the Family’s expressions are beautifully proud with responsibility to no one but themselves and God.

Check out two of their live performances below

– Bodhi L. Filmore

Popularity: 49% [?]

I found out about Kid Congo through LA record , then went on to check him out on youtube. A little Sonic Youth, — a little Nick Cave, Congo’s music is really poetic. Though cool and collected, Congo gives us a lot of energy in these performances. I wish I could say more, but all I know about him so far is that he’s got a pervert’s mustache and looks like he’s in his mid to late 40’s., plus I’m really delving into his music for the first time. I really dig what I’ve heard so far because it’s experimental, and soul driven – both the song writing and band behind him. Maybe I’ll add more about him fusing electronic music with rock as I get to hear more of his work. In the mean time check out the three live performance videos below.

Popularity: 47% [?]

Whenever I need a quick go to reference for dumb-dumbz who speak the Hip Hop is dead nonsense I refer them to BLU. An emcee with Dope Beats + Dope Lyrics. What else could these people be looking for? Maybe they’re looking for an artist like BLU to be played on pop radio, and because he’s not, at least to my knowledge, (I don’t know for sure because I don’t listen to radio, except KCRW, KXLU, and KPFK) maybe they feel justified in saying Hip Hop is R.I.P. Blu’s style stands out because of his seemingly effortless lyrical prowess. His rhymes are madd inventive, flowing from esoteric to just straight-up heartfelt all within the same few bars. Just as syck are the beats he verbally dances over. These joints primarily produced by Exile never fall short of dope. Although some may want to say Blu’s style has a semblance of the golden era of Hip Hop, (the 90’s) I won’t. Because I’ve always found real Hip Hop in the same place all art that’s true to its culture resides… Underground.

Hip Hop is not pop, if you call it that then stop – Q-Tip

Popularity: 88% [?]

I like Fuck Buttons because n all the live performances I’ve seen, they always start the show out with just a table with madd shit on it. Keyboards, laptops, wires, and random devices everywhere. Like they’re just coming back to work on a few mac laptops they gutted earlier.  If I’m not mistaken, there’s a short story being told in each of Fuck Buttons’ electro-ballads. I feel like whenever I listen to their music I fall into a daydream. They compose sound-scapes with a beginning, middle, and an end. Like the track for the live performance below, “Flight of the Feathered Serpent.” When I first listened to the track, I was intrigued by its fresh ‘techno-symphonics.’ As the music progressed it began to expound with other instrumental intricacies. You not only listen but truly experience this track. And like most of their catalogue, you’re always wondering in what other amazing ways it will build. The music never falls short.  Fuck Buttons is playing up in the LALA tonight at the Troubadour – http://www.troubadour.com/ — Go check it out.

Popularity: 63% [?]

I’ve never met DJ Kutmah in person, but I’ve heard the music he spins quite often on dublab.com . Kutmah mixes hypnotic beats with incessant insanity. This cat delivers set after set – on some 9months shit. So ummmm yeah it would be a huge loss for LA and  American music culture as a whole if his deportation goes through. PLEASE – PLEASE – PLEASE go to http://freekutmah.com and sign the petition to suspend the deportation. There’s madd videos out there showcasing Kutmah’s handy work, but here are a few where the beats have got my head nodding as I write this.

Popularity: 82% [?]

Heavy and eclectic drum kits with a pseudo-soulful wail over the tracks — I’m lovin it. The more I hear joints from Sister Crayon (Manimal Records) on KXLU 88.9 the more I dig this group. The music keeps getting better and better, like when I first started listening to Portishead or Flying Lotus. Sister Crayon’s sound is fresh and dynamic and they are truly bigger musically than the stages they currently play. If (SC) keeps pumping tracks like the two in these videos, I anticipate they’ll be huge very soon. Make a point to catch them the next time they play in the LALA. Here’s a link to their site http://sistercrayon.net/

In case you’re wondering I did not shoot the video at the smell. I get (and normally dig) the artistic lopsided camera views, but I would have been just as happy this go-round with a straight forward shot.

VIDEO SHOT AT THE SMELL

VIDEO FOR “IN REVERSE”

Popularity: 77% [?]

This commercial falls under the win column for Nike. The integration of brand and lifestyle are successfully executed in this ad. Although the end disclaimer that the real shoes won’t make any music is a tad deflating. Let me get outside the box real quick though. I’d love to see a shoe music battle between Nike and Puma, judged by Peterock and DJ Premier.

Popularity: 100% [?]