Can we add to the detritus that are the overabundant and excessive year-end music lists?

Yes we can!

Speaking of... Although it didn't make our year-end list, this was an important song and not just because all of the editors here voted for "That One." I know much of it was irritating and maybe a tad cultish, but still, it was important. (By the way, will.i.am released a follow-up song following the election. If you can believe it, this one was cheesier, more self-congratulatory, and even more irritating).

With that, it's now time for The First Annual Pun Spot Year End Compilation. The list below are the editors' favorite songs of the past year. Eligibility is limited to songs that were released as singles in 2008. So although there were a few songs that were prominent in 2008 (many of them featured on this blog), we chose not to include them. (I'm looking at you Marvin Gaye.)

1. Estelle - American Boy (feat. Kanye West)
2. Jay-Z - Brooklyn (Go Hard) (feat. Santogold)
3. Lil Wayne - A Milli
4. M.I.A. - Paper Planes
5. Leona Lewis - Bleeding Love
6. Kanye West - Love Lockdown
7. Usher - Love in This Club (feat. Young Jeezy)
8. Lil Wayne - Lollipop
9. Jay-Z - Jockin' Jay-Z
10. Coldplay - Viva La Vida
11. T.I. - Swagger Like Us (feat. Kanye West, Jay-Z & Lil Wayne)
12. Beyonce - Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)
13. Santogold - L.E.S. Artistes
14. N.E.R.D - Everyone Nose (remix feat. Kanye West, Lupe Fiasco & Pusha T)
15. Katy Perry - I Kissed A Girl
16. Young Jeezy - Put On (feat. Kanye West)
17. Gnarls Barkley - Going On
18. Kanye West - Heartless
19. Chris Brown - Forever
20. Lloyd - Girls Around The World (feat. Lil Wayne)
21. The Roots - Rising Up (feat. Chrisette Michelle & Wale)

A few notes:

• Why 21 songs? Initially we were going with 20, but numbers 19, 20, and 21 were tied, so there you go.
  
• Kanye West and Lil Wayne dominate this chart with a total of 10 appearances between the two (I count "Swagger Like Us" two times).
  
• Jay-Z didn't do too bad either with three appearances on the list.
  
• Much disagreement between the editors (and perhaps some flaws with our scoring system) led some songs to rank much lower than expected (e.g., "Paper Planes" was ranked as 1 or 2 by three of the editors while it didn't even make the list of the fourth editor's top 20).
  
• Notable artists missing from the list: Vampire Weekend, Rhianna, and Ne-Yo. All of these artists had a tremendous year by any standard, yet they don't meet the exacting standards of our committee. Harsh.
  

Thanks everyone for a really good first year for the blog. Thanks to the editors and all the writers for putting in the time to contribute. And thanks to the readers (all 5 of you).

Puff puff pass

The Cool Kids dropped this remix to Maroon 5's hit from a few years ago. They changed the meaning of the lyrics (slightly).

Maroon 5 - Harder to Breathe (The Cool Kids Remix)

(Thanks to All Things Go for the free download.)

The Iron(y) Giant

Some of you may remember my last post on Lily Allen. (If you do, then I would be genuinely surprised.) Regardless, it seems that she has a tendency of saying the exact opposite of what she means in her songs.

Lily Allen - The Fear



Reminds me a lot of the live action version of Alice in Wonderland (circa 1985).

Good song, good video, good night.

Stimulus Package

N.E.R.D has a plan to lift us out of this recession

N.E.R.D - Sooner or Later



If it were only that easy. One guy is arrested, some good Microsoft product placement, and all of a sudden... recession over. Bust out of the vodka because we got a party going on! Which is not to say I don't like the song. I do. Juxtaposes slow R&B melodies with almost discordant melancholy and then breaks into pure rock guitar riffs. Typical of many other N.E.R.D songs.

Which brings up one of my other recession songs from everyone's favorite economist Young Jeezy - Put On.

Space Center Houston

N.A.S.A. - Gifted (feat. Kanye West, Santogold & Lykke Li)



N.A.S.A.'s album drops in February. It looks to be pretty sweet. Check out the track list and guest artists.

If you're interested in learning more about N.A.S.A. (and not NASA), check out their MySpace page.

Part 3 in a 20 part series on the world of hip hop intersecting with the world of shoes

See if you can name all the celebs, athletes, artists in the video

adidas - Originals 2009



And Wale is back with a pretty dope single

Wale - Nike Boots



Also for your reference:
Part 1
Part 2

Does it in his sleep

Siiiiiick song / vid by Jay-Z (feat Santogold) off the Notorious soundtrack.

Blog post 'bout a blog post

Common, like Pun, thinks he's got jokes.

His blog is purty simple, even relative to Kanye's gibberish (which is rumored to be ghost-written anyhow. Chump).

Aw, and B decides to tell us how much she loves Jay-Z:

Beyonce - Roc



===

EDITOR'S NOTE: Pun does have jokes. And they are hilarious.

Think of these stories during the next pledge drive

So NPR has become a pretty good source of hip hop news. Or at least a source.

(1) News item from this weekend on Emily Wells, an artist fusing classical music with hip hop. Andrea Seabrook does a pretty good job of interviewing Wells on how she thought of blending the two genres together and how she can genuinely cover a rap song (Wells has a cover of Biggie's "Juicy" on her album). Overall, the music's alright. I do appreciate people experimenting with different forms, but I still love the original.

The Notorious B.I.G. - Juicy



(2) News item from yesterday on a new documentary on the rise and fall of Wu-Tang Clan. So strange to hear people on NPR talking about the RZA, the GZA, Ol Dirty Bastard, Inspectah Deck, U-God, Ghostface Killah, the Method Man, Raekwon the Chef, the Masta Killa. Also strange to know that most of these guys are going to be 40 in the next couple of years. One of my favorite Wu songs below.

Wu-Tang Clan - Da Mystery of Chessboxin

(Ir)relevant

Grammy award nominees announced today. (Thanks to Daily Cherez for the news.)

Pun Spot favorite artists Coldplay, Lil Wayne, and M.I.A. get some Grammy love. Even Ne-Yo received a few nominations.

It's a little confusing how this Grammy business works. The "Paper Planes" single was released in February 2008, but the album Kala was released in August 2007. Apparently the single date counts. Who knew?

And by that logic, "Love Lockdown" was eligible but excluded. Someone may be a little upset.



Also in the tradition of every other music blog out there, I'm looking to compile a roundup of the year's best videos / music. Please send in your suggestions.

This post was not written by Pun

Love me a good remix. Unfortunately, this is not one of them:



Oh, and then there's Com-Ye's pass at a slow-jam (don't play this in front of the family).

Common - Punch Drunk Love (feat. Kanye West) (registration required)



Lastly, here's what happens when creepy Belgian guy does Fifty:

Bob Dole

88 Keys dropped this track a few months ago from his new concept album The Death of Adam.

88 Keys - Stay Up! (Viagra) (feat. Kanye West)

(Thanks to Jump the Turnstyle for the free download. w00t!)

I'm really digging this track (not just for the hilarious lyrics). It's got a cool Biggie "Juicy" / The Roots Tipping Point vibe.

The album, executive produced by Kanye West, is about a man, Adam, who dies in his quest for "love." Along with the tracks included on the album itself, fake news clips were released on multiple sites to aid in the story telling / marketing.

Check out 88 Keys' imeem page here for lots more info and music. Not sure if I can post anything more without this blog devolving into very NSFW territory.

Ray says she has a fivehead

Rihanna - Rehab (sort of feat. Justin Timberlake)



Why does JT make an appearance in the video? Glad you asked. He actually co-wrote and produced the song (with his compatriot Timbaland) and provided background vocals

Okay video for an okay song.

I Love the 70s - Volume 18

Gym Glass Heroes - Guilty As Charged (feat. Estelle)



Ridiculous video that's part Sensual Seduction, part Sabotage, which coincidentally are two of my favorite music videos. This new video doesn't make that list, but it's still okay.

Yes, I admit it. I went to a Coldplay concert. And you know what? I liked it.

The video for the "Lost" remix was recently released.

Coldplay - Lost+ (remix feat. Jay-Z)



Not that impressive really. Essentially a concert video with a black and white Jay-Z interlude. Still, I like the song, so I'll put it up again.

Also, in case you're wondering, Chris Martin actually dances like that at all of his concerts. It almost looks like he's having a seizure. But more fun.

Don't call it a comeback

Q-Tip dropped his third solo album The Renaissance a couple of weeks ago. (Technical note: His second album, although it was completed, was never released.)

Below are a couple of singles from the new album.

Q-Tip - Move



Q-Tip - Gettin' Up



Unfortunately, although these are head-nodders / toe-tappers, they probably won't be commercial hits.

And below is one of my favorite songs from a few years ago where Q-Tip makes a guest appearance. I'm generally not a big fan of more recent Black Eyed Peas, but this song was very good. It's probably because Fergie doesn't even make an effort to pretend to sing on the track. Thank God.

Black Eyed Peas - Like That (feat. Q-Tip, Cee-Lo, Talib Kweli & John Legend)

Where the ladies at?

Seriously. Where are the ladies at? (Also a question heard around my apartment on a nightly basis.)

When you get a chance, read this Slate article on the dearth of female rappers.

Good overview on the history of the female rapper and why we don't see that many. Article ends on a hopeful note with mentions of hipster-favorite Kid Sister and current pop chart topper M.I.A.

Although who really knows when the long-awaited Kid Sister album will actually drop.

Here's the most recent single from Kid Sister. Wasn't a huge fan, but here it is anyway.

The Count & Sinden - Beeper (feat. Kid Sister)



And one of my favorite M.I.A. songs remixed with some verses from Wale.

M.I.A. - Boyz (remix feat. Wale)

(Thank you to CHROMEMUSIC for the free download. w00t!)

Ninja Weekday

(Opposite of Vampire Weekend?)

Last weekend, mtvU held its annual Woodie Awards, which it bills as, "The definitive college music awards."

First, I wasn't aware there was a single college music awards show, let alone many college music awards shows to necessitate a title such as "The definitive college music awards."

Second, Vampire Weekend and Chromeo did a pretty good collaboration at the show.

Vampire Weekend - The Kids Don't Stand a Chance (mtvU Woodies Awards Mix feat. Chromeo)

The 2008 mtvU Woodie Awards

And here's the official mix

Vampire Weekend - The Kids Don't Stand a Chance (Chromeo Remix)

(Thanks to Cream Team for the free download. w00t!)

Karl Marx(y)

... or another name that (sort of) rhymes with Charles Barkley / Gnarls Barkley.

1. Relatively new video from the dynamic duo

Gnarls Barkley - Mystery Man



2. Older video which I just recently saw for the first time

Gnarls Barkley - Who's Gonna Save My Soul



The group is supposed to be releasing a new album sometime in the near future. We shall see.

Catching up with Kanye...

So many items to post about Kanye. Am I obsessed? Mayhaps. And free downloads abound! w00t!

Kanye West - Heartless



Apparently, this video was inspired by a little known movie from 1981 called American Pop.

Also, in case you wanted to download the new mix and master for the track.

Kanye West - Heartless

Another Kanye track to keep you busy.

Kanye West - Amazing (feat. Young Jeezy)

And the Love Lockdown remix with everyone's favorite alleged pedophile.

Kanye West - Love Lockdown (remix feat. R Kelly)

Beyonce, will you be my fiancee?

That rhyme comes courtesy of Paul Rudd (from a promo for last week's SNL).

A couple of recent Beyonce song below which I have enjoyed.

Beyonce - If I Were A Boy



Beyonce - Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)



What's up with the metal hand in that video?

Wednesday Night Jam

M.I.A, The Wire, blah blah blah.

Get out there and VOTE!

Europe - The Final Countdown

Also, for your viewing pleasure.

G. O. B. - The Final Countdown

Are we human? Or are we dancer?

Serious questions for serious times.

Seriously. Check out the new track from The Killers.

The Killers - Human



Also, check out this older track which I enjoyed thoroughly.

The Killers - All These Things That I've Done



This track was also featured in a relatively recent Nike commercial.

Nike - Courage

Stem Madness

DJ Earworm - Reckoner + Lockdown

DJ Earworm just dropped this mashup of Kanye West's "Love Lockdown" and Radiohead's "Reckoner"

See DJ Earworm's site for more info on stems.

Spicy Hot Link (Part II)

Mos Def for President (via The New Yorker's Sasha Frere-Jones)



I don't think he got The Cool Kids endorsement, so I don't think I'll be voting for him this time.

Also, while perusing the New Yorker, I came across this article, Beyonce's Guide on Successful Relationships.

Spicy Hot Link

The Cool Kids say you should vote. I also say you should vote. Does that make me a Cool Kid? Yes.

The Cool Kids on Voting



Also, check out this relatively new track from aforementioned Cool Kids.

The Cool Kids - Delivery Man



You can download the track for free (w00t!) from their label's website here.

Also for your viewing pleasure

Andy Samberg - Jam the Vote

Hova Grab Bag

Jay-Z drops a pretty good verse on this remix to this Coldplay track from earlier this year. The remix will be released on Prospekt's March, an EP with tracks that were left off of Viva la Vida, in November.

Coldplay - Lost+ (remix feat. Jay-Z)

Also, I thought I'd share another good recent track that Jay dropped earlier this year. We had a shortened version earlier this year, but now, here's the full version in all it's glory.

Jay-Z - Jockin' Jay-Z

(Free downloads via Passion of the Weiss)

Early polling suggests...

Kanye West - 808s & Heartbreak

Early reviews are in, and they are (mostly) positive.

Passion of the Weiss
Fader

Also, get the new single for free. w00t!

Kanye West - Heartless

Mos Interrupted

I attended a concert this weekend in Golden Gate Park, The Band Shell Music Summit. The concert and festival was intended to promote "sustainable living, while showcasing national talent to the public." There were a lot of acts there, but mostly I was there to see the headliner Mos Def.

Unfortunately, we were only able to listen to 20 minutes of his set before the park police came and shut down the show. Apparently, there can be no music in the park after 6 pm. You can, however, smoke whatever you want with impunity. WTF?

In spite of being cut off, it was still a pretty good set. Mos did mostly new material. Also, as the park police were shutting him down (literally cutting off his mic), Mos led the crowd in an a capella version of "Umi Says." That part was great.

Mos Def - Umi Says



Also, of note, girls love Mos Def. Many of the girls at this concert were swooning when Mos was smiling. Actual swooning occurred.

Canadian Reflection

Chromeo - Momma's Boy



Originally from Canada. Collaboration between P-Thugg (Patrick Gemayel / Arab) and Dave 1 (David Macklovitch / Jew). Impressive.

Draws from 80s influences - synthesizers, keyboards, "Take on Me"-type animation, etc.

I had this conversation with a couple of my friends the other day when this video was on.

Friend 1: Oh I really like this song.
Me: Yeah, it's by this band called... uh... CHROMEO!
Friend 2: What? Chromeo?
Me: Yeah, the guy with the beard who's singing - that's DJ A-Track's brother?
Friend 1: Who?
Me: Yeah, A-Trak. Kinda famous DJ. He made this really popular remix of Stronger last year.
Friend 2: What?
Me: DJ A-Trak. He's made some other stuff, too. I put a post on the blog about him a while ago.
Friend 2: [Obvious disdain] Right... your blog.
Friend 1: [Faking recognition] Right, right, right .
Me: You guys suck.

Pretty much the conversation I had (except without the hyperlinks).

Also, during this conversation, we came to the realization that Chromeo is the Canadian version of Gnarls Barkley. A collaboration between a tall, white guy and a shorter, rounder man of color. (See pictures here: Chromeo / Gnarls Barkley / Chromeo / Gnarls Barkley.) The only difference is that the front man and producer roles are switched. Insightful? I think so. Useful? I think not.

Unreal

Amy Poehler - Sarah Palin Rap



This whole thing seemed totally unreal. I'm still not even sure that it happened.

I actually prefer gin martinis

Alicia Keys & Jack White - Another Way to Die



Theme song for the upcoming Bond film, Quantum of Solace. Daniel Craig shows up in the last few frames of the video (via a clip from the trailer), but other than that, not so remarkable. I do like the song, though.

Bizarro World

A new wave of strange hip hop videos has hit the airwaves recently.

Exhibit A: T-Pain - Can't Believe It (feat. Lil Wayne)
T-Wayne - as the duo has come to name itself - released this video a couple of months ago. First, T-Pain as a travel agent takes us on a worldwide tour taking us to exotic destinations (like Wisconsin and Toronto). This tour is interspersed with T-Pain as a ring leader / carnival barker / magician taking us on a tour of a circus / carnival / magic show. Lil Wayne makes an appearance mumbling some unintelligible lyrics. Can't quite pinpoint why I enjoy this, but I do.

Exhibit B: Common - Universal Mind Control (feat. Pharrell)
This video has everything. Tron-like computer graphics. Stark black and white broken with psychedelic rainbow tunnels. Pharrell as a robot. Also, I swear I saw a schematic for mitochondria in there.

Exhibit C: Kanye West - Love Lockdown
Supposedly some elements of the video were inspired by Patrick Bateman (of American Psycho fame). I'm not sure I see that, but I will say this. What in the what? Sparse living room setting. Kanye seemingly agonizing over some heartache. Tribal warriors. Giant women in DayGlo paint. It's simply surreal. The song itself is a real stretch for Kanye. This video is just something else entirely. Is 808s & Heartbreak going to be a concept album? If so, what's the concept?

P.S. Kanye premiered this video on Ellen on Oct 7. He performed the same song later in the show. Talk about expanding your audience.

It's Time for an Acrostic

M is for Mariah and the dirty rumor that she's preggers. Uh oh...

O is for OMG. Cuz that's what Urrrsher's new video made me say.

N is for Notorious BIG, and what promises to be a disappointing biopic: http://www.foxsearchlight.com/notorious/

D is for DJ Khaled, who I can't stand. Pitchfork can't either.

A is for Aubrey O'Day, who is rumored to have gotten kicked out of Danity Kane - we'll find out for sure tomorrow on MTB4. And here's her dirty little interview in Complex. Blech.

Y is for Young Jeezy's interview in ESPN the mag. You think he'd come up with something better than "Put On" for when asked what his at-bat song would be.

Where Is The Love?

Timbaland recently collaborated with Chris Cornell for Cornell's soon to be released album Scream. Some of you may remember Cornell from his semi-famous group of the nineties Soundgarden. Others may not remember Cornell at all.

The New Yorker's Sasha Frere-Jones just wrote a fairly good article on the rise of Timbaland and the recent collaboration with Cornell.

Here's the only song that Frere-Jones seems to genuinely appreciate from the new album.

Chris Cornell - Ground Zero

(For those of you who know Cornell only from his Soundgarden days, this song will be a significant departure from that image.)

Not sure how much I like this song. Vaguely familiar to other Timbaland works (e.g., baby noises from Aaliyah's "Are You That Somebody," mouth sounds from One Republic's "Apologize" and Nelly Furtado's "Say It Right," beats and interlude from anything on Justin Timberlake's FutureSex/LoveSounds, etc.). Cornell's voice also somehow reminds me of Cee-Lo from Gnarls Barkley.

One small quibble I have with Frere-Jones's article: He states that Timbaland is perhaps the most important producer of the past decade while noting that the Neptunes may have challenged him for that spot but cites no other contenders for the throne. What? Where's the mention of Kanye West? All I ask for is a mention. I know that I'm coming across as a partisan here, but seriously. Not even a mention. (And speaking of Kanye, the release date for 808s & Heartbreak has been moved up to November.)

More Guilty Pleasures

I probably wouldn't even post this song if it didn't feature Lil Wayne, but it's worth a listen. (p.s. I'm still working on my official stance on Weezy)

Let It Rock - Kevin Rudolf



I guess I'm into this joint too. We were due for another club banger anyways. (Plenty of remixes out there)

Ron Browz - Pop Champagne

Get Yo' Passpurt

Lupe still claims he's done after this next album. Don't go!

Ch-ch-check this one out though (Pharrell, Q-Tip, and newbie Sarah Green):

Lupe Fiasco - Paris, Tokyo (remix feat. Pharrell, Q-Tip & Sarah Green)



And now for my guilty pleasure:

Lil Wayne - Mrs. Officer

Old School?

Just came across this band. Apparently they've been around for a while.

Pitchfork reviewed their most recent release (a greatest hits collection) earlier this year.

Below are a couple of selected tracks which I enjoyed. (You have to register for imeem to listen to the entire track, but it's free!)

King Khan and the Shrines - Torture



King Khan and the Shrines - Took My Lady to Dinner



Really enjoying this music. Good instrumentation, great lyrics. ("My babies fat / She's ugly / She's fat and she's ugly / but I love her/ I love her / Oh yes oh yes I do.") If nothing else, the guy's mustache is awesome.

And special thanks to Daily Cherez / Hilal for the recommendation.

Reading Material

Apparently TRL will be going on hiatus in November. Meh.

Hip hop saved this teacher's life. Figuratively, of course. (Thanks to regular contributor Megha for sending this.)

That's all for now.

I Need to Get Some Stripper Counselin'

Kanye's busy alright - busy getting arrested this morning at LAX. On 9/11. Whatta chump.

T-Wayne (how'd they ever come up with that) collaboration on "Can't Believe It" - where TP plays his favorite card, the one about being in love with a stripper - has had an "A Milli"-like effect on artists out there. First came Jojo's take (yes, her)...and then Trey Songz. There are probably more bad remakes of this yawn-fest song to come.

A Very Busy Year

I'm left speechless by how much this guy can do in a year.

Kanye will be contributing to Jay-Z's The Blueprint 3 and his own 808's & Heartbreak both due out in December.

One of the tracks to be featured on 808's & Heartbreak is "Love Lockdown" which Kanye performed this past Sunday at the VMAs.

Kanye West - Love Lockdown



And then there's this video which was released to wide distribution only last week; however (from what I can tell) the video actually was shown in limited release at least a few months ago.

Kanye West - Good Morning

It's the second in the line of Kanye videos where he doesn't make a physical appearance.

Kanye West - Champion

And if you hadn't heard it already, Kanye was featured on Young Jeezy's newest single.

Young Jeezy - Put On (feat. Kanye West)



For completeness sake, here's the remix with Jay-Z

Young Jeezy - Put On (remix feat. Jay-Z & Kanye West)

Posse Cut Chapter II

Found a great (unofficial) video for "Swagger Like Us."

Posse Cut

posse cut (n.) - So me and my friends are having a party. It's like most other parties you would be familiar with, except that I'm a rapper, and so are all my friends. And this party will make us tons of money. There's no real reason to have this party - it's just for the sake of being friends and simultaneously being awesome.

Don't mean to be snarky about this. I actually like these big get-togethers. The thing that really gets me is labeling the friggin' MP3. For example, "Pharoahe Monch - Simon Says (remix feat. Busta Rhymes, Lady Luck, Method Man, Redman & Shabaam Sahdeeq).mp3."

Anyway, "Swagger Like Us" (the most recent incarnation of the posse cut) dropped last week. The song prominently features a sample from M.I.A.'s "Paper Planes," and is set to be a track on T.I.'s Paper Trail which will be released later this month. The track may also be on Jay-Z's upcoming The Blueprint 3.

T.I. - Swagger Like Us (feat. Kanye West, Jay-Z & Lil Wayne)



And below are some of my favorite posse cuts of all time.

Fat Joe - John Blaze (feat. Raekwon, Big Punisher, Jadakiss & Nas)



The Fugees - Rumble in the Jungle (feat. A Tribe Called Quest, Busta Rhymes & John Forte)



De La Soul - Buddy (Native Tongue Decision) (feat. A Tribe Called Quest, Jungle Brothers, Queen Latifah & Monie Love)



Pharoahe Monch - Simon Says (remix feat. Busta Rhymes, Lady Luck, Method Man, Redman & Shabaam Sahdeeq)



Craig Mack - Flava in Ya Ear (feat. The Notorious B.I.G., Rampage, Busta Rhymes & L.L. Cool J)



A Tribe Called Quest - Scenario (feat. The Leaders of the New School)

Two Nerds at an Industrial Rock Concert

Since I know Rajiv won't post about this, I suppose I will have to mention it. Went to see Nine Inch Nails in Oakland this past Friday. Have to say we both agreed that it was the best show we've been to. The lighting was awesome as was this crazy screen they had. See for yourself below...though the clips don't do it justice. Had to be there to truly appreciate it. Also, nice bonus to seeing people lighting up all over the place and then these two guys who pushed their luck a bit with the second joint and finally got dragged out by security.

Only



Closer

(The Post With No Title)

At Puneet's request, here is some music.

Stars - The Night Starts Here

Stars is a Canadian indie pop band, according to Wikipedia. Anyways, I forgot how I found them about a year ago but I'm glad I did. Here is a sampling. I actually never bothered to look on Youtube for a video until today so I have no commentary on that whatsoever.



Also, what I think is the best song on Coldplay's new album, Viva la Vida.

Coldplay - Lovers in Japan / Reign of Love



I wish they didn't tack on the second song as part of this track because I either have to a) sit through it or b) actually lift a finger to skip through it.

Finally, it's necessary to represent.

San Quinn - San Francisco Anthem (feat. Big Rich & Boo Banger)


===

EDITOR'S NOTE: This post originally had no title intentionally. The Editor (me) included a title to avoid any confusion. That probably did not help.

John Tesh is that ish

The NBA on NBC theme song composed by Mr. John Tesh has returned for Olympic basketball games on NBC. Rarely, if ever, has a tv theme song created so much drama for years to come. Every time I hear it I am brought back about 15 years to a Sunday afternoon for a classic Knicks playoff game- good times. Enjoy this ridiculous live version of the theme song and bask in the glow that is John Tesh.



Tell you the rest when I see you, peace.

The Archive

"Paul Mawhinney was born and raised in Pittsburgh, PA. Over the years he has amassed what has become the world's largest record collection. Due to health issues and a struggling record industry Paul is being forced to sell his collection."

The Pun Spot Dabbles in Shoes and Such

Air Questos anybody? Yup - apparently anyyyyyone can make his/her mark on a pair of AF1's.

?uestlove is the 5th designer (on the heels of Rasheed Wallace) for Nike's 1world, which is essentially a forum/canvas for global innovators in music, sports, entertainment, etc. I smell a sorta kinda copycat here...

Also also - some Lupe (old and new) stuff for your back pocket:

and something for my ladies/Ajay:

I'm flying high over Tupelo, Mississippi with America's hottest band and we're all about to die

Saw this video a few weeks ago and waited to share it with all of you.

She & Him - Why Do You Let Me Stay Here



You may recognize the singer Zooey Deschanel from such movies as Elf, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, a movie with an even longer name, or, of course, Almost Famous. She also did a few episodes on Weeds.

Setting aside the fact that the band's name would make an English teacher crazy, they made a pretty interesting / very strange video.

- Ben Fong-Torres

Throwback

I have been trying to re-appreciate hip hop since I've fallen off for a couple years. To that end, I've been listening to some older tracks and I rediscovered Tonedeff's "Monotony". Not only is his flow and lyrics the illest, it seems particularly pertinent to a lot of artists from then and today. Ch-check it out:

Tonedeff - Monotony
Tell you the rest when I see you, peace.

Cacophony?....or awesomony?

Here's Late of the Pier - a synth pop quartet from the quaint English village of Castle Donington. They've released a few singles and their first album 'Fantasy Black Channel' is slated for release on August 11. Their songs have been remixed quite a bit this year and I'm pretty amped on this one, the best of the bunch in my opinion - The Haunts remix of The Bears are Coming. This version adds some bass and cohesion to the original, and the best addition - a sweet electric guitar number about three minutes in.

Late of the Pier - The Bears Are Coming (The Haunts Remix)

Jocking

1) Los Angeles-based rapper DeLon has reignited interest in M.I.A.'s affiliations to the Tamil Tigers or LTTE. Also of Sri Lankan descent, DeLon lays heavy allegations on M.I.A. in his remix to "Paper Planes."

He claims M.I.A. is pro-terrorist because her music, videos, and album artwork celebrate violence and contain LTTE imagery (namely tigers). M.I.A. responded:

"I don't support terrorism and never have," she wrote in a statement. "As a Sri Lankan that fled war and bombings, my music is the voice of the civilian refugee. Frankly, I am not trying to start dialogue with someone who is really just seeking self-promotion."

She has rich, complicated roots to the region and to the liberation movement and I don't think her affiliations will ever be very clear cut. I do feel she does her best to negotiate her contradictory ties through her music.

2) Kanye introduced "Jocking Jay-Z" at last night's MSG show... a preview of Jay-Z's Blueprint 3.

Bedtime Video

Video for N.E.R.D's "Everyone Nose" Remix, featuring Kanye, Lupe, and Pusha T. Love it!

NKOTB feat. Ne-Yo

Or the other way around? Second single product of their reunion fittingly entitled 'Single.' Smooth production by Polow Da Don, but what an ill-fated idea it is jumping on a track with Ne-Yo. He most certainly makes NKOTB sound like the sonic equivalent of a lukewarm side dish of congealing frijoles looking mighty unappetizing next to a platter of sizzling fajitas.

Rosie Perez - Beef (feat. Jay-Z and Kanye West)

Last night on Jimmy Kimmel, Rosie spoke about her experiences on the set of "Pineapple Express" and had some pretty funny stories to share. She also talked about the status of her beef with Jay-Z [around 2:22 mark] and premiered her new found beef with Kanye in a great interview.



I pretty much loved her before, but after seeing this, my admiration for her has reached another level. She keeps it so real.

I Know They Got Soul

Caught this new Wieden + Kennedy produced NIKE spot during the replay of the USA/Aussie friendly:



Beautiful. Features Marvin Gaye's 1983 NBA All-Star rendition of the anthem which has kind of become the unofficial theme song for the 'Redeem Team.'

Inspired. I know I'll be waking up early Sunday morning for USA/China. YAO!

Gum is the New Black

VIBE recently announced its newest - and frankly, dumbest - audience-engager yet: the "Best Rapper Alive" contest. Structured exactly like the NCAA bball tourney, the mag has fans vote in each round to determine the winner. And somehow, both Cam'ron and Bun B (huh?) get away with a #5 seeds. Strange.

Also - a Pun Spot contributor told me about the origins of Chris Brown's "Forever" jingle - turns out Ne-Yo wants in on the gum game too.

WTF

[via NYTimes]

So Snoop is being featured on a Bollywood track from the upcoming film, "Singh is Kinng." Couldn't find the actual music video from the film as its release is a couple of months off, but here is a live performance where Snoop is absent but Akshay Kumar breaks it down thoroughly.

I don't know what is going on over there, but now they are also trying to buy Steven Spielberg's shine.