Safe As Milk

The title, “Boogity Boogity: A Tribute to the Comic Genius of Ray Stevens“, says it all.

I never got into Busta Rhymes outside of a handful of singles, but damn those were some singles.

“Do The Bus A Bus” jived perfectly with Jerome Bettis’ ascension as a top-shelf NFL RB and practically forces you to sing along with the chorus. Sadly, it ends with an unfunny skit so it never made it onto any mixtapes of mine.

“Gimme Some More” became the refrain of the Summer in 1998. I can’t believe that was almost 10 years ago. Ook.

Happy Friday.

It’s a beat record. That means it’s just the beat. No words. No scratching or mixing. Just drums and other percussion. There is a some occasional distortion, but each snare, kick, and crash comes from a person. One of three people, actually. Three guys playing drums. 23 tracks. Just over half an hour. It’s pretty awesome. It’s generally not something I would buy but Stones Throw doesn’t steer me wrong. It’s not for everyone. Especially people who like melody. Or words. But if you can get by with just a beat I recommend Bumps to you.

“A Safe Balm” and “Sniper Growl” are basically what you get here. Well-built, live drum beats. Enjoy.

I hadn’t heard this yet, but buried in this item about Hayden Panettiere’s 18th birthday is a mention of Kristen Bell joining the cast of Heroes this fall.

That’s sweet news, obvs. K Bell is a fave at Chez Flynn.

[thanks for the heads up, Michelle. You guys didn't think I was a regular Perez reader, did you?]

Here’s the link to the page of all of them.

If you haven’t been there in a couple of weeks there are a bunch of new mixes worth checking out. Mike said he’s pulling the page down after this weekend so the getting isn’t going to get any more good.

Go. Download. Enjoy.

It is happening again…

Mmm, delicious indie rock. Actually, The White Rabbits‘ debut album Fort Nightly might just be outside the fringe of what qualifies as indie rock these days. There are some perfectly placed bits of Latin rhythm and some heavy use of piano that aren’t found on every other rock record coming out of Brooklyn, NYC. Other than Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, of course.
In fact, the first thing I thought when I listened to Fort Nightly what that this should have been the follow up to CYHSY’s debut instead of Some Loud Thunder (which had too many problems to love). There is so much happening in a given song that you would swear it was noise, except it’s a terrific indie rock song. It’s (clearly -ed.) difficult to explain. Listen below to see for yourself.

This is certainly a standout album of 2007. If you don’t mind taking a chance on a record you could do a helluva lot worse.

“The Plot” is likely the song you have heard if you have heard anything by this band. I’ve noticed that it’s getting some play on the Sirius over the last couple of weeks. It’s a good thing, for sure, because this is an airtight first single.
“I Used To Complain Now I Don’t is a good example of the Spanish rhythm and unusual instrumentation that pops up a couple of other times on the record. Good times.

You won’t know how rad if you don’t click.

I always fall into the “remix album” trap. I need to make a rule for myself to actively avoid any remix project involving an album or artist I love(d) because I will invariably disappointed. The latest example is better than most, but I never listen to it because I much prefer the original songs. Stars‘ last album, Set Yourself On Fire was one of my faves in 2005. I still break it out every so often. It’s just that good.

Do You Trust Your Friends is a track-by-track remix of Set Yourself On Fire done by actual friends of the people in Stars. It’s a smart idea and far be it from me to second-guess what the band wants to do with the songs they wrote. Some of them are even really good (see below). I just, you know, like the originals better. If you can get past that I highly recommend this record. Otherwise, take a pass, Stars has a new album due out next month that you can download digitally right now from their label Arts and Crafts.

“Your Ex-Lover Is Dead (Final Fantasy Mix)” took forever to grow on me. The original is still so much better, but this remix will do in a pinch.

“The Big Fight (Minotaur Shock Mix) is another good one. Like I said, these are just fine. I just don’t like them nearly as much as the originals. If I’m gonna make time for Stars, it’s gonna be for the good stuff.