"louis is doing backflips in his grave right now"

Mixtape 7 - 2010-03-26

Xploding Plastix - Treat Me Mean, I Need the Reputation
Amateur Girlfriends Go Proskirt Agents (2001)

Tony: Formerly a part of the Norwegian black metal scene, Jens Petter Nilsen and Hallvard Wennersberg Hagen bring a fresh perspective on acid jazz.

Wayne Shorter Quartet - Smilin' Through
Beyond The Sound Barrier (2005)

Elliot: From perhaps my favorite recording of whatever decade ended in December. It behooves you to listen to the whole album as soon as you can. Wayne Shorter on saxophones, Danilo Perez on piano, Brian Blade on drums, John Patitucci on bass.

Galactic - Cineramascope (feat. Trombone Shorty & Corey Henry)
Ya-Ka-May (2010)

Chris: Big thanks to my friend Nabil for showing me this band. Galactic is a jam band from New Orleans that incorporates funk, rock, and hip-hop. There is a huge variety of styles on this album, but nothing does it for me like catchy brass hooks over breakbeats.

Osvaldo Golijov - Second Image: Federico. Balada
Ainadamar (2006)

Sidd: I don't consider myself as someone who likes opera. But this song from Osvaldo Golijov's 2007 release is something else. This song shows the direct influences from Flamenco and Middle-Eastern music, that combined with that freaky surreal dialogue in Spanish at the end makes this song so so good.

The Smashing Pumpkins - Starla
Pisces Iscariot (1994)

Neil: I've been on a huge Pumpkins kick lately, so sorry if this song isn't interesting enough for you guys. I tried to pick one of their more obscure songs because you guys have probably heard "1979" and "Today" a million times.

Mixtape 6 - Ladies Edition - 2010-03-19

Since March is National Women's History Month, I asked our contributors to choose a song that features a female artist.

Alice Coltrane - Ptah, the El Daoud
Ptah, the El Daoud (1970)

Neil: It was either this or "One Less Bitch," by N.W.A. Oh, and what Elliot said.

Natural Self feat. Elodie Rama - Midnight Sun
My Heart Beats Like a Drum (2010)

Tony: This song features an up-and-coming French singer, Elodie Rama. I can't get enough of her voice.

Alice Coltrane - Blue Nile
Ptah, the El Daoud (1970)

Elliot: From John Coltrane's widow, the pianist/harpist/composer Alice Coltrane. The influence of her husband on Alice's work is immediately apparent. I dig the instrumentation on this track in particular, but the whole album is worth a listen. Alice Coltrane on harp, Pharoah Sanders on flute (right channel), Joe Henderson on flute (left channel), Ron Carter on bass, Ben Riley on drums. The rest of the album has Alice on piano and JoeHen/Pharoah both on tenor.

Lauryn Hill - Doo Wop (That Thing)
The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (1998)

Chris: Yeah, I cheated with this one. I must have heard it hundreds of times on the radio when I was growing up. But Doo Wop really is my favorite song on The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, and while she doesn't fully demonstrate her singing talent here, her rhymes are exceptional. Plus the music video for this song is awesome.

R.I.P. Alex Chilton

One of the main songwriters of the band Big Star, and a teenage member of the Box Tops, died Wednesday of a heart attack. He was 59.

Mixtape 5 - 2010-03-12

A little late this week, sorry bout that. Also, computers can't pronounce "kayo dot"

Kool G Rap & DJ Polo - Ill Street Blues
Live and Let Die (1992)

Neil: One of the illest songs in all of hip-hop by the illest MC in the game.

Kayo Dot - The Manifold Curiosity
Choirs of the Eye (2003)

Tony: Perfection. Nothing comes close.

Kid Koala - Basin Street Blues
Some of My Best Friends are DJs (2003)

Chris: Kid Koala applies his turntable virtuosity to some Dixieland samples. Magic ensues.

Herbie Hancock - Rain Dance
Sextant (1973)

Elliot: This is from Herbie's last album with the Mwandishi band, a fusion project from the early 70s where his experimentation with synthesized sounds began. This also happens to be the last record he made before the wildly successful Headhunters (1973), but I like his work with Mwandishi a bit more. Herbie on keys/synth, Bennie Maupin on reeds, Eddie Henderson on trumpet, Julian Priester on trombone, Buster Williams on bass, Billy Hart on drums, and Dr. Patrick Gleeson on synth.

Mixtape 4 - 2010-03-05

The Blue Method - Let Me See You
Kill the Music, Vol. 2 (2007)

Chris: The Blue Method is a funk/soul band that borrows heavily from the legends in those genres. I first heard them a couple years ago on WPRB but I only just got my hands on this album. On "Let Me See You" they do a great job of emulating James Brown's style, but the real treat comes at about 3/4 through the song-- watch out for it.

Boris - Ibitsu
Akuma No Uta (2003)

Neil: Boris is one of the best hard rock bands to really come into their own in the last decade. Yeah, they're a hard rock band, and don't let those hipsters tell you different. Boris is great because they're so goddamn eclectic. Their music has elements of sludge, post-rock, drone doom, stoner metal, shoegaze, and pretty much everything else you could think of (ok, the last one's not true.) Anyway, you should get all their albums so you can be ready when they decide to release an avant jazz freak-folk album of trip-hop covers. Or something.

Nawal - Hima
Putumayo Presents: Women of Africa (2004)

Tony: I heard this CD playing at an Ethiopian restaurant. There's just something really intriguing to me about listening to music in other languages.

Paul Motian - Osmosis Part III
I Have the Room Above Her

Elliot: This is a beautiful song from a wonderful trio recording entitled 'I Have The Room Above Her' (2005). Paul Motian (on drums) has an incredibly unique and expressive sound, and is best known for his work with the Bill Evans Trio in the 1960s. Four decades later he is still making some of the best music of his career. Joe Lovano on tenor sax and Bill Frisell on guitar.

Depotax

Hilarious, horrifying, and somehow ridiculously catchy. Watch the showcase video.

http://depotax.com/