Album Of The Week: January 27th-February 2nd, 2014

My Album Of The Week for the week off January 27th-February 2nd, 2014:

Marijuana Deathsquads - Oh My Sexy Lord

If you've been following this blog or the podcast you already know that I've become a huge fan of Marijuana Deathsquads.

When they first rose from the ashes of Building Better Bombs I didn't quite get it.  They built a reputation on their noisy, improvised live shows, which is all well and good, but that lead to two things:

1)  I'm old and I don't really go to shows very often (let alone late night, improvisational, percussion-heavy shows).

2)  Initially they weren't quite able to translate the sound & fury of those shows to an album.

Well, since that false start of a debut album (2011's Crazy Master), they've put out an excellent hip-hop-based mixtape (the excellent Tamper Disable Destroy) and finally harnessing their live show by simply recording a few and then touching them up in post-production (the brilliant Music Rocks I & II).  Both of those records were previous AOTW's and they only got better.  With Oh My Sexy Lord, MDS is trying their hand again at maximizing the studio.  I'm sure it'll take at least a week for me to digest this one, but these guys have been building towards a straight "classic" album for a few years.  Maybe this is it.

If you'd like to have your day ruined, check out the video for "Ewok Sadness," the opening track from Oh My Sexy Lord.  That is just about the most heartbreaking thing I've ever seen. It just destroys me. Poor lil' dude.

Newest Industry Presents: Flatbasset Radio - Episode #26 (Best Of 2013!)

(THIS POST ORIGINALLY APPEARS ON THE TWIN CITIES BLOG NEWEST INDUSTRY)

I'll keep playing back these fragments of time...

Hello again, free music fans! Welcome to Flatbasset Radio: Episode #26!
 
For those of you who are unaware of the Flatbasset Radio format, here's what you're looking at: TCDroogsma is our resident MP3 junkie. As you've probably noticed in his Songs Of The Week column, he's not always the most positive music fan. In an effort to prove that he is, in fact, a fan of music, we give him an hour each week to play the songs he's digging and talk a little bit about them. Once he's recorded his podcast we put it right here on the website for free to stream!

In this week's episode Droogsy celebrates some of his favorite records of 2013, admits to being years behind in his apps, give his sponsor their money worth, is confounded by gender reversals in his Cover Of The Week, attempts to redefine "success" for musicians, gives us his slogan for the year, defends a genius' ego (or an egoists' genius), and gives us his theory as to why everybody thought 2013 was terrible!

You can download the podcast for free by clicking the episode's title or stream the episode by clicking on the Mixcloud player below.

Flatbasset Radio - Episode #26

Flatbasset Radio: Episode #26 (Best Of 2013!) by Tcdroogsma on Mixcloud

01. Tree - Safe To Say
02. Atoms For Peace - Ingenue
03. Dessa - I'm Going Down
04. Ras Dude - Rizla
05. Johnny Marr - New Town Velocity
06. The Strokes - Happy Ending
07. Action Bronson & Party Supplies - Contemporary Man
08. Edison - Astringent
09. Beady Eye - I'm Just Saying
10. Mixed Blood Majority (w/Kristoff Krane) - Ritual
11. Low - Mother
12. Marijuana Deathsquads - Blood
13. Jonwayne - Ode To Mortality
14. Daft Punk (w/Todd Edwards) - Fragments Of Time
15. Kanye West (w/Justin Vernon & Chief Keef) - Hold My Liquor


There you have it, music fans! Enjoy!

For more TCDroogsma be sure to give him a follow on Twitter (@TCDroogsma).  Previous episodes of Flatbasset Radio are archived on his Mixcloud page.  Stop by Flatbasset Radio's Facebook Page & give it a "Like" if you have the time.

For more Newest Industry be sure to give us a follow on Twitter (@NewestIndustry1) to stay up on the work being done by all of our contributors.  More importantly, we have a Facebook page here.  Trivial as it seems, stopping by and giving us a "Like" is a free & legitimate way to support the blog. 

Newest Industry Presents: Flatbasset Radio - Episode #22

(THIS POST ORIGINALLY APPEARS ON THE TWIN CITIES BLOG NEWEST INDUSTRY)

You know I try so hard...

Hello again, free music fans! Welcome to Flatbasset Radio: Episode #22!
 
For those of you who are unaware of the Flatbasset Radio format, here's what you're looking at: TCDroogsma is our resident MP3 junkie. As you've probably noticed in his Songs Of The Week column, he's not always the most positive music fan. In an effort to prove that he is, in fact, a fan of music, we give him an hour each week to play the songs he's digging and talk a little bit about them. Once he's recorded his podcast we put it right here on the website for free to stream!

In this week's episode Droogsy finds the perfect song for autumn driving, continues to struggle with French, admits that he still hasn't grown out of his emo phase, questions the benefits of indie distribution model, celebrates a classic hip-hop album's anniversary, reminisces on small town, big box record buying, plays a radio commercial from the 70's, & pays tribute to a fallen rock n roll icon.

You can download the podcast for free by clicking the episode's title or stream the episode by clicking on the Mixcloud player below.

Flatbassset Radio - Episode #22

Flatbasset Radio: Episode #22 by Tcdroogsma on Mixcloud

01. The Rolling Stones - Beast Of Burden
02. Steddy P & DJ Mahf (w/Mad Dukez) - Get Up
03. Cruel Love - I Am The Airplane
04. BNLX - Opposites Attract
05. The Central Division - It's Not The Heat, It's The Humility
06. Atmosphere - Lifter Puller
07. Graham Coxon - In A Salty Sea
08. P.O.S. (w/Justin Vernon) - How We Land (MDS RMX)
09. Bars Of Gold - Coffee With Pele
10. Heems - Killing Time
11. King Krule - Border Line
12. Lou Reed - Perfect Day (Acoustic Demo)

There you have it, music fans! Enjoy!

For more TCDroogsma be sure to give him a follow on Twitter (@TCDroogsma).  He can also be found right here on Newest Industry reviewing singles in our Songs Of The Week column. Previous episodes of Flatbasset Radio are archived on his Mixcloud page.

For more Newest Industry be sure to give us a follow on Twitter (@NewestIndustry1) to stay up on the work being done by all of our contributors.  More importantly, we have a Facebook page here.  Trivial as it seems, stopping by and giving us a "Like" is a free & legitimate way to support the blog.  

Album Of The Week: October 28-November 3, 2013

My Album Of The Week for the week of October 28th-November 3rd, 2013:

P.O.S. - WDELH/MDS/RMX

I'm pretty excited about this one.  It took me quite a while to come around on P.O.S. We Don't Even Live Here.  Considering that his last record, Never Better, I thin it's fair to say that it was initially a disappointment.  I've since come around on the record and, to be fair, comparing it to Never Better was never totally fair considering that album was an absolute wrecking ball (never mind the fact that I was living in New York and desperate for something that reminded me of home at the time).

I've also come around a bit on the whole Marijuana Deathsquads experience.  Like most people I was pretty confused, initially, by exactly what MDS was all about at the beginning.  Fortunately, through a combination of live shows & excessive spins of both their Tamper, Disable, Destroy (the hip-hop one) and Music Rocks I & II (the noisy one), I think I get it now.  Both of those albums have been albums of the week before and I've learned that anything under the "Marijuana Deathsquads" label deserves, and rewards, repeated spins.

Like Tamper, Disable, Destroy and Music Rocks I & II, WDELH/MDS/RMX is a free download.  Even if you've never heard P.O.S. or the original We Don't Even Live Here you should give this one a few spins.

Newest Industry Presents: Flatbasset Radio - Episode #17

(THIS POST ORIGINALLY APPEARS ON THE TWIN CITIES BLOG NEWEST INDUSTRY)

I'll turn this plane around, yo' ass keep complainin'

Hello again, free music fans! Welcome to Flatbasset Radio: Episode #17!

For those of you who are unaware of the Flatbasset Radio format, here's what you're looking at: TCDroogsma is our resident MP3 junkie. As you've probably noticed in his Songs Of The Week column, he's not always the most positive music fan. In an effort to prove that he is, in fact, a fan of music, we give him an hour each week to play the songs he's digging and talk a little bit about them. Once he's recorded his podcast we put it right here on the website for free to stream or download!

In this week's edition Droogsy laments missed opportunities during last week's black out, complains about cell phone alarms, tries to defend Kanye West, wishes he heard more variety in the hip-hop blasting out of car speakers, celebrates the upcoming Pride Weekend festivities, embraces the return of some true Twin Cities legends, and, like a tried and true Minnesotan, complains about the weather.

(Click the player above to listen to the podcast. Click the title below to download the podcast for yourself.)

Flatbasset Radio: Episode #17

01. Astronautalis & Rickolus – The Rainmakers

02. Kidz In The Hall – Black Out

03. Vandaam – Fashion Week

04. Kanye West – Bound 2

05. The Dandy Warhols – Horse Pills

06. Joey Bada$$ - Word Is Bond

07. Marijuana Deathsquads – Remembories

08. IO Echo – Ministry Of Love

09. Desdamona – The Source

10. The Promise Ring – Happiness Is All The Rage

11. The Replacements – Hold My Life

For more TCDroogsma be sure to give him a follow on Twitter (@TCDroogsma). He can also be found right here on Newest Industry each week reviewing singles in our Songs Of The Week column.

For more Newest Industry be sure to give us a follow on Twitter (@NewestIndustry1) to stay up on the work being done by all of our contributors. More importantly, we have aFacebook page here. Trivial as it seems, stopping by and giving us a “Like” is a free & legit way to support the blog.