Ergh... still only a fragment of what it used to be...
NEW: Danger Mouse, The Grey Album
AGAIN: Basement Jaxx, Remedy
The Grey Album is quite an interesting underground release. If you haven't already heard, it combines the sounds of the Beatles' White Album with the raps of Jay-Z's Black Album and creates something almost, but not quite, new. I have to say that I'm pleased with the results -- the songs work much better than one might have expected. Danger Mouse doesn't just lift melodies and instrumentation from the Beatles, he splices odds and ends from the Beatles to come up with propulsive and retro hip-hop grooves, sometimes employing the voices of the Beatles themselves to provide Jay-Z with some harmony. It's unfortunate that more people won't get to hear the album since, technically, it is illegal to distribute copies to anyone. I say be a maverick in your town and download a couple of tracks -- "Public Service Announcement", "December 4th", "99 Problems", and "Justify My Thug" are all fine choices and will have you smiling in no time.
Basement Jaxx took the world of house music by storm in the late 90s when they released Remedy, a heady collection of tracks that rivalled Daft Punk's Homework for quality and consistency. The album is a marvel of production savvy and dancefloor genius. Basement Jaxx might've gone on to have bigger hits and bigger artist collaborations, but you'd be hard-pressed to find a better selection of songs or a more diverse aesthetic than on their debut. To get a feel for their style, you really have to listen to the record -- "Rendez-Vu", "Red Alert", "Always Be There" and "Bingo Bango" are the standouts.
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More to come??
11:04:02 AM 
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