I’m trying to come clean here, so if you’re already a fan let me just say I have no excuse for missing Shut Up, Dude when it was first put out.  I have no idea why I avoided it, and if you think a little less of me I will understand.  Perhaps I should do some sort of musical penance being that I’m confessing here.  Maybe I should be forced to listen to the complete discographies of Nickelback and Creed in order to make up for this injustice.  And I would be willing to do that if it didn’t take away time I could spend listening to both Shut Up, Dude and the more recently released Sit Down, Man.

I’ve been through Shut Up, Dude now a few times and can’t wait to start digesting Sit Down, Man.  A lot of folks were drawn in by internet sensation “Combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell”, but for my money I’d say check out “Ek Shaneesh” if you want a better idea of what these guys are capable of.  Playing on their decidely Middle Eastern look, the song is full of sitar and sterotypical chanting of sorts.  Don’t let that take your attention away from the rhymes that kick off by referencing Tony Bourdain and then begin to take on the vibe of an uncensored version of the globetrotting chef’s No Reservations episodes; by that I mean lots of boozing and smoking.

Look, long story short, check out the video below and score both of the aforementioned mixtapes for free, courtesy of the group’s website and Mishka.  Oh, and did I mention these guys have connects to Diplo?  Yeah, the man produced the track “You Can Sell Anything” for Das Racist.  So if I didn’t give you enough reason to check it out, a guy who is cooler than me and you, combined, thinks enough of these dudes.

Fizzy, fuzzy, yum, yum.

Album out 2/15 on Fat Possum.

This is how music used to look.

I used to love making mix tapes and still love making mix CDs and playlists.  Whether its a road trip or, just as today, a way to avoid doing work, putting one together is one of my favorite past times.

Without further adieu, here’s a quick play list (and a brief explanation for each song) that is getting me through today and ready for the weekend:

1. Black and Yellow – Wiz Khalifa – I live in Pittsburgh; this has become something of a rallying cry as of late.  That and it’s way better than the infernal “Here we go Steelers” song.  Also, Wiz is super laid back and keeps me from getting stabby at work.
2. Monster – Kanye West – I cannot stop listening to this song.  Nicky Minaj’s verse alone is worth the price of admission.
3. Howling for You – Black Keys – These sons of bitches are everywhere.  On SNL.  On the Colbert Report (fighting Vampire Weekend frontman Ezra Koenig).  On the soundtrack for video games.  On commercials.  Good thing the song is everything that this latest wave of blues rock should be.  Plus the Rock and Roll pt. 2 biting drum beat never fails to get the toes tapping.
4. Get Off of my Cloud – The Rolling Stones – This might be my favorite Stones’ song.  It always puts me in a good mood.
5. Don’t Let me Down – The Beatles – A lesser light, as far as the “hits” go.  This song makes me want to play music, or perhaps more accurately, be able to play music.
6. Rotten Hell – Menomena – Starts off innocently enough and builds to a challenge to take it outside.  It’s basically a microcosm for my Friday. 
7. Mysteries – Yeah Yeah Yeahs – It’s a jangly, bouncy, perfectly crafted mess of a song.  It feels like something I should be listening to over cheap beer in a dimly lit bar in one of the city’s less desirable neighborhoods.  Then Karen O’s voice comes through and immediately everyone looks at me and gives the look of “you might want to leave before the end of the song.”  I no longer fit in, but this song shreds at the end, so it’s worth it.
8. Walk in the Park – Beach House - This song is for later.  You know after the whole drinking cheap beer thing.  It’s mellow, somewhat contemplative and just generally soothing.
9. Birth and Death of the Day – Explosions in the Sky - To prove that this list is not in chronological order, this is the perfect song for the start of my day.  As with a lot of their stuff it builds from next to nothing to quite the crescendo.  The rolling drums toward the end get me every time; why, I don’t know.
10. Bodysnatchers – Radiohead – Gets me ready for my long cold walk after work.  That, and read Cracked.com’s article on easter eggs in famous albums here (Radiohead’s at #8).  Crazy, eh?

"You guys are cool with me wearing fish net to the photo shoot right?"

Jane’s Addiction has seen the departure of Eric Avery (yes again) and has enlisted Dave Sitek of TV on the Radio to join them as part of their “creative team” (Thanks Pitchfork and AV Club for the heads up).

Dig your feet into the sand until you reach the cool layer just below the surface. Feel the sweat of your beer bottle slowly drip over your knuckles. Smell the hot charcoal and cool cocoa butter. Lean your head back, close your eyes, and watch the sun through the pink of your eyelids.

Summer is gone but not forgotten. Here are some tunes to help you remember.

Download: CMI’s Infinite Summer

Tracklist:

1. The Drums – Let’s Go Surfing
2. Surf City – Headin’ Inside
3. The Magic Kids – Hey Boy
4. Rainbow Bridge – Big Wave Rider
5. My Teenage Stride – Naval Gazing
6. Fluffy Lumbers – Cruisers
7. pow wow! – So Weird
8. Family Portrait – Mega Secrets
9. Holiday Shores – Phones Don’t Feud
10. Dum Dum Girls – Ship of Love
11. Ganglians – Voodoo
12. The Love Language – Lalita
13. Kurt Vile – Freeway
14. Real Estate – Beach Comber
15. Beach Fossils – Vacation
16. Girls – Lust For Life
17. Neon Indian – Deadbeat Summer

The coming months will see not one, but two new releases from Stephen Pastel and company. Let your inner pop geek rejoice.

Devon already weighed in with his favorites of the year so far. I considered being patient (we’re 2/3 of the way there – dammit!), but here’s my list anyway.

• Let’s Wrestle – In The Court of the Wrestling King
• The Pains of Being Pure At Heart – s/t
• The Drums – EP
• Cymbals Eat Guitars – Why There Are Mountains
• Camera Obscura – My Maudlin Career
• Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
• God Help the Girl – s/t
• My Teenage Stride – monthly singles (I know it’s cheating)
• Yo La Tengo – Popular Songs
• the dodos – Time To Die

Image courtesy of freeloosedirt.

Not to be confused with Uncle Scrooge and his mischievous nephews, Ducktails chooses not to cut through the late summer haze but instead embrace it like a long and sweaty hug. Landscapes LP out now.

MP3

• Future of the Left – Travels with Myself and Another
  
• Cymbals Eat Guitars – Why There Are Mountains
  
• Mos Def – The Ecstatic
  
  
  
• Obits – I Blame You
  
• Wavves – Wavvves
  
• Woods – Songs of Shame
  
• Pains of Being Pure at Heart – S/T
  
• Japandroids – Post-Nothing
  
• Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavilion
  
• Crocodiles – Summer of Hate
  

Ponytail – Celebrate the Body Electric (It Came From an Angel)

We recently recieved a letter* from a reader asking if we could find a video that was guaranteed to give them a headache if not make them vomit all over themselves – I think we delivered. Plus Bikesnob NYC recently commented that this band is the Primal Jersey of the music world – while not exactly a compliment, I think it is important to maintain cultural relevance and link to BSNYC whenever possible.

*By letter, we mean that I could not come up with a more original way to introduce this video.

Grizzly Bear – Ready, Able (Live on Letterman)

Cass McCombs – You Saved My Life

This track sounds slowed down in a way that perfectly reflects a hot summer afternoon as Cass weaves his way through a crowded festival. This is what’s it like to “be somewhere” without really feeling any connection to your surroundings, kids.

Mr. T Experience – Ba Ba Ba Ba

Lately I’ve been revisiting my 15 year-old self’s love of bay area pop-punk. The Mr. T Experience always struck me as a cut above the rest. Their love-lorn lyrics were always a little more clever than the majority of their snotty counterparts. The band’s frontman later on went to prove me right, by writing the clever and quirky “coming of age” novel, King Dork. This track comes from my favorite MTX album, Love Is Dead.