Listen to M.I.A.'s new album, the whole damn thing! For free!

You can thank Pitchfork for this one. Listen to M.I.A's new album on her Myspace, it's pretty wild. I'm not sure how long it will be there so get on it. /\/\/\Y/\, as it's called, is the Sri Lankan singer's third album. EIther she's a really forward thinker, or on a lot of drugs. I'm not quite sure what to make of it yet, but have a listen. It seems to be hit or miss on each song. If you like it, it's now available on iTunes

Daft Punk's Soundtrack for 'Tron' Out Soon, Maybe?

The French dance duo Daft Punk are producing the soundtrack for the remake of Tron as you probably know by now. But Spin tells us there appears to by some discrepancy about when the soundtrack is set to be released. Amazon reports the disc is to be dropped on November 23, which is three weeks before the movie comes out on December 17. Spin on the other hand, says a spokes person for the band told them that the album has no release date thus far.

Who knows, I suppose we'll find out in these up coming weeks. Of course we would all like to have it early, but if not I'm sure a leak will help us out with that.

Andre Nickatina Drops Skate/Clothing Line

There's really only so many times you can play shows in Santa Cruz and SLO. That being said, legendary Bay Area rapper Andre Nickatina has decided to officially drop his "skateboard, apparel, and merchandise company." Nickatina dubs it, ShereKhan Macheo. Yea, I don't really know either (apparently the company was made in 2000, who ever heard of it?). Anyways, check out that link to see the products. In my opinion they really aren't that great, just his face and name on a couple decks and shirts. The Mac Dre shirt is pretty sweet, but over priced. The release party is this Saturday, July 3rd at the Showdown on Sixth Street. It's free, and the ShereKhan is sure to be there him self. Unfortunately it is 21+, doors open at 9:00 pm.

Outside Lands Ticket Prices Lowered

The people in charge of Outside Lands have already noticed that tickets to the Golden Gate Park festival have been unusually slow. It could be the mediocre line up, or the fact that the festival this year is only two days instead of three. Whatever the reason, they have decided to drop ticket prices. One day passes are now $75 ($90 last year), and two day passes are $140.

The first year of OSL brought 130,000 people, mainly because of Radiohead. Last year, 85,000 people came out to see Dave Matthews Band and Pearl Jam. This year Kings of Leon and The Strokes headline, but OSL just can't seem to attract the ticket buyers. They also have a permit for Friday still, but couldn't attract someone big enough to headline the date.

The event's promoters, Another Planet Entertainment, told the Chronicle that they're "scared to death." What do you think about the lineup? Why can't OSL get the numbers Lolla or Coachella can?

Thom Yorke Predicts Death of Music Industry

Thom Yorke, singer of Radiohead and independent music advocate, has recently said the end of the music industry as we know it is just month's away.

"It will only be a matter of time - months rather than years - before the music business establishment completely folds. (It will be) no great loss to the world."

In the interview where he laid down this prediction, he also warned up-and-coming musicians to not sign with major labels, or else they risk being tied to the "sinking ship."

Yorke and the rest of Radiohead broke away from their EMI deal in 2007. They then released their album 'In Rainbows' on the internet while letting each individual fan put a price tag on the album.

So what does this mean for the industry (or what will be left of it)? Will it result in musical anarchy? An opening for smaller labels to jump in? A renaissance and revamping of the industry? Let me know what you think!

2006 World Results (Just a refresher)

The 2006 World Cup It was four years ago, and I'm sure we all need a refresher on how our favorite teams did. I'm just going to run through the last couple rounds, but for the record USA was eliminated earlier on. Though, they did tie tournament winner Italy in a game before they were knocked down by a defeat from Ghana. (Watch highlights below)

Quarter Finals

Germany 1-1 Argentina (Germany won on penalty kicks)
Italy 3-0 Ukraine
England 0-0 Portugal (Portugal won on penalty kicks)
Brazil 0-1 France


Semi-Finals

Germany 0-2 Italy
Portugal 0-1 France


Third Place Spot

Germany 3-1 Portugal


Final

Italy 1-1 France (Italy won on penalty kicks)



Watch highlights from 2006 here!

BFD Shakedown

Yesterday was Sunday-funday at Shoreline Amphitheater as Live 105 put on their BFD (Big Fucking Deal) Festival 2010. Four stages and dozens of bands came out to play in sunny Mountain View early morning. The festivities (and the heat) started before noon as thousands of alternative rock lovers parked in dusty lots and entered the venue.

The Soft Pack was the first band I watched. Their guitar tone and is fairly distorted on record, but for some reason it didn't translate very well live. It could have been the open-air acoustics (they played in a cement lot), or maybe the sound technician got a little too stoned before hand. The band didn't seem to be enjoying themselves either. The heat shouldn't have affected them (they're from San Diego), but it was early and the crowd wasn't very energetic either. Not the best performance of the day.

Up next were the alternative-reggae bro's the Dirty Heads. When they first walked on stage their long, blonde hair and fitted hats immediately gave away where they are from. Their performance was solid, and Rome (new singer for Sublime) even came out to sing his part on their single 'Lay Me Down'. The band its self isn't bringing anything new to the table for they sound very similar to the other white reggae bands out there (Expendables, Rebelution). But, they were fun to watch and the crowd seemed to really dig them. Plus, they had a drummer AND a bongo-beater. Always a plus in my book.

The Temper Trap was the best show of the day in my opinion. This band hails from Melbourne, Australia and played with the enthusiasm that seemed to be missing from every performance before them. The vocals and guitars were melodic, but their ability to create an atmosphere really showed during their single 'Sweet Disposition'. The bass player was especially funky, but each member seemed to be having a great time. Around the second half of their set they started to break it down and went through a beautiful jam session, heavy on the rhythm section. The singer stepped back from the mic and busted out a floor tom and crash cymbal and shit got wild. It was amazing to see a band step away from such a strict set list and actually show some talent while having fun.

Later in the day the main stage opened up for the headliners to do their thing.

First on the main stage was Cage The Elephant. It seems like these guys try a little too hard to create a southern-Seventies style rock sound. The crowd didn't seem to be paying much attention to them until they played their single 'Ain't No Rest For the Wicked'.

The Silversun Pickups were solid, but nothing special. Their singer's voice is unique and ghostly, and he impressed with his live ability.

Courtney Love and her band Hole cancelled all their pre-show duties (meet and greets, interviews) but managed to hit the stage on time, quite a feat for Ms. Love. She was obviously wasted (called them the Supersuns Pickups) but managed to remember all the words to her songs and surprised everyone with a good show. And in true Courtney fashion, she yelled, "this next song is hard to sing and I'm old so give me a break." Then Courtney had her assistant light her a cigarette.

Deftones were up next, and if you've never seen this band live I highly recommend it. This is their first tour after the release of their new CD Diamond Eyes and after the death of their bassist. The whole band is lively and their singer Chino must get quite the work out from all the running and jumping he did. His voice is angelic at times and hellish at others. At both those points though, his emotions pour from his lungs and it creates for a touching and amazing show. During 'Around the Fur' they even added a verse from Gorillaz 'Stylo'. What a show.

And now for the upset of the day, I present Sublime with Rome. The reggae-punk legends have come back and enlisted a man by the name of Rome to front them. He sings just like Bradley (RIP), but was out there in the middle of the stage by himself while the drummer, bassist, and sax player just hung out in the back. Poor guy, that must have made him deathly nervous. And he showed it, he seemed scared like he didn't know his boundaries or place in the band. I don't blame him though. It must have been nerve-wracking to know that thousands of people were waiting to place their judgement. The sound quality was weak during their performance which definitely hurt the show. The whole band seemed scared and un-energetic. The crowd remained mostly silent through the first couple songs but then eventually warmed up around mid-set when 'Date Rape' and 'Smoke 2 Joints' were played.

Over all, the show was just alright. Some performances were great, others sucked.That's to be expected at small festivals though. I'm not really sure the festival is deserving of the name BFD. And why the fuck was Bud Light Lime more expensive than Stella Artois?

The Green Rush

The Green Rush is a documentary that follows the lives of a couple people risking it all to take part in Northern California's #1 cash crop. Two grow operations inside the mountains of Mendocino county are followed through months of hard labor, piles of cash and fertilizer, and in one case, heartbreak. I never thought a documentary about weed could be so touching, but like many instances I was proven wrong. The directors of this hour long video did a great job capturing the lifestyle and emotions of these gardeners through the dangerous yet lucrative Green Rush of Northern California.

Watch "The Green Rush" Here

Artists Boycott Arizona

There's is now a band of, well, bands that have organized and decided to punish Arizona by not playing shows there. They call themselves The Sound Strike. This protest of course is in response to Arizona's extremely controversial illegal immigration bill that many believe leaves the doors wide open for racial discrimination and profiling. Bassnectar announced that he has been looking into joining the list of protesters. Already signed up are:

Cypress Hill
Conor Oberst
Los Tigres Del Norte
Rage Against The Machine
Joe Satriani
Kanye West
Rise Against
Serj Tankian
Massive Attack
One Day As A Lion
Sonic Youth
The Coup
Tenacious D

There's also a couple more, and the list is sure to grow once the word gets out about it. You can sign their petition and check out Zach de la Rocha's written statement on the site (linked above). Happy Protesting.

Lazerproof (La Roux/MajorLazer)

Major Lazer (Dj's Diplo & Switch) recently teamed up with singing sensation La Roux to drop a mix tape they fittingly dub, "Lazerproof." The mix just dropped and according to Diplo's twitter about 200,000 people tried to download it at once and crashed their server. The mixtape also features verses by Drake and Gucci Mane, and one song featuring the bass wizard Rusko. Given those names and that number it must be good.

Download and get the track listing for Lazerproof right here.

Wu-Tang Clan to perform '36 Chambers' at Rock The Bells

Wu-Tang Clan is once again headlining the Rock The Bells tour this summer, but that's not the news here. The legendary rap group also announced that they will be performing their debut album "Enter the 36 Chambers", in its entirety. That's definitely a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Also performing their debut albums at RTB are KRS-One and Slick Rick. This is definitely a good sumer for old-school hip hop fans.

So if you're free around mid-August be sure to check out the tour at either it's L.A. stop (Aug 21) or when it's up at the Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View (Aug 22). Other performers at the traveling festival include Rakim, Street Sweeper Social Club, Murs, Clipse, and Brother Ali.

World Cup Music

Caspa, the British dubstep producer, announced on his Twitter the other day that he was offered a show in South Africa in June during World Cup season. First of all congratulations to Caspa, no doubt there will be masses of people from all over the world at the show! Point number two being, I wonder what other shows will be going on around South Africa during that month? I'll be on the look out.

New Stuff: Flying Lotus and Foals

Flying Lotus is making such a name for himself that he played at Coachella twice this year (no lie).

His new album (Cosmogramma) was conveniently released on April 20 and is propelling him into the larger music discussion. It's getting great reviews, and for good reason.

Flying Lotus (aka FlyLo aka Steven Ellinson) mixes an experimental blend of jazz, drum and bass, dubstep, space-samba (really what you can genres you wanna throw out there). Oh, and he's related to musician Alice Coltrane. The talent must run in the family.

FlyLo has been mixing for quite a while and came up through LA warehouse scene. He's also playing in San Diego this summer at ResetFest with Bassnectar and A-Trak.

Speaking of Bassnectar (who recently BLEW THE FUCK UP and seems to be playing every festival for about a year now); it looks like FlyLo might follow right up in the experimental/dubstep foot steps of the SF deity.

Check out some songs below:

And the World Laughs With You (feat. Thom Yorke)

Velvet Cake

Parisian Goldfish (off older album)

---

The UK indie band Foals is back...right where they were before. The new albums called 'Total Life Forever', but there's really nothing that "new" about it.

Reports say that the band was "unhappy" with the sound of their last album. So I guess they gave it another shot, because it pretty much sounds exactly the same. That's not particularly a bad thing. I'm a fan of their dirty, poppy, disco-electro feel. And the sound is still fun, but personally I liked their last album (Antidotes) a little better.

Check it out for your self though, and let me know what you think.

Total Life Forever

Black Gold

Miami

LA Banksy Piece: Stolen from a wall?!

First of all, thanks to Josh for the tip. Second of all, this shit is just insane.

So Banksy, the famous UK stencil artist, was in LA recently putting on an exhibit (look it up). Keeping true to his nature, Banksy threw up some pieces while in town. The one pictured above is off 4th & La Brea. This is where Ben Baller comes in. The celebrity jeweler came across the piece at an old Chevy dealer and apparently had to have it. He admires the piece in his blog (linked here) and then says "the area is fenced, but I'm sure a plasma cutter and a few guys + van and the piece is GONE! (winky face)". Suspicious.

Later that day, he made another post to his blog. He showed a picture of the wall, the entire section of the wall where the piece had been was gone. One giant chunk of the wall, missing. This sarcastic post tries to start a rumor that Banksy stole the piece himself, but it's pretty obvious by reading the post that Ben swooped it.

"apparently the thieves had tape up and outlined the piece and did this obviously in broad day light with a van. FUCK!"

"...2 million dollars for this piece easy by tomorrow morning if it's not gone already..."

A picture of another LA Banksy piece.

All photo's and quotes from Ben Baller's blog.

Fuck, It's Monday.

Fuck, it's Monday. The Monday before a great, great weekend to be exact. That means it's gonna be twice as hard to get going in the morning. So here you go.

Rusko- Cockney Thug

Temper Trap- Sweet Disposition (Doorly Remix)

Band of Skulls- Death by Diamonds and Pearls

People Under The Stairs- San Francisco Knights

Gorillaz- 19-2000

Coachella Countdown: 2ManyDJs (9days)

There's only 9 days left. I hope you've all been getting prepared, I know I have. Tonight we're gonna check out 2ManyDJs from Ghent, Belgium. These two guys are better known for being apart of the group Soulwax, but here they mix some clever ass mashups and dance beats. If you're like me and haven't listened to them in a while, it's time to do some refreshing. The style is comparable to Girl Talk at times, disco at moments, and house at others. This shit slaps. They're playing Saturday so be sure to check them out, most likely in the Dj tent. Check out this mix. It's about 10 minutes long, great for getting ready in the morning. Or hit the links below for individual songs.

A Fifth of Beethoven

Bonkers (Bonkers remixes rule)

Fuck, It's Monday.

Well, it's Monday. We're all gonna need help getting up tomorrow after Spring break, so here's my contribution. A Dizzee Rascal remix done by Doorly. Some UK magic to get you goin'. Good luck. Check it here.

The Chemical Brothers: Taking it Further

The Chemical Brothers are coming out with a new album June 8th, entitled Further. This is the dancey duo's seventh album, and it comes packed with some exciting new features. The album will hold eight tracks, and each multi-media track is being backed by a unique visual experience. Adam Smith, a television director who is responsible for all CB visuals, will be teaming with others to produce these movies/visual trips/whatever you want to call them. The visuals will be available with the LP over iTunes as well as on a special edition DVD version of the album.

Coachella Countdown: Gary Numan (17 Days)

No, not Paul Numan. Gary Numan, and he plays something called a Polymoog. He's the 80's synth pioneer that's he's been praised by the Who's Who of contemporary music as a major influence. The 52-year-old is a UK native whose biggest chart success was 1980's Cars. New wave, industrial, synth-pop, it's all in the mix. He's performing Friday at Coachella, and it will be interesting to see how Numan is holding up these days. If he's on point though, we're in for a great time. Oh and he's a pilot that's licensed to teach aerial acrobatics. Check out some songs below.

Cars

Hybrid

Are 'friends' electric

Coachella Countdown: Sleigh Bells

Alright here's the deal. There's only 22 days left until Coachella (thank god), so we're all gonna get a little more acquainted with the lineup. I'm sure there's at least a couple names on the bill each of us aren't familiar with, but that's about to change. I'll highlight a new group every couple of days so stay tuned.

Sleigh Bells: This distorted, electro mess of a duo hails from Brooklyn and Florida. And they're starting to make a name for themselves. Just a guitarist and a sexy, female singer. That's all a band really needs anyways (watch the live video below). Sleigh Bells is appearing at Coachella on Friday, be sure to check them out if it's not too hot to dance. But is it ever? Fans of Santigold, M.I.A., and newer Yeah Yeah Yeahs will definitely enjoy.

Listen to a couple songs: Crown on the Ground A/B Machines

And a live video here: Infinity Guitar

Plastic Beach: Leaked

photo:thefader.com

Well it seems leaking your album is all the rage these days, and Gorillaz backed up this point yesterday when Plastic Beach was leaked. Yes, the entire damn album!

Wow. It really does sound like a plastic beach. Sunny and sometimes melancholy beats bubble-wrapped in funky. Listen here.

What do you think? It's a little different, I know. Leave comments!

2010 Lupe Fiasco- Laser Themed

photo:Lupefiasco-lupend.blogspot.com

Earlier this year Lupe Fiasco released aggressively-melodic groove called 'I'm Beamin' his first of 2010. Also released this year is 'Shining Down', a spacy tune with guitar sample featuring Matthew Santos; both songs will appear on Lupe's junior album titled Laser. And now, many of his Steppin Laser tour dates have been released on http://lupefiasco.com/ on which newschool rapper B.o.B will also appear. Lupe will be in S.F. on May 5th at the Regency Ballroom, ticket prices have not yet been released. Links to both songs can be found below.

http://popup.lala.com/popup/360569449464168356

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5L_RwclEc0

New Gorillaz song 'Stylo' leaked (by Russian pirates?!)

Just one day after Gorillaz was officially announced to headline Coachella, the first single off their new album Plastic Beach was conveniently leaked out onto the web. A Gorillaz member tweeted exclaiming that "Russian pirates" and leaked the song, and then followed up with another tweet confirming the song is indeed legitimate.

The song 'Stylo' features Mos Def and Bobby Womack over a new wave synth and drumbeat, and surprisingly make this odd combo work. Along with Gorillaz singer Damon Albarn the three come together to remind you that even though times may be rough love is all around. The song is low key, almost melancholy; Womack's power ballad inspires, but then gets a little tiresome towards the end of the song. Gorillaz proves here that really, the only constant is change; and really, music (just like history) repeat themselves.

The album Plastic Beach will be dropped March 9th, and a link to 'Stylo' is below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-SxlD74hvRk

Cozza Frenzy: Causing a Frenzy, Indeed

Photo: Bassnectar.net

Bassnectar’s ( alias of Lorin Ashton)new album Cozza Frenzy is much different than his origins, and he intended it that way. Lorin describes his sound as “omni-tempo maximalism”, embracing every sound and tempo possible to create a surprisingly signature sound despite the vague description.

Cozza Frenzy focuses more on the bassline than previous albums, which is the distinct sound of dubstep. Although Lorin does bring in some dubstep, he is hardly just jumping on the bandwagon. He makes these songs his own with his barrage of random glitches, warbles, and nostalgic sounds such as the innocent laughter of a euphoric child.

“Window Seat” is more true to Bassnectar’s original sound. The song is heady and spatial, creating a dreamy atmosphere like so many of Bassnectars earlier sounds. The opposite and more mainstream end of this album features songs like “Boombox”, a dubstep banger that is impossible to sit still too. The song is cut with phrases, bells and drops to create a recognizable Bassnectar sound that’s a little more dance friendly than before.

Zumbi of Zion-I makes an appearance on the track “Teleport Massive”. A hip hop beat constructed of grungy bass and a circus-sounding-sample back of Zumbis abstract rhyme about sound and partying. The song sounds like a what if situation about “if Dr. Evil created a dubstep party record”. Weird, but yet totally awesome.

Overall, Lorin continues to push the envelope not only in his own sound, but electronic music as a whole. So many artists limit themselves to a certain style, but not Lorin. The San Francisco native is very obviously inspired by life in itself and his music reflects that. He has exactly what it takes to be considered a legend; using of a wide range of influences, at a steady progression while keeping a signature sound. Cozza Frenzy is a personification of just that.