22. Richard Laviolette and the Hollow Hooves - "Your Body Your Love" here ...
23. The Polyphonic Spree - "Light to Follow" and here!*
*Don't worry; next week we return "live" with a mix tape lovingly hand-crafted (har har har) for my former "secretary." <- Hey, it was college, everyone else had one too!
Thus concludes your fifty-second dose of SHAKE*YOUR*SHORES, the awesome mix tape series formerly known as "Don't Tell a Soul."
EYEDEA & ABILITIES RELEASE FIRST ALBUM IN FIVE YEARS
RHYMESAYERS ENTERTAINMENT TO RELEASE BY THE THROAT ON JULY 21
A duo thoroughly steeped in hip-hop accolades, the Minnesota-based duo Eyedea and Abilities have returned with their brand new album By The Throat, out July 21st on Rhymesayers Entertainment. Their first album since the breakout 2004 release E&A, By The Throat's songs range from intensely personal topics to the more esoteric (quantum mechanics). The end result is leaps and bounds beyond what MC Eyedea is perhaps best known for, his prowess as a battle rapper (winner of HBO's Blaze Battle, Scribble Jam and several others). DJ Abilities, also a well-known battle vet and contributor to El-P's now-classic Fantastic Damage, adds heavily to the sonic soundscape of this album, which advances beyond boom-bap hip-hop into rock-fueled guitar riffs, gritty production and melodic songwriting.
Eyedea and Abilities were instrumental in the wave of independent hip-hop that includes Atmosphere, El-P, Aesop Rock, Living Legends and several other seminal acts. By The Throat is their most progressive and refined effort to date.
E & A will be performing at Rhymesayers' Soundset '09 on May 24th and will be headlining a tour in the fall of 2009. They have also been confirmed for the following Rock the Bells dates this summer.
06.27 - Chicago, IL @ First Midwest Bank Amphitheater
06.28 - Detroit, MI @ DTE Energy Music Theatre
07.05 - Toronto, ON @ Molson Amphitheater
07.12 - Washington DC @ Merriweather Post Pavilion
07.18 - Boston, MA @ Comcast Center |
07.19 - New York, NY @ Jones Beach Amphitheater
08.01 - Vancouver, BC @ Deer Lake Park
08.06 - Denver, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheater
08.08 - Los Angeles, CA @ San Manuel Amphitheater
08.09 - San Francisco, CA @ Shoreline Amphitheater
It always fills me with great joy when a friend asks for a personalized compilation — especially when it's someone who has introduced me to a bunch of music themselves. This special edition of my awesome mix tapes series is a batch of songs hand-selected for my good pal Kristi, whom I met in college, worked with at our college newspaper and, to cap it all off, took a roadtrip with up to Winnipeg to eat grilled-cheese "sammiches" at McCanada and *oh yeah* catch the Pixies' second reunion show after a decade-plus hiatus. (Read about our exploits here, in a jointly written column for the NDSU Spectrum that definitely should've won a Pulitzer or two.) Either way, these tracks all deserve more than an audience of two, so hopefully everyone who's not Kristi will pay attention as well.
1. Spoon - "Don't Buy the Realistic" When Kristi first requested a new mix CD, I kindly asked her what she's been listening to lately. A lot of it was stuff you'd find for sale at Fifth Element — not surprising, considering all the cool kids listen to Minneapolis hip-hop — so I thought I'd step away from that a little bit and start off with something exciting from "our past." Now, she and I have never gushed over (nor listened to) Spoon in each other's company, but, seeing as how she's a fellow Pixies fan — who just happened to introduce mt to Plexi — I'm pretty certain she's going to dig this one.
2. Wired All Wrong - "Nothing at All" This (tragically) instantly forgotten collaboration between Self mastermind Matt Mahaffey and God Lives Underwater's Jeff Turzo is quite a find for those who grew up worshipping Ken Andrews — and, seeing as how I already told you she's a cool kid, Kristi matches that description to a T. Hopefully Wired All Wrong's fanclub will have two members now....
3. Adam and the Ants - "Why Do Girls Love Horses?" This is the mix tape equivalent of paying it forward: DJ Walt Dizzo, the guy I turn to for new sounds, got me hooked on this when he played it on his radio show; I, in turn, will make sure the girl who's introduced me to plenty of music herself will not go through life without hearing this gorgeous "Desperate But Not Serious" B-side.
4. The Coup - "We Are the Ones"* Whenever Kristi and I talk about essential hip-hop, she never seems to mention the Coup. This could just be a simple oversight on her part, but ... I just can't take that chance!
5. Grieves & Budo feat. Luckyiam - "Identity Cards" Before they were married, Kristi and her husband-in-waiting Rob drove up to Duluth for that Atmosphere / Mac Lethal (with Grieves) / Grayskul / Luckyiam blowout at Pizza Luce a few years back, so I'm hoping she'll appreciate this humorous little jam. [Mini Shameless Budgeteer Plug: Read my review of Grieves' "88 Keys & Counting."]
6. Midnight Juggernauts - "Into the Galaxy" Before her hip-hop kick, Kristi seemed to be hooked on a lot of groups who were "aided by electronics" — not in a bad way / forward-thinking groups like Placebo come to mind — and I'm currently obsessed with this Bowie-meets-Chemical Brothers Astralwerks signee, so I thought I'd give it a push.
7. Terry Lynn - "Kingston Logic" [Angry Mix] Kristi's current faves include Damian Marley's "Road to Zion," so I've included a few reggae and reggae-inspired "bangers" (like this one) on this here mix tape. [Mini Shameless Budgeteer Plug: Read my review of Terry Lynn's "Kingston Logic 2.0."]
8. Crew Jones - "Swimming Hole" ... And, since she's all about organic hip-hop, I thought I'd pimp out the Northland's pre-eminent purveyors of such.
9. Wild Light - "Call Home" Another one of Kristi's current faves is the Killers' "All These Things That I've Done," but, since I'm sure she celebrates their entire catalogue (like I do), I thought I'd forgo another Brandon Flowers anthem and pick one of my favorite songs from that Las Vegas group's current tourmates, Wild Light. If any of you reading this like the Killers or Arcade Fire, this one shan't be missed. [Mini Shameless Budgeteer Plug: Read my review of Wild Light's "Adult Nights."]
10. Phoenix - "Napoleon Says" Going back to that Placebo reference, Kristi has always seemed to dig ultra-hip rock songs that wouldn't sound out of place in iPod commercials. This is the ultimate example of that.
11. Thunderheist - "Sweet 16" She never seemed that "up" on dance parties, and she may very well question my sanity for including this, but, damn, if Thunderheist isn't the most exciting disco/electro hybrid out there! [Mini Shameless Budgeteer Plug: Read my review of Thunderheist's self-titled debut.]
13. Lazerbeak - "Legend Recognize Legend" Kristi's a huge Doomtree fan, and I'm sure she already jams out to this one regularly, but this Jay-Z-sampling masterpiece is worthy of inclusion on every mix tape I make.
14. Freeland - "Do You!" A headphone-must if I ever did hear one — hopefully "Do You!" makes its way to Kristi's pod. (One of the five things she claims never to leave the house without — that's dedication to music, man.)
15. John Vanderslice - "D.I.A.L.O." As a fellow (pre-"Hail to the Thief") Radiohead enthusiast, I really hope there's a place in her heart for JV.
16. The Evening Rig - "Lil' Miss Miserable" Kristi and her husband are in tight with some of the Hold Steady boys, so we'll just assume that love of old-school rock 'n' roll will extend to Minneapolis' finest.
17. Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley - "It Was Written" I know she's already into this member of the Marley clan, but, seeing as how "It Was Written" — released on Sept. 11, 2001, creepily enough — is the first reggae song I honestly fell in love with, I thought it worthy of inclusion.
18. Cloud Cult - "Moving to Canada" Mm, grilled cheese shaped like a hockey puck....
19. The Pixies - "Something Against You" [Live in Winnipeg] From that very same show we attended. I still can't get over that initial thrill, those four Bostonians walking onstage all godlike in the Burton C. Cummings Theatre and everything.
20. Fol Chen - "The Idiot" Seeing as how the musical food pyramid is a mix tape, Fol Chen is as vital as niacin.
Wait ... what? (Kristi and I used to take turns writing the entertainment calendar for the NDSU Spectrum and, I shit you not, some of our entries were as clouded-over as that statement!) [Mini Shameless Budgeteer Plug: Read my review of Fol Chen's "Part I: John Shade, Your Fortune's Made."]
21. Equal Xchange - "Weird" Again, since she's so into all the cool rap groups, here's to Kristi appreciating another Duluth favorite.
22. BS 2000 - "It Feels like ?!@#?!" A friend who digs BS 2000 is a friend indeed.
23. Dealership - "I Start to Explode" Similarly, no matter who I'm making a mix tape for, this indie pop trio from the Golden State will always be included. It is my No. 1 mission in life to spread the good word.
Thus concludes your fifty-first dose of SHAKE*YOUR*SHORES, the awesome mix tape series formerly known as "Don't Tell a Soul."
