Halifax, Nova Scotia rapper over some Classified production. Classified‘s production is always so on point. His beats always make me wanna chill out.
On the Move – Ghettochild

New Incomparable Shakespeare with his songwriting partner Jon Solo. Hip-hop artists these days are all about indie rock samples, but how many of them got original indie rock compositions incorporated in their music? Inc Shaky making some good moves.
Tell Me You’re Crazy – Jon Solo and Incomparable Shakespeare

Here is something that, 2 years ago, my brain wouldn’t have been capable of comprehending. It’s Kid Cudi on Fallon’s show (yes, that still exists) performing “Maniac” with the help of Cage, St. Vincent, and The Roots. As far as execution, I’m still not sure. If you haven’t noticed, Cudi’s been carrying that guitar around a lot and there are talks of him starting a rock band and leaving this rap shit in the dust. I guess we all need to get a Rebirth out of our systems (think I might quit this music blogging seo shit and just focus on viral vid traffic instead).

Like I’ve said in the past, I know he might be disappointing some of his original fans by going in new directions, but I think he’s deserved some room for experimentation. Personally, I’m a fan of Cudder and I think his career in music is going to be interesting to follow. I think there will be some highs and lows depending on what you’re into and what you’re expecting, but I think people like Cudi who are creative and constantly trying to do something different are good for hip-hop.
Maniac – Kid Cudi

Cee-Lo continues to deliver. *The Lady Killer* drops Nov 9th & is shaping up to be one epic body of work! This song will be on the European version of the LP.
Please – Cee-lo

A lot of rappers have skill, but Theophilis London has style. And I’m not talking about his cool retro hats (but yeah, that too). No matter what this dude does, it all seems to fall in place – dusty beats, new wave sensibility, indie rock samples, Caribbean flavor – throw it all together, mix it up, and boom. I’m a big fan. I got to catch Theophilus live at a small venue during CMJ for the Green Label Music party and he was awesome – definitely not your typical rapper. He performs more like David Byrne from the Talking Heads than Big Sean or Wiz Khalifa. He showcased some of his new songs and it’s clear that he’s only getting better.
Life of a Love Remix – Theophilus London

At first I thought, “Why even cover The Beatles?” Everyone already likes The Beatles, right? Then it hit me. Hipsters don’t really like The Beatles. Now, “hipster” is hard to define, but I think one of the most essential characteristics of a hipster is a taste for things that other people do not know about or like yet. You know, like that cool BK psych-garage band that nobody knows about. You can’t get much further from this idea than the fregging Beatles.

With this cover, Rubblebucket allows even hipster elitists to enjoy the songwriting of John, Paul, George, and Ringo. They switch up the timing, make things a little harder to digest, a little spacey, and a little weird, for all those people who may not be able to appreciate something as straightforward as the classic “Michelle”. If you aren’t a hipster, don’t dismiss this one just because of what I said – everyone can enjoy a fresh twist on a solid song, and this remake is very well done. Check it out below.

Fresh off the release of the Triangular Daisies EP (Sin Duda Records), Rubblebucket is giving away the second track from the EP, “Michelle.” The track is the band’s left-field take on The Beatles’ Rubber Soul classic, which finds the band turning McCartney’s somber ballad into a spacey, orchestral groove
Michelle – Rubblebucket (Beatles Cover)

Ahh yes! Sleigh Bells finally has a video (although a fan made one) for my favorite song off their excellent debut Treats. I have no idea how the video, featuring a boy going through some intense training for a chess match against a one eyed villain, relates to the song, but I love both, and I’m gonna watch it all night until I understand it. Nah, I’ll prob just watch it one more time then go eat some cereal. Even if it doesn’t make any sense, it fits in with Sleigh Bells’ image perfectly. Evil cheerleaders? That pretty much sums up Sleigh Bells, right?

Theophilus London has linked up with Green Label Sound again, and just like round one (“Humdrum Town“), I’m loving the results. This time he brought a couple friends (one of them being Beyonce’s lil’ sis) for “Flying Overseas”.

“I met Dev for the first time in December 2009.” Devonté Hynes (Blood Orange) produced “Flying Overseas” and lends backing vocals. “I was immediately intrigued by his taste in music and decided that we should work together,” says London about the genesis of his writing and producing relationship with Hynes. “We have a lot of similarities musically and he’s without question one of my favorite producers today. He brings so much creative energy to everything he works on.”

“‘Flying Overseas’ was recorded in Park Slope, Brooklyn in January 2010 and then further worked on in LA,” explains London. “It was in LA that Solange joined us in the studio where she JAMMED out. Solange has a keen sense of melody and her voice adds a whole new level to the track.”

London continues to share background on the track, “This song is about a kid from Brooklyn having dreams of jetting off to an exotic land with a loved one. I want to inspire kids to travel. Traveling inspires my music the most. It has inspired the entire album I just finished writing.”

Flying Overseas – Theophilus London Version 2

Here’s a video of Matt and Kim performing “Silver Tiles” the other day at their secret MySpace show in Burlington, VT. I love these two. Sometimes I get an unsure feeling when watching them because there is something so seemingly wholesome about them, and I’ve never related well to wholesome things (except 90′s TV). Then they make eye contact with each other and smile, and my feeling of uncertainty melts away. Their enthusiasm is contagious. I definitely need to catch them live and wanna saw my arm off for missing them last month – damn weekday shows….am I getting old?

With the help of Director Jérémie Rozan, Montreal duo known as Chromeo has unveiled the latest video for their second single and opening track of their recent album, Business Casual titled Hot Mess.

You can find Business Casual, the third studio album of Chromeo, in stores now.