It’s been a few years since I’ve considered listening to Cursive, I’ve heard about them through friends for quite a while but never took the extra step to actually listen to them. I finally did that yesterday and I was pleasantly surprised to say the least. Maybe because my ears have lately been over saturated with hip hop or perhaps I’m just out of my mind. Dorothy at Forty is an aggressive kind of track that I think might be about being middle aged and dealing with mediocrity.

By the looks of it most of the members are over 30 and approaching middle age so maybe that explains the theme. Either way it’s a lot of fun and it’s been a while since I’ve heard a band that makes a lot of noise without being obnoxious and that’s exactly what Cursive is for me. A successfully loud and noisy band. The second song is a little more chilled out but has it’s louder moments also. Both of these songs are from their last album Happy Hollows which was released in 2006 but they have a new album coming out in a few weeks (March 10, 2009) called Mama, I’m swollen.

Cursive – Dorothy at Forty (zshare)

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Cursive – Into the Fold (zshare)

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What can I say about AIR that you don’t already know? Depends who you are of course. They’re a french band consisting of two people that’s made a name for themselves making whimsical pop rock and working with Sofia Coppola on film soundtracks like The Virgin Suicides and Marie Antoinette.

They’re latest album is called Pocket Symphony and this is a remix of their song Alpha Beta GaGa from the 2004 album Talkie Walkie featuring none other than Rhymefest. Who apparently has a twitter, who knew?

Air Vs. Rhymefest – Alpha Beta Gaga (zshare)

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If you haven’t already heard, Afro Samurai is a manga turned animated mini-series turned full length movie featuring the trials and tribulations of a black samurai. I just saw the movie this weekend and I can’t recommend it enough. The animation is brilliant and the voice acting by Samuel L. Jackson adds some good clean fun. The icing on the cake though is the musical score which is done entirely by the one and only RZA. I immediately got the soundtrack and as you would expect here are some of my personal favorites along with the movie trailer.

Kool G Rap, Ghostface Killah, Tash Mahogany And The Rza – Whar (zshare)

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Rugged Monk – Kill Kill Kill (zshare)

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So I’m about a month late on the Girl Talk coverage. To be honest, this is because I was pretty disappointed with the show early last month. Perhaps by no fault of Gregg Gillis himself, the show was nevertheless a breeding ground for unsavory characters and sweaty alt bros to borrow a term from hipster runoff. It also marked the first concert where I found the females were causing more trouble then the males. Why? I have no idea. But every time I got elbowed more than necessary, pushed or had to deal with someone super high on drugs it was more often then not a girl. One in particular, you know who you are.

The show itself was fine though and I probably would have enjoyed it at a smaller venue. I’m therefore renouncing my future attendance to any sold out shows at Metropolis, barring extenuating circumstances. I think it was originally planned for Club Soda and got moved. Which by the way I didn’t find out until I showed up that night and saw a big crowd outside Metropolis and no one at Club Soda. Holy unorganized shit batman.

So this week I’m gonna post an old favorite Girl Talk remix of mine, because it would be really lame if I posted something from Feed the Animals, you should all have that album by now. Oh, and this dude named Kanye West released an album. I think it was called 808s and Heartbreaks. The sales figures for the first week were no graduation but I supposed that this album is more of an experiment so a mere 450,000 for the first week will do.

I’m not going to post a song from that album because Island records will likely harass me. Instead, here’s a filthy Common song featuring Kanye West that seems to be entirely about sexual innuendo.

Peter Bjorn & John – Let’s Call it Off [Girl Talk Remix] (zshare)

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Common – Punch Drunk Love [feat. Kanye West] (zshare)

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The weekend in this city can be best described by two songs. LCD Soundsystem’s New York I love you but you’re bringing me down and This is the dream of wine and regine by Final Fantasy.

First of all, Montreal I love you, but you’re freaking me out.

and,

Montreal might eat it’s young but Montreal won’t bring us down.

Final Fantasy – This Lamb Sells Condos (zshare)

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Final Fantasy – This is the Dream of Wine and Regine (zshare)

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Hate all you want on the man, Steve Aoki knows how to throw a party. That seems to be where most people have settled over the ongoing debate over his legitimacy. Throughout ridiculous tales of stolen laptops and hotel parties, it’s pretty easy to dismiss Steve as vapid celebrity. This publication, will officially stand behind Aoki in an effort not to take ourselves too seriously. I think Steve understands that. Anyways, here’s a remix of control by Metro Station he did not too long ago. Show up. Dance. Don’t hate.

HGHLY TGGBL Presents
Steve Aoki
Duvall
8$ before midnight
2$ vodka drinks b4 midnight

Metro Station – Control [Steve Aoki Remix] (zshare)

DavidChoe 

This week I spent a lot of time at work digging through streaming mixtapes for something fresh. I ended up on the Mad Decent blog listening to The Heatwave on Kiss and instead I found some older Outkast track that seems to be very under hyped and under appreciated. Don’t worry I also have something new, but sorry nothing blue. Of course, its a Kanye West track. He doesn’t seem to be able to resist leaking a new song every week. Here is a very 80’s very auto tuned Robocop. The track listing for 808’s and Heartbreak is also out.

1. “Welcome to Heartbreak”
2. “Heartless” – 3:30
3. “Love Lockdown” – 4:31
4. “Robocop” – 3:53
5. “Anyway”
6. “Streetlights”
7. “Say You Will”
8. “Real Bad News”
9. “Amazing” (featuring Young Jeezy)
10. “Tell Everybody That You Know” (featuring Lil Wayne)
11. “Coldest Winter” – 2:48
Outkast – The Art of Storytelling Pt 4 (zshare)

Kanye West- Robocop (zshare) via EastofLA

This week’s Monday Re up marks the 100th post in this blog’s history and as a result ya’ll are being treated to an extra large portion of songs to keep your toes tapping and fingers snapping throughout the week.

First of I came across this Lykke Li video of her performing Dance Dance Dance with none other than Bon Iver. Watch her shake her accessories about and flail around in the most memorizing of ways. The footage is shot in a kind of purposefully erratic way which for whatever reason ends up working wonderfully.

Also this week we’ve got the best Love Lockdown remix of the hundreds that surfaced from Kanye’s stem experiment and an old (but great) kick push remix that I’ve been listening to lately. Enjoy the week.

Kanye West vs. Radiohead – Reckoner Lockdown [DJ Earworm Remix] (zshare)

Lykke Li – Breaking it up (zshare)

Lupe Fiasco – Kick Push [Estaw Remix] (zshare)

Like good Canadian pilgrims, we’ve deferred the monday re-up till tuesday this week. Give thanks we didn’t skip it all together, okay? This week I’m bringing to attention some old favourites, being my two favourite tracks from Jay-Z’s 2001 Unplugged album.

If this is news to you don’t feel too bad. Your now the well informed individual you thought you were. Just keep reading.
Jay Z – Heart of the City [unplugged] (zshare)

Jay-Z – Girls, Girls, Girls [unplugged] (zshare)

Last Friday at Coda club, the peer pressure weekly featured some very real Hip Hop through the performances of Hollywood Holt and Kid Cudi. Ever since Kid Cudi dropped Day ‘N’ Nite which we featured in the very first edition of Monday Re up, we’ve been following his tracks with utmost attention.

Kid Cudi’s set was in a few words a hip hop extravaganza. In a few more words, I’ve admittedly not been to as many hip hop shows as I’d like to say I have, but that’s mostly due to Montreal’s general lack of Hip Hop shows. On that note, I don’t have anything to complain about in the coming weeks as Common and N.E.R.D. are actually here in a few days at Metropolis.

I’m trying to build up the courage to spend 42.50$ plus taxes to go see them, but haven’t quite made it yet. Let alone convince some other poor soul to come with me.

The interaction with the audience really set Kid Cudi apart from the other acts I’ve seen. I was especially pleased when he did a freestyle over flashing lights and spit a line dissing the girls in the front ie the drunk bitches dancing near the stage trying to get even a foot on the stage to be a little closer to pseudo fame. Agreed, Mr Cudi.

See below a meticulously compiled list of tracks designed to both mock the people who missed the show and appease those who did. Included is Maui Wowie, one of the most fun live songs in his set and his take on our own A Trak’s Mastered originally featuring Lupe Fiasco I believe.
Kid Cudi – Maui Wowie (mp3) (zshare)

Kid Cudi – Love Stoned Freestyle (mp3) (zshare)

A Trak – Mastered [ft. Kid Cudi] (mp3) (zshare)