Mashups aren’t anything new to the world of music, but rarely do we get to hear a truly well produced and well crafted set of songs. In the case of Viva La Hova, Terry Urban and Mick Boogie do a fantastic job showcasing some of the best songs from Jay Z’s library to date, by meshing them with the smooth sounds of Coldplay. The result is undeniable satisfaction resonating through the listener’s earlobes.
Viva La Hova is a collection of twenty mashups, several produced by Boogie and Urban, and the work they do here is fun to dive into. Things get moving quickly with “Public Speeding” as Jay-Z’s infectious beats chime in with the introductory lines “Allow me to re-introduce myself/ My name is Hov’, OH, H-to-the-O-V/ I used to move snowflakes by the O-Z/ I guess even back then you can call me/ CEO of the R-O-C, Hov’!”
The chorus to this mashup is reserved for the distinct vocal prowess of Chris Martin as the Coldplay song “Higher Speed” takes off in the chorus. While a strong start, the sounds only get stronger.
Many apologies for the lack of postage, but I’m (Bassey) totally moving to New York tomorrow so I can review some live shows, interview more bands and generally be a media elite. We’ll have a new column from Tim Williams up tonight, but until then, this video is awesome. Don’t forget to vote Nov 4! You totally promised Dave
From the first tones of the opening track “Genesis,” an epic makes itself apparent. Forgive Durden’s latest album, Razia’s Shadow: A Musical, is just that - an ambitious piece performed as stagecraft and backed by instrumentation reminiscent of the orchestra pit.
What stands out most, however, is the endlessly imaginative writing of Thomas and Paul Dutton, who construct a world, inflict it with love and tear it all down over the course of 13 tracks.
Indeed, Razia’s Shadow is a reminder that the best music isn’t all that different from a good book. Each builds a landscape in your mind with full characters that are enriched - not confused - by an endless smattering of new detail.
So have you gotten a chance to check out Justice? What about getting the time together in your hectic schedule to see them live? Even better… What about being cool enough to be “back stage”? Probably not. Thanks to multi-award winning directors and intimate friends of the band Romain Gavras (”Stress” director) and So-Me (”D.A.N.C.E.”, “DVNO”, Justice will have a live DVD/CD/Documentary hit shelves on December 9th, just in time for you to buy it as a gift for your preferred religious holiday. This documentary covers their 3 week US March tour and shows you every gory detail of life on the road of this Grammy-nominated French duo. Check out the trailer after the jump.
The duo of Joey Burns and John Convertino have been known for the range of instruments contributing to their eclectic sound. Calexico’s latest album, Carried to Dust, aspires to capture part of the struggle of the writer’s strike that has just barely left our recent memory. Part of is it a sort of folksy, adventurous tone that utilizes a lot of instruments (including an accordion!) to achieve its soulful chillness. The sound is distinctly latin-southwestern with a definite nod to Calexico’s last albums, but the tracks come out not nearly as soft and lulling as their work with Iron and Wine.
They define themselves quickly in tracks like “Crystal Frontier,” and then elaborate on that vision with tracks like “Going to Acapulco with Jim James.” Sure, the album is a collection of horn-heavy strife-ridden anthems, and the loose affiliation with an otherwise get-over-yourself type of protest comes off as a little pretentious. Despite the message, the tracks are solid and definitely worth a listen. Check it out if you’re willing to chill for a bit, but don’t want to fall asleep.
Pompeii’s latest effort, Nothing Happens For A Reason - out now on Eyeball Records, is available for streaming here. We promise you that this record is a great accompaniment to Fall activities such as: pumpkin carving, leaf crunching, beard growing, cave-cricket fighting, violent crimes, apple picking, squirrel dodging, pie baking and hot cider drinking. Delicious. Nothing Happens For A Reason is riddled with warm tones, delicate hooks and some of the finest album artwork I’ve ever seen (judge this book by it’s cover) by the talented Elizabeth RIccardi.
For fans of: Death Cab For Cutie & Explosions In The Sky. $10 | PURCHASE | STREAM
Yeah, I know you. You’re that person who has people over and winds up scrambling around looking for that old Jock Jams CD. Still, you figure it’s better than your friends, who seem to have Beyonce, Lil’ Jon and 50 Cent on continuous loop. Indie music is great and all, but let’s face it, you need some tunes that go down a little better with those shots of Admiral Nelson. That’s where The Hot Box comes in.
The Minneapolis-based instrumental rap group’s debut EP Extended Play puts Jordan “Vision” Sandvig’s inventive lyrical screeds over a ridiculously talented five-piece. The result is six tracks you’ll be humming in the shower for weeks.
“Which indie band can get nude on stage the fastest?? Who has the skinniest front-man?? Oh! That weirdo David Bowie sounding band!”… Once you get that out of your system (as well as the cheap PBR) it’s time to come back to the basics: great song writing & production. That is exactly what indie veterans The New Year have going for them and they deserve every ounce of your attention. Their new, self-titled record is out now on Touch & Go. Get it.
The hip hop world has a unique history of artists co-opting each others’ work, a phenomenon that probably has more to do with the process of producing a rap album than some special culture. When a rock outfit wants to pay tribute to another band, they learn the chords, do a half-assed impression of the singer’s voice and get on with it. Not so in rap, where downloading a beat and rapping the same words over it could be accomplished by a functioning moron. (We’ll ignore all the functioning morons who write their own verses for now.) Instead, rappers big and small take collections of hot beats someone else probably bought from a producer and re-write the songs to create a mixtape. But does this constant recycling of material stifle hip-hop’s progress?
Believe me, I would love to steal all of his ideas. But for now, this will have to do.
It’s time for this editor to debate the only person with the stones to take himself on. Here’s a little feature we’ll call: Challenging Opponent™.
Welcome to Air & Sea Battle. What is this site exactly? It’s a web magazine, a record label, a hobby, a passion, a creative outlet and a positive community. Sometimes we recommend great products to you and sometimes we even make those products on our own. We’re artists, journalists, musicians and individuals looking to finally implement ideas that we have had outside of our day jobs. This isn’t about selling ourselves, it’s about spreading the word on great ideas and quality entertainment as well as bringing to light issues we are passionate about.
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