Slept on

Some of you may remember my post from last year about "Hipster Hip Hop" where I talked briefly about The Knux. (And by some, I mean none of you, but that's okay.) The Knux dropped their album Remind Me in 3 Days in October last year but just released a new video from said album.

The Knux - Fire



Verdict: Pretty cool video and pretty good song. It is now on the official playlist.

Also, Passion of the Weiss recently wrote a pretty good piece on Asher Roth and The Knux. Check it out.

Old News?

So I read this song has been pretty big for awhile; that was after recently hearing it for the first time on the radio. So please excuse if this is old news. I feel Beggin' draws on diverse styles to produce something pretty fun and irresistible.



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EDITOR'S NOTE: Some readers may recognize this song from an earlier post on shoes and hip-hop. Thanks to Faroukh for ferreting out the information on that Adidas commercial, and for coming back after a long hiatus.

I've got soul, but...

I'm a white guy. Or at least Daniel Merriweather is and has the aforementioned soul. I first heard him on Mark Ronson's 2007 album Version. (Thanks to Rajiv and Ray for the recommendation on that one.)

Mark Ronson - Stop Me (feat. Daniel Merriweather)



Merriweather recently released these two pretty good tracks both set to be on his forthcoming album Love and War. Check it out. (The second track is with one of Megha's favorite artists of last year.)

Daniel Merriweather - Chainsaw



Daniel Merriweather - Water and a Flame (feat. Adele)

Ray's Fave 5

Ray's favorite artist just released the video for his new favorite song.

Keri Hilson - Knock You Down (feat. Kanye West & Ne-Yo)



Favorite. Favorite. Favorite.

That's 5. I'm out.

Support your local public radio station

Heard of these two albums recently on Fresh Air with Terry Gross. (That's right. I get music recommendations from NPR.)

(1) The Bird and the Bee released Ray Guns Are Not Just the Future a couple of months ago. Sort of a blend between Lily Allen (vocals), The Ting Tings (production), and She & Him (concept).

A couple of tracks worth checking out below.

The Bird and the Bee - My Love



The Bird and the Bee - Polite Dance Song



(2) Speaking of She & Him, M. Ward (the band member that is not Zooey Deschanel) recently released Hold Time. Much of it sounds like it could be on the soundtrack for a Wes Anderson movie, which is not to say it's not enjoyable. To be sure, I enjoyed the album. A couple of good tracks below.

M. Ward - For Beginners



M. Ward - Never Had Nobody Like You (feat. Zooey Deschanel)



Shout out to Terry Gross for the recommendations.

A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Bar

Heard this song this past weekend when I stopped by a random store on Saturday night on the way to a bar.

Glass Candy - Geto Boys



The song immediately caught my attention with the sample from Houston hip-hop legends The Geto Boys' "My Mind's Playing Tricks On Me." The store clerk was nice enough to give me the name of the group. I also bought a new pair of sunglasses. So all in all a great night.

There is nothing wrong with your television set. Do not attempt to adjust the picture...

Cool new-ish videos from Kanye West and Chairlift. Check it out.

Kanye West - Welcome to Heartbreak



Chairlift - Evident Utensil

War of the Worlds

Röyksopp - Happy Up Here



Very cool new video from Röyksopp. It's as if it's the end of the world, and yet somehow I'm not so worried. The Space Invaders-wrought destruction reminds me of a hilarious episode of Futurama.

FuturamaWeeknights, 9p/8c

Space Invaders

Joke of the Day
Stand-Up Comedy

Free Online Games
More Funny Videos

If you hadn't already heard of them, Röyksopp is an ambient electronic band from Norway. Also of note, "[the] word Röyksopp is a stylized version of the Norwegian word for the puffball mushroom, 'røyksopp' or literally, 'smoke mushroom.'" (Thanks Wikipedia.) You may also remember them from that Geico commercial.

Röyksopp - Remind Me



The real music video is pretty cool, too.



"Happy Up Here" is going to be on Röyksopp's new album Junior due out in March. And props to Gerard R. for first introducing me to the band. Check out the band's website when you get a chance. They have an interesting blog where they list top fives for a number of categories: animals, actor's eyes, villain names. My favorite excerpt:

3. Xander Drax - “Again with the “x”s! If you’re lucky enough to get no more than 2 “x”s in your name, you’re meant to be a criminal. And if your name is Xander Drax, it sounds as if you’re ready to take on the world! Not in order to reap profits, but rather to destroy it! You’re probably a fiend when it comes to sharks, acids, lasers and nuclear explosions. Son, you are going places - The number 3 spot on our list, to be precise."

Hilarious Norwegians.

Let them eat cake

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Heads Will Roll

Very cool new track from Yeah Yeah Yeahs from their forthcoming new album It's Blitz! And another track from the album below.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Zero



And of course, one my favorite (yet one of the most difficult) songs from Rock Band.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Maps

What About Our Fathers?

Just giving Avani a shout out here for introducing me to The Knife. Have been listening to the below quite a bit for the last week. I'm sure its society that compels me to do so, rather than any evolutionary instinct.

(If someone can explain wtf this video is about, that would be much appreciated.)