(Rock) On/Off

Mirah: "The Light"
From C'mon Miracle (K Records, 2004)


The Black Keys: "When the Lights Go Out"
From Rubber Factory (Fat Possum, 2004)

Both of these albums are hot, and I could easily upload like 3/4 of the tracks from each of them, but I'd like to believe that blogs like this encourage (rather than replace) music purchases, so I'm limiting myself to just two songs.

If I had to map Mirah, I'd place her somewhere in the space separating Liz Phair and Bjork. A more important middle ground, though, is the balance she finds between immediate, pop appeal and the kind of depth (both sonic and lyrical) that encourages repeat listens. "The Light" begins with Phil Elvrum's drum machines stomping through puddles of filtered distortion, before suddenly dissolving into a weightless acoustic tremble halfway through. The effect is something like being sucker-punched, then softly kissed on the mouth.

Despite the similarities in lineup (guitar/drums duo), origin (Midwest), and name, don't confuse The White Stripes with The Black Keys. The BKs actually recorded their latest album in an abandoned rubber factory, but there are no pretentious statements about the post-industrial urban landscape here, only blues-tinged bangers like "When the Lights Go Out". Dan Auerbach sparks it with a piston-pounding levee (drum) break, while Patrick Carney adds just enough vocals and guitar to maintain the song's lovely slow burn.

Deep Covers

Lou Rawls "For What It's Worth"
From Feelin' Good (Capitol, 1968)

Sergio Mendes & Brasil 66 "For What It's Worth"
From Stillness (A&M, 1970)

Damn, just when I thought I had come up with a nifty name for this post, I do a little searching on the internet to find this. As if I haven't bitten O-Dub's steez enough, I've gotta keep this title cause that's what this post is all about: great covers covering already great songs, in this case the immaculate "For What It's Worth" by Buffalo Springfield.

The idea stemmed from a recent "ipod on random" session when it flipped to Lou Rawls' version of "For What It's Worth" produced by the almighty David Axelrod. Taking the originally somber piece and flipping it completely, Axelrod provides Rawls with an upbeat funk backing to play with. For me, literally anything Axelrod touches is golden and this one is no exception.

Sergio Mendes' version is another fine example of a great cover, using a minimalistic soundscape and sultry female vocals. This track along with the break at the beginning makes this record one of Mendes' most sought after, even though it's a fairly easy find if you're a persistent digger.

Covering songs is tricky business cause it's easy to come off wack, but I think these two are wonderful examples of how artists can take already classic songs and remake them into something of their own. For a more in depth look at how dope covers can be, definitely try and track down O-Dub's Deep Covers mix CD as he drops a lot more knowledge than this measly post.

We're Back

Sorry for that unexpected outage. We've relocated to another server so hopefully bandwith will no longer be a problem.

Anyways, thanks for making earfuzz a huge success in its first month of existence. I don't think any of us expected it to blow up as much as it did, and I think we owe a lot of credit to soul-sides and all of the other blogs and websites that deemed us worthy enough to link. Thank you.

So keep coming back. We have so much more to share and say, as well as a site redesign coming soon.

Eric B For President

Try listening to Paid In Full on your day off from work and/or school. I'm sure Eric B could serve George W.

She's Gonna Blow!

We're approaching our bandwith limit for the month here at earfuzz, so if our site goes down in the next week you know why. If that's the case please come back in March.

But until that happens, updates per usual.

It's All Love

Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth: "I Got A Love (remix)"
From I Got A Love 12" (Elektra, 1994)

[It seems I that have the honor of being the first one to post here after we got put on blast. In light of this, I'm throwing up something that will (I hope) promote peace and level-headedness rather than blog beef.]

"I Got A Love (remix)" is one of my absolute favorite songs for just cooling out at home on the late-night/early-morning tip. I know I'm a little late in hopping on the Pete Rock remix bandwagon, but the interaction between original and remix for "I Got A Love" has always impressed me. Following the woofer-testing bass and hands-in-the-air chorus of the original, the remix provides a subdued (yet equally dope) complement: Pete Rock slows down the drums, coats the track in thick layers of keyboard, and chops the hook down to a single dubbed-out syllable. Aiiight, chill...

Prefuse + Ghostface + El-P....Oh My

Prefuse 73 feat. Ghostface and El-P: "Hideyaface" and "Hideyaface Reprise (Shaolin Finale)"
From Surrounded by Silence (Warp, 2005)

So I heard this rumor a while ago that Prefuse 73, Ghostface, and El-P were working on something together, although the exact details always remained elusive to me. A hot collab in theory, the idea of it being true seemed unlikely just because the involved artists seemed to be on totally different pages music-wise, but Ghostface over just about anything, especially some Prefuse heat, sounds like a good deal to me.

Well, rumor no more, Prefuse's single called "Hideyaface" featuring Ghostface and El-P is dropping February 21st on Warp records. I've never really iked El-P as an emcee, and it's no different here, especially next to Ghostface who kills it as usual. Yeah, it takes some time getting used to hearing him over Prefuse's signature sound, but like I said before, Ghostface almost always comes correct.

The Heart of Lee Perry and the Congos

The Congos: "Children Crying" and "Sodom and Gomorrow"
From Heart of the Congos (Black Ark, 1977)

"Solid Foundation (Disco Cork Mix)"
From Heart of the Congos: Original Recording Remastered (Blood & Fire, 1996)

I always have trouble compiling best of lists, but this album may very well be in my top twenty or so favorites. Despite my general unfamiliarity with reggae, and more specifically roots, this is the most complete such album that I have come across which has now become one of the defining statements in Jamaican music. Credit should certainly go to The Congos, comprised of Cedric Myton and Roydel "Ashanti" Johnson, but most will agree that the true greatness of the album is the result of the production genius of Lee "Scratch" Perry.

Released in 1977, Heart of the Congos utilized a lot of the limited studio technology that was available at the time. Using equipment like the Echoplex reverb, Mutron phaser, and filtered through a Soundcraft board, Perry created a near dream state of sounds that complimented the vocal harmonies of Myton and Johnson perfectly. Everything is so seamless, beautiful, and undeniably sublime that they practically melt in your ears.

"Children Crying" is a perfect example of Myton's falsetto blends layered with Johnson's tenor, and despite the track's title, it's about as beautiful as songs can get. What's crazy is that Perry used distorted cow noises throughout the track, something I never realized until someone pointed it out, but it just demonstrates the sheer brilliance of his production and creative control. The album also includes backing vocals from Gregory Isaacs, the Heptones, the Meditations, and Perry himself.

I can see how it would be hard for some people to get into this album at first since it's really quite unorthodox when it comes to reggae music, but it's definitely one of those things that just gets stronger after each listen. Currently there is a remastered edition that contains an extra disc of rarities and alternate mixes that is definitely worth picking up. This was the version I bought when I first heard about the album, then I found the OG for $20, and finally the vinyl special edition for cheap. To me it's not crazy having three copies of this wonderfully realized piece.

As influential as much of Perry's music is, Heart of the Congos is perhaps the defining moment in his career, and seminal in every sense of the word. If anyone can recommend albums like this one please do.

You're going to get exactly what you deserve....

Presage: The Media
From: Outer Perimeter (Future Primitive, 1998)
Presage: Aliens
From: Outer Perimeter (Future Primitive, 1998)
Presage: One Breaker, One Move
From: Breakin Rules EP (Devious, 1997)
Presage: Invitation 2 Hell
From: Urban Revolutions (Future Primitive, 2000)

So the rad thing about this whole mp3 blog phenomenon is that it's like being a DJ, but with a more captive audience that you get to yammer at for a little bit. It's like when you lived in the dorms, and would invite your little crew over, sit in beanbag chairs, and stare at the stereo for a half hour. Appropriately enough, for my first foray into this internet music opium den, I'm pulling out a couple records by a crew whose music received its fair share of late night blacklit appreciation.

Presage's Outer perimeter pretty much split my wig as far as what could be done within the dj mixtape format. I dig a lot of rock concept albums; but with the addition of found dialogue and a wide variety of sampled source sounds, not to mention an above average balance of focus and abrstraction, Mr. Dibbs and Jel really push the shit over the edge. You get President Bush, Visa commercials, Frank Zappa, and Jello Biafra all in your ear over rough ass drums, making you check over your shoulder and under your bed for Big Brother. It's suitably dark, neck snappingly funky, unreasonably paranoid, and dead fucking accurate.

Predating the Illuminati centered "Outer perimeter," Dibbs and Jel did a couple tracks as Presage for the Breakin' Rules EP, a record of cuts aimed at breakdancers put together by Ohio's Illstyle Rockers b-boy crew. It has the same aesthetic of hard drum breaks and topical vocal samples as the LP, but isn't really as fleshed out or interesting.

For more of what made the full length so cool, you're better off checking out "Invitation to Hell," from the Future Primitave's Urban Revolutions comp and Dibbs' Random Vol. 3 (both of which are considerably easier to find, anyway). This one gets back in the "I sit alone in my 4 cornered room staring at candles" vein, meditating on the dark side of religion, and opens with a nice usage of Can's "vitamin C," which Maru featured last week.

I wouldn't mind running off at the mouth about Mr Dibbs and Jel's respective backgrounds and current activities, and all that business about underappreciation etc, but I'm new to the blog thing (the writing therof, at least), and probably shouldn't blow my load on the first post...

Cleaner Than a Bar of Soap

Wu-Tang Clan: "Protect Ya Neck (Bloody Version)"
From Protect Ya Neck 12" (Loud, 1993)

The other day I copped The Wu-Tang Manual. There's some pretty interesting stuff in it – annotated lyrics, essays on influences (chess, comics, PCP), and even a section on RZA's beatmaking techniques for production nerds like me. One thing that isn't there, though, is an explanation of why the f*ck they put a censored version of "Protect Ya Neck" on 36 Chambers, which is something that always bothered me. So, while I may not have an answer, I do have a dirty version, for anyone who wants it.

Sonic Boom!

Sonic Youth: "Stones" and "Peace Attack"
From: Sonic Nurse (Geffen, 2004)

So as I was walking to class the other day perusing my ipod for the perfect music companion, I happened to stumble across Sonic Youth's latest offering, Sonic Nurse. I've been a fan of their's for the past few years, captivated by their deep sonic explorations that have always overshadowed vocals as the main attraction. I suppose their whole career has been built upon this principle and is why they've become one of the most influential rock bands over the last couple decades.

But back to Sonic Nurse which has been affecting me ever since the other day. I definitely remember putting it on my ipod months ago, actually a little excited to hear some new Sonic Youth material, but for some reason it's taken me this long for it to catch the attention of my often overzealous scrolling thumb. This one sees many similarities to their grungier material of the late 80's, but matched with the underlying beauty of rising guitar riffs and simple tones and harmonics. I find the two minute ride from "Stones" quite enjoyable as well as the wailing outro, while the arrangements on "Peace Attack" are similarly interesting, but feel fluffier only to serve as the perfect conclusion to the album. There are so many layers to their music, I'm now inspired to go pull out some of their older stuff since it's been quite a while since their vinyl have touched my tables.

On another note, I read in Vinyl Junkies by Brett MIlano that guitarist Thurston Moore is quite the record collector.

You and me both buddy.

Neon Threads

Fresh Prince: "The Fresh Prince of Bel Air Theme (Full Version)"

Fresh Prince was the shit back in the day and I still think it's one of the best African American sitcoms since The Cosby Show. The first season came out today and thanks to Netflix I'm watching it as I type this. I'm not sure how Will Smith convinced NBC to give him his own show, especially since turning an emcee into an actor seems like a strange move for a major network. Obviously it was extremely successfull, although Smith's hip hop image on the show slowly washed away as the seasons went on. The first season is interesting though because, like any sitcom, you really get to see it stripped down to its bare essence. It can be mildly awkward and unfullfilling at times, mainly because the characters haven't developed into the ones we know and love, nor has the show really found its voice, but it's still entertaining to see Will Smith parade around in those bright ass clothes that were embarassly in style at the time.

The first season also features the opening credits theme in its entirety, a full three minutes that was soon shortened to the version most of us could recite on the spot back in Jr. High and probably still can.

Listen up cause you're gonna have to learn it all over again.

Oh snap, season one also has the episode with Don Cheadle (one of my favorite actors).

Can't Stop Won't Stop

I'm always a sucker for good hip hop journalism and documentation. I mean I was born in 1980 and I don't think I started listening to MC Hammer and Vanilla Ice until like '88 or something like that, which means there were nearly two decades of bubbling hip hop culture that I missed. Can't Stop Won't Stop: A History of the Hip Hop Generation by Jeff Chang looks to be the most comprehensive overview of hip hop's existence, starting in 1968 all the way up to 2004. 500+ pages, this is practically a hip hop bible. Essential.

Extra Large

Common: "Resurrection (remix)"
From Resurrection 12" (Relativity, 1995)

Organized Konfusion: "Stress (remix)"
From Stress 12" (Hollywood Basic, 1994)

Large Professor: "IJUSWANNACHILL"
From IJUSWANNACHILL 12" (Geffen, 1996)

Even though he played baseball (and kept it rolling at halftime) all through the early-to-mid-90's, Large Professor always seems to get overshadowed by the other two capital-P producers of that era. It's a shame, since he was definitely MVP material. In his own words: "known for programming the percussion / basslines, etcetera, check me out and I'll bet ya / the one that claims that he's the best can't catch a / beat like I catch it."

Indeed, few others could take the title tracks from two classic LPs and manage to flip them each 180°. On "Resurrection," a reflective Rhodes sample reveals the concerns beneath Common's carefree wordplay, while the horn-laced hook on "Stress" somehow manages to transform OK's chant of 'Crush! Kill! Destroy!' into a summertime singalong.

"Queens represent, buy the album when I drop it." But he never did. Or rather, they never did – for whatever reason, Geffen permanantly shelved The LP. Though probably remembered best for the widely bootlegged "One Plus One" (with Nas), it also contained gems like "IJUSWANNACHILL," which lays a beautifully simple hook over crisp drums and low-key guitar plucks.

Hall of Fame, where you at?

Serge Big Baller

Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin: "Je T'aime Moi Non Plus" and "Jane B"
From Je T'aime (Fontana, 1969)

Serge Gainsbourg: "Melody"
From Histoire de Melody Nelson Original Soundtrack (Phillips, 1971)

"Cannabis"
From Cannabis Original Soundtrack (Phillips, 1970)

"If you were leaving for a desert island and you could only take one record..." Answer: "Gainsbourg, the complete works, naturally." Reason: because in Gainsbourg there's everything, poetry, humour, provocation, hopelessness, love, sex, alcohol... Gainsbourg is you, me, everybody, Gainsbourg is ugly and beautiful, Gainsbourg is also jazz, the java (inane), reggae, rock, funk...from Le Poinçonneur des Lilas to Love on the beat . So, for that desert island, Gainsbourg definitely - or nothing at all.

Yes indeed, Gainsbourg may be a strong candidate for the "deset island" question, it's hard to say. But most would agree that he is one of the most important pop icons of the 20th century. Born Lucien Ginsburg in Paris in 1928, Gainsbourg's rise to cultural icon started as a painter, pianist, and guitarist, inspired by musicians like Billy Holiday, Dizzy Gillepsie, and Thelonious Monk. Eventually his success as a piano player branched out into songwriting for other people until he realized that nobody could sing his songs as well as he could. His name was changed and he officially abandoned painting in order to focus solely on music.

Similar to Bob Dylan, Gainsbourg managed to fuse together musical, cultural, and political movements into an unparalleled artistic vision as his raspy voice accentuated his dark humor and cynical charm. Musically, Gainsbourg experimented with a variety of sounds, naturally drawn towards rock and roll guitar and adding African rhythms, mambo, jazz, eventually touching virtually all facets of music by the end of his career.

Perhaps the most momentous time period was his partnership with British actress and singer Jane Birkin. Together, they produced one of Gainsbourg's biggest hits and one of the most controversial pieces up to that point in time. The beautiful "Je T'aime Moi Non Plus", which I believe translates to "I love you...neither do I," was banned in several countries for its explicit sexual content complete with orgasmic sounds. The impact of this song still resonates today as many artists such as Donna Summer and Nick Cave have attempted to cover the track.

There's obviously a lot more that can be said about Gainsbourg, but I'm not qualified to delve too deep nor is there enough space for such a dense career. I haven't read it, but Serge Gainsbourg: A Fistful of Gitanes by Sylvie Simmons is supposed to be one of the best biographies on the man, and there are a number of compilations that would be good starting points for anyone looking to explore his music.

The Sons

The Sons: "You Can Fly"
From The Sons (Capitol, 1969)

Apparently The Sons, formerly The Sons of Champlin, were a psychadelic rock outfit from the San Francisco Bay Area during the late 60's and early 70's. I found their self-titled record on a recent trip to New York. I actually grabbed it based on aesthetics alone and threw it on the in-store turntable, skimmed threw it quickly until I hit "You Can Fly" and was greeted with a heavy drum break that I immediately recognized from Hard 2 Obtain's "Bust Me Down." No further listening was required as I quickly filed it into the "to buy" stack. When I got home I was pleasantly surprised hearing the track in it's entirety. It's quite a monster, clocking in at just under twelve minutes, but it manages to hold your attention throughout. I'm not familiar with any of their other material, but I'd certainly check them out based on the strength of this track alone.

Hodge Podge

Afreaka!: "Hymn to Mother Earth"
From Demon Fuzz (Dawn, 1971)

DJ Jamad: "Elevators (locsmif remix)"
From Outskirts: The Unofficial Lost Outkast Remixes (ITL, 2004)

Cymande: "Bra" and "The Message"
From Cymande (Janus, 1972)

Can: "Vitamin C"
From Ege Bamyasi (Spoon, 1972)

This is my first music post so I'm gonna throw a little bit of everything at you.

Let's start with the inspiration for this site's name, as well of one of my favorite albums at the moment. Afreaka! was an obscure group from the UK that successfully fused together jazz, funk, and rock music. Sure many groups have done this, but what I think separates them from the pack are the strong arrangements, progressive intrumentation, and overall more interesting sound. It's hard to pick out a favorite track, but I always gravitate towards "Hymn to Mother Earth" as it maintains an almost bluesy feel interspersed with psychedlic and funky bits. An amazing track to just chill to after a hard day's work.

Outkast will remain one of my all time favorite duos until they release a few more Stankonia's. Well, that album's not that bad, but the others just blow it out of the water. I don't think I've listened to it in its entirety since the first couple weeks that it came out. Anyways, I picked up this double CD at Turntablelab by DJ Jamad which features a ton of Outkast remixes, either using other beats or, from what I can tell, original productions. Both discs are pretty solid, but one of the remixs for "Elevators" is on some other shit. Although it doesn't surpass the original, it does exactly what a remix is supposed to do and flips the script using this real chill jazz vibe as its backbone, completely reinventing the track.

When I first saw The 25th Hour (great movie btw), the scene where Anna Paquin is dancing in slow motion left a lasting impression. Sure, she was hot, but it was the track playing in the background that really got me. I remember feverishly trying to find out the artist by typing in lyrics into google and coming up with the name Cymande (pronounced Sah-mahn-day), a group of eight self-taught musicians from Great Britain. The song in question is called "Bra", a super funky cut that for some reason sounded so fine within the context of the film. The club scene also happened to feature another Cymande song called "The Message," which may sound familiar to The Coup fans for its use in "I Ain't the Nigga."

I know very little about Kraut Rock, but I do know that Can is considered legendary in the genre. The first track I heard by them was "Vitamin C" off of a mix the Vinyl Monkies did for Beta Lounge. It has an almost infectious quality with its frenzied tempo and haunting vocals by singer Damo Suzuki. The whole album, entitled Ege Bamyasi, is absolutely killer and is a good starting point for anyone looking to venture into the crazy world of Kraut Rock. Surely more explorations into the genre to come in the future.

Welcome

So folks, after months and months of neglecting my website and paying for valuable webspace, I've finally decided to jump on the blogger bandwagon. Honestly, I think it's the way to go because not much has been going on in my dj life to warrant a 100% dedicated website. That doesn't mean I won't mention projects and mixes I might do here and there, but the main purpose of the site will be to spread the word on music I'm feeling and think needs to be heard. I've been doing a lot of digging over the past year and have uncovered some downright amazing music. While hip hop will always be my first passion, it has only grown into an obsession for other genres. From funk, jazz, rock, soul, breaks, electronic, reggae, latin, indie, lounge, moog, they all have some subtle relationship to hip hop, and even if they don't, good music is always inspirational.

Ear Fuzz will aim to bring this music to the forefront. Each update will focus on one or two artists accompanied by any background information I can dig up, in addition to mp3s representing what I think is the best material by the featured artist(s). And don't think this is just going to be a history lesson; I fully intend on featuring contemporary music as well. Some days I may even throw out some cool bits of urban or pop culture and art at you to mix things up. Really, I think this site will have something for everyone.

I hope to update the site two or three times a week so check back accordingly.

Thanks for coming and enjoy.