Flying Lotus - Cosmogramma

To me, one of the finest albums released last year was Flying Lotus' Cosmogramma. Intensely creative, using the whole spectrum between jazz and dubstep, hiphop and electronics Fly-Lo crafted a patchwork master piece. If you haven't listened to it, I suggest you do, but if you did, here's a nice peak in the kitchen of this master chef: alternate takes from tracks from the Cosmogramma album: Enjoy! 

1. Clock Catcher (Harp Arrangement)
2. Catacombs (Extended Version)
3. Pickled (Stripped Version feat. MatthewDavid)
4. Drips Mix3
5. Melting3
6. Galaxy In Janaki (2008 Version)
7. Galaxy in Janaki (String Solo)
8. Computer Face (String arrangement by Miguel Atwood-Ferguson)
9. Archway (Teebs remix)

Radiohead - Lotus Flower video persiflage

It's been only a couple of days since Radiohead released the video for their new song Lotus Flower, but many persiflage "tributes" to the video have been made allready. To see many more of them, please visit: http://dancingthom.tumblr.com/, but three favorites of mine are:

No Comment...

De Facto ft. John Frusciante

This was a long time ago but today I stumbled upon these video's again and I thought they're amazing. Omar Rodriguez is playing bass and Cedric Bixler-Zavala is playing drums (both of The Mars Volta). Also Isaiah "Ikey" Owens (TMV) is present and in the back you can notice some regular dude on the bongo's. They formed the dub band De Facto which released two albums and some EP's. Nice stuff... And on this performance Omar's good friend John Frusciante joins on stage with his $20.000 guitar...

Ethiopiques Vol. 8: Swinging Addis

Ethiopiques is a series of compact discs featuring Ethiopian and Eritrean singers and musicians. The first time I came around this series was back in 1999, with the release of volume 8 of the series: Swinging Addis. This is a fantastic collection of Ethiopian music from the years 1969 - 1974. The music, certainly the tracks by Alèmayèhu Eshèté, is heavily inspired by James Brown while other tracks feature jazzy, soulful, electric-keyboard-fueled tunes. The fact that most of the tracks were recorded with what sounds like a maximum of just one mic, provides them with a raw, extra funky sound. I don't know how your Amharic language skills are, but mine are not up to date, so I can't make anything of the lyrics. Not that this spoils the party in any way though. Click the picture to download and enjoy! In 2010 number 27 of the series was released so when you like this, please check other volumes too.


01.Ene Negn Bay Manesh - Girma Beyene 
02.Mar Teb Yelal Kafesh
03.Hasabe - Ayalew Mesfin
04.Tchero Adari Negn - Alemayehu Eschete
05.Betchayen Tegodahu - Alemayehu Eschete
06.Tessassategn Eko - Bahta Gebre-Heywet 
07.Gizie - Bahta Gebre-Heywet
08.Astawesalehu - Lemma Demissew
09.Adrashash Tefabegn - Lemma Demissew
10.Lezelalem Nuri - Lemma Demissew
11.Yetesfa Tezeta - Tesfa-Maryam Kidane
12.Aynotchesh Yerefu - Samuel Belay
13.Qeresh Endewaza - Samuel Belay
14.Set Alamenem - Girma Beyene
15.Yebeqagnal - Girma Beyene
16.Enken Yelelebesh - Girma Beyene
17.Betchayen Tekezie - Getatchew Kassa
18.Afer Yemegneshal - Alemayehu Eschete
19.Eskegizew Bertchi - Alemayehu Eschete
20.Ayalqem Tedengo - Alemayehu Eschete 
21.Honey Baby - Alemayehu Eschete

Bob Dylan - Mississippi

"Mississippi" is the second song on Bob Dylan's 2001 album "Love and Theft". The song was originally recorded during the Time Out of Mind (1997) sessions, but was ultimately left off the album; Dylan rerecorded the song for "Love and Theft" in May 2001. Three outtakes (two versions on two general discs and one on the bonus disc) of this song from Time Out Of Mind sessions were included in Dylan's "official" bootleg album Bootleg Series Vol. 8: Rare and Unreleased. Described as having beauty and gravitas, the song features a popchord progression and with a riff and lyrical theme similar to "Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again". In 2009, Rolling Stone named "Mississippi" the 17th best song of the decade, calling it "A drifter's love song that seems to sum up Dylan's entire career, and a rambling classic that ranks up there with 'Tangled Up in Blue'."

This song is awesome in every version Dylan recorded, as every version is very different in feel and in instrumentation, thus here I present to you all four versions. If you think you don't like "new" Dylan albums, try these songs and you'll be cured. These are the lyrics and download the four tracks here. I've been listening to these songs for weeks now, and they don't grow old...

1. Mississippi (Love & Theft) [5:21]
2. Mississippi (Time Out Of Mind Sessions, Version 1) [6:04)
3. Mississippi (Time Out Of Mind Sessions, Version 2) [6:22]
4. Mississippi (Time Out Of Mind Sessions, Version 3) [6:20]
Total time: [24:05]

Every step of the way we walk the line
Your days are numbered, so are mine
Time is pilin’ up, we struggle and we scrape
We’re all boxed in, nowhere to escape


City’s just a jungle; more games to play
Trapped in the heart of it, tryin' to get away
I was raised in the country, I been workin’ in the town
I been in trouble ever since I set my suitcase down

Got nothin' for you, I had nothin' before
Don’t even have anything for myself anymore
Sky full of fire, pain pourin’ down
Nothing you can sell me, I’ll see you around

All my powers of expression and thoughts so sublime
Could never do you justice in reason or rhyme
Only one thing I did wrong
Stayed in Mississippi a day too long

Well, the devil’s in the alley, mule’s in the stall
Say anything you wanna, I have heard it all
I was thinkin’ 'bout the things that Rosie said
I was dreaming I was sleepin' in Rosie’s bed

Walkin' through the leaves, falling from the trees
Feelin' like a stranger nobody sees
So many things that we never will undo
I know you’re sorry, I’m sorry too

Some people will offer you their hand and some won’t
Last night I knew you, tonight I don’t
I need somethin’ strong to distract my mind
I’m gonna look at you ’til my eyes go blind

Well I got here followin' the southern star
I crossed that river just to be where you are
Only one thing I did wrong
Stayed in Mississippi a day too long

Well my ship’s been split to splinters and it’s sinkin' fast
I’m drownin’ in the poison, got no future, got no past
But my heart is not weary, it’s light and it’s free
I’ve got nothin’ but affection for all those who’ve sailed with me

Everybody movin’ if they ain’t already there
Everybody got to move somewhere
Stick with me baby, stick with me anyhow
Things should start to get interestin' right about now

My clothes are wet, tight on my skin
Not as tight as the corner that I painted myself in
I know that fortune is waitin’ to be kind
So give me your hand and say you’ll be mine

Well, the emptiness is endless, cold as the clay
You can always come back, but you can’t come back all the way
Only one thing I did wrong
Stayed in Mississippi a day too long

Copyright © 1997 by Special Rider Music

Omar Rodriguez Lopez - Telesterion

From Omar Rodriguez' website: "We are happy to announce the spring 2011 release of a quadruple LP / double CD collection culled from the eclectic body of work of Omar Rodriguez Lopez’s solo and collaborative albums.

The extensive 37-song (38 on the vinyl version) compilation titled Telesterion showcases the variety and breadth of explorative artistry spread across his 25 (and counting) solo albums harvested for this release. For those unsure where to begin discovering Omar’s vast catalog, this is a fitting introduction. Telesterion includes a 20-page booklet of artwork, un released photographs and text, with liner notes by longtime friend and Rodriguez Lopez Productions art director Sonny Kay.

Telesterion will be released on Record Store Day, April 16th, 2011. In celebration of this, Rodriguez Lopez’s group will perform at this year’s Coachella Festival and SXSW Music Festival (Sargent House/Rodriguez Lopez Productions official showcase). Headlining tour dates are also in the works for late spring, and will be announced soon."

Since I'm a harcore Omar enjoyer I couldn't wait for this release to happen. I made the first CD in a continious file, with the volume of the different tracks levelled. I think Omar did an excellent job choosing these songs. Listening to these songs one after the other is pretty orgastilistic and I think not including the EP's and the more noise-orientaded albums and Frusciante colabs makes this release more of an unity. Smell this 177mb/320kbps Telesterion! (play it  ridiculously loud!)

CD 1

01. Locomocion Capillar (Solar Gambling)
02. Population Council’s Wet Dream (Old Money)
03. Amanita Virosa (Xenophanes)
04. Coma Pony (The Apocalypse Inside of an Orange)
05. El Monte T’ai (Calibration)
06. Sex, Consolation for Misery (Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fungus)
07. Deus Ex Machina (A Manual Dexterity, Soundtrack Vol. 1)
08. Rapid Fire Tollbooth (Se Dice Bisonte, No Bufalo)
09. Un Buitre Amable Me Pico (Solar Gambling)
10. Half Kleptos (Cryptomnesia)
11. No Hay Mas Respuestas (Cizaña De Los Amores)
12. Solenoid Mosque (Minor Cuts and Scrapes in the Bushes Ahead)
13. Melting Chariots (The Apocalypse Inside Of An Orange)
14. Dead Hisses to Match Our Own (Megaritual)
15. How to Bill the Bilderberg Group (Old Money)
16. Polaridad (Tychozorente)
17. La Tirania De La Tradicion (Se Dice Bisonte, No Bufalo)
18. An Ancient Shrewdness in the Veins (Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fungus)
19. Noir (Cryptomnesia)
CD2
20. Calibration (Calibration)
21. Viernes (Ciencia De Los Inutiles)
22. Spookrijden Op Het Fietspad (Omar Rodriguez)
23. Boiling Death Request a Body to Rest Its Head On (Se Dice Bisonte, No Bufalo)
24. Victimas Del Cielo (Cizaña De Los Amores)
25. Las Flores Con Limon (Solar Gambling)
26. At the Push of a Button (Megaritual)
27. Asco Que Conmueve Los Puntos Erogenos (Xenophanes)
28. The Power of Myth (Old Money)
29. El Todo (Tychozorente)
30. The Palpitations Form a Limit (A Manual Dexterity, Soundtrack Vol. 1)
31. Agua Dulce De Pulpo (Un Escorpion Perfumado)
32. Poincare (Solar Gambling)
33. Shake is for 8th Graders (Cryptomnesia)
34. Atrotecism Fenleon (Minor Cuts and Scrapes in the Bushes Ahead)
35. Casate Colmillo (The Somnambulists)
36. Desarraigo (Xenophanes)
37. Lunes (Ciencia De Los Inutiles)

Air - Safari Deck Part I & II

In 2002 Air "released" two double disc mix CD's with music that formed an inspiration on the creation of their first album Moon Safari. The four discs in total feature songs form their personal music collection and the songs give a nice insight in what music Air was listening to when working on Moon Safari. It starts with Speed of Life by David Bowie and the first thing that entered my mind when listening to that song in this context is: " That's where they got the snare sound for for the song Remember", and Papa by Prince has the same Rhodes sound as Air's Talisman. The list goes on... But music geek stuff aside, these are also some very interesting and cool mixes. They also, in a way like an ouroboros, included some Air specialties. Smell the Air!

Air - Safari Deck Part I

CD 1

01. David Bowie  - Speed Of Life
02. The Beatles - The End

03. Beck  - Where It’s At (Lloyd Price Express)
04. André Previn - Executive Party Dance
05. Dopplereffekt - Pornographic Movies
06. M.A.S.H.* - Suicide Is Painless
07. Quincy Jones - Summer In The City
08. Serge Gainsbourg - En Melody
09. Soft Machine - The Soft Wead Factor
10. Michel Polnareff - Computer Dream
11. Minnie Riperton - Loving You
12. John Lennon - How Do You Sleep
13. Jean-Jacques Perrey - Flight Of The Bumblebee
14. Beastie Boys - Car Thief
15. Ween - Roses Are Free
16.  The Cure - In Your House
17. Sly Stone - In Time
18. Frank Sinatra - Drinking Water (Aqua De Beber)
19. Prince - Crazy You
20. Kraftwerk - Statovarius

CD 2

01. Small Faces - Ogden's Nut Gone Flake
02. Beck  - Electric Music & The Summer People
03. Air - Malfunction
04. The Velvet Underground - Ocean
05. Money Mark - Pinto's New Car
06. Richard De Bordeaux - La Drogue
07. Stanley Cowell - Travelling Man
08. Supergrass - Lose It
09. Funk Factory - Rien Ne Va Plus
10. Brian Eno - On Some Faraway Beach
11. Michel Polnareff - Polnareve
12. Harry Nilsson - Everybody's Talking
13. Francis Lai - Generique FR3
14. Phoenix - City Lights
15. The Pharcyde - Passin' Me By (Remix)
16. Chic - At Last I Am Free
17. David Bowie - The Man Who Sold The World
18. Beck - Deadweight

Air - Safari Deck Part II

CD 1

01. Pink Floyd - More

02. Jacques Dutronc - Le Temps Des Copains

03. Horace Andy - Spying Glass

04. Lou Reed - Lady Day

05. The Rolling Stones - Fingerprint File

06. Air - Remember (David Whitaker Version)

07. Parliament - I Just Got Back

08. The Beatles - Tomorrow Never Knows

09. Brigitte Bardot - Contact

10. Dusty Springfield  - The Look Of Love

11. Etienne De Crécy - Prix Choc

12. Iggy Pop - Dum Dum Boys

13. Thomas Bangalter - Ventura

14. Prince - Papa

15. Air - Summer Love (Demo Version)

CD 2

01. The Beatles - The Word
02. Funkadelic - No Head No Backstage Pass
03. Air - You Make It Easy (Demo Version)
04. Dick Hyman - Give It Up Or Turn It Loose
05. Shirley Bassey - Light My Fire           
06. Prince - The Ballad Of Dorothy Parker
07. Château Flight - Monorama
08. Serge Gainsbourg - Cannabis
09. Michael Jackson - Ben
10. The Beach Boys - Don't Talk
11. Money Mark - Trust
12. Snoop Doggy Dogg - Gz And Hustles
13. Beastie Boys - Transitions
14. Prince - Bob George
15. Scratch Pet Land - Post It           
16. Jimi Hendrix - Up From The Skies
17. Timmy Thomas - Why Can't We Live Together
18. Kool & The Gang - Summer Madness

Bright Eyes - The People's Key

What a cool way to promote your new album! (Although the album leaked all over the net by now). It's been almost 4 years since Bright Eye's last album Cassadaga and on February 15th, 2011, singer Conor Oberst's birthday, the new album will be available in record stores. You can also pre-order the cd or vinyl from Saddle Creek. This is the track list:

1. "Firewall" 7:17

2. "Shell Games" 3:56

3. "Jejune Stars" 4:10

4. "Approximate Sunlight" 4:25

5. "Haile Selassie" 4:33

6. "A Machine Spiritual (In the People's Key)" 4:20

7. "Triple Spiral" 3:51

8. "Beginner's Mind" 3:55

9. "Ladder Song" 3:58

10. "One for You, One for Me" 6:37

I'm following this band since 2002's Lifted or The Story Is in the Soil, Keep Your Ear to the Ground, a true master piece, as far as I'm concerned. I'm gonna dive into this one now.