Balkans Set to Bomb Awesomeness at CMJ 2011

Atlanta is running things at CMJ this year!

From hiphop like Senor Kaos to the rock n' roll ATL has grown to love, like the Balkans, this city is heading to NY with a strong Southern force.

Yesterday, much buzz surrounded Balkans with their set last night at the Lefse showcase. Folks can check out their next set Friday at the Kanine Records showcase. From what I hear, this could get as wild as some Ohio exotic farm owners (ok, maybe the Zanesville sheriffs?) as these guys are as much sensibly punk as they are charmingly pop as they are amusingly fun.

Speaking of wild times, I remember covering the Balkans when they released one of my favorite ATL-made songs this year "Edita V." We talked about how they got together (*slash* the high school story) and where did their name come from (which means "absolutely nothing whatsoever"), though this band means everything to ATL!

Click the link below to read on!

Balkans celebrate long-awaited 7" single release at Star Bar - Atlanta Local Music | Examiner.com

A Rant on Lauryn Hill

This rant is brought to you by Fusetv and the video I posted on Tumblr. One of my favorite music journalist Toure got to sit down with Lauryn Hill, talking about her absence and her return to the industry.


And the rant begins...

I look up to this woman for reasons other than her music - it's because she is the perfect example of a strong, Black woman, and she showed that in her absence. When Questlove said in My Mic Sounds Nice that her 10-year absence is the movements tsunami, and Russell Simmons started a statement with "the tragedy of Lauryn Hill began when...", I was heated because that was just so stingy for them to say that (which also goes without saying that hiphop is indeed a stingy culture), and no one really cared to say what she did was probably the best thing for hiphop. Think about it - she blew the hell up! Fast! And we all know what happens to artists who are instantly enveloped in the spotlight (i.e. Kanye West, Destiny's Child/Beyonce, etc), they turn into pop and can no longer find themselves or their true sound. Better stated - their sound is dictated by the dollar. I personally was glad that she left because (this is me being honest) she felt uncomfortable with the music she was putting out, and didn't want to do it, so she left. Good for her.


Whether or not her craft touched you in a way that made you upset she left, don't forget she's a human being too and has needs that will go before your needs because she's that amazing (POW!). Why is she amazing? Because she started a whole other movement just by being herself, and didn't even know it (because she was definitely the anchor and pioneer for the neo-soul movement).


Also, and I will NEVER consider this a crutch or really want to validate this as a reason, but she's a woman/mother. She got knocked up so she had to take care of them. Why on earth should the world ridicule her for that? Why should hiphop, of all maternally-oriented cultures, ridicule her for that?


I care about the person first, then the artist, then their music (in that order), just as everyone else should. And the fact that she has evolved and is doing HER OWN THING makes me even more proud of her. I hope her next album will represent her, I no longer care if it "sounds good"!


If I went to Rock The Bells (which I didn't have to because half of the footage is uploaded on everyone's site who did attend the concerts), I would have applauded Lauryn for her additions and changes to her famous hits. Now, although it is a tour that is designed to be reminiscent of hiphop's past, one can't just discount an artist for putting their own spin on their music to better express themselves on stage. So what she put a higher tempo on her songs off Miseducation? She was experimenting, that shouldn't put her on everyone's shit list!


Speaking of her artistry, people who had a problem with her Unplugged sessions need to take a seat! Those numbers, if you heard them correctly, were symbolic of things she was going through. Why belittle her for that? If you were pissed about the misinterpretations of your miseducation, then you would respond in the same way. Unfortunately, the world we live in would react in the same fashion most of you guys did to her. Go us! (I guess)


I hope she releases an album that makes everyone eat their words. Literally. New York Times would eat their paper, people who tweeted hateful things about her would eat their computers or BlackBerrys, and the folks who talked trash about her return will receive the "I told you so" song and dance.


I feel the need to celebrate early, excuse me:

Rant over.

Electric Six's haunting "After Hours" Needs Some Cell Therapy

Soo, yeah....

The internet on my laptop is a hot mess, so this review is marked as some cell therapy (sent from my phone)!

Electric Six's first song "After Hours" from their new album Zodiac is as dark as night. From the selected keys and guitar strings throughout this song is just creepy. The piano solo intro is so dark and scary I feel like it's my first trick or treat by myself (I swear, that lady in the window was a ghost)! After that, it sounds like this a song perfect for a Halloween-themed party.

The actual SAD thing about this song is that it's so basic and straighforward it seems rather sleazy and dumbed down. At first, the song seemed like a terrible story of a blue-collar tragedy, but at another point towards the end the singer seems to throw in a rant about the recent vampire-mania. Bottomline, this song attempts to expose corporate corruption called Hell, but wrap it in a terrible cloth filled with tangents and bad analogies. The only good line to take out of this song would be "the sun aint the real reason vampires die." I mean, c'mon Dick Valentine (lead singer)! I know you are far more humorous and exaggerant than that, now you just sound depressing.
It should be noted that, according to band's MySpace page (link is below), the band's direction is aimed at the use of famous pop icons (i.e. "After Hours" poses as a shoutout to the Martin Scorcese film in hopes that their fans will buy their records off of creativity and those good ol' "cool points" because "our bank accounts are sitting at zero. We need to sell another record." Well, when the music sounds like crap (whether you jack a Martin Scorcese film or not), you don't sell... much.

Overall, this song could easily turn into a song played for drunk Joe the Plumber(s) in the after hours, hours. Will they get it? Will they know it's a sad song, despite it's tedious hook and sleazy objectification? Nevermind, forget I asked. But because this song lacks the satirical humor and electrifying tone Electric Six usually has, this can pose as a problem to their real fans.

Check out their MySpace page for the latest updates:
http://www.myspace.com/electricsixmusic

Cell Therapy 030

After hearing R. Kelly's new album "Untitled", I've come to this one-sentence conclusion:

His music is young enough for him to become a repeat offender!

That is all.

Cell Therapy 029

So last night, as I typed in imeem.com as an attempt to listen to my Josh Groban playlist, I get redirected to the MySpace Music page. WTF IS UP WITH THAT?????

I begin perusing the MySpace site, along with failed but blind attempts at visiting the Imeem site (not to mention both of their Twitter pages), and found out through their Twitters that MySpace has acquired Imeem, and no one can use Imeem's stuff, including their embedded playlists, videos, songs, etc.

Like OMG!

So I gathered these thoughts and new information in my head and came to the ultimate urban conclusion that Imeem sold the F*** out of the online music community to the ultimate creep-infested MySpace!

Imeem sold out. Imeem just up and left its users - no email, press release, no warning, no nothing - like a dead beat. There were no news of negotiations even, just nothing!

We few, we happy few who looked past the 30-second previews and five-second ad interruptions Imeem gave us are now disappointed as we can't accept this change of scenery. The ease of embedding music onto our blogs, Facebook, MySpace calmed our nerves because people knew those songs and videos and playlists were awesome (not to mention it made the user look hella smart and tech savvy)! We enjoyed listening to a playlist full of all the music our favorite artists made. We loved singing along to songs with the lyrics someone posted in the comment section of the song's page. And we were always flattered to know whenever someone favorited our playlists.

So yes, I am an angry user of Imeem's online media service. Imeem and MySpace claim everything will be back to normal once Imeem transfers everything to MySpace...

THERE IS NOTHING NORMAL ABOUT MYSPACE!!!

As I make attempts at redo-ing my embedded music on this very blog, let alone other sites I used Imeem's services on, I cry. Not only because it's a lot of crap I put on this and other sites, but because the every song and playlist I remove tears out a piece of my music-loving soul.

*sniff sniff*

R.I.P. Imeem 2003-2009 (although MySpace ultimately killed you, you killed yourself by selling out)

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Writing about something you personally don't like takes a lot out of you! I definitely had to step outside of myself to make this piece work.

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I love my mp3 player! It seems to know when it rains, and itll play the smoothest music that makes me forget i have to walk in the rain :-)

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That mtv list of the hottest MC was some bull.

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check this out: http://www.hulu.com/watch/99582/how-2-build-a-rapper I wonder what a female version would be like?

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Im making some career moves! Check out my hiphop in hickville piece and hiphop 101 blog on this site: http://acrn.com

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Its funny how one song can change your entire outlook on the day and whatever you gotta do. That will never get old!

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I love how DJ J Period makes mixtapes you can learn from. Who needs a textbook! LOL

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I hate reprioritizing my blog posts, but things come up and things must be said!

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All these little concerts going on around town tomorrow, a girl doesnt know what to do lol

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I think its fascinating that GREAT music will never get old. You always learn something new every time you hear a GREAT album or song.

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After opening weekend I got big plans (and blogs) for this site including pieces on marvin gaye, study music, and defining indie!

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My friend is teaching me the difference between hearing bluegrass and hearing country. See, everyone doesnt know everything.

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I dont know how much i like this electronic sound anymore. Soultronica is cool but ppl are exploiting it instead of taking on its rawness.

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I just interviewed G Tee Shotta, the only reggae artist under the Wu Tang music group! A true member of the Wu Tang Clan right there!

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It seems like the more i am in atlanta, the more i am diggin the hiphop sound out in cali and the bay on the west coast.