The Budos Band -- III

  There I was, at a local downtown watering hole, gulping down copious amounts of beer and whiskey.  The owner pulls out this Ethio-esque Afro beat'd Jazzy Soul album by The Budos Band.  Needless to say my evening wasn't as successful as this killer record.  I made it home ok but totally puked in my sink, which left a barftastic odor in my apartment, luckily I cleaned 'er all up and have kept a great memory of this album!

Deer Tick -- War Elephant

  Deer Tick made me think of an updated, Indie Folk Rock version of the Mountain Goats with the extra nasally, rough, louder notes of Billy Corgan.  I like how it's part cute, part tough and part backwoods shit kicker, but it's never uneven or awkward, the album has good a flow in its changes, I can't help but admire their Band-esque air of wastecase musicianship!

Beastie Boys -- The In Sound From Way Out!

  So ... if you are getting wasted on a school night, or at my age a work night, with your buddy, and want something to play dueling djembes to, look no further than The Beastie Boys The In Sound From Way Out!  This Booker T and The Mg's-esque Soul/ Jazz instrumental compilation has tracks that range from very good, pretty ok and f*cking shit, but albums like these show their diversity and talent, who else could jump from Hip Hop to Hardcore Punk to mellow instrumentals in one fatal swoop!

Sharon Jones And the Dap-Kings -- 100 Days, 100 Nights

  I'd like to say that these guys are throwback Soul/ Funk revivalists, but goddamn their shtick is so real that they are rewriting R & B music, undoing all the damage that Disco had made over the years.  Sharon Jones And The Dap-kings definitely know how to throw it down with sweet Soul and deep Funk!

William Onyeabor -- Who Is ...

  Who Is William Onyeabor acts like a best of from 77-85.  This Nigerian oddity is like a Funky version of Kraftwerk.  Little is known about the artist but it'd be even less if David Byrne weren't scouring the African countryside discovering what he can! 

Hip Club Groove -- Trailer Park Hip Hop

  Man I can't believe I never put two and two together.  I've been a huge Trailer Park Boys fan for years and knew Sloan had put out a Hip Hop album on Murderecords, pre-show, but never realized, until now, it was Cory Bowles from Cory and Trevor fame ... I mean c'mon a Halifax Rap group associated with Indie guys with an album called Trailer Park Hip Hop, "WHAT IN THE F*CK", how did I not know this?!?  At first glance I assumed it would be funny and sound like a joke but the music has a cool Beastie Boys edge with an element of humor, of course, but mixed with real talent and a funky groove!

Rick White -- Memoreaper

  Goddamn if I had any musical talent whatsoever this is exactly the kind of tunes I'd wanna be pumping out ... I never got how White's Psychedelic Folk Punk never got mega popular, his f*cking band is stellar, playing symbiotically frantic acoustic non-abrasive notes, while mixing in lush vocals, and some soft but Death Metal style drum beats ... Jesus, where does this stuff come from, it's unlike anything else, but still is simple in it's sound and instrumentation, I wish Rock 'n' Roll were paying better attention to what's out there, good thing I am!