Jay-Z is Dead Review

 (photo credit to Jay-Z.com)

The dream of dream mashups has arrived! I recently discovered the Spinjunkies project sampling music of the Grateful Dead with Jay-Z's black album called Jay-Z's DEAD!.  Here is a list of the song pairings:

1. Encore/Friend of the Devil
2. 99 Problems/Scarlet Begonias
3. Dirt off Your Shoulder/Fire on the Mountain
4. December 4/Dark Star
5. What More Can I Say/Shakedown Street
6. My First Song/New Minglewood Blues
7. Lucifer/Help on the Way
8. Change Clothes/Slipknot
9. Interlude/Franklin's Tower
10. Allure/St. Stephen
11. Justify My Thug/??
12. Moment of Clarity/The Music Never Stopped
13. Threat/Candy Man

Some of the songs really work great while others crash and burn. The pairings are all smart and work over the versus of Jay-Z's flow. Problems arise in those of Jay-Z's songs that have melodic components including background singers. Encore and What More Can I Say go from incredibly pleasing to horrifying when Jay-Z's backing vocalists clash terribly with the underlying chords of the Grateful Dead. It's unfortunate that the Spinjunkies didn't take the time to use a pitch correcting software program to bring Jay-Z's tunes in sync with the Dead.

Among the best tracks are December 4, 99 Problems, and Moment of Clarity . On Lucifer, the Spinjunkies chose a great version of Help on the Way that really puts Jerry Garcia's dancing guitar riffs up front with Jay-Z's rap. It feels as if the guitar was recorded specifically for the track, as Jerry and Jay-Z playfully trade flows and showcase their respective mastery of skills. The best part about this segment of the album is that the Spinjunkies knew enough about the Dead to keep the classic fan favorite Help on the Way-->Slipknot-->Franklin's Tower progression. Unfortunately Slipknot presents a recurring clashing sound problem where Jay-Z's backup singers holler "change clothes." Dead-heads will be pleased however to hear Phil Lesh's bouncing bass line rumble through this tune.

This man is Grateful to have this mashup as it combines two of my favorite artists.  Because the Spinjunkies missed on a few tracks (where easy solutions exist to fix the problems) this album is more of a mediocre/guilty pleasure.  There are definitely 4-5 tracks that I will return to in the future, the rest is an afterthought once the thrill of figuring out which songs are mixed together passes.

Note that the Spinjunkies have done other mashups with Jay-Z's black album, including Jay-Z Who? (you guessed it, putting Jay-Z with music of The Who).  Check them all out at www.spinjunkies.com

A Muppet, MGMT & the Trippy Desert

The genius of duo MGMT strike again with the video for "Congratulations," the title track of their April 2010 album. MGMT are known for making tunes that unite hipsters and frat brothers on the dance floor. With Congratulations they succeed in showing a slower side that remains full of whirling melody brought forth by the instrumentation. This song demonstrates that Andrew VanWyngarden and Ben Goldwasser (the duo of MGMT) have a keen sense of melody and the ability to layer sounds to develop rich music with or without a grooving dance beat in the background. This is a welcome step in the bands growth and is a sign of bright times ahead. If you are not on the MGMT train, its time to get on board.
This video is striking because the imagery brings out meaning in the song more than the average pop video. Congratulations is a lament on the band's growth and success. The band reflects on their contradicting emotions of loneliness on the road and the popularity that follows them there. The band is seen wandering through the desert joined by a star-wars style Muppet that looks like an anorexic dinosaur/bird/camel hybrid. The creature slowly deteriorates throughout the song, while the duo try to care for it and nurse it along in their travels. MGMT in the end produces a beautiful video where the song and imagery are both captivating. The lyrics of Congratulations are brought to life and given new meaning as the Muppet struggles to make the sand dune journey. Perhaps the greatest part of this video/song combination is that I find myself leaving the viewing experience with a desire to create something. See if the tune does the same for you-

Site of the Minute Profile- Shuffler.fm

During the past few years several great websites have popped up that change the way internet surfers discover new useful websites, and music listeners discover new music.  Today's post is a look at the first site I've found that does both simultaneously.  That's right, we are at the intersection of Pandora + Stumbleupon.  World, say hello to Shuffler.fm

Pandora:  This week happens to be the fifth birthday of Pandora.com, the home of the great music genome project.  Pandora revolutionized the way consumers listen to music.  Operating as a radio station where the listener does not have control over what songs will play next, the user interacts with the station to shape it over time so that familiar and new music fitting the listener's taste is delivered to their ears. 

Stumbleupon:  How does one discover new websites?  If you know what type of site you are looking for, a cursory google search can be great.  For the more adventurous soul, stumbleupon.com is the way to go.  Users of this site select a general category of site they are interested in finding (ex: music, ancient history, cyberculture) and the site delivers you to a random website withing your selected genre.  Users get to skip to a new site when desired, maximizing your control and ability to find new information fast.

Shuffler.fm:  Alas, meet Shuffler.fm.  This site is an absolute gem for music junkies with free time on their hands.  Shuffler is a hybrid of Pandora and Stumbleupon, delivering users new websites and music simultaneously.  The site works by categorizing music by genre.  Once the user selects a genre they are delivered to a random music blog and Shuffler streams a song mentioned on that blog.  Each time a song ends you are then delivered a new song and a new blog.  Of course, you can choose to bookmark blogs or stay at a site if you are really digging it.
The Shuffler project was launched on August 17, 2010 out of Amsterdam.  Already the site offers a wide array of genres to select from, including: hip-hop, indie rock, psychedelic, alt-country, funk, punk, dubstep, mashup, jazz and much much more.  Shuffler definitely requires the user to have time on their hands.  Unlike Pandora, you will want to be visually engaged with your streaming music as blogs are also being delivered.  I can't think of a better way to hear and learn about new music.  This site is particularly useful if you are interested in delving into a genre of music you aren't familiar with.  Give it a try and roll the dice- see what comes up on an eclectic channel like trip-hop, or even "Canadian" (wacky foreigners). 

Jenny & Johnny the Upcoming Album

Disclaimer: I have high expectations for any new music put out by Jenny Lewis whether its solo or with Rilo Kiley. Forget these other female pop-stars (Lady Gaga, Katy Perry...) who always seem to put a desire to be in the spotlight ahead of the primal urge to make amazing music and write inspiring lyrics. Lewis is the real deal American Woman hero.

Disclaimer: I'm a married man, but for Jenny Lewis there is an unwritten contract between my wife and I that given the opportunity I'm allowed to make out with her. How did I stumble upon this luck? (I married the right woman...) Lewis is simply so talented at what she does and so confident that she can make both men and women swoon in awe of her talent. That's right, if given the opportunity I think my wife would also make out with Jenny Lewis. All of this is gratuitous and about as likely to happen as the Yankees becoming a non-profit organization with the lowest payroll in baseball. The new album "I'm Having Fun Now" (released Aug 31, 2010) by lovebirds Jenny Lewis and Johnathan Rice shows that their romantic chemistry is strong as can be. Frankly, I'm not bitter about their romance. If a healthy relationship between Jenny & Johnny brings more music like that found on this album, he can have her!

I recently listened to the album which is currently streaming until on NPR until the release date. The big song stuck in my head at the moment is "Big Wave" which has all of Jenny's signatures. A great pop hook over snarling melodic guitars and a canvas of backing vocals. This is the classic Jenny Lewis song that makes you want to play drums on the steering wheal as you drive, and make your hair swing around as you move your head (I'm bald, but in my fantasy there is hair, and I'm swinging it shamelessly).

Throughout the album Jenny & Johnny trade roles taking the lead vocals while the other provides backing harmony. These two have voices that really compliment each other well. There is a fearless chemistry between them. Give a listen to the short and sweet "While Men Are Dreaming" which places Jenny Lewis lead vocals (double tracked for texture) over re-verb heavy guitar and a-Capella style punctuated backing vocals by Johnathan Rice.

Prior to this album I was not familiar with Rice, but it has not taken him long to convert me to being a fan. On the opening track "Scissor Runner," Rice and Lewis trade vocals and douse each other in beautiful harmony. Rice has a smooth voice and delivery similar to that of Lewis. Both artists are masters of going from soulful to edgy on a moments notice, and they each have a fun pleasing way of playing with syllables and the delivery of particular vocals.

This album gets a big enthusiastic thumbs up. I imagine it will be a mainstay on the Deutsch family stereo for some time. More info available at jennyandjohnnymusic.com

Album Review: Ray Lamontagne & The Pariah Dogs

The reclusive beard sporting man of the woods Ray Lamontagne is finally starting to sound as though he's enjoying life as a musician. Hooking up with The Pariah Dogs as his backing band, the album has a little more funk and groove than Lamontagne's early work. Overall, the move is a good one. Lamontagne has qualities that remind me of early Neil Young records where the brilliance of songwriting and singing came from a painful place. Both artists at times shine in their music when it sounds as if they are singing out of a physical pain too difficult to communicate by any means other than singing from the gut.

Opening track "Repo Man" swings with funk that could be written by Dave Mathews sans saxophone. The song exudes joy, and you can tell Lamontagne is thoroughly enjoying himself singing with a great rootsy country band. This music is truly worthy of the north-east wilderness a-la music from Big Pink (not to mention Ray's vocals are always reminiscent of Levon Helm). Moving on, the album has some tracks where Lamontagne falls back into his comfort zone. The insignificant "New York City's Killing Me" sounds as though Lamontagne was going through writing without emotion just to add another track to the album.

Other standouts include the first single "Beg Steal or Borrow," and "Old Before Your Time." Here is to hoping that Lamontagne keeps The Pariah Dogs around long term. By adding lap slide guitar, banjo, and a little bit of funk, lamontagne has found a group of musicians that bring strengths to his writing and singing that have not been so visible in the past.

Hide Your Kids and Hide Your Wife: YouTube's Accidental Star of the Minute

Folks, it happened once again. YouTube has birthed an “accidental” musical sensation. The unlikely star is Antoine Dodson (commonly misspelled as Dobson) of the dangerous Huntsville, Alabama. If you have not yet come across the song on the internet or terrestrial radio morning drive shows, you can see the video here "Bedroom Intruder".

Dodson's song was produced by the Gregory Brothers, (Twitter: autotunethenews) who have prior YouTube success by producing videos that remix tv news stories to hip-hop music and the auto-tune effect. Using their successful formula, the Greggory Brothers edited a local news clip of Dodson explaining how he saved his sister from a life threatening rape. Horrifying and dangerous yes, but Dodson adds flair to the original interview that results in pure comedy. Dodson is equal parts hero, thug, flamboyant queen, with a third grader's command of the English language. Amazingly, the song has become so viral that it has bee reported on by the BBC, ABC News, and others. Google Antoine Dodson and the following articles appear: " Antoine Dodson: Riding YouTube Out of the 'Hood' (NPR)," "Antoine Dodson is an Internet Star But at What Cost? (Clutch Magazine)", and dozens of websites with postings titled "Homo-Thug is Back- Antoine Dodson."

Dodson has embraced is sudden fame despite being the butt of many jokes and having nothing to do with production of the song. Perhaps the reasoning is that Dodson has suddenly turned a tragic event into a small goldmine. Bedroom Intruder is available for purchase on iTunes and has sold enough copies to be listed at 89 on this weeks Billboard Hot 100. Dodson and the Gregory Brothers are splitting the proceeds of the song 50/50, and Dodson has set up his own website www.antoine-dodson.com where he sells t-shirts and solicits donations. Dodson has embraced his inner "ghetto" by posting the following on his site: "Hey guys! I just want a real talk session with you guys on why I'm doing the fan line. This fan line will help me and my family move out of the hood and a percentage of the earnings of the fan line will go to a Juvenile diabetes charity."

Accidental success, butt of a joke, 15 minutes of fame. We can all debate the good and the bad, but for the Dodson family tragedy may be their ticket out of the ghetto and into the American dream. Viva la YouTube.