It’s TV on the Radio producer and musician David Sitek’s solo project Maximum Balloon and I’m listening to the most recently released track, “Groove Me” on a loop. What a way to live. I realize that, when inspired by music, I find myself thinking of LA’s freeways. You ever watch people roller skate to music? How happy and in the groove they are? That’s what this song is doing to me. Dancing is great, but in order to fully realize a beat as gorgeous as this, I think being on wheels would be best. If you cannot dance, if you cannot move, sometimes going for a drive is the thing. The swoop of an on-ramp, the tricky smooth transition to the fast lane: these are things that can emulate music. I am also beginning to think that certain keys and chords can actually induce happiness because I was in a bad mood half an hour ago. In the way discordant tones can cause visceral discomfort, I’d say “Groove Me” (featuring Theophilus London in one of Maximum Balloon’s many collaborations – see also Karen O, David Byrne and Tunde Adebimpe, among others) is an example of something completely concordant. It’s so good; each note hits me with a little ping of joy.

Previously released Maximum Balloon: “Tiger”: bouncy with a background kink.

Maximum Balloon¹s eponymous debut album drops August 24 with new tracks being intermittently released in these weeks prior.
-Serena Hedison

Glad this found it’s way in to my inbox. Mr Day has a serious Jam/Style Council/Paul Weller hangover. Which is totally acceptable as not much of that seems to be happening these days. Mr Day’s album Small Fry will be released on 6/7/2010 and reportedly has three ( maybe ) appropriate covers Dusty Springfield’s “Spooky”, T.Rex “Get It On” ( now that I’m reading it both those songs already have popular covers ) Hopefully Mr Day will put his spin on Sebastian Williams’ “Get Your Point Over,”

As We Enter - Distant Relatives

Distant Relatives | MySpace Music Videos

I had legitimate concerns about this pairing when I heard they were doing an entire lp together. With Nas’s blunted flow ( I can not confirm if he does smoke ) and Jr. Gong’s hot steppin’ style, there could have been a serious conflict in interest. But this track is hot, and the two artist compliment each other well.

Ok, is it wrong to just say that I could watch Sky Ferreira do her math homework and be completely drawn in? Because it’s true. This girl is gorgeous, which makes viewing her new video for “17” less about watching a story than watching her. But maybe that’s the point. Thing is, when her voice opens up and gets into a bit of a growl, you realize you’re seeing some serious talent here, whether she be writhing, pre-tryst, around the floor of her very girlish bedroom, or hooked onto the back of a motorbike, spot-lit and bootlegged. The more I watch “17” the more I dig it, even with all of its literal storytelling and cross-cutting. For some reason I’m reminded of Pat Benatar’s “Love is a Battlefield” video, which spoke to a generation of lust-filled and willful girls in a way that nothing quite had yet. The forbidden street, the moral inappropriateness of it all, and a voice that you wished you had.

-Serena Hedison

More nerds and with their toys and some rock and roll. This is cool not only because of whatever that thing is that is playing the melody ( anybody know? ) But because these think geek dweebs have one of these in their office. Why was this not invented in 1982? I would have totally had one!

Be sure and watch the making of video. It’s a rube’s goldberg machine on steroids.
Also this video was brought to you outside of the EMI umbrella via State Farm ( insurance people) which makes it very embeddable

I’m just getting caught up with the past few weeks but. This is hot. As a wise man once said “If you think it’s tough now.. Come to Africa”.

Learn more about Buraka Som Sistema and the Kurduro scene.

THE BPA ‘TOE JAM’ FEAT. DAVID BYRNE & DIZZEE RASCAL

Fatboy Slim (as Brighton Port Authority) and David Byrne (along with Dizzee
Rascal as guest rapper) have released a great video (full of blackedout
boobs and dongs) to go along with their new single “Toe Jam.” I think the
idea of Fat Boy Slim and David Byrne working together is genius. The
youngs should learn from the olds whenever possible. And there are much,
MUCH worse collaborations out there, as evidenced by this top ten worst
duets ever that I’ve put together below. Even worse is that everyone knows
that when artists collaborate they always, ALWAYS have sex after.
Read the rest of this entry �

Another country heard from in the long list of Justice D.A.N.C.E. remixes. This video from last summer’s 100 Miles And Running mixtape from Fools Gold’s DJ Nick Catchdubs. Wale is coming from D.C by way of Mark Ronson’s AllIdo by way of Interscope records. And we know sometimes Interscope doesn’t always handle hip hop well.

Great cameo in the video by Harold and his Purple Crayon.

Congratulations Santogold is Brooklyn’s Bjork,( kinda like I am the black Brad Pitt). Santogold has decided she is going to be an artist and not just a charicature of an brooklyn indie princess. This video ( directed by who? ) clearly shows she is going to push the enevelop of what is acceptable for women in hip hop to be portray as. Horse? Check. Uniformed sycronzied dancers? Check. Post apocolyptic smoke? oh yeah. And more vibrant crayola colored explosions, throw up, squibs and disembowlments than you can ask for in a 3 minute video!!! It’s kind of like the video I wish I made when I was 15 instead of spendng all my money on dime bags.