3rd party - separation of powers
aloe blacc - shine through
ammoncontact - with voices
baba israel and yako - beatbox dub poetics
core rhythm - nat turner reloaded
ezekiel honig - scattered practices
jay dee (j dilla) - donuts
jonny sonic - coop resident
london elektricity - power ballads
relay - still point of turning
various artists - good GOD!: a gospel funk hymnal
various artists - soul gospel 2

this album has not left my mp3 player. seriously. nothing's touching this right now.

if you're anything like me, you're still lamenting over the death of J Dilla. let's face it: there will only be one James Yancey, and the world was blessed to have him for the short period of time that it did. so, who's next in line to change the game? my predictions are Tadd Mullinix a.k.a. Dabrye, Waajeed of Platinum Pied Pipers, and Mc/DJ/Producer Jneiro Jarel.

his debut album Three Piece Puzzle dropped last year on Ropeadope, ridiculously good hip-hop with touches of future soul (what some call "broken beat") here and there. now the brother's back with a new one: Beat Journey, released under the name Dr. Who Dat? on Lex Records. it's that good stuff, y'all...all instrumental hip-hop. brazilian and free jazz flavors rising to the surface every now and again. expect the Dilla comparisons to come fast and strong. sure, the influence can be heard, but brother Jarel's carving his own niche.

check the Bleep player below to listen to some joints. again, it's all good, but my constant rewind joints are "On The Doelow," "ASAP (Flash)," and "Kelly Drive." i don't say this often, but if you're not feelin' this, you don't have a pulse...

Technorati tags: mp3, Music, Hip-Hop, Soul

from an email courtesy of dj drilla: "'Hey Mama' can now be purchased through Itunes. This release is entirely digital and is available for a limited time on the Dancing Galactic compilation presented by Munk (Gomma)."

Click here to purchase.

in addition, he linked to some dope mixes on their beats and words site. the first one's on the indie hip-hop tip while the second's on some soul/rock/funk steez.

Drilla - "Stealing Digital Milkcrates"
stream ||| download

Drrty - "DrrtyNewYork Vol 7"
stream ||| download

i think i'm finally catching up to what Mike Skinner's been doing all this time. seems as if people either love or hate The Streets: heads either think his work's brilliant or they think it's bollocks. there's no in between with his stuff. been checking out the new album called The Hardest Way To Make An Easy Living. some say it's his most personal. others say it's his most catchy. both claims are true. Skinner's take on hip-hop lyricism is dry, witty, and distinctly British, and i think it's the last factor that has had so many singing his praises. at any rate, i dig a number of the tunes here, particularly the ones that are more personal, like "Never Went To Church." he even tries his hand at political fare with "Two Nations." lately, i find myself singing the choruses to both "When You Wasn't Famous" and "Pranging Out."

the Giant Step site has the whole album available to stream. i don't know, but something tells me that this would be a great drinking album as well. just has that feel to it, i can't explain it...

click here to check out the album

so, here's the story: a radio show host from WFMU, easily my favorite station, requested for his listeners to submit cover versions of a poem/rant that he plays often: "Cake" by Todd Colby. haven't heard this show in the longest, but i was familiar with the piece and thought it was a great idea. i got inspired and submitted a version of my own, which Kenny (the host) told me was both "fantastic" and "incredible..." i say it's rather silly and that it gets the job done.

my version - along with Todd Colby's original and countless others - has been posted to the WFMU blog. just look for the one listed as "cake by listener macedonia." make sure to download the original version as well, if you haven't heard it already. it will also be featured along with the rest of the covers on Kenny's show, Intelligent Design this Wednesday, March 29, 2006 from 3-6 p.m. eastern standard time. if you miss it, show archives will be available soon afterwards.

gotta start downloading those other versions...i'm rather curious...

maybe it's because the Lenten season's upon us, but i've been listening to a lot of gospel and gospel-related projects lately. currently in heavy rotation within my mp3 jukebox are the following:

VARIOUS ARTISTS - Heaven's Radio
this is a collection of vintage gospel and radio broadcast excerpts compiled with loving care by Kevin Nutt, host of the fantastic Sinner's Crossroads radio show on WFMU. the station's currently in telethon mode and asking for donations from their listeners. there are a vast number of "DJ premiums" that you can get if you donate a certain amount. Heaven's Radio is Kevin's premium from 2004, now made available online via the WFMU blog. apparently, he put together a funk gospel premium for this year. i only imagine...

GEEEZ 'N' GOSH - My Life With Jesus
GEEEZ 'N' GOSH - Nobody Knows
an Atom Heart project. it's like gospel glitch. sanctified click-house, if you will. totally taken aback with these releases, both of them quite beautiful. some of it's for quiet reflection, some of it can be worked into a house set. if you want to know more, i go into further detail here.

VARIOUS ARTISTS - Soul Gospel
just copped this one the other day. not straight up gospel, but focuses on how gospel influenced soul music and how those with gospel backgrounds made the crossover into soul while still retaining that gospel feel to their music. so you have some gospel, some soul, and songs that are somewhere in between. artists include Aretha Franklin, The Staple Singers, Della Reese, Bobby Bland, Clarence Smith...this one's great. don't see it leaving my jukebox for quite some time.

wanted to make sure i got around to writing about albums and songs that stayed on my turntable, in my CD/media player, or just got stuck in my head this year. for some of the choices, i'll include links to where you can stream or download songs. collect them all and you'll have a BSOTS best of 2005 online mix tape of sorts. can't say no to free music, right? plus, hopefully it'll help lead you to some works you may not be familiar with or encourage you to drop dollars on a release you may have been curious about. i would also provide a list of releases i didn't get around to, but why depress myself like that? let's do this...

THE ALBUMS I ADORED

MARK DE CLIVE-LOWE - Tide's Arising [ABB Soul]
everything that this man's been involved in, i've liked. *Tide's Arising* does not disappoint. uptempo and downbeat future soul that keeps the body and the brain engaged. check "Slide," "Heaven," and "State Of The Mental" for the best moments.
click here to stream or download "Heaven"

DANGERDOOM - The Mouse and The Mask [Epitaph]
when i first learned about the heavy use of Cartoon Network's Adult Swim lineup on this project, i thought somebody was joking. somehow or another, Dangermouse made it work. as for MF Doom, to call him a clever wordsmith is putting it lightly. Doom's just sick, a rhyme sayer that will always have you hitting the rewind button just so you can make sure he said what you think he said. yeah, this one's a keeper.

FULL - Desperandum [Handpicked/Madpeeps]
the "rocktronic charismob" tightens up its game and manages to make an accessible avant-pop album with rock guitars firmly in hand while losing none of the free jazz sensibility that made their previous effort so engaging. lead vocalist Ms. Wings is a star that shines even brighter on this release. the whole world needs to know about this band.

JNEIRO JAREL - Three Piece Puzzle [Ropeadope]
Brooklyn native. Philly resident. MC/DJ/producer. it's insane how great this album is. somewhere between A Tribe Called Quest at their pinnacle and the finest moments from Madlib's catalog is Jneiro Jarel. no lie. go cop this joint. NOW.

DAVID LAST - The Push Pull [theAgriculture]
whimsical and just plain fun, David Last's debut channels dub through demented dancehall and carnival-style hip-hop beats. expect the unexpected.

JAMIE LIDELL - Multiply [Warp] - UK
never would i have expected an album like this from one-half of Super Collider. a wonderful mix of past, present and future soul, and Jamie gets kudos for crooning his ass off. sounding like an updated version of a Michael Jackson/Quincy Jones collaboration one minute, then classic Stax Records 45s the next. brilliant.
click here to stream or download "When I Come Back Around"

M.I.A. - Arular [XL]
perhaps my wife said it best while watching M.I.A.'s backup dancers shake their rumps across Central Park's Summerstage: "she's not a revolutionary...she's the daughter of a revolutionary." point taken. even so, this remains one of the best political/party albums to come out in a long time. my joints include "Galang," "Sunshowers," "Bucky Done Gun," and "$10."

NNNJ - Monkey Straddle [theAgriculture]
perhaps the strongest release from theAgriculture in 2005, this debut album from Nnnj bowls you over with shape-shifting maturity. jazz-inspired dub occasionally flirting with hip-hop rhythm structures, a number of the songs almost take on an otherworldly quality. words are hard to come by, but it makes more sense with each and every listen.

NOUVELLE VAGUE - (self-titled) [Luaka Bop]
here's another project that could've fallen flat on its face if it wasn't handled correctly. take two guys with a love for '80s synth-pop and punk tunes, throw in some vocalists and have them sing the lyrics to said tunes (even though they never heard the originals), then dress it up in a cocktail lounge background. doesn't sound good on paper, does it? do yourself a favor and listen to it anyway - it's great. covers of Joy Division, Depeche Mode, The Cure, and a bunch of others. guilty pleasure of the year.

PREFUSE 73 - Surrounded By Silence [Warp] - UK
some weren't down with this album, claiming that producer Scott Herren got his pseudonyms mixed up and spiked his Prefuse 73 efforts with too much Savath & Savalas. perhaps that's because this album represents Herren's most kaleidoscopic view of hip-hop yet, as well as his most star-studded. while the representation of MCs is strong on this effort (El-P, Ghostface, Beans, Aesop Rock, GZA, Masta Killa...), some of the best collaborations are with The Books, Claudia & Alejandra Deheza, and Tyondai Braxton.
click here to stream "Hideyaface"

PLATINUM PIED PIPERS - Triple P [Ubiquity]
one of the best hip-hop soul full-lengths to drop in who knows how long. Wajeed and Saadiq bring their A-game on this one. special guests include Sa-Ra, J-Dilla, Tiombe Lockhart, Georgia Anne Muldrow, and others. fantastic.

ROOTS MANUVA - Awfully Deep [Big Dada] - UK
while nothing on here isn't as career-defining as his underground classic "Witness (1 Hope)," Awfully Deep has all the elements to make this Manuva's breakout album. clever rhymes, tight beats, and choruses that stay in your head for weeks on end. further proof of why Americans have no business frontin' on UK hip-hop any longer.

SOUND DIRECTIONS - The Funky Side of Life [Stones Throw]
possibly Madlib's finest moment this year. an offshoot of the Yesterday's New Quintet project, the Beat Konducta leads a jam session featuring members of Breakestra, Antibalas, the Dap-Kings, and others introducing original tunes and remaking sampled classics. if you needed any reminder that jazz is Madlib's first love, here you go.

STEVE SPACEK - Space Shift [Sound In Color]
lead vocalist for the group Spacek comes through with his solo debut. slightly more down to earth than what he does with Spacek, but still miles ahead of a lot of soul releases out there. beats supplied by GB, J-Dilla, and Spacek himself.
click here to stream or download "Dollar"

DWIGHT TRIBLE & THE LIFE FORCE TRIO - Love Is The Answer [Ninja Tune] - UK
much props to Carlos Nino for getting brother Trible together with the best in present-day beat-making. spiritual jazz vocals float over head-nodding rhythm structures supplied by Madlib, Sa-Ra, Daedalus, J-Dilla, and Nino. Absolutely stellar.

THE SONGS THAT GOT STUCK IN MY HEAD...AND DIDN'T MIND...

THE ALMIGHTY K.O. - "George Bush Doesn't Care About Black People" [MP3]
the fact that it uses the instrumental for Kanye's "Gold Digger" (another song that got stuck in my head throughout 2005) is only half the story. made in response to President Bush's actions during the Hurricane Katrina crisis, K.O. comes correct with humor undercutting the anger. sometimes you need to laugh to keep from crying, and clearly K.O. understands this. even better than Mos Def's "Katrina Klap."

BLOC PARTY - "Tulips" [Dim Mak]
this song wasn't on their EP, nor did it appear on their Silent Alarm full-length. the tenderness and sensitive interplay between the band members on this song makes it one of the strongest in their catalog.

BOARDS OF CANADA - "Chromakey Dreamcoat" [Warp] - UK
i have yet to hear the latest album by BOC, but if the rest of it holds up to this song, it'll make for quite a session.
click here to stream or download this song...

CAURAL - "She's Everywhere I Look" [Consumers Research and Development]
i hold Caural (real name Zachary Mastoon) in the same regard as someone like Prefuse 73. this piece taken from the Hazardous Materials compilation is proof positive of his mind-blowing talent. heavy drums, melancholy piano, and dreamy, meditative chords equals continuous rewinds.
click here to download or stream this song...

COMMON - "The Corners" [Geffen]
i could try frontin' on this one, but it's no use - the minute Kanye's production kicks in, i'm head noddin' HARD. plus Common sounds hungry on the mic again. and it never hurts to have The Last Poets put in their two cents as well. this is how a single from an album is supposed to sound...

DARONDO - "Didn't I" [Ubiquity]
of the three songs i've heard so far from the Gilles Peterson Digs America compilation, "Didn't I" stays on lock in my head. it's the ultimate soul slow jam, and i can't believe that no one's unearthed this one already - it's too pretty to stay unnoticed. straight up - this is baby makin' music right here...

EDAN - "Fumbling Over Words That Rhyme" [Lewis]
taken from his Beauty And The Beat full-length, Mr. Humble Magnificent schools us with a positive education in hip-hop MCs. probably one of my favorite hip-hop songs of 2005. (side note: don't sleep on the track "Torture Chamber" either, featuring a hungry-as-hell Percee P on the mic...)

FOUR TET - "Smile Around The Face" [Domino]
Kieran Hebden nailed it with this one. swirls of sonic happiness shower down on you everytime you play it. absolutely impossible to be in a bad mood when this one's on - song titles don't lie.

JAMIROQUAI - "Feels Just Like It Should" [Epic]
the lead single off Dynamite, Jay Kay and company still manage to surprise. the song's a spaced-out, guitar-driven good time. some still weren't convinced, so Sa-Ra came in and worked their magic with a remix. either version will do.

KOUSHIK - "Be With" [Stones Throw]
some focus on the brilliance of Madlib to the extent of overlooking the rest of Stones Throw's roster. if you do, you'll miss out on great artists like Koushik. "Be With" brings the harmonies of '60s psychedelic rock into hip-hop's playground. gorgeous doesn't even begin to describe it...

LITTLE BROTHER - "Lovin' It (feat. Joe Scudda) [ABB]
Phonte Coleman, Big Pooh, and 9th Wonder just kept bringing it to us. This single from their major label debut The Minstrel Show is essential head nod material.

M.E.D. - "Nightlife" [Stones Throw]
produced by Madlib for the Push Comes To Shove album, this joint should've been stamped heavy rotation on mainstream urban radio stations across the country. M.E.D. sounds great on this one and the beat compliments him nicely.

OUT HUD - "One Life To Leave (A Requiem)" [Kranky]
featuring members of !!!, this was the rockin' rumpshaker of the year. slinky synths, killer female vocals, and a bassline that kept you movin'. hearing this was all you needed to hear to know that the album was gonna be the bomb.
click here to download or stream an alternate version of this song...

TV ON THE RADIO - "Dry Drunk Emperor" [MP3]
between the war in Iraq and Hurricane Katrina, TVOTR was given plenty to write about. and it all came out in one brilliant composition. blazing guitars, vocal harmonies that evoked pain, anger, and even a glimmer of hope. just...plain...beautiful.
click here to download or stream this song...

Z-TRIP - "Breakfast Club (feat. Murs and Supernatural)" [Hollywood]
taken from Z-Trip's debut album - a reminder that rap joints are supposed to be fun. smiles are Kool-Aid wide when this one's on the soundsystem. rhymin' about breakfast cereals and saturday morning cartoons...now, that's what i'm talkin' about...
click here to download or stream this song...

finally got around to listening to the HoodHype podcast, which centers around music from independent and unsigned rap artists. hosted by a brother named Major. i was curious to see if it was as gully as the website made it appear. you should go there just to hear the promo that was played on Adam Curry's show, Daily Source Code, a very popular podcast. "big shout out to Adam Curry. ONE!"

apparently, Adam Curry has street cred. who knew?

i think the show is based in Michigan. they play some Michigan heads, some Kentucky cats, some Texas heads, whoever they're feelin', really. in terms of the rap, the show feels more Southern in flavor. they've got heads leaving freestyles on the voice mail, they read listeners' email feedback, the site looks good, the podcast is of a great quality...gotta say, they have their bases covered. even though i can take or leave the music sometimes, the show itself is unapologetically aimed for the street, and i respect that. it's the niche market approach, but the crazy thing is that it sounds like they're reaching people outside of heads on the street as well. Major read an email from some cat out in Amish country diggin' the show.

still, i listen to some of what they play and i wonder to myself...is this the face of rap music that i would want people to be familiar with? but that's the hip-hop elitist/idealist in me rising up as always. show #7 features an interview with Buckshot (for all the Black Moon fans out there).

supposedly, HoodHype is rated among the top 20 podcasts over at podcasts.yahoo.com. they only have nine shows - how is that possible? who's handling their promotion? if i have any hopes of being the Gilles Peterson of podcasting (a boy can dream), clearly i have to step up my game - and quick. doing everything myself has never been the answer, but it's the only card i have to play most of the time. the more unbearable the 9:30-5:30 gig gets, the more crucial it becomes that the passions in my life turn into a way of life.

one of these days, i'm gonna figure all this out...

never thought i'd enjoy doing karaoke, but who knew? a good friend of mine threw herself a birthday party this past weekend. it's the second year in a row she's done a karaoke party, and possibly the third time she's done it total. my wife's the songbird out of us two, so she loves that kind of thing. i've got to hand it to this West Side spot we were at, though: their catalog's mad deep. got a kick out of Beth doing "Anarchy In The U.K." by the Sex Pistols. yes, i actually did a few myself, in this order...

Digital Underground - The Humpty Dance
Happy Mondays - Kinky Afro (with my wifey singing backup)
The Time - Jungle Love

Radiohead's "Optimistic" will have to wait until next year - plenty of time for me to get my falsetto on.

i'm really regretting not being at the Future of Music Policy Summit after checking out some of the panels. thankfully, podcasts and streaming video of each panel can be found here. i highly recommend the interview with George Clinton and Hank Shocklee as they discuss sampling. classic.