Some New Stuff

After that super long Top 10 post, which took forever to write, I think it's time for some new stuff.

Everyone Nose - N*E*R*D N.E.R.D. After a long hiatus (4 years) N*E*R*D, Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo from The Neptunes along with Shay Haley, are to release a new album called Seeing Sounds in June, and are currently touring with Kanye West in support of that record. The first single, Everyone Knows, was released on their Billionaire Boys Club blog, devoted mostly to their clothing and shoe lines. A very enterprising group of men to say the least! The track is a bona fide original! It opens with an a capella chant of "All the girls standing in the line for the bathroom", then breaks into to funky beats and bass with Pharrell's unique vocals leading the listener through a scene in a club. Containing one of my favourite lines: "A hundred dollar bills! Look atchoo, atchoo!", this track is super fun, funky and terribly cool.

Campus - Vampire Weekend Vampire Weekend (2008) The blogsphere has been all over this brand new group from New York, and for good reason. The well crafted tunes from these talented artists are both catchy and technically impressive. The effortless compositions with both African and alterna-rock influences catch the ear and make the feet want to more. Their debut, self-titled album has many great tracks, but my favourite is Campus. Though a really fun and upbeat track, it seems to be about a time of post break and continually seeing the ex on campus. The catchy chorus: "How am I supposed to pretend, I never want to see you again" gets my hand waving in the air in time with the beat every time I listen hear this song.

Day 'N Nite (Crooker's Remix) - Kid Cudi Day 'n' Nite (2008) Annie Mac dropped this track for the first time last week on her show The Mash Up on BBC Radio 1. It's fresh beats gets the head bopping at the outset. The track keeps it interesting by switching it up often. A hip hop feel, crazy cut ups, a touch of R&B mashed up with some Drum & Bass... this song has it all! Even a dynamic use of an industrial alarm is included in this mix of the highly acclaimed hip hop offering by the Ohio based artist. Kid Cudi is all about the music. He has yet to release a proper album, but he has developed his own unique sound. Not driven by the bling that his counterparts so frequently rap about, he prefers to concentrate "on making something powerful, something that’s beyond words" (HHNLive Interview), a very respectable attitude for a new-comer(ish) to the hip hop scene. This fresh mix is my introduction to the Crookers, but the duo hailing from Italy bring this track such fabulous dancability that I'll have to check into more of their work for sure!