Congratulations to Phish

(Thanks to Access Atlanta for the pic)

I finally have something to write about! Even though most of you probably do not care, I would still like to congratulate Phish on receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award at last night’s Jammy’s at the Washington Mutual Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City. To the surprise of some, all four members (Trey Anastasio, Mike Gordon, Page McConnel, Jon Fishman) were present to accept the award, and to the disappointment of many they did not reunite to play for the crowd. However, in tribute to their success and the imprint they made to the music world, the Headcount Allstars (consisting of members from Umphrey’s McGee, Disco Biscuits, the Duo, and String Cheese Incident) covered four Phish songs to end the awards show. I am sure the crowd went crazy simply because of the band’s presence, I know I would have. This with the combination that Trey just announced he will be playing a solo acoustic set at the Newport Musi Festival in August (his first billed show in over 17 months), might lead to even bigger news (reunion anyone?). If there are any Phish phans that read ATG make yourselves known!

-Ethan

FUCK WORK MAKE DANCE: THE RETURN OF THE JEDI

Dear Readers,

You may recall my older posts “FUCK WORK MAKE DANCE” and “FUCK WORK MAKE DANCE: PART DEUX”, and the trilogy is now complete with the third and probably not final installment of the FUCK WORK MAKE DANCE trilogy, entitled “FUCK WORK MAKE DANCE: THE RETURN OF THE JEDI”. Here goes:

Dear finals,

You’re ugly, boring, and useless. As important as you are, I’d much rather do something else. Like, say….

DANCCEEEE PARRTTTYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!! (WARNING: these are the greatest songs ever.)

MP3: Justice - “Phantom Pt. II (Boyz Noize Remix)”
MP3: Feist - “1234 (Vanshe Technologic Remix)”
MP3: The Who - “Baba O Riley (RAC Edit)”

Love,
Zack

More Immuzikation Mash-Up Goodness

If you’re not a regular here and missed out on the “Spotlight On” mash-up maestro Immuzikation, get on it. If you did, then you will most definitely enjoy these new songs. Dude has the Midas touch, every mash-up he puts together is pure gold, and the latest batch is no exception. First up is his genius blend of sextronaqueen (sex + electronica + queen) Peaches’ “Fuck the Pain Away” along with The Presidents of the United States’ “Peaches”, which is a bit odd, yet still works. The second mash-up features the instrumentals from Biz Markie’s classic “Just a Friend”, matched up with vocals from Shirley Ellis’ throwback jumprope theme “The Clapping Song”. The result, “Just a Friend with the Clap”, is, dare I say, catchier than both songs alone. Also, check out the video Alfredo (aka Immuzikation) made for his best mashup “One More Time to Pretend”. Granted, the editing skills are lacking, but you get the picture.

MP3: Immuzikation - “Fuck the PUSA (Peaches vs. Presidents of the USA)”
MP3: Immuzikation - “Just a Friend with the Clap (Biz Markie vs. Shirley Ellis)”

Love,
Zack

Beautiful Spring Day

It’s a beautiful spring day here in Madison, Wisconsin. Now most other blogs that throw together the obligatory first day of spring post did so about three weeks ago, but they don’t live in Wisconsin, where it (no joke) snowed less than a week ago. Yeah, we’ve had the occasional 70 degree day, but they’re interspersed between 30 and 40 degree ones. Today, however, I declare that spring has arrived in Madison, and is here to stay. So here is what I am listening to to celebrate this glorious occasion.

First up is “Part of the Sky” by Adam Arcuragi, who I first discovered through former ATG writer/butt buddy Austin. The song sounds like a cross between Andrew Bird, Sam Beam, and any other singer/songwriter with an acoustic guitar. Something about its simplicity really strikes a chord with me, and I’ve been hooked since the first listen.

MP3: Adam Arcuragi - “Part of the Sky”

I only very recently saw The Darjeeling Limited for the first time, upon the request of my insistant girlfriend, and while the movie didn’t blow me away, the soundtrack definitely did. Not surprising, of course, as it is a Wes Anderson movie. I instantly snagged the soundtrack, and have been blasting “This Time Tomorrow” by The Kinks constantly.

MP3: The Kinks - “This Time Tomorrow”

Finally, I’ve been enjoying a unique remix of Daft Punks “Digital Love”, featuring appearances by Alphabeat, Leon Jean-Marie, and ATG-favorite FrankMusik. The vocoder vocals have been replaced with real people, and the beat is even more upbeat and warm than the original, if that’s even possible. I think it’s literally impossible not to enjoy Daft Punk, so enjoy this.

MP3: Daft Punk - “Digital Love (Remix ft. FrankMusik, Alphabeat, & Leon Jean-Marie)”

If you’ve been relaxing in the warm spring weather for a while, then fuck you. If you’re like me and spring is a novel (and welcomed) concept then put some shorts on, pour yourself a mojito, put these songs (along with anything by Vampire Weekend) on a playlist and go outside.

Love,
Zack

Girl Talk Gets a Video for Bounce That

So a Professor at Concordia University in Montreal, along with some students, put together a “fan video” for Girl Talk’s “Bounce That”, with amazing results. The finished product is a rotoscoped version of a live show, which perfectly captures the feel of the song as well as one of the infamous live shows. I know I’m a bit late on this, but enjoy anyways.

Love,
Zack

Anti-Flag - The Bright Lights of America

UPDATE: Songs removed upon request. Sorry.

Georgetown Radio requires all DJ’s to write several album reviews per semester. Although it can be difficult to get your hands on the album you want to review, I was fortunate enough to get first pick in reviewing an album by a band that has held an important place in my heart since I was a wee-little freshman in high school. Here goes…

Is Anti-Flag going soft on us? Depending on how you approach this question, the answer could be yes. The Pittsburgh punk outfit’s political messages are as strong as ever, but this time around the band has openly embraced taking a more experimental approach to their music for their sophomore major-label release, The Bright Lights of America. This does not mean the band is trying to go all Mars Volta on us; instead, the band hopes to keep their music alive and vibrant in an ever-changing music industry by complementing their melodic-punk sound with interesting musical additions, such as orchestral percussion. Simply put, Anti-Flag is trying to do what other punk bands have not done before.

For the most part, this new experimental approach to the band’s music works. On the track “Spit in the Face,” the group is able to flawlessly transition from a dark piano-led introduction to a balls-to-the-wall punk-rock song. The aptly titled “Go West” also brings some new flavor into the band’s repertoire by including a harmonica-riff that would be more common of folk or country music. However, there are other songs where this new approach just does not turn out well. “If You Wanna Steal (You Better Learn How to Life),” is probably Bright Lights’ greatest low-point; the atypical drumbeat just does not feel like Anti-Flag I have come to love and know and does not go well with the band’s general attitude.

Although this album can be singled out for its experimental overtones, The Bright Lights of America is still chock-full of angry lyrics and fast-paced punk rock songs. Tracks such as “The Modern Rome is Burning” remind me that the Anti-Flag the world has come to know is still alive and well. Unfortunately, songs like these are the highlights of Bright Lights. Although I am glad that the band tried to keep its music fresh for this album, I think that Anti-Flag should stick to their guns next time they are in the studio. Nevertheless, they can take a lesson or two from Bright Lights and build off of the successful experimental elements of the album for their next full-length effort.

MP3: Anti-Flag - The Modern Rome Is Burning
MP3: Anti-Flag - Go West

-Adrian

The Roots Release New Album, Show D.C. Love

You may have read the title to this post and thought to yourself (or out loud), “but Zack, The Roots are from Philadelphia. Philly hates D.C. and D.C. hates Philly. How are The Roots giving D.C. love?”. Well, allow me to answer that question. Listeners attuned to the sounds of the Washington, DC Go-Go music scene, or anyone who loves percussion-heavy instrumentation, will definitely find Rising Down a pleasant surprise. This is because ?uestlove, Black Thought, and the gang have obviously been listening to go-go pioneers Rare Essence, UCB, and the godfather Chuck Brown. Take the highlight track “Rising Up”, for example. The beat is obviously crafted out of traditional go-go rhythms, and even features one of the hottest verses of 2008 contributed by none other than D.C. up-and-comer/genius/prodigy/demi-god Wale. Nobody in hip-hop right now uses metaphors and pop culture references with as much comfort and style as Wale does, and it shows on “Rising Up”.

So enjoy The Roots’ newest album, whether you be from Philly, D.C., or anywhere else. Rising Down features more guest appearances than any of their other LPs, which makes sense as this album seems to be inclusive, eclectic, and heavily influenced by multiple cultures, genres, and musicians.

MP3: The Roots - “Rising Up (ft. Wale & Chrissette Michelle)”
MP3: The Roots - “75 Bars (Black’s Reconstruction)”

The album dropped today, so go get yourself a copy.

Love,
Zack

Slow Runner Has a New Album??!?!

What? When did this happen? How could I miss the release from a band that I told everyone not to miss out on way back when? Seriously, Mermaids (their third LP) dropped April 1st? That’s like, 27 days ago. Oh well.

Mermaids definitely harkens back to the sound I fell in love with on their debut, No Disassemble. Soft, sweet, and harmless tracks are littered across the new album, with painful love ballads tossed in for good measure. “Vocals” is the magic word for Mermaids, which is great for listeners since singer/songwriter Michael Flynn has perfected the strained voice, turning songs with simple percussion and a slow guitar line into complex, intricate love songs. Highlights include “The Stakes Were Raised”, which features the best instrumentation on the album, and “Trying to Put Your Heart Back Together”, which holds its own against the likes of Neko Case in the growing alt-country genre.

Note the zshare, since our server is down for a hot second.

MP3: Slow Runner - “Trying to Put Your Heart Back Together”
MP3: Slow Runner - “The Stakes Were Raised”

Now listen to one of my favorite tracks from 2005’s No Disassemble and tell me you wish you hadn’t slept on these guys.

MP3: Slow Runner - “Everything is Exactly What it Seems”

Love,
Zack

UPDATE: D.C. - Where Amazing Happens

UPDATE: 108-72. The Wizards make the city of Cleveland their bitch. DeShawn Stevenson can’t feel his face. Welcome to D.C. LeBron.

Love,
Zack

The NBA: Where Amazing Happens?

I think you can tell I don’t like LeBron. Cut that beard off and quit copying DeShawn Stevenson.

You can also tell I’m a thoroughly biased, angry, hometown fan. But those are the best kind of fans, so get over it.

MP3: Jimmy Eat World - “Cheating Gets it Faster”
MP3: Wale - “D.C. Gorillaz”
MP3: The Postal Service - “Against All Odds
MP3: The Apples in Stereo - “Play Tough”

And for those of you who have been following what is quite possibly the best trash-talking war between two teams (and cities) ever…

MP3: Soulja Boy - “Crank That (Cousin Cole Remix)”

Big up to Agent Steinz over at the D.C. Sports Bog, which I spend more time reading than I working on ATG.

Love,
Zack