Already mentioned this producer

I know I keep bringing him up over and over again, but this guy really inspires me. I know it's electronic, and I get accused of being only a "techno guy" or only a "rap guy" but I do listen to more music than that.
That being said, I want to, once again, give critical acclaim to a DJ/Producer that I've already brought up several times in this blog: Flying Lotus. His use of ambiance within his work is just amazing, and his ability to make mainstream rap more artistic with his remixes is quite phenomenal.
Check out his two mixes of Lil Wayne songs:

I Feel Like Dying (Flying Lotus Remix)

and

Robo Tussin (Flying Lotus Remix of Lil Wayne's A Milli)



Again, sorry for the lack of other genres on this blog for a moment... but have you ever tried remixing country music, Celtic music, opera, or many of the other thousands of genres? I'm working on making a new mix with some untouched genres, but... give it some time.

-Minimal FoX

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Give Hendrix Some Respect.

This post is another go out and find it for yourself post.

Now the title might be a bit misleading. First of all, I don't entirely condone and push for the heavy drug use Hendrix found infamy from.

That being said, if there's one genre I see pretty under represented in music, it's definitely blues and heavy vamped music. In the 60s' through 80's the blues had an explosive revival. If you know it, you know it, the big names; Clapton, Otis Rush, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and of course Hendrix. Any history of rock'n'roll 101 course will get you through this. The art of vamping on the guitar in almost every style, country to metal, in a specific chord progression. Lyrics sung in the same styles. It was sweet, it was the state of the country, the blues.

Hendrix, a drop out of high school teenager, from a troubled home, honorably discharged from the army, found sweet sanctuary in his music; teaching himself guitar from the early blues and rock'n'roll he listened too and found comfort in. For him, it seemed life was his guitar (aside from the drugs and fame it brought him). Stories of Hendrix having sold his soul to the devil to have such great work swept the nation and he brough on thousands with his performances with guitar. He started to change rock'n'roll with this passion found in the guitar, many claiming it was if he wasn't even touching the guitar; a pure energy straight from his soul.
What did Hendrix do for us? The wah-wah pedal started to reach more fame, use of "space" on a cd, new ways of playing a guitar to add atmosphere to music, his unique style and voice stretching into almost every genre of music itself (hitting artist such as Led Zeppelin, and almost every blues and rock album you hear now you can seem to find traces of Hendrix himself).

I'm not claiming this man is god himself playing guitar. I am not claiming that he was a good man. I am not claiming his use of heavy drugs and alcohol is the only way to play a guitar.

What I am saying is that you do have to find that Hendrix was a man, whose love of the guitar and music itself, pushed modern rock'n'roll/Blues, to the place it is now. A man dedicated heavily to his guitar. A man dedicated heavily to experimenting with music. Love heavily within music, his passion on fire, along with his guitar, and coming through the speakers. His vamping and smart guitar playing wasn't just a one hit wonder.

So today, go out and listen to some Hendrix. I'm not saying fall in love with the man or worship him, but give some respect to why there are thousands of posters of him. Give respect to what he could do with a guitar. Realize that great music comes from within. Just like Jacques Cousteau is synonymous with Marine Biology, Jimi Hendrix is synonymous with music. He both loved and respected music, was partially a slave to it, but lived it too.

-Minimal foX

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Chemically Electronica

 So, I eventually settled on, The Chemical Brothers, a duo of outrageously popular electronic artists. Alright, alright, if you have followed the origins of so called, "Techno" music, you'd see a huge branch off dedicated entirely to The Chemical Brothers. Quite interesting blend of what I'd say is trance and house if you really wanted to put a genre to it.  So, what do you need to know? This duo is famous for guest appearances, catchy tracks, and hitting it hard on the radios around the world. Really, this is another artist that you already know, you just might not know you know. If you grew up as the MTV Generation you might remember most of the extremely drug reference music videos and trippy scenes brought by their music.  As I always say, I'd write more, but let's let the music talk for itself.

Oh, and for this mix, I figured why not go with another electronic artist known to hit the pop charts around the same time as The Chemical Brothers, Daft Punk. For those of you who don't know Daft Punk, congratulations, you have successfully avoided world culture since the 80's. There's no saying these two bands really don't need much to be said about them and are stand alone pop icons themselves. I just thought I'd refresh you and remind you that The Chemical Brothers are due for a new album as well as Daft Punk working on their next album a.k.a. The TRON Soundtrack.

Chemically Electronic Mix

Daft Punk - Club Soda
The Chemical Brothers - Hold Tight London
The Chemical Brothers - Surface to Air  vs.  The Chemical Brothers - Star Guitar (Minimal foX Mix)

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Let me know if you have any mix preferences, or comments about the new idea behind presenting bands, or if you just have something to say. Let's keep it about the music, I know my mixing skills can be called into question, but it's not about me, I just needed a new way to present the music to you, and I thought maybe if I did mixes you could appreciate it more.

-Minimal foX

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The Sounds of Electronic...Cats?

So, as I was finding the next artist to do a mix about, I couldn't help but run into an old album I was ga-ga for when I first discovered drill'n'bass music.
Songs About My Cats by Venetian Snares. For it's time of release, 2001 so not THAT long ago but you have to consider IDM is really close to dying as is the fast paced monster that electronic music is, it was pure genius. I do agree, this album is NOT for everybody. The scattered, glitched, fast past mind and almost random sounding melodies and beats will more than likely turn off most of those who listen to it. However, for those of us who are quite into glitch sounds, fast paced, and dirty synth music, I would equate this to running into a Van Gogh in your local art gallery; something extremely huge and magnificent and you're not quite sure why it's here. "Neptalactone" is a great track, slowly building something, and you're not quite sure where it's going, but it's not in your face aggressive, but more of a tour guide saying "Look here, and now over here, and now here, and aren't you seeing the pattern yet?" For me this is where the album starts to take off. The following tracks "Poor Kakarooke," "Fluff Master," "Pouncelcoit," and "Cleaning Each Other" are good highlights from the album. The other tracks take a bit of work to get into, but when you do find you can let them in, they do a great job bolstering the overall feel, which strangely never shies away from... cats. The album ends on a rather weird note with the white washed white noise of "Look" heavily contrasting the opening track. Again, if you can give it time, and a place to stay, you might find yourself suddenly taking a quite warm heart to this album, given it's very unique times such as "For Bertha Rand," and come out on the end wanting to hit repeat to take that kitten filled trip all over again.
Side note: The ending track look is quite interesting to see... given the track was made using by taking many pictures of his cats and turning those pictures into sound waves. Look
I'll have the next mix up soon guys and gals. Until then, keep an open mind to your music and remember, just because you don't like something, does it mean it's bad?

-Minimal foX

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Mix #1: See rap run. RUN DMC, Run!

So, without further adieu, I bid you the new project for the blog I've been working on. Yes, I am a mediocre DJ, but without practice, I can't get too much better now can I? At the same time, I want to share music with you guys without it being of cost to you, but at the same time I want it legal. So, what is the solution? Eureka! Though technically I don't have the legal rights to do this, I thought maybe I could present you with mixes I have made and you can listen to. If you download it, good for you, if you just listen, that's what it's meant for. Since I'm not making money off of it, I don't believe it is illegal, but I'm still trying to check in on it.

So, today I present Mix #1: See rap run. RUN DMC, Run!

If you were not present for the 80-90's rap scene, who was more famous than RUN DMC could only be Public Enemy, Nas, or maybe even Eminem, or even Wu Tang Clan. Rap was starting to hit the radio hard and people were eating up the pop-rap hits. So, I thought, for those of us not too familiar with RUN DMC, why not make a mix and then let you explore it more if it is something that seems to interest you? Either way, here's a mix (The download is fine, let me know if you can't get it).
 

See rap run. RUN DMC, Run! Mix

Track List :
Quasimoto - Blitz
Run DMC - King of Rock vs. Run DMCJam Master Jay (Minimal foX mix)
Run DMC - Peter Piper
Run DMC - Mary Mary vs. Zombie Nation- Kernkraft 400 (Stadium Mix) (Minimal foX mix)


Let me know if you have any mix preferences, or comments about the new idea behind presenting bands, or if you just have something to say. (I know there's some work on my part that I need to do, but I've spent the past few months developing new ideas and mixes so let's get this done together, eh?)

-DJ Minimal foX

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When We Rise!

Sorry if the breif Hiatus had paniced anybody, but sometimes a blog writer has to face the life outside the internet for a bit before getting back to the comforting glow of a monitor.

Well, summer has come and started, and for those in Alaska, the breakup period is over and it's damn green on everything. Time to get out, do something, dance about, and enjoy the few months before work starts up even heavier for next year. But, you're tired of that same music over and over again. You'd want to get your rump in gear, but, you need something new to move you. I have an idea for you...

Major Lazer. Now, before just blindly clicking the link, let me give you the down-low about this album. If you remember awhile back, progressive DJ Diplo was mentioned. Major Lazer is a collaboration of Diplo with DJ Switch. Switch  has made his name with Dub-House music; Diplo with reggae/pop DJ work, especially with Santogold. Now, the creation here, Major Lazer, is a fictional character, know to have "...faught in the secret zombie wars..." and is a big fan of the music coming out of Jamacia. This album Guns don't kill people... Lazers do, is an exploration of both artists into modern Jamacian music, poppy island feel mixed with reggae.

The whole thing is a bit hard to just sit down and listen to, but is great music to get moving too. If you want a couple track samples to convince you Link to Lala.

----------------------

Next update will be a bit better, still trying to find places to share music with you for free, so hold tight.

-Minimal foX

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Night Furries & Milkshakes

Hi-ho! No Soundtrack Outcasts today, but rather two film scores that deserve all of the limelight they've thus received (as always, tell me what you think). First, a small part of the score for Dreamworks' "How To Train Your Dragon" by John Powell. Gorgeous themes, boisterous brass and bagpipes for a Nordic/Irish sound, warm strings and flutters--fun and powerful and unashamedly smile-inducing:

"This is Berk"



"Test Drive"



"Romantic Flight"



Now a total gear shift. Paul Thomas Anderson's "There Will Be Blood" has a disconcerting soundtrack fashioned by Johnny Greenwood, a member of Radiohead. The songs work best and rile your blood most when you pair them with their respective on-screen scenes (durhay), but their discordant percussion and upsetting, pulsing unease still loft them high enough on their own to disquiet you:

"Proven Lands"



"Oil"



"Convergence"




--The Last Moslow

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French Atmosphere

Around for over 10 years, Air is a French synth-electronica duo. They aren't really club techno; though some of their beats near the border, don't go slapping that stereotype too quickly. It's their myriad of fun, slip-beat, and poignant themes which makes them both minorly ambiant and cooly pigeon-headable. Their official YouTube channel doesn't allow embedding, but take a sample from these 200% virus-free hyperlinks to said port and tell me what you think:

Sing Sang Sung

Playground Love

Don't Be Light

How Does It Make You Feel

Alpha Beta Gaga

--The Last Moslow

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We Need Heroes; Build Them

There’s a hell of a lot you can voice about Flobots, which is incredible because they already say so much, and they've only had one major commercial album release (until now). To me, and undoubtedly many others, Flobots’ “Fight With Tools” is about coming together for change, voicing that things are not the ideal, looking hard and realistically at race and capitalistic no-nos. Their sound is kind of a hodgepodge: they emphasize wonderful violin solos and highlight sparse brass and their harmonies have the real-world texture of a clubhouse of people, not boy-band conventions. There is a theme, a message to their efforts, sure, but there are still some fun, non sequitur tracks (“The Rhythm Method,” “Combat”) to break the tension. They’re entertainers slash community advocators. Take a listen:

“Fight With Tools”



“Never Had It”



“Handlebars” (According to the band, it’s about the power of decisions--you can do great good or evil depending on where you hone your efforts.)



“Rise”



Just for reassurance, it isn't mandatory for you to embrace their worldview or their political ideals--I know I sure don’t to a T (very anti-Bush and -globalization). You don’t have to agree with every couplet or little history lesson. But I think there’s something to be impressed by here. That a quasi-rap/hip-hop album makes you open up the Dictionary to find out what the world the intricate metaphor you just heard means is a rarity in any musical genre these days. I think it’s something to admire that they've had 5 number one chart toppers but their rap harks back to the first rappers, the fountainheads, the ones who used it as an outlet for social change and sung expos’es about class issues with present-tense violence. They are not perpetuators of materialism or dropping their name every other verse or writing a success autobiography, electronically warping the same vapid, repititous lyrics. They acknowledge that being impartial or stagnant is not an option in America anymore. It’s a welcome, gritty, heartfelt album.

Most reviews and forum posts seem to say--and I’d agree with them--that their second dip is more hopeful. If the first disc can be interpreted as a “distant early warning,” this one is the coin’s nicer side—still scuffed with chips and gum but there’s a shine there, dull though it remains. I like it on-par with “Tools.” (CLICK RIGHT HERE to safely listen to “Survivor Story," their second major release out now, on LaLa. Actually, just buy them both--they're less than $12 bucks each most places.)

Jonny 5, Brer Rabbit, and the rest of the group may not convince you to join a rally or jump up and volunteer or join Big Brothers, Big Sisters...but they’ll make you feel like you should, and not through guilt. They’re not renegades or extremists—they’re iconoclasts with a lot of talent and energy. These guys are important; they speak for themselves about all of us.

--The Last Moslow

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/Rupture, Shade, and Moor

DJ /Rupture has been becoming a legend in his own field in New York. His skills at sociopolitical commentary through DJ work has been staggering. His work speaks subtly and is rabidly unique. When a DJ develops a taste that just sits in your head for days after, that DJ has done something great. DJ /Rupture is just that.

If you're not familiar with DJ/Rupture, he is a quite the interesting DJ, having remixed country songs, poetry, and made amazing architecture with his music. His renown Special Gunpowder and Uproot albums were quite critically acclaimed. Work with Andy Moor, not the Brit DJ, has also lead to quite unique songs The Sheep Look Up. Now if it's not your cup of tea, that's quite alright, but you should learn to respect how unique DJ /Rupture is and how well he crafts his voice and ideas so subtly into his work, and his amazing ability to take you song to song and keep a single idea going. Tiesto really doesn't have much on him, but that's a whole other story.

If you're not familiar with Matt Shadetek, he is quite the good dance remixer, and is starting to gain lots of popularity. He too has quite a ability to logically flow songs together like threads in a blanket. Just have to check out only one of his mixes, (this one is one of my favs. I might add), Get Drunk and Loose Your Phone to become aware at how well he can craft flow.
The two combined create an amazing trip into the consciousness. That's what Solar Life Raft really does. The poetry and mix of it all create an other-worldly experience like no other! It's a cd that is continuous, and though some of the songs are great stand alone songs, you need to sit down for the full hour the cd takes, turn off the lights, and just go through the experience that this cd will take you.

DJ /Rupture's work with Andy Moor, as stated above NOT THE BRIT DJ, is just as powerful. Andy Moor has become a strong guitarist (from the band The Ex)and has an amazingly great musical sense about him, as can be heard in the collaboration album with /Rupture, Patches. It is quite it's own taste, but, again, if you can find a place for DJ /Rupture's style, you're really going to dig this album as well.

If you also find that you're liking DJ /Rupture more and more, check out his music blog here.

--Minimal foX

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Apples In Stereo?

There are many bands out there that have made themselves entirely known, been playing popular songs, made impressive covers, been on tours, and yet are never publicly known more than, "Oh, they play that song??" It's not a shame, but it's just a bit sad to see it happen to The Apples In Stereo. You know this band, even if you don't know you know. Don't believe me? This is their website and listen to a few songs. You can even sign up for their mailing list and download the latest single "Dancefloor." Ah psychedelica music, where would we be without the 70's?

-Minimal foX with a short note.


*cough cough* Did someone say advertisements? *cough cough* Heh, it's a good buy if you're into the band and want their single hits. Even a great introduction to the band. But I'd suggest... finding... other ways... of getting it instead... >>

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Triumvirate

I haven't scoped out new music in a while (actually I've been listening to a lot of Johnny Cash) so I thought I'd bring a trio of songs that's been steadily lodged in my head to your attention. Now mind you, I've only tepidly investigated these artists and so can't recommend them on the whole--but in part these singles are worth a playthrough. Tell me what you think; I'll have more next time, Scout's honor:

Jack's Mannequin--"Swim"



No More Kings--"Michael"



Lisa Miskovsky--"Still Alive"



--The Last Moslow

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Life on a Plastic Beach

0Only a few weeks ago did a new Gorillaz album drop. And only a few weeks ago, did I never hear anything about it, and was only informed about it two days ago by a friend who randomly stumbled across a Pitchfork review giving the album 8.5/10. Here at foX Note Hunter, we don't quite believe in a rating system, but never-the-less, I started to see nothing but good reviews for this music.

All I can say is, THIS IS NOT YOUR PREVIOUS GORILLAZ RELEASE! That noted, and please do note it, it is quite interesting, but a good interesting mind you, to listen to. If you have seemed to have found yourself wondered away from any form of Pop music, prepare to be take back to the life of bright colors, glittery sounds, poppy sounds, and just plain pop culture. The entire album reminded me of a quaint trip back to the 80's, with someone's boombox blaring the latest Flock Of Seagulls single.

It's been fashion to be taken back to roots and make something new from them, and I do believe the Gorillaz concept of pop roots is definitely pulled off here. You should be able to respect that. Doesn't mean it is your particular taste, especially if you dig the rap culture Gorillaz almost seemed to infuse and inspire within rap culture itself.

What's the idea here behind Plastic Beach as an album? I can only say it's like walking on a beach resort, and running across a multitude of people, each with their own unique event and feel on this beach. Plastic is a definitely recurring motif, and so is the island music feel. Gorillaz pulled it off, but at some points it does feel a bit messier than it should be, and some songs just shorter or not reaching what they could have been. These aren't complaints though, the multitude of diversity of pop songs you get here is staggering and the moments themselves that you do get are just plain fun.

But I digress, and am putting links to listen to the whole album:

Orchestral Intro (Feat. sinfon...

Welcome To The World of The Pl...

White Flag (Feat. Bashy, Kano ...

Rhinestone Eyes - Gorillaz

Stylo (Album Version) (Feat. M...

Superfast Jellyfish (Feat. Gru...

Empire Ants (Feat. Little Drag...

Glitter Freeze (Feat. Mark E S...

Some Kind of Nature (Feat. Lou...

On Melancholy Hill - Gorillaz

Broken - Gorillaz

Sweepstakes (Feat. Mos Def and...

Plastic Beach (Feat. Mick Jone...

To Binge (Feat. Little Dragon)...

Cloud of Unknowing (Feat. Bobb...

Pirate Jet - Gorillaz

The ending was alright, but tracks such as "Empire Ants," "Broken," "On Melancholy Hill," "Sweepstakes," and "White Flags" are good tracks if you don't have the time to sit down with the entire album.

--Minimal foX (Still working in the foxhole)

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Pinch Me...Pinch Me...

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Here's a newsflash about Canadians!

According to Amazon.com, Barenaked Ladies' next album “All in Good Time” drops March 30th, and it’s their 11th to date. Though their sound has fluctuated from quasi-bubble gum ‘90s pop to indi-ish lyrics near the ozone layer from their newer album “Are Men,” I still love ‘em. And Stephen Page, the plump lead singer with the glasses, has left the quintet--we’ll see how they fare with Ed Robertson front and center (though he’s written most of their songs).

Anyhoozle, here's two samples from the unreleased disc. If you haven't heard any of their hits by now, which seems enormously unlikely, don't hesitate to search YouTube. It's not hard to love them at all:

"Ordinary"



"You Run Away"



--The Last Moslow

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Balloons and Espresso

First, let's just say, if you lived thru the 90's and you've managed to never have heard of the Goo Goo Dolls, you might have been living in the middle of nowhere, have never seen a cheesy romance movie, or were completely stuck in Techno, (which there supposedly even is a techno remix of the song, but don't quote me on that).
When everybody thinks of the Goo Goo Dolls... no not "Iris". No, no that one either. Ok, the song is

"Black Balloon"

Black Balloon - Goo Goo Dolls

Ah, the distinct guitar picking at the start. The wondrous vocals. It's no wonder that this song is so commonly found in romance movies. You can just feel the emotions from his voice, the build up and break down of the song, it's just all in all a great generational song. The mastery over their instruments to create something so outstanding. Really, there is a good reason the Goo Goo Dolls are so well loved. If there is the chance that you don't have ANY of their albums in your library, take the time to get the greatest hits at least.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

As a special double post today, I have been catching up with the Seattle music scene. A great rap duo has come out of the works, and I can only describe it as a combination of Outkast (between Stankonia and The Speakerboxx Compilation), Q-Tip, and a bit of MF DOOM.
Their album Glamour is a pretty nice ride the entire time through. It makes me think of what would have happened to the rap genre if Stankonia had made it so much bigger. Big and dirty synth pop with rap over it. Quite interesting. Highlights include:

"Diamond Pistols"

Diamond Pistols - Fresh Espres...

"Big or Small"

Big Or Small - Fresh Espresso

"The Lazerbeams"

The Lazerbeams - Fresh Espress...

and

"Girls and Fast Cars"

Girls and Fast Cars - Fresh Es...

Sure, a bit stereotypical rap, but it's really great pop/rap and brand new (ok a few months old, but still new right?) coming out of Seattle. The whole album is quite a fun listen, and you can just taste and smell the fresh roast that is Fresh Espresso.

-Minimal foX (Busy doing some underground work in the foxhole at the moment).

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Kinda Like a Chimp

Bonobo is a British DJ who writes delicious trip-hop/downtempo tunes. Some might call this stoner music, but I don't care about the label, and neither should you. Beautiful music just is--have a 25 minute listen and find out for yourself:

"Ketto"



"Silver"



"Noctuary"



"Kota"



"Pick Up"



--The Last Moslow

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"You're a Bold Kid, Arnold."

"Hey Arnold!" is one of many reasons why I'm proud to be a product of '90s entertainment, especially cartoons. Here was a show with depth, heart, subtle humor, and characters who'd tackle real problems (bullies, rough family life, peer pressure) without resorting to zany editing or the easy way out. It was Nickelodeon's best effort, and whenever I peripherally catch wind of what's popular on the network now, I get downcast and grim. God, was I lucky to catch its heyday.

Regardless if you know it or not, "Hey Arnold!" wouldn't've been half what it was without the supporting music of Jim Lang. Tiny tracks of emotion and pigeon-necking vibes, playful and grounded in light jazz and synth R&B. If you're a fellow '90s brat, I'll bet you'll be hard-pressed to not remember at least a few of these nuggets...they're in our blood.

Below are links to some hand-picked mainstays, and if you visit the sponsoring YouTube channel you can hear more (he had very pretty violin flutters for Helga as well, and don't skip over the 30-second bits). Oh, you can also watch a few choice episodes. 'Nough said.

My tiny blue hat is off to you, Mr. Lang. Thanks for being a part of my childhood:

Jim Lang--"Groove Remote"



"Groove Remote (Abner)"

"The Moral Is"

"The Kids Finally Get It"

"Rhonda’s Party Source"

"Meet Angel"

"Invisible Hippo 2"

"Home Wit Jerome"

"Helga and Arnold Make Up"

"Dangerous Lumber"

"Caper at Gene’s"

"Mom and Dad"


--The Last Moslow

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Haunt Me Haunt Me, Do It Again

Canadian artist Tim Hecker has never left my iPod after I found his music. True, he does doth protest the use of iPods or any other such "mp3 low quality" music; and that's just something even more to love about the man. He puts effort and top notch sound into all of his work. If you get the chance, either listen to his stuff on an amazing stereo system, or get a great cd/vinyl player and listen through an amazing pair of headphones. The soundscapes are just otherworldly, and it is just worth it if you are a huge audiophile.

The Work of Art in the Age of ...

He is a pioneer in the ambient genre, but detests the name, and aptly names his own music "2 a.m. music." He works hard on acheiving amazing ambient noises using only his guitar, piano, and lots of studio work. He is a truly gifted artist with a fetish for noise you could say. It's hard to reccomend just one track or two to listen to of his, but rather is an artist where I'd say Haunt Me Haunt Me, Do It Again is worth listening to in full, from stop to finish with no breaks in between. His work was meant to be that way. On Harmony In Ultraviolet, "Spring Heeled Jack Flies Tonight" would not be nearly as amazing if it weren't for "Palimpset II" leading up to it. Each piece is standalone enough to be recognized as its own, however, when they get together on an album, they bolster  themselves up tenfold.

Paragon Point - Tim Hecker

Spring Heeled Jack Flies Tonig...

Blood Rainbow - Tim Hecker

His music takes a bit of getting used to, but I've found once you get past the "This is just annoying noise" phase and hit the "This is genius! Subtle movements, open atmospheres, intensity, brilliant!" phase, you'll never want to stop listening.

Counter Attack - Tim Hecker

So keep giving it a try, even if you don't like it. That goes for all music too! Find when you can appreciate it, and not just tolerate it.

I'm Transmitting Tonight - Tim...

-Minimal foX

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Humerus + Radius + Ulna =

Elbow. This British alternative rock group has memorable, fantastic lyrics, dreamy backdrops, and a sound completely and utterly their own. They have a few albums out already, the songs below all from The Seldom-Seen Kid. Have a listen and tell me what you think:

"Grounds For Divorce"



"The Bones Of You"



"One Day Like This"



--The Last Moslow

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Okay--3, 2, 1, Let's Jam!

"Tank!" is the name of this delicious jazz song, written by Yoko Kanno (the woman in the red jacket) as the theme for the late '90s anime Cowboy Bebop. Though she's composed for a lot of anime, you don't have to know anything about that artform to enjoy the incredible punch this number packs. This live performance was undertaken by a Japanese supergroup of sorts called Seatbelts, and the alto sax solo at the end is (to this blogger) ineffably, staggeringly, jaw-droppingly brilliant. Any doubters of jazz out there may just be converted to orthodox fans after hearing this piece--it's that good. Have a go below:

Yoko Kanno/Seatbelts--"Tank!"



--The Last Moslow

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Who says Drum'N'Bass can't be happy?

IF you have followed Electronica, you undoubtedly know Relphex Records, created by the famous Aphex Twin himself, Richard D. James. IF not knowing this, go look into it. Now, being informed about this, perhaps you know about a man named Tom Jenkinson. Yes? No? Of course... better known as Squarepusher. Still don't know?
Well, let's educate you. Back in the day when Drum'N'Bass was still being experimented with, and nobody really knew what to do, ol'Tom came out of the woodwork and, wabam!, brilliantly took jazz ideals and glitchcore beats to create Drill'N'Bass on his debut album Feed Me Weird Things . Applause, applause, for ol' Tom made something quite wonderful. On that first vinyl, he has created some work that really shows that when you become a master of your genre, you can make your music happy, or sad, or really take it any direction you want. Drum'N'Bass usually is an extremely serious or bouncy tone, and hearing something so wonderfully happy here is just brilliant.


Squarepusher - Smedley's Melody


Ah, a few founders of the quickly dying IDM genre, Squarepusher and Aphex Twin.  Masters of their own fields.
-Minimal foX (Working on a new project. Hush Hush)

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Soundtrack Outcasts (Vol. 2)

Welcome to Volume 2 of Soundtrack Outcasts! (To read the goals and manifesto for of this series, click here.)

Instead of looking at one film this time, I wanted to give prime, meaty examples of a single composer: James Newton Howard. He has great themes and works across all film genres. You might have only recently heard about him with a movie called The Dark Knight in ’08, but this talented musician has 20 years of work under his belt, much of it thrilling.

Let’s start with the 2000 Disney film Dinosaur. The theme doesn’t kick in till the end, but it’s a worth-the-wait whopper. There are very playful oboes and jungle chanting in the beginning, as well as odd percussion sounds, before swelling to a memorable grandeur. Have a listen:

"The Egg Travels"



Next up is M. Night Shyamalan’s The Village. Delicate piano, intoxicating strings throughout, and the bells and winds halfway in have a hushed danger about them. It’s a very cathartic theme, at once melancholy and bittersweet in its beauty. Haunting is used in excess to describe music like this, but I bet you'll find it hard-pressed to not be worthy here:

"The Gravel Road"



Lastly, let’s revive the 2001 Disney film Atlantis: The Lost Empire. It has a fantastic album, with great recurring themes start to finish. This specific track is ethereal/choral, echoic, mysterious, tribal, and relishes in resounding brass declarations--gorgeous all around, and incredibly hum-able:

"The Crystal Chamber"



Excellent soundscapes, right? James Newton Howard truly has a wonderful repertoire of skills, and his popularity only continues to mount around La-La-Land. I hope you enjoyed these examples, and please check out his complete soundtracks when you get the chance. Stay sharp for Volume 3!

--The Last Moslow

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Pre-Owned Heart-Shaped Box

Happy Valentine's Day! Why not take a 7-minute break from snogging your significant tax-deductible other by drowning in some hand-picked love song staples, all of them covers, with me not disclosing who originally wrote and/or performed them? Sound good? But of course! Hey, chocolate's still chocolate, right?

Frank Sinatra--"My Funny Valentine"



Cake--"Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps"



Rita Moreno--"Fever"




XoXo--The Last Moslow--XoXo

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Guns in C Major

Here are a few quirky musical experiments. Using the gun sounds and sound effects from two Valve games--Half-Life 2 and Team Fortress 2--several people have crafted genuinely impressive percussion pieces. This is the first time I've heard anything like this before, though MinimalfoX found a similar mash-up of Pixar sounds last month. The first track's not nearly as loud and piercing as the second (which reminds me of banging on trash cans for the first minute or so), but still, the effort that went into these projects is pretty staggering to me:

The Ballad of Black Mesa



TF2--Guns Orchestra



--The Last Moslow

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Utensil Grooves

Just an indie rock band for you today, one that's been getting more exposure as of late--Spoon! They have a relaxed, balanced, upbeat quality to most of their tunes. Somehow, I kind of hear a throwback to older rock styles in Spoon's songs, but I can't quite put my finger on which ones. Whatever they are, they work swimmingly here. Hope you enjoy their sound:

The Book I Write



You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb



Don't You Evah




--The Last Moslow

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Ghost(ly) Calm

Well, a quick post and download for you Ghost - Lullaby. Really great chill-downtempo/ ambient electronica song. No really, this one is looking into. I couldn't dig up more of this artist at the moment, but it's somewhat Brian Eno meets Boards of Canada. Soundtrack for the game Crayon Physics. Part of a new style of games called Ambient Games. Mainly slower paced games with ambient electronica. They are quite nice, and provide something to get lost in while your in an airport, they provide Music for Airports.

-Minimal foX (Heading back to Anchorage soon, but first a fun stop in Phoenix)

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Soundtrack Outcasts (Vol. 1)

Fact: Disregarding soundtracks is a musical sin.

This series of posts aims to resurrect those film soundtracks that have been needlessly forgotten, either by proxy of their movie counterpart's slip from mainstream consciousness, or simply because no one really gets excited about original soundtracks (which truly is a shame). Soundtracks and themes in films aggrandize the universes we passively invest in by actively guiding our emotions; without them, modern cinema would not resonate.

It is my sincerest wish that the names and works of Harry Gregson-Williams, Danny Elfman, James Horner, Hanz Zimmer, John Williams, Howard Shore, Thomas Newman, James Newton Howard, Michael Giacchino, and dozens of others will be memorialized properly in the future. This blog series is my small step to promote that outcome. (Notice: I will not critique the films mentioned themselves, only offer the opinion that these films' soundtracks deserve to have an audience and a following.)

To kick things off, let's have a listen to the themes no one can forget, beautifully orchestrated in a medley by John Williams--arguably the greatest film composer in all 100 years of the craft:



To counter that performance, here's our first worthy outcast you more than likely don't recall: "Antz," the 1999 Dreamworks film with a manic, ear-burrowing, conga/march soundscape. Harry Gregson-Williams wrote these tracks, and to this day his themes refuse to leave my mind alone:

The Colony



The Big Shoe



Voila! Hope you reminisced, rediscovered, and enjoyed. Look for Vol. 2.

--The Last Moslow

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The Courage Of Others

Short shout out today, Texas based indie rock band Midlake just dropped a new CD today, entitled The Courage Of Others. If you're like me, this is just estatic news, since it's been 3 years since the last Midlake full LP release. I haven't gotten my hands on it yet and have yet to find a place to listen to it, but this is just a lo-fi band that you really should check out. Their myspace page and The official website should give you a great start to the sound of a great indie/lo-fi rock band. Those who are fans of The Chemical Brothers have already gotten a taste of this band with the collaboration songThe Pills Won't Help You Now which is a great electronic standalone song about not wanting a friend to do drugs, or so my take is. Anyways, get a chance to check out the new cd. I've been hearing great positive reviews, though many critics are "complaing" about how the song just doesn't sound new but that's ok.
Midlake - The Courage Of Others   check it out and let me know how it is.
-Minimal foX

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And that can falter, But my swing is tropical

Ah Quantic what great music you have. I am so very surprized you've flown under the radar for so long. It wasn't until the song "Mi Swing Es Tropical" with Nickodemus being aired on an iPod commercial that people suddenly realized what great dance music you make. Ah, as a DJ myself, I love using Quantic songs for a mood. Whether I need an upbeat dance song, or something to play at a dinner party, or even something to just sit and relax too, Quantic just has it. I heavily recommend this artist. He does great postmodern music work, great sasla music, and just overall nice to listen too.

(Here's the song from the iPod commercial, you'll recognize it...)
Quantic & Nickodemus - Mi Swing Es Tropical

Mi Swing Es Tropical - Quantic...

and here are a couple other hits.
Quantic - Time Is The Enemy

Time Is The Enemy - Quantic

Quantic - Bomb In A Trumpet Factory

Bomb In A Trumpet Factory - Qu...

His work with an orchestra has done great Salsa and Acid Jazz work too!
The Quantic Soul Orchestra - South Coastin'

South Coastin' - The Quantic S...

-Minimal foX

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